The one and only

"STRADI!? Stradi, the Genocidal?!" Rebecca shrieked.

The man glared at the woman with the bow. "Don't call me that. I have not yet earned that title, and I will not answer to it until I do."

Sagus drew his sword. "And who are you planning to exterminate?"

"Unless you put away your sword, it will be you and your whores."

"How dare you talk about my friends that way?! I don't care if you ARE Stradi, I allow no one to say what you have said! Prepare to die!" He rushed the axe-wielder, who easily deflected his attack, as though it were an after-thought. Before Sagus could stand, the axe was at his throat. From this close, Sagus could see that the handle was a simple wooden stick. Or he could, if he'd been at all concerned about the handle. He was, however, worried about the super-thin stripe of cold steel on the side of his neck. His sweat came in buckets.

'This is it,' he thought. 'I'm going to die.' He looked up at Stradi, defiantly. "If you must kill me, then do so. It looks like I can't stop you."

"Sagus, no!" Marianne started to run to him, but Sophie and Rebecca held her back.

"..However," Sagus continued. "If you take my life, I ask that you escort the women behind me to where Arakarin is hiding, and then leave and allow them to slay him." Three sets of eyes widened behind Sagus, while the pair in front of him only narrowed.

"You are after Arakarin's head as well?"

"We are."