Spirit Blood: Genesis of War

Christopher rode steadily on the path Brother Clearly had instructed him to follow on his well-detailed map of Krysala. This road is leading me nowhere, he thought to himself after having been on the same road for a week, having seen nothing but the large evergreens which shaded the trail. Praying to himself while keeping his senses open to any wild life around him, Christopher was startled by a desperate scream coming across the land.

Christopher turned his horse towards the scream and began to ride as fast as he could, praying he would reach the poor soul in time. Riding closer towards the sound of laughter and struggling, he noticed through the trees about a dozen men swarming around a young brown haired woman. Christopher nudged his horse to speed up riding straight into the middle of the mob placing himself in-between them and the girl. He grabbed the staff the monks had given him for his travels preparing to fight.

“Gentlemen, I believe it’s time for you to go elsewhere. This lady obviously doesn’t need your assistance,” Chris stated.

Glaring at the men, he was quite shocked when they each began to chuckle finally bursting out into full-blown laughter. Christopher looked around confused and finally, with a bad feeling in his gut, turned to see the woman with a pistol pointed at his face.

“I do apologize for the little ruse I’ve played seeing how chivalrous you are. By the looks of it, you are also truly kind.” The woman gave Christopher a sly smile as she continued, “Unfortunately for you, however, that was what I was counting on.”

Christopher went limp in defeat complying with the men as they removed him from his horse and the staff from his hands. A few bandits tied his hands together with leather strands and roped him to a tree as the others rummaged through his belongings.

“What is this junk?” One of the men shouted in disgust.

“What? What have you found?” Followed the woman.

The bandit held up sacks filled only with bread, cheese, dried meat and extra clothing.

“How exactly did you plan on surviving when you reached the city?” The woman asked while peering at the very calm and collected shaggy bearded man.

Even bound and being robbed, Christopher smiled as he spoke, “Well, I hate to be a disappointment to you all, but I have no material belongings that are worth any monetary value. You’re welcome to take whatever supplies I do have, however, you didn’t have to tie me up to do so. I would have given it to you freely.”

The woman, refusing to walk away empty handed, walked back over to Christopher and forcefully grabbed hold of his tied hands. Looking at his left hand she noticed his golden wedding band with diamond etching in the shape of an eight-pointed star on his ring finger.

“Well, it looks to me that you do have something of value after all,” she commented.

Christopher shook his head in subdued panic, “No, that’s not of any value to you, but to me it’s worth more than any of your lives.”

The woman laughed taking the ring from his finger.

“I think I’ll try and make due with whatever its material value happens to be. By the way,” she whispered close to his face, “threatening someone when you’re tied up is probably not wise.”

She blew him a condescending kiss and wink when a gunshot sounded followed by a band of arrows being shot into the group of thieves. The thirteen men were now down to nine running individuals.

The woman held tight to Christopher’s ring shouting as she began to run away, “Thanks! I’ll make sure it goes to a good home.”

With a blink the woman was off and running through the forest avoiding the return fire from the bandits. Christopher closed his eyes and under his breath prayed in complete faith to Shiloh. Soon the ropes and leather loosened and he was free from his restraints. After giving thanks to his God, Christopher snatched his staff from off the ground, running to his horse. Before he could mount, however, the gunfire ceased and the bandits unsheathed their swords, whips and axes as they circled Christopher menacingly. Before anyone made a move, out from the forest brush rushed a man in chain mail and leather wielding a shield in one hand and a basket hilted sword in the other.

Four of the nine bandits, two holding straight long swords, one with a scourge whip and one with a battle-axe, turned to face their new opponent with a fierce intent. Christopher realized he was left to deal with the remaining five bandits wielding the same crude weaponry as he thought to himself, I don’t have time for this. He closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of battle, not one he was accustomed to, however, very necessary for the time.

Quickly glancing towards the stranger, hoping he was friend, not foe, Chris jumped into the air flipping over a bandit attacking from behind. His attacker ran straight into a bandit standing before him carrying two hand axes. Both men fell to the ground with the one on top of the other. Chris landed just in time to parry a wild swing from yet another bandit wielding a sword. Chris held the shot and competed with strength as he watched the bandit with the whip draw his hand back to strike. With a quick motion, Chris twisted his body and staff maneuvering the bandit with the sword into the striking zone of the whip. The whip struck the swordsman in the face wrapping around his head and causing him to drop his sword and fall to the ground. Chris did an aerial cartwheel and landed facing the first attacker and the axe man scurrying to try and get up from the ground. He jumped into the air and brought the end of his staff down hard into the sternums of both men. Chris could hear the air escape their lungs and their bones crack with the blow. He stood defensively awaiting the last two men to attack, knowing the other three were fallen, and squared off with his assailants. The second man wielding a sword came at Chris with a high shot. He parried the shot by holding his staff horizontal catching the blade on the wood of the staff between his hands. Chris twisted to his right side and smashed the end of his staff into the man’s jaw.

As Chris watched the man fall to the ground, moaning in pain, he felt the quick sting of a whip catch his left wrist and begin to tug at him. He set his stance to catch his balance and began to wrap the whip around his staff. The quick momentum of Christopher’s maneuver began to pull the bandit closer as he struggled to hold onto the whip. Even though the bandit was a head taller than Chris and twice his size he was being pulled across the ground with almost no effort from Chris. Finally the large man released the whip allowing Chris to throw it across the field. The bandit knelt down, never taking his eyes off of Chris, seizing a discarded sword from off the ground and charged wildly at him. Chris held his position merely thrusting the end of his staff straight and hard in-between the eyes of the man. He dropped like a large animal. Chris whirled his staff in the air, tucking it under his arm, and mounted his horse.

As Chris began to turn the horse around to follow the woman who had his ring the helpful stranger called out, “Hey!”

Chris turned and faced the man with dishwater blonde hair cut short on the sides and back but left quite long on top.

“You handle yourself pretty well for a man that was just tied up by the exact same people,” the warrior stated.

Making a note of the man’s talent of observation and keen wit, Chris nodded, “Well, I was allowing them to take my things until the woman took something very dear to me.”

The strange man put away his curved sword and deactivated his shield making it no smaller than a shoulder plate.

Seeing the curious look on Chris’ face, he blurted, “The latest in shield development. Well, as far as techmagi goes.”

Chris nodded, mildly impressed, “Impressive, but even with all your gadgets and technical gear you barely fought better than myself with only a mere staff.”

The stranger stroked the small patch of hair under his bottom lip and nodded, “True, maybe, but it was still I who saved you.”

Chris shook his head, “No, my God saved me.”

“So, that’s the thanks I get?” The stranger asked in prideful disgust.

Chris reached out his hand, “No, I apologize; I’m being rude. Actually, my God found a willing and talented warrior He could use to save me. So, a very grateful ‘Thank you’ is in order. My name’s Christopher Bream.”

The stranger reached out to shake Chris’ hand, “Davien Lockharst, my good man.” Chris turned to catch up with the woman once again, “Why are you in such a hurry?”

Hastily Chris sighed and turned in his saddle to face Davien, “That woman has my wedding ring which happens to be the only memento I still possess to remember my departed wife. Surly you understand.”

“Let me travel with you! I can track, fight and I’m a good companion for such a travel,” Davien persuaded.

“I can’t pay you and I have nothing to give you in return,” Chris warned in haste.

Davien let out a subdued burst of laughter before replying, “Then I’ll just have to do it for free then, won’t I?”

With that said he let out a high-pitched whistle beckoning a white and brown spotted horse from the forest. Davien mounted his horse and pulled up next to Chris.

“Don’t worry, she isn’t going very far,” Davien said trying to comfort his shaggy companion.

Looking at Davien with a puzzled look Chris asked hungrily, “How do you know?”

As the two men started to ride steadily into the thick forest trees, Davien replied, “I know because I saw their horses. They were just a band of thieves and they had nothing but treasure on their horses’ backs. No sign of food, tent, water or a bedroll.”

Chris sat confused in his saddle for a while before he spoke up again, “What does that matter? There is a city not too far from here.”

Davien chuckled under his breath, “True, but that city is Roog’s Port City which is still a day’s ride from here.”

“If the city is a day from here why rob travelers this far out? Wouldn’t they have more luck closer to the city lines?” Chris asked confused and annoyed at his own ignorance to such things.

Davien shrugged frowning his lips, “I don’t know for sure, but it’s probably due to gang territory changes or they’ve gotten too familiar with the law enforcement guards which could have forced them out this far. They didn’t seem too bright to me anyway, nor did it look like any of them were very knowledgeable about wilderness survival. They were probably all headed back to the city with their loot when they spotted you coming behind them. Probably just assumed you’d be easy pickings.” Davien patted Chris on the shoulder as if they were old friends, “Don’t you worry. We’ll find her and get your ring back before she has a chance to do anything with it.”

Chris nodded a little more at ease now and quite interested in what else his new friend might know about the upcoming city.

Bitter cold fell over the forest like a blanket causing the exhausted woman to shiver even resting this closely to her fire. Her clothes were torn and tattered as if she had been attacked recently, though her horse, which carried many treasures, didn’t appear to have been robbed. Her brunette hair swung back as her head quickly turned with a start towards the unknown rustling she could hear in the dark forest just in front of her. Slowly her hand crept towards the rifle at her right side. Never taking her eyes off the dark trees in front of her, she brought the rifle up near her face and gently pulled back the hammer. The mere silence of the forest around her was frightening enough. I’ve been in worse areas, she thought to herself trying desperately to calm her nerves. Suddenly a voice hit the air speaking in soft non-malice tones.

“No need for a weapon, my lady. I am but a simple traveler looking for the warmth of a fire and another set of watchful eyes in the night,” came the unknown voice.

The male voice was soothing and eased the tense woman’s nerves, but glancing at her horse, and the treasures in which her saddle bags were full with, she didn’t want, nor need, anyone snooping around. Only barely lowering her gun from its position, her eyes eagerly searched the nearby trees of the forest where the non-visible man sounded as if he must be standing.

“I’m not a charity case and I don’t need protecting if that’s what you’re thinking,” she hastily called out. “As I assume you can see, I am heavily armed and obviously I can make a fire all on my own.”

“Oh no, my lady, please don’t get me wrong. I meant no such thing. I would merely like to take solace in having another pair of keen eyes and ears in the night so as not to be surprised by the nocturnal residents in the forest,” the soothing voice stated.

Knowing very well herself that the night could bring unforeseen troubles, the woman pondered the possibility of trusting this man when a blanket came flying in the darkness landing only a couple of paces in front of her.

“I thought you might like a warm blanket and perhaps a soft bedroll. It appears you do not have either,” the man said.

Still not knowing if she should trust this unrevealed benefactor, the freezing wind made up her mind as she seized the blanket, never letting go of her weapon, and wrapped it around her body.

“Thank you,” was all she could utter huddled near the fire shivering in the blanket.

Out of the black night a gray-cloaked figure slowly emerged from the shadows walking gently towards the fire.

“My name is Makaylen. I’m very sorry if I startled you. I was trying not to startle any forest creatures, so I was walking as quietly as possible,” Makaylen uttered in low hushed tones.

He stepped closer to the fire and lowered his hood revealing his well-trimmed black hair, mustache and goatee. The woman stared at the attractive man coming closer to her. His eyes caught her attention, as they seemed to glow a golden hue as he drew nearer to the blaze.

“And what might your name be, my lady?” He asked her.

Just now realizing she hadn’t let go of her weapon, nor spoken to the man, the woman straightened up and cleared her throat, however, she didn’t relinquish the tight grip she had around her rifle.

“I’m sorry. My name is Veronica. Thank you again for the blanket. It’s hard to trust someone in the wild, especially when you can’t even see them,” she answered in one breath. She was still not sure if she could trust this man not to be a thief and just waiting for her to let down her guard. “What are you doing in the wild by yourself lurking in the dark anyway?”

Makaylen nodded, understanding how one could wonder why anyone would actually travel in the dark rather than set up camp, “Well, I was on my way to Roog’s Port City to meet a man about a job.”

He pointed to the ground to ask if he could sit with her near the fire. Veronica nodded in reluctant agreement watching him very carefully.

“I am in a bit of a hurry, so I was attempting to get some of my traveling done at night as well as the day, but the cold weather seems to be delaying me. When I saw your fire I couldn’t resist the temptation of stopping for awhile,” Makaylen answered, staring into the dark of the forest in front of him.

Veronica noticed that this attractive man showed no signs of discomfort at having his back to the foreboding forest.

“Where are you headed, if I may ask?” Makaylen asked, finally taking his gaze from off the forest and looking straight into the woman’s eyes..

“I’m headed for the city as well,” she answered suspiciously.

She then thought how this situation could turn out to her advantage if, by some miracle, the shaggy vagabond got loose and was looking for her and his ring. “I would like to ask you a question now,” she said in a more breathy and seductive tone.

Makaylen looked at her attentively with a slight smile before replying, “Sure, what would you like to ask?”

“Well, you see, I am a bit more helpless than I made out earlier. I could really use the help of someone strong and attentive,” she said finally releasing her gun and attempting to look more girlish and vulnerable. “It would be most helpful to have someone to watch after me and my belongings.” She began twisting her hair around her finger, while staring into Makaylen’s glowing eyes, “I just can’t do it all by myself. Besides, it would be nice to travel with such a handsome man.”

Chuckling to himself at the ridiculous lies she was telling, Makaylen announced, “And I would love to travel with such a beautiful young lady.” Veronica’s eyes lit up excited over her clever ruse when Makaylen raised his finger in the air, “However, only on one condition; if you travel with me you will do what I say, when I say and how I say. I’ve traveled alone for a long time and have enough experience to trade stories with eighty-year-old war veterans. So, if you would be so kind as to give me enough respect not to lie or try to seduce me, I would appreciate it.”

Veronica’s face quickly showed her dislike in being called a liar, but knowing there had to be an angle to play somewhere, she quickly adopted her fake smile again and said, “I think I can accept those terms as long as you respect my boundaries as a woman and not some piece of meat for you to gawk at whenever you feel like it.”

Chuckling out loud this time, Makaylen grinned, “I fully accept those rules and conditions, my lady. Now,” he said as he stood up to shake Veronica’s hand, “if you wish, you can have this bed roll and blanket while I stand watch over the camp.”

He thrust out his hand to seal the deal and call it a night. Veronica shook his hand and heartily agreed to the soft bedroll. Handing her the pack off his back, Makaylen unsheathed his sword and walked over to a nearby tree where he slid down to rest with his back up against the trunk. He kept his senses open for any signs of trouble despite having the ability to see in complete darkness. He looked over at Veronica tucking herself away into the bedroll. Whether he truly knew this woman or not, he didn’t want any harm to come to her. He alone knew of creatures inside the shadows of night that remained invisible until they struck. He knew he couldn’t totally trust his new traveling companion, but he wasn’t going to give her any reason not to trust her complete safety while in his company.

***