Spears of Redriver

Part Thirty - The Master and His Pupil

The doors burst open suddenly as a group of men clad in leather breastplates and bronze helmets charged through, still grasping onto their makeshift battering ram. Carthus' eyes went wide, just like the Ordethi gathering on the opposite side of the chamber from the doors, as they watched a dozen warriors rush in, each breastplate and cloak bearing the sigil of the Spears of Redriver. Desen hurried in at the rear with another dozen sellswords behind him. He grinned at Carthus and nodded a moment before spotting the threat. Carthus returned the nod midstep as he faced the enemy again.

Carthus' eyes met with the Ordethi at the lead of the line just as the first dozen spears stormed past him and crashed into the assassins in a wave. The clashing of blade on shield continued ringing down the hall and through the now open doorway. Carthus stood amidst his people and smiled, just for a moment.

"Looks like we found you just in time, eh...where are the others?" Desen asked. He stopped by Carthus' and caught sight of his wound. The dwarf's eyes scanned the commander for others and landed on the torch in his hand.

"I...do not know...we were separated in the fighting" Carthus replied weakly, angry at himself.

"Here" Desen handed the young Maad a spear he had snatched from a nearby warrior not yet engaged in the fight. Carthus nodded, taking it gladly.

"You brought them just in time...the Ordethi in here are many," Carthus said, "thank you!"

"Of course!" Desen replied, "we will find the others!" They stood in the rear of the first dozen mercenaries as they fought the Ordethi at the mouth of the hallway leading out of the room. Despite the opposition ahead, the Spears of Redriver moved through quickly, either killing their enemies or driving them back. Just then, for a split second, Carthus spotted the eyeless shadow starring at him from the middle of the fight ahead, unmoving and unwavering in the face of the swinging blades around it. He could feel its gaze even after it vanished, and his head began to hurt.

"Let them handle it; you're their commander!" Desen said, pulling at Carthus' arm as he eyed over his bloody breastplate. They stood and waited as the second dozen of the sellswords rushed past and into the fray, which was now easily being forced back into the depths of the hideout. Once the fighters cleared the room entirely, Desen followed them with Carthus behind him.

They followed the hallway back the way Carthus had just come on his escape. The Spears handled whatever came at them and marched in unison, in rows of two. If one was wounded at the front or killed, he was replaced by the next one in line, and the shield wall advanced. By the time they reached the large open chamber with the overlooking balcony, it was empty except for those warriors who had fallen in battle. Most of the place was empty as if the Ordethi knew they were compromised.

From the rear of the march, Carthus noticed a staircase leading up from the edge of the hallway. He waved Desen over for a moment.

"Aye?" the dwarf asked as he approached.

"Oro and Ythara went that way with the others, and you will need torches...find them!" Carthus commanded, pointing away to the opposite end of the chamber down a now darkened hallway.

"Aye, will do...what will you do?" Desen asked worriedly.

"I'll just wait here. There is a pit down there, be careful not to fall in" Carthus lied, grinning, he wasn't planning on waiting.

"Of course" Desen nodded and went to round up the warriors. Carthus watched them leave through the open doorway where he last saw his friends and waited as the silence enveloped him. After a moment, he reached down and picked up a second spear from the stone floor and held it in his shield hand.

"I'll find you," he said to himself, glaring up at the overlook where the scarred Ordethi man stood earlier. With that, he turned and ran up the steps. The stairs stopped at a short flight before turning left and starting back up again. He briskly made his way to the top despite the pain in his side. The second floor was simply a long hallway that led to the overlooking balcony and then further down.

Carthus passed the balcony and followed the hall until he reached a door at the end, next to which were two torches glowing brightly in their sconces. Beside them, on the walls directly opposite each other, were two tapestries depicting some ancient battle. Carthus recognized the brahda and the winged ferdag clashing along the edge of a massive wall, on the other side of which was a large pit with stones of various colors laid out in it.

Carthus turned away from the tapestry just as something behind the doorway fell to the stone floor with a loud clatter. He almost jumped, freezing midstep to listen. A few hushed voices were speaking in the native tongue of the city, one of which was the scarred man. Carthus stepped closer to the door but still could not tell how many there were. He growled to himself before rearing back and slamming into the door with a powerful kick.

The door burst open effortlessly, and as Carthus planted that foot through the doorway, he spotted two Ordethi warriors standing with their scarred leader. He let the first spear fly and watched it strike the center of the closest man's chest, throwing him off of his feet and into the wall behind him. The second man ran at Carthus, who raised his shield just in time to block the man's blade, and switching the second spear to his right hand, countered from underneath. He pulled his spear from the man as he fell and faced the scarred warrior who watched him.

"This is it assassin!" Carthus said.

"Oh it is...if by it you mean the end...but every end is also a beginning," the scarred warrior dropped the book he was holding to the floor. It landed with a thud, shooting dust into the air around it. Carthus waited for the man, watching him draw two long curved knives from his belt, "I have watched you fight...and we could have done great things together...but it was not meant to be...one of us will die, and the other will have to proceed on their own."

The old scarred man suddenly leaped at Carthus, swiftly covering the fifteen feet between them in a few strides. He brought his first blade down on the maad's face, but Carthus dodged it ducking sideways. The second blade was too fast as it cut across his right shoulder. He stepped back and then just as quickly stepped in, driving his spear forward. The assassin spun to avoid the speartip but it still sliced across his side.

The man landed in a ready stance and swiped both knives at Carthus again, and again, cutting his cheek with one of them. Carthus was forced backward but sidestepped and slammed his shield into his opponent, stabbing forward with the spear once again, and once again the blade missed. Carthus realized that he took another cut on the other shoulder, just before his shield bash. This guy is fast he thought to himself trying to slow his breathing and catch a second wind.

With a sudden step in, he stabbed forward, but just as the man moved aside, Carthus followed spinning the spear in a circle overhead and bringing it down wide. The blade landed sharply, cutting the man across the shoulder. He stumbled in pain, grimacing for a moment before a smile crossed his face. Just then, Carthus surged in again with a quick stab, and the speartip pierced the man's stomach. He spit blood to the side.

"You are good," he said.

Carthus said nothing, instead pulled his spear back and stabbed in again. The assassin fell to the floor behind him and spit more blood to the side, still smiling.

"I am glad to know that you found the pit...that you found my book...now you must find the cliffs and keep this secret from those who lord over you," the Ordethi spit blood over himself as he sat up, reaching for the book across the room, "take it...read it, let me die in peace now."

"I don't know what this is...all of it, the bloodshed in the streets, the pit, the cliffs you keep talking about...damn you!" Carthus replied, he walked across the room and grabbed the book, "damn you...but, I will grant you your last wish, die in peace, you were a worthy adversary."

"And you were a worthy pupil" the scarred man replied and lay back, closing his eyes.