Keeper of the World

A thief like no other

I was cornered. This tunnel was the only way out and a guard was blocking it, I didn't want to kill anyone this time, guess that cant be avoided. Even I can be naive some times, killing is something you can never justify, unfortunately it often comes with the trade.

The light from the torches on the slick stone walls cast dim shadows in this underground tunnel, making the atmosphere even more menacing then it already was.

Two warriors looking at each other , both knowing only one will come out of this alive.

The guard was wearing green trousers that was repaired at the knees with rough brown patches. He had leather boots and a chain mail extending to his knees and his elbows. He wore a long sleeved tunic under the chain mail and a green ragged surcoat on top of it, a black leather belt tied at the waist which held his sword hilt. The only thing that made me think that he was a guard, since his clothes where so ragged, was the crest embroidered on his surcoat. The Book and the sword, marking him as a man of the law.

It was perfectly quiet, the only sound breaking the silence was my light footsteps as I dashed forward, and the rasping sound of my sword sliding free from the hilt at my waist. The slightly curved blade reflecting the light in the tunnel. The handle and hilt was made from wood,  almost white in color. A cherry blossom motif engraved on both the handle and hilt, the pink flower petals on the white background, the sword giving some color to my otherwise black outfit. It didn't have a cross guard, once the blade was in the sheath it looked like a engraved pieced of wood, not shoving how deadly it could be once let loose.

The soldier held his stance, sword held above his head, leveled with the ground, one foot slightly ahead of the other. I closed the distance before he had time to move further, my enhanced legs giving me incredible speed as It all ended in a heart beat. Why is something so sacred as a life so easy to take.

As I came within range he made a straight downwards slash as he stepped forward pivoting, adding momentum and force to the blow. I angled my blade as i reached up and blocked, so the force of the blow sent his sword of to the right as i rolled left, my enhanced mind giving me the reaction time to do so as it all happened in less then a second. Coming out of my roll ending up behind him I spun, cutting low, severing his knee tendon. As he dropped I spun again this time cutting his neck and severing the carotid artery. He died, grasping his neck lying in a pool of blood. With a flourish of the sword I got the blood of the blade and slowly slid it back into the sheath.

I ran through the door the soldier had been blocking, sunlight hitting my face as it opened up into the forest. The door almost completely hidden in the base of the mountain, unless you knew what you where looking for.

I ran straight, not stopping, hoping I would be able to loose the rest of the guards in the woods, there had to be more then just the one guarding the door.

The forest of the Ancients, being as old as it sounds was filled with massive trees. The trunks so wide not even 10 men could reach around when forming a ring and the wildlife that lived here was not to be meddled with as their proportions usually matched the ones of the trees.

I was at the edge of the forest, where the mountain chain started which made up most of the northern part of the Island. The hidden temple had been in the base, expanding like a maze within the mountain.

Now I need to get as much distance between me and this mountain as fast as I can, they must have discovered that the leaf was already stolen by now. I ran at full speed enhancing every individual muscle in my legs, making me shoot like an arrow through the dark and quiet forest. I didn't run on the ground, that would leave tracks, instead I used a bender skill and increased the density of the air under my feet, making it solid enough to run on, turning it into a slow running liquid, focusing it only underneath my feet as i plant it down and push off, the effect dissipating as soon as my foot looses contact. Not leaving any footprints on the dark leaf covered ground as i sprint deeper into the woods.