Episode 3: Evil Lurks
A day passed from the time Brutus left the merchant, bringing him to Greatwood Gorge.
After the Unnamed Hero left, the bandits had returned setting up their toll once again.
This time, however instead of the previous five thousand gold to pass safely, they demanded one hundred thousand gold.
Seeing as Brutus had no gold to his name, it was clear he had to fight his way through the bandits.
Sneaking up behind the first bandit, he yanked his blade skyward, cleaving him in two from crotch to crown.
Seeing the number of bandits ahead he then took to the trees much like his kind were wont to do. From on high he singled them out, snaring one after the other while no one caught on. No alarm went up.
He was fast and silent. His targets had not even the chance to scream as his wristblades sliced their windpipes destroying their vocal chords.
Within twenty minuets the bandits went in numbers from fifty down to one, the leader of the bandit gang.
Now that it was one on one, Brutus dropped silently down behind the leader who's name was Bertram and lets out a battle cry to alert Bertram to his presence.
To his credit Bertram did not soil himself at first. Instead he called for his men to get this monster. Slowly it dawned on him that his men are not coming.
It was soon apparent why as all forty-nine men were hanging from the branches, skinned and dripping their life blood onto the leaf litter under the trees.
Once Bertram noticed this is the moment he soiled himself in fear, running away only to have his heart split in two by a thrown dagger Brutus had taken from one of Bertram's own men.
Upon leaving the gorge he was spoken to by a Demon Door, a strange and mystical looking edifice rising up out of the ground, which upon his approach, began telling him that to enter to gain the weapon inside he would have to preform and act of great evil before his sight.
Brutus had no idea what this was all about, and did not care to play such foolish sounding games, so he merely shrugged and walked on, making his way towards the Greatwood Cullis Gate.
Ep 3, Chapter 2
Meanwhile far away, Hardluk has slain every man and woman in Bargate Prison and made his escape, Bonecrusher in hand still dripping blood and gore from his last ninety-five victims from the prison.
His current destination was The Hero's Guild, for revenge on the Unnamed Hero whom had had him locked away all those many years ago.
Unknown to Hardluk, however, the man who put him away had been dead for fifteen years and in his place ruled his eldest son, the man Brutus calls father.
Ep 3, Chapter 3
As Brutus entered the Greatwood Cullis Gate, he was assaulted by one of Albions most reviled pests Hobbes.
These are nasty carnivorous beasts that once were innocent children lead to the darkness and twisted by dark fairies called Nymphs. What they lack in strength and speed they made up for in sheer numbers. Attempting to swarm Brutus they only managed to be kicked, punched, sliced, and diced in a whirlwind of fists, feet, and wrist blades.
Brutus' trophy collecting instinct failed even kick in over the hobbes however, because he found them to be utterly disgusting creatures.
Greatwood Cullis Gate did not detain him long, and he soon entered the area where the hobbes call home, The Greatwood Caves.
Off to the right Brutus smelled the stench of more hobbes coming from a cave known to travelers as Hobbe Cave, but straight ahead lay the tunnel to Darkwood Marshes.
"Choices choices." he pondered within himself, "Do I go right and clear out the hobbes or straight ahead to Darkwood?" He scratched his lower left mandible as he pondered this conundrum.