"Winged Trio"
The bandits scattered as the spear plunged into the ground once more within their masses, the pegasus slammed its wings in a downward motion quickly, rising back into the air above the bandits, whose jeering and sneering was becoming quite annoying.
"Rosemary, you missed again!" The eldest of the sisters, Rosalyn, called to her sister, Rosemary.
As her sentence ended, a loud scream ripped the sky, the youngest of the sisters impaling a brigand on the end of her slim lance, she shook the corpse free from her lance and pulled the reins back, her pegasus quickly gaining altitude.
"Nice aiming Rosie," Rosalyn called, with Rosemary scowling behind her.
The freckled Rosie smiled slightly, before turning her pegasus down toward the bandits and diving once more, she screamed loudly and pulled back, an arrow zipping past her fiery red hair, taking a few locks with it.
"Archers! Why would bandits be accompanied by archers!?" Rosalyn screamed, tugging on the reins of her pegasus, her sisters following.
The three pegasi hovered just out of arrow shot, Rosie breathing heavily from her narrow escape from an arrow, Rosemary laying on her winged steed, as Rosalyn tried to determine a plan. A branch in a birch tree to Rosie's right shook slightly, as if it had extra weight upon it. She drifted over to it slowly as Rosemary bothered Rosalyn. She stopped a few feet from the massive tree, perking a brow.
"Seems you ladies are in trouble," Came a low voice from within the foliage, it caught Rosie by such a surprise, she almost fell from her pegasus.
"Who are you?!" She asked, her voice reflecting her emotions perfectly, frightful.
"A wanderer.." Came the solid response.
"Why would you help us?" Rosie asked inquisitively, floating closer to the tree.
"You have pegasi.. I want the feathers. Speed is a requirement for someone like me."
"B-but.. The feathers are priceless. I won't give away any from my pegasus!"
"Ask your sisters if they would.. If not, I'll leave you to take care of those archers on your own."
"..."
Rosie turned her pegasus and glided over to her sisters, stopping in front of Rosalyn, her face slightly scarlet, almost hiding the freckles upon her cheeks.
"Sis.."
"Yes, Rosie?" Rosalyn asked, looking at her youngest sister.
"Umm.. A man, in that tree over there.. Said he would help us kill the archers," Rosie spoke slowly and lightly.
"Really!? He's a life-saver!" Rosemary clapped her hands together.
"For a price.."
"What does he want?" Rosemary asked, perking a brow.
"The feathers of a pegasus."
"What?! Absurd!" Rosemary crossed her arms.
"Tell him he has a deal, Rosie," Rosalyn said softly.
"Are you sure, sis?" Rosie asked, staring at her sister.
"Yes. He shall get three feathers from my pegasus," She said, nodding.
Rosie swooped down over to the tree once more, the man's face slightly visible this time, but a hood drooped down over his eyes. She tilted her head slightly, squinting.
"My sister says you can have three feathers.."
"Deal."
The man dropped from the tree, vanishing through the foliage. The bandits turned to look at the unknown man, the sun glinting off the axes held within their grasp.
"Get him," Came a voice of pure venom from within the pack of brigands.
A crimson blade appeared from the center of bandits, as the brigands came at the cloaked man. He turned and nodded to the three sisters before bolting forward, his hands drawing forth a blade from the sheathes at his hips, a slim sword and an iron sword curving upward trough two brigands, slamming them together against a third axe-wielding thief. The figure slammed his feet into the brigands sides, flipping over them. He lands deftly upon the shoulders of an archer, curving the blades downward into his face, spraying the jaded landscape with his sepial essence. The three sisters watch in amazement as the cloaked man flipped from the dead archer's soldiers, spinning through the air, before plummeting downward into the mod of brigands, the iron and slim sword swinging about as if of their own mind, clashing against axe, cleaving through flesh, hacking limbs, rendering brigands lifeless.
"Kaon, duck!" Came a female scream from nearby.
The cloaked figure, Kaon, slumped his head downward, the curve of an axe clipping the back of his hood, ripping it from the rest of the cloak. Kaon, spun on his heel, swinging the slim sword upward, pushing the blade up through the fighter's jaw, and pushing up out through his forehead, continuing the spin, slamming the corpse down against the ground before him. He wrenched the blade from the fallen fighter, pushing off and flipping backward through the air, sweat trickling down his temples. Kaon glanced to the tree he had come from.
i'It's that girl again!'/i
She drew her fingers along the pages of a book held flat on one palm, runic symbols etching into the air before her, chaotic energies ring the markings, before exploding into the ground, splintering upward around an archer, incinerating them. He watched with an eyebrow perked before dodging the razor-edge of an axe, taking the man's legs out with a sweep of his slim sword, raking the iron sword up through his back and out through his gut. He wrenched the blade back, kicking the impaled fighter into another. He scrambled to the side, rolling through a brigand's legs and flipping to his feet, back-flipping away from a mercenary within the group. He comes to a halt, breathing heavily, sweat trickling down his temples.
i'Those pegasi feathers better be worth this.'/i
"Mister!" A soft voice came from above.
"What?!" Kaon growled.
"If you take out the archers, we can actually help. Don't fight them all!" Came Rosalyn's voice.
i'Wasn't that was I was supposed to be doing anyway?'/i
Kaon shook his head, gliding his right foot back behind him, slipping the slim sword before him parallel to the ground, the iron blade laying lightly across his left thigh, which was left bent slightly before him. He launched his form forward violently, the heels of his shoes ripping out the coarse earth from beneath them. He bolted through the pack of brigands, their axes whizzing past him, barely missing. He slams his iron sword in an upward motion, spinning around with the archer imbedded on the tip of the blade, slamming his corpse down upon another archer, impaling them both with the small blade. He wrenched the blade free and ran a brigand through with the iron sword, pushing off and flipping backward out of the pack, landing next to the woman that saved him earlier, her black magic tome glittering slightly. She pushed her palm forward, multiple eruptions occurring throughout the pack of thieves, incinerating a few of them. Kaon sighed, turning about, nodding to the pegasus sisters, all three launching their assault at once, slamming their lances and spears through brigands all at once, pulling out before getting struck by their lethal axes.
"Kill them now, dammit!" Came a venomous shout from the center of the pack, where the crimson blade was located.
"Your target, Kaon. Go get him," The black mage said softly to him.
Kaon nodded and slid his slim sword into its sheathe, though much more mobile, it wouldn't be of much use. He ground the dirt beneath his shoes as he ran, slipping past brigand after brigand, feeling the air from swings of their axes as he dodged. He jumped over a jostled together group of fighters, landing deftly in front of a man with a massive spear, a helmet pulled down taunt over his face. Kaon lifted his face, his crimson oculars studying the man before him. The man lifted the massive spear, the metal chain clinking softly against his forearm guard before lunging forward, launching the spear straight at Kaon. Kaon's leg muscles knitted together into a master stitch work as he pushed himself upward, flipping slightly through the air, his right foot slamming downward against the massive spear, standing upon it, the spear-head imbedded deeply into the back of a brigand. The chain locked to the lancer's forearm clanked slightly as the man grabbed it tightly, jerking it back, Kaon almost falling from the spear, but keeping his balance as he returned with the spear. The guard at the end of the spear's haft, before the spear-head, connected violently with the lancer's gauntlet, sending Kaon straight over his back. Kaon's iron sword's razor edge raked across the side of his helmet as he flipped over his back, his foot catching his helmet and ripping it from his skull, sending the armor tinkering against the ground as Kaon rolled into a low crouch, both blades out and gleaming dangerously at his sides. The lancer turned about to face Kaon, short black hair sticking out about his head, a pair of pale azure oculars returning the crimsonic ones' stare.
"Drake!?"
"Kaon!"
The butt end of an axe slammed against the back of Kaon's cranium, sending him reeling into the ground. Drake's spear impaled through the guilty brigand, the spear pulling the corpse to him. He unlatched the body from his spear head and tossed it aside. Something from above caught his attention and he turned to look as three pegasi dove at once, imbedding their spears into brigands and fighters together, fountains of crimson erupting throughout the band of thieves. A young female rushed past Drake, who almost fell over with the confusion. The young black mage knelt next to Kaon, checking his vitals.
"Sir, keep them busy while I try to revive him. Please.."
"Anything for an old friend, milady. Revive him quickly though."
Drake turned his body back toward the advancing brigands, his iron spear launching forth from his side, the chain pulling tight at his gauntlet as it drove through another axe-wielding imbecile. He jerked the spear back, the body sliding free of the blade. He spun it about, cracking the butt end against multiple fighters at once, before spinning on his heel and firing it out from his side, the blade impaling through three guys at once, sepial exploding from their mandibles across the jade landscape as he pulled the lance in, kicking their bodies off of his weapon. The black mage shrieked in surprise as Kaon's crimson oculars flicked open, and on his feet in the next. Drake smirked a little, slamming the butt end of the spear into a charging brigand's gut, elbowing him in the jaw, and then slamming his massive gauntlet into his face. Kaon fished at his sheathes for his blades, scowling angrily when his fingers found nothing. He balled his gloved hands into his fists, slamming them viciously into jaw, cheek, and nose, crimson liquid splashing across his ebony cloak and trickling down his face.
"Selena! Get out of here, now!"
The black mage nodded and ducked out, slipping out of the pack, the charging men brandishing their axes lethally before them as Kaon and Drake backed into each other, their backs flat against another. Drake swung his spear in deep, but an axe caught it mid-way, shattering the wooden haft into split-ends. He pulled both ends back, spinning them about within both hands, the chain clinking lightly against his gauntlet. Kaon breathed heavily, his gloves splattered with dried crimson, the wet liquid dripping from his fingertips. The pegasi sisters kept at their onslaught on the outer rim of the brigand and fighters, their spears digging deeply into the lightly-clad men, kicking corpses from their spears as the wheeled back up into the sky. The men all stopped at once, the clanking of metal becoming the only noise heard besides the soft wisps of the pegasi wings, and the heavy breathing of both Drake and Kaon.
"Part men," Came a bitter, venomous voice.
The fighters split off to one side, the brigands on the other as a single man strode forth down the line that the pack made. Drake and Kaon turned to look, the pale azure oculars widening as the crimson pair slitted downward. A man clad heavily in deep crimson armor stepped into the center of the circle, a blood red cape flicking out behind him, the soft breeze of the plains pulling at his patch of short black hair. Drake swallowed loudly, his hands wrapping tighter about the broken halves of his spear, Kaon's eyes locked to Kadus', both crimson pairs burning dangerously.
"Men, return his swords."
A brigand and a fighter stepped from the crowd about the three men, tossing Kaon his blades. Kaon's right hand swung to the right, his left to his right. The iron sword slipped right into the grasp of his right hand, dropping the tip to the ashen soil next to his right shoe. The slim sword was caught within his left, left hanging loosely at his left side, Kaon's oculars gazing upon the massive crimson man.
"Kadus.." Drake's whisper came to Kaon's ears.
"Drake, you traitor. You will die by my sword. As well as your friend there," Kadus' viscous words met the pair.
"Yeah right.." Kaon replied sternly, turning to face the man, both blades swinging up into an 'X' form across his chest.
Drake looked to his companion of old, smiling lightly as he stepped to his side, spinning the broken halves of the spear within his hands. A soft swishing noise came to the ears of Drake, a thud at his side forcing his head to turn. He looked up to the sky, one of the winged riders waving slightly, nodding for him to take her lance. He tossed the broken pieces aside, snatching the haft up within his gauntleted hand, attaching the chain to the new spear, turning his attention back to Kadus, his pale azure oculars burning with the same fire as Kaon's.
"So, you dare draw a weapon against me, Drake. Your death shall be entertaining," Kadus' lips turned into a dark smile.
"Two on one seems fair enough to me," Drake responded lightly.
"The odds matter not.. You both shall fall to my blade."
"Let's just get this over with already, then."
"..."
"What is it Kaon?" Drake whispered lightly.
"Be honorable.."
Drake looked at his friend, who in the Crimson Scourge knew not the meaning of the word 'honor'. He shook his head a little, turning back, gripping on to the wooden haft of his steel spear tightly, the chain clinking lightly within the breeze. Kaon's form was a blur as he launched himself forward, both blades coming together as if one, they met Kadus' blade head first, sparks showering over the two warriors. Drake waited for a moment, then launched his spear forward, straight for Kadus' gut. Kaon's blades clashed against Kadus' crimson adze, lifting himself up with the power of the thrusts, the spear lunging for Kadus' mandible. The spear came to a halt against Kadus hand, catching the spear deftly with his left hand, Drake spun his hand about the chain, pulling it back tauntly, the spear dislodging from Kadus' grip, coming back to Drake's. Kaon landed upon the crimson warrior's shoulders, swinging the iron sword for his face and the slim for the back of his cranium, but Kadus spun upon his heels, the two blades sweeping past his head, knocking Kaon from his perch. He rolled to his feet back toward Drake, coming up in a low crouch, a light smirk upon his pale lips.
"You are skilled, nameless warrior."
"As are you, Kadus.."
"Let us end this then?"
"Drake, stay out of this for a while.."
"I understand, Kaon," Drake muttered softly.
Kaon launched himself forward, slamming his iron sword against Kadus' crimson sword, his slim sword digging deeply into his side, sepial essence spilling down along the blade's slim edge, trickling to the ground beneath their feet. Kadus slammed his fist into Kaon's shoulder, dislodging his grip from the sword and knocking him back. Kaon stumbled back, but kept his balance, spinning the iron sword within his right fingers. Kadus took hold of the slim sword, wrenching it free from his flesh, tossing it aside.
"One sword now, Kaon."
i'Think of Raven..'/i
Kaon took hold of the hilt of his iron sword with both hands, grasping it tightly as he swung it back and forth relentlessly, clashing against Kadus' blade over and over again, the power behind Kaon's swings becoming tougher to keep his ground against. Kaon slammed his foot up into Kadus' gut, spinning upward, his opposite heel jolting his chin back, putting strain on Kadus' ivory neck structure. As Kaon landed with his back away from Kadus, he slid backward, his iron sword stripping through the crimson armor and cleaving through his epidermal layer, crimson fluids flooding through the metal plates and becoming one with the ashen soil beneath their soles. Kadus closed his eyes, stepping back away from the blade, dropping to his knees. Kaon turned, dropping the iron sword's point to the ground, looking down upon the crimson warrior. Drake walked up next to him, setting the steel edge of his spear into the ground, lodging it next to his foot.
"Kill me.. I want to die on the battlefield.. Where I lived my entire life.."
"Who do you wish to deal you the honor, Kadus?"
"The traitorous one will do.. You've done enough, nameless fighter.."
Kaon dropped down to one knee in front of Kadus' bleeding form, dropping his eyes to the ground before him, inaudible words emitting from his lips that only Kadus could catch. Drake lifted his spear from it's lodged position at his side, stepping away from Kadus and Kaon. Kaon pushed himself to his feet, Kadus' catching his hand.
"Thank you.. Kaon.."
Kadus' grip lifted from Kaon's arm, letting him step away. The fighters and brigands about the battlefield whispered amongst themselves, silently dispersing away from the three warriors. Drake lifted his spear skillfully, spinning it around within his right hand before stopping it, pointing at Drake's chest. He drew his arm back as Kaon stepped to the side, and launched the steel point straight forward. The thud of the weapon meeting armor and flesh resounding within their ears, a gasp of pain emitting from the fallen warrior's lips, crimson trickling down his lips. Drake took hold of the butt end of the spear, closing his eyes, he pulled it back, the spear ripping from Kadus' chest, causing his form to collapse against the battlefield where much blood was shed.
"If we met anywhere but here, Kadus.. We would have been friends," Kaon spoke lightly, walking toward the female black mage.
Drake stepped over to Kadus' limp form, dropping down to a crouch. He lifted the dusty crimson sword from the earth and got back to his feet. He turned to walk with Kaon, taking a slight detour as he grabbed Kaon's lost slim sword. He followed after the cloaked warrior, closing his eyes as the thoughts of the Crimson Scourge came back to his mind, remembering everything from that time.
The bandits scattered as the spear plunged into the ground once more within their masses, the pegasus slammed its wings in a downward motion quickly, rising back into the air above the bandits, whose jeering and sneering was becoming quite annoying.
"Rosemary, you missed again!" The eldest of the sisters, Rosalyn, called to her sister, Rosemary.
As her sentence ended, a loud scream ripped the sky, the youngest of the sisters impaling a brigand on the end of her slim lance, she shook the corpse free from her lance and pulled the reins back, her pegasus quickly gaining altitude.
"Nice aiming Rosie," Rosalyn called, with Rosemary scowling behind her.
The freckled Rosie smiled slightly, before turning her pegasus down toward the bandits and diving once more, she screamed loudly and pulled back, an arrow zipping past her fiery red hair, taking a few locks with it.
"Archers! Why would bandits be accompanied by archers!?" Rosalyn screamed, tugging on the reins of her pegasus, her sisters following.
The three pegasi hovered just out of arrow shot, Rosie breathing heavily from her narrow escape from an arrow, Rosemary laying on her winged steed, as Rosalyn tried to determine a plan. A branch in a birch tree to Rosie's right shook slightly, as if it had extra weight upon it. She drifted over to it slowly as Rosemary bothered Rosalyn. She stopped a few feet from the massive tree, perking a brow.
"Seems you ladies are in trouble," Came a low voice from within the foliage, it caught Rosie by such a surprise, she almost fell from her pegasus.
"Who are you?!" She asked, her voice reflecting her emotions perfectly, frightful.
"A wanderer.." Came the solid response.
"Why would you help us?" Rosie asked inquisitively, floating closer to the tree.
"You have pegasi.. I want the feathers. Speed is a requirement for someone like me."
"B-but.. The feathers are priceless. I won't give away any from my pegasus!"
"Ask your sisters if they would.. If not, I'll leave you to take care of those archers on your own."
"..."
Rosie turned her pegasus and glided over to her sisters, stopping in front of Rosalyn, her face slightly scarlet, almost hiding the freckles upon her cheeks.
"Sis.."
"Yes, Rosie?" Rosalyn asked, looking at her youngest sister.
"Umm.. A man, in that tree over there.. Said he would help us kill the archers," Rosie spoke slowly and lightly.
"Really!? He's a life-saver!" Rosemary clapped her hands together.
"For a price.."
"What does he want?" Rosemary asked, perking a brow.
"The feathers of a pegasus."
"What?! Absurd!" Rosemary crossed her arms.
"Tell him he has a deal, Rosie," Rosalyn said softly.
"Are you sure, sis?" Rosie asked, staring at her sister.
"Yes. He shall get three feathers from my pegasus," She said, nodding.
Rosie swooped down over to the tree once more, the man's face slightly visible this time, but a hood drooped down over his eyes. She tilted her head slightly, squinting.
"My sister says you can have three feathers.."
"Deal."
The man dropped from the tree, vanishing through the foliage. The bandits turned to look at the unknown man, the sun glinting off the axes held within their grasp.
"Get him," Came a voice of pure venom from within the pack of brigands.
A crimson blade appeared from the center of bandits, as the brigands came at the cloaked man. He turned and nodded to the three sisters before bolting forward, his hands drawing forth a blade from the sheathes at his hips, a slim sword and an iron sword curving upward trough two brigands, slamming them together against a third axe-wielding thief. The figure slammed his feet into the brigands sides, flipping over them. He lands deftly upon the shoulders of an archer, curving the blades downward into his face, spraying the jaded landscape with his sepial essence. The three sisters watch in amazement as the cloaked man flipped from the dead archer's soldiers, spinning through the air, before plummeting downward into the mod of brigands, the iron and slim sword swinging about as if of their own mind, clashing against axe, cleaving through flesh, hacking limbs, rendering brigands lifeless.
"Kaon, duck!" Came a female scream from nearby.
The cloaked figure, Kaon, slumped his head downward, the curve of an axe clipping the back of his hood, ripping it from the rest of the cloak. Kaon, spun on his heel, swinging the slim sword upward, pushing the blade up through the fighter's jaw, and pushing up out through his forehead, continuing the spin, slamming the corpse down against the ground before him. He wrenched the blade from the fallen fighter, pushing off and flipping backward through the air, sweat trickling down his temples. Kaon glanced to the tree he had come from.
i'It's that girl again!'/i
She drew her fingers along the pages of a book held flat on one palm, runic symbols etching into the air before her, chaotic energies ring the markings, before exploding into the ground, splintering upward around an archer, incinerating them. He watched with an eyebrow perked before dodging the razor-edge of an axe, taking the man's legs out with a sweep of his slim sword, raking the iron sword up through his back and out through his gut. He wrenched the blade back, kicking the impaled fighter into another. He scrambled to the side, rolling through a brigand's legs and flipping to his feet, back-flipping away from a mercenary within the group. He comes to a halt, breathing heavily, sweat trickling down his temples.
i'Those pegasi feathers better be worth this.'/i
"Mister!" A soft voice came from above.
"What?!" Kaon growled.
"If you take out the archers, we can actually help. Don't fight them all!" Came Rosalyn's voice.
i'Wasn't that was I was supposed to be doing anyway?'/i
Kaon shook his head, gliding his right foot back behind him, slipping the slim sword before him parallel to the ground, the iron blade laying lightly across his left thigh, which was left bent slightly before him. He launched his form forward violently, the heels of his shoes ripping out the coarse earth from beneath them. He bolted through the pack of brigands, their axes whizzing past him, barely missing. He slams his iron sword in an upward motion, spinning around with the archer imbedded on the tip of the blade, slamming his corpse down upon another archer, impaling them both with the small blade. He wrenched the blade free and ran a brigand through with the iron sword, pushing off and flipping backward out of the pack, landing next to the woman that saved him earlier, her black magic tome glittering slightly. She pushed her palm forward, multiple eruptions occurring throughout the pack of thieves, incinerating a few of them. Kaon sighed, turning about, nodding to the pegasus sisters, all three launching their assault at once, slamming their lances and spears through brigands all at once, pulling out before getting struck by their lethal axes.
"Kill them now, dammit!" Came a venomous shout from the center of the pack, where the crimson blade was located.
"Your target, Kaon. Go get him," The black mage said softly to him.
Kaon nodded and slid his slim sword into its sheathe, though much more mobile, it wouldn't be of much use. He ground the dirt beneath his shoes as he ran, slipping past brigand after brigand, feeling the air from swings of their axes as he dodged. He jumped over a jostled together group of fighters, landing deftly in front of a man with a massive spear, a helmet pulled down taunt over his face. Kaon lifted his face, his crimson oculars studying the man before him. The man lifted the massive spear, the metal chain clinking softly against his forearm guard before lunging forward, launching the spear straight at Kaon. Kaon's leg muscles knitted together into a master stitch work as he pushed himself upward, flipping slightly through the air, his right foot slamming downward against the massive spear, standing upon it, the spear-head imbedded deeply into the back of a brigand. The chain locked to the lancer's forearm clanked slightly as the man grabbed it tightly, jerking it back, Kaon almost falling from the spear, but keeping his balance as he returned with the spear. The guard at the end of the spear's haft, before the spear-head, connected violently with the lancer's gauntlet, sending Kaon straight over his back. Kaon's iron sword's razor edge raked across the side of his helmet as he flipped over his back, his foot catching his helmet and ripping it from his skull, sending the armor tinkering against the ground as Kaon rolled into a low crouch, both blades out and gleaming dangerously at his sides. The lancer turned about to face Kaon, short black hair sticking out about his head, a pair of pale azure oculars returning the crimsonic ones' stare.
"Drake!?"
"Kaon!"
The butt end of an axe slammed against the back of Kaon's cranium, sending him reeling into the ground. Drake's spear impaled through the guilty brigand, the spear pulling the corpse to him. He unlatched the body from his spear head and tossed it aside. Something from above caught his attention and he turned to look as three pegasi dove at once, imbedding their spears into brigands and fighters together, fountains of crimson erupting throughout the band of thieves. A young female rushed past Drake, who almost fell over with the confusion. The young black mage knelt next to Kaon, checking his vitals.
"Sir, keep them busy while I try to revive him. Please.."
"Anything for an old friend, milady. Revive him quickly though."
Drake turned his body back toward the advancing brigands, his iron spear launching forth from his side, the chain pulling tight at his gauntlet as it drove through another axe-wielding imbecile. He jerked the spear back, the body sliding free of the blade. He spun it about, cracking the butt end against multiple fighters at once, before spinning on his heel and firing it out from his side, the blade impaling through three guys at once, sepial exploding from their mandibles across the jade landscape as he pulled the lance in, kicking their bodies off of his weapon. The black mage shrieked in surprise as Kaon's crimson oculars flicked open, and on his feet in the next. Drake smirked a little, slamming the butt end of the spear into a charging brigand's gut, elbowing him in the jaw, and then slamming his massive gauntlet into his face. Kaon fished at his sheathes for his blades, scowling angrily when his fingers found nothing. He balled his gloved hands into his fists, slamming them viciously into jaw, cheek, and nose, crimson liquid splashing across his ebony cloak and trickling down his face.
"Selena! Get out of here, now!"
The black mage nodded and ducked out, slipping out of the pack, the charging men brandishing their axes lethally before them as Kaon and Drake backed into each other, their backs flat against another. Drake swung his spear in deep, but an axe caught it mid-way, shattering the wooden haft into split-ends. He pulled both ends back, spinning them about within both hands, the chain clinking lightly against his gauntlet. Kaon breathed heavily, his gloves splattered with dried crimson, the wet liquid dripping from his fingertips. The pegasi sisters kept at their onslaught on the outer rim of the brigand and fighters, their spears digging deeply into the lightly-clad men, kicking corpses from their spears as the wheeled back up into the sky. The men all stopped at once, the clanking of metal becoming the only noise heard besides the soft wisps of the pegasi wings, and the heavy breathing of both Drake and Kaon.
"Part men," Came a bitter, venomous voice.
The fighters split off to one side, the brigands on the other as a single man strode forth down the line that the pack made. Drake and Kaon turned to look, the pale azure oculars widening as the crimson pair slitted downward. A man clad heavily in deep crimson armor stepped into the center of the circle, a blood red cape flicking out behind him, the soft breeze of the plains pulling at his patch of short black hair. Drake swallowed loudly, his hands wrapping tighter about the broken halves of his spear, Kaon's eyes locked to Kadus', both crimson pairs burning dangerously.
"Men, return his swords."
A brigand and a fighter stepped from the crowd about the three men, tossing Kaon his blades. Kaon's right hand swung to the right, his left to his right. The iron sword slipped right into the grasp of his right hand, dropping the tip to the ashen soil next to his right shoe. The slim sword was caught within his left, left hanging loosely at his left side, Kaon's oculars gazing upon the massive crimson man.
"Kadus.." Drake's whisper came to Kaon's ears.
"Drake, you traitor. You will die by my sword. As well as your friend there," Kadus' viscous words met the pair.
"Yeah right.." Kaon replied sternly, turning to face the man, both blades swinging up into an 'X' form across his chest.
Drake looked to his companion of old, smiling lightly as he stepped to his side, spinning the broken halves of the spear within his hands. A soft swishing noise came to the ears of Drake, a thud at his side forcing his head to turn. He looked up to the sky, one of the winged riders waving slightly, nodding for him to take her lance. He tossed the broken pieces aside, snatching the haft up within his gauntleted hand, attaching the chain to the new spear, turning his attention back to Kadus, his pale azure oculars burning with the same fire as Kaon's.
"So, you dare draw a weapon against me, Drake. Your death shall be entertaining," Kadus' lips turned into a dark smile.
"Two on one seems fair enough to me," Drake responded lightly.
"The odds matter not.. You both shall fall to my blade."
"Let's just get this over with already, then."
"..."
"What is it Kaon?" Drake whispered lightly.
"Be honorable.."
Drake looked at his friend, who in the Crimson Scourge knew not the meaning of the word 'honor'. He shook his head a little, turning back, gripping on to the wooden haft of his steel spear tightly, the chain clinking lightly within the breeze. Kaon's form was a blur as he launched himself forward, both blades coming together as if one, they met Kadus' blade head first, sparks showering over the two warriors. Drake waited for a moment, then launched his spear forward, straight for Kadus' gut. Kaon's blades clashed against Kadus' crimson adze, lifting himself up with the power of the thrusts, the spear lunging for Kadus' mandible. The spear came to a halt against Kadus hand, catching the spear deftly with his left hand, Drake spun his hand about the chain, pulling it back tauntly, the spear dislodging from Kadus' grip, coming back to Drake's. Kaon landed upon the crimson warrior's shoulders, swinging the iron sword for his face and the slim for the back of his cranium, but Kadus spun upon his heels, the two blades sweeping past his head, knocking Kaon from his perch. He rolled to his feet back toward Drake, coming up in a low crouch, a light smirk upon his pale lips.
"You are skilled, nameless warrior."
"As are you, Kadus.."
"Let us end this then?"
"Drake, stay out of this for a while.."
"I understand, Kaon," Drake muttered softly.
Kaon launched himself forward, slamming his iron sword against Kadus' crimson sword, his slim sword digging deeply into his side, sepial essence spilling down along the blade's slim edge, trickling to the ground beneath their feet. Kadus slammed his fist into Kaon's shoulder, dislodging his grip from the sword and knocking him back. Kaon stumbled back, but kept his balance, spinning the iron sword within his right fingers. Kadus took hold of the slim sword, wrenching it free from his flesh, tossing it aside.
"One sword now, Kaon."
i'Think of Raven..'/i
Kaon took hold of the hilt of his iron sword with both hands, grasping it tightly as he swung it back and forth relentlessly, clashing against Kadus' blade over and over again, the power behind Kaon's swings becoming tougher to keep his ground against. Kaon slammed his foot up into Kadus' gut, spinning upward, his opposite heel jolting his chin back, putting strain on Kadus' ivory neck structure. As Kaon landed with his back away from Kadus, he slid backward, his iron sword stripping through the crimson armor and cleaving through his epidermal layer, crimson fluids flooding through the metal plates and becoming one with the ashen soil beneath their soles. Kadus closed his eyes, stepping back away from the blade, dropping to his knees. Kaon turned, dropping the iron sword's point to the ground, looking down upon the crimson warrior. Drake walked up next to him, setting the steel edge of his spear into the ground, lodging it next to his foot.
"Kill me.. I want to die on the battlefield.. Where I lived my entire life.."
"Who do you wish to deal you the honor, Kadus?"
"The traitorous one will do.. You've done enough, nameless fighter.."
Kaon dropped down to one knee in front of Kadus' bleeding form, dropping his eyes to the ground before him, inaudible words emitting from his lips that only Kadus could catch. Drake lifted his spear from it's lodged position at his side, stepping away from Kadus and Kaon. Kaon pushed himself to his feet, Kadus' catching his hand.
"Thank you.. Kaon.."
Kadus' grip lifted from Kaon's arm, letting him step away. The fighters and brigands about the battlefield whispered amongst themselves, silently dispersing away from the three warriors. Drake lifted his spear skillfully, spinning it around within his right hand before stopping it, pointing at Drake's chest. He drew his arm back as Kaon stepped to the side, and launched the steel point straight forward. The thud of the weapon meeting armor and flesh resounding within their ears, a gasp of pain emitting from the fallen warrior's lips, crimson trickling down his lips. Drake took hold of the butt end of the spear, closing his eyes, he pulled it back, the spear ripping from Kadus' chest, causing his form to collapse against the battlefield where much blood was shed.
"If we met anywhere but here, Kadus.. We would have been friends," Kaon spoke lightly, walking toward the female black mage.
Drake stepped over to Kadus' limp form, dropping down to a crouch. He lifted the dusty crimson sword from the earth and got back to his feet. He turned to walk with Kaon, taking a slight detour as he grabbed Kaon's lost slim sword. He followed after the cloaked warrior, closing his eyes as the thoughts of the Crimson Scourge came back to his mind, remembering everything from that time.