Some people might remember this story I wrote a long time ago for this fandom, I took it down because I didn't think I'd ever continue it. I'll be putting up the chapters one by one since there is a possibility that I might continue it since I hate leaving fics unfinished.
Will was dead. Or he knew he would be if he didn't do anything productive in the next few minutes. He looked up at the giant man that could only compare to Trobar in size. He had that gentle giant's size and muscles but with 10 times the skill of a Skandian on raid. He knew how to hold that giant hammer of his against anyone, even a ranger. It was no wonder the group of thieves recruited such a bumbling looking man as a body guard.
The young ranger knew he could not do anything anymore. All he could do was pray that Halt would come and save him at the last minute like how he usually did it. That was a best case scenario
If worse comes to worst though, he knew he had to weigh his options. He was forced to run around the hill for the past 30 minutes and dodge the blows of the bumbling man. He was exhausted and for some reason the man wasn't. He had endurance and along with that he had speed. Because of that, Will had to make a lot more of an effort than usual to dodge the blows and try to hide. He trusted that his cloak would conceal him but for some reason the man was able see through it and before Will knew it, his cloak was torn to shreds and was thrown over the cliff. His bow was another option until the man grabbed it and snapped it in half in front of Will.
Who is this man?Will thought as he watched his broken bow skitter to a stop right beside the cliff. He realized he should stop contemplating on the man's identity and more on how to get out of this situation. He'd have lots more time to do that later.
His throwing knife was his last resort. He knew that the saxe knife would be useless against the man at that moment and so he kept it in his belt in case it would be of any better use. His throwing knife though could be of use. He swiftly threw it at the man and because of his massive size, was unable to fully dodge the rapid knife and it tore the flesh in his upper arm.
Will grimaced when he realized that it was only able to create a flesh wound in his arm and nothing too mortal and made a mental note to train a bit more on knife training when he gets back to his cabin in Seacliff.
Will's grimace turned into a look of terror when he realized the man looked much angrier and not incapacitated at all.
He had to weigh his options faster. He could escape but the only way down was a winding path that would lead them down to flat land. The flat land was where the camp of the Nemi pirates was. They would definitely be alerted on the arrival of the three rangers on a recon mission if he ever went down there now.
Right now, Halt and Gilan were listening in on their meeting. It was a mission ordered by the leaders to the ranger corps that would give Araluen a head start on the plans of the infamous pirates who have been causing a lot of chaos around Gallica, Hiberia and neighboring regions. It was a hundred times worse than the Skandian raids. They were burning crop fields, stealing sacks of grain from every house in a village. Those were the lucky villages. Others were burned down after being stolen from. Worse were the mass homicide cases from two small towns in Gallica leaving only a crying baby in one home? Fortunately Araluen wasn't yet a victim of their heinous crimes. To make sure that it does not happen, King Duncan ordered Halt and his two apprentices to track down the pirates. In less than a week, they were able to track down the base of the said pirates. It was Will who volunteered to lure their big guard to the woods and take him down as not to alert the men inside the biggest tent to the presence of spies. It was a simple game of cat and mouse that was able to lure the man up the him. Killing him, though, was another matter. Will had made the mistake of underestimating him. He should have known that the Nemi pirates would not have left one man to guard their base if he wasn't so skilled. He should have kept his guard up as he led the giant or it could have been Gilan who lured him out. A sword would have had a much better chance against a hammer than the only thing he had now- a saxe knife.
He ran around the place, dodging hammer blows here and there. While doing that, he weighed his only options now. Option 1 was he could escape back to the camp and ask for help from Gilan and Halt and at the same time alert the pirates of their presence. That would put his two comrades in danger and he knew that. The pirates were all skilled fighters due to their survival of the fittest and Spartan lifestyle so they would not be able to handle over 50 pirates with just two of them. The sound of a bumbling man chasing a ranger would have definitely alerted the pirates. He thought of his option 2. It was dangerous but he knew it was his only chance of not jeopardizing the mission now. Araluen and his loved ones' lives came first before his. He speeded up to the cliff ready to take the plunge to save his fellow rangers lives. He planned his landing as to not break too much, hopefully just one leg. With a cliff of that height, one fracture was lucky.
Once he falls, the big guard would go back to camp. His footsteps would give Halt and Gilan a head start on him and hopefully Halt would shoot an arrow through his heart before he could get any closer. That was the best-case scenario. Knowing them, that was also the most probable case. He was ready to jump off. A small part of him smiled at the irony of this. He followed Gilan's advice almost all the time. Who knew he was going to end up following THIS certain advice?
He took a last glimpse at his surroundings. Gilan's advice also played in his head as he took a look around. What he saw laid on the ground beside him was the key, along with Gilan's advice. He, then, also remembered the saxe knife in his belt.
This may work. Will thought as he planned it in his head. It might be painful but it was better than jumping off the cliff.
In the end, Will did his third option.
Feedback would be appreciated. :D