Rangers Apprentice

•[15.5] Karma pt 2

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3rd POV

Bryn's hand throbbed painfully. But even worse than the pain was the fear of what was to come, the certainty that Horace would punish him without mercy.
He bent down and reached fearfully for the cane, his eyes fixed on Horace.

The younger boy waited patiently until Bryn was ready, then made a sudden feint forward. Bryn yelped in fear and threw the cane aside.
Horace shook his head in disgust. "Who's the baby now?"he asked.

Bryn wouldn't meet his gaze. He shrank away, his eyes cast down. "If he's going to be a baby," Halt suggested, "I suppose you'll just have to paddle him."

A grin spread over Horace's face. He sprang forward and grabbed Bryn by the scruff of his neck, spinning him round. Then he proceeded to whack the older boy's backside with the flat of the drill sword, over and over again, following him round the clearing as Bryn tried to pull away from the remorseless punishment.
Bryn howled and hopped and sobbed, but Horace's grip was firm on his collar and there was no escape.
Finally, when Horace felt he had repaid all the bullying, the insults and the pain that he had suffered, he let go.
Bryn staggered away and dropped to his hands and knees in the dirt, sobbing with pain and fear. Jerome had watched the proceedings in horror, knowing his turn was coming. He began to edge away, hoping to escape while the Ranger's attention was distracted.

"Take one more step and I'll put an arrow through your head," Y/n growled, watching his every movement. She felt Wills presence at her side. The two of them side by side, bow in hand, made Jerome hesitate.
They had retrieved several of Wills arrows from the nearest target and now she had one of them ready, laid on the bowstring.

Halt glanced round approvingly. "Good idea," he said. 'Aim for the left calf. It's a very painful wound."

He glanced over to where Bryn lay, sobbing, on the ground at Horace's feet. "I think he's had enough," he said.
Then he jerked a thumb at Jerome. "Your turn," he said briefly.
Horace retrieved the cane that Bryn had dropped and moved towards Jerome, holding it out to him.
Jerome backed away. "No!" He yelled, wide-eyed. "It's not fair! He ..."

"Well, of course it's not fair," Halt agreed in a reasonable tone. "I gather you think three against one is fair. Y/n, Will, join Horace, will you?"

Jerome went onto the attack to who he thought was the easiest to fight. The smallest and weakest of the three.
Y/n.
Dropping her bow carefully, she slid her saxe knife and throwing knife out of their scabbards. The over head attack that Jerome swung was blocked easily, the two of Y/n's knives pressed against each other in an 'X', and cut through the cane perfectly.
In a flash, Y/n threw the smaller knife into one of the targets to her left, her eyes not leaving Jerome's. With one of her hands now free, she grabbed the remaining cane and jerked it towards her, bringing Jerome body close as well.
Suddenly her saxe knife was to the base of Jerome's throat.
His hand dropped the cane and he put them up in defence.
The girl merely scoffed, bringing the drooped cane to Jeromes chest with force.
"Fight like a man," she spat.

"You've had your fun, Y/n." Halt said loudly, "Let the others have a play."
"Get busy," Horace ordered Alda as he chucked the cane at him.
The blond boy, still crouched on the grass nursing his injured ankle, looked at the cane in disbelief.

Blood streamed down his face from his shattered nose. He'd never be quite so good looking again, Y/n thought.

"But ... but ... I'm injured!" he protested, hobbling awkwardly to his feet. He couldn't believe that Halt would require him to go through the punishment he'd just witnessed.
Halt paused, studying him as if that fact hadn't occurred to him. For a moment, a ray of hope shone in Alda's mind. "So you are," the Ranger said. "So you are."