AndreyichThe fiery haired imperial left Faruq speechless. A bloodied mill worker lay slain before her, a rougher sort undoubted, but a life ended all the same. His disapproval hardened at the sight, yet her words did not describe injustice or apathy. Indeed, her's was a familiar story told by many a soldier and squire Faruq encountered since leaving Windhelm. Still, this felt different. The mill worker deserved a lesson, perhaps a broken arm or leg to remind him for weeks to come. That would be true justice. Feeling the low throb in his left arm, he repeated the thought to himself. Faruq turned to the thief again to find the raggedy man with a pained expression. Somehow he felt responsible, not only for the offending the lad, but for the mill worker's death. Responsible and wrong and in a way confident his words had in fact been the right ones. Faruq felt the thoughts and the questions engulfing him, blinding him to the assembling guards and deafening him to the furious roar from the tavern.
"To arms! Centaurs approaching. To arms," shouted a guard running toward the tavern. A figure half a man taller appeared close behind before the guard's helmet flew upward with a red puff.
Another guard placed a hand upon Faruq's shoulder. He was lithe and lightly armoured with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. The guard spoke softly, "No time to assemble all that plate. Useful stuff when it's worn, though. You any good without it?"
"We shall soon find out," Faruq replied. The guard gave him a firm pat upon the shoulder before pointing to the centaur that had just struck.
"They are slow to swing from one side to the other. Leaves the gut open, the ribs too. Watch for the knees as they'll break you as bad as the cudgels. Otherwise, keep watch," the guard explained, leading Faruq toward the sneak-thief, the fiery haired imperial, and the rest. When they drew near, Faruq slipped his bag and the plate armour attached off his shoulder. His things landed at the feet of the sneak-thief. "They like to run round before a hard strike. That little shield'll break if you try to block'em. Ready?"
Faruq ran into the open field with his bone sword and buckler raised. The centaur had looped back as the guard warned, now returning in an earth-quaking charge. Where he stood to the right of the beast, the guard stood at the left. He felt like a squire with one eye tracking the enemy and the other taking lead from the guard. First the oily stench of the beast hit Faruq, then the guard lunged with an arcing slash. Faruq mirrored the move as the beast's spiked cudgel swung just shy of his head and his sword slid back. Once the centaur had cleared him, Faruq heard a loud thump. The guard leaped to their feet, appearing to the redguard only as they drove their sword into the centaur's throat. When the guard raised their eye they promptly pointed toward the road followed by a shout, "Another!"
The warning came a moment too late. Faruq spun upon a knee, raised his buckler high, then heard a sharp and metallic crack. He crumpled instantly. Blinking as his mind buzzed, he observed the blood speckled buckler bent and broken and useless by his side. The subtle throbbing in his arm disappeared entirely. It was a respite he expected to come with too high a price.
"Gods," Faruq groaned, a new pain surfacing as he collected himself. His eyes drifted more slowly than he willed them, catching the centaur moments before it struck the guard down. "I'm-I'm not done." Faruq rose to a knee and grabbed the bone handled sword. "I'm not done, beast!" Stumbling to his feet, Faruq watched the centaur look back over its shoulder before running into a wide arc. "No buckler this time. I shan't forget twice," he whispered to himself. His eyes shot to the snow where he'd last seen the mangled buckler. Though he could not feel it, the buckler hung from the end of his left arm. Faruq noticed the blood and the way the metal plate buckled from the strike. He made to tighten his grip only to uncover a horrid pain. "Shan't be a problem then."
A dozen failures filled Faruq's mind before possibility surfaced. He stood with his sword raised far from his body as the centaur charged toward. The beast eyed the blade, then his unguarded chest, and prepared for an upward swing of its cudgel. When the beast drew near Faruq dropped the sword into the snow and ripped the battered buckler from his left hand. The centaur began to rear, veering away from the redguard only to catch a glimpse of Faruq in mid throw. He nearly cheered when the buckler caught the beast upon its brow. Faruq grabbed his sword from the snow and shuffled away from the beast as it fell onto its side.
Faruq arrived before the corpse of the first centaur and the guard lying nearby. The steel plates sewn into canvas bent and tore out of place a hand's length over the guard's belt. He saw a line of dark blood on the guard's cheek through the slit of their helmet. Faruq stood in front of the fallen guard, their name unknown to him, before feeling the ground quake yet again. His eyes panned to the others, now joined by Cyrendil.
"May you find greater purpose in the lands beyond," Faruq whispered to the guard before backing his way back toward his comrades.
"To arms! Centaurs approaching. To arms," shouted a guard running toward the tavern. A figure half a man taller appeared close behind before the guard's helmet flew upward with a red puff.
Another guard placed a hand upon Faruq's shoulder. He was lithe and lightly armoured with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. The guard spoke softly, "No time to assemble all that plate. Useful stuff when it's worn, though. You any good without it?"
"We shall soon find out," Faruq replied. The guard gave him a firm pat upon the shoulder before pointing to the centaur that had just struck.
"They are slow to swing from one side to the other. Leaves the gut open, the ribs too. Watch for the knees as they'll break you as bad as the cudgels. Otherwise, keep watch," the guard explained, leading Faruq toward the sneak-thief, the fiery haired imperial, and the rest. When they drew near, Faruq slipped his bag and the plate armour attached off his shoulder. His things landed at the feet of the sneak-thief. "They like to run round before a hard strike. That little shield'll break if you try to block'em. Ready?"
Faruq ran into the open field with his bone sword and buckler raised. The centaur had looped back as the guard warned, now returning in an earth-quaking charge. Where he stood to the right of the beast, the guard stood at the left. He felt like a squire with one eye tracking the enemy and the other taking lead from the guard. First the oily stench of the beast hit Faruq, then the guard lunged with an arcing slash. Faruq mirrored the move as the beast's spiked cudgel swung just shy of his head and his sword slid back. Once the centaur had cleared him, Faruq heard a loud thump. The guard leaped to their feet, appearing to the redguard only as they drove their sword into the centaur's throat. When the guard raised their eye they promptly pointed toward the road followed by a shout, "Another!"
The warning came a moment too late. Faruq spun upon a knee, raised his buckler high, then heard a sharp and metallic crack. He crumpled instantly. Blinking as his mind buzzed, he observed the blood speckled buckler bent and broken and useless by his side. The subtle throbbing in his arm disappeared entirely. It was a respite he expected to come with too high a price.
"Gods," Faruq groaned, a new pain surfacing as he collected himself. His eyes drifted more slowly than he willed them, catching the centaur moments before it struck the guard down. "I'm-I'm not done." Faruq rose to a knee and grabbed the bone handled sword. "I'm not done, beast!" Stumbling to his feet, Faruq watched the centaur look back over its shoulder before running into a wide arc. "No buckler this time. I shan't forget twice," he whispered to himself. His eyes shot to the snow where he'd last seen the mangled buckler. Though he could not feel it, the buckler hung from the end of his left arm. Faruq noticed the blood and the way the metal plate buckled from the strike. He made to tighten his grip only to uncover a horrid pain. "Shan't be a problem then."
A dozen failures filled Faruq's mind before possibility surfaced. He stood with his sword raised far from his body as the centaur charged toward. The beast eyed the blade, then his unguarded chest, and prepared for an upward swing of its cudgel. When the beast drew near Faruq dropped the sword into the snow and ripped the battered buckler from his left hand. The centaur began to rear, veering away from the redguard only to catch a glimpse of Faruq in mid throw. He nearly cheered when the buckler caught the beast upon its brow. Faruq grabbed his sword from the snow and shuffled away from the beast as it fell onto its side.
Faruq arrived before the corpse of the first centaur and the guard lying nearby. The steel plates sewn into canvas bent and tore out of place a hand's length over the guard's belt. He saw a line of dark blood on the guard's cheek through the slit of their helmet. Faruq stood in front of the fallen guard, their name unknown to him, before feeling the ground quake yet again. His eyes panned to the others, now joined by Cyrendil.
"May you find greater purpose in the lands beyond," Faruq whispered to the guard before backing his way back toward his comrades.