"Hello Frank. How it's been?"
The bartender looked up and was surprised to see a woman in a red robe standing before him.
"Wha...Scarlet Robe? By Avo! It's been a long time since you came by here, Mi'lady"
Scarlet Robe entered the Oakvale tavern. A striking woman, she was most recognized by her red robe that trailed behind her. She had looked Oakvale over before she entered the tavern. The old farming town still looked the same to her, a town where everyone knew everyone, and peace and order was withheld. Scarlet had come up here for a break, as the job in Knothole Glade had taken a lot out of her.
"I needed a break from Hero work, Frank." She said, "And please, you know me too well, you can call me Linda. I'd like a beer, if you don't mind."
"Oh, as you wish Scar... I mean, Linda. Oi! Michelle!" Frank called the nearby barmaid, "Come over and bring this fine woman here a drink!"
Linda took a seat near the fireplace. The warmth soothed her, and she laid her eagle axe on the table. She noticed two women across the tavern chattering madly and pointing at her. She'd gotten used to this, her popularity as a hero bringing unwanted attention by the townsfolk. Sooner or later, she learned to ignore them.
"Mi'lady?"
Linda was shaken out of her thoughts by the barmaid, who held her beer.
"Oh, yes." She took the beer. "Thank you." she said to the barmaid.
The barmaid bowed, and went to tend to the other bar patrons.
Linda took a sip of her beer, letting the alcohol settle her nerves. She watched the villagers come in and out of the tavern, chatting with each other, laughing, basically enjoying the day. Linda even noticed a town guard coming in for drink. Oakvale is a very peaceful town, she thought, Not like Knothole Glade or Hook Coast, whose villagers are racked with fear each day, awaiting another bandit raid or Balverine attack. She took another sip before Frank the bartender took a seat with her.
"So Linda," Frank began, "How's the Hero life treating you?"
"Nothing spectacular." Linda took yet another sip.
"Nonsense! A trader stopped by yesterday and spoke of your gallant defense of Knothole Glade. Ten Balverines dead. My, your axe must be pretty stained, eh?"
"You can say that. How's Mae?"
Frank's face shone at the mention of his fiancée. "Oh, she's great! We've chosen a spot in the Barrow fields to have the ceremony. Hey, Mae really wants you to come."
Linda frowned. "Frank…"
"Linda, you and Mae's been friends since you were little girls in Bowerstone. It would be a shame if you didn't go."
"I'm not into social gatherings, Frank. You know that. Besides, I will always be her friend, even if I don't go."
"Yes, but…"Frank was interrupted as a trader came barging into the tavern, trampling over an unfortunate barmaid.
"Bal…Bal…BALVERINES!" the trader stuttered madly.
Linda took up her axe, "Where?" she asked.
The trader ignored her; instead he looked around, breathing hard, and shouted "BALVERINES!" again.
Linda dropped her axe and moved across the tavern to the rambling trader in one swift motion. She pinned the trader against the wall. "Calm. Down." She whispered to the trader.
The trader let out some last rapid breaths, and started to breathe normally.
"Now," Linda asked calmly, "where are the Balverines?"
"They…they're at the outpost in the…the ba…Barrow fields. Please, they're killing everyone."
By now almost all of Oakvale had surrounded the tavern. Linda pushed the trader aside. She took out her Guild Seal. "THUNDER!" she yelled.
A moment passed, and then the voice of the rookie Hero emerged from the seal. "Wh…Who is this?" Thunder asked.
"Thunder, it's Scarlet Robe. Listen to me. The Barrow fields are being attacked by Balverines. I need you to take the Cullis gate to Oakvale and guard it in case if they get here. I will take care of the Barrow fields."
Silence. Then, Thunder responded. "Yes, Mi'lady. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Make it fast." Linda turned to the Chief of the Guard who had shown up. "Get your men to the Oakvale entrance. Defend it with your lives."
"You can count on that, miss" the Chief said. He called some nearby guards and began to sprint down the road.
Linda turned back to Frank. "Frank, lock the tavern up and keep these people safe."
Frank began to protest. "Linda…"
Bur Linda had already clutched her Guild seal again. "Please, Frank. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Linda, wait…"
"BARROW FIELDS"
Linda vanished.
Frank the bartender stood there, dumbstruck. Then, coming to his senses, he turned to the villagers now crowding his tavern.
"Well? You heard the lady. Everyone into the cellar. NOW!"
The villagers, scared out of their wits, started to panic. They milled around the tavern, trampling over their friends.
"THE CELLAR! NOW!" Frank furiously opened the cellar door.
Finally, they started to calm, and began to enter the cellar.
Frank, before locking the doors, whispered "May Avo be with you, Scarlet Robe."
Scarlet Robe emerged out of the Barrow Field Cullis Gate, her Eagle Axe in hand. Noticing the outpost up ahead, she began to run down the road, watching the surrounding forest for hidden Balverines. She came up to the outpost and witnessed the carnage that laid before her. Bodies and limbs were strewn everywhere. I'm too late, she thought, as she searched the outpost for survivors. One trader called out to her weakly. Coming up to him, she saw that he was terribly bitten. His face was so grotesque that he was barely recognizable as a human.
"Avo help us all" Linda whispered as she approached the injured trader.
"Pl…pl…please...ki…" he struggled to talk, "ki….kill me."
"No, we can get you to the Oakvale doctor. Come with me."
"You…can't." he grabbed her arm, "I…wi…will…turn into…one of th…them. Kill me."
Scarlet was on the verge of tears. She took her axe and raised it into the air.
The trader mouthed "Thank you." as Scarlet struck the trader with all of her might, ending his suffering.
Just then, a guard came running across the bridge. "Hero! The Balverines are in -Darkwood. Come! We need your help!"
Scarlet took one last look at the dead trader, and then began to follow the guard into Darkwood Weir.
When Scarlet Robe and the guard finally reached the Weir, they found they were too late. Four guards had valiantly given their lives to stop the Balverines. A couple of Balverine corpses laid about. "Damn it, we're too late." The guard cursed silently. "I shouldn't have left them."
Scarlet called upon the Will, and soon a silvery aura surrounded her. "Take out your crossbow." She ordered the guard, "I'll keep them distracted."
"But I don't see any now." The guard said. He took out his crossbow anyway.
"There are five Balverines in the foliage to my left. Another eight are hiding in the woods."
"Oh." The guard looked around. In the nearby bushes, he spotted some movement. "Yes, I can see them."
"On my signal, shoot one from the bushes. I'll take the ones from the woods, so fire at will."
"Yes, Mi'lady."
Now the Balverines began to show themselves. Three emerged from the wolves. A lone one came out of the bushes.
"NOW!" Scarlet yelled, as she sent a bolt of lightning straight at the two wood Balverines. At the same time, the guard sent an arrow straight into the skull of the lone Balverine. The two lightning struck Balverines had been burnt to death. Now, all of the Balverines began to charge Scarlet and the guard.
Scarlet heard the guard discharge another arrow, as he confronted the six wood Balverines. She swung her Eagle Axe in a sweeping motion, beheading one Balverine, as the rest jumped back. They then jumped in the air, aiming to kill. Scarlet saw this, dodged forward, and brought her axe upward, catching a Balverine in the gut. She sent it flying into the woods. The rest of the Balverines now noticed the guard, as he now drew his sword and began to swing madly at the advancing Balverines. Eight Balverines surrounded him. Scarlet sent another lightning bolt, but she missed, and she was forced to witness the guard's demise. The eight Balverines pounced simultaneously at the guard. He had no chance. Scarlet tried to block out the screams from the guard, as he was being torn apart limb from limb. Soon, the Balverines brought their attention back upon Scarlet.
"I've taken ten of you before. Eight won't be so hard."
No sooner than she said this, 7 more Balverines emerged from the woods behind her, and their leader, a white Balverine.
Scarlet Robe froze in fear. That made 15 Balverines and one white one. Scarlet had never faced so many Balverines. She doubted if she could survive. She slowly reached for her Guild Seal. "Thunder," she whispered.
"Mi'lady?" Thunder's loud voice angered the Balverines, and they now began to close in.
"Shh!" she whispered violently, "Get to Darkwood Weir. Now."
"But…"Thunder began.
"Now!" she yelled, as the 15 Balverines pounced. She called upon the will again, and struck her fist into the ground. A ring of fire shot up from below the pouncing Balverines. A couple were thrown backward, but the rest had collided into Scarlet, driving her into the ground. Surprisingly, her shield held, but it was now thin and opaque. It would not withstand another attack.
Scarlet Robe charged the remaining Balverines. This sudden fury took them off guard, as she struck down three of them. The Balverines tried to pounce again, but she sent then backwards with her mighty Eagle Axe.
Suddenly, a loud, bloodthirsty roar filled the air, and the remaining two Balverines retreated to a safe distance. The white Balverine the advanced upon Scarlet, glaring it's sharp teeth. It was clearly the largest white Balverine Scarlet Robe had ever seen, and it didn't look happy to see her. She swung her Eagle Axe at it, but it merely dodged the swing. It swiped it's massive claws at her, knocking Scarlet to the ground and destroying what was left of her shield. She tried again to maim the Balverine with her axe, but this time, it grabbed the axe in mid-air. The white Balverine wrenched it from Scarlet's grasp, and sent it flying into the woods. It then grabbed Scarlet by the arms, and pinned her to a tree trunk.
Scarlet Robe knew the end was near from the moment the Balverine grabbed her axe. It stared her down, and then shook it's head, as if to say, You're not worthy to become a Balverine.
"Do your worst." She said, as she unsheathed her hidden knife and swung at the Balverine's chest. The Balverine howled in pain and let her go.
She used what Will she had left in her and sent twin bolts of lightning straight at the two Balverines. They crumpled to the ground, their fur smoking.
The white Balverine shook off its initial shock, and grabbed Scarlet again. Anticipating the knife, it pulled her hard. Scarlet screamed in pain, for the Balverine had broken both her arms. The Balverine smiled, enjoying its victory. Scarlet was thrown into many tree trunks, breaking more bones. She had then lost consciousness, the pain overwhelming her
The white Balverine, upon seeing his victim's body go limp, let out a victorious roar. It finished Scarlet Robe off by throwing her off the nearby cliff. Her body disappeared in the river below.
By then, Thunder had arrived, with him a couple of guards. The white Balverine, its chest still bleeding, spotted them, smiled, and fled as arrows flew around it. Thunder cursed as the Balverine ran out of range. He now noticed the carnage that laid before him. Next to him, a guard bent down to examine a badly mauled corpse.
"No…not you Joe…" the guard mumbled, "How will I…explain this to your wife…"
Thunder scanned the area for Scarlet Robe. "Scarlet, Mi'lady!" he called out. No answer. Thunder had began walking when he stumbled upon Scarlet's Eagle Axe. Immediately, thoughts raced through Thunder's mind.
"Mi'lady…" he whispered. He was too late. The Balverines had either killed Scarlet, or they turned her into one of them. Either way, she was gone. Thunder had failed her, when he needed her the most.
Thunder stood there, frozen in shock. One of the guards came up to him. "My lord. Is there something wrong?"
Thunder still stood there, not moving a muscle. Then suddenly, he had grabbed the nearby guard by the neck. All emotion had drained from his body, as the guard was being choked to death.
"Sir!" The other guard was attempting to break Thunder's hold, "Let. Go!"
The victimized guard was on the verge of blacking out when Thunder let go. His emotion had rushed back into him faster than when it left. He fell to his knees, and began to cry.
Miles away, the broken Scarlet Robe awoke. Her body laid mangled on one side of the river. She tried to move, but a great spike of pain in her body discouraged this. She couldn't even turn her head. All she could see was water.
She used what remaining time she had left to agree to herself that it was a mistake to become a Hero. All it had brought her was unwanted attention. By now her thoughts waded through her head in a daze, as her life force dwindled. I should've went to Mae's wedding, she thought, before her thoughts ceased.