King's Game (Draft/practice Version)

chapter 8

Derek ran at full speed towards the smoke. His lungs were clawing for air, his legs were screaming for rest. But he couldn't stop. Fear and determination outweighed the need for rest.

It wasn't long until he could hear screams and cheering in the distance.

Just as he turned a corner from the road. He saw a woman run out from behind a house. Only to be cut down by a flash of metal moments later.

Not that way!

He quickly veered off to the left to avoid running into what would be his death. Moving between two more homes.

The gap between them was still big, but was not as big as the main roads. The homes were more or less built from rock and stones. And were spread out into roads. Although, since the village was small, the housing requirements were small so they were more spread out. Also due to the fact they were small in size. Huts would be a more accurate term. As they were spread out by roads. The gaps between the homes of the roads were still quite big when compared to the cities, where it would be more described as an alley.

As he exited the other end of the (huge) alley. He continued down towards the direction of the bellowing smoke. He was now on the road next over.

As Derek ran, he could now see people starting to run from the onslaught that was happening.

Men, women, and children were running to get away from the oncoming attackers.

The attackers were ranged from foot soldiers covered in light armour, while a few men on horseback could be seen galloping across the fields.

Any sane person would have turned around and ran. However, Derek's mind didn't consider running when he knew his family was in danger.

He continued to run past fleeing civilians. The younger adults who were not married ran at full speed, while others were parents trying to flee with their children.

Derek just manage to avoid smacking into one of the fleeing villagers. His eyes were filled with fear. With no regard for Derek's wellbeing, he tried to push him out of his way. Fortunately, Derek was already moving past, so his momentum made him lose balance when his push didn't connect, forcing him to stumble.

Out of the corner of his eye while running. He could see a mother craddling her child in her arms as she was kneeling over. A man - most likely the husband - wrestled with one of the bandits, trying to pry his sword frombhis grip.

However, there was a difference between a simple villager, and a man trained in violence. This was no exception as the sword was plunged into the villagers back.

Derek ran past as the man fell. He knew he didn't have the capabilities to be a hero. If he decided to try and help them, he would only be adding another body to the mix.

The smoke in the distance had become awfully close. The air had become more hazy. The smell of burning crops was slowly starting to invade Derek's sense of smell. The village was small so the amount of time to reach his house was not very far, but relief was filled as he saw how close he was.

Derek's foot came into contact with a small rock embedded into the ground. Unfortunately due to fatigue, he lacked the strength to stumble and correct himself as he fell face first into the dirt.

Just as he fell, the air behind his neck suddenly made a sharp whistle.

He fell to the ground with his head turned to the right. There he saw a man on a horse which was galloping away from where he previously had been standing. It seemed that just as he tripped, a bandit on horseback came from his left and swung where his head would of been. The sharp whistle he previously heard was the sound of blade cutting through empty air.