Flashback Kill or be Killed

[Ereck Darkshade]

Winter, 48th, Year 510 Sunset Quarters, Back Alleys It happened on occasion, people got a little desperate during winter times and their thinking seemed to stop working. Hunger and cold seemed both good incentives for Sunberthians to pick up weapons and mug other people. Usually, Ereck was lucky when it came to these things. There had been one or two over the years but one had ended quickly when he had drawn his weapon and the other had been two drunks who had been felled with a kick and a headbutt. Ereck still remembered how his forehead had pounded for days after the headbutt. Brawling wasn't really his style and his body never agreed with it. But today he was unlucky enough to face up to two very hungry and cold would-be muggers. One had a long knife in his hand, which he held menacingly in front of him. The other had nothing more than a thick piece of wood as a makeshift club, ready to swing it down on Ereck's head and make off with what little Mizas he carried around still. At first he had tried talking to them but they wouldn't hear none of it. Even when he mentioned that he had just paid for his seasonal rent and had nothing left to give to them, they had kept eyeing him and didn't move out of the way. In the end it had come to this. Ereck sighed softly before he steeled himself. He lowered himself a little, spreading his legs somewhat and bending at the knees. If anything, it looked like a cat about to pounce its prey. If he had had a tail, Ereck was sure it would have been swaying side to side. With his left he took the scythe and chain from his belt. With his right he took the weight from his left hand and let it slide down through his fingers, the sound of the chain sounding loud in the empty alley. The two men in front of him looked at the weapon for a moment and hesitated but hunger and/or cold pushed them on. They looked at each other for a moment before they moved one side each. The alley didn't provide much in the way of tactical deployment but by splitting up the two muggers did the best they could. The one with the knife slashed through the air and the club one gripped his fingers tighter around the base of the weapon. All in all, Ereck was in a bad position. His eyes moved from mugger to mugger as they started advancing on him. The club one gave a small growl before lifting the weapon over his head and bearing it down towards Ereck's head. He stepped back out of reach, the club missing his head barely before it crashed into the mud, splashing Ereck's boots. In response, Ereck spun the weight back around for a single full circle and then let the chain slide through his fingers, like it had done so long ago. The weight lashed upwards towards the man's chin as he backed down and slipped. The weight cut through the air in front of his face. Ereck's fingers gripped tighter on the leather straps of the handle of his scythe. Knife jumped forward to help his friend as Club crawled up on his feet again. Knife lashed out with his weapon and tried to stab Ereck. The scythe flashed forward as Ereck tried to cut into the man's arm with the scythe. He only managed a shallow cut on the underside of the man's upper arm as the knife clashed with the long handle of the weapon. The tearing of the man's sleeve sounded good to Ereck, even though he had only drawn a few drops of blood from the attack. Knife cursed and drew his hand back and lashed out again, trying to cut Ereck with the wild sweep. Ereck backed away and pulled the scythe up in defense. The knife clanged against the steel of the weapon and Ereck lashed out with the weight, spinning it around over his head and letting it fly towards the man from the side. The Alley didn't provide a lot of space for Ereck to work with and he had to keep the weight on a short leash as he used it, requiring him to step in close to his opponent to attack with it. He misjudged the distance and the weight cut through the air in front of the main. His heart was beating in his throat and he could feel the rush of adrenaline as he focused on the fight. The two men bore down on him again, Knife keeping his distance after his previous encounter with Ereck's blade but Club seemed intent on introducing his make-shift weapon with Ereck's face. He spun halfway and threw his arms and the club out, trying to hit Ereck from the side. Ereck ducked under the swing and brought the handle of his weapon up into the man's chin, knocking him back. If he had angled his weapon forward more he would have cut the man open from his stomach upwards. He cursed at himself for drawing the battle out and stepped back a ways, creating a distance between himself and the two men. The sound of the weight spinning through the air next to him had a calming effect on the young man as he started forward. The weight cut through the air and he let it lash outward, the chain once more slipping through his fingers as he let it extend. The weight crashed down on Knife but the man, either lucky or experienced, swayed to the side, avoiding a deadly blow to the head but taking a glancing blow to the shoulder instead. There was a resounding crack and a scream of pain as Knife sunk down to the ground, his weapon hitting the mud as his hand moved to his arm, clutching the dislocated or broken shoulder. Club groaned and roared before jumping forward with his club. The sudden speed in the man's action caught Ereck by surprise and, stepping backwards, his foot slipped in the mud. The wide swing would have been easily avoided but without his footing Ereck couldn't react in time. Slipping back, his body angled away from the man, the club hitting him on the lower ribs, creating another cracking sound. Ereck gasped for air as the pain lashed up through his body. Without having to test, Ereck knew the rib was broken. The attack spun him away and he landed in the mud, quickly rolling away from the club wielder before getting back on his feet. Breathing hurt and the fight was starting to draw out too long for Ereck. He was panting and his heart was beating rapidly still, both actions causing pain for his injured side. Club moved forward still and swung again, trying to finish Ereck off in his anger. The weight spun once more through the air above his head and he let it go. Club seemed prepared and tried to hit the weight in mid air. His swing missed and he hit the chain behind it instead. The weight spun around the club, barely missing the man's nose as it did. The weight pulled more chain through Ereck's fingers as it lashed around the club. Bracing himself and giving a quick pull on the chain, Ereck pulled the the club out of the man's hands. As both weight and club clattered in the muddy street, Ereck closed the distance between himself and the man. He jumped, wincing as the sudden boost pushed into his ribs and caused pain to spike up from his side towards his chest. He landed with his knees in the man's chest and lashed out with the scythe, slicing into his neck. As the impact pushed both men down to the ground, a geyser of blood erupted from where the blade had cut into the man's neck, spraying blood over the mud, the weapon, the man's clothes and Ereck's hand. Knife saw his friend fall, with Ereck still on top of him and shouted. For a moment, the world seemed to stop moving as Ereck watched the face below him. Club was looking up at him and gurgled, blood appearing on his lips as he tried to speak and trailed down his cheek. His eyes glazed over as he breathed his last breath towards Ereck. Ereck's own eyes seemed to harden as the man died underneath him and he pulled the blade out, creating another spurt of blood on the mud. Something seemed to be lacking as Ereck got up from the dead man's body and turned to look at the second attacker. Knife had pushed himself up and tears were in his eyes. His one hand dangled uselessly from his shoulder while the other held the knife outward, pointing towards Ereck. He shouted something at Ereck before rushing over to him. Ereck felt like he could care less about whatever the man was saying. He pushed aside the feeling of regret at having killed man. Ereck had no need for emotions now. The two clashed as the knife and the scythe cut into each other. Ereck's ribs throbbed with every movement and every breath sent a lance of pain up into his chest. Knife grimaced whenever his useless arm moved on its own. Both men were set to kill. Ereck dodged a stab by swaying to the side and punched his fist into the broken shoulder of his opponent. In return, Knife planted a foot in Ereck's lower ribs and pushed him away, creating a distance between them. Both Ereck and Knife staggered away in pain. A curse escaped Knife's lips but Ereck remained strangely quiet. The knife and the scythe touched several times, sometimes in offense, sometimes in defense. Knife was enraged, fueled by emotions of rage and hatred, and Ereck was cold and calculated, emotionless in the fight. They clashed one last time, Knife trying to stab Ereck in the stomach and Ereck moving to the side. The chain from the scythe to his left hand tangled itself around Knife's one good arm as he passed the man by, spinning around. Ereck spun around and pulled Knife with him. If the man didn't want to have another broken arm he would followed. Back to back, both men turned. Knife only noticed too late where they were headed. He crashed headlong into the wall of the alley with a deep smacking sound. He even bounced back from the wall a little before sliding down the wall, collapsing on the ground. The knife clattered to the mud once again and Knife himself landed face first in the mud. Without second thought Ereck made a reverse cut through the air and planted the blade of his scythe in the man's back, piercing between his ribs into his lungs. Ereck could distinctly feel the grating of steel on bone as the blade passed through them. Much like Club, Knife gurgled in the mud and spat out blood before slumping down in the wet ground. Ereck pulled the scythe out of Knife's back and wiped the blood off on the man's clothes. Standing up hurt as well as pain shot through his chest once more. He kept his breathing shallow as he tried to avoid most of the pain. He ignored the two bodies and staggered further into the alley, trying to make his way home. Ereck hooked his scythe back into his belt but missed the chain, leaving it to fall down. With one hand on his lower ribs and one on the wall of the alley, Ereck staggered him. The weight and part of the chain dragged behind him through the mud, following the emotionless killer home.

[Xira Hezmek]

Ereck Darkshade

Skills	Amount
Tactics	+1
Observation	+1
Weapon: Chain-sickle	+1

Lore

Broken bone: Rib

Killing a man

Sunberth: Winter makes men desperate

Additional Comments: This was a really fun read! You have a way with action sequences. If you had split this solo up I would have been able to get you more XP.

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