Untitled

The Plan

Chapter Four

The Plan

Merry

Despite his earlier proclamation, the dwarf seemed to be in no hurry to finish them off. Giving me the time necessary to unlock myself and the others. While retrieving our weapons, I noticed the lithe silver haired elf pick up a slim rapier and mutter bitterly "if only they gave me my bow..". 

My mind was racing, trying to defy the inevitable as I had before.

I knew that in order to defeat a warrior who wielded an axe with a dagger or rapier we had to get in close. Yet I didn't fancy such a tactic with an enemy who seemed to be oozing acid. The simple plan would be to let Braga go toe to toe with the dwarf. However, if the stories were true, the Karna were elite warriors and Braga wouldn't stand a chance.

"I would know the names of my comrades before I die" said the elf formerly. 

"I'm Merry and this is Braga, and we're not going to die, you need to have your revenge first, no?". 

"I suppose so, I'm known as Falven. So then, do you have a plan?"

"Of course! survive!" I replied cheerfully, pushing down the sense of dread rising within me.   

"Enough hiding!" called the dwarf. "Come out from behind those rocks and I might kill you quickly". 

"We need to buy time, even if we kill him and survive the bandits will just shoot us down." I explained quickly, "Braga take center, Falven and I will flank from each side".

Braga climbed atop the pile of rocks with his great axe and bellowed: "no! maybe I kill you slowly!". 

The dwarf didn't take the bait, and as Falven rounded the pile to his right he swung at him. Falven would've been sliced in half if he hadn't jumped backward at the last second. Luckily for him, he stumbled and fell to the ground, avoiding the second swing the dwarf directed at him. However, he was unable to avoid a spray of acid that flew from the dwarf's hair. Falven howled from the ground as the acid melted through his green tunic and burned his chest. The crowd cheered and coins exchanged hands.

Having come from the dwarf's left side, I now faced his back as I threw one of my small daggers at him. Somehow, he sensed where I was and what I'd done. Twirling his axe, he protected his back with the flat side of the blade to deflect my dagger. However, he was expecting a death blow, and I had only aimed at his calf to slow him down. He roared with pain and frustration as the dagger imbedded itself in his leg.

At this point Braga had come down and was swinging at the dwarf from on heigh, intending to split his head in two. With a massive display of strength, the dwarf lifted his axe and with it caught the blade as it descended.

It soon became clear that the legends were true, and we were facing an elite warrior. For every swing of Braga's, he managed to swing twice. Despite the dagger protruding from his calf, he seemed to easily block and sidestep the blows rained upon him, all the while hurling acid in every direction. Braga was covered in droplets, yet he was in a crazed state of battle and seemed not to notice his burning skin.

The bandits were starting to yell, screaming at the dwarf to finish us off. I threw two more daggers, yet they were both were deflected. I had just decided it was time to step into the fray when the dwarf sidestepped another one of Braga's overhead blows. He spun towards me, whipping his axe around to smack me with the flat side of the blade.I flew about ten feet through the air, landing with a crunch that told me at least one of my ribs were broken. Dazed, I looked up and saw the commander sneering at me from on top off the wall. Something clicked inside my brain, and suddenly I had a plan. A desperate and crazy one, but at least it gave me some hope.

Braga was being pushed back to my position at the edge of the arena. It seemed the dwarf intended to corner us to the wall and in between the two mounds of rocks on either side of me. When Braga was close enough, I ran to the left, bounding up the nearest rocks. Using my momentum, I jumped off the rocks onto Braga's shoulder and then leaping off his head, I got out of the arena.

As intended, I landed right next to the commander. I hit him behind the kneecap and as he buckled, I pulled him downward with my other hand. Before anyone registered what had happened, I had him in a chokehold with a dagger at his throat. From his position on the ground, the commander ordered his men to freeze.

There were ten drawn bows aiming at me and the commander. 

"Don't shoot!" he ordered. 

One of the archers stepped forward: "so you want us to just let them go Malker?" he asked giving the commander a toothy grin. 

"Yes! And as my second in command, you shouldn't question me!" snapped Malker. 

"We could do that" answered the lieutenant, "but I don't want to. Loose!" he commanded, and the sound of ten snapping bowstrings could be heard as they sent their missiles flying at me and the commander.