The Somewhat Violent Adventures of Voidbringer (Beta/WIP)

Chapter Three: Road to the Mire...

Several days later...

"Just... a few... hours," Laetoria says to herself, struggling to keep the horses straight.

The carriage bumps along a shadowy road, lit only by a small lantern. It was a quiet night, stars filled the sky, the surrounding forest dark with mystery. Well, it was a quiet night. In the blink of an eye, something flashed by Laetoria's head, and implanted itself in the carriage. An arrow. The sudden peril jolts her awake, and she yanks on the whips, urging the horses to go faster. She looks over her shoulder into the carriage, "we've got trouble!"

Nothing.

Shortly after her warning, another arrow whizzes by the horses, almost hitting one of them.

"Dammit, wake up!" she yells.

Eudominous peeks his head through the carriage's covering, "What?"

Without shifting her gaze, she uses her free hand to point above her, at the arrow lodged in the carriage.

"Oh, I see." he ducks back into the carriage, and can be heard waking the rest up.

A third arrow hits the left horse directly in the head, killing it instantly. The horses body goes limp, and the carriage swerves of course and crashes into the brush. Laetoria is thrown into the forest, her weapons lost under the bushes. The second horse quickly gets to its feet and runs off, leaving the wreckage. Laetoria gets to her feet and begins searching for her sword and dagger. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees something gleaming in the moonlight. Across the path, someone steps out into the light, wielding what looks like dual katanas. Laetoria ducks into the brush, staying undetected. The figure approaches the carriage. Out pops Citrio, unarmed. The figure lunges for him, stopping his blade inches from CItrio's neck.

"Be silent," he says.

CItrio lightly nods in response.

"All of them, out, no weapons," he says, pointing to the carriage with his free sword.

He lifts the other sword from Citrio's neck, who turns toward the carriage and calls the rest out. One at a time, they file out of the wreckage. Eudominous, Maximus, Tatsu, and last, comes Voidbringer.

"I'm going to ask once," says Voidbringer, "what is the meaning behind such insolence?"

The man, who appears to be a samurai, points to Voidbringer with one of his katanas.

"You." he responds.

"Excuse me?"

The samurai steps forward, "The ruler of the Void has no place on samurai territory."

Voidbringer laughs, "That is where you are wrong."

Voidbringer steps towards him and materializes what looks to be the upper half of a poleaxe, only it is meant for one-handed use.

The samurai steps back, preparing for combat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," hisses the samurai.

As if on cue, a streak of silver flies through the night, crashing into the ground next to Citrio.

An arrow.

Citrio jumps back in response, "Hell," he says, "If you wanna hold onto that head of yours I'd tell your archers to watch it"

The samurai looks at him, "Your life is not of concern to me."

"No need to worry, Citrio," says Laetoria, who has appeared from the forest, dagger in hand, escorting a samurai hostage, "I found our friend."

Voidbringer looks at the captive samurai and laughs, "The archer. It seems, samurai, that you're all out of tricks."