Chapter 16

Night had fallen at some point without me noticing, leaving the rocky canyon trails we were walking through almost pitch black. I halted Wwith a huff I halted, shaking my head with an irritated scowl.

"We need to stop until the moon is up," I whispered to Layne.

Behind me, I heard the woman shift, probably a nod. Without waiting for further response, I slid down the closest rock wall, coming to a rest on the ground. There was were a few moments of silence before I heard Layne shuffling around again, before followed shortly by there was a harsh scuff and a muffled curse.

"Layne, just sit where you are," I scoffed.

"Y-yes, sir," she muttered, and I could hear the embarrassment evident in her tone.

More sound in the dark, before Layne finally settled.

"Moon should be up pretty soon," I muttered. "If it's more than an hour, I'll just use magic to make some light."

"Why don't you just do that now?" Layne asked.

"I would prefer not to give our position away," I deadpanned.

We lapsed into silence again, and I took a deep breath to relax a little while I could. It's kind of a cliché at this point, but it really is true that when you take one sense away the others all become heightened. I could hear every little shift that Layne made as she tried to get comfortable. I could smell the expensive scented oils in the soap she was no doubt given as an important member of Aversa's advance force. The fading heat of the rock at my back from a day spent baking in the sun felt positively divine on my tired, aching body. I could taste the dust of the mountains on the air.

All of this combined lulled me into a light meditative state, and after only a few minutes my breathing became even and slow.

"Are… are you sleeping?" Layne whispered.

"No," I said slowly.

"How can you relax so easily under these circumstances?" Layne asked.

"Easily," I told her, still speaking slowly as I tried to maintain my meditative state. "If we can't see, neither will the bandits. So, if they come looking for us in the next hour or so they'll need to use a torch. Which will give them away, so we'll have time to get ready."

Layne went quiet again at that, but it didn't last. I gave a subtle sigh out my nose when I heard her intake of breath, a sure sign she was about to say something again.

"You seem very used to this kind of thing," she muttered.

"I told you I'm older than I look," I sighed, giving up on remaining relaxed.

"Were you a mercenary?"

"No. A soldier."

"I can't really imagine a soldier getting as much experience as you seem to have at your age."

"You shouldn't assume. It makes an ass out of you and me. I was a very different kind of soldier than you are."

"Clearly. No cavalryman would expect another one to kill their mount."

"Oh for god's sake, not you, too…"

"I am merely jesting, and pointing out the fact."

"I was heavy infantry. … front line. Fought almost non-stop for the last five years or so."

"Are you… from Valm?"

"What is this, Twenty Questions?"

"I am sorry, I am nervous in the dark like this and I tend to babble…"

"Huh. Didn't expect that. You seem much more put together."

"I am rarely out of my depth like this."

"I am not from Valm, though I did spend a long time fighting there."

"I see."

"What about you? See much action with the Plegian army?"

"Admittedly, not really. A few skirmishes against bandits and angry nomad tribes. Nothing major. Not like what you seem to expect."

"Then this war with Ylisse was going to be your first major engagement?"

"Yes. I… the thought terrified most of us."

"By all accounts, neither nation came out on top of the last war."

"Plegia suffered far worse."

"Trust me, that's a matter of perspective."

"An outsider's perspective, perhaps."

"Considering I'm an outsider in Ylisse, too, yes. An impartial perspective."

"Then… as an impartial perspective, do you think Plegia can win the war Gangrel propagates?"

"Eh. It's a close thing. Plegian morale is hanging by a thread, and Ylisse has no real military to speak of, but what they do have is pretty hardcore. I think it would just be history repeating itself all over, honestly."

"… I thought as much myself, honestly. We may have more soldiers, but they're all conscripts. Very few actually want to fight, given the circumstances."

"Not surprising, really."

"And you?"

"Me?"

"Yes. Why did you fight?"

"You first."

"The Plegian Aerial Corps is a very prestigious posting. I was honored to be accepted among their number. It came with many benefits for my family."

"How altruistic."

"And you?"

"I didn't have anything better to do."

"How nihilistic."

"It's like you've known me all my life."

"That's truly all there was to it?"

"Come on. You've seen how I move. You've seen what I do. You have to admit, I'm good at it. Even if what I do isn't very nice."

"And for that reason you chose to be a fighter? A killer?"

"I'm actually trying to pump the breaks on the killing thing. But… yeah. I showed up in Ylisse with nothing. I had no better prospects. I sure as hell wasn't about to live in squalor waiting for my first batch of crops to grow. I suppose I could have been a scribe. I read and write at a scholarly level, by local standards. But I found killing people a lot less stressful than listening to them."

"You… you actually know letters?"

"I know Ylissean letters. And Chon'sinian. Valm and Plegia, not so much, but I can speak both languages passably. What, are you… illiterate?"

"If you mean can I not read or write, no. I can read enough to understand my orders, that… was all we were deemed as needing."

"Bah. What a waste."

"It was never really necessary."

"It's a tool for the ruling class to keep the peasantry from getting too uppity. Keep them poor and dumb, keep your own power."

"Again, that is… very nihilistic."

"You can't read, but you know how to use a word like that?"

"Just because I cannot read does not mean I cannot listen and learn. We were taught manners and proper speech when we were moved to the capital, so we could better represent Plegia. And nihilistic was one of Captain Orton's favorite words. I think he liked to use it to make himself look smarter."

"Sounds like most of the nobility I've met since arriving here, yeah…"

"Where are you from, then, if not Ylisse?"

"Someplace very far away."

I blinked, looking up and realizing I could see the faint, silvery outline of moonlight around the ridges of the cliffs around us. I silently rose to my feet, stretching out my neck and my back as I did so.

"Breaktime's over," I said. "We'll be able to see again any minute now."

Layne rose silently, too, or at least tried to. Her boots scuffed the ground, and the end of her scabbard caught a rock at her side as she rose. These sounds were small, though, and unless the bandits were literally right next to us, I doubt they would have heard us.

Still, though, old habits die hard and I ended up wincing.

The moon crested the cliffs just as Layne looked up and smiled at me.

"Although the circumstances are not ideal, I am glad we got to have this conversation," she said softly. "I think I have a better understanding of you now, sir."

"Didn't I say to drop the 'sir' bullshit?" I muttered, turning away.

We proceeded, then, under the weak illumination of the moonlight. However, after the pitch darkness we had been sitting in before, it was almost like noontime in comparison. Admittedly, our progress was slowed, but we still made pretty good time. By the time we came upon the bandits, the moon was almost directly above us. Our timing couldn't have been better.

We came to the end of the path rather unceremoniously, simply emerging out of the crevasse into another, larger one. This small valley had been worn smooth by the ancient passage of water, and I almost slipped as the ground suddenly veered away beneath me. I managed to hide my stumble by crouching down, Layne kneeling at my shoulder, as we looked out over the valley.

It wasn't hard to find the bandits. Torches had been set up at regular intervals, the rough light damn near blinding. Men milled about beneath us, but fortunately none had spotted us, and we slowly retreated back into the shadows.

Sloppy, I thought. No sentries. No guards. Just a few men positioned around the torches.

I studied the walls of the valley for any more entry points, seeing a few darker spots that might have been openings to other pathways or valleys, but nothing really jumped out at me. To the rear of the valley, outlined by torchlight, was a larger opening that seemed to angle downwards. Three other torches had been set up along the length of the valley, a handful of bandits sharing the circles of light and warmth at each of them.

We watched for some time, a few bandits going in and out with no clear discernible pattern or regularity. Indeed, it appeared they only came out to piss on the wall opposite the opening before going back inside. One man did move to join the others around the closest of the torches to the entry, but the rest always returned in short order. I couldn't really blame them, either; with the sun down now, the temperature was starting to drop fairly noticeably.

I tapped Layne gently on the shoulder and indicated we retreat, and together the two of us slowly shuffled back the way we had come. Once we were a decent way away, the torchlight having gone from a bright glow to a distant memory, I turned to her.

"I'm taking them out," I stated, my voice low.

This apparently confused Layne, if the way her jaw dropped and her eyes goggled was any indication.

"What happened to just getting eyes on them?" she asked in confusion.

"Did you see any branching points off this path?" I asked.

"No…" she said uncertainly.

"Well then, the only way out is through the bandits outside that cave," I shrugged. "If we kill just them, we'll alert the rest of them, and they'll either attack or go to ground. I'm gonna kill them all while I have the element of surprise."

Layne nodded, closing her mouth. Her eyes were still wide, though, and I could see the fear she was trying to hide.

"That all makes perfect sense," she said slowly. "Except for the fact that there's only two of us, and Grima only knows how many of them!"

"Are you afraid?" I asked her.

"Of course I'm afraid!" she responded in a shrill hiss. "There's only two of us! And I know exactly what men like them do to women they capture!"

"So stay in the shadows," I said, eyes narrowing. "Once I clear out the valley, slip by and try to link up with the caravan come morning. If you don't have the stomach for this, leave."

"It is not a matter of being afraid," Layne shook her head. "I would fight under better odds, but this is suicide!"

I felt my cheek twitch, quickly beginning to lose my temper.

"You are either greatly underestimating me, or greatly overestimating those bandits," I growled. "It doesn't matter. Get lost, I don't need dead weight. I'll do this myself."

I turned away without waiting for an answer, beginning to march back towards the bandits. I only managed two steps before Layne stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

"Ben, wait-"

She didn't get any further, cutting off with a strangled yelp when I grabbed her arm and spun her around, slamming her face-first into the closest rock wall. I'll admit I pulled the throw right at the end, and rather than smashing her face into the rocks, she just kinda bounced off them a little before I pushed her arm up around behind her back.

"Do I need to start this rampage with you?" I hissed in her ear.

"You'll be killed!" she shot back, her voice strained by the pressure I was putting on her. "I couldn't… can't return without you! Lady Raven will kill me!"

I growled again, debating just killing her to shut her up. I was keyed up and ready to go, and I didn't appreciate being cock-blocked at the point of entry like this.

It would be easy, too… I few quick blows of her head against the rocks… hell, all I had to do was turn my head a little and I could tear out her throat with my teeth…

I growled again as I let her go, stepping back. Layne instantly spun with her back to the wall, inching away from me. The scuff of her armor scraping against the rock made me wince, but she didn't pull her sword on me so I let it pass.

"I'm going out there," I told her in a slow, clear voice. "I'm going to kill those bandits. You can either help me or you can stay out of my way. Your choice."

I turned away again, pausing to give her one last warning glance over my shoulder. Layne just watched me with her guarded expression, as if trying to decide if she'd misjudged me or not. It didn't matter to me, though, and after only a moment I sniffed and turned away, quickly creeping back to the opening into the valley.

I paused at the mouth, inspecting the scene. Nothing had changed in the few minutes that I'd been gone, and judging from the yawning and lax expressions on the bandits outside of the cave, none had heard my confrontation with Layne.

It was time to get my Splinter Cell on.

I stepped out of the opening, slowly, silently sliding down to the floor of the valley, trusting the dim moonlight to hide my descent. I froze at the base of the incline, watching and waiting for someone to sound the alarm. None of the bandits around the torches seemed to have spotted me. A good start.

Utilizing every ounce of stealth training I'd received from Lon'qu and To'shi in my previous life, I crept towards the first of the torches. Two men were warming their hands on the guttering flame, one of them even had his back to me. As I got closer, I began to make out the muted conversation they were having in Plegian. Surprisingly, I understood most of what they were saying.

I didn't think my Plegian was that good, to be honest…

"… can't believe we let them push us back into these mountains."

"It can't be helped. With the army on the move, all our usual bolt holes were gone."

"We should have just joined the damned army. It ain't glamorous, but at least they would have fed us."

"Nah. It's bad enough that the boss is constantly tellin' us what to do all the time. Army would have driven me nuts."

By then, I was lingering just outside of the ring of firelight. I had sized both men up as I'd approached, and decided that neither were really any real threat. The one with his back to me had an axe resting at his feet, the one across from him a sword sheathed at his hip. Fortunately, the man with his back to me also had a small dagger stashed in his boot.

I'd start there.

I surged forward, coming in low, and snatched the dagger from the bandit's boot. As I came up, I punched at the back of his knee, dropping the bandit with a startled gasp. I grabbed him around the front of the face, planting one hand on the back of his head, and twisted and yanked. The other man's eyes went wide, and I reached over his dead companion, my arm passing right through the flames of the torch and the dagger I'd stolen lashing out to slice his throat open. The blade, dull and mistreated, caught, and I'd had to wrench the knife through the bandit's neck with a lot more force than I usually would have. It left my arm in the fire a second longer than I would have liked, and the cheap shirt I was wearing caught. I smothered the flames against my flank, stepping around the torch to catch the bandit as he fell. With quick, practiced movements I dragged the two bodies out of the light.

All up, it had taken barely a minute.

I'd been sloppy, though. Lighting myself on fire aside, I'd scuffed my boots on the ground, and let the second bandit gasp. To'shi would have had my hide for that. He probably would have laughed his ass off at the whole lighting my shirt on fire thing, though.

I stopped once we were a few meters away from the fire, taking a slow, deep, quiet breath. I wrinkled my nose at the acrid stink of burning fibres from my shirt. Hopefully, the smell of the torches would cover the scent.

Standing perfectly still over the bodies, I watched the other two torch groups with my peripheral vision, letting my eyes readjust to the dark. I silently scoffed, cursing the bandits as fools. They hadn't noticed two of their number being killed.

The next torch only seemed to have one man at it, but the one in front of the cave had three. Still, though, the single bandit's torch was still a nice distance away from the others, so I could probably repeat this kind of ambush.

Shaking out my neck in a kind of half shrug, I glanced down at the dagger in my hand and silently cursed. I'd been sloppy, like I'd said, and the thing was covered in blood. Not just the blade, but the hilt and my hand, too. Rolling my eyes, I dropped the dagger on the chest of the nearest corpse. The blood would cause it to slip from my hand, or otherwise shift in my grip. It was too risky to try to use it now, and cleaning it would take too much time.

I crept forward in a crouch, squinting my eyes as I reached the ring of firelight, and dashed through it. As I did, I silently grabbed the axe I'd left sitting there, where the first of the bandits had left it. It wasn't particularly amazing; just an old iron axe, but light enough for me to use one-handed.

Maintaining my momentum, I circled around at a decent speed to the next torch. Unfortunately, an axe isn't really a weapon given to stealth. But I'd make it work. Without warning, I burst into the firelight, chopping laterally at the back of the lone bandit's neck. My strike was true, and with a gurgled gasp he fell forward, his head almost cut clear from his shoulders. I wrenched the axe back, letting the body drop into my arms, and proceeded to drag him back into the dark, too.

I looked up at the third and final torch, heart hammering in my chest, expecting to see the trio of bandits charging towards me at any moment…

Are you fucking kidding me!? I thought.

They hadn't even noticed. Still. I was barely twenty meters away at this point, and that takedown had been crazy violent, but they hadn't noticed.

Are they retarded or what!? I asked myself.

I shook my head in amazement, gently lowering the new body to the ground. As I did, I noticed the short sword at this bandit's hip. Exactly what I needed. With exacting care, I drew the sword without making a sound. It was a simple iron blade, nothing special, but it was unfortunately clean and reflected the firelight.

Right into the eyes of one of the bandits at the third torch.

"Oy! What…?" the man snapped, looking around in confusion. "Hey! Hey! Jasoor!? Saleem!? Kaarim!? Where are you!?"

"They're probably off takin' a piss," one of the other bandits groaned, rolling his eyes.

That's right, listen to your lazy friend, I silently willed.

"All together?" the third man asked suspiciously.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck! I moaned in my head.

Deciding not to wait any longer in case they raised the alarm, I darted forward. As soon as I stepped into the firelight, they spotted me, but I covered the space before they could draw weapons, or even do anything besides give confused grunts.

The sword flashed, the first of the bandits falling backwards clutching at his slit throat. I hacked down at the second, the axe embedding itself in his chest, cutting through the man's throat on the way, too. The last man drew his sword, and I stepped forward past his guard and brought the corner of my forehead down hard on his nose. He gave a strangled scream as he staggered back, but I followed, ignoring the stars dancing in my own vision, and slid the sword cleanly between his ribs. He jerked, gasping as I pierced his heart, and fell to his knees. I gave the sword a twist and pulled it free, kicking the body back.

I sighed, letting the tension drain from my form before reaching down to yank the axe out of the second bandit's chest. I spun as I heard a scrabbling sound over by the wall, bringing both sword and axe up, but relaxed a little when Layne approached the firelight with a shocked expression on her face.

"You… you really did it," she whispered. "In the time it took me to get back out to this canyon… you killed all six of them."

"I said I would," I muttered, looking away.

I turned back, taking a huge step backwards as she pulled her sword out of its sheathe with a determined expression.

"Peace," she said softly. "I… I am with you. I am sorry I doubted you."

"It won't be quick and quiet like this in the tunnels," I warned her. "It'll be crazy. Intense. I don't think you're ready for it."

Layne shook her head.

"I have already dishonored myself once today," she said. "I won't let you face these men alone."

I shook my head, turning towards the cave.

"Suit yourself," I said. "Just try not to stab me. And be careful about how you swing that sword in the tunnels. Don't let it catch on the walls or ceiling. Stick to thrusting."

"Right," Layne said, falling in behind me.

I didn't hesitate to step into the cave, stepping down into a sloping, oval opening. Regularly spaced torches lit the place, and I shook my head.

"What a waste," I muttered.

We advanced slowly down the tunnel, following the line of torches. A few times, we passed small openings, but they were little more than cracks in the wall, too small for a full-grown man to pass through, so I ignored them. The tunnels themselves were smooth, and had probably fed water up from a stream in pre-historic times. Or maybe not even that long ago; Grima did change the landscape, allegedly, when she'd attacked the first time, creating a lot more dry land in the process. It was entirely possible that running water had passed through these mountains only a few short centuries ago.

We came on the first of the bandits staggering drunkenly towards us only a few meters in. Fortunate, really, that he was blind-rotten-drunk; he didn't look up until my pilfered sword was flashing right under his nose. I stabbed him through the heart, repeating the same steps I'd used on the man outside, sans the headbutt. I was still seeing stars from that. But he went down with barely a gasp, impacting the tunnel floor with a wet thud.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust as the drunk bandit voided his bladder when he hit the ground.

"Ugh, even dead they piss me off," I groaned.

Layne didn't respond, gagging instead behind me. I turned back and flashed her a grin. She'd gone pale, her sword shaking in her hand.

"Oh come on, we've barely even started," I smirked.

I stepped over the bandit, advancing further into the tunnels. We continued on unmolested for a time, before coming to a fork in the path. The torches continued on to the left, but if I strained my hearing, I could hear make out breathing in the fork to the right; slow, steady breaths. Someone was sleeping on the right side.

I turned to Layne and held a finger to my lips, signalling her to stay quiet. Creeping up the darkened tunnel for a few steps I came out into a small dead-end chamber, and I paused and let my eyes adjust to the gloom. I heard Layne stop behind me, her breathing quick.

Five men were lying on the floor in the chamber, wrapped up in blankets or bedrolls.

Sleeping.

Defenceless.

Without wasting any more time, I strode over to the man furthest from the entry, a burly, bearded brute curled up on his side, and buried my axe in the side of his head. Layne gave a horrified gasp as the man twitched a few times, kicking out, but he eventually stilled and I yanked my axe free with a sickening squelch of brain and bone.

I moved to the next sleeping bandit and repeated the process, the axe shattering his nasal bone and driving right into his brain. He twitched a few times, the movement almost wrenching the axe from my grip, but died without a sound all the same. This time Layne marched right over to me and got in my face. Even in the dark I could tell she was snarling at me.

"There is no honor in this!" she hissed.

"Stand in the ashes of the dead and ask their ghosts what honor matters," I whispered back, my voice harsh. "Their silence is your answer. Now, are you gonna help me or not? Because I will fucking leave you here."

With that, I shoved past her towards the next bandit, barely slowing before my axe smashed the back of his skull in. I didn't even get a look at the man, tearing the weapon free and turning expectantly to Layne. She trembled in the dark, slowly walking over to one of the men on the ground. With hesitant, jerking movements, she knelt down, placing her sword against the sleeping man's neck. Giving a strangled sob she yanked the weapon back towards herself, and I heard the splatter of blood on the stone floor of the cave.

I shook my head again in the dark, moving to the last of the bandits-

"Wha? Wha's going… wha?" he muttered, sitting up.

"Fuck's sake!" I growled.

I brought the axe down, but the bandit was faster than he appeared and rolled aside with a terrified yelp. The head of the axe shattered on the floor of the cave, and I cursed even more vehemently.

"What the fuck!?" the bandit screamed. "What the-"

He jerked, gurgling as a sword pierced his neck from behind. Layne looked up at me, the tears streaming from her eyes reflecting the weak light in the cave.

"They probably heard that," I warned. "Get ready."

She nodded, pulling her sword free of the bandit with a wet squelch. With a sigh, I dropped the ruined axe I'd been using, not even trying to be quiet anymore. I waved my hand, conjuring a small flame and lighting up the space. Layne gave another sob as I illuminated the carnage we'd wrought, but I made a satisfied sound as I spotted another axe among the dead bandits' belongings, similar to the one I'd just broken. I let the little magic flame flicker out, crossing the cave to a small pile of equipment. In the dark, the stench of blood and viscera was almost overpowering, the coppery tang of blood hanging so heavy in the still air I could practically taste it. I had to be careful not to slip and trip as I moved to the axe I'd spotted.

"Need to get me some proper weapons…" I muttered as I hefted the weapon.

"Does nothing… phase you?" Layne asked as I passed her, heading back to the tunnel mouth.

I shrugged. "I'd be disappointed if you died down here."

"That's not what I meant," she said quietly.

"If you're asking if this kind of thing upsets me," I said over my shoulder. "No. I've seen and done much worse."

"… I do not envy the life you have lived," Layne said honestly.

"Yeah, neither do I," I chuckled darkly.

We came back out into the main tunnel cautiously, looking back and forth like we were about to cross the street. The tunnel was still empty, and while things were still quiet, I could hear voices further up the tunnel now. I jerked my head in the direction of the voices, and we began to descend into the earth again.

It was cooler down here than outside, but not so much one could call it 'cold'. After the baking heat of the day and the dry lower temperatures of the night, the change in atmosphere.

There was moisture in the air.

They really did have a water source down here.

The tunnel wasn't particularly long, and we passed a number of other small openings, all abandoned. Eventually, I slowed as we came to a wider opening, a natural fissure that seemed to have been hacked wider, cleared to make it large enough for human passage. Beyond, I could see something shimmering on the ground, as if a carpet of glass were moving in the cavern-

I shook my head, realizing I was looking at an underground lake.

Really, how long had it been since I'd seen a body of water that I forgot what it looked like?

As we got closer, one of the bandits stuck his head into the tunnel, eyes widening when he spotted me. I didn't hesitate, my new axe caving in his skull before he could even shout a warning. Of course, his body jerking and falling was probably just as damning a sign I was here…

"What… hey!" came the shout from the cavern. "Up! Get up, boys! We got company!"

I stepped out into the cavern, shaking out my neck and taking in the scene in an instant. The cavern was wide and high, plenty of room to move. Twenty-ish men in varying states of readiness were scattered around the shore of the underground lake. A number were clearly falling-down-drunk, and about half were rousing themselves from sleep. The rest were already reaching for weapons.

I could totally rock this.

Layne stepped out next to me, her face falling when she saw what we were up against.

"Stay behind me," I warned her.

She shot me a glare, her cheeks still wet from her frustrated tears earlier, and planted her feet. Standing at my shoulder, Layne held her sword at the ready. I shook my head again, stepping back into a ready stance. The axe in my left hand was out front and low, the sword in my right was at a mid-point. Layne held her own sword, a fairly nice local piece with a curved, scimitar-like blade, at a standard mid-guard.

What followed was a short, brutal melee that I hadn't seen the like of since the darkest days of the Valm Liberation Campaign.

As soon as the first of the bandits came into range I flew into a blur of motion, spinning and hacking with both weapons. With room to move, and without the objective of stealth to stifle me, I finally let loose.

With a laugh more reminiscent of a bloodthirsty villain than any hero, I brought both weapons down on the first man, the sword biting into his neck while the axe snapped his collar. I wrenched them free and kicked the body aside, already stepping over it as it fell. I spun for momentum, the axe burying itself in the skull of the next man with a meaty crack. I let the weapon fall with him, taking my sword in both hands and executing a perfect sweep that cut into the chest and arms of the next three bandits trying to crowd me.

Layne wasn't idle, even if her moves were fairly unimaginative. She wheeled her sword about as if she were still mounted, the movement almost pointlessly theatrical on foot but still managing to keep the two men pressing in on her at bay. With an enraged snarl, she broke through one's guard, burying her blade in the chest of one of her foes, but then I was beset by more men myself and I momentarily lost sight of her.

I let one man past my guard, the bandit's sword nicking my shoulder. A small red line of pain appeared on my arm, and I laughed again as I crushed his nose with my elbow before jamming my sword up to its hilt into his stomach. I released the weapon as blood poured over the hilt and my hand, stepping back and taking a ready stance with empty hands.

Another bandit came roaring with his axe above his head, and my fist crushed his windpipe. As he fell backwards, clawing at his collapsed throat with one hand, I caught his axe and yanked it from his grip with my clean left hand.

More pain, on my forearm this time, almost made me drop the axe. A younger bandit had snuck up beside me and cut my arm, probably trying to get me to drop the weapon or even take off my hand. I smashed the back of the axe head into his face, shattered his knee with the toe of my boot, then buried the axe in his neck.

As all this was happening, I was wiping the blood from my hand off on my shirt, and I tossed the axe up, catching it in my dominant hand as I tore the short sword from the hands of the bandit who had cut me.

With a feral, tooth-filled smile I turned to those remaining bandits, actually backing away from me now.

"Come on, boys," I growled. "Where's your fighting spirit!? I'm right here! Come and get me!"

It ended in a slaughter.

A total rout.

The bandits had never even stood a chance.

When we finished, I looked around at the carnage I had wrought, casually tossing the axe and sword I'd commandeered aside to land on the corpse of one of the bandits. There were a grand total of twenty-four men in this cavern. Well, twenty-four heads, at least. Some of the bodies were in pieces, and it was easier just to count the heads. Fortunately, the ground here was pitted and porous, and not a lot of the blood was running into the lake itself.

Behind me, Layne was leaning against the wall of the cavern, vomiting noisily.

I rolled my eyes, grabbing an old bucket from where the bandits had left their gear, and filled it from the lake, intending to clean myself up.

Blinking a few times, I splashed the clean, cool water on my face with a euphoric moan. Then I simply upended the bucket over my head. I stung in a dozen different places aside from my shoulder and my forearm, evidence of more near misses I hadn't noticed. I ignored them, returning to the lake for more water. I filled the bucket and returned to where Layne was still leaning against the wall, placing it down beside her.

"Here you go," I told her lightly. "To the victor the spoils. Drink up."

She looked up at me, pale and shaking, a stricken expression on her face.

"You must think me so weak," she croaked.

"What, are you kidding?" I laughed. "I puked before and after my first major engagement. You held the line with me. That makes you stronger than most."

I dropped a hand on her shoulder, patting her through her armor to make sure she felt it.

"Good job, Layne. I underestimated you."

AN: I would like to remind everybody that my stories update on a 'when it happens' basis right now due to health problems. You can keep up more frequently on (P)atreon for only a buck, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Thanks for reading, and Nagaspeed!