It took two days, but I did see those villages standing in the soft light of the Crystal Palace. I even saw to it that Vincent got his audience with the King. The villagers began spreading stories about Black Blade and how he was slain by The Patchwork Knight. I tried to quell the stories with the truth of all the men in the party taking part in that small battle, but despite my efforts, the tale grew bigger with each telling.
It wasn't long before I was ready to be back out in the Realm to find more villagers and bring them back to safety. A few days was all it took and then we were heading down the narrow pass again. Scouts had told of us of villages to the east that had remained intact, but war bands were heading in their direction. It would be a race to get there before them. We rode as hard as we could for 5 days straight before we entered what was left of the village. We were too late. Everything was gone, only bodies and charred homes remained.
"We should spread out and see if we can find any survivors. They may have hid in the surrounding forest. Be cautious and take care where you step. I need two volunteers to keep riding east to see if you can locate the Raiders that did this. Only report, do not engage."
I stepped forward and Rolf was right behind me.
"We'll go."
"Pitre, do as I say this time. Only locate and return. Do not engage a war band on your own."
"Yes, Sir Darius. We will locate and report on where they are."
"Pitre, no tempting your fate. I can already see the rage in your eyes. This village looks not unlike your own, so I understand, but please do as you are told. We will get who did this, but we will do it the right way, so that we win."
"I swear. I will not engage and only return with where they are camped."
Rolf and I turned on our heels and mounted our horses. We rode out at full speed to the east. In half a day we found the war band. It was camped near a small lake. There were fifty Raiders with a few prisoners chained to the back of a wagon. They looked exhausted and dirty from their trek. The Raiders were laughing and enjoying a meal while their captives were dying in their chains with no food or drink. I couldn't stand it. I stood up from behind the trees that we were hiding and began to walk towards them. A hand fell on my shoulder and pulled me back.
"Pitre, what are you doing? You told Darius that we would locate and report back."
"Look at them Rolf. They are acting as though they didn't just destroy a village and were dragging what was left of it behind them. Not caring if they live or die."
"I know Pitre, but it's fifty men we can't beat them by ourselves. We need to tell the others where they are and then create a plan of attack."
"I already have a plan of attack. I'm going in there and killing each and every one of those men. You watch and make sure no one comes from behind."
"But Pitre..."
I wouldn't hear any more. I drew my swords and began charging at the camp. I entered the Euphoria and gathered the aether as I ran. I was at the outer edge of the camp when I heard the first shouts of "Attack!". I didn't stop. My sword slashed through he first man I came across. He was beginning to get to his feet when my sword cut across his face. He fell in the spot he had just been sitting in. I stabbed the man next to him through the chest, and slashed my sword across a third man that was sitting with them, who had managed to stand up and was beginning to draw his dagger from his waist. When he fell back he threw the dagger from his hand and it flew true into a man behind him. That man doubled over in pain. I drew my sword from the body of the second man, and began my rampage.
Raiders came running with weapons in hand, but it didn't matter. They would all die at my hands. I avoided their blades, as they ran into mine. Others tried to grab me to control me, but my arms and body were so slick with blood, that they simply slid off and were greeted with my blade. I raged through the onslaught of Raiders like a storm. I saw them move before they did. I knew where each of their weapons would land, and I deftly stepped to the side. My blades would cross and then lash out to taste their blood. A blade would come towards me, I would block the blade with one sword and remove the offending hand with the other. A Raider would step close only to find his leg missing soon after.
I don't know how long the fight lasted, but when I was down to the final three Raiders, they began to run. The cowards that they truly were had come out. I chased them all down and turned them to face me before removing their heads. Each one tried to beg for their lives, but they had forfeited those when they destroyed that village.
I looked around for any remaining Raiders and saw none. I only saw Rolf standing with blade in hand and the villagers standing behind him.
"Pitre are you unharmed?"
I hadn't thought at all about my safety. I didn't feel any pain."
"I think so. I feel no pain, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I never met any one in battle. I freed the slaves while you did, well, did this."
Rolf gestured with his hands in a way to look around. The ground was slick with blood and bodies were strewn about. There was a clear path through the middle of them where I must have passed.. I then looked down at myself and saw that I too was covered in blood. There wasn't a spot of clean armor anywhere on my body, and began to notice the metallic taste in my mouth.
"I will get these villagers some food and drink, you need to clean yourself up some. After, we will get theses villagers back to Darius and then on to the Palace."
I just kept starring at myself and all the blood that was coating me.
"Excuse me sirs?"
"Yes."
"Who are you? What I mean is, who do we have to thank for our rescue?"
"I am Rolf and that over there covered in blood, is non other than The Patchwork Knight?"
"The Patchwork Knight?"
"Indeed good sir. That is The Patchwork Knight. If you could see his armor you would know why, but it is a bid difficult at the moment."
"Thank you sirs. We were surely heading for our graves with this lot." The man then spat in the direction of the large bloody swath of land.
I could hear a murmur from the survivors of the village. I couldn't make out what they were saying. I only starred at my bloody arms.
"Pitre, there is a lake right behind you. Clean yourself. You may want to remove the armor and just jump right in."
I looked up and saw Rolf walking towards me with a calming look in his eye.
"I understand Pitre, believe me I do. Be thankful you didn't have to see it from our view. Now clean yourself up and we will leave this place behind us. You saved all those people, Darius isn't going to be very happy about you doing it on your own, but we will take care of that when we return."
I slowly turned and walked towards the lake, stripping off my armor as I went. The water was cold, but soothing. I began coming back from where ever I had gone, and could see massacre that had taken place at my hands. I could also see the joy and life that had been saved from that massacre. The villagers were eating and laughing. They were telling stories about a man that had just killed their captures as if they hadn't just lived it, each and every one of them.
After an hour of starring and soaking in the lake, I made my way back to dry land. Rolf had gathered my armor and was cleaning what blood he could off of it. I sat next to him and began doing the same.
"What happened to you Pitre? You looked like you were in some far off place, and only your body was here."
"I'm not sure. I was just focused on killing the Raiders."
"You did that, and then some. You scared me a bit Pitre, the villagers too."
"I'm sorry for that. it wasn't my intention. I only wanted those that did the village harm to feel harm themselves."
"Aye, the tale is already quite large. I was standing right there watching with the villagers, and the way they are telling it, you fell from the sky and let forth a quake that toppled the war band and shook the earth for miles."
"That isn't what happened."
"I know that, you know that, and they know that as well, but they are still telling it that way. When we get to Darius, there is no way that we will be able to get away from that tale. He will know that you took on an entire war band by yourself. He will be happy we are alive and the villagers are safe, but you are going to get quite the tongue lashing."
"I don't think I'll face that tongue lashing alone. You'll be getting it as well."
"I suppose I will, but in my defense, is there any man that can stand in your way when you don't want them too."
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