"The Entourage"
The sun glazed across the wyvern's scales, tinting the lake surface a brownish-green color. The wyvern's eyes opened slightly, staring into the lake, watching the small fish glide through the liquid. A twig broke off in the distance, the shuffle of feet emitting from the woods about the lone wyvern.
"Bladewing!" Came the runner's voice.
Rufie burst through a bush into the clearing, his short black hair coiled about broken twigs and leaves stripped from the trees. He shook his head quickly and ran over to his wyvern-partner, juice dribbling down from his lips.
"Eat these! They're delicious." He held his hands up to Bladewing.
The massive wyvern nibbled upon the berries, the juice trickling down over his scales, dripping on to the soft grass. Rufie smiled brightly as his companion finished what was left in his hands. Rufie dropped to his knees and cleaned the juice from his hands and face, dipping his sleeve into the water and cleaning Bladewing's scales off as well. Bladewing nuzzled his scaley face into his rider's shirt, before sticking his head up, sniffing loudly. Rufie turned in the direction Bladewing was sniffing, his hand gliding down over the wooden grains of his iron spear, pulling it from its case on Bladewing's side, his eyes glinting slightly.
"What is it Bladewing.."
The noise of voices cut through the still air of the forest, Rufie's spear coming to his hand in an instance, placed diagonally across his form. He ducked down behind Bladewing, making it seem like a lone wyvern in the middle of a field. The "bandits" hacked through the bushes, not even noticing the wyvern. The one leading had brownish hair and light greenish-blue eyes. Upon his body was light weight, oceanic blue armor, with unknown swords in both hands. The other two, one being younger and the other looking about the same age, had swords sheathed at their sides. The one to the right of the "leader" had a sack slung over one shoulder, lock picks sticking out of a pouch on his waist. The one to the left was topped with short blond hair, covered with red armor tipped with spikes.
"..." Came the silent protest of Bladewing, his silence accompanied by a snort.
All three looked to the wyvern, one drawing out a rune blade, but keeping the point toward the ground. The youngest of the three turned his head about, scanning the area, his nimble fingers hovering over the hilt to his iron blade. The last of the three stepped forward, keeping his eyes on the wyvern.
"What's a wyvern doing out here alone?"
"Damien, watch out. Wyverns of that age always have riders." The "bandit" with the rune blade spoke, his voice uncaring as he spoke.
"I know this Ryan." Came the quick retort from Damien.
"Hmm.." Noised the youngest.
"Hush Andrew.." Ryan snapped.
Andrew glared over at him, his nimble fingers leaving his sides and pulling his black cape tighter over his red tunic and pants, scowling at Ryan. He shuffled over to the tree-line, gazing into the darkness. Ryan stepped past Damien, setting the blade tip to the earth and digging out a clump of the soft material.
"Who are you all!?" Rufie shouted, coming out, spear-tip aimed at Damien's back. He had crept around silently as the three had spoke.
Ryan growled angrily, his hand tightening about the hilt to his blade. Andrew sighed and stepped over to Damien, his hand drawing forth the iron blade, bringing it up to the spear tip.
"You're outnumbered, wyvern rider." Damien said calmly.
"You forget, bandit.. My wyvern. You're sandwiched." Rufie smiled hatefully at them.
"Wait.. Bandits? Bandits?! You think we're bandits?!" Andrew almost shouted.
"Aren't you?" Rufie asked suddenly confused.
"No. We're going to Bern. Want to join us, rider?" Damien spoke once more, voice still calm.
"My name is Rufie, not rider. And I have nothing else to do." Rufie said softly.
Andrew turned quickly, an arrow imbedding sharply into his shoulder, sending him backward. He slammed into the ground with a thud, a painful cry exiting his lips.
"Get that thief!" Came the attacker's voice.
"Damien! It's the assassins!" Andrew cried, tearing out the arrow.
Rufie spun around, the spear lodging into the chest of a enemy thief. Rufie leaped upward, slamming the thief's corpse down into the ground, wrenching it free, bloodstained. Ryan smiled darkly, sliding the rune blade through an enemy soldier, tossing him aside, before sending his blade splintering through the armor of a mercenary, metal shards imbedding inward.
"Don't let them get away!"
Damien's hand shot up, the unknown swords slicing through two myrmidons at once, slamming them into one another before dropping them. He shot forward, his footwork unmatched as he sent the weapons through another soldier, spinning him around and letting him crash into a tree. A spear inched through the back of Damien's thigh, exploding forward, sending blood across the grass.
"Ahh!"
Bladewing launched its claws through the soldier's face, taking his head clean off his shoulders. Rufie slammed his spear through a mercenary as three arrows clinked off his armor. Andrew crept through the woods, wincing slightly as he drew his unhurt arm up and slammed his iron blade through the leader's neck. The leader gurgled insanely, spraying crimson from his mouth across the ground before him, before toppling over, Andrew following. Damien snapped the spear, and tore it from his leg, nursing it silently. Ryan nudged Andrew's form with his foot.
"You okay, thief?"
A painful groan came from the fallen thief. He slowly pushed himself to his feet and drew the blade from the brigand's neck, wiping the blood on to the corpse's cloths. He sheathed the blade and smiled painfully up the taller man.
"Peachy."
Rufie sighed heavily, leaning on his spear. Bladewing laid down beside him, his eyes closed. Damien accepted a vulnerary from Ryan and sipped it gingerly, feeling the healing powers of the drink quickly cover up the pain. Ryan took back the vulnerary and handed it to Andrew, who took it gratefully.
"Only one more drink left." Ryan said, tucking the healing tonic away.
"Rufie, still want to join us?" Damien said, glancing at the rider.
"I don't mind fights. So sure." Came his response, petting Bladewing lightly upon the head.
The sun glazed across the wyvern's scales, tinting the lake surface a brownish-green color. The wyvern's eyes opened slightly, staring into the lake, watching the small fish glide through the liquid. A twig broke off in the distance, the shuffle of feet emitting from the woods about the lone wyvern.
"Bladewing!" Came the runner's voice.
Rufie burst through a bush into the clearing, his short black hair coiled about broken twigs and leaves stripped from the trees. He shook his head quickly and ran over to his wyvern-partner, juice dribbling down from his lips.
"Eat these! They're delicious." He held his hands up to Bladewing.
The massive wyvern nibbled upon the berries, the juice trickling down over his scales, dripping on to the soft grass. Rufie smiled brightly as his companion finished what was left in his hands. Rufie dropped to his knees and cleaned the juice from his hands and face, dipping his sleeve into the water and cleaning Bladewing's scales off as well. Bladewing nuzzled his scaley face into his rider's shirt, before sticking his head up, sniffing loudly. Rufie turned in the direction Bladewing was sniffing, his hand gliding down over the wooden grains of his iron spear, pulling it from its case on Bladewing's side, his eyes glinting slightly.
"What is it Bladewing.."
The noise of voices cut through the still air of the forest, Rufie's spear coming to his hand in an instance, placed diagonally across his form. He ducked down behind Bladewing, making it seem like a lone wyvern in the middle of a field. The "bandits" hacked through the bushes, not even noticing the wyvern. The one leading had brownish hair and light greenish-blue eyes. Upon his body was light weight, oceanic blue armor, with unknown swords in both hands. The other two, one being younger and the other looking about the same age, had swords sheathed at their sides. The one to the right of the "leader" had a sack slung over one shoulder, lock picks sticking out of a pouch on his waist. The one to the left was topped with short blond hair, covered with red armor tipped with spikes.
"..." Came the silent protest of Bladewing, his silence accompanied by a snort.
All three looked to the wyvern, one drawing out a rune blade, but keeping the point toward the ground. The youngest of the three turned his head about, scanning the area, his nimble fingers hovering over the hilt to his iron blade. The last of the three stepped forward, keeping his eyes on the wyvern.
"What's a wyvern doing out here alone?"
"Damien, watch out. Wyverns of that age always have riders." The "bandit" with the rune blade spoke, his voice uncaring as he spoke.
"I know this Ryan." Came the quick retort from Damien.
"Hmm.." Noised the youngest.
"Hush Andrew.." Ryan snapped.
Andrew glared over at him, his nimble fingers leaving his sides and pulling his black cape tighter over his red tunic and pants, scowling at Ryan. He shuffled over to the tree-line, gazing into the darkness. Ryan stepped past Damien, setting the blade tip to the earth and digging out a clump of the soft material.
"Who are you all!?" Rufie shouted, coming out, spear-tip aimed at Damien's back. He had crept around silently as the three had spoke.
Ryan growled angrily, his hand tightening about the hilt to his blade. Andrew sighed and stepped over to Damien, his hand drawing forth the iron blade, bringing it up to the spear tip.
"You're outnumbered, wyvern rider." Damien said calmly.
"You forget, bandit.. My wyvern. You're sandwiched." Rufie smiled hatefully at them.
"Wait.. Bandits? Bandits?! You think we're bandits?!" Andrew almost shouted.
"Aren't you?" Rufie asked suddenly confused.
"No. We're going to Bern. Want to join us, rider?" Damien spoke once more, voice still calm.
"My name is Rufie, not rider. And I have nothing else to do." Rufie said softly.
Andrew turned quickly, an arrow imbedding sharply into his shoulder, sending him backward. He slammed into the ground with a thud, a painful cry exiting his lips.
"Get that thief!" Came the attacker's voice.
"Damien! It's the assassins!" Andrew cried, tearing out the arrow.
Rufie spun around, the spear lodging into the chest of a enemy thief. Rufie leaped upward, slamming the thief's corpse down into the ground, wrenching it free, bloodstained. Ryan smiled darkly, sliding the rune blade through an enemy soldier, tossing him aside, before sending his blade splintering through the armor of a mercenary, metal shards imbedding inward.
"Don't let them get away!"
Damien's hand shot up, the unknown swords slicing through two myrmidons at once, slamming them into one another before dropping them. He shot forward, his footwork unmatched as he sent the weapons through another soldier, spinning him around and letting him crash into a tree. A spear inched through the back of Damien's thigh, exploding forward, sending blood across the grass.
"Ahh!"
Bladewing launched its claws through the soldier's face, taking his head clean off his shoulders. Rufie slammed his spear through a mercenary as three arrows clinked off his armor. Andrew crept through the woods, wincing slightly as he drew his unhurt arm up and slammed his iron blade through the leader's neck. The leader gurgled insanely, spraying crimson from his mouth across the ground before him, before toppling over, Andrew following. Damien snapped the spear, and tore it from his leg, nursing it silently. Ryan nudged Andrew's form with his foot.
"You okay, thief?"
A painful groan came from the fallen thief. He slowly pushed himself to his feet and drew the blade from the brigand's neck, wiping the blood on to the corpse's cloths. He sheathed the blade and smiled painfully up the taller man.
"Peachy."
Rufie sighed heavily, leaning on his spear. Bladewing laid down beside him, his eyes closed. Damien accepted a vulnerary from Ryan and sipped it gingerly, feeling the healing powers of the drink quickly cover up the pain. Ryan took back the vulnerary and handed it to Andrew, who took it gratefully.
"Only one more drink left." Ryan said, tucking the healing tonic away.
"Rufie, still want to join us?" Damien said, glancing at the rider.
"I don't mind fights. So sure." Came his response, petting Bladewing lightly upon the head.