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Fable : Fall of the Guild	By : Samson Category: +A through F > Fable Views: 8222 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Traitors In Our Midst.
Fable : Fall of the Guild

Part VII - "Marauders"

By: Jesse Racine AKA Samson

Original Date Written: May 7, 2012

Days passed. Timoteo met with Bianca a few more times during the week, typically whenever he knew he’d have an evening free. His training with Darrah continued, but the two of them went at each other with less fire. Knowing that the lord’s new battle plans would probably not put them on the front lines of the conflict kept them from training too intensely. When Darrah’s father personally spread the word of Benedict’s men possessing more firearms than previously expected, morale plummeted, as was expected. What the lord was worried about, on the other hand, was Sundale. If the bandits went for it first, instead of the mansion estate, Sundale’s inhabitants would most likely be slaughtered. He didn’t want to put any of his personal soldiers there, knowing he’d likely need every one of his men to defend the estate. Sundale’s inhabitants didn’t have enough time to evacuate, by that point. Unless they took nothing with them but the shirts on their backs, they simply didn’t have enough time to pack up and head for safety, somewhere.
The lord’s new battle plan was a combination of Darrah’s plan and something Wesley and Miller had devised. As with Darrah’s plan, the lord had ruled a full-on confrontation as out of the question, too many lives could be lost too quickly. Everyone would be contained to the estate, with guerilla hit-and-run tactics to be used. Crossbowmen on the perimeter walls would fire down at the bandits whenever they could, avoiding firearm slugs by not revealing themselves for too long. Miller would take a small portion of the lord’s men, as well as some of the knights from Sundale, and hide in the plains behind the estate. The bandits would most likely head straight for the estate’s front gate, but since it would be barricaded, they would find themselves simply facing crossbow fire. While the bandits were distracted with fleeing or trying to fire up into the sun, Miller and his men would sweep around either side of the estate, flanking the bandits. All the knights in Sundale would then charge in from the south, completely cutting the bandits off from escape, surrounding them on all sides. If the bandits went for Sundale before the estate, things would look much more grim.
In the event that the bandits went for Sundale first, the lord’s plan held less promise of victory. Though Darrah and Timoteo warned him about the League using some sort of explosive to blow open the Guild’s gates, he didn’t believe the bandits had knowledge of such a creation. And even if they did, the front gate to the estate was not only being barricaded, it was also being shored up; a small mountain of sand and rock would be piled up against the gate from within the estate, making it impossible to budge, even with a battering ram. If an explosive was used against the gate, the lord was sure that while the gate itself might be damaged, the bandits would still be unable to get through. Hit-and-run tactics would still be used, with crossbowmen picking off bandits here and there, hiding afterwards, slowly whittling their numbers down.
Eventually, the bandits would have no choice but to either flee or be killed off entirely. Whatever unexpected tactics they adopted during the conflict would be countered if and when they arose, the lord decided. Neither Darrah nor Timoteo were very pleased with the idea of simply combatting whatever the bandits came up with on the fly, but the lord was certain that trying to account for every single variable in possible strategy the bandits could use would be impossible. Darrah gave in and agreed a little, but Timoteo still wasn’t keen on the idea. Finally, the expected day of the bandit attack came about...
“Tim...Tim, wake up...” Timoteo faintly heard Darrah’s voice come to him through the fog of sleep. He groaned lightly, taking in a deep breath, exhaling. He felt his breath heat up his pillow momentarily, in a small patch just by his face. Lying on his front with the bed sheets up to his shoulders, he had the right side of his head snuggled up into his pillow, feeling a twinge of annoyance at the notion that his pleasant sleep had been disturbed. When he realized what day it was, however, his annoyance quickly passed. Barely opening an eye, he saw Darrah, sitting on one knee at the edge of the bed. She was facing him, her other leg leading down to the floor, Darrah not having crawled on to the bed fully. She was dressed in a white nightgown, her hair down and just a little messy. Her expression was calm, but there was something in her eyes Timoteo had trouble recognizing. It was almost like apprehension. “Don’t tell me the bandits are already here.” He sleepily groaned out.
Darrah smiled a little, but it only lasted a second before it faded. “No...That’s not it.” She softly replied. Now that he was awake, she got on the bed a little more, crawling on until she could sit properly by him. “I just wanted to see you before everything happened...Today’s supposed to be the day.” She said. Timoteo closed his eye again. “I remember. Something on your mind?” He mumbled out. Darrah lightly said “Yeah...” She went quiet for a few seconds. Timoteo slowly rolled over until he was on his back, opening his eyes a little, looking at her. Although the curtains were drawn over the windows in his room, some light did manage to creep through, just gently illuminating his room with a bit of morning gold. The golden light washed over Darrah, partially brightening her figure. Darrah seemed to be having trouble meeting his eyes, glancing to them for a split-second before looking off somewhere else, only to meet them again a few moments later.
Quietly, she said “Who knows how long this could last for...I don’t think we can expect to have a speedy end to this, especially if they go for Sundale, first. My father’s taking the safest course of action, but who knows how many could lose their lives...” She went quiet for a few seconds, her eyes down on his chest. Timoteo remained quiet, wondering if she had more to say. Darrah slowly met his eyes again, gazing into them unwaveringly. Quietly, she said “I just want you to know that, however this turns out for either of us, I’ve always cherished having you for a friend.” Her eyes quickly watered up at her words, and though she didn’t sob or choke up, a few tears rolled down her cheeks. “I may not have always been the best of friends...But I’ve always appreciated knowing you.” She slowly added. Timoteo began to sit up, Darrah silently watching him move. When he was sitting up totally, he quietly said “You don’t have to tell me, Darrah...I know. And I’m glad I got to know you, too.”
Smiling a little to try and cheer her up out of her tears, he confidently said “But, this is almost like you’re trying to make a final goodbye to me. We don’t have to.” “I’m just making sure...” She mumbled, her eyes falling from his, meeting his chest again. “We’ll be fine.” He reassuringly said. “You don’t know that...” She quietly responded. Timoteo let out a little sigh through his nose. He didn’t bother trying to make himself appear more confident than he really was. “No, I don’t...But I do know you and I are Heroes. Your father’s men are as prepared as we could get them...The mansion is a strong position, and your father has a good plan in place. It’s not like we’re being caught off-guard by the bandits, right?” “I suppose not...” She said, meeting his eyes again. He reached up and gently brushed his thumb over her cheeks, trying to wipe away her tears. “But...I guess you’re right...” He said, his expression turning a little melancholy, as well.
“Just in case...I’ve cherished knowing you, too. My time at the Guild would’ve been a lot more boring without you.” Darrah smiled a little, again. He lowered his hand from her face, listening as she said “Remember what Jeremy asked of me, just before...?” Timoteo didn’t need her to continue. He simply nodded. With a bit of confidence, Darrah lightly said “...Could I ask the same of you?...” Timoteo didn’t have to think long before he had his answer. He nodded a little. Darrah smiled slightly, her eyes going warm. He smiled a little, too. “We’ll make it through this, Darrah.” He softly said. She got up on her knees, crawling close enough to him to close any final bit of space between them. “I believe you...” She murmured. Bringing her hands to his shoulders, she was naturally taller than him in their positions, still sitting on her knees as she leaned over. When her face was close to his, she paused. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a couple of seconds.
Darrah’s cheeks started to fill with colour, her smile weakening. She closed her eyes, coming that final bit closer, touching her lips to his in a gentle kiss. He closed his eyes and returned her kiss, kissing her for a moment before he found her kissing him a second time. He kissed her back once more, feeling her let out a soft breath against his cheek. Two kisses turned into three. Three into four. She slowly started to push his shoulders back, lying him back in his bed. She crawled close enough to him to continue their kissing, partially lying over him. Timoteo noticed her breathing begin to deepen a little, her kisses beginning to grow a touch more passionate. His thoughts snapped to Bianca, and he realized how quickly the situation at hand had changed. In just a few seconds, things had gone from bolstering Darrah’s confidence to coming close to cheating on Bianca. Knowing Darrah might be hurt if he suddenly stopped her, he put his hands on her hips, ready to give her a pull away from him when he thought the time was right.
Darrah’s kisses became more and more heated, Darrah giving his shoulders a light squeeze. He felt her move a leg over him, the inside of her thigh across his waist, her foot by his knee. He felt a bit of warmth coming from between her thighs, realizing she was pressing herself against his hip a little bit. He started to go stiff down below, despite his mental urgings for such a reaction not to occur. Darrah felt her leg down along his own, feeling his growing bulge rub against her thigh even through the bed sheets. She felt a hand up the side of his neck, feeling along his skin. She started to reach out with her tongue, flicking her tip at his lips. Though Timoteo, too, was beginning to breathe a little hard, he finally acted. Grabbing her hips a little tightly, he pulled down on her. While he hadn’t exactly pulled her far away, he had pulled her with enough strength to catch her attention, pulling her lips away from his. “We have to stop...This...This has gone beyond a kiss or two for confidence.” He breathed out.
Darrah opened her eyes a little. He looked into her’s. He could tell she was hurt, but she understood his want to stop, too. “You’re right...I’m sorry...I got carried away...” She said, lightly. Slowly, she slipped her hands away from him, and it seemed to him like she was ready to move back from him. But, instead, she got over him on her hands and knees, looking down into his eyes. “Now that we’re in this position, though...I don’t really want to go away...” She bravely said, smiling gently. “Don’t tell me you didn’t like it...” She added. “Darrah.” Timoteo simply said, looking her in the eyes with an unimpressed expression. She smiled a little more. She gazed into his eyes for a second or two before she said “When I was drunk and I came here, did I throw myself at you?” Timoteo raised an eyebrow, slowly saying “That’s...One way of putting it...” Darrah smiled a little more. “I had a feeling that’s what happened...” She cooed.
Darrah brought a hand to the side of his head, lightly feeling her fingers through some of his hair, gently rubbing her thumb near his ear. “You’re my best friend...” She murmured. “...I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe. No bandit’s gonna take you from me.” She firmly added, her eyes confident. “I feel safer, already. Those kisses are like magic.” He said, just a bit jokingly. She smiled more at his words. She quickly leaned over and gave him one final peck on his lips before she crawled off of him, getting up from his bed. Looking over her shoulder at him, she slowly started to walk towards his door, lightly saying “C’mon...We should take baths and get dressed. Breakfast won’t be done for another hour, so we can take our time...” Timoteo slowly rose from his bed, saying “Alright, alright...”
About an hour and a half later, the two of them stood on part of the estate’s perimeter wall, looking out towards the southeast. Timoteo stood in his comfortable apprentice clothing from the Guild, his chainmail shirt over it. He wore his pack as well, keeping his potions and Guild Seal close at hand. Darrah stood in her full suit of custom-made armour, though she kept her helmet under an arm. She wore a thick leather belt over her armour, a small bag attached to the belt, hanging over her left hip. Inside were her own healing potions, just in case she needed them. Wesley stood nearby, dressed in his armoured uniform as Captain of the Guard. The lord stood tall and strong by his youngest daughter, dressed in his own personal suit of armour. If need be, he was prepared to join his men in battle. He was dressed in an impressive suit of steel platemail, similar to Darrah’s yet obviously made by a different smith’s hand. He wore no helmet with his armour, instead wearing his crown.
A massive warhammer was loosely strapped to his back, the handle of the warhammer made of some stout white wood. The end of the weapon, the hammer itself, was made of some kind of green metal Timoteo had never once seen before. Runes he only faintly recognized as originating from the Old Kingdom were skilfully engraved all along the warhammer’s head, giving the brutal tool of death an uncharacteristic beauty. Standing in a long row by their sides, reaching far out along the perimeter wall, were dozens of the lord’s guards. Everyone was staring out into the horizon, looking for the slightest indication that Benedict’s bandits were drawing near. Timoteo glanced down at his feet. The perimeter wall was, indeed, quite high up; he didn’t think someone could survive a fall from such a height. Should the bandits try to somehow scale the wall, he didn’t think the lord’s guards would pass up an opportunity to make the marauders plummet to their deaths.
Looking back up to the horizon, he scanned over what was visible. Sundale was to the south, also just a little bit to the east of their position on the perimeter wall. There was a rather large flatland directly to the south, reaching on for many miles before a forest became visible. A little to the east, past Sundale, was a large valley in the land. To the southwest, as well as straight to the west, there was a massive forest. Timoteo glanced over to Darrah from the corners of his eyes. His mind was more on her than it was on Benedict’s army. He hadn’t been surprised right away at how Darrah had kissed him numerous times earlier, but in hindsight, it struck him as oddly brave of her to try such a move. He was beginning to wonder if she remembered more of her drunken visit to him than she had originally let on. That, or, she had genuinely gotten carried away, and once in that position, felt there was no point in trying to turn back.
They hadn’t spoken about the moment once it had passed, but Timoteo had been thinking of it for much his time bathing. He hadn’t been as guarded as he had been when Darrah had been drunk. He had let things go further then they should’ve, he had even gotten aroused from Darrah’s advances. He felt ashamed for having let the situation occur, but he understood that things could’ve gotten much worse. The whole thing had been one of the strongest showings of affection she had ever orchestrated. He wondered how he should proceed, if he should bring it up at some point. She glanced over to him, almost as if she could detect his thoughts. He looked over at her a little more, catching her eye. She looked into his eyes for a moment, no real expression on her face. She blinked, looking back out over the horizon like the others. Timoteo wondered if she had put the event behind herself, or if she had simply decided that the two could talk about it later.
He scoffed a moment later at the idea that she had put the event behind herself entirely. “She’s probably thinking about it just as much as I am.” He confidently thought. “There! Is that them?” A soldier suddenly called out. Everyone perked up, scanning around. “Where?” Another shouted out. “There, in the flatlands, just coming around the forest!” The first soldier called back. Timoteo narrowed his eyes, raising a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. He wasn’t sure what he saw on the distance, but he knew that something was appearing, something he was fairly certain hadn’t been there a minute before. Everyone waited a minute, the soldiers beginning to talk amongst themselves. Already, word was being spread to the soldiers on the estate grounds, the ones who couldn’t be up on the perimeter wall simply due to lack of space. The dark mass on the distance, coming eastward from behind the western forests, was slowly growing. “That has to be them.” Darrah firmly said.
The lord nodded. “Sound the horn. Let Sundale know.” He ordered. Wesley nodded once, turned around, unsheathed his obsidian cutlass, and raised it up high. Down the wall, a scout saw the signal, pulling a horn from his belt. He blew into it, letting off a deep whooming sound. Somewhere off into the eastern plains, a similar sound rose up, then another, and then another. Each horn sounded progressively quieter, until they simply faded away with the wind. “Crossbowmen, get ready!” Wesley shouted out. The lord glanced at Darrah, saying “We should step down from the wall, give more room for the crossbowmen. Every one of our men will count.” Darrah nodded, looking over to Timoteo. “Let’s give my father’s men room.” She said, Timoteo giving her a nod. Already, crossbowmen were rushing up and along the perimeter wall, taking their positions in preparation for the first volley of bolts.
Wesley stood between two soldiers, one looking to be in his late twenties, the other looking a bit younger. Wesley stared at the bandit horde as they grew and grew, their black mass swelling and taking over more land with every minute. The younger knight glanced at Wesley nervously. The older knight muttered out “I always wondered when I’d get to take part in something like this.” Wesley didn’t respond. He simply raised his sword again. Another loud call was sounded out from the knight with the horn, but this time, additional horns didn’t sound; the messengers had already alerted Sundale, the estate’s second horn call served a different purpose. Wesley sheathed his cutlass, the faint rumbling of hundreds of pairs of feet beginning to become noticeable. “Once they enter the slimmest bit of range, prepare your crossbows! Bolts are not a concern! Take down as many of them as humanly possible before they can use their firearms!” Wesley shouted out, numerous other important guards repeating Wesley’s orders so guards further away could hear.
Timoteo looked around. The main grounds of the estate had been cleared of everyone aside from guards. Since the perimeter wall could only accommodate so many crossbowmen, the rest of the lord’s men were in a great mob on the grounds. They, too, were armed with crossbows, prepared to fire high over the perimeter wall to hit the bandits, once they were close enough for such a tactic to work. Timoteo had been listening to the ominous rumbling of bandit feet when the caw appeared. Numerous individuals glanced upwards, including Timoteo, Darrah, her father, and several guards. A crow was circling overhead, letting out another caw. “A crow? A bad omen...” The lord muttered. Darrah looked over to Timoteo. He glanced at her. He could tell that she thought the crow must’ve been sent by Bianca. “Shoot the damn bird down!” A nearby soldier barked, arming his crossbow with a bolt. “No, wait!” Timoteo abruptly said, rushing over. “Tim!” Darrah called after him.
The crow let out a loud caw, beginning to swoop down lower. Timoteo grabbed at the guard’s shoulders as he raised and aimed with his crossbow, pulling at him to disrupt his aim, but the guard still let the bolt loose. The bolt whipped past the crow’s side, narrowly missing it. The crow let out a shrieking caw, zooming down towards the ground. For a moment, Timoteo was worried that the bolt had actually hit the black bird, but he saw that the crow was more diving than actually falling. “What the hell’s gotten into you?” Darrah said, pulling Timoteo’s arms away from the guard. “It’s a bad omen, you idiot.” The guard said, barely keeping himself from being even more disrespectful towards the young Hero. “Don’t touch the damn bird!” Timoteo warningly said, looking up to the black streak in the sky. The crow swooped down until it was near him, then it did a sudden pull upwards, doing a high loop to try and slow itself down. On the way down, it came over to him and landed on his shoulder with a bit of a thud, the crow taking a few steps along him to steady itself.
It let out a few throaty sounds before it came close to the side of his neck, standing quite near his ear. “Don’t tell me that wretched thing knows you.” The guard that had fired at the crow muttered. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.” Darrah said, her brow deepening just a little. Timoteo stayed still as the crow nestled itself by his neck, waiting for a few seconds. Eventually, a soft, misty voice crept into his ear, barely more than a whisper. He knew it was Bianca the moment he heard the gentle, quiet voice. “Tim...I sent this crow to you to let you know that you can teleport to the Greatwood Cullis Gate, if you need to...There were League members watching it for Heroes, but I got rid of them...If things start to get bad there, I want you to know you have a way out...” The voice faded, the message the crow had been carrying was finished. “Tim, what’s wrong? You look all serious, all of a sudden.” Darrah remarked. “Nothing. Well, no. Not nothing. Darrah, let’s talk privately for a second.” He said, looking at her.
She raised her eyebrows curiously. The crow leapt from Timoteo’s shoulder, quickly flying off, heading south. The black bandit horde continued to appear as Timoteo and Darrah headed off for somewhere private. Wesley had the estate’s knight with the horn let off another call, watching as the bandit army slowly began to approach the estate. He smirked a little, turning around. “My lord!” He shouted out. The lord of the territory looked up, Wesley calling out “It looks like we have the bandits’ attention! They’re heading for us instead of Sundale!” “Excellent! Let Miller know his part will be played as hoped for!” The lord called back. A sudden beat began to appear, the guards peering out at the bandits with confusion. The beat sounded heavy and deep, and followed a rigorous pattern. Many of the guards glanced at each other, some with sudden worry, others with unfazed expressions. “War drums” was muttered from guard to guard.
Wesley had the estate’s horn-knight let out a quick series of three short calls, alerting Miller and his men. Timoteo stepped off to an empty spot in the yard, giving himself some modicum of privacy with his fellow Hero. “What’s wrong, Tim? Now’s not the time for personal chats.” She said. While his mouth was open, but before he could even speak, she quickly said “I-Is this about what happened in your room? I told you, I got carried away, that’s all.” She looked off to the side, her eyes falling to the ground, her brow furrowed. She crossed her arms over her chest as she continued with “I was probably just thinking about what I’d do if I could go back and see Jeremy again...That’s all.” Timoteo said “No, that’s not what I was gonna say...It’s about the crow. It had a message for me, from Bianca.” Darrah narrowed her eyes a little, meeting his eyes again. “A message? How? It’s just a bird. And, I didn’t hear anything for the whole time it was on your shoulder.” She said.
Timoteo waved a hand carelessly, saying “It’s a long story, Bianca told me about it a while ago. Apparently, crows can be used by magi for certain things. It’s not important. What’s important is the message she had for me. I thought you should know.” Darrah uncrossed her arms, her expression relaxing. “Okay, what was it?” She asked. Timoteo, a little quietly, said “League members were watching the Greatwood Cullis Gate. Bianca got rid of them. She said that if things got bad for me here, I could escape for there.” Darrah’s eyes lit up. “She’s encouraging you to run away?” She angrily said. Timoteo said “No, no. Calm down. She just meant that, if things looked grim, I had a last resort. If it turned into a slaughter, I could...Save myself instead of dying with everybody, essentially.” The sound of the bandit war drums reached them then, the sound finally managing to crawl over the perimeter wall. Neither of them reacted. “Still sounds to me like Bianca wants you to run away.” Darrah coolly said.
Timoteo quickly said “She’s looking out for me, Darrah. She made a way out for me, and I’m thankful. If the worst comes to pass, you can be sure I’ll be using that escape route.” Darrah’s face turned angry, and her mouth hung open. Before she could speak, he quickly said “And if that happens, if we’re both standing, I want you to come with me.” Darrah regarded him with sudden surprise, closing her mouth. She was silent for a second before sputtering out “I...” Timoteo relaxed a little, saying “It’d be easy. We were planning on sticking together anyway, right?” Darrah looked off to the side, her eyes falling towards the ground. “We could get separated, somehow.” She said. “So, I’ll find you. You’ve never been to the Greatwood Cullis Gate. I’d have to teleport you with me.” He flatly said. She met his eyes again, her eyes widening a little. “Bianca and I might fight when we see each other. I know I don’t want to see her ever again.” She warned.
“A fight, I can deal with. One of us dying? That’s another issue.” Timoteo simply said, raising an eyebrow at her. Darrah stared into his eyes for a few silent seconds. “Ready your crossbows!” Wesley’s voice rose up, a loud clamour acting as chorus as the guards pulled bolts on their crossbows. Quietly yet solemnly, Darrah said “I’m not running from my home, Tim. This is my family.” Timoteo firmly said “I’m not talking about leaving at the first sign of trouble. I’m saying that if we start losing, and things look hopeless, I’m getting us both out of here.” Darrah shook her head gently, raising her eyebrows a little, looking over to the guards standing on the perimeter wall. “Aim for the front of the horde, chances are that’s where the majority of the firearm users are!” Wesley called out. Darrah stared at the guards for a second before saying “I-” Timoteo snapped out “Why are you so eager to die here?” Darrah met his eyes again, her eyes beginning to turn angry.
He relaxed his tone, saying “Look, I know it probably hurts to even think about the idea of the bandits winning, but we need to be prepared for anything. You don’t need to die here. It’s your home, these people are your family, but I just can’t let you die here if things get bad.” Darrah’s eyes relaxed a little. He took a step closer to her, reaching over, taking her hands in his. She looked down at their hands with just a hint of surprise, her metal gauntlets making his hands look a little small by comparison. “You’re my best friend, remember? I’ll be damned if I leave you here for some bandit to kill.” He said. Darrah smiled a little, her eyes glimmering a little. “...Okay.” She said, with a heavy sigh. She met his eyes again, nodding, saying “I’ll...I’ll leave with you, if things get hopeless. But I’m not going to like it.” “Thank you. Avo, it took you long enough to accept it.” He said, smiling a little. Darrah chuckled lightly. “Let ‘em loose!” Wesley shouted, the crossbowmen on the perimeter wall raising up their weapons.
A massive “choong” rose up as the guards all fired their crossbows, nearly in perfect unison. Timoteo and Darrah released hands as they looked up into the sky over the perimeter wall. For about a second, they saw the cloud of bolts arc up into the sky, heading for the bandit horde like furious insects. A few moments later, the guards let loose another volley of bolts. “Keep at them! Decimate their numbers!” Wesley shouted out. “I wish we could see how close they were getting.” Timoteo commented. The war drums continued to beat for a few seconds before abruptly ceasing. A massive war cry rose up beyond the perimeter wall, the bandits collectively shouting. The ground beneath their feet trembled a little as the bandit horde took off in a sprint for the estate. “Prepare crossbows!” Wesley shouted, looking to the guards on the estate grounds. All the guards by Timoteo and Darrah began to load their crossbows with bolts, the guards on the perimeter wall letting loose frantic volley after volley.
Darrah spotted a guard sprinting across the grounds, coming from the northern side of the estate. With the guard racing over to the lord, Darrah grabbed Timoteo by his elbow, pulling him along for a second. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked, with a bit of annoyance. “Something’s up, that guard’s panicking over something.” Darrah said, seriously. Timoteo pulled his arm away from her grip, walking along with her as she rushed over to her father. “I’m already tired of doing nothing. We’re just sitting here.” Darrah firmly said. The two made it to the lord in time to catch some of what the guard had been saying. “...Ling down, and next thing I knew, everybody was dead! Some bandits showed up, it’s a sneak attack from behind, we need to send some guys! I don’t know how long until they scale the wall! They could be over it already!” “Okay, settle down, my man.” The lord reassuringly said. Shouting loud, he said “Guards to the northern wall! Bandits are trying to scale the wall!”
Many of the guards on the western and eastern sides of the perimeter wall rushed along, heading for the northern wall. Suddenly, Wesley shouted out “Get down!!” He ducked down behind part of the perimeter wall, all of the guards on the perimeter wall trying to do the same. What sounded like rapid claps of thunder appeared on the other side of the perimeter wall, and a few guards collapsed, either on to the perimeter wall or over the side and on the estate grounds. Timoteo glanced at Darrah, saying “I need to go, I could help them!” Darrah was about to say something when he rushed off. The lord looked at the guard severely. “What happened, exactly?” The guard took a breath to steady himself, saying “I don’t know, I d-don’t know, my lord. One minute, everybody was fine, the next, everybody started going a little pale. Jerry started breaking out in a cold sweat. He started to shake. Next thing I knew, people were falling down. I...I think I was the only one not to.”
The lord looked at Darrah, muttering “Sounds like poison. But that can’t be from the bandits...” Darrah’s eyes lit up with rage. “A traitor.” She muttered, just barely keeping her voice in check. The lord’s eyes went dark. “I don’t doubt it. I can’t believe someone would dare to-” An unfamiliar voice shouting out drew the trio’s attention. Darrah, her father, and the guard all looked over to part of the perimeter wall. A man dressed in ragged scraps of leather armour stood on the perimeter wall, clashing swords with one of the lord’s guards. Another one was clambering over the wall, grinning viciously. Darrah pulled on her helmet and drew her sword, saying “I’ll help get rid of them!” before she took off in a run. Timoteo, meanwhile, was searching through the injured for those he could save with a Heal Life casting. Fortunately, most of those he found hadn’t been killed instantly, and he was able to save them with his magic. The estate’s own healers, apparently assistants to the mansion infirmary keeper, were making their way through like he was.
Starting on the opposite side from where Timoteo had started, they tended to whoever they found. Timoteo slammed down to the perimeter wall’s top with everyone else when the bandits let out another wall of slugs, finding himself trying to reach more guards in need of healing. As he headed for one guard, another collapsed right in front of him, hit by a bandit who had been saving his slug. The guard collapsed in a heavy heap, blood gushing from their throat. Timoteo scrambled to pull their helmet off, seeing that the guard was female. Her face was already quite pale. A large gash was on the left side of her neck, gushing blood in copious amounts. She tried speaking, staring up at the sky as another volley of bolts flew from the guards on the estate grounds. “Hang on, I’ve got you!” Timoteo said, about to cast Heal Life when the guard violently coughed up blood, distracting him for a second. She went still. Timoteo cast the spell a second later, and though the gash in her neck closed, she didn’t react. Timoteo stared into her glassy eyes for a moment before he realized he had been too slow with the spell. He grit his teeth a little before he moved on, getting to his feet and racing for the next injured guard.
Darrah raced up on to the perimeter wall, holding her sword tight in one hand, her shield ready with the other. A bandit swung for a guard’s head, and as the guard jumped back to dodge the blow, Darrah rushed forwards and plunged her sword through the bandit’s chest. She shot her shield up as another bandit swung an axe for her, Darrah deflecting the blow. She swung her sword horizontally under her shield, slashing open the bandit’s stomach. Looking to the edge of the perimeter wall, she saw that the bandits were climbing over through the use of ropes. The odd thing was, the ropes were wrapped and knotted around small pieces of the wall. She knew that there must certainly have been a traitor working with the bandits, then. It was simply impossible for the bandits to have prepared the ropes, otherwise. “And since the guard that ran to daddy didn’t even mention the ropes, they must have been set after...Or, no, beforehand, but nobody noticed them. How could they have not...? He said he didn’t know how long it would take for the bandits to scale the walls, which must mean he had seen the ropes.”
Darrah narrowed her eyes, suddenly getting a sinking feeling that the guard that had rushed to her father had been the traitor, in question. Swinging her sword over, she slammed the edge of the blade down against part of the perimeter wall, biting through one of the bandits’ ropes in one hit. Screams of panic rose up down below, along with numerous heavy thuds. “Cut their damn ropes! Make them fall!” Darrah shouted out. She saw a bandit impale a guard through the stomach with his sword, laughing at the kill. Spotting Darrah, he pointed his sword at her, calling out “There’s one of the damn Heroes! Kill ‘em!!” Darrah didn’t wonder how the bandit knew she was a Hero, her pumping adrenaline beginning to clear her mind of everything but battle. A pair of guards ran past her, both striking out at different bandits with their swords. Darrah shot her shield up as the bandit that had pointed her out ran for her, swinging his sword down for her head.
She pulled her shield back and swung it out at the bandit, bashing into him and stunning him momentarily. She pulled her shield to the side and rammed into him, knocking him over the edge of the perimeter wall, hearing him cry out as he plummeted to the ground far below. Another guard cut through one of the bandit ropes, more cries rising up as bandits fell to the ground. The same guard tried cutting through another rope, but a firearm went off as he tried, blood blowing from the back of the guard’s helmet as they collapsed. A gruff-looking bandit, dressed in leather armour with a metal plate fastened to both the chest and back, climbed up over the wall, holding a firearm in one hand. He holstered his firearm as another guard ran for him, the bandit twisting the guard to the side, launching them over the edge of the wall. He grinned as another guard swung for him, the bandit unsheathing their cleaver, clashing blades with the guard. Darrah was about to cut through a bandit rope when the climber, near the top of the wall, shot their sword up at her, crying out “Fuck off, I ain’t fallin’!”
Darrah dodged the sword and swung her own down into the rope, the bandit crying out as the rope went slack in his hands, falling with the man. Darrah saw the gruff bandit overpower and slay the guard he had been facing, sheathing his cleaver before quickly beginning to reload his firearm. Firearms rapidly went off in the distance, along with slams as the bandits tried bashing open the front gate, not realizing it would be almost impossible to open. Darrah sprinted for the bandit with the firearm, raising her sword up high. He reloaded before she could reach her, firing off a hasty shot without more than a second of aiming. Darrah stifled a cry as the bandit’s slug blew through her armour, hitting her in the left side of her chest. Another searing spike of pain was driven through her as another bandit fired at her, hitting her in the lower back from behind. The gruff bandit jumped off the perimeter wall, landing down in the estate grounds with a thud.
He took a moment to recover, then went off in a sprint towards the front of the grounds. Darrah spun around, slashing across the chest of the bandit that had shot her from behind. She swung her shield into his arm as he tried grabbing his mace, swinging her sword over her head. The edge of her blade crashed down into the top of the man’s skull, burying into his head partially. The bandit went limp and collapsed, the blade obviously having hit his skull’s precious cargo. Darrah, panting, sheathed her sword. Reaching into the pack at her hip, she pulled out a potion, pulling off her helmet for no more than a few moments to quaff the potion down. Pulling on her helmet again, she saw a few bandits to be climbing up the last few ropes. Running over in a rage, she held out her arms and crashed into two of them, shoving them off of the edge of the wall. Unsheathing her blade, she deflected a few blows from a third bandit before running him through on her sword, kicking him over the edge of the wall afterwards.
Her blade was thoroughly drenched in crimson as she swung it through the last few ropes, the guards letting up cheers at the sight over the wall’s edge. A fairly large pile of bodies, mostly bandits, lay crumpled and broken at the base of the wall. There were another two dozen bandits at the foot of the wall, already beginning to take off. The knight with the estate horn went off again, Darrah looking over towards the forest by the estate’s east side. A flood of about two hundred knights suddenly ran out from the forest, half of them heading for the estate’s east side, the rest heading along the northern side for the western side. Miller’s men made short work of the bandits that were left, taking them down as quickly as possible so they could get to the bandits at the other side of the estate. Darrah took off along the perimeter wall, making her way down to the estate grounds, racing towards the southern side. She wasn’t sure where the gruff-looking bandit had gone to, but she kept an eye out for him as she made her way back to Timoteo and her father.
Timoteo took a slug in the shoulder, falling to a knee as he got behind cover on the perimeter wall. He clenched his jaw tight at the pain, finding himself too drained of mana to cast Heal Life on himself. Reaching over his shoulder and rummaging around in his pack, he found a mana potion, uncorking it and drinking it down in a few seconds. While he was at it, he found a healing potion, drinking it down, too. Timoteo glanced off to the side, seeing Darrah marching towards her father. He faintly heard her shout out “Where is he?!” He didn’t catch what her father said, but he did see him point off to a guard nearby, firing his crossbow over the perimeter wall from the estate grounds. Then, something else caught his eye. On the eastern and western sides of the perimeter wall, the guards stationed there were all massing into the estate grounds, apparently to join in on firing their crossbows at the bandits. He saw someone creeping up on to the perimeter wall from a secluded stone staircase, unnoticed by all the guards rushing by.
They were dressed in a gray robe of sorts, blending in surprisingly well with the stone of the perimeter wall. His eyes narrowed when he saw the coils of rope gripped in the figure’s right hand. “Rope? What’s the rope for? And why are they sneaking?” He thought. He didn’t think it possible for a bandit to have gotten on the estate grounds, but the figure was acting too suspiciously for him to ignore. As he made his way down the perimeter wall, Darrah found the guard who had brought the bandits’ sneak attack to her father’s attention. “You!!” She furiously called out. The guard looked at her with confusion, along with a few others nearby. Darrah, still holding her blade unsheathed, rushed up to the guard. He gasped with pain when she ran him through on it. Darrah muttered “Traitor!” into his ear before pulling her sword free from him, letting him collapse to the ground. “Darrah! What in Avo’s name-?” The lord called out, rushing over.
Numerous nearby guards pulled out their swords, pointing them at her. “He either knew about those ropes and let them be, or he set them up himself! They were all tied from the top of the wall, the bandits couldn’t have set them themselves!” Darrah angrily said. The guard spit up blood, grabbing at his fatal wound. The lord seemed a little surprised, glancing at the guard. “Stand down.” He said, the guards pointing their swords at Darrah relaxing. The lord knelt down by the guard, grabbing him by the gorget of his breastplate. With a heavy pull, he yanked the guard up into a sitting position. “Did you betray my family, knight?” The lord asked, in a bit of a hiss. The guard actually smiled a little. “I’m not the only one.” The guard simply said, blood running down his chin. The lord’s face went dark. He released the guard, letting him collapse back down to the ground. “Leave him. He can bleed out in the dirt like the betrayer he is.” The lord said.
Darrah stared down hatefully at the guard, looking back up a few seconds later. She spotted Timoteo hurrying across the estate grounds for the eastern wall, her face going mildly confused at the sight. She began to walk after him, eventually breaking into a jog. Timoteo rushed through crowds of guards until he made it to a stone staircase leading up to the eastern wall. Just then, a massive war cry rose up from beyond the southern side of the perimeter wall, Miller’s men racing out from behind the eastern and wester sides of the estate, flanking the bandits. The crossbowmen on the perimeter wall had a much easier time aiming and firing down into the bandits, now that the bandits’ attention was placed more on Miller’s men. Wesley had the knight with the estate horn sound off one more time, letting the knights in Sundale know to come up at the bandits’ backsides. The guards in the estate’s yard ceased firing up over the wall blindly, as now there was a chance that they might hit an ally.
Timoteo ran up onto the perimeter wall, taking a moment to spot the figure. He saw them, crouched down by the northeast corner of the perimeter wall, already at work skilfully tying a rope around a small protrusion on the top of the perimeter wall. He heard someone rushing up the stairs behind him, looking over at who it was. He saw Darrah, running up to meet him. “Darrah, whoever they are, they’re tying a rope to part of the wall. I don’t know if they want to get down, or-” Darrah cut him off, muttering “They’re a traitor, and they’re trying to let in bandits. They already did, on the north side. Barely kept them out. They’re not pulling that crap again!” Darrah spotted the figure, taking off in a full sprint towards them. Timoteo ran after her, one hand on the handle of his mace in case the apparent traitor put up a fight. When Darrah neared the figure, they froze for a moment, perhaps in shock over having been discovered. When Darrah was about to grab them, they tried throwing the rope they had over the edge of the wall.
Darrah grabbed them before they could, tossing the figure back on the perimeter wall until they had collapsed to their back. The figure let up a high-pitched, feminine grunt, Timoteo looking at the figure severely along with Darrah. The figure was wearing their stone-coloured cloak over a tight-fitting tunic of gray leather, not as stone-coloured as the cloak, but still apparently meant to help the wearer blend in against stone. The tunic showed off the traitor’s womanly figure, revealing them to be female. The figure was wearing a long hood, the hood shying away their eyes completely. They had creamy skin, and a face Timoteo felt like he recognized, from what he could see. Darrah stomped down on the figure’s stomach, forcing them to let up a cry. Timoteo narrowed his eyes. “I know your voice...” His eyes widened a little as realization dawned on him. The figure’s bottom lip trembled, their mouth hanging open a little. Darrah hatefully said “Death in battle is too good for someone like you. You’re pathetic. I’m glad you’ve got rope with you, because you’re not going to be doing anything until after this battle is over. Then, you’re gonna march your ass up to the guillotine. We’ll all get a show out of you.”
“No, no please-!” “Shut up!” Darrah snapped out. Timoteo walked over to the figure’s side, reaching down, pulling back their hood. The traitor was Amanda the maid. Timoteo’s brow furrowed. “Amanda...” He mumbled. Amanda looked up into his eyes tearfully. “Timoteo...I’m sorry.” She softly said. “Sorry? You think you’re gonna talk your way out of this?” Darrah said, with venomous amusement. Timoteo shook his head a little, not wanting to believe what was staring him in the face. Darrah took her foot from Amanda’s stomach, reaching down and grabbing her coil of rope. Grabbing Amanda by the hair, Darrah made her scream when she pulled Amanda into a sitting position. “Stay still, or I’ll just beat you until you stop fighting.” Darrah coldly said, the fury in her voice barely contained. A few tears crept down Amanda’s cheeks. Darrah started looping the rope around Amanda’s torso, trapping her arms by her sides. Amanda shut her eyes tight. “I can’t believe it...” Timoteo muttered.
“I’m sorry!...” Amanda said, with evident shame. Timoteo felt rage rise inside him at what felt like a personal betrayal. To think, Amanda would help the bandits slay those within the estate, even him, too? Timoteo’s jaw went tight as he turned around and walked over to the edge of the perimeter wall. Staring down at the foot of the wall, he saw a group of bandits, numbering around two dozen. Obviously, they were awaiting Amanda’s rope to fall down for them to climb up. Holding his hands up by his sides, he shouted out “Hey!” The bandits all looked up in surprise. Timoteo’s hands were engulfed in flames a moment later. He said nothing, beginning to throw down spheres of exploding flames, the bandits’ cries rising up as his fire licked through their armour and scorched their flesh. Timoteo watched them burn, not stopping his attacks until the bandits were all a big clump of black, burnt skin, barely recognizable as human anymore.
By then, Darrah had Amanda securely tied up. “I’ll have some of my father’s knights watch her until we’re ready to give her a proper execution.” Darrah muttered. “Good. I’ll be there when it happens.” Timoteo darkly said, staring hard into Amanda’s eyes. Amanda seemed painfully shocked at his new hatred for her, her chin quivering as more tears ran down her cheeks. Timoteo looked at Darrah, saying “Let’s see if we can be of more use near the battle, hm?” Darrah smiled a little, saying “Good idea. There's a bandit skulking around somewhere on the grounds, I wanna be the one to cut him down.” The two walked off together, descending from the perimeter wall, leaving the condemned Amanda where she sat...
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Fable : Fall of the Guild