Chapter Three: The Path

A*s kicking, pointy ears, and the beginning of a new friendship.

"The last of the human freedoms: to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
          -Viktor Frankel




           The faint rays of the rising sun's light spilled in through the open window of Reks's room in the inn. It was early in the morning, but Reks was already getting ready. Today was the day Reks returned to the Imperial City. He did this after every mission, as this was where he collected his money. Reks also did this because there was a certain somebody he wanted to visit.
             The warrior gathered his things up from off of the floor. He placed what little he owned in a leather pack, then slung it over one shoulder. His weapons were already in their positions. Reks did one last look over of the room to make sure everything was in order. Once he was satisfied, he opened the wooden door, proceeding to go down the stairs.
             As he walked down into the main room, the first thing he noticed was that it was empty. Except for the owner, who was fast asleep on a stool near the door, a paddle in his hands for protection. Reks smiled. He liked the quiet that was present at the moment. He'd be able to get a lot of thinking time with this journey.
             With the smile still on his face, Reks slipped passed the owner. He gripped the door handle, turning it slowly, then opened the door with a slow pace as to not wake up the man. Reks stepped out into the light of morning, then turned around and closed the door. His thoughts were happy. "Maybe for once I'll actually enjoy my stay in the city," he thought. As he turned  to walk away from the door, he was harshly pushed back by two heavy hands. His head slammed against the stone frame of the door, causing a wave of dizziness that washed over him like a flood. The heavy pair of hands gripped him, pinning him against the wall.

"Thought you could get away with giving us a beating eh?" A harsh voice yelled somewhere to his right. Reks shook his head, clearing the stars that were floating in front of him. As he looked up, his vision revealed that he was being held by a burly man with a scar running down the length of his cheek. He smiled, crooked yellow teeth gleaming like miniature beacons in his mouth. To his left was the man Reks had handled the day before in the alleyway, along with two other men. Each one of them held a blade in his hands.

The man Reks had beat up spoke again. "You think you can come in our town, mess with our gang, then try leaving without us getting some pay back? You must be the dumbest son of a b***h out there, right boys?" His subordinates nodded, laughing at their leaders attempt at humor. He continued. "Now look here. You cost us some valuable loot, especially since it was of the elven make. So what we're gunna do is take your stuff, give you a good thrashing, then we'll be on our merry way. But not necessarily in that order." The man produced a set of spiked knuckles from inside his belt pouched. He slipped them on, then clashed his knuckles together, producing a steely sound.
               The man holding Reks threw him to the floor. As he landed, a boot hit his side, sending him rolling a few feet to the left. The men surrounded him, sneering and jeering at him to fight. As Reks began to rise, the man with the knuckles connected to his face with a right hook, sending him spinning toward the big man. As he got closer, the big man punched him in his stomach, knocking the air out of him, then grabbed his tunic and threw him towards the other two men. They proceeded to knee him in the face, then picked him up and slammed him into the floor.
               Reks was breathing heavy. He wasn't banged up too bad, but if they continued hitting him, he'd end up like the man from before. He need a plan of action. His first thought was to draw his longsword or his dagger. But the minute he would have made a move, they would have killed him. His eyes flickered toward the man with the knuckles. He had begun to walk toward the downed warrior, his fist tightly coiled around the knuckles. Reks didn't have time to think. He need to rely on his instinct. With a quick jump up, he ran toward an open gap between the two thugs behind him, seeing as escape was the only viable option. The thugs moved in unison to block his escape. He shifted to his right, only to be cloths lined  by the large thug and thrown to the floor. He choked as he thugs surrounded him again. They readied their weapons. The knuckle user smiled. "Nighty night, kid," he said. He rose his fist. As he brought it down, a black arrow with white swan feathers for a tail flew threw his coiled fist. He screamed, gripping his hand as the blood flowed all over his wrist. The other two were shocked, and didn't notice the sly figure sneaking up on them.
               A short blade struck its way through the back of the smaller of the three thugs. He coughed once, then faded out of existence. The large thug had more time to react. He took out a double bladed battle axe, then grinned, his yellow teeth shining like beacons in the darkness of is mouth. The figure, unsheathed a second blade from his waist. The big thug rushed him. The figure sided stepped, then quickly slashed the thugs right calf with both blades, causing him to stagger. The Thug roared, swing his axe around at the figure's head. With inhuman reflexes, the figure bent back, narrowly dodging the axe swing. As the thug finished his arc, the figure jumped onto the large man's chest, stabbing both blades into the thugs chest. He quickly wrenched the left blade out of the man's chest, and quick as a flash, slammed it into the artery on his neck. He pulled out the second knife, then back flipped off his chest.
                The titan of a man fell, blood spraying out from the whole in his neck. He held onto the handle of the blade, but was too weak to pull it out. A few seconds later, the man fell dead, a pool of blood welling beneath him. The knuckle thug stared in horror, the blood still dripping from his hand. He back away slowly, then proceeded to run in the opposite direction. As he got halfway through the alley, an arrow pierced through his back, striking his hard. He tripped, tumbling to the floor, dead.
                The figure replaced his bow back in its hollow wood tube on his back. He then proceeded to pick up the first of his blades from the dead body, quickly sheathing both of them after. His attention turned now to Reks. The warrior stood up from his place on the floor, eying the newcomer. He was a male around Reks's height, with short black hair and caramel skin. His facial features were angular, like that of a cat, but any female who saw him would say he was one of the most handsome people they had ever seen. His most apparent feature was his ears. They stood up like knives on the side of his ears. Reks stood cocked his head, puzzled at the sight. What exactly was an Elf doing here?
                 
"Thank you..." Reks said, nodding in the elves direction.

"It was the least I could do," he replied. "After all, it was you who saved me from these same fools back in the alleyway."

Reks cocked his head to the side, wondering what the elf was talking about. He stood for a second, the realized that this was the person he'd saved the day before in the alleyway. But he wasn't a man. He was an elf. A bloody elf. "Makes sense. A human can't heal that fast."

"Well, yes. But the healers you brought me to revived me with their healing magic. I was able to find where you were staying, and thought I'd repay the favor after I saw what was going on with these thugs."

"Well you couldn't have come at a more convenient time. Thank you again. Well, I'm already behind schedule. I must be leaving right about now."

"Hmm....I'm just a wanderer away from the forest of Wo-dan vir, the elf home. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to accompany you on your travels. I might be able to make a living for myself instead of traveling from town to town."

The Warrior rubbed his chin in thought. He smiled and nodded. A traveling companion was never a bad thing. He'd finally have someone to talk to, and even a person to watch his back if anything went wrong. The Warrior held out his hand. "Welcome aboard. What's your name anyway?"

The elf grasped his hand, smiling back at Reks. "My name is Vaeril Ara Do Ven Shanii. Vaeril for short."

Reks released the elf's grasp. "Alright Vaeril, best we on our way." The elf nodded, and together, they walked toward the town's entrance. As they approached, the open plain became clearer to Reks. It was green and full of life. Reks grinned. A long journey was set out before them, and for once, Reks was looking forward to it.

 

            
            

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long to finish. I'm gunna edit it soon, and might change a few sentences and a bit of description. Haha, I love this elf dude. At first, I wasn't gunna introduce him, but then something occurred to me. You guys remember the person Reks helped out in the alleyway? Well that was the elf guy. The doctors basically patched him up using magic. Oh, and Soon I'm gunna come out with something that explains all the races, the use of magic, the geography of the land and locations of the cities, and all of that stuff. But anyway, hope you enjoyed this character as much as I did. This character is based off of a real life person named Karmic. He's good with dual blades......really good......

Reviews

[Darruesh Eetraydes]

LOL i enjoyed it