The Puppet

Wood Bandits

"So ye are bounty hunters," the one grabbing Anya said as she ripped her arm from his grasp and pulled her sword. "I knew I recognized her."

"Looks like this will be your last stop," the one holding the cue stick said as he swung it at Luke's head.

Luke caught it and yanked it from the thug hitting him with it instead. He passed the cue stick to Roy and turned to the next thug that was charging him. He dodged out of the way with Roy following his lead. Anya kicked a chair at the thug closest to her causing him to trip. Roy whacked him on the head with the stick as he hit the ground. A thug grabbed Roy from behind and threw him at Anya. She stumbled back as she struggled to catch him.

"Good thing you're so light," she said quickly as she set him down.

A thug ran up behind her and bear hugged her. He squeezed her as hard as she could as she cried out. Roy broke the cue stick over his head but nothing happened. He jumped behind the bar and grabbed a full bottle of whiskey. He hit the thug as hard as he could with the bottle making a dull thud as he contacted his skull. The thug let go of Anya and fell to the ground.

Anya dropped to her knees gasping for breath. The breaking of a window caused them to look over to see Luke drop kicking one guy through it. Anya got to her feet and turned to the closest thug that was swinging at her. She ducked and punched him in the ribs as hard as she could. She stomped on his foot and slammed her head into his chin causing him to move backwards into the bar. Roy leapt up on the bar and slammed the whiskey bottle into the thug's head as he stumbled back. The thug fell and Roy leapt onto the back of another wrapping his wooden arm around his throat.

Luke kicked out the legs of one and sliced his shoulder as he fell. Anya grabbed her sword from the ground and parried an attack that was headed towards her. She blocked the next three attacks and kicked the thug as hard as she could in the stomach. She swung her blade and hit the wrist holding the sword causing him to drop it. She picked up the second sword and sliced the thug across his torso causing him to scream and fall to the floor.

She looked around in time to see one fall to his knees and on to the ground as Roy jumped off his back. Luke hit the last one standing with the butt of his sword and turned to them panting.

"I think we can toss all this trash out in one trip," Luke said, casing his sword.

Anya and Luke spent the next half hour tossing unconscious bodies on to the back of their wagon. They armed Roy with the full whiskey bottle to keep watch in case one of them woke up and left a bag of gold for the scared bartender who managed to stay safe and hidden behind the bar during the fight.

They dropped their bounties off to a very surprised sheriff and received a small fortune as a reward. As they prepared to leave town, the young man they had left in the woods looked up at their wagon and let out a cry of surprise.

"You! It's you! Those are the ones that robbed me and left me for dead in the woods!" he cried pointing his finger at them.

"You're forgetting the part where you attempted to rob us and leave us for dead in the woods," Anya told him as all eyes went back to him.

"W-well, th-they have a cursed puppet!" he cried. "It's that one with the covered face!"

"Nice try but puppets can't talk. Lay off the booze," Roy said, giving him a wave and a nod.

"Then show us your face!" the guy cried as people muttered around him and took steps away from him.

"Look, we're in a rush so next time," Luke said, pumping the reins and getting the horses to move quickly.