[ADMIN - This episode was co-written by:Danny Wall who wrote Tren, Spire, and Charn Fournap's guards and Grey Feathers (louisa@psycho-pets.demon.co.uk), who wrote the character of Val-Keth. Each of these characters is very active in their own threads. So if you liked them here, look for their other adventures on the alt.dragons-inn newsgroup.]

[Somewhere just outside Montfort]

[Qual]

Qual had a bad feeling. He wished he could say that he didn't know why, but he did. From his position just behind the driver, He looked up at the very top of the wagon and shook his head at the flag that was *not* flying there.

This was on of *those* shipments... one of the ones that had to be distanced from both receiver and sender. No flag was flown... and no flag meant no warning for the thieving brigands that liked to prey along

these routes.

They had more than their full contingent of guards... two on horseback in front, another two riders in back... three inside with the goods, and himself up top with the driver. Qual knew that he and the driver were sniper bait. A rogue with a crossbow would likely take one of them out first just to bring the wagon to a halt. They would have to be quick though, because the horsemen were skilled and armored. They'd probably make quick work of whoever dared attack... but then that wouldn't help Qual one bit.

Qual sighed and kept his eyes on the dark forest. Watching for the trail ahead for that tell-tale glint of metal in the moonlight, listening for that anomalous shaking branch or snapping twig. Waiting...

---

[Hars]

"What are we waiting for?" said Benoc.

Hars turned and looked at the baby-faced youth that dared disturb his concentration. The Bloomsman's normally red face was darkened from the soot-black that covered it, as well as his weapons, clothing, and every inch of exposed skin. The other men crouching in their nearby hiding places had all received similar treatment. Benoc and the others were the newest members of the Night's Bloom. Hars had been working with them for weeks, shoring up their fighting skills and changing them from common thieves to the scourges of the trade-routes. The Night's Bloom. Cut-throats to the core. Each one capable of killing twenty men with just a dull sword and a smile. At least that's what the rumors said. In truth, their skill, while still good, was more in line with being mere mortals This was to be the first mission for most of these lads, an initiation of sorts. Rivus caught wind of a special shipment of gold that through one of his 'channels.' So here they were: Hars and the Night's Bloom. They were good. They were ready.

Unfortunately, Benoc didn't know quite when to shut up.

"Why are we waiting for them to come to US? Why don't we go and find them?"

"Quiet, lad." whispered Hars. Even in a whisper, his aggravation was easily apparent.

"Well, what-"

"Shh!"

The ebullient youth fidgeted noisily in the brush. Hars glared at him until he stopped. Benoc was ecstatic about his first "Night's Bloom," mission, and, if he didn't contain himself, the boy would get them all killed.

Hars checked on the others. Four archers had taken position in the trees, two on each side of the path. Two more waited on the ground, hidden in the brush directly across from Hars and Benoc. Eight men in all. Each had concealed himself well, Hars could see them only because he already knew where they were.

The silence was deafening. Hars heard his own heart thumping steadily in his chest.

Then there was the distinctive sound of a horse and carriage. Their quarry approached. Hars gave a shrill bird-call, which was answered by each of the hidden men. They were ready. He waited for the carriage to draw closer, and then repeated the call. This time it wasn't a signal... it was just a sound to break the abnormal silence that would give away their presence. Some of the others joined in... and soon the carefully laid trap sounded no different than any other part of the forest.

The darkness receded before the carriage's torches. They entered the trap traveling at a brisk pace, and when the carriage wheel passed the large rock Hars had placed as a marker, the trap sprung...

[Qual]

The songs of the night animals seemed to suddenly take on a strange quality. Qual scrutinized the trees and brush on both sides of the path. Nothing. He reached for his crossbow anyway.

His fingers had just barely touched the weapon when

*THWWWAAP!*

*THWA-THWAP!*

*THWWWAAP!*

The two horsemen in front went down... their horses had bolts protruding from their heads. The wagon ground to a halt as *it's* horses fell dead as well. One guard was trapped beneath his animal, struggling painfully to free his crushed leg. The other leapt to his feet and turned his gaze tree-ward. Qual heard the rear horsemen shouting for an explanation. And then...

[Hars]

"BLOOOOM!!!"

Hars gave the war cry and the Night's Bloom burst from the woods like a pack of crazed wolves. Hars and Benoc rushed in from the left, while Jerin and Enev from the right. Three more crossbow-bolts zoomed out of the treetops... one was headed for the driver, the other two for the top guard who was raising a crossbow of his own. Two shots missed, the third impaled the driver through the forearm.

"Mighty poor shootin' lads!" shouted Hars as he ran for the carriage.

The two rear horsemen were moving up front fast, one on each side of the carriage. Hars veered to intercept the one on his side. With his broad shoulders squared and his chin tucked, Hars looked as if he were going to head-butt the animal. The rider saw him and unsheathed his sword. The slash was a good one... strong and accurate. Unfortunately, Hars had been expecting it. He twisted his large frame away at the last second, then he set his feet and threw all of his considerable strength into one solid punch... right to the side of the horse's head.

*WHAMM!*

Steel-clad knuckles met flesh, and the flesh yielded. The horse fell, taking it's rider with it. Benoc descended on the downed guard and pinned him to the ground with his sword.

At the front of the carriage, one guard was dead and the other two were struggling valiantly against Jerin and Enev. It would have been an even match, but the Bloomsmen also had to deal with the top-guard, who was trying his very best to bury a few crossbow bolts in their chests. The guard saw Hars and Benoc out of the corner of his eye, and redirected his aim...

*THWAP!*

The guard was thrown back by a Night's Bloom bolt to the shoulder. He was hurt, but not out...

Hars raised his fist, signaling his archers to cease fire. Then he grabbed a hand-hold on the side of the carriage and began to pull himself up. He grunted in annoyance when Benoc leapt onto his back and climbed over him, reaching the driver's platform first.

Benoc ducked a weak kick from the driver and laid him low with a punch of his own. The top guard fought with a little more energy. The two men tussled in close-quarters combat... rolling around and exchanging punches on top of the carriage while Hars hung off of the side, watching.

At the front, the Jerin and Enev were still battling the guards. Metal against metal... The sound of swordplay filled the air, and Hars smiled as he watched his boys fight. Jerin was bleeding from the right arm and left leg. Enev seemed unhurt save for a shallow gash across the forehead. Only the guards' plate-mail kept them from being in a similar condition, or worse, but it was also slowing them down considerably.

"UNGH!"

"AIIIIGH!!"

Benoc had grabbed the bolt sticking out of the guard's shoulder and given it a good yank. The guard screamed and released his hold on Benoc, who then placed his dagger to the man's neck. Behind him, the driver was beginning to show signs of life.

"Yield!" shouted Benoc.

"Never!" said the guard.

"Bold words for a man with a knife to his throat."

"ENOUGH TALK!" Hars hauled himself up to the top. He grabbed the squirming driver, lifted him up, and tossed him over the side... making a direct hit with one of the guards fighting below. Both men went down in a heap. He did the same with the top-guard... now all four remaining protectors of

the caravan lay crumpled on the ground. Hars and Benoc climbed down and joined the others.

With a hand-signal, Hars summoned his archers down from the trees. They gathered around the front of the carriage as well.

The guards and driver got to their feet and found themselves surrounded, with swords pointed at their throats and crossbows aimed at their heads.

"What's going on?!" said one of the guards. "Who are you!?"

"Who ARE we?" said Benoc. "What's going ON? We are Night's Bloom! You are being robbed! Your gold and loot will be added to our collection. Drop your weapons and close your mouths. Your skill is irrelevant. Resistance will get you SERIOUSLY messed up!!"

"Run or Die!" added Hars with an amused smirk.

The guards decided to run... or at least walk as fast as their injuries would allow. Hars tossed the driver one of the torches from the carriage and watched them as they disappeared down the path.

"WoooHOOOOO!" howled Benoc. "We DID it!"

"A bit too easily, I'd say." said Hars.

"What?"

"Four horsemen, an archer and a driver? I could have taken this thing MYSELF! This wasn't a sufficient challenge for you lads, and it didn't do a damn thing for me! I didn't even have to draw one sword!"

"But Hars, you PUNCHED OUT A HORSE! What more do you want? Did you guys SEE THAT! I mean... POW! WHAM! The horse is DOWN! You think you can teach ME how to do that?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"'Cause I'm Hars and you're not. Now let's see how much gold we got..."

The gang of thieves moved to the rear. Jerin and Benoc ran ahead of the others, and Hars could hear them attacking the heavy lock with their swords.

"WAIT!" shouted Hars.

"What? We've almost got it off"

"YE DAMNED FOOLS! DON'T OPEN THAT-"

Hars turned the corner just as the doors swung open. As an experienced brigand, he was not the least bit surprised when three armed and armored men jumped out with swords drawn. The newer members of the Night's Bloom were taken completely unaware.

Benoc threw himself to the side and jumped head-long into the bushes. Jerin attempted the same maneuver, but was a fraction of a second too slow. Har's warning shout was still echoing in the air as one guard shoved his sword completely through Jerin's back. The bloody blade burst from his chest, Jerin looked down at it... his mouth frozen in a 'O' of shock and surprise. The guard yanked the sword free with a wet, sucking sound and Jerin fell to the ground.

"Jerin!"

The three guards looked at their attackers with nothing but pure scorn. Each held his weapon in a ready position. The Night's Bloom prepared to meet them blow for blow, three deaths for one.

"No one move!" ordered Hars. He threw his cumbersome steel gauntlets to the ground and drew both of his swords.

"We'll get them, sir," said Enev. The youth started to rush in, but Hars grasped him by the neck and tossed him to the side like dirty rag. The Night's Bloom backed away... this was Hars' fight.

"We hurt you... you hurt us," said Hars through clenched teeth. "So I'll give you the same choice I gave your comrades. Run or Die."

"En Garde, rogue!"

The guards all charged Hars at once. The large highwayman swiveled into a perfect fighting stance and didn't flinch as he met them. He gingerly kicked the sword out of one man's hand... spun, and blocked the others with his blades.

The air around them exploded with the sounds of metal against metal... strike, block, strike, counterstrike... With his two swords and unique, ambidextrous fighting style, Hars easily held his own against the three opponents. He was in his element...and, if it weren't for the death of one of his men, he would have been enjoying himself immensely.

But there was no smile on Hars' face. Not this time.

"HA!!" one guard lunged forward, trying to take advantage of a moment of seeming unbalance. Hars swerved, blocking him with one sword and striking at a second guard with the other. The third guard appeared from nowhere. He popped up in front of Hars and brought his sword down in a downward arc

towards Hars' forehead. Rather than stepping back, Hars buried the tip of his boot in the man's crotch. The guard abandoned the attack and limped away.

The two other guards swung at his back and neck. Hars ducked and spun like a whirlwind. His swords rang out as they glanced off of the guards' blades, but each guard was forced back by the strength of his blows.

The respite didn't last long. One guard swung at Hars' legs, while the other two went for the head and midsection. He blocked the first two while leaping over the third.

"That all you GOT!" he howled.

Hars slashed at one man with both swords. The guard foolishly tried to block, but Har's strength overcame him, and the guard's wrist snapped and his weapon flew from his hands. The man gave a yelp, then looked

frantically at his comrades. A split-second later he broke and ran for the trees.

"GET HIM!" shouted Hars. Two of the Night's Bloom took off after the deserter. Meanwhile, Hars was back-pedaling as the other two advanced on him... then he suddenly rushed forward.

Swords drew sparks from the impact as Hars blocked their attacks, spun, blocked again, and then thrust the heel of his boot hard onto one man's knee. The bone cracked and the guard tried to hobble to safety, but a

leg sweep brought him to the ground. Hars shoved the other guard away and brought the tip of his sword across the downed man's neck. Bright red blood flowed down onto the guard's chest.

"Just you now." said Hars. He scowled at the man, and the guard scowled back.

Both men got the same idea at the exact same time. Each threw all of their strength into a vicious sword-slice.

Two swords met. The ringing clang of metal against metal ended suddenly as *both* weapons snapped in half from the impact.

The guard stepped back. His hands were throbbing painfully from the force of the blow, but that was the least of his problems. His only weapon was gone... but his opponent had entered the fray with *two* swords.

Hars stood before him.

"I'll die a hero, but YOU will live as a bloody thief!" spat the guard.

"If I had a gold piece for every time I've heard that... I wouldn't NEED to rob caravans."

A spinning slash opened up the guard's throat, and the twitching body fell to the ground.

The Night's Bloom began to applaud their leader... including the two who were now returning from the woods with bloodied weapons.

"Stop." said Hars. The applause ceased instantly. "Under different circumstances I'd expect each of you lads to fight and die just like these guards."

"But with YOU on our side, that'll never happen!" said Benoc.

"You think no man under my leadership has ever died?" Hars looked down at Jerin's body, and then back up at the Bloom. "Get those chests."

The warrior sheathed his one remaining sword and watched as the Night's Bloom off-loaded the carriage's cargo: Two heavy chests trimmed with metal and secured with huge locks. The men lost their grip on the last chest, and the ground thundered when it struck the earth.

Hars reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass monocle that he fit over his eye. The enchanted lens would detect the smallest traces of magic and reveal them as shimmering green auras... He examined both chests for runes and tracking magic. He found none.

"They're clean." he said.

"All RIGHT!!" yelled Benoc. "There must be a TONS of gold in there."

"Well we'll have to wait a little while longer to find out."

"What?"

"We let the first guards get away, remember? They're halfway to town by now, and if we start Oozing and AHHHing over this loot we'll be up to are ears in Tower Guard before we know it. We're movin' this stuff to a safe cave nearby. Then we open the chests and see what we got."

"How far."

"Only a mile or two. Grab those chests and follow me..."

The men groaned.

---

[Charn & Company]

Charn smiled at the intelligence of Chain's idea. The spell, though a rather expensive one to cast, was actually quite simple. His mage called it a " modified wizard eye". An invisible orb floated about ten feet off the ground and would follow the a given object without putting a dwemoer on the object itself. Everything around the eye was sent to a rather large gem -- procured from none other than December -- that now sat on his desk. Additionally, the eye served as an anchor for the spell of a mage of his that specialized in transportation magic.

"Rather well executed wouldn't you say" Charn commented to Spire.

"Sire" Tren said coughing nervously "begging your pardon, but why are we letting them cart the chests away like that? Shouldn't we be attacking?"

Charn shrugged "I got out of it what I wanted. Spire, you take over from here." With that, the massive man got up and left the room.

"We wait" Spire said simply.

Tren, hardly a fool, knew better than to push the matter further and plopped back into the seat next to Val'Keth while the other men in the room shifted impatiently.

[Val'keth]

A smile crept across her face as she watched the complex interaction of power between the rooms occupants. She felt the weight of Tren settle beside her once more, and she turned to him, grinning.

"You ask what the rest of them would not. I suppose that one who has already met death would have little to fear on that count," she whispered, her dark eyes roving over the rest of them in the room as they waited.

[Tren]

Tren looked over at Val'Keth and smiled broadly, his impatience evaporating.

"With Charn, it is not death that one needs to fear."

---

[The Night's Bloom]

Two and a half miles later, they arrived at a large outcropping of rock with a shallow cave in one side. The site was well camouflaged with trees and vines that had been intentionally planted to conceal the cave's entrance. No one would have found the place if they didn't already know it was there.

The men dropped the chests just outside the cave, and Benoc immediately bent down and began picking the locks.

"What are ye doin', lad?" said Hars.

"I'm opening the-"

"That honor belongs to Rivus. Always has. Always will."

"But Rivus isn't HERE!"

"Well I guess we'll be going to get him now, won't we?"

All the men sighed as one.

"He's closer than ye think... we always keep a second team o' men close by in case o' trouble. It'll only be a few minutes to fetch him. Meanwhile, shove those chests into the cave. Benoc. Raiman. You two stay here and guard our loot... if someone comes for it, take 'em if you can. If not, let 'em have it. You two..." Hars pointed at two of the archers. "...you double back and make sure our trail is covered. Is somebody follows us here from the carriage it'll be on YOUR heads. The rest o' you, follow me back to where Rivus and the others are waitin'. We'll be back shortly."

Hars led the rest of the men back into the woods.

Benoc looked at his comrade and raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" he said.

"I'm not gonna open it." said Raiman.

"Me neither."

The two of them sat down on the ground and sighed.

---

[Spire]

"I want you to hit them, then get out as fast as possible. Tren will lead the attack."

"Spire why do we need to do that?" Tren asked curiously.

Spire clenched his teeth. Ordinarily he would either ignore the question or punish him for daring to question. This time it was different, they were the attackers so his men needed more information. "The Night's Bloom is rather large and hardly stupid. If they left those chests there that unprotected, then help really isn't that far away, and the Bloom knows the forest better than we do. We have orders from Mary that the gold is to go straight to the Undercity so we can't teleport back here and he *certainly* can't teleport us there. That means we are going to have to carry it the roughly five miles to the entrance since they killed off the horses. Activate the spell. Move out."

On Spire's command, the mage lifted his hands and uttered words in his arcane language. The lights in the room dimmed and the shadows lengthened swallowing those assembled. Then, without warning, the room snapped back to normal only now, the room was empty except for Spire.

---

Only a few feet from the chests, the shadows of the forest suddenly deepened unnaturally. From this location stepped Tren, Val'Keth, Dousten, and finally four more of Charn's regular bodyguard force.

"The gold is ours, you will leave now so that we may have it back." Tren said simply, almost as if he didn't care what the men did that were 'guarding' the chests. "You four, secure the chests."

[Benoc and Raiman]

Benoc stared incredulously at the team of men...and one woman... that emerged from the shadows. It took him a half-second to regain his composure, then he spoke. His voice was loud, in hopes that he could

attract the attention of the other nearby Bloomsmen.

"You won't be securin' anythin' tonight, lads," he said in his best imitation of Hars. "Except maybe the edge of my sword. Now it seems ta me that if you wanted this gold so bad you never would have allowed me and my LARGE band of ARMED MEN to take it in the first place. It's Night's Bloom property now."

Benoc looked reassuringly at Raiman, who had his crossbow loaded and ready.

"Run along now, gentlemen," added Benoc. "Before someone gets hurt."

[Tren]

Tren cocked his head side ways, looked curiously at Benoc, and raised his hand with his index pointing up. "Number 1, our numbers are even." Tren raised his next finger. "Number two we are armed as well." Another finger rose. "Number three, we walked out of the shadows which should tell you something of our abilities." His little finger went up. "Number four, that gold no longer belongs to you. You were allowed to take temporary possession of the gold as a test of your gang's abilities." Finally, his thumb went up. "Number five, pain is something I assure you I have infinitely more knowledge of than you, and it is something that pig stick of yours could scarcely cause against me." Tren then turned to his guards that had stopped "Secure the chests. Val'Keth, Dousten, if they try and stop our men -- we kill them."

[The four guards]

Feeling bold, the men arrogantly walked up to the chests of gold.

[Tren]

Familiar with the reputation of the Night's Bloom Tren knew it would come to a fight. With a wicked smile, he drew his sword with his right hand and one of his many daggers with his left.

[Val'keth]

Val'keth smiled at the pair as they stood uneasily before them, drawing her black sword from it's scabbard and twirling it easily between her slender hands.

"Fancy some action, boys?" she asked, wriggling her hips suggestively. "I've heard a lot about the fearsome Night's Bloom, but I reckon they're nothing but a bunch of pansies if you two are anything to go by..."

[Benoc and Raiman]

"What? Pansies?" said Benoc. He drew his sword with a flourish. "What's a pansy, Raiman?"

"Means great warrior or something like that."

"Thought so." Benoc stepped in front of the chests and confronted the guards. He made a quick glance at the surrounding trees while carefully avoiding looking at the weasly faced man. He gulped down

his fear... knowing that help was nearby and that all he had to do was stay alive for a few minutes.

"Perhaps we can make a deal then," said Benoc. "We got TWO chests here. You keep one and...uhhh... we keep the other?"

Again, he glanced nervously at the trees...

---

[elsewhere...]

"What was that?" Joel... one of the archers sent to cover the Bloomsmen's trail... turned to his comrade. "You hear something?"

"Yeah," replied Mullim. "Sounded like shouting back at the cave."

The pair of archers turned and silently made their way back the way they had come. They loaded their crossbows as they went.

"Hold on," said Joel. They stopped just short of the clearing, and crawled the rest of the way until they could peep through the brush unseen. "We got trouble."

"What kinda trouble?"

"One weasly faced trouble ... and he brought a lotta other troubles with him."

"Lemme see..."

It appeared to be an ambush. Benoc and Raiman were confronting a group of armed soldiers. Benoc had his sword drawn and was preparing to attack the group, while Raiman had his crossbow pointed at the

soldier's leader... a weasly faced man that looked more dangerous than his small size would ordinarily suggest.

"What now?" said Mullim.

"Hars should be back soon. We put bolts in the first two people that move... and the NEXT two as well, if they're slow enough."

"And if they ain't?"

"If they attack... go for the woman."

"Yeah, the woman."

[Tren]

"Guard our backs from the trees." Were his only words to the guardsmen as

Tren launched himself at Benoc.

[Four guards]

The Four guards drew their swords as one in a move that showed how much they practiced together. They leapt back and out of the immediate battle, ready to engage any other trouble that appeared.

[Val'keth]

She smiled, a cold chilling sight, then glanced at Tren as she felt the mood shift slightly. One of them kept glancing toward the trees, and Val'keth realized that these two were not alone. Others must be nearby, and the ploy of bargaining with the chests was merely that, a means to buy time.

"Oh great and fearless warriors, why is it that you wait? I would have thought that you would relish the chance to prove your might - unless that is, you perhaps lack the skills?"

With the guards looking to the trees for trouble, Val'keth whispered a few guttural words, then an instant after she sensed Tren move she leapt toward the other, her black blade flashing as it flickered through

the air. It would be suicide to jump into the path of the crossbow he held, so instead she settled for landing in a low roll at his feet, slashing the blade forward and around to cut his feet out from under him.

[Dousten]

Happy to hang back and watch the others fight, Dousten kept his eyes and attention to the nearby trees as he said the single guttural word that would gift all of the pain from the fight to his dark goddess.

[Benoc]

The Bloomsman anticipated the attack, and spun away. He used the momentum of his spin to continue around with a vicious swipe intended to take Tren's head off at the neck.

[Tren]

Benoc was fast, but the move was too textbook. Tren easily blocked the blow then followed up with a move that certainly was *not* textbook by activated one of his bracer daggers causing it to shoot out the thief.

[Raiman]

He jumped backwards and turned as Tren leapt past him toward Benoc, then realized his mistake as the woman rolled towards his feet, her blade whipping sideways at his ankles. He jumped, pulling his feet high under him, then smashed the crossbow downwards.

[Val'keth]

Feeling the blade whistle through the air, she cursed and let the momentum carry her onwards, rolling sideways to take her out of his reach. He was quick on his feet, this one, already bringing the crossbow back up, not needing a sight at this close range. Val'keth sprang toward him, taking a chance that he would fire the bolt in reflex, and that her reactions would be fast enough to avoid taking the bolt anywhere critical.

[Raiman]

The woman surprised him with her move - directly toward the crossbow bolt he had leveled at her chest. His finger tightened on the trigger, and he smiled directly into her eyes as the bolt whooshed from the bow. Such a disappointingly short fight, he thought, certain that she could not avoid it.

[Joel and Mullim]

The two smiled as the weasly faced man and the woman leapt in for the attack while five others just stood around like targets. "Take your pick, if they just want to stand there and make it easy for us we can oblige em. Me, I want that one with the strange sword. I'd like to add it to my collection."

Mullim, not wanting to be bested by his companion, or lead by him, said "The one that downs him gets it" then aimed and fired -- as did his companion.

[Four Guards]

Being trained to defense had its advantages -- one of them was learning what things looked like when a 'hit' was being set up, and this was one of those times. The slight movement of bushes that didn't quite belong,

whispers that weren't quite from the wind, all of it added up to --

Suddenly, two arrows were flying toward one of their leaders. With trained precision, one of the guards dove in front of Dousten taking one of the bolts in the shoulder and another in the gut while the other

three gathered around tightly.

[Dousten]

"GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU FOOLS AND GET THEM!" Dousten said as he shoved his way through and charged the area the two shots originated from.

[Three Guards]

Knowing they had made an error, they quickly followed after Dousten knowing punishment would be severe if they didn't do something to redeem themselves in their leaders eyes.

[Val'keth]

The loud retort of the bolt echoed in her head as she yelled:

"Karthanna!"

Time seemed to stand still as she waited to feel the ripping pain of the bolt as it struck home, then there was a soft jolt as she felt ground beneath her feet once more. She shook her head to get rid of the

disorientation that went with translocation.

Pain? No pain? No pain! Her gamble had paid off, and she now stood behind Raiman. Behind him, and him unaware? She smiled, pulling the sword back and over one shoulder, grasping it firmly in both hands. Careful not to shift her weight and alert him, she swung her sword at neck height in a large arc, aiming for an imaginary target somewhat past the other side of his head.

Blade met neck in a curiously bloodless moment, and the blade quivered in her hands as it sliced though sinew, tendon and bone. Raiman's head balanced for a moment, a look of disbelief spreading over his face, then it began to topple forwards. Blood fountained from his neck, showering Val'keth and a wide area around them with bright red droplets. His head hit the ground with a sickening thud, bounced twice and came to rest pressed up against a tree, one eyeball swaying gently at the end of the nerve, the other staring unblinking at the sky.

No longer was her hair a pristine white, but now flecked with scarlet, and the sharp coppery smell of blood filled her nostrils. Val'keth's eyes flashed dangerously with excitement, and she turned toward the

disturbance at the edge of the forest.

"Stop skulking in the bushes and come out! Fight like the men you're supposed to be!" she yelled, darting past Dousten, her sword dripping blood from the tip to mark a trail in the grass.

[Joel and Mullim]

With five armed and angry warriors baring down on them, the two archers new they didn't stand a chance. With a shout, they got up and began to run away.

[Benoc]

Benoc took the surprising move in stride, blocked the on rushing dagger as well as the follow up blow, and delivered a counterattack of his own. A stabbing blow at Tren's now exposed belly.

[Tren]

Tren's face never lost that stupid half grin when he saw Benoc's blade zeroing on his stomach. Tren stepped to the side, but not enough and the blade bit through his leather armor and marked a long trail deep trail across his abdomen as he kicked Benoc in the groin. He was rewarded with a satisfying pop that cause Benoc to instantly double over and begin a high pitched scream. Now in no position to defend himself, Tren followed up with another kick to the head that knocked him out. "Think I'm going to leave your leaders to deal with you." Tren said as he turned to see Dousten, Val'Keth, and three of his guards charging two lone archers that were scrambling out of their hiding places. "HEMAN, JOLINAR, BESTRAK, GET OVER HERE AND SECURE THESE CHESTS!"

[Three warriors]

The three warriors grudgingly stopped their pursuit and returned to the chests. Jolinar, the largest, was forced to carry one side of both of the chests. "Sir" Bestrak said "Shouldn't we wait for Dousten?"

[Tren]

Tren snickered, "No. Let's get going, he and Val'Keth will catch up in a bit. Spire warned us about hitting then grabbing the gold and getting out. That is just what we are going to do -- unless you want to ignore

his order."

[Bestrak]

"Oh no, no sir, I don't. I wouldn't even consider ignoring one of your orders -- let alone his."

[Tren]

"Thought so. Lets go" With that, the four walked into the forest at as rapid a pace as their load would allow.

[Dousten]

Dousten chased down the screaming thief, and out of sheer meanness, did little more than nick the back of his neck before stopping and allowing the man to run on. A few moments later, the pitch of the mans scream changed from one that was trying to call for help -- to a high pitched scream of terrible and intense pain. Dousten laughed as he returned to the small clearing, saw that Tren and the guards were gone, and jogged after their rather obvious path.

[Val'keth]

As she sprinted after the fleeing figure, she pulled one of her daggers free from the harness. Not breaking stride, her arm coiled back, then whipped forward, loosing the dagger toward her target's head. It spun lazily in the air, flying straight and true to land lodged at the base of his skull.

She slowed as her victim arched backwards, his limbs twitching uncontrollably as he crumpled to the ground. She walked over, kicked his body to one side, then bent to retrieve the dagger, wiping it on the grass. Time to get back to the others, she thought, jogging back to the clearing, eyes and ears still alert for any more of the Night's Bloom.
---

[Rivus, Hars, & the Night's Bloom]

"Aye, it was easy enough," said Hars. The rugged rogue was leading Rivus and six other members of the Night's Bloom through the woods, toward their 'hard-earned' treasure. As was typical with the Night's Bloom, Rivus and his band had been waiting nearby while Hars' attack force took the shipment. The back-up squad was very seldom needed, but Rivus never sent his men on a mission without one. Or several.

"See, I told you Mereth had good info. Was it just like he said?"

"Except for the three guards in the back. Nasty surprise, that."

"Especially for Jerin."

"He disobeyed an order. So did Benoc, but at HE was quick enough ta keep from getting' skewered. And as for Mereth... we'll see how right he was when we get those chests open."

"Yeah... I heard the strangest thing. Seems someone found a body early this mornin.' The clothin' fits exactly what Mereth was wearin' last time I saw him."

"You have 'im done?"

"No. Wasn't me... and the body's in such bad shape they can't even tell if it's Mereth."

Hars nodded slowly, digesting the information.

"Hate for it to be him, though." said Rivus. "He was a good source. 'Course that just means more gold for us."

"Aye. I suppose-"

A scream pierced the air, and all eight men froze. No one moved for several seconds.

The scream was followed by an ominous silence.

Hars turned to Rivus and the two men frowned at each other. No words needed to be said.

Hars signaled for the men to split up and circle around the clearing while Rivus and Hars approached directly.

They peered from the trees and found the clearing littered with bodies. Benoc and Raiman. And

Raiman's head.

The attackers were there was well... a small group of men and one woman were gathered around the stolen chests.

[Val'keth]

Footsteps sounded around them in the clearing, three - no more than that maybe five or six. Val'keth ignored them, instead locking eyes with Dousten. Had he heard them too? She could read nothing from his expression.

[Hars]

Hars steeped from the forest alone and drew his sword.

[Val-keth]

She spun as leaves rustled too loudly to be the wind.

[Hars]

"I see ya fared well with the numbers on your side," he spat. "Now let's see the lot of ya' take ME on... THAT should make the odds just about even."

[Val-keth]

A lone figure stood there, sword bared, and she laughed as she listened to him declaring his prowess.

"Oh my, lads," she sighed huskily, "I do believe I might swoon before the visage of such an.... attractive.... warrior...."

Her dark eyes sparkled as she slid her sword from its scabbard.

"I suppose that means the rest of them," she added indicating the trees around them, "are just the audience? I hope you charged them for the privilege of watching you slaughter us with such ease..."

[Hars]

He eyed the bold woman who was speaking, letting her sarcasm roll off of him like water off of a duck's back. THIS battle wasn't going to be fought with words.

It was unclear as to whether the woman was the leader or not; there were a couple of others who might easily fit into that role. However, she HAD managed to spot the Night's Bloom in their hiding places. Hars made a mental note to speak with the men about their woodland-stealth skills when this was over.

He approached the woman slowly and indirectly... moving off to her right and taking note of her movements as she followed. She looked like a fighter. Moved like a fighter.

"Let's skip the formalities, lass. I say we just-"

Hars charged. It was a clumsy, direct assault... but at the last instant the fighter spun and slashed at the woman's midsection as he passed. Meanwhile his focus was kept wide, taking in the surroundings as well as his opponent.

[Tren]

As the fight started, Tren ordered his men into the surrounding to ferret out the remaining Bloomsmen. Keeping his senses stretched lest he find an arrow in his back he settled down to watch what promised to be a most entertaining fight.

[Val'keth]

She watched as his eyes flickered from her to the rest of the group, circling around him as he circled around her. Then, as he lashed out, she launched herself backwards, backflipping to land lightly on her feet once more.

Oh no, she thought, watching the silver flash of his blade. You won't be opening me up there, that's getting to be too much of a habit.

Val'keth whirled, bringing her sword up to meet his with a loud clang. She smiled sweetly at him, and said "Formalities? It would be nice at least if I knew who I was about to kill..."

[Hars]

"The name is Harrison Blackshear... and the only killin' thats going ta happen here will be done by ME!"

Hars swung his blade again, this time at the woman's neck. He wished he hadn't broken his second sword earlier... he felt naked and off balance without it. As the woman reacted to his strike, Hars was already anticipating her most logical moves and preparing for a counterattack.

[The three guards]

Meanwhile, the three guards in their heavy armor crashed through the brush like bulls in a china shop giving the bloomsmen plenty of time to prepare. In moments, their fight was on adding more sounds of clashing metal to the din of battle. All the while, Tren just stood there with watching, the childish grin never leaving his face.

---

[Rivus]

As the Night's Bloom fought from the cover of the trees and Hars attacked the loudmouthed woman, Rivus crept into the clearing like the thief that he was. Swords clashed all around him, but Rivus ignored them and moved towards the chests near the center of the clearing.

"Can't let this be a total loss..." he mumbled. "I'll just fill my pockets and call a retreat... 'course I got very BIG pockets..."

The short, pot-bellied rogue kept his eyes moving constantly, trying to catch any potential surprises before they became fatal. Thus it was an quite unexpected when he heard footsteps close behind him.

Rivus launched himself into a forward roll just as the sword sliced into the ground where he was crouching. He rolled to his feet and quickly spun away to his left... for no reason other than he had seen Hars do it just a few minutes ago. Rivus drew his short-sword, tilted his head curiously to the side, and smiled at his attacker.

"Now that's not really fair sneakin' up on a fella like that... you coulda gotten yourself hurt."

[Dousten]

"It'll be a cold day in Hell when I let a thief tell me about what's fair."

[Rivus]

"Thief? You say that like it's somethin' bad... "

[Dousten]

Dousten was in no mood for conversation. Dropping in to a fighter's stance, he made a quick series of slashes intended to section the petty thief into four or five pieces. This particular rogue, however, was not cooperative. Instead of dodging or blocking with his own weapon, the thief simply turned and ran for the trees.

Dousten followed, wondering if he would need to re-apply the poison to his sword before he caught him.

No need to waste good poison, he thought.

He had nearly caught the man when he realized that the thief was running *much too slowly.* to actually have any intention of escaping. Without warning, the thief jumped to one side and thrust his foot in between Dousten's legs.

Caught by surprise, Dousten tripped and fell, but quickly rolled to safety before the thief could impale or behead him. Still on the ground, he lashed out with his sword and opened a cut just below his opponent's knee.

[Rivus]

Rivus saw the guard's sword and jumped back just in time to keep from loosing his leg. However, the very tip of the man's blade the sliced through Rivus's pants and scraped painfully against the bone.

"OOUCH!" Rivus backed away, which allowed the guard plenty of time to get to his feet and rush in for another attack.

Swords clashed as Rivus was forced to defend himself with blocks and parries.

---

[Val'keth]

Val'keth felt an odd ripple of - indecision? from this Harrison Blackshear. Whatever it was passed in the merest blink of an eye, and she ducked as her opponent swung toward her neck then she turned and launched a powerful kick to the front of one knee.

"Well, Harrison was it? I dare say each of our blades'll taste the others blood before that question is answered."

[Hars]

Hars saw the kick coming and jumped away from it just in time. He knew she would be slightly off balance from the kick, but he resisted the urge to strike or grab at her foot. That would be a mistake. Instead he focused his eyes on the offending limb as if he were going to chop it off, and then brought his sword around in an upward, diagonal arc intended to open the woman up from her right hip to her left shoulder.

[Val'keth]

Val'keth rolled sideways as her opponent jumped backwards, then gasped as she saw his sword flashing upwards. She had assumed, wrongly it seemed, that he would go for her leg. She flattened herself to the ground, twisting under the razor sharp blade and then sprang to her feet. To her dismay, a lock of white hair lay at her feet, and she snarled at the human who stood before her.

"You will pay for that, human-scum!" she said, transferring her sword to her right hand. She twisted and circled it as if it weighed no more than a light rapier in her hand, and pulled free a dagger with her other hand, closing once more on him. A sickly green substance glinted on the dagger's blade, barely visible as she darted toward him, feinting with her sword.

---

[Rivus]

His motions were skillful but not nearly as polished as those of his own men. He knew he couldn't hold his own against this man for long in a straight fight. And the fact that he was injured and limping slightly wasn't helping matters much. It was all he could do to keep from being skewered... making an attack of his own was proving to be beyond his skill at the moment. Rivus was a thinker and planner, not a swordsman. He usually left the fighting to Hars, but unfortunately his second in command was occupied at the moment.

Rivus gave ground, allowing the guard to back him further towards the edge of the clearing, where he hoped to make his escape. But his opponent suddenly started attacking to one side, forcing Rivus to turn. In a few strokes, their position was reversed and Rivus was now being driven back towards the clearing. Rivus couldn't help but appreciate the maneuver... he would have to make use of that one himself, if he ever got out of this.

[Dousten]

"You fight like a coward!" he said between strikes. "Trying to run away... blocking but making no attacks of your own..."

"Not a coward," replied the thief, "It's just that being dead would interfere with my plans for tomorrow..."

"And what plans would those be?"

"Dancing on your grave, of course!"

While the short thief tried to impress him with false bravado, Dousten made a series of feints intended to draw the man's attention. It worked. While the thief was blocking, Dousten made a sharp kick at his sword hand. The kick connected, and thief's sword flew several feet and imbedded itself in the ground.

"HA!" shouted Dousten. "A swordsman you are NOT! No worry... you shall not live to regret your inadequacy-"

He fully expected the thief to try and run again, in which case he would be run through from behind. What the HADN'T expected was for the man to pull a small dagger out of his vest and stand his ground.

"Never liked that sword anyway," he said as he readied the dagger in his right hand. "I think I'll take YOURS after I've killed ya."

"Like a FOOL, this one brings a knife to a swordfight!"

When the thief opened his mouth to reply, Dousten made a hard slash at the man's neck.

---

[Hars]

Hars prepared to block with his blade, realizing almost too late that it was a distraction. The dagger had appeared from nowhere, and it was headed for his throat!

Hars twisted... painfully fast for a man of his size... and grabbed at the dagger-wielding hand. At the same time he thrust the pommel of his sword straight towards the woman's face.

[Val'keth]

As the look of shock crossed the humans face, Val'keth laughed, the pleasant sound at odds with her usual humor. She didn't attempt to twist her arm free of his grip, for it was a strong one. Instead, she let the dagger drop from her fingers, and grasped his wrist in return. His hand had clenched tight around the bracers she wore on her wrists, and it sparked vivid memories of the life she'd left behind.

They were not pleasant.

Focusing on the present once again, she whipped her head backwards as a dark object came flying towards it, leaning backwards and letting his arm take some of her weight. Then, seeing an opportunity too good to miss, she stamped hard with one boot on the ground, and kicked out towards his groin. The tiny blade hidden in the toe of her boot shone gleaming silver, contrasting sharply against the muddy black leather.

---

[Rivus]

Rivus ducked under the slash and twisted to one side. He slashed at the guard's sword hand with the dagger that was visible, but at the same time he made a motion with his left wrist, dislodging the second dagger that was hidden up his sleeve. The blade slid down into his hand, and in the split second that the guard was focusing on the first blade, Rivus spun and buried the spare blade deep in the meat of the man's shoulder.

It was supposed to be a fatal blow to the neck, but Rivus's aim was off.

"DAMN!" they both howled at once.

The guard jerked backwards just as Rivus's slashed with the first knife. The blade tore a gash down the man's face, but Rivus left himself open for a counterattack. By the time he realized his mistake, the guard's sword was on its way to his head.

---

[Hars]

Distracted by the knife in her hand, Hars caught sight of the second kick just a second too late. He released the woman's wrist tried to twist away, but the tiny blade in her boot sliced into his upper thigh.

"AAH! Damn you, woman..."

But Hars was also cursing himself for not paying attention. The wound was minor... Hars' quick footwork had prevented her from slicing open the major artery in his groin, or from emasculating him. Still, it hurt like Hell and the blade had come too close to his 'valuables' for comfort.

Hars backed away and circled the woman with his sword held ready. He was bleeding, but wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing him limp.

"Hidden blade in the boot," he said. "You fight like a thief... if it weren't for the fact that you'll be dead in a few minutes I'd ask ya to join us. Oh, well..."

[Val'keth]

She smiled, her eyes glinting icily at him.

"So, first blood to me." she said, keeping her distance and pulling another dagger.

She'd retrieve the first one once this was settled. He was a good swordsman, one of the best she seen, and from what he was saying was either an egotistical wannabe, or held genuine authority within the Night's Bloom.

"As for me being dead in a few minutes, I remember you saying something like that a while back? If you don't manage to kill me, are you still going to ask me to join you?"

[Hars]

"No... not really."

Hars stepped in with a classic straight lunge. It was far too obvious to be an actual attack, and any experienced fighter would immediately recognize it for the feint that it *wasn't.*

[Val-Keth]

She circled him warily, both sword and dagger ready, then stepped to the side as he lunged straight for her. Though she doubted it was more than a feint, it might present her with the opportunity to nick his skin with the dagger.

She slashed the blade towards his extended hand - a long shot she knew, since he'd be able to parry it easily enough.

[Hars]

As his opponent tried to side-step, Hars quickly adjusted his blade, bringing it up and into her shoulder. He saw her own dagger slash at his exposed arm, but the blade was small and the damage, if any, would be slight.

He hissed as his own blood flowed, and smiled as her blood coated his sword.

[Val'keth]

Pleasure turned to pain within the blink of an eye. The human had pierced clean through her armor at her shoulder, digging deep within before she could pull back.

She felt the blood ooze from the wound, and her eyes flashed with anger as she circled around him. Her sword now weaving unsteadily from side to side, Val'keth's dark eyes regarded him with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance as she waited for the hallucinogenic substance on the tip of the dagger to do its work.

---

[Rivus]

Luckily the wounded guard's attack was clumsy and half-hearted. The flat of the blade smacked Rivus in the face, and the edge opened a long line across his cheek. Dizzy, Rivus stumbled back and fell to the ground. His knife tumbled from his fingers, and unfortunately he had to roll away from it to avoid being impaled.

When his vision cleared, he saw the guard looming over him with sword held high. Rivus launched the clod of dirt he had grabbed in lieu of his blade straight into the guard's eyes.

[Dousten]

"AHHH!"

Seeing nothing but pain, Dousten followed through with the sword-strike anyway. He hit *something,* and the pained scream he heard told him that it wasn't a tree or the ground. He slashed again, but this time he cut nothing but air.

He knew better than to assume the thief was dead, so he continued swinging his sword in all directions, hoping to keep the sneaky bastard from back-stabbing him while his vision cleared.

It didn't' work.

He felt a sharp pain in his side as the dagger sunk into his kidney. Felt the blade twist sharply... and then vanish as the thief withdrew it.

Dousten saw a blur move off to his left. He swung the sword.

Again he hit something.... Again a yelp of pain... and again a blade pierced is side. This time it was higher. The dagger attempted to slip in between two ribs, but it just pricked the skin instead.

Dousten knew that luck was the only reason he was still alive.

He blinked away the last of the dirt and tears and saw the thief standing not too far away, covered in his own blood. The man had deep, bloody wounds on his left shoulder and right hip. He was pressing on his shoulder in an attempt to stop the copious bleeding, and his little dagger was laying on the ground at his feet. No wonder his last attack was so flimsy... the thief could hardly stand.

Dousten himself wasn't in too much better shape... his side-wound was pouring out blood like a fountain. But he still had enough strength left in him to finish this...

---

[Hars]

The fighter stepped back and began to circle around. He knew her wound leave her vulnerable... but just HOW vulnerable remained to be seen. He kept his distance for the next few seconds, studying her for any signs of weakening. As he watched, her skin began to glow with a weird greenish light. In fact... EVERYTHING began glowing like the moon in the night sky.

"...magic..." he mumbled as he backed away even further. Her hair was now a bed of tiny worms that slithered down her shoulders before vanishing into the ground. Hars squinted... and his opponent's sword began flopping around in the air like giant snake. Her eyes were large orbs that took up more and more of her face with each passing second.

"...zounds..."

[Val'keth]

Seeing the change in Harrison's expression, Val'keth smiled widely at him, transferring her sword into her other hand. She kept her right arm still and clasped to her side, the pain from the shoulder wound throbbing through it.

He'd find it difficult to make sense of reality for a while, but she knew that was no proof from wild lunges at imaginary foes, and she stepped forward warily, watching his face for clues to his next move.

"So, man-thing, you see things from a different perspective now?"

She laughed, then jumped forward, intending to merely nick his skin. With him at a disadvantage, she'd enjoy tormenting him for a few minutes before deciding what to do with him. He could be a valuable source of information about the Night's Bloom, after all.

[Hars]

"Aye... but yer enchantments'll do ya no good, witch! This is the Night's Bloom yer dealing with!"

As the hideous *thing* oozed towards him with surprising speed, Hars twirled and spun away, barely avoiding the creature's glowing green claws. He slashed at the thing's arm, and was quite surprised when he hit nothing. He could have sworn it was a good strike... but then he noticed that the tip of his own sword seemed a good five feet further away than where it should have been.

In fact, his sword was growing longer while he watched.

"Hars won't be done in by any monster!" He sliced again at the empty air, and then charged in for a rushing attack. His sword slashed wildly back and forth as he prepared to chop, and then pulverize whatever happened to be in his path.

[Val'keth]

Val'keth stood and laughed as her foe spun and whirled around, slashing wildly in the air, then regretting it as pain speared through her shoulder once more.

"Enchantments? This is no enchantment, and I'm no witch!"

She leapt sideways as he suddenly moved toward her, his blade flashing in a blur, reversing her sword as he passed her and smacking him with the flat of the blade squarely on the behind.

"Ahhhhhh, so this is the mighty Hars I've heard tell of. I wondered, but since you introduced yourself as Harrison....."

She smiled, enjoying his frustration at the imaginary warped world he now perceived.

"You know, that beard REALLY doesn't suit you at all. What with your rather -ah- short? stature, it makes me think you have a runt dwarf in your bloodline? That would explain the rather noxious smell too, I suppose."

[Hars]

"Runt! Dwarf!"

Hars spun around, wondering why his suddenly 10-foot long sword failed to slay the she-beast. Her own weapon was still undulating in the air like a charmed serpent.

"I'm am no DWARF, you HAG! RAAAAGH!"

Hars was about to slash at the thing again... but then he suddenly arrested his attack and backed away. He realized that not only was his OPPONENT transforming into something inhuman... but everything ELSE was as well. The ground beneath him was rising and falling like the chest of a giant. The surrounding trees were doing a very good imitation of his opponent's serpentine sword. His OWN LEGS now seemed to be growing longer.

His boots were purple.

The grass was red.

The moon above was warped and elongated like a giant egg. It was green.

His mind told him these things could not be happening... but his senses insisted that they were true.

Hallucinogenhe thought. On the KNIFE! I'm POISONED!

"You POISONED me!" he shouted. He squinted at the woman, trying to separate his opponent from the maddening illusions of his mind. She was still there, but was no longer recognizable as human. She looked more like a walking pile of white worms with two huge eyes and a snaking sword... no, now her sword WAS a snake. It was striking out to bite him!

---

[Rivus]

"...give... give up?" he panted. Rivus's heart sank as the guard loped forward, still clutching his sword.

Rivus knelt to retrieve his dagger, but got suddenly dizzy from loss of blood. He snatched the weapon and backed away.

"You realize..." said Rivus. "that you should never fight a desperate thief..."

"And you," replied the guard. "should have never stolen from Charn Fournap."

"Charn Fourn... Oh, great."

The guard stumbled into a weak charge, and Rivus backed away in an equally weak retreat. He reached for the small pouch on his belt...

"You know the definition of a fool?" he said to the attacking guard. "It's someone who falls for the same trick twice."

Rivus tossed the contents of the pouch straight into the guard's face.

It was pulverized glass.

"AIIIIIGH!!!!"

[Dousten]

Pain and MORE pain flooded his mind. He knew he had been blinded... this time for at maybe permanently. The sword tumbled from his grasp and he fell to his knees. He brought his hands to his face, but stopped just short of rubbing his eyes, which would drive the tiny shards deeper into his tissues. Blood and tears flowed down his face... and each blink added more blood to the mixture.

"AHHH! AHHH! AHHHH!"

He tried to force his eyes open, but the pain.. the PAIN!

[Rivus]

Rivus staggered forward with his knife held loosely in his hand. He was dizzy... so much blood... he had to... to what? What was he doing?

The guard's screams reminded him.

"...see, told ya... never fight a desp... a dss... a spr...af...fffff...."

Rivus took another step and collapsed.

---

[Hars]

Hars jumped back and parried, careful not to trust his perception of the length of his own sword.

[Val'keth]

Watching Hars ranting before her, she smiled sweetly at him, knowing full well he'd not see it as pleasant.

"Poisoned? Oh no, dear Hars, something entirely more - interesting - than that. I take it you are experiencing life a little differently to normal?"

Grinning widely at him she darted in with her sword, slashing a crimson gouge on his thigh where her boot blade had penetrated earlier. Val'keth winced as her other arm balanced her strike, the wound in the shoulder still seeping blood from his earlier attack. She thought twice about her decision to maim rather than kill him, especially after the way he'd insulted her, but settled instead for slowing him down when the hallucinogen started to wear off.

Although, she reflected, with the way he fought, it might have to be a pretty serious wound to accomplish even slowing him down. His reflexes were fast, even with the confusion the poison brought, and that made him a dangerous opponent.

[Hars]

The pain shocked him and gave the fighter more incentive to focus. He had *seen* that attack coming, but was too confused to react in time to stop it. Hars was unsure whether to continue... he could fight if he had to, but he would most likely lose. However, the woman WAS injured more seriously than he was. But what else was going on? Were the Night's Bloom still fighting? Were they all dead? Where was Rivus? He couldn't tell...

Hars circled around, this time he was unable to keep from limping. Ordinarily he would be studying his opponent and searching for an opening, but since he couldn't trust his eyes, he was just biding his time... waiting to see what the 'creature' before him did.

Hars made a few tentative slashes with his blade... attacking the creature's sword to no avail. Then without warning, he closed his eyes, spun and made a slash at where he thought the woman's injured sword would be.

---

[Tren and the guards]

The three guards left over from the first encounter had been whittled down to two. Tren sighed when he saw them limping in from the woods, their blades and armor still slick with blood.

The were informing him of a difficult, but nonetheless complete victory when Dousten came crashing into the clearing. Tren circled behind him, and smashed the base of his neck with the pommel of his sword knocking him out, then forced one of Dr. Mockery's "healing" potions down his throat. Even out cold Dousten's body convulsed in pain as the potion went about its job of healing the body in the most brutal manner possible.

Time to return to work

"Secure those chests and lets head for the cave."

"Sir, what about Lieutenant Dousten?"

"He's too heavy to carry. I gave him a potion which means he ain't going anywhere for a day at least. When he comes to he can make his own way back."

"And what about Val'Keth?"

Tren clenched his teeth impatiently "What about her?"

"Sir, shouldn't we help out?"

Tren laughed. "All you'd do is get in her way. Just secure those chests soldier and lets move out."

As his men moved to comply with his order Tren looked back at the fight and felt a pang in his hear-- Tren shook his head.

Acting like a child I am

Seeing his men beginning to leave, he followed after.

---

[Val'keth]

Watching as her opponents blade flickered, she countered his strikes with her sword. She longed to shift it back to her right hand, but knew that the weight would be too much for her injured shoulder to wield.

Val'keth was breathing heavily by now, the blood loss taking it's toll on her stamina. She danced backwards as Hars spun and slashed out with his sword, but she'd ordinarily have parried such a strike with both hands. She snarled as his strike knocked her sword from her hand sending it flying across the clearing.

She pulled another dagger free, and launched it hard and fast towards his head, then pulled another one out even before the first had reached its target. All thoughts of merely toying with him had gone, replaced

instead with a burning desire to kill this human, to spread his guts out to dry on the soft forest floor.

[Hars]

On his last slash he felt contact... then something hit the ground. A head? An arm? A weapon? He couldn't tell, the monster was still dancing before him like some unholy demon.

It made a movement, and Hars responded by jumping backwards and to one side... a response that saved his life. A tiny bird whizzed past him, carving a bloody groove along the side of his head just above the ear.

Dagger?he thought. Or was that really a bird?

He knew this was a battle he could not win... at least until the woman's poison wore off. IF it wore off. Hars began backpedaling rapidly, changing directions at random intervals...

"Lads?" he called. "Rivus? This battle is lost... retreat if ya can! Rivus?"

Hars' heart sank when he heard the lack of response.

"Rivus? Anyone?"

[Val'keth]

The dark elf watched as her foe started zigzagging backwards from her, sending a couple more daggers whizzing towards him for good measure. Her shoulder ached, the dull insistent throbbing pounding even in her ears, and she knew she would be spending many long days healing from his wound.

She watched motionless until he had backed away out of sight, then turned and stiffly retrieved her sword and daggers from the churned mud. Though she felt a pang of guilt, they would have to wait until later to be cleaned.

Val'keth grimaced as she made her way back to where the others had been, looking around carefully for any others from Hars' band of men that might still be lurking in the undergrowth, and started the long walk back towards town.

[Tren]

Tren smirked as Val'Keth approached the group. "That was some fightin back there, as good as anything at the Coliseum. Oh, by the way, if you like I could give you a potion for that shoulder."

[Narration]

The hike was all too long, but they finally reached the cave. Within, many black-robed clerics took the chests, brought out some horses, and offered to heal those who had wounds -- all five of them wisely declined the pain priests last offer and returned to town to seek their own healing methods.

---

[Hars]

As he left the clearing and lost himself in the trees, the surreal hallucinations began to fade. For the first time in several horrific minutes, Hars began to recognize his sword... the sky... the ground... even his own legs for what they were. The colors and movements were still wildly erratic, but the shapes and textures began to take on a more familiar look. He turned to look back towards the clearing, looking for his attacker and her comrades. He saw nothing but the bodies of his entire team. Every member of the Nights Bloom that had set foot in that clearing was dead, their corpses slashed open and strew about like garbage.

All dead. Except for him.

How many were left back at headquarters? Four? Six? Seven. Seven men, plus himself... not NEARLY enough for a retaliation against these brutal killers. And who WERE these men? How had this happened? The shipment... the gold... everything had gone so well. Too well. The realization drained the strength out of him like a vampire's bite... they had been set up. This whole mission had been a trap, and the Night's Bloom had walked right into it.

Hars leaned back against a tree and slowly slumped to the ground. He was hurt, bleeding... and weak. Not only from his wounds, but from the bitter anguish that was seeping into his being. His men... his lads... were dead. Rivus was dead. The Night's Bloom had been lead to their doom like rank amateurs. He had been defeated, and by a WOMAN! And now he was alone in the woods, hiding like a coward.

Hars examined his injuries. He would need medical attention soon or he would either bleed to death or risk a fatal infection. Out in the clearing, the men - and woman - were gone. He could leave any time he wanted... yet Hars hesitated.

"Why bother..." he mumbled. "Why bother at all." Hars lowered his head and closed his eyes. His beard chin resting on his chest, Hars breathed deeply and waited... for nothing.

He heard a noise off to his left.

"Come ta finish me off, eh?" Hars struggled to his feet and lifted his sword half-heatedly. "Well, you'll not take my life without a fight."

His words were spoken more out of instinct that any real desire to defend himself.

There was no answer to his challenge. Instead, there was a weak moan from the other side of a patch of nearby bushes.

Hars pushed his way through, and saw Rivus laying in a pool of blood... the vast majority of it was his. Rivus's shoulder had been cut to the bone, and his hip bore an equally deep wound.

"Rivus!"

The thief opened his eyes... then closed them again. His wounds were severe, and still seeping blood. He was going to die.

"Hold on, lad."

Ignoring his own injuries, Hars sheathed his sword and lifted Rivus from the ground. He cradled his friend in his powerful arms and lurched toward town.

"...just hold on..."

[To Be Continued]