The scythe passes over Lady Rosalee's head as she rolls under it and toward its owner. She slashes her thin sword at his exposed knee, but he only jumps back and raises his leg over the sword, laughing.

  She was getting very sick of his smiling and laughing. All he does is laugh! He isn't taking this seriously at all.

  He only used magic that one time! He probably could have finished me and Joshua both off already if he just used magic instead of the scythe.

  I really wish Joshua would join in. Together we could push him to at the very least use magic instead of the scythe.

  No, Joshua had to run away as soon as his attention was focused on me. He probably ran back to Sir Darvill. Even if he reaches her and informs her of our situation, we will still be long dead before they arrive.

  Creed swipes the scythe upwards from the ground. She parries it with her shield while lunging forward, trying to score a hit. Smiling, he lets go of the scythe with one hand and uses his cloak to twirl around her sword and pull it to the side, tangling it.

  He slices down with the scythe using only one arm. Lady Rosalee rolls to the side, freeing her sword from his cloak and dodging the scythe once more.

  I don't think I can beat him by myself; I am going to need help. I don't even care who it is at this point. I just need someone to help me.

  ? ? ?

  Gregory is on his hands and knees, bleeding from a new cut across his face. I can't keep up with him. How can he move that thing around as if it weighs nothing?

  Rufus approaches Gregory slowly as if he doesn't have a care in the world. He raises the sword to end Gregory's life when Gregory suddenly grabs a handful of dirt and rocks and throws it into his face.

  The first words Rufus has spoken since the fight began leave his mouth in the form of curses. He lowers the sword to his shoulder and rubs his eyes with his other hand.

  People are far too used to the idea of honorable heroes and forget that no one wants to just accept their fate. After throwing the dirt, Gregory stands up and jabs the sword as hard as he can into Rufus' gut.

  Rufus seems surprised for a second before backhanding Gregory hard enough to drop him back to the ground. Squinting with watery eyes, Rufus grabs the blade of the sword stuck in his gut and pulls it out before tossing it next to Gregory.

  Even while blood leaks down, he goes back to rubbing his eyes as if he were not wounded.

  What is this man? That wound should have been fatal or, at the very least, been agonizing. Even the bleeding seems to have slowed down, or maybe completely stopped; I am not sure.

  Dammit! There is no way he is human. Gregory grabs the sword and quickly gets back to his feet.

  While observing Rufus, he tries to steady his shaking hands. He is clearly unnerved by the man’s unnatural healing.

  Rufus finally gets the crud out of his eyes; he turns, spits, and stretches his neck before looking back at Gregory. They look at each other for a long time before Gregory rushes forward.

  Standing still, Rufus waits for the attack. Once Gregory slashes, he grabs the sword, letting it bite deeply into his hand before swinging the greatsword down across Gregory. Blood splatters, and Gregory falls to his knees before slumping.

  Throwing the sword from his mangled hand, Rufus swings the great sword around and with a single stroke removes Gregory's head.

  Once the fight is over, he drives the sword into the ground and starts taking things out of a pouch on his belt and doctors up his wounded hand. After finishing with that, he also takes the time to add some of the same stuff to the wound on his gut.

  The bleeding comes to a stop, and he seems satisfied. He turns to where Creed is still fighting the squire.

  "Hey, Creed, I'm injured, and I have no idea where the others went. I'm going to head back, let them know after you finish up playing with your toy." Without waiting for a reply, he turns and walks back into the woods from whence they came.

  Lady Rosalee is given a second to catch her breath as the man she is fighting turns and acknowledges Rufus with a nod.

  Dammit, he doesn't even stay focused on me! He doesn't even see me as a threat. The only reason that the other one would be leaving is that Gregory is dead.

  Dammit, this isn't good at all. I guess if they did see me as a threat, it would be worse, then I'd have to fight two of them. She grits her teeth in anger and starts a series of strikes at the scythe-wielding man.

  The scythe parries her attacks and slices at her again and again. Most of his hits she manages to dodge or block, but a couple of them actually connect with her armor, shredding her surcoat and throwing her backwards.

  Creed’s smile vanishes for a second. Tsk, it's a shame this squire has such good armor. If it were chainmail like that other one’s was, I could have cut into it by now.

  These plate pieces completely block my slashes, though. I will need to go around it and bite into her deeply with the tip. He barely moves his body, keeping a relaxed composure as he constantly forces her to move around, rolling and ducking his blade.

  His smile returns with a vengeance. Bleed for me!

  ? ? ?

  The woman and gauntleted man follow after Max’s trail. It is clear that he is fleeing in a hurry and wasn’t bothering to try to hide which way he was going.

  That is weird, he had the advantage against us. Even with Johnathan’s unplanned distraction allowing us out of his little ambush, he shouldn’t have been in this much of a hurry. The woman is disquieted over the clear trail.

  They have no other option other than to follow it, so they do. Soon, they arrive at a bush that looks like someone had pushed their way through it with some bits of leather and fur stuck in it.

  This is way too obvious. This has to be a trap. Before she can call out to her companion, he pushes his way through the bush.

  He wasn’t attacked? It’s not a trap? Seeing him safely through, she follows suit but says on guard.

  A high-pitched yapping screeching sound comes from all around them. Great, I knew it was a trap. Seven needleleafs rush forward at the two of them.

  “Sonuvabitch!” The gauntleted man barely gets his left arm up and into the mouth of the first one that jumps at him.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  While it distracts him, another clamps down on his right leg. He screams out in pain and punches a third one, trying to make a meal out of his side while he is distracted by the other two.

  The woman fares much better and slays the first one that jumps at her. As she goes to strike the next one, an arrow hits her in her shoulder, moving the sword away from the leaping needleleaf.

  It doesn’t manage to latch onto her side where it hits, but turns, clinging to her and bites her hard on the hip. Growling in pain, she impales it with the rapier as another one jumps, biting her right arm holding the rapier.

  Not given a moment’s reprieve, another arrow hits her near the one in her shoulder. She spins behind a tree, trying to get the needleleaf off of her arm.

  “Morgan! I need some help over here. Watch out for arrows.” She spares a glance at her comrade, only to leave her mouth hanging open.

  She watches as an arrow tears into his back while he has a needleleaf on both legs and one gnawing on his gauntlet, with another circling him. Pulling a dagger from behind her back, she stabs at the needleleaf on her arm.

  As it falls away dead, she sees Max standing in the distance with an arrow aimed at her. Quickly, she pulls the rapier from the dead one still attached to her hip and readies to block.

  Max simply smiles and aims higher, letting the arrow fly. His aim is true, and the beehive crashes down onto his unsuspecting victim. These people have no business running about the woods.

  I never really gave those things the credit they deserve. Fighting them one at a time is easy enough. Hell, the woman was able to handle the first one like it was nothing. It is when they attack in groups, and you are unprepared, that they are a threat.

  She might have been able to take the three of them if I hadn’t helped them, but the man? Sheesh, he will probably be dead if she doesn’t help him, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

  While the woman is distracted by the swarm of angry bees, he sends three more arrows at the man struggling against the needleleafs. The man is completely distracted, and two of the arrows hit true, and he falls over.

  The needleleafs grow even more excited as their meal stops struggling. The woman sees her companion fall and flees away from Max, the bees, and the distracted needleleafs.

  Max doesn’t give chase, only heads in the opposite direction. There is no way you give up that easily. I am not going to be lured into a trap like an idiot. I’m not like you fools.

  Escaping from all the things attacking her, the woman takes a moment to collect herself. Dammit all to hell. How did it turn out this way?

  It was supposed to be a simple ambush with the main guards away fighting the giants. Now Morgan is dead, and me and Johnathan are wounded.

  She begins to bandage up her wounds, putting some sort of poultice from her pouch onto the bites and arrow wounds. He truly is dangerous.

  I thought that Connor was just a fool who was overconfident and was giving him more credit than he was due. If he did fight his paladins one at a time after catching them off guard, I can clearly see how, even at his age, he could have killed four of them.

  I can’t go back empty-handed again. I will need help, so I should head back to Johnathan, and we should proceed carefully after the boy.

  Once he figures out we aren’t following him, he will probably go about setting up another hellish trap for us, but won’t just run away.

  ? ? ?

  Lady Rosalee is finding it hard to breathe as she holds the wound on her side just under her chestplate. He is too much. Dammit, where is Max?

  Why couldn’t Joshua have stayed and helped? Tears roll down her cheeks as she dodges the scythe again. I can’t keep this up. I can barely dodge anymore.

  She keeps backing away from him and focusing on dodging the wicked blade while he just laughs. I could run. Even with this wound, I could probably outpace him.

  But where would I run to? If I am out in the open on the road, he will just use his magic and either kill or catch me. There are enemies in the woods on both sides.

  Granted, the one that went where they came from probably wouldn’t expect me to run in there with him, but he’s still in there.

  I could go after Max and the people chasing him, but if the two they left here are any indication, I don't think he is faring much better in there. I would only get in his way.

  Soon, the sound of hoofbeats can be heard in the distance. No way, it couldn’t be Sir Darvill? It hasn’t been long enough.

  Lady Rosalee glances down the road where Joshua went, but no one can be seen. Panicked, she turns quickly back to the man with the scythe. She notices him looking in the opposite direction, paying her no mind at all.

  Following his gaze, she notices a man riding towards them on a grey and white horse. He is middle-aged and wearing a golden brigandine armor, with several swords strapped to the side of his horse.

  With almost a bored expression on his face, he slows as he sees the scene in front of him. A headless soldier, an exploded horse, and a squire fighting a strange man with a scythe.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” He leans forward, smiling, and observes the two of them.

  This might be my only chance. I have no idea who he is or what he is doing here, but I don’t have any other option. I hope this gamble pays off. Lady Rosalee throws her helmet to the side and addresses the man.

  “I am Lady Rosalee Braye of Ashbury. I request your assistance in dealing with this brigand who ambushed me and my escort as we made for The Terrace.”

  The man on the horse raises his eyebrow and watches as the man with the scythe turns and looks at Rosalee with a surprised expression upon his face.

  “For a young Lady, you sure handled him well. Most girls your age would have cried and run away; instead, you chose to fight. Your efforts are quite admirable, especially when your… knight? Lost his head to him.”

  Well, he doesn’t appear to be leaving, so that is something. I hoped he would join in. Glancing between the two men, Lady Rosalee nervously explains.

  “He was a soldier of my family, the knight escorting me is dealing with some stone giants down the road. We rode ahead to stay safe from the fight when we were set upon.”

  “This man wasn’t alone. After killing our guardian, his partner went back to wherever they came from to see to his wounds. The others of their group chased another member of my group into the woods behind me.”

  The man on the horse looks more carefully at the cloaked man with the scythe. “You don’t seem like a common brigand. Well armed with a unique weapon and decent enough gear from what I can see.”

  “You don’t seem to have had an idea who she was, thinking as I did that she was a simple squire. I’m guessing the stone giants weren’t an accident; it was to separate this bunch from the main group, and you’re after the one that got chased into the woods.”

  “Now knowing who she is and that she is nobility, will you leave without a fight?” The listless and sharp look in his eyes contrasts with his almost playful attitude, showing both his hope and resignation in understanding how futile it is.

  “This is none of your business. Just move along, and you won’t meet your end here.” Creed grips his scythe, the handle behind him with the blade to his right, and focuses on the man upon the horse.

  He keeps Lady Rosalee in the corner of his vision in case she rushes him again. It seems every time he let his guard down, even a little, she would charge recklessly forward to try and press the advantage.

  She didn’t even realize that he was purposely leaving those openings to give her hope, encouraging her to keep fighting and not give up. For the first time since the fight started, he isn’t smiling.

  “Take care, he doesn’t just use the scythe but also magic. He blew up one of our horses with fire magic, and then later, he used some sort of magical force to fling me away from him earlier.” Holding her still bleeding side, she tries to keep her guard up.

  She isn’t letting her guard down in case the scythe-wielding mage decides to finish her off before dealing with the man on the horse. She still holds out hope that the man will help her.

  Please, I need more than just a distraction or a moment's rest. I cannot beat this man by myself. I have no idea who you are, but please, kind sir, take pity on me and help me out.

  The man on horseback sighs and dismounts the horse gracefully as if he had no worries in the world. He draws a hand-and-a-half sword from the horse’s side and looks down the length of the shining, polished blade.

  Seeming satisfied by the way he finds it, he turns and takes a single step toward Creed. “I really do not wish to kill you. I cannot in good conscience leave this young lady alone with you. Given her family, it really wouldn’t be good if anyone found out I denied her simple request.”

  “Fool! You should have just rode on!” Creed drops his scythe behind him. Chanting in an alien tongue, magic surges towards him. His hands move through the air as he forms weird-looking sigils with them.

  “I guess you have made up your mind.” Faster than the eye can follow, the man slashes with his sword before returning it to the sheath on the side of his horse.

  An energy blade bursts forth from the slash and bisects Creed mid-word. His expression is one of disbelief as both halves of him fall to the ground.

  Lady Rosalee’s mouth hangs wide open. The man she had struggled against was killed before anyone could react. After securing the sword on the side of the horse, the man approaches her while she is stunned.

  “Let me see that wound of yours, it is bleeding something bad. I should have something to fix that up.”

  “Who are you?” She stares dumbfoundedly at the man as he kneels and starts to check the wound on her side.

  “Oh, me? I am Margrave Bradley Vince. It is nice to meet you, Lady Braye.”