Gaheris II

Ok, Gaheris part II. NOt sure if this is it, i want to put more desvription in it.... oh well
TJFNW

Gaheris II- The Legend Continues.

He was travelling north, his heading unknown, his mind full of thoughts and memories. His mind focused on the image of the blood soaked warrior, black standard raised high the eyes of the snake motif mocking him from the hill top as the raiders marched away.
The stink of burning flesh clinging to his nostrils, the screams of the dying in his ears, filling his head with the sound of suffering, the torment was too much to bare, an attack on his body.
He’d blamed himself, he should have been there, should have protected them, not off on some campaign.

Gaheris came back to reality, the self hate burning stronger than before. He preferred to travel alone, companions always thought him a hero, and those who didn’t know him saw him as prey.
He assumed that was the intention of the four men that blocked the road ahead of him, he was prey. All looked poor, their weapons a mix of axes and rusted swords. Images flashed into his mind, images of a fifth.

He ducked the arrow from his right and rolled to a ready position, sword levelled in front of him, all his senses scanning the five men.
They encircled him, pacing slowly, their steps heavy,
‘Ho friends, how may I help?’ He forced humour into his voice.
The man from the bushes spoke ‘There’s a tax for this road, you haven’t paid’
The circle became tighter; the stink of the individual men became one.

A flash of a sword swing in his mind, he dived forward thrusting his blade up. The man's swing missed him by an inch, the air whistling in his ears; it was repaid by a vicious stab to the gut. He swept his sword clear of the flesh and turned, his dark cloak catching the wind.
Two of the men stepped back; the familiar fear filled their eyes. The cold sweat of fear filled the air and the acrid urine stench.

The other two came forward, one the archer from the bushes. In his mind he saw him feint then swing left. He side stepped to the right, and then sent a heavy slash into the bowman’s neck.
His head fell to the slush covered path, the other man turned to run, but Gaheris’s sword went down slicing the muscles of the man's legs. He fell crying out in pain to the floor. The blind fighter gripped his sword in two hands and pushed all his weight on to the mans heart. The blade crushed muscle and bone in its path, the impact jarring his arms.

He cleaned the blade with the archer’s tunic; the rough material grating slightly on the polished steel, and continued his walk, the other two raiders having long since gone. He felt oddly remorseful that there would be no more death; he went back to his memories.