The other highwaymen hung back. They considered turning and fleeing for their lives. Their leader had been fast, but Shade had proven far faster. But the Doelm was too thick of skull, the Syssrah too much at the assassin’s exposed back to give up his make believe advantage and as for the four Braznians…they had not been broken of their daredevil fervor for danger. Fatal mistakes one and all. They charged him like a pack of goaded boars hurtling headlong into a wall of spears.
Shade whirled back around. The Syssrah lashed forward with his spear. The nimble assassin turned his shoulder and dodged the thrust with ease. The snake-man rose up again and struck. The Dark Elf turned his other shoulder cleanly aside, but stayed on the tips of his toes. He retrieved another dagger. Clash! Clash! He turned aside the punctual spear thrusts with his dagger.
The Braznians came in extra shield heavy. It seemed their reckless nature wasn’t entirely without prudence in the field of combat. He ducked the bastard sword of the first Braznian who dared take a swing at him. He slashed at the man’s shins. The Braznian cried out as a mixture of chain links and blood spattered the air. He crumbled to the ground groaning. He did not look so brave nursing his bleeding legs.
Shade blocked the slashes of two more incoming Braznians. He saw the Syssrah thrust his spear forward again in the reflection of a shield. He pulled off a kick jump in mid-air. The spear snapped right between his outstretched legs. He landed again. He caught another Braznian across the neck. His dagger came in so close contact he actually scattered sparks across the top rim of the kite shield. The man didn’t even realize he had been cut until the shock of death ghosted across his face. Shade watched in cold satisfaction as the fire faded out of his eyes.
The Doelm charged forward grunting, steaming.
The assassin kicked a Braznian hard in the shield.
The man tumbled backward into his kinsman.
Shade whirled back around. He could not risk leaving the Syssrah too long at his back. He just barely ducked the next spear thrust, but once again the Syssrah rose up again on his tail pulling too quickly away to counter. The assassin ground his teeth in frustration. ‘You elusive snake!’ he thought.
The snake-man tried to spear him again.
The huge Doelm had nearly reached him. He could feel the brute’s hot spurts of breath spatter the air. The assassin side-stepped two more thrusts and glanced aside the spearhead of yet another strike. The Syssrah rose up methodically on his tail, thrusting skillfully forward again and again. He struck as quickly as a snapping serpent. The Dark Elf was forced to dodge repeatedly. The snake-man’s tail pulled his torso back too high for even the trained assassin to get in a clean riposte.
Shade ducked under just as the Doelm’s massive axe sailed overhead. The Braznians sprawled to the ground. They had nearly lost their heads. The Doelm snarled at the nimble assassin. He swung again. He cut a juvenile tree right in half. The tree toppled. Shade dove out of the way. The Syssrah pulled back. The Braznians rolled to the side. The tree fell with a great crash.
Shade dashed up the tree, but the Doelm took another swing at him. He leapt the blade. He kicked the Doelm square in the jaw. The brute stumbled backward. The assassin spun around. The Syssrah struck again.
Shade leapt. He spun wildly and just missed another spear thrust. He hit the ground and rolled over the downed tree. He slipped the two Braznians who took more hacks at him. The Doelm charged again. The Syssrah raised his spear. Shade tried to slip away, but the Braznians closed off the gap.
The Doelm hacked at Shade. The Syssrah thrust his spear again.
Shade grabbed a handful of dust and threw it in the Doelm’s face.
The Doelm stumbled backward and knocked into the Syssrah. The snake-man missed his mark. The left Braznian cried out. The spear glanced off his partner’s shield and thrust deeply in between them. It grazed his right shoulder and drew blood. He froze in shock. He stared down and rubbed the blood between his fingers. The other Braznian stopped in mid-battle. He looked knowingly at his companion.
The Syssrah cursed.
The Doelm wiped the dust out his eyes. He blinked and growled.
The lightly wounded Braznian doubled over. His eyes rolled up into his head and he foamed at the mouth. He spasmed and died. Syssrian spearheads were widely known to be tipped with poisons.
Shade seized the opportunity to pull up the last Braznian’s chainmail shirt. He drove a dagger deep into his side. The man moaned and fell forward. Shade wasn’t taking any chances. The assassin kicked the dying Braznian in the chest. The man fell backward and skewered himself on the Syssrah’s spear. He died before he suffered the ill effects of the poison. The shaft snapped. The Braznian hit the ground leaving the snake-man momentarily unarmed.
The Dark Elf lunged at the opening.
The Syssrah pulled backward and threw his twisting torso around.
Shade grazed the Syssrah across the left forearm, but the recoiling body hit him with a forceful smack. He reeled backward. He landed on his rump just in time to see the huge Doelm raise his axe over him.
The assassin rolled to the side. Doelms were not as slow as the largest races such as the hulking Minotaur or the fat Gorums. The Doelm swung the axe downward and got it stuck deep in the earth. Shade was about to strike when he noticed the Syssrah recovering out of the corner of his eye. The snake-man drew not one, but two additional spears out of a long snakeskin quiver strapped to his back, filled with spears.
The Doelm ripped his axe out of the ground.
Shade felt chunks of soil graze his face.
The Syssrah threw a spear and the Dark Elf ducked. It struck a tree and got deeply lodged in the trunk. The snake-man tossed his offhand spear up into the air. He caught it in his throwing hand. He let the second spear fly.
Shade handsprung out of the way. He reached his feet and threw a dagger. He caught the snake-man in the left shoulder at a chink in his armor. The Syssrah hissed in pain, but didn’t go down. He wrapped his slender fingers around the knife hilt and cried out. Shade watch in satisfaction as his foe slowly pulled the blade out, but he could not afford the time to gloat.
Shade turned just as the Doelm pounced on him. It had been a superhuman leap, covering over six solid feet of ground. The Doelm had come down with all the propelling force, rage and ferocity of a territorial bull gorilla. The brute swung his pole axe so hard he scarred the air. The assassin ducked again. The mighty blow sailed overhead. The Doelm broke out into a bloodthirsty delirium. He swung his huge axe in a maniacal Doelmish battle rampage.
Shade stumbled awkwardly, but managed to elude every swing. Chunks of bark flew through the air. The Doelm left deep gouges in the huge Karus Oaks and cut more adolescent trees in half. Trees toppled over. Both the assassin and the Syssrah scrambled out of the way. Crash! Old leaves wafted up into the air. Bits of bark and sticks stung his eyes. Crash! Crash!
Shade wiped his eyes and reached his feet again.
The Doelm swung widely. He left a small clumsy opening.
The Dark Elf stabbed forward when suddenly he sensed the Syssrah behind him again. He had to turn his blow. He missed his lethal mark and merely nicked the Doelm’s bulging shoulder. His dagger clattered to the ground far out of reach. He side-stepped another spear thrust and yet another. The snake-man wielded two additional spears and Shade did not have time to retrieve fresh blades.
The Doelm brought his battleaxe down in a huge double-handed hack. Shade just barely managed to back step far enough to elude the devastating blow. The axe cut deeply into the mud just a hair shy of the assassin’s big toe.