Battle of the Checkpoint

The party moved forward through the undergrowth as steathily as they could. Before engaging the bandits they wanted to get as close as possible. Take out a few of them before the bandits were even aware they were under attack.

“Careful everyone. Make sure you check where you step.” Halen whispered, his pair of short swords held before him.

Jarel nodded following behind him, his shield and sword at the ready. Kamelia and Sabina came up the rear, their staffs held low to the ground. As they got closer and closer the sound of the bandits’ voices became clear enough for them to hear.

“I ‘eard the boss and ‘is mates grabbed a few for themselves.”

“Blargh. They ain’t going to share them with us.”

Before the first bandit could reply an arrow appeared in his throat. He and his partner stared at each other in frozen disbelief, before with a cough of bloody he went down. The other bandit was about to yell but a second arrow whistled through the air and caught him in the eye sending him toppling over instantly.

“Go!” Halen whispered intensely, “Attack before they have a chance!”

Jarel and the other came up to their feet and sprinted at the road. Just as Sari said a cart had been pulled across the road. Only individuals on foot or mounted on a single lepsi would have been able to squeeze their way around the carts, meaning that anything larger would have had to stop until the bandits at the checkpoint cleared the path. The bandits were spread out around the cart relaxing, sleeping or playing games, definitely not expecting to be attacked.

Halen was on the first one in seconds. He leapt at the urken and drove both of his daggers down under his collarbone. The urken cried out in pain as Halen rode him down into the dirt. Halen wasted no time stepping over the downed urken and slashing the throat of the next bandit.

“We are under attack!” A bandit yelled.

The guards of the checkpoint came to life drawing weapons and rushing towards the party. Jarel came face to face with a bandit who was similarly armed to him with sword and shield and the two squared off, shields raised. They both waited for the other to attack first.

The stalemate was broken when a bandit close by let out a scream of pain and terror as an arcane bolt from Sabina smashed into him and he collided with the side of the cart with a sick crunch. The sword and shield bandit’s eyes flickered towards his comrade and Jarel took the opportunity. He dashed forward and slammed his shield into the man, knocking him off balance. Then as the man fell backwards, Jarel swung his sword down in a vertical arc. The sword bit into his shoulder, breaking bone and sawing through flesh before coming to rest somewhere in the bandit’s chest. The man still alive for a moment looked at Jarel in shock before falling to his knees and tipping over sideways into the dirt road.

Meanwhile, Kamelia struggled against the bandit she was fighting against. The bandit’s shield was constantly in the way of her staff attacks.

“Come on girly. Try again.” The bandit laughed, twirling his axe in his other hand.

Kamelia frowned and aimed low with her staff only for the bandit to follow suit, blocking the attack on his shield once again.

“Haha. Why don’t you drop the staff and let me take good care of you.” The bandit chuckled.

“I think not.” Kamelia reached inside herself. To that place within her that rested her connection to the god spirit Cataril. She felt the goddess’s strength flow through from her core and through her arms.

She swung the staff at the bandit again, but this time as the staff hit the shield with an astounding snap. Ripples of energy travelled through the shield and it buckled in the middle, bending backwards towards its bearer. The bandit screamed as his hand was mangled by the shockwave falling to one knee and struggling to get away from Kamelia.

Kamelia stepped after him and brought her staff in a two handed strike to the man’s head, ending his life.

“There are more coming!” Sari called from above them, firing arrow after arrow down onto the bandits.

Halen grabbed Jarel by the shoulder and leaned in close.

“We have to make it past them! We have to reach Meadowfort! Split up and move quickly. Stop for nothing till you are in the village!”

Jarel relayed the message to the others who immediately nodded. They took off from the main road into the forest and down the way towards Meadowfort. Sabina was just in front of him and he could hear her panting as she sprinted through the undergrowth.

The sound of the bandit reinforcements seemed to be coming from all sides, their yells echoing through the forest. Jarel followed in Sabina’s wake and after a few minutes of frenzied running the sound of the bandits seemed to fade into the distance.

They had made it past the bandits and had a clear path to Meadowfort and their mothers.