When the iron is hot, strike hard and fast, yet again I bring you the next part of my story. This is a work of fiction, and I am the sole originator of this story, and any mistakes are of my own doing. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental and unintended, this story may not be copied, reproduced or retransmitted in any way known or unknown without my permission. If you like what you read, please remember to like, vote, follow and comment. And yes I may put some sex in this chapter, ya animals.
Now on with the show.
I led Twillaa down the South trail of the Dagger; I had handed her a pack to carry as well as 2 water skins like I carried. She was hauling several sets of armor and 8 Drow swords; 10 daggers and several other items I had lifted from those I had killed during my time in the Dark lands. I noticed that from time to time she would look over her shoulder knowing that she would now be fair game for her own people to hunt and either capture or kill. I kept an eye over my shoulder too but to watch for those that would kill me without a thought just for being human.
It was after midday when we finally reached the beginnings of the North Pine woods that reached 5 leagues in depth in this area and had several trails that led off the main trail from the Dagger. I no sooner entered the wood then I noticed a faint footprint in the fresh mud just off the trail. That told me that a raiding party had made their way over the Dagger during the storm, they were either very desperate of exceptionally lucky.
Luck was made by those who planned well, desperation by those who failed to plan. I planned to not fail, therefor I planned for failures to arise and for the Night King to stick his claws into things. I stopped and looked around carefully and after several minutes, spotted a second print and then a third. From the looks of it there was a party of 10 to 15 Drow ahead of me, they had a few young ones with them.
The young were not as skilled at not leaving a trail for someone to follow, I also knew that the Drow would purposely leave a trail for someone to find and follow. Just as I had done several times before leading them right into an ambush. Well, I had no intention of playing their game on their terms and went back to where I had left Twillaa, I picked up the leader and led her further down the trail and finally off of it to the left. It would take me longer to get down this way, but I had yet to find any spoor on this side, I would keep my eyes open and my senses at high tune.
The day dragged on, as we made our way further south, I stopped every now and then to allow her to rest and me the time to look about for those that would kill us both. Each time I found nothing and would lead her further into the woods. 'Sire, how do you know where we are?' She asked me when we stopped near dark. I just smiled at her and pointed over my shoulder.
'That ways west I can just make out the setting sun.' I told her and took her over to a tree and tied her to it. 'Stay here, I'm going to go look around.' I said disappeared into the gathering darkness. It took me about 2 hours to find the first real spoor on the west side of the trail and soon thereafter I smelled their small fire. I carefully neared the camp and found the 3 guards standing equal distance around the remaining 9 who were sleeping near the fire.
I slowly and silently drew 4 arrows and gripped them in such a way so that once I started firing, I could get all 4 shots off in under 5 seconds. I slowly stalked into position and watched the guards; I could tell they were tired and being tired means your reaction times would be slowed. If your slow your dead in this game.
I pulled, aimed and fired in one motion taking the first guard directly in front of me through the head. He never even raised his sword before he was laying on the ground, the 2 other guards and a Drow whose head popped up joined him there less than 4 seconds later. I jumped into the middle of the group that was trying to get up and slashed downward taking my next enemy across the back of his knees, ham stringing him and dropping him back down.
I was never still, cut, slash, perry, spin, jab, chop, hack and always moving to avoid the swords actually slashing at me, violence of action was part of my protection. The downside of being in a group is you need to avoid stabbing your fellow members, working solo I wasn't hampered by that constraint, as everyone was my enemy and all I needed to do was kill them. I watched 2 stab each other thinking it was me they were stabbing at, I slashed them both across the throat just to be sure as I spun by.
It was all over in less than a minutes as I stood there panting and looking around at the carnage I had created, my left wrist ached where I had taken a slash, but the new gauntlets had worked perfectly. I flexed my wrist and could tell it was unbroken and in the dim light see where the sword had caught me, but the strips of metal had stopped the stroke from cutting my hand off. I would have to thank Twillaa for these gifts.
I heard a scrapping sound and turned to see the Drow with the cut legs trying to drag himself away. I silently closed on him and flipped him onto his back and pinned his right arm to the ground when he tried to pull his weapon free. 'Going somewhere?' I quietly asked, I could tell from his labored breathing that I had more than likely severed the veins that ran behind the knees and that he was slowly bleeding out. I really wasn't that willing to wait around for that long.
I picked up his blade and examined it then drove it into his gasping mouth and out the back of his head. Quick, easy and silent, all he did was exhale one last time and lay there, his body and brain severed.
I pulled it free and quickly stripped him of everything leaving him naked on the ground, I took the binding silk they use to lead captives back from their raids and tied his ankles together and threw the other end over a low branch. I hauled him into the air and tied it off. I did the same to the other 11, hauling them to the same branch and dangling their naked bodies like a grizzly wind chime.
I proceeded to remove a piece of their body and stuffed it into their neighbor's mouth and looked at my handywork once I had finished. Any Drow coming this way would know that I had committed the act of disrespect to their dead bodies. I really didn't care what they would think except that this trip might be their last on this side of the Dagger.
I gathered their weapons and clothes then tracked down leaving an obvious trail for them to follow before I stopped and left no indication of which way I was going next. I untied Twillaa and covered her with an extra cloak then settled down myself to sleep for a bit. Once we passed the old fort the trees would spread out some making it easier to keep an eye out for those looking to attack us. It also meant that spotting us would get easier too, Shit!
2.5 days later we stepped out of southern edge of the woods, and I could see the great plain, miles and miles of grass lands and small corpses of trees for as far as the eye could see. I started walking to the Southeast knowing that in 5 days I'd come to Ollie it was the only small town with an inn within 60 miles of the Shield. I kept my bow in my left hand and had an arrow nocked just in case.
It was on the 3rd day that I noticed a small cloud of smoke ahead and knew more or less what I would find. I had been to this type of scene many times when I was a Ranger. I really want to see how many there were, but I would be able to pass the information along to a patrol if I ran across one between here and Ollie.
I carefully neared the remains of the smoldering cart and looked around; I spotted the 4 male bodies huddled near the cart. they had been using it to protect their rear. All of them had black arrows sticking out of their chest, from the number of shafts I say I could tell that this was a larger force, 25 or 30 individuals.
I looked around and found that they were moving in 2 groups, 1 was headed for a small settlement around 30 miles away, the other was headed straight for Ollie. If I was traveling alone, I would have already been moving to protect Ollie. It was a town of around 350 or so people and it did have a protective wall. It also had several tons of supplies that a large party could take and move back over the Dagger with ease. there were more than a few places to hide things in the Pine woods.
I took hold of Twillaa's lead and started off at a slow distance eating trot towards Ollie, after several miles I slowed to a walk to allow her to rest some. I picked up the pace yet again after 20 or so minutes of walking knowing she really wasn't used to this kind of a pace. I really didn't care, but I sure as hell wasn't going to leave her behind to be picked off or picked up by either side. I had become attached to her strangely enough, I hadn't realized this until about a day or 2 ago.
It was near midnight when we finally reached Ollie and I could see all the torches burning on the top of the wall and all the armed and armored men and women standing watch. I could see several arrows sticking out of the logs that made up the palisade's walls. I pulled Twillaa back to an area I knew would be safe and then started my hunt.
I spent the rest of the night waging a one-man war on the attacking Drow, I ended up with what would become several new scars in a few months by the time the sun started painting the Eastern horizon. I waited just out of bow range until the sun was fully up and those on the wall could see my gruesome haul of heads arrayed before me.
I had recovered Twillaa and had her kneeling behind me, as I waited for them to send out a small party out to check out what I had said was true. I was finally let in after they had scouted the area completely, they found each body exactly where I said they would be. I was led to the inn and given a room where Twillaa bathed and treated my wounds with cream that each fighter had carried.
The pain of the wounds faded almost at once and she took some silk thread and a small needle and began to sew the 5 largest cuts closed as I closed my eyes and strangely went to sleep.