The Guardsman & The Tramp (Ustengrav)

[Lornak]

Haesmar couldn't believe what he was seeing. Pigface & Weasel were standing at the end of the alleyway with 3 other men. Pigface looking just as ugly as ever, he was leering at them with a sense of smug satisfaction, it didn't do anything for his looks. Weasel stared at Haesmar with a look of hatred on his face, he stood with a crutch now & grimaced at the slightest movement. Shocked into silence Haesmar left the talking to Ustengrav. He insulted them with his usual confidence & vigour. Haesmar had no idea how they'd get out of this one. It was more like four on two with Weasel in condition he was in, but a man like him could never be ruled out. He pulled himself back to reality, staring at the men one after another. Along with Pigface & Weasel stood the tall skinny man. He hardly even seemed out of breath from the chase. None of these men were particularly worrying, but the other two were both larger men. One was carrying a large wooden club, & the other didn't seem to have any weapon except his fists. The size of them gave Haesmar cause for concern. He glanced sideways at Ustengrav & saw the old warrior smiling pleasantly as if they were here for nothing more than a flagon of ale & a chat about the weather. Haesmar unsheathed his sword & took a ready stance, he certainly wasn't going to be the one to make the first move. If they lost any footing in this fight it could mean being hacked down & cut to pieces by this group of scum. The two larger men started forward together, both moving towards Ustengrav, they obviously perceived him as the bigger threat. As Haesmar moved to come to aid Ustengrav the tall skinny man danced forward with a small iron dagger, moving nimbly from side to side. Haesmar attacked, hoping the battle-lust would take over soon. He stepped forward & aimed the blade towards the mans left hand, the hand holding the dagger. The man jumped away with a smile, he was fast. Haesmar was going to have a tough fight on his hands.

[Ustengrav]

Ustengrav watched as the two larger made advancements towards him, he saw that one of them carried a large wooden club, it was covered in patches of dried stained blood and had several cracks on its rounded off head. The other large man wielded nothing and Ustengrav could sense that he either had experience fighting an armed opponent or was just coinfident that he had a friend to help him deal with the grizzled veteran. The older warrior spread out his legs, this gave him stability if forced on the back foot. His leather encased feet stood firmly attached to the ground like he was bracing for impact. As the men advanced closer and closer, Ustengrav arched his back to the side and let roar with a massive frontal cleave with his axe, this had a area sweep and forced a reasonable distance between Ustengrav and his opponents. He quickly glanced at Haesmar to see how he was fairing, with a quick evaluation he could see that the tall skinny man was very fast and wielded a iron dagger, which with his dodging could provide lethal. Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, Ustengrav's opponent raised his arm and hammered a over head swing with the large club, the grizzled veteran quickly lifted his arm up and parried the bludgeoning blow with long hard wooden stock of his favoured axe. He then retaliated by launching the flat of his foot into the club wielding thugs stomach, in hopes of winding him. As he hoped his foot impacted into his opponents belly, causing him to flinch backward and and gasp for air, however the advantage created by Ustengrav's retaliation was shorted lived as he felt the crush of a fist banging in the side of his jaw. It shook Ustengrav's head and caused his mind to swim. He need to recuperate fast before the thug with the club started his attack again. Pig face and the wretched Weasel stood back and laughed, most likely believing that they wouldn't even have to enter the fray. The sound of fighting bounced of the walls as grunts and groans came from the combatants mouths. Remaining closer to the thug without a weapon, Ustengrav launched another but desperate wide arc swing in hoping to keep a distance so he could recover, to his surprise however, the blade of his axe managed to clip the bandit arm causing a clean cut. His arm started to oozing with blood as he recoiled back. This would give him the breathing space he needed to clear his head from the blow that landed on his jaw.

[Lornak]

Haesmar trying to watch the mans every move & strike where he was going rather than where he was. But it was far easier to plan than it was to put in to practice. He seemed to know what Haesmars blade was going to do before he did. Haesmar hacked & sliced to no effect, the man was too fast. Haesmar stepped back, trying to form a plan in his head. He held his sword in his right hand moving it back and forth in front of him, ready for any attack that might come. "So well the rest of us were out learning to be men you must've been at dance classes with the other woman of your age?" He taunted, hoping he could provoke a mistake, but the man just smiled. Glancing over at Ustengrav fighting the two mini giants gave him an idea. He slyly moved his left hand into his pouch & grabbed the metal flask Ustengrav had handed him earlier in the night, he undid the cap using his thumb & forefinger & tried to distract the man with more talk. So how much did Pigface & Weasel pay you to fight us? I hope you know it was me & my friend who gave them their current injuries. There was another, he'd tell you the story of what happened, but I'm afraid tombs don't talk." The man faltered at that, glancing over towards the two injured men who he was helping, this was Haesmars chance, he thrust the flask towards the man, spilling out the golden liquid right into his eyes. He squealed like an animal. Haesmar capitalised straight away, diving in, thrusting his longsword into the mans thigh, taking away a long slice. He was going to enjoy this. The man went down to one knee, he sobbed, Haesmar sliced the sword across his breast, then swiftly across his throat. That's for spitting in my face you prick." Haesmar looked over at the two muggers he'd met previously, wanting to go straight for them & finish them off for luring them into this trap. But a grunt from Ustengrav let him know that his remaining strength would be best used against the two behemoths. He charged in with a roar.

[Ustengrav]

Seeing the young Haesmar slicing up his tall, skinny but fast beggar had giving Ustengrav a rush of hope and determination, a determination not to be out killed by his younger friend, he wouldn't hear the end of it if they got out of this alive. Now it was even odds and if Piggy and Weasel continued to watch they might have a hope against the two massive thugs. Even then, it would still be a challenge, one that they may not survive. Finally regaining his composure from the hard knock he received moments ago, he held his axe in a sideways fashion using the long wooden stock to provide a barrier between himself and his now recovered club wielding thug. This man was strangely large, Ustengrav himself was a large man, easily surpassing the height and muscle mass of many others but even he felt dwarfed by the imposing height of his enemy. The giantish man wore a large thick leather breastplate, it was covered in little strips of leather presumably for added protection or for cosmetic purposes. His face was hard and chiselled which was emphasised by his shaven head and his light hazelnut coloured eyes. Ustengrav noticed scars of every size that littered the exposed skin on his thick arms and neck. Seeing Haesmar move to engaged the other large man whos arm was now covered from the wound Ustengrav inflict, allowed him to focuses solely on his opponent. Charging forward the large brute swung at Ustengrav's head, throwing all his might into the strike. The grizzled warrior, ducked his head and evaded the potentially fatal death blow. This proved to be a bad move by the large oaf as his momentum continued and knocked him off balance. This was an advantage, Ustengrav would exploit. Ustengrav rose from the evading duck and launched a large heavy fist, using the momentum up from his legs through his rising stance to add more power to the punch. The blow connected and crashed into the ogres nose, a large crack resounded out from the impact spot of the blow this was soon followed by a spurt of blood that burst out of the other ogres nostril. The ogres head lashed backwards. Ustengrav laughed as he weaved back. "Your a bit slow! You wont hit me with you continue like this!" he said while spitting at the ground, showing off his daring smile. This was the unusual circumstance where Ustengrav was the faster of the foe he faced. An unfamiliar reverse of roles but never the less something new and exciting. Again the large brute charged while puffing with rage. His face had grown red with anger as a slow stream of blood continued to course a route down his lips and chin. Instead of a horizontal swing, the thug threw a vertical blow. A strong thump of wood on stone rang throughout the bricked alley, the veteran had evaded another blow with a sly sidestep. Ustengrav retaliated in kind by swinging his axe into the brutes back, a large groan erupted as the axe blade pierced the leather causing a bloody cut, the only unfortunate thing was that the leather had stopped much of the force reducing the blow to a fraction of its potential harm. A single blow would not put down one of these freakishly large men. He still had alot of work to do.

[Lornak]

Haesmar shoulder barged the large man with the arm wound, he was closest to him & he didn't want to waste any time. The man he'd already killed had been a good warm up, but he hadn't expected much of a challenge. The man grunted, and lost his balance, Haesmar swung his sword towards the mans injured arm hoping to rid him of his whole forearm. The giant saw it coming, and turned his body, the blade sailed past him & he grabbed Haesmar by the shoulder. He retaliated with his sword again, this time settling for battering the man below his right eye with the butt of the sword handle. A small slit opened on his opponents cheek. He ducked swiftly, after spotting a ham sized fist swinging for the side of his face. A hand that size connecting with his head really wasn't something Haesmar wanted to experience. The man swung again & again, his wounds meaning nothing to him. Luckily he was slow, strong as an ox, but slow too. Haesmar dodged back every time the man went for him, his inexperienced showed though, as he lost awareness of were in the street he was. His opponent stopped, hunched over, and suddenly charged for him. His shoulder catching Haesmar in the abdomen forcing him against the wall. Haesmar tried to call out, but the wind was knocked out of him. The impact had also disarmed him. The giant stood up then, grinningly stupidly. But he waited to long to go for the punch. Haesmar had recovered slightly, a red mist descending slowly over his vision. He dodged under the first punch & landed blow after blow into the giants stomach. He could hear above him short puffs of breath being forced out with every punch. He followed through with an uppercut, forcing as much power out of his legs & up into the punch. It connected with the mans jaw with a crunch, the sound of a few broken teeth. Haesmar watched as the man jerked backwards, taking about four steps back, then stopping, and starting forward again as if he'd never been hit. This was going to be a real fight Haesmar thought. He circled the man trying to get some kind of advantage, he flashed in hitting the kidneys, occasionally the side of the head, but his blows were shrugged off easily. The man was injured but not showing any sign of slowing. His arm had a large gash in it from Ustengrav earlier, and his eye had a small cut under it. Haesmar had hoped the gash on his arm would stop some of his strength, but apparently it hadn't. He mistimed one of his punches & the giant grabbed him with his injured arm & flung him a few metres with apparent ease. Haesmar stood up quickly, shaking the dirt off himself & staring. "How can a man get so strong?!" He wondered to himself. Haesmar ran in, leaping a few steps away from the man, & hammered his fist into the mans face, following through with his shoulder, the man was disorientated. Haesmar grabbed his injured arm & shoved his thumb into the gash, pushing down as hard as he could, hoping to injure it beyond use. The giant roared & threw him again, Haesmar hit the ground hard, but had a few moments to get himself up & look around, the man was holding his arm in pain. Weasel & Pigface were watching both fights with interest, they'd obviously paid good coin for this show. Glancing down to his right Haesmar saw his longsword lying on the ground. He'd finally got his advantage back, he picked it up & glared at the giant hatefully, if he'd been in a better mind frame he might've waited for the unarmed man to come to him, but instead he charged towards him, ready to end this freakish giant of a man..

[Ustengrav]

Pulling his axe out from the back of his opponent that had been taken down to a kneeling position. Ustengrav saw that the thick armour had managed to blunt much of the force and had only caused a shallow wound, still it was nothing to be gripe at, on a relatively normal sized, his axe would have penetrated deeper and have surely being the decisive blow in the fight, but this was no normal and he was facing, instead it was a massive freak. Again jumping backwards, Ustengrav grimly watched as the ogre rose steadily to his feet. How much would it take to cut down this goliath man? The grizzled veteran started to feel unfamiliarly infuriated. Ustengrav quickly glanced towards the two main antagonists. He wondered why the fat pig and the devious weasel never intervened, was it because they had not fully recovered from the last time they met with Haesmar and himself? Was it because they had already paid these gigantic men a price and were confident that they would be the warriors undoing? What ever it was, was hiding under the ugly grins, snickered yellow teeth and grotesque sounding gurgles of laughter that came from the fat and thin figures or Pig Face and Weasel. "I am going to enjoy sticking my axe into that fat fucks face!" Ustengrav screamed in his mind. He was not prone to reckless bouts of anger, but it had built and built up until it had erupted from his very being. The grizzled warrior let loose a powerful and mighty roar like the fierce beast of the wilds and Charged towards the club wielding bandit. The adrenaline being generated for his now raging anger would hopefully give him the extra lever to finally kill this behemoth. Dashing forward with a strong killing intent in his eyes, he continued onward. Lowering his back and head, he had evaded another very strong blow from his club wielding opponent, which carried on over head. This gave Ustengrav with his rage and opportunity to bring his axe down and implant into the ogres belly. Again the leather had stopped much of the force, but he could see his blows were becoming deeper and deeper and therefore becoming more deadly. Hooking back out his axe, he launched a powerful punch that thundered across and had connected with the thugs very hard chiselled jaw, again the ogres head lashed back even more violently. Recoiling in pain Ustengrav soon discovered that he had badly sprained his hand from the force of the impact, however this pain was soon becoming easier to ignore as the adrenaline started to work its magic. Unable to use both hand, Ustengrav seized the change and raised his axe with his only usable arm and brought it down with reckless abandon, striking deeply into the leg of the gigantic man. A roar of pain exploded into the alleyway as the ogre-like man feel to the ground. A grievous wound he had created, the armour of the legs of his opponent wasn't as nearly protected as the chest area this allowed the axe blade to pierce the flesh relatively easy. Blood guzzled out and started to seep into the cracks and chips that dotted the dusty ground. It was now time to end his life. He was going to make an example of him so that the fat pig knew what he had in store for him. Keeping his sprained wrist up to keep the blood from increasing the inevitable swelling. Ustengrav stepped over the gargantuan man, placing his boot firmly on the leather encased chest to keep him down. Once again raising his axe, he let loose other powerful roar and brought his axe down on his opponents head. A sickening sound of the skull cracking and breaking under the resulting force of the blow and the fountain of blood and grey matter that burst from his enemies now demolished head made a gruesome display to those that watched. Ustengrav moved to help Haesmar deal with his bare fisted assailant.

[Lornak]

Haesmars blade sliced through the mans cheek like a hot knife through butter. The giant roared in agony, his cheek flapping like a loose sail in the wind. Haesmars boot smashed into the mans open mouth, smashing out multiple teeth & leaving the man reeling. He looked over to Pigface & Weasel pointing his sword at them to clearly signal they were next. They glanced shiftily at each other & starting moving away, Pigface helping Weasel to move with some haste. "There is some honour among thieves then." Haesmar thought coldly. He'd wasted too much time staring at the two, the giant took advantage & swung his arm like a club, hitting Haesmar in the knees causing him to collapse. Haesmar lashed his sword towards the man in panic, it hit with it's flat edge, bouncing off the on coming shoulder. Haesmar realised the man was trying to mount him, if he managed there was a good chance Haesmar was going to be on the receiving end of what he'd dished out to Scarface. His mind flashed to Lily, her smile & her amazing eyes. He couldn't allow himself to die. He sent a knee into the mans groin before he could properly get on top of him. Luckily the giants strength was waning from the loss of blood, he grabbed both of Haesmars hands & tried to force them above his head. Haesmar pushed back, exerting as much strength from his shoulders as he could muster. They were face to face now, the man had buckled over as he grabbed his hands from the knee to the groin. His blood & saliva was dripping down into Haesmars face, he could feel his breath against his face & see the anger & desperation in the mans eyes. He took a deep breath in, & as he forced it out he pushed his head into the giant on top of him & forced his hands up as he struggled into a kneeling position, still face to face with the man. Haesmar was slick with sweat, he threw a punch towards the mans broken cheek & struck, cutting his knuckles on the teeth he'd destroyed. He felt the retaliation blow quickly, it felt like a brick to the mouth. He tasted coppery blood fill his mouth. He snarled, kneeing the man in the chest & punching him multiple times in the temple. The giant fell back, Haesmar regained his feet & look for his sword, it was lying next to the giant, he didn't want to risk it, but even with the man bleeding so freely he'd felt his strength in that punch. He darted in quickly, grabbing his sword. He thought he'd got away freely, but at the last second a hand closed round his ankle, causing him to twist it awkwardly. Fighting the pain he turned & slashed at the mans grabbing hand, hitting the gash that Ustengrav had caused earlier & almost severing the arm. He stabbed his sword down into the mans knee. Putting all his strength into it, shattering the mans kneecap & almost going right through the other side. He wanted this man to feel pain. Again he felt the battle-lust on him. A mixture of adrenaline & anger, he loved it, it was nothing like he'd experienced before. The power over life & death he held in his hands was so empowering. The man stared up at him, broken, tears in his eyes. He knew the end was coming but he refused to look away, Haesmar looked him straight in the eye as he put the blade close to his throat & sliced it across, opening a red smile that would never leave this man. Ustengrav appeared at Haesmars side. "Who would've thought your drinking habit would save my life" Haesmar said, smiling at the confused look on Ustengravs face. He'd explain at some point, but not now, he was too weary. His ankle was paining him now, he wanted to head to the tavern now & get himself a glass of water & honey. He hoped Lily was there, seeing her would take his thoughts off his throbbing body. "I really hope this isn't becoming a habit. Lets go to the tavern, fuck the guarding job."

[Ustengrav]

Ustengrav grabbed his axe that was still embedded in the gory mess that was the giants head, never had he ever fought such a large opponent, he was lucky to survive with relatively few injuries but his wrist was now throbbing with pain as his anger and adrenaline began to subside. Little spurts of blood shot out as the axe blade retreated from the broken skull. The bloody display of battle must of scared the two primary antagonists away because they were now no where to be seen, he was sure that they'd meet again. For better or for worse however, the grizzled warrior now swore that they would die and not the quick easy. It was going to be loud and full of commotion, his kind of kill. Slinging his axe over his back, Ustengrav walked over to the youngling that was standing over his kill. Ustengrav thought he had made made a mess out of his enemy but this guy was drenched in blood. "Looks like you had fun!" he laughed now completely back to his jolly and carefree self. The grizzled warrior looked with a confusing stare as Haesmar mentioned that his drinking habits had saved his life. He was glad that his seemingly uncivilised habit had gotten the younger one out of trouble but he didn't understand what he was going on about. Then it clicked. He remember that Haesmar still held on to his newly bought flask. " Where's my flask..?" he said in a curious but friendly tone. Ustengrav then listened to Haesmar's suggestion of going back to the tavern, in any other situation he would of whole heartedly agreed, eager to let the alcohol flow freely down his throat but he made a promise, a promise he intended to keep. That son of a bitch Yallourn had sold them out and wasn't expecting them to return, he wanted to see the look on the stocky and soon to be dead guards face. "Now, I'd normally agree with you on that but I promised that tub of shit Yallourn that if he fucked with us, I was going to rip him open another asshole! And thats what I intend on doing!" Ustengrav let out another laugh. He was acting as if none of this had ever happened, his tone of voice and relaxed body language would suggest he was on his way to drown himself in ale but in reality he was now on his way to show a certain double crosser a hard, painful truth. "Come on. he said while signalling Haesmar to follow. "The sooner we deal with Yallourn, the sooner you can see that sweet girl. I dont want that prick thinking that he's going to be able to spend that fat purse he got from bastards one and two easily!".

[Lornak]

Haesmar had let Yallourn totally slip his mind until Ustengrav had mentioned it. He grudgingly agreed. His ankle was throbbing, but this needed to be done. Spurred on by anger he managed to walk at a respectable pace, keeping step with Ustengrav beside him. The warrior had adapted his usual cool demeanour but there was a good chance he'd lose that quickly when they found found Yallourn. He hoped the man was still there, guarding his post. They retraced their steps back to the warehouse, the chase had seemed much shorter in the moment, but it still took them awhile to get back. "This bastard better still be here, if he's ran off I'll hunt him down & feed him his own cock." Luckily for Yallourn, he wouldn't be feasting on his own genitals tonight. He was still standing at his post, he looked calmer now. Until he looked up & spotted the two men walking towards him, in pain & discomfort, but with no mortal wounds. Haesmar walked straight over to him & punched him in the temple, then grabbed him by his shirt & forced him up against the wall. He wasn't in the mood for talking. Yallourn was bubbling like a small child. This soften Haesmar up slightly. "Would you still be crying like that if your plan had worked? If we'd had our throats slit, I somehow doubt it you betraying prick!" "It wasn't like that! They threatened me & beat me, they only paid me the coin so they wouldn't have to kill me afterwards, they made me keep my mouth shut. I'm sorry, please don't kill me, I have a family, I did it for them!" Tears streamed freely down his face. Haesmar felt himself feeling slightly repulsed, this man was a coward. "They cornered me earlier in the night, they told me they knew where I lived & if I didn't help them they'd kill me, I told them you wouldn't trust me, but they beat me until I agreed to help. They only gave me 10 gold coins for it, I was silenced by fear for my life, not greed!" "Fine, I'll let you live this time you craven bastard. But we'll be taking the coin they gave you. He let the man drop into a crumpled heap on the ground & turned to see Ustengrav staring at Yallourn with a stony expression.

[Ustengrav]

Ustengrav watched as the cold Haesmar went to work on the now bubbling wreck. Yallourn was a traitor and no amount of honeyed words would be able to get him out of the situation that he was in. This treachery was no surprise considering the place that they were in but the blow of betrayal was as bitter as it would have been anywhere else. "So let me get this straight.." the grizzled warrior said in an unusually emotionless voice. "You betray us and expect that your words of apology and tears of guilt can allow you to wriggle out of this? Well sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it doesn't work like that." His tone had become stronger and deeper hoping to make the red haired guard realise that the end was near. "Haesmar. Hold him down on his belly." he said in an authoritative voice. Yallourn's wailing had become louder and louder and developed into a higher pitch. The sight was pathetic as the traitor struggled in vain against the strength that the youngling forceful exerted. Unslinging his axe, Ustengrav held it tight in his uninjured hand. He made a promise and he was sure by hell going to keep it. Standing over the downed guardsman like a spectre of looming death, Ustengrav began to speak, but with a fierce, powerful voice. "Whatever darkness you find yourself in, remember that Ustengrav was the one that sent you there!". A large slice and crack soon followed as Ustengrav and brought his axe thundering down upon the traitors neck, crudely severing the head. The blood guzzled and streamed out covering the nearby warehouse door in a thick coat of dark red. The coppery smell soon made itself known as it wisped through the air. Ustengrav's actions seemed completely out of his personality but there was a very valid reason for it. "Do you know why I decided to end his life?" he continued still in his hard but now calm voice. "Because in a city as wretched and corrupt as this, we cannot afford letting those that would wrong us live. They may seek revenge or hire skilled assassins to kill us. It is better to remain unknown, a lesson I learnt after letting that fucking pig survive.". Walking from the Warehouse, Ustengrav soon shouted. "Lets get a drink. Who knows, even your Lily might be there." the older warrior quickly turned his head and winked at Haesmar with his usual cheeky smile, a sign that his carefree and lax personality was still there, lurking under his current cold façade.