Bardiche
Really Really Experienced
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2007
- Posts
- 485
(Need one female to join me in this tale. No oneliners please. PM me if interrested.)
The quest
Kiall wiped the blood from his eyes. He had been damn lucky. If the arrow had hit him less than an inch lower, he would have been blind on his left eye. The Nadren slavers had attacked swiftly and effective. Twelve villagers had been killed and eight women taken. Kiall looked down at the corpse of Balta with sorrow in his heart. The dead blacksmith had been a good teacher and a good friend.
Kiall was nineteen years old and a quite handsome young man. He had light brown hair and blue eyes, a common trait of the peaple of Gothir. His hair was kept back in a ponytail. He was six feet tall and athletic built. In the raid he had managed to kill one of the Nadren and then the arrow had hit him. He lost consciousness. When he woke up all had been taken from him. His only friend dead and the woman he had loved had been taken.
Rhiannon her name was. The most beautiful girl in the settlement. Just a few days ago he had talked with her of marriage. Her response still made him sad. She had told him that she needed no dreamer. She wanted a man. Her smile did nothing to mend his hurt feelings. Humiliated he had left her.
Now she was gone and Kiall decided what he had to do. He went to the house of Balta. He took down the broadsword hanging on the wall in the dining room. He made some practice moves with it. The balance was perfect. It was the finest weapon Balta ever made.
With a sigh he left the house and went to the stables where he had his dark brown horse. He saddled it and in a few minutes he was leaving the settlement in a gallop.
The Nadren was only a half day ahead of him he knew and they where travelling with prisoners while he was alone. Kiall had no idea what to do when he reached them. Either he would free Rhiannon or die trying. He was not a bad swordsman but he was no expert.
After a few hours the sun was lowering and Kiall made camp in the forest. Before he decided to rest he started to train with his sword. He made some slashes in the air and ducked under imaginary blows. Just as he turned around and made a reverse cut through the air an arrow hit his blade and was cut in mid air, both parts of it flying past him. There was no one to say who was more surprised. Kiall or the Nadren bowman hiding in some bushes with his bow lowered.
The Nadren slowly stood up and looked at Kiall with both awe and shock.
"How did you do that?" He asked with a shaken voice.
Kiall only hesitated a moment before responding. "I was just waiting for you to show yourself." He was surprised and pleased that his voice didn't reveal his own fear. Just then another two Nadren stood up aiming at him with stringed arrows. They smiled and one said. "one you may parry but not two."
There was movement to Kialls left and before anyone could react the two Nadren bowmen lay dead with arrows in their throats. Kiall looked after the remaining foe but he was nowhere to be seen.
Three mean silently moved up behind him. He turned around and noticed them as Gothir. The tallest man stepped up in front of Kiall. He smiled at the young man. "What is your name lad." He asked with a soft voice. Kiall eyed the cavalry saber the man held in his hand. Then he looked up and met the blue eyes of the older man.
"I am Kiall." He simply responded.
"Now you will be known as Kiall the arrow slayer for sure." The man smiled.
"I am Acheos and this are Finn and Maggrig." He nodded towards the two bowmen standing behind Kiall.
"So Kiall, care to tell me why you are chased by the Nadren."
"They do not chase me, i chase them." Kiall said with a shrug.
"You and what army?" Acheos says with a friendly smile. "You lack the numbers and the skill to take on a group of Nadren. We watched the show you made and i know it was pure luck that saved your life."
Kiall stay silent for a while. "They took a girl i care for." He finally said.
"Ready to die for love?" Acheos asks seriously. "She love you to?"
"No." Kiall simply say.
"That is very noble of you. Chasing after a girl that don't love you. With a very high risk of dying. Why would you do that?"
"I just wan't her to know she are not forgotten. She was about to get wed. Now the man she was about to marry are marrying her younger sister that wasn't taken. Even if i die when i try to rescue her she will know someone cared enough to try."
Acheos smiles and looks at both his companions. "Would be a shame to let this fine young man try this alone." He say before looking back to Kiall. "I think we will join you on this quest."
During two weeks the four men follow the trail of the slavers. Every evening before they rest Acheos train Kiall in swordsmanship. Then one day they find that there are two trails.
"The trail going straight ahead have at least twenty Nadren in the group while the one turning left have five or six Nadren in it and one prisoner. I advice we turn left." Finn says as he stand up and dusts of his leather leggings.
The prisoner
They reached the Nadren camp late in the evening and sneaked inside. Acheos killed the only sentry they had quietly and then Kiall closed in to the only tent that was there. Finn and Maggrig waited just outside the camp, ready to take out any dangers that could arrise.
Kiall cut open a hole in the tent with his thin bladed dagger. What he saw had him stunned for a while. Next to a big Nadren male that slept soundly on the floor was probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. She was a Nadir. Of that there was no doubt. She had dark hair and her skin looked like bronze. Her hands and feet was tied and that was very strange. The Nadir and Nadren was on friendly terms. The Nadren stole women to sell to the Nadir. Nadren never took Nadir women. Not if they wished to live anyway. The woman was naked and had some bruises in her face and on her breasts. The Nadren hadn't been gentle with her.
Kiall approached her silently to not wake up the Nadren sleeping next tol her. He placed his hand over her mouth, waking her immediately. He looked down at brown eyes that stared defiantly at him. "I mean you no harm." Kiall whispered before he cut the ropes holding her hands and feet. He offered her the dagger and was rewarded with a small smile as he nodded to the Nadren.
The quest
Kiall wiped the blood from his eyes. He had been damn lucky. If the arrow had hit him less than an inch lower, he would have been blind on his left eye. The Nadren slavers had attacked swiftly and effective. Twelve villagers had been killed and eight women taken. Kiall looked down at the corpse of Balta with sorrow in his heart. The dead blacksmith had been a good teacher and a good friend.
Kiall was nineteen years old and a quite handsome young man. He had light brown hair and blue eyes, a common trait of the peaple of Gothir. His hair was kept back in a ponytail. He was six feet tall and athletic built. In the raid he had managed to kill one of the Nadren and then the arrow had hit him. He lost consciousness. When he woke up all had been taken from him. His only friend dead and the woman he had loved had been taken.
Rhiannon her name was. The most beautiful girl in the settlement. Just a few days ago he had talked with her of marriage. Her response still made him sad. She had told him that she needed no dreamer. She wanted a man. Her smile did nothing to mend his hurt feelings. Humiliated he had left her.
Now she was gone and Kiall decided what he had to do. He went to the house of Balta. He took down the broadsword hanging on the wall in the dining room. He made some practice moves with it. The balance was perfect. It was the finest weapon Balta ever made.
With a sigh he left the house and went to the stables where he had his dark brown horse. He saddled it and in a few minutes he was leaving the settlement in a gallop.
The Nadren was only a half day ahead of him he knew and they where travelling with prisoners while he was alone. Kiall had no idea what to do when he reached them. Either he would free Rhiannon or die trying. He was not a bad swordsman but he was no expert.
After a few hours the sun was lowering and Kiall made camp in the forest. Before he decided to rest he started to train with his sword. He made some slashes in the air and ducked under imaginary blows. Just as he turned around and made a reverse cut through the air an arrow hit his blade and was cut in mid air, both parts of it flying past him. There was no one to say who was more surprised. Kiall or the Nadren bowman hiding in some bushes with his bow lowered.
The Nadren slowly stood up and looked at Kiall with both awe and shock.
"How did you do that?" He asked with a shaken voice.
Kiall only hesitated a moment before responding. "I was just waiting for you to show yourself." He was surprised and pleased that his voice didn't reveal his own fear. Just then another two Nadren stood up aiming at him with stringed arrows. They smiled and one said. "one you may parry but not two."
There was movement to Kialls left and before anyone could react the two Nadren bowmen lay dead with arrows in their throats. Kiall looked after the remaining foe but he was nowhere to be seen.
Three mean silently moved up behind him. He turned around and noticed them as Gothir. The tallest man stepped up in front of Kiall. He smiled at the young man. "What is your name lad." He asked with a soft voice. Kiall eyed the cavalry saber the man held in his hand. Then he looked up and met the blue eyes of the older man.
"I am Kiall." He simply responded.
"Now you will be known as Kiall the arrow slayer for sure." The man smiled.
"I am Acheos and this are Finn and Maggrig." He nodded towards the two bowmen standing behind Kiall.
"So Kiall, care to tell me why you are chased by the Nadren."
"They do not chase me, i chase them." Kiall said with a shrug.
"You and what army?" Acheos says with a friendly smile. "You lack the numbers and the skill to take on a group of Nadren. We watched the show you made and i know it was pure luck that saved your life."
Kiall stay silent for a while. "They took a girl i care for." He finally said.
"Ready to die for love?" Acheos asks seriously. "She love you to?"
"No." Kiall simply say.
"That is very noble of you. Chasing after a girl that don't love you. With a very high risk of dying. Why would you do that?"
"I just wan't her to know she are not forgotten. She was about to get wed. Now the man she was about to marry are marrying her younger sister that wasn't taken. Even if i die when i try to rescue her she will know someone cared enough to try."
Acheos smiles and looks at both his companions. "Would be a shame to let this fine young man try this alone." He say before looking back to Kiall. "I think we will join you on this quest."
During two weeks the four men follow the trail of the slavers. Every evening before they rest Acheos train Kiall in swordsmanship. Then one day they find that there are two trails.
"The trail going straight ahead have at least twenty Nadren in the group while the one turning left have five or six Nadren in it and one prisoner. I advice we turn left." Finn says as he stand up and dusts of his leather leggings.
The prisoner
They reached the Nadren camp late in the evening and sneaked inside. Acheos killed the only sentry they had quietly and then Kiall closed in to the only tent that was there. Finn and Maggrig waited just outside the camp, ready to take out any dangers that could arrise.
Kiall cut open a hole in the tent with his thin bladed dagger. What he saw had him stunned for a while. Next to a big Nadren male that slept soundly on the floor was probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. She was a Nadir. Of that there was no doubt. She had dark hair and her skin looked like bronze. Her hands and feet was tied and that was very strange. The Nadir and Nadren was on friendly terms. The Nadren stole women to sell to the Nadir. Nadren never took Nadir women. Not if they wished to live anyway. The woman was naked and had some bruises in her face and on her breasts. The Nadren hadn't been gentle with her.
Kiall approached her silently to not wake up the Nadren sleeping next tol her. He placed his hand over her mouth, waking her immediately. He looked down at brown eyes that stared defiantly at him. "I mean you no harm." Kiall whispered before he cut the ropes holding her hands and feet. He offered her the dagger and was rewarded with a small smile as he nodded to the Nadren.
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