《Knight and Deserter》03: Blessings

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The bitter tang of iron permeates the air. In a small clearing the bodies of a woman and several men lay strewn about, their blood caked into the earth. Among them and indifferent to the carnage, is an average-looking man leaning comfortably on a tree, catching his breath.

Cendric takes a second to replay the battle he had fought a moment ago. As expected an ambush had been waiting for him. His eyes flickered over to the leader of this motley crew, her hands were still clutching her throat. Brianna, the 'damsel', she was the first to strike and died last.

[She ain't in distress no more.]

They had greeted him with an assortment of rusty spears and bronze studded clubs. Expecting this, Cendric had awoken his blessing in advance. Third Eye granted the ability to sense an attack outside their field of vision, along with a small boost in agility.

Not all men and women were created equal. A rare few were born with untapped potential that could awaken latently. What happens after the awakening is extraordinary: Great strength, increased agility, enhanced awareness, the list goes on.

A blessing of sorts.

With enough time and money, blessings could be obtained through mundane methods such as potions or rituals. The only drawback was that it was a small chance and grew slimmer by the year. Also, there is no guarantee of what type of blessing it would be. Blessings came in all sorts of variations.

Some are most effective during certain times of the day, others might bring only minor improvements, and without proper training, blessings could end up being more harmful than beneficiary. Finally, the secret to both of these methods were exclusive only to the Temple and a few Grand orders. In any case, blessings are an integral part of one's social standing as they are for survival.

So when Third Eye instinctively sensed movement from his back, Cendric stepped to the side.

In a heartbeat, a dagger flew past his cheek, followed by its wielder a moment later. Like a gentleman, Cendric allowed Brianna, falling by, to go first before nimbly catching her wrist, lest the dagger slip, bringing it around her throat. Without hesitation, he plunged her wrist and moved it with a sickening twist. Cutting through all that cartilage would take too long. So less than halfway in he releases, and with a swift kick she is reunited with her comrades.

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Panic ripples among their ranks as they scramble out of the way. 'Would have been nice if she was skewered by one of her friends.' But the action had worked either way; The bandits were in disarray, a gap had been opened. His priority was the three using spears, the fat one with the club could wait, the others needed to be thinned or else he'd still be at a disadvantage. Cendric dashes left to the closest fellow separated from the rest. His target had a noticeable receding hairline so he would be called Baldy.

Baldy had hastily moved out of the way when Brianna fell, losing his grip on the spear. He had been in the process of retrieving it when Cendric's leather hardened fist came to view. The soft cartilage under Baldy's nose gave way at the moment of impact and sent him tumbling into the ground once more. Not bothering to follow up, Cendric dances to the right just as a spear glances off his side. Had it been a second later, no doubt he would have parted with a nasty bruise.

Grabbing the wooden haft with one hand, Cendric yanks it back before releasing his grip at the last second. The spearman having overextended himself, stumbles off balance. Seizing his chance, Cendric's arming sword is pulled from its scabbard. It materializes a second later in his hand stabbing the spearman in the back of the neck, instantly severing his spinal cord.

[Damn, can't dodge this one.]

Third Eye flares in alarm as something crashes into his shoulder blade. Bronze studded wood meets tempered iron as a rotund fellow comes roaring in.

"Bastard!"

The impact leaves a dent on his shoulder plate and shakes Cendric to his core. 'Shit. Let my guard down. Idiot, I should have had my sword out earlier.' Cursing his amateur mistake, Cendric grunts as he twists himself over the grass. 'At least I didn't drop my weapon as Baldy did earlier.' Dirt brushes his face as the club comes cracking down over the spot he was on a moment ago.

'Eat dirt Fatman.' Cendric gnashes his teeth grabbing dirt from the hole dug a second ago. A handful is flung at Fatman's pudgy face, momentarily blinding him. The bandit wheels back in surprise, lowering the club as he raises an arm to his face. Cendric rolls onto his feet, crouched low, hamstringing his opponent.

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The club falls with a thud as Fatman drops to his knee. His screams are cut short by Cendric, who sends him sprawling into the ground and finishes it by ramming the sword through his chest. A wave of exhaustion washes over him as he pulls out the sword. The adrenaline was receding now, and the effects after the battle could be felt. Pain blossoms throughout his left shoulder. Cendric gasps for air greedily but persists, determined to finish the job. Dragging one foot after another he lurches to the last man standing.

A more accurate description would be boy, who couldn't have been any older than fourteen. His scrawny arms can barely hold the spear upright, and it didn't help that his hands were trembling. Fear was the reason why he hadn't attacked or ran for the hills yet. None of the usual commands to his brain were working.

The boys' name was Edwin, and he originally was a farmer. It was after the local lord confiscated his family's farm and took his mother as a trophy. Edwin turned to a life of banditry with his family. They were going to take everything from the nobles and rich merchants alike, as they did to them. It had been hard, the first couple of years. Always on the move, looking for a new spot to settle down the next couple of months before moving again.

Things were starting to look up a little until the Seeker saw through their ambush. In Edwin eyes, he saw a man terrifyingly fast for someone weighed down in mail armor. Fast enough to slit his sister's throat, and then cut down his father and two brothers in minutes.

'A monster, we're dealing with a monster.' Edwin was beginning to pale. It was like there was an eye on his head or something. He had watched in disbelief, the Knight seemly dodge and parry blows from behind without a glance.

'If he's that fast is it really possible to get away from him?' Bile pokes at his throat threatening to peak. His eyes dart to the great heap of flesh he called father moments ago. The big man had always been heavyset, it wasn't until they began to eat meals regularly from their ill-gained earnings, that he began to bulk up and smile again.

The footsteps were getting closer now, nearby Edwin spots his sister. 'Mithra not like this...' He thought, praying to the Holy Daughter for her mercy. The dress Brianna wore continued to change in color, red the most prominently flowing. Sis was desperately clutching her throat, fighting a battle already lost.

'Brianna — idiot, who are you holding on for?'

A spear clatters to the ground followed by the sound dry heaving. 'He's close now', So close that Edwin could hear his labored breaths. Grief, regret, hate, and disgust begin to well up within Edwin. Soon he's unable to bottle it for any longer, a cry escapes his lips.

"Oh Ma I'll be a good boy, promise. Just—just don't let me die!" The figure in front of Edwin's blurred vision isn't a man anymore. Just the sight of her brings back memories of a happier time.

"I don't wanna, please!"

She had told him to hide with his sister. His brothers and father had entrusted him to be the man of the house while they were gone.

"Please Ma, don't leave us!"

Brianna would have had to drag him screaming and kicking the entire way. But Ma smiled like she always did, said to quit worrying. He trusted her and then never saw her again. And his dream of rescuing her one day, faded away.

Cendric stood quietly as the boy wept his heart out. He had been planning to sell his current chainmail armor for a new set, when he encountered them. He was fairly certain this ragtag band had been at it for a while. It was also obvious the boy had never taken part in their plans until now. But the rest of the family he kept babbling about, definitely weren't shy in taking a life.

"Aye, I'm sure she loved ya more than m'ae own—," With the battle over, and his body finally catching up with him. Cendric had unconsciously dropped the Knightly persona, his natural accent loosened a little, "Just close your eyes, I promise it will only hurt for a moment."

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