Loam crunched softly beneath his feet, and the sun winked at the generous blade of the sword at his back. The tow-headed lad was only fifteen years old, the weapon taller than he was, yet he was not dwarfed by it as one might expect. He carried both the zweihander and himself with confidence. Today, he was hunting.
Siegfried had only just begun seeking out opponants to test his strength against. His quarry was a band of theives, the Schwarzwind. Thier deeds grew more daring with every rumor he'd come across in Ober-Getzenberg. He'd already been accosted by them once in his search. Three of them attempted to rob Siegfried of his sword, but they quickly backed down when they found that he could use it. Now he was casting about the Black Forest in the area they had fled.
A twig snapped, and the bushes to Seigfried's left shuddered with movement too large for a squirrel. He drew his blade, Faust, just before a figure darted away into the woods. He ran after it. The stranger was fast, but not so fast that Siegfried lost him, no matter how much underbrush he crashed through or how many branches struck him in the face.
The youth broke free of clutching branches and close-knit trees as he came to a clearing. He found himself surrounded by bandits. There were six in all, ragged teenagers bearing even more ragged weapons. Each wore the black cloth mask that marked them as Schwarzwind. Siegfried brandished his sword defiantly. "Shall I deal with you one by one or all at once?"
One of the group stepped forward and removed his mask. Although he carried a sword, it remained in its sheath. "We're not looking for a fight," he said "At least, not between you an' us. I am Helmut, captain of Schwarzwind."
Siegfried planted Faust in the ground before him. "And I'm giving your bunch a run for their money, am I right?"
Helmut smiled wryly at the other boy. "Well, you've certainly come to our attention. You're good with that hunk of metal. If you're looking to put that to use, I'm here to ask you to join us."
"You're asking me, a knight's son, to join a gang of theives?" Siegfried snorted.
Helmut shook his head. "We're more than highwaymen. We fight for the German people in our own way. We strike at the powerful, in their pockets where it hurts the most. What do you say?"
Siegfried lifted his blade. He brushed the dirt off its tip before sheathing it and said, "I'll consider it."