[Flashback]Initial Bonds

[Jaeden Kincade]

40th Day of Spring 508

Part 1...
There was a certain calm in the area as his eyes kept to the ground, observing the direction of tracks. They were small game, most likely a rabbit by the looks of it, but the rainfall that had stopped no more than an hour ago made it difficult to be certain. Jaeden paused for a moment, looking up as he continued to walk. Through the thin canopy of trees, Jaeden observed the clouds in the sky. The storm clouds had fully passed, leaving only a small cover of broken white clouds partly blocking the sun. "Ahhhhhh, the clouds are nice, that one looks like a ooooof....." Jaeden said before being cut off mid-sentence by running into something.

Jaeden slowly looked down to see a short man standing laying on the ground in front of him. To his right, another man of average height was wielding a short sword. Jaeden then looked to where the second man's sword was pointed to see a female standing defensively, a little over five and half foot tall, her hair was orange with streaks of black in it, her eyes a golden color. She had a look of surprise on her face when she saw Jaeden suddenly knock over one of the men from accidentally bumping into him. Jaeden's gaze darted around the area, taking in gauging the situation at hand. Finally, when it had all been absorbed, he simply said, "Oops," before walking around the man he had knocked over and looking up to the clouds again. "Damn, lost sight of the cloud."

"Hey!" a shout from behind echoed.

Jaeden slowly turned around, looking to see the short man standing up. "Eh?" Jaeden simply replied.

"You knock me over and all you have to say is oops?" the short man shouted.

"Yeah, pretty much," Jaeden replied. "Why?"

The short man's face went a little red at Jaeden's reply as he pointed a short sword of his own in Jaeden's direction. Jaeden looked down at the sword, letting out a brief sigh. "Really?" Jaeden asked, "You're picking a fight with me over being knocked over when you're in the middle of another confrontation already?"

"Shut up!" the short man yelled as he began running at Jaeden, raising the short sword over his head.

"Nice retort," Jaeden said before his hand dropped to his waist. A quick pull unsheathed his longsword as a distinctive sound of metal hitting metal rang out into the forest. Jaeden blocked the sword with the flat of his own blade as he looked down to the man in front of him. "Listen, this sort of thing is kind of, well, an inconvenience. I don't suppose you'd just get over it and let me continue on?"

The short raised his blade once again, screaming as he swung it down in another attack at Jaeden. "Yeah, thought as much," Jaeden said before stepping to the left as the attack missed completely this time, sending his attacker off balance. Jaeden then attacked back as the hilt of his sword was driven into the right temple of his aggressor.

Already off balance, the short man fell to the ground as the blade flew out of his hand landing a few feet away. Jaeden began whistling a tune he had heard not to long ago as he sheathed his own sword before picking up the short sword and tossing it away. He then glanced once more at his attacker, as the short man tried to push himself off the ground, but found himself to disoriented from the strike he had received to do so. "Well then," Jaeden simply said, "buh bye."

Jaeden then began to once again walk away. The second of the two men that had been there immediately began to run at Jaeden as soon as he turned his back, only to find an intense pain enter his leg when the female the two had originally been confronting suddenly slashed at his hamstring tendons with long nails. Jaeden simply released the grip along his own sword and continued to walk. Only ten minutes had passed before Jaeden stopped. Slowly turning, he saw the female standing there behind him. "What are you doing?" Jaeden asked.

"Following you," the female replied.

"Oh, okay," Jaeden said before turning back around and continuing to walk. After taking another couple of steps, he stopped once again, turning around sharply. "Wait a second, why are you following me?"

"Because you helped me back there," the woman answered.

"Oh, well......... you're welcome, I guess," Jaeden replied as he looked at her, mainly at how snugly he cotton clothing fit around her and an awkward silence ensued. After about a minute passed Jaeden finally said, "So, if I turn around here, and begin walking, are you still going to continue following me?"

"Yes," the woman said, an innocent smile crossing his features.

"Uhhh, hmmmmmm yeah," Jaeden simply said, "is there any chance you could, I don't know, not follow me."

"No," the woman simply replied.

"Why?" Jaeden asked.

"Because I have to help you now," the woman answered.

Jaeden shifted his body back slightly as he gave the woman a sideways glance. "You're not going to try and save my soul or something like that are you?" Jaeden asked.

"No, not really," the woman replied.

"Oh, whew. Okay," Jaeden replied before turning around once again and walking. "Well, if you're going to linger, you may as well tell me your name."

"Helena," she replied as she soon came to walk beside him, he hand cupped together behind her back.

"Jaeden," Jaeden replied as his gaze fell to the ground once again. He soon began following a new set of tracks he discovered, this time the game was a little larger. Most likely a young deer. Such would certainly feed him better on this night.

"So what are you doing?" the woman asked as she drew her face closer to Jaeden's, observing his features.

"Tracking dinner," Jaeden replied before he saw how close her face was to his. Surprised, his head jerked backwards as he came to an immediate stop. "Yeesh, woman, what are you doing?"

Helena just shrugged. "I was just curious, so you're a hunter?" Helena said, "I would have thought you to be a soldier by the way you handled yourself back there."

"No," Jaeden simply replied as he continued following the tracks before him.

"Why not, you seem somewhat decent in a battle," Helena asked.

"I don't like fighting," Jaeden said. "You asking this much to put in some little book or something?"

"No, just like to get to know who I'm traveling with," Helena replied.

Jaeden then slowly crouched down as he began pressing his fingers into the tracks to see how fresh they were. When he looked up again, he saw Helena once again staring into his eyes, her face close to his. Once again, surprised, Jaeden's head jerked backwards as he fell into a seated position. "Will you stop that?" Jaeden said before his eyes suddenly fell to the advantageous view down her blouse her bending forward gave him. "Wow, better than looking up at clouds."

"What?" Helena said.

"What?" Jaeden replied, "Oh, forget it. Anyhow, night's going to be here in about five hours. Since it seems I'm stuck with you for the time being, would you be able to set up a tent while I set some snare traps for dinner?"

"Sure, I think I can handle that," Helena said, "do you think we've put enough distance between those two back there though?"

"One's injured, the others going to have a splitting headache, and they still have to find the short sword I threw. Unless they can track they shouldn't find us," Jaeden explained as he slipped his pack off his shoulders. He then proceeded to pull the equipment for the tent out, handing the pieces to Helena. "Go ahead and set the tent up over there," Jaeden explained pointing to the east. "There's a stream about two hundred yards east of here if you wanted to get some water after you've finished with the tent. I'll be back in about a half hour."

Helena just nodded as she began moving towards the east. Jaeden's gaze slowly fell towards her butt as she walked away. He then just sighed before he gave a shake of his head. "I've a bad feeling she's going to slap me soon," Jaeden muttered under his breath as he continued in the direction of the track to find opportune place to set his traps.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Part 2...
Jaeden slowly cut into the venison, slicing away a small bit before stabbing through the thickest part of the slice with his eating knife. The small bit was then carefully placed into his mouth before chewing, being careful to not to do something foolish like stabbing his teeth while trying to eat.

The taste was bad, as he looked up to the four large pieces that remained cooking over the fire, but it was edible. He still needed work on his culinary skills if he didn't want to consider rations a delicacy. His gaze then traveled over to Helena, who eyed him curiously as she played simply bit small pieces of the venison from her own plate. "I know, I know," Jaeden said, "my cooking is poor."

Helena slowly shook her head. "No," she interjected. "Well yes, it is, but that's not why I was staring."

"More questions?" Jaeden said as he slipped another piece of food into his mouth, washing down the taste with a drink of water. "What about you?"

"Me?" Helena simply asked as her chin dropped into an open palm. "There's nothing much to tell. "A Kelvic without a companion."

"And those men back there?" Jaeden asked as he leaned back along a felled log they had set up camp near.

"I don't honestly know," Helena said. "I encountered them, and they became hostile almost immediately."

Jaeden fell silent as he stared into the fire for a long silent moment. "Yeah, some are just like that, I suppose," Jaeden said before taking a slow sip from his waterskin.

Helena studied him for a moment, the pupils of her eyes shifting back and forth as they observed Jaeden's own. "There's something behind that statement I think?" Helena then said.

Jaeden looked over at Helena, a slight frown crossing his features as if he were trying to ascertain what was behind that inquisitive look of hers. "You are trying to save my soul or something, aren't you?" Jaeden then said as his eyes narrowed.

"No," Helena said as she took another small bite of her food. "I just seem to be able to sense something emotional behind it is all."

Jaeden finally shoveled in the last bit of venison from his plate before setting them aside. He just remained silent as he stood up, making his way over to the fire. He pulled the remaining pieces of meat from the makeshift skewers before rapping them and placing them into his pack.

As he was fastening his pack up, he noticed the light from the fire grow dimmer. Looking up, he was suddenly surprised, yet again, but the sight of Helena's face close to his own. His response, this time, was less sever then others as he just suddenly gasped a moment, his eyes going wide. "I thought we discussed this?" Jaeden simply said.

Helena just backed away, sitting right in front of him. She remained silent, but that inquisitive look still remained on her face. Jaeden gave her a momentary glance before sitting back down himself. After another long moment of silence passed, he looked back at her once again before finally releasing a sigh. "Fine," Jaeden said, "I lost my family when I was very young. They were killed and then burned in our home and I have no real idea why."

"Sorry," Helena said, "I didn't mean to pry."

"Yes you did," Jaeden said giving her annoyed look.

"Okay, yes I did," Helena said, "but I didn't mean for it to bring up a painful memory."

Jaeden fell silent for another moment before picking up a long stick. He then just gave a shake of his head as he began poking at the fire with the stick. "Don't worry about it," Jaeden simply said. "You had no idea of knowing."

"Did you ever find out who did it?" Helena inquired then.

"No," Jaeden answered. "In the end, it's likely better that I didn't anyways. The one who took me in and raised me after, said I would likely have just developed a hatred towards any that are even slightly related, even if they had had nothing to do with it."

Helena just smiled at that, though she didn't give a reason why. A confused look crossed Jaeden's features in response to such before he pushed himself off the ground into a standing position. "Well, I'm turning in for the night," Jaeden said, "you're of course welcomed to use the tent as well. There's plenty of room, but I have no spare bed rolls or blankets."

"That's okay," Helena said, "I don't need them, but sometimes I can be a tad unpredictable when I sleep, just to warn you."

"Just so long as we cuddle after," Jaeden said without giving a second though.

"What?" Helena asked, as if to make sure she heard correctly.

"What?" Jaeden replied quickly as he crawled into the tent. "Oh, never mind, goodnight."

[Jaeden Kincade]

Part 3...
Jaeden suddenly awoke the next morning as he felt a tickling sensation along his face. His head shifted back and forth as he felt something brush along his lips and tip of his nose. Light began to filter in and blurred vision began to clear as he opened his eyes. The sounds of birds chirping from the forest and a slow wind rustling up leaves outside broke the silence from a peaceful sleep. The smell of woodland trees mixed with the musty smell of his own bedroll as a hint of a deep slow purr began to overtake the normal sounds of the forest.

Both hands reached up as he gave a slow rub to his eyes, then blinking several times, Jaeden lifted his head slightly to find the golden fur of a tail's tip slowly swaying back and forth as it hit him slightly in the face. The tail led to the body of a fully grown mountain lion, heavily asleep within the tent. His hands suddenly rushed down to the ground, pushing slightly in surprised reaction. Then he recalled that Helena was a Kelvic, and that she was a tad unpredictable during sleep.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Jaeden said quietly as he raised his hand to block the incoming tail. It curved around his hand slightly, soft and warm to the touch, before continuing on it's intended path. Helena's purr increasing in intensity slightly.

Jaeden slowly pushed himself off the ground, sliding as gently as he could out of the tent so as not to disturb Helena's sleep. Jaeden noticed a smolder that lingered in the campfire from the night before as he bent over reaching down to his pack. From it's side, he pulled his waterskin free and tipped it back, taking a long drink to wash away the taste of a nights rest away from his mouth.

He capped the waterskin, replacing it along his pack before a couple of quick kicks sent dirt along the campfire to smother what remaining embers still burned in the ash. He would bury it a little later, after it had cooled down some. Instead, Jaeden slipped on his shirt and then went to work organizing his things to break camp.

As Jaeden worked, he soon heard a rustling inside the tent. Shortly after the head of his tent mate poked out from within, scanning the area. "Morning," Jaeden simply said as he collected the dishes.

Helena simply responded by fully walking out of the tent. Her massive front paws then extended forward as the front half of her body lowered closer to the ground. Tone muscle visibly rippled under fur as she stretched out, the toes of her paws spreading wide as claws dug into the dirt. A large yawn exhaled a silent growl before she straitened herself once again and her whole body shook for a quick moment as if to clear any remaining daze from waking.

Jaeden slipped a few items into his pack as he looked at her. "If you're hungry there's of course still some meat over from last night?" Jaeden offered.

Helena just began making her way down towards the stream to the east. Jaeden simply gave a slow rub to his chin as he observed her walking away before returning to the task at hand as he slipped into the tent and began rolling his bed roll. Off to other side of the tent, he found Helena's clothing laid out along the ground. "Guess I'll wait until she changes back to break down the tent," Jaeden said to himself before slipping back out of the tent.

Jaeden spent a short time picking up things around the camp before finally grabbing the collected dishes off the ground. He then made his way east to the stream as well, whistling slightly along the way. Upon reaching the stream, he didn't notice Helena anywhere in sight, but in the end figured that she must have gone a little further upstream.

Crouching down, Jaeden dipped the plates into the streams water as he began washing way dried bits of food from their surface. Looking up slightly, he noticed the way the morning sun shimmered off the surface of the water, and paused in his cleaning just to watch for a short moment. As he did, he soon noticed a ripple about fifteen feet out from the short. "Eh?" Jaeden simply said as he squinted his eyes to see it more clearly.

Then, as water splashed upward and to the side, the cause of the ripples revealed itself as Helena suddenly rose from beneath the water's surface in human form. Her hands slowly reached up, sliding first along her brow then along her hair as she wrung excess water collected in it. Water streamed and trickled down her naked form as sun shined along her from the side, highlighting every curve of her tone body.

Jaeden's eyes widened and his mouth was suddenly agape as a slow gasp whimpered from his mouth. Helena slowly looked over at him, those golden eyes gazing into his as small droplets of water still clung to her eyelashes. The right corner of her mouth slowly sharpened into a smirk as she noticed his reaction. She slowly began walking towards shore as she continued to wring water from her hair. "Sorry, I should have brought my clothing with me," Helena said as she reached the shore, "but I always seem to poke holes in them when I carry them in my mouth."

Helena then just began walking back towards camp, sliding the index finger along the top of Jaeden's head. Another minute would pass before Jaeden lost his balance, falling to a seated position in front of the stream. "I think she did that on purpose just to see my reaction," Jaeden muttered under his breath.

After regathering his senses, Jaeden finally went back to washing dishes. He took longer than he normally would, giving Helena time to get dressed. When he finally made his way back to camp, he noticed Helena nowhere in sight again before looking to the tent. "Helena?" he said aloud.

"Yes?" Helena replied from the tent with a tone that was a bit smoother than her usual, almost playful.

"Are you dressed?" Jaeden then said.

"Are you sure you want me to be?" Helena then replied, sounding as if she restraining a giggle.

Jaeden's gaze went skyward, contemplating the question for a moment, almost as if he thought it was a serious question. His head then shook quickly as a frown crossed his features. "Quit teasing me will you?" Jaeden said. "You took me by surprise. That's all."

"All right," Helena said before she stepped out from inside the tent, fully clothed.

The clothing, however, didn't help matters much. The blouse was white and clung tightly to her clothing due to the water that still remained from when she stepped out from the stream. Jaeden couldn't help but stare now as he fell silent, tilting his head to the side slightly. Such fierce concentration was only broke when Helena cleared her throat as Jaeden blinked a rapidly a couple of times before looking into her eyes again. "It's your fault," Jaeden then simply exclaimed bluntly.

Helena just laughed for a moment, as her hands felt to her hips. "So, what are we doing today?" she inquired as she watched Jaeden stuff the dishes into his pack.

"I want to get a little more hunting in before heading to the nearest settlement," Jaeden explained. "I'm getting low on a few items and need to do some trading."

Jaeden then paused for a moment as his gaze shot idly forward, staring at nothing in particular. An slightly confused look appeared on his face as he tried to recall just when things had become so casual between the two of them, even friendly. Even more strange, he recalled thinking shortly after turning in that it would be likely they would have parted ways this morning. Now, it seemed more like they were traveling companions.

"I see, perhaps I can give you hand today in your hunting?" Helena replied as she turned towards the tent and began breaking it down.

"You know how to hunt?" Jaeden said as he gazed over at her.

"In a manner of speaking," Helena replied.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Part 4...
The warm breeze of the spring afternoon in the forest brought with it the scent of pine and wild flowers. The day was clear, as the light of the sun managed to slip through more than usual, bathing the forest grounds. Various wildlife sound echoed from all directions as life in the forest continued it's usual routine. Still, in one section of the forest there seemed to be a chase going on. The hooves of a doe trampled heavily along the ground as it ran full speed, heavy huffs escaping it's nose. Plants that covered the ground slapped along it's legs with each stride, being easily pushed away with a loud rustle. A quick jump sent the female deer hurtling over a fallen tree before landing with a loud thud only to continue it's panicked run.

Behind the doe causing it's run, was a female mountain lion. Helena was on the prowl, her golden fur almost glowing in the patches of sunlight she ran through. Her heavy paws dug hard into the ground to close the distance between her and the prey. Her own heavy breaths exhaling through an opened mouth with each stride taken. As she drew closer to the doe, she would veer to it's left or right side, causing it move away from her.

Eventually, Helena spooked the doe into running between two large trees that stood about fifteen feet apart from each other. It was behind one of these trees that Jaeden laid in wait. He didn't peek out from behind the tree, but simply sat there, waiting. His ears twitched as he suddenly hear a quick, sharp roar from Helena. With gritted teeth, Jaeden suddenly yanked on the rope in his hands hard, taking up the slack that laid along the ground. It became taught with pressure, the other end tied around the tree fifteen feet away. Almost a split second later, Jaeden grunted as his whole body was suddenly yanked forward to the ground violently when the doe, running at full speed, tripped over the rope.

The doe fell forward before coming to rolling fall along the ground as dirt and plants were kicked up from the forest floor. The doe quickly began to maneuver back to it's feet, but it was already too late. Helena pounced, her ears folding back, laying along the top of her head. The claws of her front right paw grasped tightly along the skin and muscle of the doe's shoulder, the other grasping the side of the doe's head as her jaw clamped down like a vice over the doe's windpipe. The forward half of her body laid along the front legs of the doe as she angled the back half away from the kicking hind legs.

Jaeden grunted slightly, pushing himself off the ground. His body felt racked, and a layer of skin was burned away from his hand when the rope slid slightly, but roughly, through his grip. Dragging his feet, Jaeden made a long circle around Helena and the doe until he was opposite of the doe's legs. Standing over it, with Helena holding it down, Jaeden drew his long sword and gripped it with both hands before stabbing it down into the side of the doe. The blade pierced the skin, slipping between two of the doe's ribs before it made it's way through one of it's lungs and into the doe's heart.

The doe's struggle became more violent in reaction to the injury as it's body thrashed, pulling Jaeden's sword out of his hands. Such only lasted for a moment before the doe's movements became slow and weak. Before long, there was no movement at all. Only small, involuntary twitches along the doe's legs remained as it's chest ceased to rise and fall, noting that it was no longer breathing.

Jaeden dropped to his right knee, his right forearm resting along the upright left knee as he let the pain in his body dull down some. His gaze rose up from the ground, meeting Helena's eyes. Her vice like bite was still anchored into the doe's neck as a precaution as she breathed heavily, trying desperately to catch her breath. A smile crossed Jaeden's face before he thumbed towards the direction of one of the large trees. "Your clothes are behind there," Jaeden simply said before he began flicking his hand slightly, cooling the rope burns.

Helena's jaw slowly opened, her paws still pressing down along the doe's body. When she saw no strong reaction from it in a last attempt to escape, she finally stood up on all fours. She stood there for a moment, breathing heavily as he tongue hunt out from an agape jaw, tints of red and pink lining the fur around her mouth. She then slowly moved behind one of the tree's, the sounds of a heavily breathing animal slowly turning into the gasps of a young woman.

Jaeden slowly stood once again and circled the doe before picking up his sword. A rag was then retrieved from his belt pouch, and dragged slowly along the surface of the blood, wiping it clean of the doe's blood. A brief moment was taken to check for any nicks along the sharpened edge that may have occurred when the blade itself gazed bone before the longsword was slid back into it's scabbard.

Jaeden then looked to Helena as she stepped back out from behind the tree, still breathing heavily. "Nicely done," Jaeden said as he pulled his waterskin from his pack, handing it out to her. "Wasn't sure if the doe could be coax between the trees or not."

Helena took the waterskin and tipped it back taking a long drink. Another couple of breaths were taken before she smiled at Jaeden, revealing small pointed canine teeth that Jaeden noticed for the first time. "I told you it could be done," she said handing the waterskin back to Jaeden before dragging the back of her hand slightly over her lips, wiping a small amount of dried blood from her lips.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm glad you were right," Jaeden said as he slipped the water bottle back along his pack. His gaze then caught sight of the corner of Helena's mouth. "Wait a moment, missed a spot."

Helena's eyes suddenly met Jaeden's in surprise, her mouth opening slightly as Jaeden's hand the reached out, the tips of his fingers brushing lightly over the skin of Helena's cheek. His thumb the came to a rest along the middle of Helena's lower lip before sliding gently along it to the corner of her mouth, the motion repeated until the spot mentioned was cleaned. "There," Jaeden said with a smile as he began withdrawing his hand, only to have it caught and held by Helena's. "What?" Jaeden asked.

Helena didn't say anything at first, just stared into Jaeden's eyes for another moment before looking down to his hand to see the red mark left behind by the rope. "You're hand, it's injured," Helena said quickly.

"Oh, it's nothing," Jaeden said with a slight chuckle. "Just a rope burn."

"We should still take care of it," Helena said before grasping at her shirt and tearing a piece away.

"No, really," Jaeden said, surprised by her reaction, "it's not that bad. My muscle's a little more sore from tripping the doe than my hands are from the friction of the rope. There a plants all around that I can use to sooth the burn."

Helena didn't respond at first, rather just wrapped the piece she had torn from her shirt around Jaeden's hand. After tying the first piece, Helena then began reaching for her shirt once again, only to find Jaeden's other hand grasping her wrist lightly. "Helena, hey," Jaeden's voice suddenly said catching her attention, his bandaged hand resting along her shoulder. Helena's gaze once again rose, meeting Jaeden's own gaze as a comforting smile curved his lips. "It's fine, really. Thank you though."

Helena's frame suddenly relaxed. Her left shoulder dipped down slightly,her head tilting to the right as she smiled. Jaeden just gave a small nod, before his sight caught something else. His reaction was one of surprise and fear as he saw someone he didn't know suddenly stand up from behind some nearby trees nearly thirty yards away, aiming a bow at the pair of them.

Jaeden didn't even have time to say a word before the arrow was loosed from the bow. His hands gripped Helena's shoulders tightly as he spun her around, turning his own back to the incoming arrow. He wasn't even entirely sure why he did such, it just seemed to happen.

The pain was sharp and intense as the arrow's head pierced through the skin of his shoulder, missing the bone just slightly but penetrating through the front. Helena's face turned to shock as a small amount of Jaeden's blood splattered along the right side of her face.

Jaeden yelled out in pain for a brief moment, his body falling forward slightly as both of Helena's arms slipped under Jaeden's, supporting him and keeping him upright. The pain in his shoulder turned to burning and throbbing as Jaeden began hissing gasps of air through grinding teeth before his right hand fell the the hilt of his longsword. Pulling it free from it's scabbard, Jaden turned to face their aggressor.

Helena stepped out from behind Jaeden, her expression turning to rage. She slowly leaned forward, ready to charge, but stopped when the blade of Jaeden's longsword was lowered in front of her, blocking her path. "Found you, you petch," a voice shouted from nearby.

Jaeden's looked quickly towards the sound of the voice to see the one of the two men who were attack Helena the day before last standing there. He was with three others as they slowly began approaching Helena and Jaeden. "Shyke," Jaeden muttered under his breath.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Part 5...
Jaeden stabbed his sword into the ground before reaching up to the arrow sticking through his shoulder muscle. The pain had died down some. Instead of the intense sharp pain, there was now a throbbing burning pain the echoed throughout his shoulder and down part of his arm.

"Krovak, Balkin charge in while he's injured," the short bald man yelled. "Ingis, cover us with your bow."

"Got it," Krovak, the averaged sized man with short greasy brown hair brandishing a broadsword yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, we're on it Allder," Balkin, a more laid back looking individual with long blonde hair said lightly, pointing a spear in both hands in front of him.

He would have to make this fast, as the three others were getting closer. Gritting his teeth, he muffled a loud scream as he broke the arrow off, tossing it to the side. He then reached to the arrow head, still sticking out of the front of the shoulder and pulled the rest of the arrow from his shoulder, this time unable to scream out from the pain. Tossing the other half of arrow aside, he grasped his sword once again. The pain in his left arm was still intense, but he could now at least move that arm a little more than before.

Helena looked on with concern before she stepped out in front of Jaeden, the men a mere ten meters away now, each of them drawing a weapon. She hissed in warning as she crouched down slightly, the claws along the tips of her fingers were brought to plain view as she held her hands out to the side, readying them to swing at a moments notice. "Get the archer," Jaeden whispered to Helena, "I can't prevent them from surrounding me if the archer is taking shots at me while I backstep."

Helena turned her head slightly, looking at Jaeden out of the corner of her eye. It almost appeared as though she were checking to see if he was serious. After all, it was unlikely the archer wouldn't risk firing an arrow and risk hitting his partners. Jaeden just nodded however, and as the three men began screaming, closing their distance to a mere five meters, Helena quickly darted off towards the archer, giving the three advancing into melee a moment's pause. Jaeden didn't hesitate over this momentary distraction as he thrust his foot out, kicking the Allder, in the center of his chest.

Allder was thrown back by the force of the kick, falling to his back as he rolled a couple of feet along the ground. Jaeden followed through as he began swinging his sword down at Krovak, who was standing to the left. He stopped in mid-swing when another arrow whizzed past him, barely missing him. A quick glance towards the direction of shot showed the archer drawing another arrow as his attentions turned to Helena, who was almost upon him.

Jaeden's gaze moved back quickly towards the other two melee combatants. The distraction was gone as Krovak began swinging his broadsword down towards Jaeden. Jaeden began moving backwards as he swung his longsword to the side, deflecting the incoming strike from the attacker. Jaeden countered as he reached forward with his left hand, despite the pain, and shoved Krovak hard along the shoulder while he was leaned forward slightly from his swing. Krovak went stumbling off to the side, off balance.

Jaeden wasn't given time to do much else before Balkin attacked, the tip of his spear thrust towards Jaeden's face. Jaeden barely reacted in time to avoid a lethal thrust as he leaned back while parrying with his sword again. The blade of the spear grazed the right side of his face along his cheek. Jaeden's blood trailed in the air from the tip of Balkin's spear as Jaeden's right eye shut in reaction to the pain. This man was clearly more skilled with weapons than the other's, Jaeden could see that from the first attack. He would have to be the first Jaeden had to take down if he was to survive this.

Balkin immediately followed up as his body spun, swinging the spear around toward's the left side of Jaeden's head. Instead of distancing himself from the attack this time, Jaeden instead stepped forward as the shaft of the spear smacked into the palm of his left hand, causing another intense period of pain in his left arm. Jaeden kept a tight grip on Blakin's spear and began swinging his sword at Balkin's side, aiming for his ribs. Balkin just smirked in reaction as he let go of his spear and jumped back, evading Jaeden's attack entirely.

Disarmed, Balkin stood there holding his hands out, that same smirk on his face. "So, what now?" Balkin simply asked as Jaeden held his weapon.

Jaeden took a step forward before he noticed Krovak already approaching and Allder not far behind him. Balkin made the right move under the circumstances. One on one, he would have been at a disadvantage, but with his partners closing in, both he and Jaeden knew that Jaeden would never fell him before the other two where upon him. Jaeden just scoffed as he threw the spear over Balkin's head with as much strength as he could manage. It flew about fifteen yards before bouncing off a tree and landing a few feet further away.

"I would have broken it personally, but the second best choice isn't necessarily a bad one," Balkin said as he casually turned and began walking to pick up his spear.

Jaeden just sighed as he began moving back again. Why he hand not thought of that eluded him. He chalked it up to not thinking quickly enough in a battle situation and focused on Krovak once again as he closed the distance, swinging his sword at Jaeden once again. Jaeden raised his sword, blocking the incoming strike from overhead before his foot swung upward, catching Krovak between his legs as the man buckled over, falling to his knees letting out grunted cries of pain.

As Jaeden turned slightly to face Allder, he realized he wasn't quite fast enough as Allder's short sword was already being swung. Jaeden's body leaned back once again as the tip of the blade missed his face, but cut deep into his left leg. Jaeden yelled out in pain as he began limping backwards. He swung his sword at Allder wildly in order to keep Allder away as his left hand grasped at the wound in his leg.

Allder just smiled wide as he kept moving forward, feinting with his short sword. Jaeden was breathing heavily by this time as he held his longsword out defensively. Finally, Allder moved in for an attack as he made an upward thrust towards Jaeden's chest. Jaeden, simply thrust his own blade forward as the tip of the sword dug into Allden's shoulder. Allden yelled out in pain as the strength to grip his own weapon was suddenly gone as he dropped it to the ground.

Jaeden pushed forward on his sword, forcing Allden to the ground before pulling the blade free. He quickly raised his longsword into the air, ready to drive the tip of his blade into Allden's heart. Allden raised his hands defensively, giving a pleading scream to Jaeden. Jaeden wouldn't listen, but gritted his teeth and took a quick inhale.

His attack would be halted, however, as Jaeden felt his own flesh being torn once again and his body begin push back by the force of the attack. Looking down, Jaeden noticed the long shaft of Balkin's spear sticking out of the right side of his chest, just below the collar bone. Looking up, he saw Balkin's approaching, that same smirk of his still on his face. "Whew, now that was a close one, eh Allder?" Balkin said in a joking tone.

Jaeden coughed slightly, blood splattering to the ground in front of him. Jaeden could feel all the strength slowly leaving his body, and his vision began to blur. He reached up and grasped Balkin's spear. Gritting his teeth once again, Jaeden tugged on the spear, wrenching it free from his body as he tossed it to the side. The pain alone was enough to drive Jaeden to his knees. Balkin gave a quick whistle. "I'll give you this," Balkin said, "you're a tough one, but you should have just been running from the start."

He was right of course. Facing three of them at the same time was too much for Jaeden's level of skill. Especially after discovering this spearman, Balkin, was better than him. Jaeden slowly looked up, Balkin kept a short distance away from him while Allder was slowly getting back to his feet, gripping the wound along his shoulder. Korvak seemed to be the only one approaching Jaeden, an angered look on his face. "I'll finish this," Korvak said.

"Careful," Balkin said, "he ain't dead yet."

"He's mostly dead, and that makes him not a threat anymore," Korvak said as he raised his sword into the air, gripping it with both hands, "I think splitting his head like a melon will finish things off."

Jaeden barely had the strength to keep his own grip along his sword, much less raise it anymore in defense. All he could do was watch as the sword began to fall. Most people would close their eyes, seeing such coming, but Jaeden's eyes simply looked past the glint of the blade falling to kill him, and instead focused on a small patch of clouds that had been passing overhead in the sky. It was funny in a way. Observing the clouds is what got him into all of this in the first place. It only seemed fitting that a reminder of such be the last thing he sees.

It wasn't, however, the last thing Jaeden would see. Instead, he saw the blurred motions of a figure passing in front of him and the falling sword. Helena had moved in, taking the hit for Jaeden as the broadsword cut deeply into her shoulder past the collar bone as she yelled out in pain. A roar was then given as her hand sung quickly, he claws raking deeply along Korvak's midsection, ripping away flesh beneath the clothing.

Helena fell to the ground motionless a split second later, her eyes closing. Her breathing became labored, blood began pouring from the corner of her mouth as short purrs echoed from her body with each breath. Jaeden's eyes went wide as he stared down at her in fear and concern. "Gah, petching minx," Korvak yelled out, grabbing Jaeden's attention as he saw him grasping at his stomach. "I'm gonna cut her petching head off for that!"

Jaeden's face turned to rage as he suddenly found a last burst of strength he didn't have. With it, he screamed out suddenly, and threw his longsword at Korvak. It made one rotation through the air before the tip of the sword pierce through Korvak's throat. It forced Korvak through the air as a gargled scream release a mouthful of blood before falling to the ground, seconds from death.

Jaeden felt the tip of Allder's short sword enter his stomach. Looking up, he saw Allder looking down at him with an angry expression. "That's enough of that shyke head," Alder said before pulling his blade free.

Jaeden's vision went dark, and he could feel his body slump to the ground. All he began to feel a cold sensation washing over his body. "You want to take their heads?" Jaeden heard Balkin say.

"No," Alder's voice then replied, "if she was here to take that hit that means Ingis is dead to, and I'm injured. They don't deserve a quick death. Let's head back to camp."

Jaeden then heard Balkin picking up his spear before a pair of footsteps began walking away slowly. After the sounds of footsteps faded away, all Jaeden could hear then was the labored purrs coming from Helena. He couldn't tell how much time had passed. What seemed like hours could very well be just minutes. His whole body had felt numb by that point and he then just wondered when he would stop hearing Helena's purr.

A short time passed once again, and Jaeden felt himself slipping in and out of consciousness. As the outside world began to fade out again, he then felt short breaths running along his face before the warm sensation of tongue licking his cheek. "Great," Jaeden thought to himself, "now a wolf is going to eat me on top of everything else."

[Jaeden Kincade]

Part 6...
Jaeden's brow knotted up as his senses began to return, his entire body filled with a dull ache as though he had just been run through a training session with his old master. He could hear the sound of embers snapping as they burned in a flame and the sound of someone humming a song he didn't recognize. His eyes opened to a mere sliver as darkness gave way to blurred vision which slowly came into focus. The first thing he noticed was the dark brown colors of the wooden ceiling above him. Shadows cast by a nearby fire danced along the surface of the ceiling, their shapes hard to recognize. The smell of food, most likely a soup of some sort, cooking was nearby.

Jaeden's head turned to it's side, facing right towards the light of the fire. He was in a small room of some sort. Walls were made from the same wood as the ceiling, the floors as well. The walls themselves remained bare save for a window that faced north, to the best of Jaeden's knowledge, and a single painted portrait of a female Jaeden didn't recognize. Jaeden caught site of the hard surface he laid upon out of the corner of his eye. A table made of oak provided very little in the form of comfort, but supported Jaeden's weight with ease.

Then Jaeden noticed the small couch not sitting far from the table itself. It was shabby, at best, most likely cushioned with cotton and covered with wool. He noticed the back of the head of a figure who sat along the couch, the source of the humming. From what Jaeden could see, the figure was male and human. He was at least twice Jaeden's age judging by the what little thick grey short hair still remained on his otherwise bald head.

Jaeden finally began sitting himself up as a swell of pain entered his abdomen where he had been previously stabbed. His left hand instinctively moved to his stomach, applying light pressure as he felt the soft texture of bandaging wrapped around his midsection. He let out a weak grunt as he began sliding his legs off he side of the table, bracing his upper body with his right hand as more pain began throbbing along his right shoulder and chest where the spear had pierced just below his collarbone.

"Easy there son," a voice similar to the one that had been humming previously said as Jaeden felt the rough texture of a hand that had known many years of work rest along his left arm lightly. "You're out of the worst of your injuries, but they're still there."

Jaeden slowly looked up to first notice the thick, bushy grey beard of the old man now standing before him. His body, while not as big as Jaeden's, was still above average size for a human, and his build was still good considering his age. Couple that with how course the skin on his hands felt and one could assume that this man had a profession that involved hard physical labor over many years. Gazing into the old man's brown eyes he noticed a hint of concern there as the old man looked over Jaeden's bandaging. "Where am I?" Jaeden asked weakly as he settled into an upright seated position along the table.

"My cabin," the old man said as his hand slipped to along the edges of the bandage that covered Jaeden's spear injury, taking a quick peek beneath. "A Konti woman brought you here. Her healing abilities saved your life, but you're not fully healed."

"What about the Kelvic woman I was with?" Jaeden then asked, looking to the old man with a slight amount of hope.

"She..." the old man paused looking past Jaeden.

Jaeden slowly turned his head to see a closed door behind him. Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself off the table as his feet touched ground. His legs buckled slightly under his own weight, but kept him off the ground in the end with a little support from the old man standing with him. The tips of Jaeden's feet dragged slightly along the wooden floor as he began moving around the table, his left hand slipping along the table's surface for added support. He hadn't felt this weak in a great while, and he hated that fact, even more so over what he feared he would see behind the door.

When Jaeden left the reach of the table, his left forearm was pressed against his stomach wound as his hand grasped his side. His movement was slow, but the distance was short and it wasn't long before his right hand was reaching out to the door, pushing it open. Behind the door was another small room about half the size Jaeden was in. There was room for a dresser and a bed. Light from the moon filtered in through a small circular window, illuminating Helena's body as it laid along the bed, making it almost look like it was glowing. Jaeden fell to a lean along the doors frame, observing in silence for a long moment. He finally gave a slow blink as he saw her chest rise, that involuntary reflex taking in a lung full of air, his ears twitching slightly as he heard that weak purr sound on the exhale. "Still alive, still alive," Jaeden whispered softly as his head leaned along the frame of the door.

"Clinging to life is more like it," the old man replied. "The konti woman used the majority of what healing abilities she had on the Kelvic woman here, but the wound was very mortal. Couple that with the blood loss.... well, let's just say that it's now up to the Kelvic woman there to live. She could still die."

Jaeden stood there in silence, still looking at Helena for a long moment. A sigh was released before he finally pushed himself from his lean along the frame of the door and stepped back out, closing the door quietly. "I still have to believe she'll make it," Jaeden said as he looked to the old man. "I'm sorry we were dumped on you, sir."

The old man shook his head as a smile appeared on his face. "No worries kid," the old man said, "don't mind the company after all. Call me Falkorn though, as calling me sir is like putting a outhouse in a royal dance hall: it just don't work. I originally built this cabin as a stay over for woodsman and hunters not wanting to sleep out in the wilderness, especially during the winter season, but I still don't get many of them here. Not including the Konti woman and her wolf, you two are the first people to even come to this place in close to two years."

"Jaeden Kincade," Jaeden replied as he gave a weak smile, introducing himself.

Falkorn slipped Jaeden's arm over his shoulders and began walking him back to the couch. "Let's get you seated along the couch at least, being on your feet might reopen some of your wounds," Falkorn said as his other arm slipped around Jaeden's back, surprisingly supporting Jaeden's weight more easily than Jaeden would have suspected.

Jaeden slowly looked towards the exit of the Cabin itself and noticed his pack and equipment resting next to it. He frowned slightly at that slightly before looking to Falkorn. "They didn't take any of my stuff?" Jaeden asked, the confused look on his face.

"Slavers usually don't," Falkorn replied guiding Jaeden around the couch as he began sitting him down.

"Slavers?" Jaeden asked with a ground before the full of his body relaxed in the cushioning of the couch. He felt most of his pain slowly ebb away as most of his muscles lost their tenseness while he was seated.

"It's who I suspect attacked you," Flakorn said as he turned towards a fireplace that had a large pot with a ladle hanging over an open flame. "They often come around the forest and open lands looking for the homeless or Kelvics like the woman in there. Folks who don't seem to have a permanent residence and won't be missed by anyone."

Falkorn grasped the ladle and began stirring the contents of the pot around as an appeasing smell reached Jaeden's nose. It smelled better than anything he would have cooked. "They take them by force and sell them off for labor to others in the lands looking for cheap workers, sometimes even to Zith colonies. Stuff like your pack and weapon they would just consider dead weight not worth carrying around. Even that doe you brought down was left behind, it's meat will make a great stew by the way."

"And Sylira allows this to happen?" Jaeden said with a frown forming on his face.

Falkorn just gave a slow shrug as he grabbed a small bowl. Taking the ladle, he began to fill the bowl with the stew. "Even if they were to do something about it, the knights can't be everywhere at once kid," Falkorn replied as he handed Jaeden the bowl before dropping a spoon into it. "Eat, it'll help you regain your strength."

Jaeden held the bowl lightly in his hand as he began stirring the stew around with his spoon. A spoonful was then slowly brought up and shoveled into his mouth as he began chewing slowly. The stew itself was good, as a variety of flavors mixed in his mouth, from the vegetables like carrots and potatoes to the meat and various spices Falkorn had used. The taste, however, wasn't enough to distract Jaeden from his thoughts of what had happened to him and Helena as he took another bite before slowly setting his bowl down along the floor. "Falkorn, how long was I out for?" Jaeden asked.

"I'd say at least a day and a half," Falkorn said as he began pouring his own bowl of stew. "Your wounds likely would have killed you had it not been for that Konti woman. Amazing isn't it, how they can mend someone together and concoct herbal and alchemical remedies to speed up the healing process. With sufficient rest, it'll likely only take you about a week to mostly recover."

Jaeden braced his hands along the edge of the couch as he slowly pushed himself to a standing position once again, grunting with the movement. "What you doing now kid?" Falkorn said, setting his own bowl down and raising his hands to help Jaeden maintain his balance.

"It hasn't been that long," Jaeden said as he began making his way over to his pack, "and I don't smell the fact that it had rained during that time. I can still track these men to where they went."

"Now that's just a fool thing to do," Falkorn said as Jaeden began to feel a bit of resistance in Falkorn's grasp. "You nearly got killed when you were attacked by them and now you want to, what? Get revenge or something?"

"I won't deny that part of me wants a little retribution, but not for me. For her," Jaeden said as he reached down into his pack, pulling out his shirt from it. It had been cleaned already, and the tears and cuts where he had been injured sewn.

"You really shouldn't be doing this kid, you can't take them on, not in your condition," Falkorn said before his hand slipped to the exit leading outside.

"You said it would only take a week for me to recover mostly," Jaeden said with a joking smile.

"With sufficient bed rest. You get into a battle and you're just going to tear at those wounds and die from them," Falkorn said.

"I won't be engaging them in open battle," Jaeden then said as he began to slip on his armor. "You got some excess rope by the way?"

"Listen," Falkorn said as he looked at Jaeden, "you were nearly killed. You're still about halfway there in fact. Now you plan to head out there and make things worse. Let me ask you this: Is that woman in there bonded with you?"

Jaeden paused, falling silent as he looked to the door. He then shook his head slightly. "No," Jaeden said with a calmness in his voice. "At least I don't think so. I'm not certain how that works. I've only known here for a couple of days after all."

"Well then, what makes you want to do this for her?" Falkorn asked bluntly.

Jaeden fell silent once again, thinking for a long moment. "I don't know," he finally replied looking to Falkorn. "While I don't know anything about a Kelvic bond, I know if that short time I did find a bond of some sort. She's my friend, and I feel it's just something I have to do for her."

Falkorn looked to Jaeden as though he was studying his face, searching for a hidden reason of some sort. Finally, the old man moved his hand from the door shaking his head. "You're probably just thinking with your willie," Falkorn said as he moved over to a nearby cabinet in the room. Opening the doors, he pulled out some rope from within and brought it back over to Jaeden.

Jaeden contemplated on that thought, thinking back to the time he witnessed Helena stepping out from the lake. "That's a possibility," Jaeden said before grabbing his sword and tying the scabbard to his waist.

"So what are you going to do with these slavers if you find them," Falkorn said handing Jaeden the rope, "tie them all up and give them to the knights?"

Jaeden slowly looked up to Falkorn before a slow shake of his head was given. "No," Jaeden finally answered, "I'm going to kill them all."

[Jaeden Kincade]

Part 7...
Jaeden winced slightly as he grabbed his abdomen, his free hand pressing up along a tree for a moment as he breathed through the burning pain that the wound had left. "Well, at least it isn't a sharp burning pain now," Jaeden thought to himself, confident that whatever alchemical or herbal remedy that had been applied to help the healing process was working.

He had been traveling for the better part of a day, picking up the trail of those who had attacked him and Helena at the scene of the battle. The two companions that Allder had left behind were already being scavenged by various wildlife. The trail was easy to follow at first. A pair of boot prints from where they walked coupled with smashed plant life from the dragging of feet and heavy steps from Addler due to his injury. Blood that dripped down from the shoulder wound that Jaden had given Allder. They weren't even trying to hid their trail, confident that both Jaeden and Helena were dead.

The trail had become a little more difficult, however, the further he had gone. There was little or no blood to follow now, suggesting that Allder's wound had clotted over and stopped bleeding. While the boot prints they left behind were fresher the closer he got, they had also been stepped over by other creatures of the forest or the plants themselves had retaken their shape due to low traffic in that area. As well, branches that had been broken or leaves ripped off in travel had to be distinguished between the slavers that fled or animals simply running through.

Tell tale markers were left though as Jaeden would either catch sight of a piece of fur from an animal left behind when they brushed past eliminating a certain direction. And while Jaeden's sense of smell was no where near as acute as an animal or Kelvic's might be, it was enough that he could tell the difference between an animals normal musty smell to the sweat of the human's that had been left behind on certain plants, but just barely.

Jaeden let out another exhale to ease his pain before finally looking to the ground once again. He crouched as his hand started dipping into an undisturbed print he had most recently discovered. The size and shape were the same, as well as the indentations in the ground that were made suggesting the way the individual stepped. Heel, toe, heel, toe. It was the same as those he followed. The depth of the boot print as well matched with the weight that Balkin might be. "No, a little deeper actually," Jaeden thought as he slowly began brushing aside some of the other plants to discovered a other prints. A deep, flat print when dug up a small trail of dirt from the tip of the toe and another further ahead which was lighter in the ground.

"Allder's dragging his feet while Balkin carries most of his weight," Jaeden muttered under his breath. Jaeden figured that either Allder had lost too much blood before the wound closed or an infection had happened. Either way, it slowed them down. It only helped Jaeden a little though, as he was still injured as well.

Jaeden followed the tracks left behind for a short distance before getting a small idea of direction before standing up strait once again. Fortunately, humans wound up being easier to track than animals some of the time. Their tracks and trails were more well defined unless they were making an effort in preventing such, and unlike animals, they would tend to travel more in a strait line, rather than change directions often, allowing a tracker to observe the tracks less and travel faster.

Jaden soon reached into his belt pouch, pulling out a piece of leather that had been folded over. He unwrapped it, revealing several pieces of boiled meat which were cold, but still wet. Pieces that had come from the stew Falkorn had made back at the cabin. Eating a couple of pieces, he had noticed that eating the food with a stomach wound didn't actually hinder him, but even helped to Falkorn's credit of stating such. He had wondered if Falkorn had a little herbal knowledge as well. Such could be answered later, however, as Jaeden folded the food back into it's leather wrap and stuffed the package into his belt pouch.

With both resting to make sure he didn't strain his injuries, and sleeping during the night, it would be another full day of tracking for Jaeden. Following the tracks he could find, making sure they were the right tracks and avoiding predatory animals who caught scent of Jaeden's blood. It wasn't an easy task, but Jaeden's determination kept him moving. It was at least two bells before nightfall when Jaeden had discovered the slaver's camp. They weren't far from the southern tree line of the forest itself, camped about a two miles away from the main road which led to Sylira.

Their camp was simple and in the open, but far enough away from other well traveled areas that they wouldn't been seen easily by others. Three large tents surrounded a large fire already roaring. The fire itself had a large boar roasting over top of it which Jaeden could smell from his current position in the forest despite the wind blowing the scent in a eastern direction. Several horses could be see grazing not far from the camp to the west, more than what Jaeden would have guessed would be used for inhabitants of the camp initially.

Then, in the north eastern corner of the camp, Jaeden spotted a large wooden wagon, covered mostly by a tarp. From what little parts of it's top that weren't covered, Jaeden could see thick wooden frames with iron bares lined vertically along them. Jaeden could only surmise that if they were slavers as Falkorn had guessed, the wagon is where they were imprisoned. He couldn't hear any cries or shouts for helps, no demands to be set free. If there were any would be slaves in the wagon, Jaeden figured they were either gagged, threatened, or physically accosted into submission.

Jaeden began moving over to a nearby tree. He tried his best to hold back his grunts as he slowly climbed it. From an elevated position, Jaeden then just sat there and observed, keeping an eye out for Allder and Balkin to confirm that this was indeed there camp. It didn't take long before he saw them as Balkin came out checking on the cooking boar first off. Allder would come out shortly after Balkin announced that the boar was ready to eat, his shoulder tightly wrapped in bandaging.

Jaeden slowly began counting as more men began filing out of their respective tents. He then just gave a small sigh, leaning back along the tree as his head thumped lightly along the bark. "Seven more," Jaeden muttered to himself, "this is going to take a lot of preparation."

[Jaeden Kincade]

Part 8...
A loud clap of thunder had caused Jaeden's eyes to suddenly shoot open, his head jerked forward, his hand shooting to grasp the hilt of his sword as his vision came into focus quickly. He suddenly reached up, grasping a nearby branch to prevent himself from falling out of the spot in the three he had climbed up into for rest as he took a couple of quick breaths to steady his heart from the surprise awakening. His gaze then traveled down to the slaver's camp. They were beginning to settle in for the night as scattered items left about the camp were collected and organized.

It was night time, almost four days after Jaeden had first discovered the slavers' camp. In that time, Jaeden had been moving around the forest area their camp had been near. He familiarized himself almost completely with a full square mile of the terrain, noting areas which could be quickly traversed as well as areas that presented opportunities for ambush and hiding.

Jaeden only stopped his preparations for critical reasons. Sleeping an eating were two of them. The meat from the stew that Falkorn had made was now gone, finished earlier in the day. Jaeden would likely begin feeling the tug of hunger by tomorrow morning. Every couple of bells, Jaeden would also move back to the forest's edge, making sure that they had not already moved on to another area. Then there would be times occasionally where Jaeden would have to go into hiding as the slavers came into the forest themselves to either hunt for food for the night, or other slaves to be abducted. They had brought in three more that Jaeden had noticed since coming here.

Jaeden had also spent that time preparing traps, many of them. Each trap would then be marked by Jaeden urinating in the area to keep any wildlife away and prevent them from setting the traps off. Creating them was slow going at first, as his injuries initially slowed him down, but with each passing day the pain Jaeden felt from them was less. After four days, there was only tolerable aches and pains, rather than the hindering sharp pains he originally woke with in Falkorn's cabin. The alchemical healing done by the Konti he had been told about, coupled with the food that Falkorn had prepared were working exceedingly well. He couldn't recall ever healing this fast, and he made a special note in his mind to thank Falkorn as well as the Konti if he ever discovered who she was.

Jaeden made a quick check of what he had left at his disposal. Aside from his own rope which had used up, he only had the twenty-five feet of rope that he had borrowed from Falkorn. Looking back into the forest, he held tightly onto the rope, deciding not to cut it up in the creation of more traps. What he had prepared thus far should have been enough. Jaeden then looked to the sky as another clap of thunder roared across the skies. He noticed several flashes of lightly streaking along thick dark clouds as the winds slowly began to build. A quick sniff of the air caught the small of heavy rains in the distance. It would likely only be a bell or two at the most before they arrived. Jaeden's gaze once again fell to the camp, his eyes narrowing slightly. "A storm will be beneficial and I'm as prepared as I'll ever be I suppose. Best to act now before the rains wash away the scent of my markers along the traps" Jaeden thought to himself before slowly climbing down the tree. He then headed west, heading to the flank of the camp itself.

Jaeden moved slowly, the night blanketing the land in darkness with only the occasional lightning flash illuminating the area beyond the reach of the camp's fire. Jaeden's first target would be the horses. With the approaching storm, they were no long left free to graze on their own, but rather their reins had been left on and tied to a generic rail. The rail itself were two wooden posts buried halfway into the ground and a simply flat board nailed to both of them. The horses were already being spooked by the storm, and such were the slaver's plan to prevent them from running off during the storm itself.

It had taken Jaeden the better part of a bell as he untied the horses from their rail and lead four of them at a time back towards the forest. He wasn't as good with horses as others might have been and on occasion he would have to stop and brace himself as a horse was suddenly spooked by the storm shouting out it's approach. Once the horses were safely hidden within the forest, Jaeden once again made his way back towards the camp, this time flanking around to the east. He would have to get the slavers attention now, but not while he was in the camp itself. He had considered setting fire to one of their tents, but he wasn't certain whether he would create enough distance between him and them before they noticed him running.

"Ort!" Jaeden hear Allder shout from the camp, "peg down the tarp over the wagon before the rains hit. We don't want the merchandise getting sick before they're sold."

Jaeden crouched down, hiding beind a large stone not far from the camp as his opportunity presented itself in the form of a tall, lanky human with black hair stepping out of the southern tent. He tipped back a clay jug, taking a rather large drink of the contents within. Each step the man took betrayed his inebriated condition as his feet dragged along the ground with each step he took on his zig zag path towards the wagon. Jaeden was slowly drawing his sword from it's sheath when Ort had finally reached the wagon, already tipping the jug back for a second pull. "Let us out of here!" a females voice demanded from within the wagon.

Ort answered the woman by spewing the liquor in his moth at her before yelling, "Shut up! Or you'll feel the back of my hand again," Ort yelled before he began crouching down, grabbing the corner of the tarp that covered the wagon.

Jaeden stepped out from behind his hiding spot and began to approach the slaver as quietly as he could. With the cover of night, the roars of the thunder, and Ort's own drunken state, it didn't take much stealth to sneak up on the man. Quick gasps were heard from within the wagon as Jaeden came into view, but such warnings for Ort came to late as Jaeden's hand snatched out, grasping Ort by his mouth with his free hand as he was forcefully pulled up against Jaeden's own body.

Jaeden's sword then swung around, as it's edge was pressed up against the slaver's neck before his arms could reach up to grab at the hand covering his mouth. Pressure was then applied to the blade as Jaeden began dragging it, the edge of the blade cutting deep into the slaver's throat as blood began to pool over the flat of the blade. Ort's body reacted with violent struggle as muffled screams cloaked by thunder echoed in his Ort's chest. His feet kicked out at empty air as his hands swatted at Jaeden's forearm, his own hands trying to wrench Jaeden's from his mouth.

Jaeden's voice hissed out a whisper in Ort's ear as he said, "Guilty by association." Then Jaeden released his grip of Ort as blood began to pour out of Ort's mouth and nose, coating Jaeden's palm. He quickly thrust his sword into Ort's side, the blade piercing Ort's lungs to further prevent screams as blood began to fill Ort's lungs. Jaeden looked to the wagon, quickly raising the index finger of his left hand to his lips. He stepped up to the wagon, observing the lock along it's door. It was made of hard iron, not impossible to open. However, Jaeden had no skill picking locks and breaking it open would be far too noisy. "Let us out of here," a whispered plea from the same woman could be heard.

Jaeden slowly looked up to see a young woman gripping the steel bars of her cage, looking into Jaeden's eyes with hope. Jaeden counted five others of various ages and genders in the wagon behind her. "I can't, not without alerting everyone in the tents," Jaeden whispered back as he looked up to the sky feeling the drops of rain beginning to fall. "I'm going to head back towards the forest, you give me a few moments before screaming out like you're scared over this man being killed, then tell them where I ran off towards."

"I thought you didn't want to alert them," the woman then whispered harshly thinking the idea absurd.

"I don't, not while I'm in their camp," Jaeden said as the rains began to grow heavier. "Just trust me, do as I ask, and if I'm not killed in the process, you'll all be freed before night's end."

The woman just nodded without a second thought. It was better to have a little hope then none at all. Jaeden gave a nod back as he moved around the wagon and began heading south back towards the forest. He was just about fifty yards away from the forest's edge before hearing the woman's scream echo out over the thunder. It was only a few seconds before the eight remaining slavers came pouring out of their tents brandishing weapons. A few of them checked on their fallen comrade while Allder demanded answers from the woman. Then all eyes shot towards the forest. Lightning streaked across the sky, bringing Jaeden fully into view for a short moment, staring back down at the camp before turning and moving into the forest.

Back at the camp Allder began cursing in disbelief. Balkin gave a long whistle before a smile sharpened the corners of his mouth. "That boy's like a cockroach fueled by magic," Balkin said before looking to the west. "Horses are gone to."

"That little shyke, everyone after him. Don't kill him until you find out what he did with the horses," Allder ordered as the men began moving towards the forest after Jaeden.

"I wouldn't do that," Balkin commented. "We should just wait for him to come down here to us."

"Why?" Allder shouted, glaring at Balkin.

"If you even need to ask me that, you wouldn't understand the explination," Balkin replied as he ran his hand over his long blonde hair which had already grown sopping wet in the heavy rains.

"I know this, that phent was next to dead no more than five days ago," Allder began explaining, "that means he's still heavily injured and now up against eight where last time he couldn't even take three. It don't matter what he has planned, it won't be enough against the numbers here."

"You keep telling yourself that," Balkin said with a arrogant smirk.

"Petch off, Balkin. We're still going up there," Allder yelled before he began moving towards the camp, the other men in toe. "You coming or not?"

"Nah, think I'll stick around here, make sure the fire don't go out," Balkin replied, already knowing the absurdity of his comment as the rains had already all but extinguished the camps large fire.

"Fine," Allder said, "but I'll be expecting that bonus I paid you for the fight with him earlier back."

"Well, let's stick a pin in that conversation for when you actually get back here," Balkin said with a chuckle.

"Bah!" Allder grumbled loudly before he continued towards the forest with his men.

Jaeden observed all the men approaching the forest as he stood just a few yards within. He frowned slightly, seeing now only the black silhouette of one who staid behind. "Must be Balkin," Jaeden grumbled before moving further into the forest. Balkin would have to wait of course, for the seven others than now approached would reach the forest soon, and then Jaeden's hunt would begin.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Part 9...
Heavy rains beat down along the forest grounds, the canopy of tree branches and leaves above offering little shelter. Lightning striking down in the distance barely lit up the area for only split seconds at a time as a heavy darkness made the area difficult to traverse for those unfamiliar with it. Between the sound of the rain and the thunderclaps that echoed through the sky every few seconds, it became difficult to hear anything else. The storm itself worked in Jaeden's favor and he allowed a brief smile over the thought that perhaps some of the Gods favored him this night, but soon ducked behind a tree, observing the forest edge through one exposed eye as seven dark silhouettes step into the forest.

Allder and his men had arrived, each one of them holding weapons which ranged from simple daggers to maces and swords. They stood there, just a few feet inside the forest looking around, searching for Jaeden. "Where'd he go?" one of them said.

"What?" another said loudly, not hearing the other over the sounds of the thunderstorm.

"I said where'd he go!?" the other repeated, raising his voice.

"How the hell should I know, I can barely see anything in here," the other replied.

"Alright, shut it!" Allder then yelled. "He's still heavily injured after the last fight he had with us. He couldn't have gotten far before those injuries slow him down. Spread out and search for him, fifty gold mizas to the one who finds and catches him. I want him alive though, so I can kill him myself."

Jaeden let another smile cross his lips as the men began to fan out, searching the area. He began moving towards the east, every now and then reaching out grabbing a handful of plant leaves from the ground. Each of them he began fixing to his clothing and armor, make shifting a generic camouflage for himself as he turned and stepped around trees and fallen branches with barely a glance to his surroundings. He then looked to the south as one of Allder's men came into view, a shift of his gaze revealed another not far to the west from him.

Jaeden looked to the ground for a moment before stepping a couple more paces to the northeast before finally standing in a strait line view of the man. Another flash of lightning revealed Jaeden standing there as the slaver came running strait at Jaeden, raising a mace into the air. When the slaver was mere yards away from Jaeden, a snap of a branch could be heard as his running feet slammed along the ground. The next step he took found his feet suddenly begin pulled out from under him as a rope snagged his foot. He fell backwards as his back and head hit the ground before his whole body was lifted into the air. He let out a scream in surprise, alerting his comrade of his predicament before he felt Jaeden's large hand grasp him by his hair.

"Hang there for a bit," Jaeden said just loud enough for the slaver to hear before swinging the slaver's head hard into the trunk of the tree he hung by. The slaver dropped his mace suddenly as he gave out dazed moans of pain, grasping his face as blood began to trickle to the ground from his nose and mouth.

Jaeden moved quickly to the south-east by a few yards before laying over the top of his sword along the ground, becoming motionless as he blended in with the natural vegetation there. A couple of seconds later he watched as the second slaver came running by him, the slaver's foot almost stepping on Jaeden's arm as he did. He cursed softly as he checked on the other slaver. Jaeden slowly stood up and began approaching the second slaver. When the slaver raised his sword to cut the first one down, Jaeden's left hand snatched out grasping the slaver's sword hand by the wrist before his own sword as thrust into the slaver's back, piercing through the right lung and out the front as the slaver gasped, staring down at the tip of the blade now sticking out of his chest. Jaeden then pushed down on the blade, cutting through one rib and slicing the wound in the slaver's right lung further before finally twisting the blade slightly and pulling his sword free.

The slaver dropped to the ground, motionless. Jaeden slowly looked up at the first slaver who was still hanging there in front of him. He had regained his wits as he looked up at Jaeden with fear in his eyes. Jaeden stared at the slaver for a short moment before raising his sword to strike. The slaver raised his hands defensively, pleading with Jaeden in a slurred voice. "Sorry, can't hear you over the storm," Jaeden simply said before swinging his blade at the slaver, the tip biting deep into the slavers throat, his pleas becoming gargled gasps of pain and fear as the slaver grasped his throat with both hands in a vein attempt to save himself.

Jaeden simply nudged the slaver's hanging body aside as he began making his way back west. Two were down, five more remained in the forest to hunt. Jaeden gazed around the area after moving for a short time. He paused, confirming his location before looking around for a short moment before another slaver came into view, this one by himself it seemed. Jaeden bent down, picking up a small rock from the ground before casually tossing it at the slaver as it bounced off his shoulder. The slaver spun around searching through the darkness for the source. This continued for a few seconds before Jaeden rolled his eyes and released a sigh. He then grabbed another rock from the ground, repeating the action. This time, the slaver spotted him as Jaeden said in an encouraging voice, "There you go."

Like the other, fueled by greed over the reward, the slaver began to charge at Jaeden, raising an axe over his head as he began to threaten Jaeden in the process. The slaver's charge was cut short when he found himself suddenly tripping over a rope and falling forward a mere ten feet away from Jaeden. Instead of hitting solid ground, the slaver found his body breaking through a thin layer of branches and leaves laid out over the ground. Jaeden heard a subtle grunt and muffled screams of pain before stepping to the edge of hole the slaver had just fell into. The hole itself wasn't that deep, only three and a half feet or so, but it's bed had been laid with wooden spikes spaced a half foot away from each other. Many had pierced through the slaver's body, some in somewhat harmless areas like the calf muscle or arm, others had pierced his chest, stomach and neck. "You should watch your step," Jaeden commented before he heard the screams of another not far away.

Jaeden's feet slowly carried him towards the sound. When he rounded one large tree he saw a slaver standing there. His body was hanging limp from a branch that had been anchored and bent upwards along the tree's branches above. He had snagged the trip line, causing the concealed trap to swing the anchored branch downward. The wooden spikes that had been attached down the last two feet of the branch had impaled the slaver along his chest and head. His body had gone stiff from the head wound as his eyes had a far off gaze in them. "Shyke, that looks like it hurt," Jaeden said before moving south.

"The little petch set up traps!" Allder's voice echoed through the forest. "Sorgin's dead, got his neck broken from some rope snagging trap. Watch your steps."

Jaeden smiled, now by his count only two remained. Still, they now knew there were traps, though there were only three left. Jaeden would have to take a more active role now in getting Allder and his remaining underling. Jaeden was back at the edge of the forest, looking along the ground as wet tracks of the men lead in all directions of the forest. He recognized some of the tacks as Allder's, moving off to the northeast. He began following them as the tracks began thinning out from the tracks of the others. When there were only two sets, he then changed gaze to following the other set apart from Allder's. He followed them for about thirty yards before realizing they were leading towards the trap that he assumed killed the one Allder called Sorgin. He would have to confirm such himself, but for now Jaeden simply sheathed his sword and reached to the left over rope that Falkorn had given him.

Jaeden then cut off about two feet of length from that rope and began tying a small loop. Laying it along the ground, he left it out in plain sight, only covering the cut off end with leaves and twigs. He then moved to the tree five yards to the left and began climbing. Slow aches began to rise in his shoulders and stomach again. The physical exertion he hand been going through during this short time were starting to take their toll on his wounds. They didn't slow him down by much anymore, but they still weren't fully healed yet either. Settling himself along a thick three branch fifteen feet from the ground, Jaeden this time began tying a slip knot into one end, opening the loop wide as he waited patiently.

About a quarter of a bell would pass before a slaver came into view. A brief flash of lightning showed a bit of paranoia in the slaver's eyes as he held out his dagger in front of him defensively and looked to the ground every few seconds. He then stopped, spotting the loop of rope Jaeden had left in plain view. Laughing nervously he began moving around the loop in a cautious matter. His path, as Jaeden had hoped, brought him directly beneath the branch Jaeden now sat upon. Jaeden waited paitiently, holding the loop of rope open in front of him, staring through the loop until the slaver passed under slowly. At the right moment, Jaeden dropped the looped end as it dropped down, the loop falling past the slaver's head before the knotted end came to rest along the back of his neck.

By the time the slaver was looking down to see what had fallen on him, the noose was already tightening as Jaeden dropped down from his branch, hanging on to the other end of the rope. The slaver was suddenly lifted into the air, the rope tighten around his neck as he dropped his knife reaching to the rope with both hands. He gagged, trying desperately to take a breath as his feet kicked out violently at empty air. The muscles along Jaeden's arms tightened and bulged as he landed along the ground, anchoring his feet and gripping the rope tightly with both hands.

He kept his grip and only moved back slightly as the struggling of the slaver grew less as time passed. Eventually, the slavers body hung motionless as it swayed back and forth from the rope. Jaeden's eyes gazed his surrounding area for Addler as he held the rope for just a bit longer, at least a tenth of the time of a full bell. Finally Jaeden released the rope as the slaver's body dropped to the ground with a thud barely audible over the storm in the immediate area. Stepping over to the slaver's body, Jaeden crouched down, grabbing the knife the slaver had dropped. "I'm borrowing this if you don't mind," Jaeden said before reaching up and pulled the rope slack down from the tree.

Reclaiming the rope, Jaeden then set out for Allder, who should have been the last one left in the forest. It took close to half a bell for Jaeden to finally track Allder down. The short man who took the role of leader within this group of slavers had actually gone deeper into the forest than Jaeden would have thought. Perhaps it was the darkness the storm had caused, or maybe he figured Jaeden would keep on running, hoping that traps would pick all of them off. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter to Jaeden, Allder's fate would be the same either way.

Jaeden slipped the rope over his shoulder as he slowly crept up behind Allder. As he drew closer, he began pulling the leaves and twigs of plant life from his clothing and armor, tossing them to the forest ground. He wouldn't be needing them any longer. The closer he got to Allder, the more it seemed the short man was nervous. Finally, Jaeden managed to get within two feet of Allder without him noticing when another streak of lighting crashed down from the sky, lighting up the forest in a flash of white light once again.

Allder's reaction to Jaeden's shadow looming over him was almost immediate as he swung around, swinging his short sword at towards Jaeden in the process. Jaeden's left hand reached out as Allder's wrist smacked into the palm of Jaeden's hand. Jaeden twisted Allder's wrist outward, holding it to the side and out of harms way as Allder grunted slightly in pain as tendons and bone became stressed with pressure. His eyes then widened as saw Jaeden drawing back a fist. From that point on, it was a sickening sound of dulled thuds as Jaeden repeatedly slammed his fist into Allder's face and gut for two minutes. For many, such wouldn't seem like a long time. For those people, they would simply consider what was happening in that time, and then count it out. One. Second. At. A. Time. Then they may reconsider.

Jaeden gasped heavily as he stood over Allder's unconscious body. His right hand was bloodied not only by the wounds he had inflicted on Allder, but also by cuts and scrapes that now lined his knuckles. Jaeden took a short time to catch his breath before observing Allder for a short moment, noticing that the slaver leader's chest still rose up and down, revealing the man was still alive. Looking around for a brief moment, Jaeden then spotted a tree about ten yards away. Grabbing Allder by the back of his armor, he began dragging him towards that tree, pulling the rope free from his shoulder.

About a half a bell passed before Allder started coming to, moaning slightly. In that time, both of his eyes had swollen greatly, the left eye swollen to the point that it was now completely shut. His nose was broken, both of his lips cut and flat. Jaeden took delight in knowing such as he slapped Allder across the face to speed up Allder's awakening. Allder let out a sharp yell as the sting of the slap echoed through his whole face. "Finally awake?" Jaeden said, looking down at Allder.

Allder looked at Jaeden through his right eye before trying to lunge forward at him. It was at that point that Allder found his hands tied together by the wrists, his arms stretched out behind him around a tree. He looked down to see the rope also bound his ankles, and was wrapped a few times over his chest, waist and legs, firmly securing him to the tree. "Over here!" Allder suddenly yelled. "He's over here!"

Jaeden slapped Allder across the face once again, stopping his screams. "You're wasting your breath," Jaeden said as he wiped the blood on his hand off along Allder's shirt. "All your other friends in the forest, they're already dead. You're all that's left up here."

"You little shyke," Allder hissed, "when I get free from here, I will hunt you down no matter where you go, and I'll be sure to take your head off this time."

Jaeden just shook his head, pulling out the knife he had taken from the slaver earlier on. "What makes you think that time will ever come?" Jaeden asked as he pressed the blade along Allder's arm, making a small cut along his shoulder.

Allder hissed out in pain as blood began to trickle down from the wound. "Fine!" Allder then just yelled, "just kill me and get it over with. You won't hear any begging from me."

"A quick death would be too good for you," Jaeden said as he began making shallow cuts over Allder's body in several places. Blood began covering all of his clothing and mixing with the soil below. "Here's a little tidbit for you to think on throughout the night. When these rains stop, the air will warm again and a thick humidity will cover the forest. When the sun fully rises, that heat will increase even further. You''ll begin to sweat as the sun passes overhead and the salt in that sweat will irritate your wounds and mix with the blood. Those two scents together will linger for miles attracting all sorts of predators in the forest. They'll all come looking for you."

It couldn't really be seen on Allder's face save for a slight opening of his mouth as he pondered such. Jaeden then tore the front of Allder's shirt away, tossing it blindly into the forest. "If that got you afraid, here's a question which will make it worse. Do you think it will be the animals that get you first, or the insects?" Jaeden asked before he began cutting elaborately into Allder's chest as Allder screamed out in pain in response.

"Of course, there is the off chance that someone will discover you before the animals or bugs get to you," Jaeden said before finally stepping away. "The question is whether they will help you or not after reading this."

Jaeden then tossed the knife away into the forest as well before he began moving south, towards the edge of the forest. Allder slowly looked down at his chest to see what Jaeden had done. There, cut into his flesh across the front of his chest, Allder saw the words "Slaver" and "Murderer." Allder's head then just dipped forward and hung there as barely any hope of living remained.

It took only a short time for Jaeden to reach the edge of the forest. Staring down at the camp once again, he simply reached to his sword and pulled it free from it's sheath. Only one of the slavers remained, and this one was the smartest and likely the best skill of the group. He was the only one with the foresight not to give chase into the forest. Only Balkin remained, and he would prove to be Jaeden's greatest opponent on this night.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Part 10...
Jaeden slowly walked back towards the camp as rains bead down along his head and shoulders as water streaked down his face, and dripped from the tip of his nose and chin. The water constantly running over his face obscured his vision slightly, but not enough to hinder him. His skin was beginning to feel cold and his muscles were tightening up slightly due the long period of time he was exposed to the elements without shelter. "Guess it could be worse I suppose," Jaeden thought to himself idly as he rubbed the knuckles along his right hand, a dull sting still lingering after repeatedly punching Allder. "Could be winter."

Thunder now continuously rolled, echoing out across the wildlands. The lightning complimented it by striking down every few seconds, creating a strobe like effect in an area that would otherwise be pitch black. Such brief flashes of light made it difficult for Jaeden's eyes to adjust and focus, more so than the rain water that slid down his face. Jaeden slowly reached across his waist, grasping his sword by it's hilt before slowly drawing it from it's sheath. The steel of the blade was still slightly coated in blood as light pink streaks of water began to stream down the reflective surface into the ground. Jaeden paused just outside of the camps parameter, holding his longsword out to his side. "I know you're in there somewhere," Jaeden suddenly yelled towards the camp. "I can't see, hear or smell you, but I know. Come on out, Balkin."

A short chuckle could be heard echoing out from behind the wagon. Balkin slowly stepped into view, his staff resting along his shoulders and back of his neck while his arms drapped over the shaft of the spear. "I never did catch your name," Balkin said back, his voice raised just enough so that Jaeden could hear him over the rain and thunder.

"Jaeden Kincade," Jaeden replied, showing a simple courtesy.

"Well, Jaeden," Balkin said as his forearms slid along the shaft until his hands were grasping the spear, "I gotta hand it to you. Considering you're walking out of that forest, it must mean the rest of the crew must be shuffled from their mortal coil."

"More or less," Jaeden said as he fell silent for a moment. "I have to ask, you're a skilled individual. Why do you run with a bunch of slaver over mercenary or bodyguard work? The pay would likely be much better."

Balkin just laughed as he leaned back slightly with it. "You got that reversed sort of. It's because I do this that I'm skilled," Balkin replied. "We would normally catch about ten slaves a season, and we've been doing this for about three years now. You know how many of those people put up a struggle?" Balkin paused seeing if Jaeden would answer. When he didn't, Balkin simply replied, "All of them."

"Didn't show in the others," Jaeden pointed out as he raised his sword, leaning it along his shoulder.

"Well, they're morons. They let their experience fill them with overconfidence," Balkin replied. "Anyone can counter numbers if they have a good enough plan. Which you obviously did considering you ran to the forest after killing the first of us. How long were you up there planning before you made your move anyhow?"

"Four days," Jaeden replied.

Small droplets of water flew out from Balkin's lips as he gave a long whistle. "You're patient, I'll give you that. To sit up there and plot while we're bringing in more slaves? Not exactly noble hero like," Balkin said.

"Never claimed I was a hero," Jaeden said as he once again lowered his sword, shifting into an offensive position.

"So it's just the revenge then?" Balkin said, as he remained in his relaxed position. "I can go with that better than some altruistic morality. You don't appear to be as injured as when we left you. Healer?"

"I repay her if I find out who she is," Jaeden said as he began inching forward, "but we've had our little chat. Let's get this over with."

"Yes, let's," Balkin simply said as a wide grin spread across his face.

Another flash of lightning cascading across the sky started their duel as Jaeden moved forward, holding his sword out in front of him. When he was within seven feet of Balkin, he jumped forward, swinging his sword over his head as he brought it down at Balkin.

Balkin's smile remained as he watched the blade rushing towards him. With a simple movement, he blocked the strike as his spear was simply raised above his head, the edge bitting almost a third of the way through the wooden shaft as Balkin's arms buckled a moment under the strength of Jaeden's swing.

Balkin then reacted quickly as he swung the blunt end of his spear into Jaeden's side as a sharp sting echoed through Jaeden's ribs. Jaeden jumped back, narrowly avoiding another injury as Balkin then began swinging the spear head toward's Jaeden's other side. Another crash of thunder echoed out as lightning streaks became even more frequent. Jaeden and Balkin began to circle each other, staring into one another's eyes as each of them waiting for that moment where expression changed, signaling an attack. Jaeden's free hand went to his ribs as the sting had faded into a dull ache. His armor had done it's job and prevented his ribs from being broken.

Balkin used that moment to move in and attack as his body extended forward and his spear was thrust toward's Jaeden's chest. Jaeden leaned his body backwards, twisting it to the side as the spear tip grazed the surface of his armor before quickly reaching up to grab at Balkin's spear. Balkin quickly swung it away before pulling it back. "Uh, uh," Balkin said with a smile, "no touchy, touchy of the spear this time."

Jaeden moved to the offensive this time as he stepped forward and thrust the tip of his blade toward's Balkin's chest. Balkin parried the incoming strike with the middle of his spear before spinning his body around. His spear swung with him as the blunt side slammed into the middle of Jaeden's back. Jaeden ground his teeth, hissing a breath out before his foot planted firmly along the ground, preventing him from stumbling forward. He then stepped back, turning slightly before his left fist came swinging around, his knuckles slamming into Balkin's face.

Balkin's head jerked around from the force of the blow as he stumbled forward a couple of steps. Jaeden began to follow up his strike as he swung his sword down at Balkin once again. Balkin, however, was quicker to react as he slammed the blunt end of his spear into Jaeden's midsection, knocking the wind out of Jaeden's lungs momentarily. Jaeden jumped back as he swung his sword in an arch in front of him as Balkin's follow up attack was knocked aside. Jaeden stood there for a moment, his sword held out in front of him defensively as coughed a few times, catching his breath.

"You're doing better this time," Balkin said before he crouched slightly, sliding his hand along the spear's shaft with one hand while gripping tightly along the end with the other, "but let's see how you do with this."

Jaeden's eyes suddenly went wide as the spear's tip suddenly began thrusting at him in succession. Jaeden began stepping backwards as parrying as fast as he could as Balkin continued to step forward, continuously thrusting his spear at Jaeden in different areas of his body. Eventually, the speed of Balkin's attack began to overtake the speed in which Jaeden could parry as the tip of Balkin's spear pierced through Jaeden's right bicep, causing him to drop his sword. Jaeden let out a scream of pain as Balken pulled the spear out, before spinning around and knocking out Jaden's legs from under him with the blunt side of the spear. Jaeden landed to the ground with a heavy thud, his left hand reaching to grasp his right arm as he looked up at Balkin, now standing over him.

"I never did tell you why I do this," Balkin then said. "I do this work because it gives me more opportunities to fight others like you. More than being a bodyguard or mercenary would."

Jaeden looked around before he caught sight of his sword when another streak of lightning was reflected off the steels surface. "Any last words?" Balkin then asked as he gripped his spear with both hands.

"Don't miss," Jaeden said as his eyes narrowed at Balkin.

Balkin simply let out a light chuckle before raising the spear up. Jaeden observed carefully and then rolled forward quickly, reaching out with his left hand and grabbing his sword as the spears head was brought down at him. It edge of the spear grazed along Jaeden's back, making a shallow cut before the tip plunged into the soaked earth below. Jaeden then rolled back, as the shaft of the spear pressed against his back. The cut in the spear Jaeden had made with his initial attack proved to be too weak to hold up to the pressure as it snapped, causing Balkin, who was still gripping the sword tightly, to fall forward.

Jaeden raised the tip of his sword, pressing the hilt along the ground as Balkin fell onto it, the tip of the sword entering his midsection, just below the rib cage, and coming out the mid of his back. Balkin's eyes went wide as he began gasping for air. He stared into Jaeden's eyes with an expression of shock as Jaeden pushed him back slightly, and began climbing to his feet. "That first attack, you planned that," Balkin grunted weakly.

"I knew I couldn't beat you so long as you had your spear," Jaeden answered. "Then I thought back to what you said when we first fought. That I should have broken your spear, rather than throw it away. Well, I was hoping a good parry would have broken it, rather than being impaled through the arm and then knocked to my feet. Still, I'll live, so it all works out in the end."

Balkin simply smiled as his knees slowly began to buckle under his own weight, dropping him to his knees. "Like I said, you're like a cockroach, fueled by magic," Balkin said, complimenting Jaeden on his tenacity. "See you later kid."

"Yeah, in the next life I suppose," Jaeden finally said before pressing his foot up along Balkin's chest and pulling out his sword.

Another crash of thunder and streak of lightning finally announced the end of the duel. Jaeden dropped to his knees, exhausted by the night's events. He let out a long exhale as his head tipped forward and his arms went limp. He just wanted to take a nap at that point, but a screaming voice kept him awake as the woman from the cart suddenly yelled, "Let us out of here already!"

"Shyke woman," Jaeden said looking over to the cart, "I just got injured. Can't you give me a moments rest?"

"No, get off your ass and do as you promised!" the woman replied, anxious for her freedom.

Jaeden just let out a sigh as he began pushing himself off the ground. "You know, you're going to make a miserable wife someday," Jaeden simply said as he began moving towards the cart.