The Brazen Blade

by Billy Wong

  "Oh, lighten up. I'll pay you back half the gold as soon as I can."

  He smiled. "You don't have to. You did save my ass before. I was just a little annoyed the shopkeeper ripped me off, you don't deserve any blame for it."

  Ascending the top of a ridge, they came into view of the forest they would go through. It looked dense and foreboding from the outside, the canopies of tall trees merging together to form a dark green carpet hovering over the earth. Far in the distance a great peak loomed, the easternmost of the mountains that they would travel past. To its west more colossal rock masses could be seen, like the back spikes of some unfathomably huge lizard.

  "Looks far," Kath muttered.

  Zack wore an expression of awe too, but shook it off and said, "We'll make it! You're Kath the Blade, after all."

  "Hehe, I don't know if I've earned any lofty nicknames like that yet."

  "If you successfully help me avoid getting kidnapped, I'll personally vouch for you being worthy of it."

  "Vouch for me to who?"

  His brow furrowed in thought. "No one in particular, I suppose. But, I'll think you're worthy of it."

  "Maybe we should think of a nickname for you too." She struggled to get her first idea out without laughter. "How about Zack the Attack?"

  "I don't think so..."

  They strode on towards the wood. Even though the future remained uncertain, Kath at least felt like it was in their hands.

  #

  Passing beneath the ceiling of leaves, they found the forest even more difficult to navigate than it'd appeared from without. High arching roots stuck out of the ground which they had to step over, and trees with branches low on the trunks stood close together, forcing them to go around or squeeze through as they didn't want to damage their swords. They accumulated their share of painful cuts and scrapes on their faces and hands before learning to move with more care. Leaves often blocked out the sky too. Thankfully, Zack had brought a compass to keep them aware which way was north.

  "The o-only thing that's missing is a thick mist to limit how far we can see," Zack said in a tone meant to sound nonchalant, yet the stutter of his second word already betrayed his nervousness.

  Kath felt similarly tense, knowing they might not see a monster until it was right on top of them, but didn't think the anxiety an entirely bad thing. It would help them stay alert and focused, at least. "The density of trees limits that pretty well already. Anyway let's keep an eye out for edible fruits or nuts, to save on food when we can."

  Shortly before dark, they came across a bush with large purple berries. Kath thought she remembered this type of fruit being described as tasty, and reached for it with a smile. But as she leaned closer, she spotted something through the foliage that made her gasp.

  "What it is?" Zack asked.

  She moved around the bush to get a better look. "There's a dead body..."

  An armored man lay white-faced on the soil with open eyes. His plain gray breastplate bore a huge rent in the middle, and was covered in drying blood. A stiff hand still clutched the hilt of a broken sword. Zack blanched. "H-how long do you think he's been here?"

  "He looks pretty fresh. I doubt it's been more than a few hours since he died."

  "Any idea who he was?"

  Though it made her a bit squeamish, she rolled him over to examine the back of his cloak. But it was generic as his armor and the rest of him. "It looks kind of like he didn't want anyone to know who he was working for."

  "So what do you think he was doing here?"

  She shook her head. "I have no idea. All I can tell is that he came ready to fight and it looks like he was right to, although it didn't save him."

  "You think it was a monster or a human that did this?"

  The death wound seemed a bit too neat and straight for a monster's claw or horn, more like it'd been made by a blade, but some monsters could use weapons too. It might take a monster's strength to cleave clean through the iron plate. "Not sure. Whatever it was, they were strong."

  Zack swallowed. "Maybe we should rest for the night soon? You know, and give the killer some time to move on."

  "They've moved on already. But I get what you mean. Alright, let's rest and hope they put more distance between us."

  Kath picked some berries from the bush, and they stopped a few minutes away from the corpse to eat them along with bread and jerky. They went to sleep at the foot of a great old tree covered with moss, though her rest was shallow and she doubted his to be much better given how restlessly he fidgeted during the times she woke. The night air chilled her, made her wish she had a blanket. She thought about asking Zack to cuddle so they could both feel warmer, but opted not to in order to avoid giving the wrong idea. Though she liked him as a friend, he was too soft and weak to hold romantic appeal for her. She thought she would prefer someone at least as strong as her, like Leroy but maybe with less bravado.

  In the morning, they continued north. Kath hoped they wouldn't come across any more bodies, but they did. Every so often, they passed the torn carcass of another armored man, cut wide open by some kind of large sharp object.

  "We'll run if we meet whatever did this, right?" Zack asked in a small voice.

  "Depends on if it looks like we'll be fast enough. It seems like these warriors didn't get to put up much of a fight, so their killer might be quite speedy. That or it could have used the element of surprise." Zack's petrified expression told her he really didn't like this. She didn't either. If whatever slew the men hadn't used surprise, she had doubts she could do much against it. "In any case, let's hope we don't run into it."

  It was late in the afternoon, and they'd begun to feel safer after not finding any more bodies for a couple of hours, when they heard the scream. It was high with pain, barely distinguishable as male, and Kath knew the slayer had to be near.

  "Let's go!" Zack said, and made to sprint in the opposite direction of the noise.

  Kath stopped him with a grip on his forearm. "Wait. I was fine with not seeking out danger, but now that we're already this close to it, you want to run away and leave other people to fend for themselves? That would be rather cold. I'm going to see if I can do anything to help."

  "But... what can you do against a creature that's already killed so many trained warriors like nothing?"

  "Maybe it did what it has with stealth. In that case, I might be able to accomplish something if I surprise it." She let go of his arm. "You don't have to come. That didn't sound far away, you can just wait here for me."

  "Wait here alone? No way, I'd rather come with you!"

  She nodded and they headed towards the source of the cry. Past a bunch of trees, they came into a clearing. Within it stood a short but wide building with a gradually tapered roof and pillars in front. A temple of some sort, or... Shrieks from within cut off her speculation. She and Zack walked forward with swords drawn, him staying a tad behind her, through the open stone doors. What she saw inside made her forget to breathe. A wide hallway stood before her, still-bleeding corpses strewn all about. Dozens of men, stretching into the distance.

  "I d-doubt stealth played much of a role here," Zack said. "Maybe we should turn back."

  Kath considered it too, but she wanted to see. And there could still be survivors they could aid. They pressed on, Zack tiptoeing around the dead. Some were butchered so badly—half their heads missing, entrails spilled, spines smashed out their backs—that Kath swallowed back vomit, and she heard Zack cough some wetly out. It's okay, she told herself, you'll get more used to it. But she knew the images of today would haunt her nightmares.

  They made it to the end of the hall, their boots sticky with blood by then. Pushing open the door there revealed an elegant courtyard garden littered with more bodies. Kath didn't notice what was different about the figure seated against the central fountain until it stirred and looked up, and she realized it wore different armor, brown partial plate with scale underneath topped by bulky pauldrons. It was also a woman, in her twe
nties with red-brown hair and a rather sturdy build. Strapped to one arm was a buckler from the end of which a blade protruded, and her other hand grasped a long-handled axe.

  "Who're you?" she asked in a slurred voice. "The boss told me to wait here, but I guess I'll still get to-" She had started to stand up, but stumbled and fell forward.

  They ran to her, and Zack turned her over to find his hands immediately covered in blood. He stared at the gaping injuries on her front. "Her wounds are terrible..."

  "I wonder who she is. Maybe she's also a victim of whatever killed all those men. But she isn't dressed the same—still, she could be working with them."

  The woman coughed, but her eyes remained closed. Zack shook his head. "We should try to save her, but I don't know if I-"

  All of a sudden her arm moved, whipping the blocking surface of the buckler—thankfully not the blade—into Zack's skull. The impact was nonetheless such that it lifted him off his feet and launched him away, to slide across and lay still on the cobbled path. Kath hoped it hadn't broken bones, or worse. She jumped back. "What are you doing?! We're trying to help you!"

  With a pained groan, the woman stood up. She looked even bigger than Kath had thought, probably just over six feet and around two hundred pounds. But the power of that casual blow to Zack, even larger men would not likely be able to muster, and while so wounded... "I asked, who are you," she growled.

  Kath held her sword before her. "What's wrong with you? We're just travelers who heard you in trouble and thought to help."

  A smirk slowly spread across the other's full face. "I wasn't the one in trouble."

  Oh, Kath thought. Crap.

  The hulking woman continued. "Unlucky time for you to decide to join your friends."

  "We're not-" she tried to protest, but in an instant the woman was on her. The axe careened towards her in a blur. She blocked in time, yet the impact had her scrambling backwards off balance. She regained control of her legs just soon enough to dive aside from a downward chop that sent chips of stone flying up. "Stop it! We aren't with whoever you're fighting, we just wanted to help!"

  "Liar. Your uniforms look pretty official." She walked with little urgency after Kath, swinging the axe in wide, lazy arcs. It seemed like she wasn't pushing herself at all, yet even so her strikes were so fast and powerful Kath feared she couldn't defend them for long. Every meeting of their blades jarred her arms to the bone, and dodging barely saved her each time.

  "We're not soldiers! We're just students..."

  "Students, out here? What a pathetic excuse."

  Parrying a high slash knocked Kath's sword out of her hands. She ran to retrieve it, loud footsteps following quickly after her. She rolled, the axe whooshing over her head as she dropped just in time, and snatched it up. "We're deserters!" she admitted. "My friend thinks the school is conspiring with people who want to kidnap him, so..."

  "Better. But I don't believe you." Suddenly she grabbed her chest and grimaced in agony. "Ah... dammit..."

  Her wounds must be getting to her. Kath didn't think it honorable, but knew she was outclassed badly and her only chance might be to attack now. She charged and thrust. Her opponent sidestepped, though it was a stagger as much as anything, punched her with the hand holding the axe. Kath's head snapped back and her vision grew cloudy; the woman hit her once more, dropping her on her butt. Before she could raise her sword again, a heavy boot stepped on her hand.

  "Nice try. Not good enough."

  Kath didn't know what to do. Her heart pounded, as for once she felt helpless and in great fear for herself. Even if she tried something else, she doubted she could stop this monster. "At least tell me who you are," she begged, attempting to buy time so she could think.

  The woman regarded her bemusedly. "You don't know? I'm Deidre Wilde. And now that you do..." The axe came up.

  "Stop," said a deep male voice. "It is finished. There is no more need to kill anyone else." Kath looked. A tall, dark-haired man with a long stern face and strong jaw wearing a black cloak had appeared from the back of the garden. It was difficult to ascertain his age, which could have anything from thirty to forty. He seemed to glide forward across the floor, but stopped a few yards away beside the fountain.

  "But boss, they'll get people to come after us."

  "People will come after us anyway," the man said calmly. "Besides, it looks to me like they are just students, perhaps... hmm... fleeing from military school." He must have recognized their uniforms. Kath heard Zack moan, like he was beginning to wake up. "I doubt they will report us anytime soon and if they do, it will probably be of limited consequence in the long run."

  Deidre took her foot off Kath's hand, allowing her to shake it painfully. "Looks like you get to live today. But don't follow, or even the boss' kindness won't save you again."

  "She's right," he agreed as she limped to his side. It reminded Kath she was hurt very badly, and amazed her that she'd fought so ably in spite of it. "I won't be able to stop Deidre if you come after us."

  The pair turned towards the rear of the yard and walked away. Kath still felt curious as to what exactly they had been doing here. They didn't seem all bad, as they had spared her and Zack's lives, but they'd slaughtered so many... there was no wise choice but to consider them extremely dangerous. Were they intent on overthrowing the kingdom, given Deidre's comments about their uniforms, or did their goals just put them at odds with it? And, were the unidentified dead men agents of the government? But she had better leave well enough alone, for her and her friend's sake. Maybe they could ask later in a town who Deidre Wilde was, and get some clues that way.

  She looked to Zack pushing himself now to his hands and knees. "That was an interesting encounter," he said flatly.

  Kath stood and helped him do the same. He tottered on his feet for a moment, and she grabbed him to steady him. "You feel all right? That was a scary hit."

  "I feel dizzy."

  There was nothing they could really do but hope it passed. "Sit down and rest for now. We'll go when you're more up to it." After an hour and a half, Zack said he was fine. "Since it's been a while, Deidre and her 'boss' are probably long gone. Think we should go and check out what's past this garden, at least?"

  "I can't help but be curious what all that was about, but let's not tempt fate."

  Gazing towards the door through which the pair had gone, it really tempted her. "Just a peek, come on. It's really unlikely they're still around."

  "That girl was severely injured. She could be recovering in the room right past this one."

  Kath exhaled. He was right. "Let's go then. I wonder what they were doing, though..."

  Zack gave her a flustered look. "Probably nothing that would benefit us to find out."

  #

  They left the building and resumed their northward trek. Though she tried to play it off like it had been no big deal to Zack, her humbling at Deidre's hand remained fresh in her mind. So she wasn't so strong after all... even though she might be a good fighter compared to the average person, she didn't come close to measuring up to the elites of the world at large. The effect of this knowledge on her wasn't solely negative. Now, she had something else to aspire to.

  It occurred to her that they might have been able to loot some coin off the dead men at the temple, which would help with their money woes. But it would be too risky to go back now, and chance running into Deidre again.

  It was already evening, so they didn't go much farther before stopping for the night. Not long after she laid down to sleep, Kath heard a crack. "Zack!" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

  "I'm now," he mumbled. "What is it?"

  "Something's here."

  "Already, are you sure? Why can't we get a break..."

  Whatever it was moved relatively quietly, but after a few seconds another crunch sounded, nearer than the first. Kath gripped her hilt. "I'll try to surprise them. You just get ready to move."

  She lay there pretending to be asleep. A cloaked figur
e crept into view, then drew closer and closer. It looked human, so she didn't want to kill it just yet. She waited until it was little more than a foot away, reached out and grabbed its ankle. It halted in surprise. She yanked its leg out from under it and sprang up at the same time, leaning over it as it fell on its back with sword pointed at its hood-obscured face. "Who are you?" she demanded, putting on what she hoped to be a frightful sneer.

  "Wow Kath, take it easy," a young male voice said. "It's me." He pulled back the hood to reveal familiar features.

  She blinked in surprise. "Marty? What are you doing here, and how did you find us?"

  "How did I find you? Let's just say I've been taught some skills. There were more tracks than I expected leading into the forest, but I figured the ones that belonged to a pair of people instead of a small army must be yours."

  "There was another pair around here," Zack, who now stood beside Kath, said in a meek voice. "You're lucky you didn't accidentally track them down instead." Indeed, Deidre might have been axe-happy enough that she killed him in one shot before her boss could protest.

  Marty smiled. "I actually did notice that, but their bootprints were bigger. So I concluded the smaller ones were probably yours."

  "Whoever taught you did it well," Kath said. "What are you doing here again, though?"

  "When news came that you'd run off, I deduced it had something to do with the kidnapping issue and you would probably flee through somewhere you could try to lose pursuers rather than open ground. So I decided to come help you."

  "But won't you get in trouble for deserting too?" Zack asked.

  He waved dismissively. "I figure my family connections will see me through with a slap on the wrist. Once I get you guys wherever you need to be and get in contact with my father, he'll call in a favor or two and I should be able to go right back."

  Kath was a bit jealous, as she had no idea how she'd end up once this was over. She might not be able to attend the school anymore and disappoint her family. Even so, she recognized that Marty braved danger now to aid them, and felt grateful. "Thanks for doing this for us. So since you can track, can you hunt too?"