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Leech's odyssey-Chapter 10: new horizons
When Leech finally awoke it was near dusk. His vision was blurred and his chest and head pounded with pain, "******** hate poison...Wait! Where am i, and where's my sword!?". He slowly looked around and found himself in a make-shift wooden cage. He swatted groggily at the wooden bars before him, taking out one whole side. Just as the bars snapped the cage lurched then broke apart completely and Leech found himself falling. He landed on his back as parts from the wooden cage hit him in the face, "Well hell. Guess I should look before i leap.", Leech though as he slowly got on his feet and dusted his clothes off. When he looked up he saw a young man, about twenty, a few yards away staring at him wide-eyed and trembling.
The boy wore the same kind of black robe the at man who had attack him earlier did, Leech immediately understood that he had been taken prisoner. Leech looked around for others but found none, he looked back at the boy and smiled, closed is eyes, and shock his head. Suddenly his head snapped back up to reveal deep red pupils as he stared right into the young man's eyes. Leech walk slowly still smiling and maintaining eye contact with the man, who now looked as though he were about to fall asleep. When he finally reached the robed man he placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a calm whisper, "Where am I?", the young man replied in a strange monotone, "The headquarters of the Black Out Assassins.". Leech nodded, "Okay. Did they also capture a girl, not far away from where they found me?", "Yes. The guards put her in the detention house.", the man replied still in the monotone voice. "Where is that?", Leech demanded, but still whispering, "Back of the main complex, about a mile from here, to the north.". "Why were we attacked in the first place?", Leech asked, his voice calm again, "The lookout saw two armed people approaching, so they raised an alarm and a squad was sent to bring you in for questioning, but then you attacked.".
"One last question. Where is my sword?", "It should have been taken to the store room next to the detention house.". Leech nodded and moved his hand from the man's shoulder to his forehead, "Thanks for the help. I think you should sleep now.", as soon as he said that the man dropped to the ground like a rag-doll and Leech stepped over him and continued north. He ran for only a couple of minutes before stopping suddenly, "Probably not the best idea to just go running through there, not like this anyway.", he thought as he closed his eyes and felt the transformation as his nose and mouth became a snout and red and white fur sprouted on his body and in seconds he was on all fours, back in his fox form again. He then took of running again, he was surprised that he had never noticed how much he enjoyed it, the freedom, the felt of the wind blowing through his fur, he felt very comfortable. He ran for several more minutes before slowing as he heard talking, foot steps, and metal clanking.
He slowly snuck through the trees, careful to beware of people and animal traps, even though as a fox he'd be less noticeable, it was still a dangerous place to be. He soon came upon a clearing with many smaller building surrounding a larger, taller one. He crept along the back of the closest one and slowly and cautiously looked for the detention house that the young man had mentioned. He continued toward the back of the compound, when he reached the final row of building he looked for one with a lock or barred windows. The third building he came upon gave off a failure cent, he immediately realized it was Alice. He suddenly returned to his human form, there was a window near the building's roof, but it was too small for him to crawl through, "Well dammit! guess I'll need to do this the hard way.". He looked around to ensure no one was around, then with one swift motion he arched his arms back then drove his palms into the building wall.
The wall exploded inward, sending large and small pieces of stone and wood flying inside, Leech sped into the room before the rubble had finished falling. There were three guards inside, one was clearly dead beneath the stone, Leech figured he must have been standing right against the wall when he struck it. The other two were standing near the door, stunned by the surprise entrance, Leech dashed toward them and before they could react he slammed their heads together, knocking both men unconscious. He looked scanned the room and found Alice on the wall farthest from the door, her arms and legs were bound to the wall, her clothes were torn, and she had been slightly beaten. "Alice! are you okay?", Leech asked in a panicked voice, Alice looked up at him and smiled as blood slowly dripped from her lip, "I'm fine, those little punks punch weaker than a baby, but out of curiosity, what took ya so long?", she laughed. "Poison slowed me down, But I'm here now, and i intend to get set things straight.", he said as he tore the chain restraints from the wall and freed her. "You should make your way to a safe place in the trees while i go have a talk with these people.", Leech said in a strangely calm voice, it wasn't forceful, but Alice didn't seem to want to raise an argument, she just nodded and quickly made her way into the darkening forest.
Leech slowly walk to the barred and locked door of the building and kicked it, sending it flying strait off it's hinges and into the courtyard of the compound, which was filled with about thirty black clad figures training in many different forms of combat. He calmly strode from the doorway as though nothing were wrong and looked around, he then began to walk toward the store house that the man had told him about earlier. After taking only a few steps a volley of arrows and knives fell upon him, he stood completely still and they fell around him, when the rain of weapons ended everyone was astonished to see that none of them had hit him. Leech shrugged and continued walking, more arrows flew at him, but still none hit, when he reach the store house door he raised his had as though to knock on the door, but the knock he gave caused the door to break into pieces. He made his way inside to find his sword resting in it's scabbard on a small wooden desk by the door, but next to it sat a rather large man with a scared face. The two men both glanced at the sword, "Go ahead. Use it. I don't need it to beat you.", Leech said coldly with a grin, but the man didn't notice at took his chance and pulled the sword from it's scabbard, but as he did so the sword glowed a bright red then busted into a blue flame Leech laughed as the man screamed in pain.
Leech grabbed the swords blade and pulled it away from the man's now nearly gone hand, the flame vanishing at his touch and the man fell to the ground as his body shut down from the intense pain. Leech calmly returned the sword to its scabbard and placed it on is waist while walking out. Once outside he was met with thirty swordsmen surrounding him, he was unphased and continued walking forward toward the compound's main building. When he approached the first swordsmen they launched a simultaneous attack, but he easily rolled left and further into the crowd of attackers, he systematically picked up and tossed any, and all, who were in his way several feet into the air and yards away from him as he forced though toward his objective. He swept his way through the crowed so quick that he was at the building door before the first attackers had recovered from their ill fated assault. Leech, hands now in his pant's pockets, calmly raised his left leg and slammed his foot into the divide of the thick oak double doors that led inside. The doors flew open with loud cracks and squeaks as it held lightly to their hinges, then he poked his head in and looked left to right. As he did an arrow sped toward his neck, he effortlessly caught it just as the missile's sharp point was touched it's mark.
Leech looked at the deadly item in is hand then at the small wooden desk in the room's center where the attack had come, and at the older gentleman in a black robe with white trim, holding a powerful looking longbow. Leech flashed a friendly smile at the man as he squeezed and snapped the arrow in his hand before speaking, "Sorry 'bout the door and the scare. I'm here to see the person in charge. Might you know where i can find them?". The man looked at Leech in a combination of fear and respect as he wordlessly pointed up toward the building second, and top floor. "Thank you very much.", Leech said still smiling as he now entered the through the door, "I don't think you need that any more right now, do you?", the man instantly dropped the bow and backed away from it as he shook his head. Leech looked around the room again and noticed that, for a group of assassins hidden in the forest, the design of the structure was quite elegant with it's thick oak doors, stone pillars with golden inlaid spirals from the floor to the ceiling. There were also numerous vases and bronze statuettes on pedestals by the entrance to the small stair-well that feed up into the floor above. He nodded to himself as he appreciated the fact that the people had class; or at least knew what to do with there contracts' payments. Leech was suddenly draw to his situation by a stinging pain that arched across the width of his back. He turned sharply on his heels and delivered a powerful back-hand to his attacker's face before kicking a man back out into the snowy courtyard from which he had came from then speed to slam the heavy doors back into the natural positions and bared the doors with a ceremonial broadsword with hung on the wall to his far left.
There was a moment of loud thuds, thumps, and slashing sounds as he pursuers tried, in vain, to barge through the now locked portal. The pain in his back slowly dissipated as the wound healed, the double checked the room again, this time for any sign of another entrance, there was none. Now confident he could have his meeting in peace he made is way to the stairs, and was about to step onto the first when he stopped, he looked at the stair-well and noticed it was small, not able to fit more than two people at once. Leech backed away as he realized that it had been designed just for that reason, if any 'unwelcome guests' should try to penetrate onto the second floor they would be easy prey for archers and spear-men alike; it was a perfect defensive positions. Leech saw no other way up...at first, but then he remembered how the older man had pointed up, he looked up and the wooden ceiling and knew it would be thick and sturdy, and that his plan would hurt but would work. Leech chose a place near the left wall, opposite the stairs, and a place between two of the large wooden supports that accounted for most of it stability, closed his eyes, knelt to one knee ,as if to begin a long fast fun, but instead of run he propelled himself strait up and through the nailed, heavy oak planks above. The force was great enough for him to clear the floor he had crash though and now in the air he opened his eyes and landed with a resounding thud.
He was pleased to see the shock and confusion on the faces of three archers, a spear-man, all in plain black robes, and on the face of a very tall and heavily muscled man in a black rode with gold trim and a patch over his right eye, the man wielded a large, silver, and curved sword, his robe held a series of the long angular blades that brought Leech down earlier. Before any of them had time to react Leech tackled the large man into one of the large stone pillars and the was crumpled dizzily to the ground, he then turned his focus to the next biggest threat, the spear-man. Leech lept over the man's head, grabbed is shoulders from behind and threw him down the narrow stair way, his spear flew out of his hand and Leech caught it and in one deft motion used the spearhead the cut the nearby archers' bowstrings, rendering them useless, before swinging the poll around and knocking the two men and one women over the small railing they had been looming over, they landed loudly on the flight of stairs below. Now with everyone down, for then at least, Leech put a hand back in his pocket, walked the the large, staggered man whom he assumed was the group's commander. Leech grabbed the collar of his robe and dragged him to the fancy looking desk and chair he now spotted near his point of entry. He, none to gently, threw the man into his chair, "You're the one in charge here?", Leech inquired to the one eyed man who nodded his response as he stared helplessly at is sword that lay half the room away. "Good! Then maybe you'd like to explain why one of your men tried to kill me by the small creek, before i cut him in half.", Leech demanded, before adding, "...which was an accident!", with some degree of shameful defensiveness.
The big man's voice was deep and clear, if a little shaky, "I had no idea one of them attacked! My orders were to bring the two of you here, to me, until we determined who you were and what you wanted.", Leech could see in the man's face and eye that he was telling the truth, but just to be sure he grabbed one of the blades from the man's waist and held it to his throat. "You swear it?", he asked in an quiet yet meaningful tone, "Yes! On my life!" the man said, not noting the irony of what he had said. "You do at that.", Leech said with a half grin. He pulled the blade from the man's throat and tossed it across the room, it landed blade first and very deep in one of the stone pillars. "Now that will always be there to remind you of it. If i find out that you lied to me, that blade will kill you. Do you under stand?", his tone so grave that it caused the burly man to sink farther into the chair as he nodded his acknowledgment. At that moment Leech sent the palm of his hand across the man's face, "And from now on, anyone you put in that detention house will not be beaten! Is that clear?", the man, still reeling from the pain of the slap, nodded, "Yes, but i had no knowledge that they were being beaten, i swear it!".
Again Leech could see the truth in the man's face, but it only served to make him more angry, "What kind of leader are you!", his voiced boomed in outrage, "Do you not have any control over you people? You're pathetic!". Leech, having gotten his answers turned to leave when an idea hit him and he turn back toward the seated man, "I have an excellent idea that could benefit both of us.", he announced in a much happier and friendlier voice. The assassin leader looked shocked at the sudden change in demeanor, but soon looked intrigued, "Please, go on.", said as he gestured to a chair that lay on the ground. Leech grabbed the chair and sat happy for the rest, "Well, the way i see it, what leadership roll you had here is diminished, so you need someone to enforce your rules, someone your men and women take seriously. And Alice and I need a stable home as all this wondering is getting tiresome. So i propose that you allow us to join your outfit here, and make us a kind of enforcement team. We keep you troops in line and you earn you leadership back by making a necessary decision.". The man sat and thought the prospect over for a moment, "I don't know, having to put someone in charge of conduct seems like a sign of weakness. I should be able to handle the problem myself.", the man said calmly. "True, to some it may seem like weakness, but to those smart enough to notice, it is a wise decision for a leader to delegate responsibilities to subordinates, and besides, you can't be everywhere at once. Having two extra bodies to manage them, they are more likely to behave.", Leech said smartly and quickly.
The one eyed man seemed to thing for for several minutes before a smile shone on his face, "You make a valid point, and it would certainly help to have more discipline, so sure! why the hell not.", he laughed as he reached across the desk and shook leech's hand. Hours later Leech had found Alice hiding among the nearby forest and had informed her on the things that had happen after he sent her away and the two were now back at the Black Out Assassins' compound. They sat side by side against a wall inside the main headquarters and could hear the sounds of repairs taking place outside. "So, you did all that?", Alice asked nodding at the broken oak doors and pointing her thumb toward the store house, Leech nodded, but didn't look at her. "And those?", she asked looking at about ten unconscious people across the room, then at white, blood stained sheets covering four bodies just outside the doors.
Again he nodded, still looking away from her, "I didn't mean to kill them, it was an accident...", he added in a sad, shameful voice. "You were acting really weird earlier. I don't think I've seen you that serious before.", she said worriedly as she looked over at him. He turned away from her more, "Well, I'm not sure I've ever been that mad before...", he said with his voice trailing off. "Really? What was it that made you so angry then?", she asked inquisitively. Leech instantly became nervous, but he knew he couldn't lie, "Well..just the sight of you bound to that wall and beaten for no reason. Seeing you like that, something just snapped inside and i had to know the reason for the violence.", he then turned to face her. Alice gave a nervous sounding chuckle, "I told you I was fine. But it's nice to know you care.", she seemed to blush a little but Leech couldn't tell cause it was gone as quickly as it came. He looked back at the ground, "I do. i care about you a lot... the fact is that...well, that a love you", he said quietly as he began to nervously fiddle with his hands and felt himself blush. Much to his surprise Alice's hand gently grabbed his and he looked up to face her. Their eyes meet and she said with a soft nervousness, "I know you do. And i feel the same about you and have for a while. Infact I was about to tell you the same thing but you beat me too it.". Leech felt a sudden sense of relief and calmness wash over him as he stared into his new girlfriend's amber eyes.
 randomizor301 · Fri Oct 29, 2010 @ 06:26am · 0 Comments |
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