It was still light out when I found an end to the treeline. I had made the choice to travel into the forests alone, allowing Deborah to rest from the day's travels. My search for Stone had been going for hours by this time, and all I had found thus far were tracks. It was a stroke of luck that the snow had stopped falling in the early morning, this had prevented the tracks from being erased. Still, my progress had been slowed due to how deep it was, and I was unsure just how many more hours of light I had before I would have to call off my search. I knew if I didn't find Stone today, my chances of finding him here would be all but impossible.
I carefully placed a free hand on one of the trees beside me, taking in what lay beyond them. What I saw before me was a large clearing that sloped downward at a steady angle, leading down a good fifteen to twenty-five feet before evening out again. I couldn't see any major openings from my vantage point, but I could see that the treeline began to curve around the edges of the clearing, as though avoiding the divet in the land. The clearing itself stretched on for some time, with the snow becoming even more immense near the base of the hill I found myself at. However, I noticed that as this valley seemed to go on, the snow seemed to become closer to the ground. Perhaps most telling, however, was the lack of any footsteps. Stone hadn't traveled down into the clearing.
Instead, the tracks took a sudden turn, traveling along the edge of the hill, where the snow seemed to be the most shallow. These tracks barely pressed into the earth, leaving only faint imprints in the powder below them. Stone must have decided to follow the brow of the hill to find a safer path down, or perhaps even staying clear of the valley altogether. I removed my hand from the tree and turned to follow them. After following them for some time, I found a small patch of cleared land, a patch of brown slowly expanding into a trail of dead leaves and broken sticks, leading down the hillside.
From here, the tracks were gone. The ground was probably far too frozen for anything to penetrate it, let alone leave a solid set of tracks. Stepping from the deep snow onto the mostly clear ground was a strange sensation, after having gotten used to resistance with every step. My steps felt lighter, and I had to catch myself a few times from accelerating too fast on the way down. With a small stumble, I landed at the base of the hill, allowing my momentum to carry me before slowing my pace. The path curved around a section of the hills around me, trees blocking my sight from anything beyond. Still, I swore I could see what looked like walls just through the gaps in the trees. An abandoned outpost, perhaps? A halfway point for messengers or traders? If that were the case, I was almost certain that the bandits Stone was tracking would have set up camp there, and thus become his destination.
As I was having these thoughts, I realized that the light around me had started to turn a dim gold, and the trees were beginning to cast short, but clear shadows over the top of the hill. Looking up, I could see that the once fully blue sky was beginning to show shades of purple, and the light shining through had dimmed to a dull gold. Twilight was approaching, my window to find Stone was shrinking. My heart began racing as I hastened my step, breaking into a jog. My armor clanged loudly as my breath grew heavy, my pace growing quicker and quicker by the second. Before long, I was in a full sprint, kicking up twigs and loose snow around me.
Another long path came into view as I rushed around the turn, the path diverged several feet in front of me. One was completely covered in snow, but the path forward was clear, and more importantly, I could see that it led upward, to a massive, multi-storied wooden fort. This was my best chance. I ran forward as fast as my legs could carry me, the sound of my heavy breathing drowned out by the rattling of my armor. As I drew closer, I could see what looked like bodies in the snow to the side of the path. Bandits, it had to be. I was right, the bandits had taken it as their base, but just how many were there? What had Stone gotten himself into? I did not stop to get a better look at the bodies, there was no time. I quickly noticed the sound of clanging steel and screaming as I stopped in front of the open gate, trying to catch my breath.
Inside the fort were the same sights as the outside, bodies were strewn around the courtyard of the fort, what once were wooden weapon posts had been shattered, and discarded or dropped weapons littered the field. Looking to the left, I saw what looked like a trench system that led around the confines of the fort. Small rises and falls in the terrain formed miniature hills and valleys that seemed almost devoid of life, if not for the shouting and clanging.
"Stone!" I yelled out into the open air, charging into the fort. I knew that this would attract the attention of whatever bandits were still here, but I did not care. Stone was here, I was sure of it, I had to find him. Running to the top of one of the hills, I grinded to halt and surveyed my surroundings, small fixtures and openings leading further into the fort. I had no idea which way to go, and no idea of what state my friend was in.
"Stone!" I yelled again. Turning from route to route, I charged down the hill, just in time to see other figures charge out of the various openings. All around me, men and women were charging out into the open ground, plowing through the soft snow that accumulated on the ground, armed with what looked like shoddy shields and blades, others carrying what looked to be two-handed axes. One of them turned to look at me, and I ground to a halt as they did. With a yell he pointed his sword in my direction, and called to his allies.
"There's another one! Don't let them group up!" He shouted, his voice was hoarse, but this did nothing to dampen it's sound. His words reached three of his compatriots, as they too slid to a halt, took one look at me, and readied their weapons. With one unified scream, they charged my position, I readied my own weapon in anticipation. The leader was the first to reach me, thrusting his blade forward in a thrust. With one move I parried it off to the side, sending him stumbling forward. I had no time to follow up with an attack of my own, in the corner of my vision I could see one of the women lifting an ax overhead, aiming to bring it down. I adjusted to catch the handle, stopping the blade just before it reached me. With one motion, I raised my leg and kicked her square in the chest, forcing her away from me.
I just barely saw the third approach with a right swing at my arm, and could only stumble away from the strike as I briefly lost my balance. The fourth timed his strike with the leader, one thrusting his blade while the other swung wildly with another ax. Instinct almost took over, but I forced it to the back of my mind, time seeming to slow as I tried to predict where the ax would land. It was a heavy swing, as opposed to the other's quick thrust. Still, even the thrust would take time to recover from, and the ax swing was too heavy, it couldn't be stopped midway through. I had to force them to collide.
With haste, I sidestepped to my left, watching as the thrust hit nothing but air. The leader's stance was solid, he held his ground as his head twisted to watch me, his teeth bared in an angry scowl. I paid him no mind and pivoted, readying for a thrust of my own. Just as I expected, his ally couldn't stop his ax, and slammed it into the flat of his blade, the leader let out a startled yelp as he was carried down with the blade, and I thrust forward. My blade struck true, plunging right between his eyes, a modest spurt of blood confirming my hit. I wasted no time and pulled against the falling body, slicing through the side of his face, carrying bits of his flesh with it.
My blade came free just as the woman recovered and charged me again, raising her ax high overhead. I responded with another thrust, catching her in the chest as my blade sunk several inches into her. Her face sunk as she collapsed to her knees, the weapon clamoring to the snow below. I pulled, but my blade did not come loose, as the warrior grimaced and grabbed hold of my sword. I cursed internally, wrestling for control of my weapon as the bandit glared at me, teeth clenched as blood ran down her palms and onto my sword. Pivoting my head, I saw the fourth rush forward and leap, thrusting the pommel of his ax toward my head. I tried again to pull my blade, but it would not come free. Before I could dodge, the pommel struck my forehead, the clanging of steel drowned out by an intense ringing as a white hot pain erupted into my head.
I stumbled back and raised a hand to my forehead, the world blurring and distorting as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. I could just barely hear the further grinding of metal as I felt something slam into my chest, but scrape harmlessly across my armor. I shook my head and took a tentative step back, my vision slowly returning as the setting sun further blinded me for a moment. I raised my arm to block it out, realizing that I still felt weight in my other. The force of the strike must have helped free my sword. I shook my head again and raised my sword to a ready position, the blade just above my forearm as the bandits stood before me.
The first moved forward as if to charge, but then quickly retreated before his ally with the ax charged again, raising his weapon just high enough to come down on my shoulder. The attack was quick, but I was prepared for it. I quickly adjusted the blade and caught the ax head at just the right angle to bat it away, following up with a shallow slash across his chest as he found himself wide open. He cried out in pain as his companion rushed to his defense, his blade coming in from the left, another quick strike. Pivoting, I pulled up with my sword, catching the edge of his blade and flourishing, dragging his blade under and then over, throwing him off balance. Lowering the blade, I thrust forward again, catching him in the shoulder.
He screamed as he jerked away, pulling himself off the blade as his ally regained his stance. With a yell he leapt again, trying to strike with the pommel of his blade again. This time, I was ready. I stepped to the right and shifted my balance, raising my sword over my shoulder as he barely caught himself from the whiffed attack. He never got the chance to recover, for I had already brought my blade into his exposed shoulder, sinking deep into his torso. He whimpered as he dropped to one knee, I pivoted one last time to pull my blade up, then turned to catch him by the neck. With one last twist, I carried the blade through, decapitating him and sending his head flying to the ground below, blood shooting like a geyser from his exposed neck.
His body fell like bricks onto the earth, and I turned back, planting my feet firmly as I faced my final attacker. I kept my sword low, ready to adjust as needed. The bandit was still nursing his stab wound, breathing heavily as crimson gently leaked from the gaps in his hand. His face was haggard, but groomed, clearly well taken care of. I knew in an instant this man hadn't needed to turn to a life of thievery, his coordination with his fellows proved he had a basic understanding of sword play, and his appearance was far too clean. He was a brigand by choice. Whatever sympathy I may have had for him vanished at this realization. My grip on the sword tightened as my head continued to pound, shooting waves of pain throughout. The bandit tried to raise his shield, grunting with effort as he rested it across his stomach, the blade pointing straight up, splitting the view of his face in half. He was done attacking, he was waiting for me to make the first move.
Even with an injured shoulder, he could reinforce himself with his other arm, and with a steady enough posture, shove me off balance with one well timed shove. That would leave me vulnerable, and I knew I had to avoid that at all costs. Charging him was a risk too, all he needed was one quick step to the side and my midsection would be exposed. I trusted my armor, but a quick thrust might penetrate enough to draw blood, and I would feel it, just enough pain to slow me down. I would need to trick him. My plan ready, I exclaimed loudly as I reared back and took a step forward, preparing for what looked like a powerful blow. The bandit took the bait. In one calculated move he stepped forward and adjusted himself, raising his shield to block my incoming blow, and adjusting his feet to easily step forward in a follow up thrust. Without warning I charged, lowering the blade as I held it level with me, taking rapid steps forward with my shoulder extended.
The bandit could not compensate for my shift, as he stumbled back in a feeble attempt to dodge, too late. My upper arm slammed into the shield, I could feel the shield crush his arm as the bandit howled in pain. Planting my feet, I held as he stumbled back, his shield falling to the wayside as he dropped his sword, grasping at his shoulder. I followed up immediately, twisting my form as I brought my blade down, striking once across his chest, then twisting my arms to cut again, striking up this time. Both found their mark, the cuts were deep enough to draw blood, which oozed quickly out of the wounds and onto the snow below. The bandit seemed stunned, shifting his hand to his chest to feel them. A look of fear spread across his features as his breathing grew haggard, and he collapsed, struggling to inhale. I would not leave him to suffer. I marched towards him and placed the tip of my blade against his chest. Our eyes crossed for only a moment, but I could see the pain, the dread, and the pleading in them. I did not hesitate as I plunged my weapon between his ribs and into his heart, his shocked gurgles and choking lasting only until I twisted the blade, cutting his life short.
My head was still throbbing as I pulled my sword free, my breathing growing heavy as I turned back to the open field within the fort. I could still hear the clanging and shouting from earlier, but now it was being dulled by a faint ringing in my head. I groaned and held my head with my free hand, forcing myself forward towards one of the doorways. The sun had descended enough that faint shadows covered the entrance, preventing me from seeing what lay inside.
"Stone! Are you in there?!" I shouted, catching myself in the open frame. Inside I could see that the path forked to the left and to the right, separated by a wall that likely supported the entire structure inside. My heart was pounding as I waited, practically begging for a response to my question. For a moment, there was nothing, even the sound of clanging steel seemed to fall silent. Only the rustling wind filled my ears. My heart sank, was it over? Was I too late? Oh God, please no... I couldn't bear the thought...My head sagged as I felt my knees buckle, not Stone...
"Is that you, Liam? Get in here and help me!" My head shot up at these words. The voice was loud, boisterous, almost as if it were boasting even without trying. I knew that voice, it was Stone's voice. He was alive, by God he was alive, and I'd found him! My strength seemed to double as I rushed through the door, taking the path to the right, which led to a set of stairs. The sounds of battle seemed to roar back to life as I approached. I half sprinted down the stairs, the walls blocking my sightline to the opening below. With a leap, I landed at the base of the stairs, and drew my blade.
A mostly open room lay ahead, only a few tables and chairs littering the ground and providing the odd bit of cover. Old maps hung from the walls, many of them torn, and only a few them being legible in any form. Inside the room was what looked like six more bandits, each of them wielding what looked like battle-tested swords and axes. And in the center of all of them, wielding a familiar looking kite shield and a flail, was Stone, fending off two of the bandits in front of him. Before I could say anything, I noticed one of the bandits raise his weapon, aiming right for Stone's exposed back.
"Stone! Watch out!" I shouted. I wasted no time, charging forward and raising my blade over my shoulder, preparing for a strike. My yell must have alerted the bandit, because he halted his swing and turned around to face me. I saw his eyes grow wide as he sidestepped, causing my strike to hit the empty air. I quickly pivoted to face the bandit, only to see him backing away along with the two compatriots closest to me. The bandits stared at me, awe and fear radiating off their features as I flourished my blade, turning behind me to see Stone. He, in turn, backed up into me, placing his back to mine.
"Well what do you know, it is you Liam! How the heck did you find me?" He asked, turning his head to see me. Only the side of his face was visible to me, just enough to see one eye of the empty skull on top of his helmet. I turned away from him, keeping a close eye on the bandits around us. They didn't seem to be making a move yet, and I realized how stupid it had been to charge head long into the center of them. Not five minutes back with Stone, and we were in a bad situation, which seemed oddly fitting.
"I'd heard rumors of a wandering knight, I knew it couldn't be me, so that only left one option." I replied. A short chuckle emanated from behind me, and I could feel Stone shift to the left slightly. I took the hint and shifted to the opposite direction, raising my sword to the key stance I was all too familiar with. The bandits seemed to notice our movement, and cautiously followed along with us.
"Well, subtly never was one of my strong suits. Still, I won't complain!" He shouted. I adjusted my head to him slightly.
"Even while being surrounded by bandits?" I mused.
"Especially not then." He responded. I shook my head and looked back at the bandits. Time may have passed, but Stone certainly hadn't changed. Said bandits seemed to find their courage, as they stepped forward and clenched their weapons tighter, I planted my feet firmly, ready for any attack that would come my way. One of the bandits, I could not tell which, spoke.
"You two had best give up now! We've got you three to one!" He shouted. His voice betrayed his threat, trembling at nearly every other word. His companions didn't seem much more confident than he, their faces a mix of doubt and fear as they continued to follow us in our circular motion. Their fear was not unfounded, they wore no armor, and their weapons were of clearly shoddy repair, the chances they would pierce our protections was slim at best. I did not react to their threat, instead trying to determine which of the bandits would strike first. Behind me, I could hear Stone beginning to spin his flail.
"We've faced worse odds, what's the plan Liam?" He asked. I looked at each of the bandits, studying them closely. Four of them carried swords, three of those with shields. The fourth carried a two handed longsword, and among the remaining two, both carried axes, one a large two handed greataxe, and the final two one handed axes. She was clearly the fastest, she would likely be the first in the fray once the fighting started. That said, our defenses would easily hold, and disarming her would be a simple matter, she could wait to be dealt with. The two handed warriors would likely follow, taking them out first would cripple their offensive power. The three shield bearing warriors would be the last to handle, and Stone could easily overwhelm them.
"Strike the two handed warriors first, fend off the dual wielder, then team up on the shield bearers." I responded. Though I could not see him respond, I knew Stone well enough to know he would follow my directions. We waited a single moment, seeing if the enemy would strike first. When the first of them stepped forth, I charged to meet him. The bandit yelled in alarm as he raised his ax overhead. His strike was clumsy, and easy to predict. With one move I placed the back of my hand along the edge of the blade, holding it carefully to avoid cutting myself. The sword and ax collided in mid-air, and with one push, I forced it off to the side, sending it harmless to the side as I continued down with my sword. The strike found purchase on the bandit's shoulder, and I felt the flesh tear as it bisected his shoulder, and sunk several inches into his chest before it pulled clear with my finished stroke. The man shouted in agony, dropping to the floor as his weapon fell harmlessly beside him, the pooling blood doing nothing to dull the sound of falling metal.
A fierce yell found my senses next, to the left of my position. Turning, I saw the dual wielder in the air, both axes raised to strike me over the head. Again I pivoted my body and slid my feet along the ground, taking care to avoid the pools of blood that had begun to grow. I raised my blade in time, blocking both axes and causing a high pitched ringing to echo in the enclosed space. Behind me, I could hear a disturbing crack, followed by a loud thud as something hit the ground. Sounds like Stone had gotten one of his, only four would be left standing now.
The dual wielder pulled her weapons away, a mad look in her eyes as she flourished one of the weapons, then struck from the right. I stepped back to dodge, only nearly missing one of the fallen weapons, the dual wielder quickly followed up with an overhead strike. This one I blocked, though my adversary was able to shift the blade just in time to prevent it from getting caught. She followed up twice more, each stroke coming faster than the last, first from the right, then back from the left again. I blocked both, each time the warrior evaded my attempts to lock her in place. Strange, I thought. This one seemed more knowledgeable as well, yet she bore no semblance of cleanliness or organization like her fellows. Were the bandits simply getting more skilled? Or was something more going on? I didn't have time to ponder this, as the warrior quickly recovered from her missed attack, and launched both axes from the right, taking a large step forward as she did. This was my opening.
With a quick repositioning of my leg, I forced my weight into her before she could get a proper foothold. She let out a yelp of alarm as she tumbled towards the blood on the floor, the axes swung wildly overhead, though I could still feel the rushing air as they passed. I stabbed forward, but the bandit managed to swing one of her axes back around at just the right moment, knocking my blade off course and hitting nothing but air, allowing the bandit to fall to the floor unscathed. Before I could ready myself for another strike, I heard another cry, and turned behind me. Stone had disarmed one of the shield bearers, and now had him off balance.
"Coming at you, Liam!" Stone shouted as swung his flail behind the man, the solid head smacking into the center of the man's back and launching him forward. The band cried out again, tripping over himself and falling toward the ground. Without a thought I spun to face him, aiming the tip of my blade carefully to pierce his chest. The bandit's weight carried him through as I thrust up, the two opposing forces driving it deep into him. He coughed twice as I forced the blade deeper, his blood staining my hands. I felt his death throes as he twitched violently. Trying to force my mind off it, I pulled on my sword free, a wet and sloppy thud accompanying it as the man fell. I flourished my sword to get the worst of the blood off.
In front of me, Stone had sidestepped one of the attackers, and swung his flail, catching the man's blade in the chain. He then forced his weight onto his shield, slamming into the man and wrestling the sword out of his grasp, clattering to the ground as it fell. Stone carried the weight of his weapon upward, taking advantage of the bandit's shock to bring down a mighty blow. The bandit only just blocked it, but the force of the strike was enough to shatter the shield in two. The shattering sent shrapnel of the broken shield in several directions as the man's arm was forced down, now taking the full weight of Stone's weapon. The man was knocked to the ground and clasped his injured arm with a shout, his companion quickly rushed over and stood over him with his own shield ready. Stone simply began readying his weapon again and backed up slowly.
I readied my own weapon again, hopefully for the last time as I turned my attention back to my prior foe, who had only just managed to stand back up. She breathed heavily and slowly circled around me, making her way back to her companions. I followed her with my eyes, adjusting to keep myself focused entirely, though I did notice just out of the corner of my eye that Stone had backed up to me, now standing directly to my left. The bandit rejoined her fellows, now appearing even more frightened than before. The sound of Stone's flail jingling gently as the chain swayed resonated in my ears as we all stared at one another.
"So much for three-to-one, eh?" Stone mused, turning his head slightly to glance at me. I glanced back.
"It never lasts long, one way or another." I agreed. Stone nodded, and we both turned our attention back to the bandits. The dual wielder nervously shifted from foot to foot, her breathing audible even from this distance apart. Between these two factors, I could tell her resolve had been broken. The next words she spoke only confirmed my suspicions.
"We're outmatched here, guys, we need to go!" She said, her voice trembling as she did. She made no effort to hide her anxiety. Stone began to swing his weapon gently back and forth, the message more than clear that he was ready to use it.
"I'd listen to your friend, bandits. Tell us where your stolen goods are, and you'll walk out of here with your lives." He growled. For my part, I said nothing, only tightening my grip on the sword. The last standing shield bearer grit his teeth and glared at us, malice and hatred burned into his features. Without a sound he stepped towards us, false confidence radiating off him like steam from a geyser.
"You've gotten a good look at us, you'd only report us to one of the legions." He said, trying to show more courage than I'm sure he felt in that moment. Behind him, the other bandit groaned as he shakily grabbed one of the fallen swords, and used it to help himself to a standing position. His breathing was fast, but shallow. He was in no condition to fight, yet this didn't seem to stop him. Stone turned to look at me, and I to him.
"All in?" He asked. I nodded.
"All in." I echoed. Without another word, we shifted back to the bandits, and charged. There was no cry of alarm this time, instead the sword wielders charged to meet us. The first was bested easily enough, Stone raised his shield and blocked the clumsy strike, diverting it away from him before wrapping the flail around his neck. Before the bandit could respond, Stone kicked his legs out from under him and knelt, lifting the bandit off his feet and onto Stone's back. With one strong yank, I heard the bandit's neck snap, falling limp before Stone pulled his weapon free.
The bandit charging me had wound up for a large sweeping slash from my left, yelling all the while. With little effort I twisted my arm to block his strike, the force carrying it only a moment before coming to a dead stop. With no hesitation I threw the blade away, exposing the bandit. I reached forward and grabbed him, taking a fistful of his furs and holding him there. Stone, seeing this, backed up just enough to start swinging his weapon again. Turning towards him, I threw all of my strength into my arm as I threw the man towards Stone, his arms flailing as I did. Stone swung wide, and connected his flail into the back of his head with a sickening crack. The bandit fell face first onto the floor, his head bouncing slightly as it connected. With one final flourish, I plunged my blade where I knew where his heart would be and twisted, nothing more than a gurgle escaping the man's lips as he fell silent forever.
Pulling the sword free, I stared a moment longer at the fallen man as I ran my hand along the blade, wiping off any excess blood. I never felt satisfied or accomplished after battles like this. I only ever felt regret that their paths had led here, or had to end in this way. Shuffling steps alerted me to Stone's approach, and I lifted my head to face him. I saw now that he furs of his own, and that he had indeed shed his Blackstone colors. His armor was hidden beneath the cloth still, but small pieces were still visible, chainmail, just like before. He stared at me for a moment, asking my condition without even saying a word. I hesitated a moment, but nodded back at him. He simply returned the nod and patted my shoulder with his shield arm before walking past me. I followed him with my eyes, watching as he stepped up to the final bandit, who had not run to face us.
The bandit trembled and backed away, her breath short and rapid. Was she having trouble breathing? Her eyes were wide as saucers, and tears had begun to form around them as she backed away. Rather suddenly, she threw the axes to the ground, a last clanging of steel echoing in the chamber before falling silent once more. She followed this action by raising her hands into the air, before stumbling a moment as she tripped over one of the bodies. Her sweaty and mangled brown hair fell to her shoulders as she regained her balance, a single tear falling onto the top of her lip.
"Please let me go, please, I'm sorry... I'll never do this again..." She begged, her voice barely loud enough to perceive. I was no stranger to tearful pleas of mercy, more than one opponent had begged for their lives after I had bested them. It never made it any easier to hear them. Stone seemed not to acknowledge her, and allowed the head of his flail to fall from his hand, the chain rattling as he inched closer. The woman panted harder now, tripping again and failing to catch herself. As she fell onto her haunches, she let out a startled yell and desperately shuffled away from Stone.
"Wait, please! No, no no no, please I beg you!" She cried, she was hysterical at this point, tears flowed freely from her eyes as she collided with the back wall. When her attempt to further flee failed, she held out both arms in front of her, trying to shield herself. Stone only continued to stalk towards her, the flail gently swaying from side to side, fresh blood still dripping from one side. Stone began to softly swing the flail, allowing the weapon to fling blood as he came to a stop in front of her, his gaze never faltering. The woman broke down and closed her eyes as she turned her head away.
"Don't kill me... please..." She choked out between her sobs, her body shaking with every sound. I couldn't watch this any longer, it was wrong to terrify her like this. I walked up to Stone, taking care to avoid the swing of his weapon. With my free hand I took his shoulder, I did not move him, however. I just wanted him to know I was there. With but a slight adjustment, he turned his ear to me.
"Stone, that's enough. She's beaten." I said. Stone seemed to consider me for a moment before turning back to the woman, still sobbing and refusing to look at us.
"She's a bandit. A punishable offense anywhere in Ashfeld." He retorted. It was true, and I knew it. The customs and exact punishment varied from place to place, but nearly all of them involved a blade. Death, removal of a hand, loss of an ear, and many others. She was guilty, and deserved judgment, there was no denying it. But seeing her cower like this, knowing there was no one left for her, nowhere for her to go, my heart ached.
"Look around us. Everyone she's known is gone. She'll live the rest of her life as a lone wanderer, nowhere to call home. Is that not punishment enough?" I asked. Stone turned his head again, the side of his face now turned to me. I knew the feeling of being a lone traveler all too well, and I suspected that Stone did too. The long, silent nights, left with only your thoughts. Past mistakes echoing over and over again, never seeming to cease, even for a moment. Knowing that no matter your intentions, or your actions, you were never truly welcome anywhere. It was maddening, something no one should have to suffer. Yet it was what fate seemed to have in store for her.
Stone seemed to think a minute longer, then turned away from me. I lowered my arm as the chain of his flail rattled again, the head now pulled back up into Stone's hand, secure in his gasp. The woman sniffed, but continued to cry as she opened her eyes and gently lowered her hands. I stepped forward, Stone stepping to the side to stand directly over my shoulder.
"Tell us where your stash is kept, and you will leave here alive, and unharmed." I said, my voice calm and even. The woman sniffed again and wiped her nose. She tried to stifle her tears and sit up straighter, but only succeeded on the second.
"Y-You mean it? I-I-I can leave here?" She stammered. I did not move.
"Tell us where the stash is, and you have my word." I repeated. The woman sniffed again, wiping her cheeks of any stray tears, her eyes red and puffy.
"There um... There's an office at the back of the fort, boss used it to keep everything stored. He said he kept it locked, but the thing was busted even before we got here. I-It's the lone building in the back with windows." She explained. Her voice still shook from time to time, but she seemed to be calming down. I looked to Stone, checking if he was satisfied with her answer, he looked back at me and nodded. Turning back to the woman, I decided to iron out one more condition.
"If we find you doing this again, we will not show mercy a second time." I warned. The woman nodded rapidly and coughed once, rising slowly to her feet.
"I-I understand. Thank you, truly..." She said, shaking slightly as she stood back upright. I nodded, and gently extended my hand to the stairwell. The woman followed my gesture, a few loose tears fell from her eyes as she sniffed again. Without a word, she began carefully stepping over the fallen weapons and bodies as she made her way towards the stairs. Stone turned to face her, I was content to watch her with my eyes. As she passed by her discarded axes, she paused. She seemed to ponder them a moment, was she thinking of picking them up? Stone must have had the same thought I did, because I heard the chain of his flail rattle again, and out of the corner of my eye, saw him lower it once more. The woman heard as well, and looked behind her, her eyes wide. I lowered my hand and clenched it into a fist as she shifted her view towards me. If she tried I would be on her in an instant.
She seemed to think better of her thoughts, as she cleared her throat and pulled her furs tighter around herself. She kept her eyes focused on the ground, but never shifted her view to anything in particular that I could tell. Stone and I waited as she slowly reached the steps, looked at us one more time, then ascended beyond our vision. Even then, we waited a few more minutes until we could hear her footsteps no more.
"I suspect she'll never forget this." I said, more to myself than Stone. This didn't stop him from responding, of course.
"No, I suspect not. Not sure if she'll go straight and narrow, but it'll be a cold day in hell before she tries again, if ever." He mused. The danger finally over, I turned to get a good look at my friend. His armor was a bit more faded, I couldn't get much of a look at any other part of him, heavy winter gloves and furs blocking anything from sight. But in every way that seemed to matter, Stone was unchanged, he was here, and he was alive. I held my arm out, my hand open. He didn't think twice before shifting his weapon to his other hand and clasping onto it, his grip just as strong as ever.
"It is good to see you Liam, been too long, brother." He said, a light chuckle in his voice. I held his arm tight, half convinced he would vanish if I let him go.
"Far too long. I am glad to see you safe." I added. Stone gave me another tight squeeze on my arm, then released his grip. I released mine, and was pleased to see he in fact did not vanish.
"Glad you're safe too, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised." He said. I stifled a chuckle and turned my attention to the stairwell. I began slowly walking towards it, making sure to hear Stone behind me before proceeding too far.
"You're certain these bandits kept a stash of stolen goods?" I asked. Though I did not see Stone, I was able to picture him slinging his flail over his shoulder as he laughed behind me.
"More than a dozen fighters, most all of them willing to die to get us away from here? Yeah, I'm fairly certain." He retorted. Reaching the top of the stairs, I once again found myself in the cold, persistent winter winds of Ashfeld, the landscape bathed in a soft golden light as the sun dipped below the horizon. It would be dark soon, and it would be unwise to abandon the fort at this hour. We would have to wait until morning to leave for Herongale. Turning toward the gate, I could see the faint figure of the woman, still trekking out into the snow. I wondered for a minute if I should go get her, I worried if she'd make it alone in the night. Stone strolled beside me, he seemed to also be looking towards the woman.
"We've shown her mercy, don't overthink it, Liam. Her fate is in God's hands now." He reasoned. At first I said nothing, unsure what to think. Finally, I decided to leave her be. I felt guilty doing so, but I knew that letting a criminal stay with us was dangerous. Well, another criminal, I suppose. Still, I knew there was a difference. I tried to shake any thought of the woman from my mind, and looked deeper into the fort. The rising plateau blocked most of my vision, but just in the faintest corner of my sight, I could see a lone building. A small path seemed cleared, and I could just make out what looked like closed windows on the sides of it.
"Well, in any case, shall we see what you risked our lives for?" I asked, turning my attention back towards him. Stone, in turn, looked back at me, his eyes just barely visible beneath his helmet. There was satisfaction there as he gave a quick nod.
"Yes, I believe we shall." He confirmed. So, with a renewed vigor, and Stone by my side, I turned towards the building...
...And walked.