Part 8 - Meeting Death

Releks eyes fluttered. He felt warm. Comfortable. Still groggy, he chose to keep his lids closed, to enjoy the moment. His warmth seemed to be coming from above him, so he decided to roll over, spread the comfort. Lazily he began to turn, but found he could not, something was pinning him down. The warmth was increasing now, becoming uncomfortable and Relek again tried to turn, but he remained pinned. Slowly he opened his eyes. They were instantly assailed by ash and harsh hues of orange and red, blinking back tears he looked down to his waist. A large beam pinned him to the groud as he witnessed his beloved forge finally do what it appeared it had always wanted to do, such was the hunger with which it consumed the blacksmiths. Relek attempted to slide out from under the beam, but its weight was too great. He frantically began searching the ground around him for something to wedge under in order to lever it up, but all around him lay splintered wood, and all his tools lay still perfectly in place on their table at the opposite side of the room. Relek began cursing his tidyness before feeling a large lump under his leg. It was his trusty hammer, he realised he must have been using it when this all began happening, somehow his memory of how this happened was unclear to him. Awkwardly he began twisting to reach under the beam towards his leg before gripping the red hot hammer. His tough hands were able to ignore the searing heat and he wedged it under the heavy beam before squirming out. Instinctly he brought the hammer with him, causing the beam to fall to the floor, triggering several other beams to lose their position and starting a cataclysmic collapse of the building. Relek only had moments to react before the roof began collapsing around him, but his old battle ready senses allowed him to dash for the door before he was crushed and to crash through it shoulder first into the cold street outside.

The frosty air snapped the blacksmith to alertness instantly and the highlanders overhead swipe at him was easily dodged. Relek only had a moment to notice the otherhighlander fleeing the scene before the swordsman came at him again. The man foolishly tried another overhead swipe and Relek rolled to the side before deftly swinging the small smithys hammer into the side of the mans knee, buckling his leg completely and causing the man to collapse to the floor in agony. Relek collected the man's sword and set off after the other man at a run as his memories flooded back to him through the bitter, cold air.

The group of highlanders had entered as Tolan left. Five in all, each clad in that similar style as if an attack from nature was more important to defend against than any sword or axe. But it was effective style, so many layers always caused problems for a blade. The largest of them had started enquiring about various weapons before asking odd questions about the young churchman and his business at the smithy. Relek had not given away much, only that Tolan had come to collect something and was now delivering it. After that he had turned his back for only a moment and he must have been clubbed from behind, for when he awoke the inferno that was his lifes work had already reached critical size.

Relek was gaining on the highlander who had fled him, probably because the blacksmith was fuelled by blind rage and the highlander seemed to be struggling to remember a route of some kind which bought Relek valuable seconds at each turn. Until at one last turn the blacksmith was able to grab the mans shoulder using the hand still holding his hammer and pull the highlander back towards him so that his friends blade could slide through him. The body collapsed to the floor sliding off the blade and Relek took deep panting breaths, finally realising the exertion he had just forced on himself. He turned to face the direction he had come, but a memory crossed his mind and he wondered about the safety of Tolan, his new friend. Curiously he peered around the corner the highlander had not yet made and saw about a third of the way down the street; in the mouth of an alleyway, a hulking highlander attempting to discreetly hold a large double headed axe. The man was about fifty feet away, and the light was dim, Relek could easily sneak up on him, but if there were more they would no almost immediatly. The blacksmith had walked past that alleyway many times during the day time, he knew it was a dead end, and he knew if Tolan was in there, he was trapped. There was no choice. Relek was going to have to help.

He made no sound as he approached the huge man, he hooked the strap of his hammer around his wrist and reached around to cover the mans mouth as he slid the blade between the mans shoulderblades. Silent. Until the man's axe hit the floor. The clatter caused the other two highlanders in the alleyway to look around just in time to see Relek fling the large mans body to one side and swing the hammer back into his hand before heaving it at the man closest to him. It caught the man square in the face, shattering his nose and cheek, and turning his head back the way it had come so sharply that his neck snapped and he was dead before he hit the ground. The other man paniced and charged the blacksmith, but Relek was well trained and parried the mans sword against the wall before running him through with his sword all the way down to its hilt so that warm blood ran over his cold bare hand. Pushing the body to one side Relek saw Tolan on the floor at the end of the alleyway, he was babbling inordantly and his eyes fluttered, even if blood hadnt been seeping from his side it was obvious to Relek something was very wrong.

He kneeled beside the young churchman and attempted to stem the flow of blood with his hands, but it had little to kno effect, and the odd fever Tolan was in seemed to be gaining momentum. He began looking around for something to tie the wound with when he saw the knife on the floor with the viscus black liquid coating the blade. Poison. Relek knew posion was beyond his knowledge, so he quickly grabbed the knife; storing it where he knew it could not cut him and lifted Tolan before starting out of the alleyway. As he reached the end of the alley he began to contemplate which way to go, who would be most likely able to help Tolan, but he had few ideas and indecision tore at him. That indecision cost him dearly as a large group of men entered the street, around seven, huddled in a "v" shape. Highlanders. They all slowly drew swords and axes. Relek sighed. He wasnt good enough to fight this many, only the element of surpise had allowed him to take out three. He slowly placed Tolan on the floor before fixing his grip on his sword and setting his battle stance. At least he wasnt going to go quietly.

The group smiled at him malevolently. And then there attention was snapped away. A ball rolled infront of them. A large ball, like the one most children kick and throw to eachother. It rolled clean past them and stopped a few feet away. And then in the middle of this deserted street a young man ran out of a shop, directly across the path of the armed men, within only a foot, to collect his ball. He bent over, picked up the ball and turned to face the armed men. They stared back at him until the man at the head of the "v" suddenly fell to his knees, dropping his sword and clutching at his stomach, before falling onto his face and laying perfectly still. All eyes returned to the young man who stood smiling at the group.

Almost seamlessly he threw the ball into the face of the man nearest before ducking, and then weaving into the middle of the "v". Somewhere between throwing the ball and entering the group, the young man was able to unsheath two daggers from somewhere on his person. Relek stood over fifteen feet from the group, could see everything, but somehow missed every movement the young man carried out. He understood with sickening clarity that anything he couldnt see would be impossible to comprehend and especially defend from point blank range. Within moments sprays of blood began emerging from the group, Relek could see the damage the young man was doing only from the reactions of the highlanders as cold steel left its mark on each of them. But even after Relek had seen each man cry out in pain, the young man continued to whirl between them, determined to visit as much pain and suffering on them before gravity pulled them from his grip. As the last body slumped to the floor the man was already stationery, but still battle ready and covered in his victims blood. He panted heavily before seeming to snap out of some battle frenzy and begin storming towards Relek. Releks sword point was still up and he quickly lowered it, fearing the wrath of the young man who stood infront of him, capable of reigning death on him before the blacksmith could even blink

"Peace friend, i wish you no harm"

"That is wise blacksmith, for only a fool wastes wishes on things even the Gods cannot do" The young mans words were curt, but powerful "Is my brother alive?" Emotion crept into his voice, and immediatly Relek understood, this was Sil

"Yes, but i know not how long for. He's been poisoned, i have the blade that bore it" Relek drew the blade revealing the liquid to Sil

"Quickly then, bring him, we must take him to the church" Sil began turning away before Releks plea caught him

"You give up on him already? He needs a healer not a church!" Sil smiled in a way that chilled Relek more than the night air

"Ah my friend...has tonight taught you nothing of the hidden strengths of the church?" He did not wait for a response but turned and began to lope away in the direction of the church, leaving Relek standing in the middle of the street with seven corpses infront of him, three behind and a dying man who had set it all in motion.