Thread: Light in Shadows (Fates and Flame)

Aezon glanced at Kaia when she declared who, or rather what these men were. If her reaction was anything to go by, Leikus instincts had been correct as usual. His attention turned back to the boats as they cut across the water, pondering over their intentions. Kaia seemed to have the answer. Aezon tried to stop her as she jumped up with her conclusion. Wait! he quietly called after her. But the girl was too fast, taking off at a sprint before he could so much as get the word out. Aezon grumbled with annoyance, his concern leaping back to the boats to make sure they hadnt been seen or heard. All seemed clear as their bows were swallowed into the mist, disappearing from his view. Once they were gone, Aezon stepped out of his hiding spot, grumbling over Kaias recklessness. Nothing to be done for it, he murmured when Leiku returned to his shoulder, Wed better keep moving. As grateful as he was for her help, at least now hed be free to go his own way again. Yet, even as he turned to leave, Aezon found himself hesitating. His notice went to the footsteps Kaia had left in the mud, following the trail that would lead to her village. Its not your problem he tried telling himself. They wouldnt want your help anyway . Once more he turned to leave, only to be struck by a pang of guilt. He knew what Saizo would have thought about this. Kaia had ventured out into the swamp to help him. What kind of man was he if he wasnt willing to return her kindness? Sighing, he turned back to Kaias path and took off in her wake. He wasnt nearly as confident as Kaia in her stride, but having her footprints to follow made things a lot easier. Still, he was clumsy enough that Leiku abandoned his perch, taking wing before shifting on the fly. Nimble paws struck the ground as the spirit took the form of a wolf, dashing beside Aezon while they made for the village. Kaia had a decent head start on them, especially when accounting for her agility, but with determination he caught up to the village soon after. Like Kaia before him, Aezon stalked quietly through the shadows of the town. The sound of cries and shouting drew him towards the center. It also kept him alert, keeping watch for danger as he rounded every corner. His route through town, however, took a different course than Kaia. Her trail had been too hard to follow upon arrival her footprints lost among the others throughout the village. As such, he came upon the scene from the other direction, nearer to the rest of the hostages than Kaia and her parents. Remaining out of sight, Aezon crept as near as he dared to survey what was going on. He counted the number of guards watching over the gathering of villagers, before spying a few others who swept the town for any stragglers. Fighting them all would be a daunting task, but with Leikus help it could be manageable. The spirit remained by his side even now, cloaked from the eyes of all but his own. Before he could come up with a solid plan though, there was a shout from across the square. Following the sound, Aezon saw Kaia making her stand and approach the two men with her bow drawn. He quickly picked out her father sprawled across the ground, leaving him to deduce that the woman held captive must have been her mother. That would explain her bold actions, even if he thought they were a bit impulsive. His eyes were glued to the scene as she exchanged words with the man holding Lena captive, but he was too far away to hear what was being said. Aezon knew that now would be the perfect moment to make his move. Kaia held everyones eyes center stage, giving him ample opportunity. But he faltered, finding himself too involved in what was happening to seize his chance. What is she doing? He wondered, peering through the mist to see her lower her weapon and walk towards the reavers. Understanding came once the man moved Lena to the side, holding her at bay. Aezon scowled, disapproving of the girls rashness. That seemingly good heart of hers was likely to get her killed at some point. Alright buddy, its now or never, Aezon spoke quietly to Leiku. He looked into the spirits vibrant, intelligent eyes. We have to get the attention off of her and on to us. Think you can distract them somehow? The wolf tilted its head at him, bringing Aezon to motioning at the group of armed men watching the exchange. Leiku caught on to his intentions after that. He growled an affirmative to his stalwart companion before slinking off and disappearing into the fog. Aezon held his position, waiting and observing. There was no telling exactly what the spirit would do, so he had to be ready for anything. Though his adrenaline was already building, his hands were steady as a rock as they fell to his sword hilts. With utmost care, he silently drew the curved blades and held them at the ready. He then took a steadying breath, preparing himself for what was to come while surveying the scene. With Kaia only a few steps away, there wasnt much time left to make this clean. Fortunately, the shadow spirit was quick to action. Aezon didnt even notice Leiku before it happened. A scream broke through the air as one of the reavers collapsed to the ground. Everything came to a standstill as the interest was torn off of Kaia and directed towards their fallen comrade. One of them stepped forward to investigate, only to stumble back as the downed reaver wailed again. Aezon could see now that Leiku had one of the mans legs between his jaws. The wolf thrashed, bringing further shouts of terror from his victim as he dragged him away. With his visage hidden from all but Aezon, the others were left to stumble back in surprise while he was swallowed into the fog. What was that thing?! One of them shouted with a touch of fear on his voice. Meanwhile, Aezon slunk out of cover. He kept low, staying out of their peripherals while the reavers stared into the mist. Even the one holding Lena hostage was left astounded. He seemed to forget about Kaia, watching the scene as carefully as the rest of them. Every man was on alert now, their weapons drawn. Yet, Aezon could sense their nervous anticipation. None of them could explain what happened. Even as their lost mans cries persisted in the distance, a few called out to him, but no one was willing to venture into the fog to help him. Such fear would be their undoing. It gave Aezon all the leverage he needed to get in close with nobody the wiser. The tension grew denser still, once the screams fell to dead silence. By then Aezon was only a few feet away from the group of villagers theyd rounded up. The number of captives vastly outnumbered the reavers, but none of them appeared tenacious enough to rebel. Judging by the wounds many of them wore it seemed any sort of resistance they had put up was effortlessly crushed. Which means these reavers are skilled fighters, Aezon concluded. I cant afford to hesitate. I have to be decisive. Strengthening his resolve, he tightened his grip on the hilts and approached the nearest guard from behind. Aezons footsteps were absolutely silent. The warrior didnt so much as breathe as he snuck up on his victim. Between the thick mist and Leikus distraction, he remained out of sight right up to striking distance. By then he was close enough that one of the hostages managed to spot him. The woman gasped with eyes wide when she saw Aezon lifting a sword. That was enough to snag the attention of the guards. The ill-fated reavers saw where she was looking and turned to spy a flash of the steel before it came down. The sword cut right through his padded armor, slicing him diagonally from the left shoulder down to his right hip. The mans face bore an expression of shock at the scarlet kiss left in the blades wake, only for his eyes to roll back in his head before he collapsed to the ground. Sounds of alarm rang throughout the rest of the reavers once they realized what was happening. They responded at once, the nearest guards rushing at the attacker with their weapons drawn. Aezon had to act fast. He stepped away from the body of his foe and held his swords up to meet the next. With a furious shout and a pair of sickles, the first crashed upon him. Aezon threw his guard up just in time to catch the wicked blades. Mist swirled around the weapons, trembling as their steel clashed and the harmony of combat sounded in the air. The bandits strength was surprising. Aezon was left rattled from the force of the blow as he fought to hold him off. But with the others coming to join the fray, he didnt have time for a power struggle. With quick and precise movements, Aezon stepped back and swept to the side. His foe stumbled forward as the resistance gave way, giving him time to retreat as the next opponent came in with a club. Aezon nimbly dodged it, leaving the bludgeon to whistle through open space. While the men recoiled from their failures, Aezon held his shamshirs at the ready and stood his ground. His expression was cool and calculated the very definition of focus while he observed their every move. His enemies were smart enough not to rush him all at once. Had they forsaken the group and gone for Aezon instead, the villagers might seize the opportunity to revolt, thus sealing the reavers doom. Therefore, a number of the guard lingered behind, issuing threats to their captives while they watched the struggle. Aezon was grateful for their hesitation with three more joining the fight he was outnumbered enough as it was. The five men encircled him, steadily closing in. With his blades spread out and able to strike in any direction, no one was willing to make the first move. They simply prowled around like lions hunting dangerous prey, waiting for their opening. Aezon danced with them, trying to keep his attention on all of them at once. Suddenly, an attack came from behind. Aezon spun around to meet the enemy, knowing it would spur the rest of his foes into action as well. He caught the mans sickle with one of his swords, parrying the blow before whirling around to deflect the next. As a third reaver came in, Aezon had to retreat. His feet carried him swiftly aside to miss having his skull caved in by the mans club. Two more came in from his flanks, scarcely leaving Aezon a moment to breathe as he caught both of their weapons with a shamshir each. His knees threatened to buckle against their strength, but he kept his balance and held them off. With precious time before the others would overwhelm them, Aezon had to think fast. Twisting his left sword, his opponents sickle was left to slide down his blade and strike the cross guard. With a flick of his wrist, Aezon smacked the weapon aside, disarming the first reaver. With his other shamshir free, he swung it towards his second foe. But the thug was quick on his feet, jumping back before the blade could slice him. Aezon had to follow the example, forced to retreat once more as the others came charging in. While he continued to evade his assailants, uproar stirred among those reavers watching the battle unfold. They shouted with impatience, barking orders for others to join the fray and finish things. Three more answered the summons, but Aezon was too quick for any of them to land a decisive hit. He was poetry in motion, dodging and parrying with a fluid grace. Here on solid ground, he was every bit as nimble as Kaia. But he couldnt keep this up forever. Given his number of opponents, he was stuck on the defensive and that meant he could make no headway. He deflected one strike after another, to the point that his arms were starting to go numb. If he didnt find a way to turn the tables, this would all be for naught. Aezons opportunity came when he spied Leiku dashing back through the mist. A sly grin took his face as he batted away a foes sickle with his blade and delivered a swift kick to his gut. It left the reaver winded, and gave him the space he needed to dodge another incoming attack. The wolf-like spirit noticed the vulnerable man, and seized the chance. Lunging in, Leiku clamped his ethereal jaws around the mans ankle and brought him to the ground. Just like an animal, the spirit ruthlessly gnashed the flesh, causing as much damage as possible. Unable to perceive the beast that savaged him, the reaver screamed bloody murder as he fought in vain. The return of their invisible assailant scattered the men, leaving each as confused as the next. The diversion was all it took for things to tip in Aezons favor. His left blade caught one of the reavers under the chin, opening his throat in a spurt of crimson. Another enemy fell to his right, even as Leiku released his first victim to pounce another. With six of their men dispatched, things were starting to look very different. The remaining bandits were hesitant to approach. They eyed Aezon with apprehension, wary of both his skill with the blades and the unseen force that he utilized. Noting the fear in their eyes, Aezon saw a different way he could end this. He issued a sharp whistle to summon Leiku to his side. Uncertain of what he was up to, the men shifted nervously at the shrill sound. They looked around, expecting an attack from anywhere while the shadow wolf simply waltzed right in front of them as beckoned. One look into Aezons eyes was all the Leiku needed to sense his intentions. A fierce growl forming in his throat, he turned towards the men and raised his shadowy hackles. Despite the spirits better nature, he stepped out of the illusion and presented himself to their enemies. Burning eyes of fury commanded all of their attention, rendering every man still as stone. Then, opening his colossal maw, Leiku issued a blood-chilling roar that shattered the enchantment. Every man standing before the spirit turned tail and ran. The wolf bounded forward and snapped at their heels, but pursued them no further than that. Aezon couldnt help but smile at their cowardice savoring the victory as he watched them flee towards the docks. As the last of them disappeared into the depths of the fog, Aezon finally sheathed his blades.