From Londoner To Lord

Chapter 336 - 331. Strike Back - III

The shapes were rushing in fast now, spreading across the dark ground like a tide of shadows. Tesyb's heart sank. There were more of them than he'd expected—far more.

"Come on!" Hudan roared, his voice cutting through the noise. "One more time and it's a victory for Tiranat!"

"Hell yeah!" the guards roared collectively.

"Crossbows ready," Feroy called out, "and..."

The few crossbowmen who had managed to load their weapons raised them, squinting into the darkness ahead.

"Shoot!" Feroy shouted.

Their few bolts hissed through the air but Tesyb only saw one bandit collapsing mid-stride, the others barely slowing as they jumped over the fallen body. Then the last crossbowmen also tossed their used weapons aside and drew their swords. The two lines met with a crash that swallowed every other sound.

Tesyb braced behind his shield as a blade slammed against it. The impact numbed his arm, but he shoved forward and swung low, cutting for the man's leg. Steel bit flesh; the bandit stumbled, snarling through his teeth. Tesyb raised his sword again, ready to finish it—but another man came from the side, his blade flashing toward Tesyb's ribs. Tesyb twisted, barely catching the blow on the rim of his shield, and the screech of metal on metal filled his ears.

He stumbled back, boots sliding in the dirt. The first bandit was limping, blood pooling beneath him, but still alive as he fell to one knee. The second was pressing hard, hacking again and again, sparks bursting from every parry. Tesyb barely ducked a wild swing that might have taken his head clean off. His shoulder burned where the blade grazed past him, the wound shallow but sharp enough to sting.

Thankfully, another guard slammed into the second bandit from the side using the opportunity, yelling something lost to the noise. Together they pushed the man back, the three of them tangled in blades and shouts. Tesyb slashed, missed, and then blocked a cut meant for the other guard. The bandit stumbled over a fallen man, and that was their opening. Tesyb struck fast, his sword sinking into the man's stomach. The bandit's eyes went wide as he crumpled.

However, the first one was still alive, crawling for his sword. Tesyb stepped forward, kicking the weapon away, then drove his blade through the man's back. The fight had already moved around him—shouts, firelight, and the ringing of steel blending together into one endless roar.

Someone screamed. Tesyb turned in time to see a guard go tumbling backward into the campfire. Flames burst upward, licking at his clothes as the man howled and thrashed. The smell of burning flesh hit Tesyb's nose. Another guard broke from the fight, throwing down his shield to drag the man out, and beating at the flames to prevent the man from burning further.

Tesyb turned back just as another bandit came at him. Their swords clashed again and again, neither giving ground. The man's eyes were wild, teeth bared as he swung with desperate strength. Tesyb met each strike, the clang of metal echoing through his bones. He lunged forward, slammed his shield into the man's chest, and drove his sword up beneath the ribs.

He barely had time to breathe before another crash erupted beside him. Hudan was already there, roaring, his blade cleaving bandits' flesh in brutal arcs. Feroy fought on the other side of the melee, his movements sharp and efficient as he cut down the arm of a man who had tried to flank them.

Tesyb's muscles screamed with every movement as he ran to help another guard who seemed overwhelmed. The air stank of sweat, smoke, and blood. The fire behind them had scattered sparks into the dirt, glowing like tiny eyes.

Everywhere he looked, men were grappling and slashing, shouting, cursing. One of the guards took a hit to the leg and fell, but another stepped over him, preventing the bandit from taking his life. A bandit tried to rush through the opening and met Hudan's sword full on.

Tesyb's own breathing was ragged now as he kept fighting. His arm was heavy from the shield's weight. He parried another blow, shoved back, and countered, his sword catching the bandit across the throat. The man dropped, gurgling.

All of a sudden, the clang of steel began to thin, as he heard a few groans rising from the ground. The last of the noise was breaking apart into scattered shouts and the wet sound of blades finishing what they'd started. Tesyb was panting hard, his arm trembling from the weight of the shield. All around him, the ground was littered with bodies—guards and bandits tangled together, the fire throwing their shadows long and jagged.

Then he heard a hoarse voice cutting through the night. "Retreat! The battle's lost!"

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Tesyb snapped his head up. One of the bandits, his face looking pale in the firelight, had moved a little distance away from the fight at some point and was pointing to the trees ahead. The remaining bandits immediately turned and bolted for the treeline, following the man who had made the call and was already some distance away.

"Don't let them escape!" Hudan roared. "Feroy, manage things here!" The captain immediately started sprinting towards the bandits.

Tesyb surged forward with him, legs burning, dirt sliding under his boots. Two more guards fell in behind them, their breathing rough and loud in the darkness. The fleeing bandits were crashing through the brush, one stumbling as his foot caught on a root. Tesyb lunged, sword raised, and cut him down mid-step. The man dropped with a grunt, blood spraying into the air.

Hudan was already ahead, his stride long and powerful. The next bandit turned, swinging wildly as the captain reached him. Steel flashed, and Hudan's sword tore through the man's chest, sending him sprawling backward into the dirt.

They continued running and chasing the remaining men as they reached the treeline in the southwest.

The man who had made the call, had already escaped into the darkness, while the third bandit was still visible and running, his silhouette darting between the trees. Tesyb chased after him, lungs burning, the cold night air making his already dry throat even more parched. Branches whipped at his face as he plunged into the shadows. The glow of the campfire faded behind him, replaced by the dark press of the forest.

He could still hear the man ahead—snapping twigs, labored breaths—but the sound was fading fast. As they all spread around, Tesyb pushed harder, following the noise, his boots sliding on the uneven ground. He caught a glimpse of the man's shape just ahead, but a moment later it vanished between the trunks.

"Damn it!" he hissed, slamming his shield against a tree in frustration.

Hudan's voice came from behind while Tesyb was still looking for the bandit. "Leave it. We're not finding them in this dark."

Tesyb stopped, breathing hard, the forest spinning faintly around him. He wanted to argue, to push further, but Hudan was right. The night was too thick, the trees too dense. A man could disappear here and not be found for days.

Soon, Hudan was walking back toward the faint flicker of firelight in the distance, his sword hanging loosely in his grip, while the other two guards were treading next to him. Tesyb fell beside them, all the guards breathing in the smell of smoke and blood that still carried through the night air.

As they reached close to the bandits' camp where they had been fighting, the battlefield looked worse than before. The fire had burned lower, but someone had replenished it with a fresh branch, and the renewed glow showed the damage clearly. Several bodies still twitched where they'd fallen. Guards were moving among them, kicking away weapons, checking for anyone still breathing.

One of the guards jogged to the captain to report. "We killed 14 bandits here, but we've lost one of ours as well," he said while pointing at a body wearing the familiar leather armor. "Another guard is half burned. He'll live, but he's going to have brutal scars for life. Some of our men also have serious injuries, but none of them look fatal right now."

"Damn it!" Tesyb cursed as saw the captain taking a visibly deep breath. He should have done more... He should have helped the others and made sure nobody died... He should have...

"We've won the fight," Hudan said as he patted Tesyb's back. "That's what matters here. We'll sweep the area, and verify that there aren't any more of them hiding nearby. We'll make sure the fallen guard has a proper burial. That's all we can do for him at this point."

Tesyb gave a single nod, not trusting himself to speak at the moment. Damn that bastard Torhan! First he burned the village before winter, then he killed his brother-in-arms today. He glanced around into the darkness of the night. Where the hell was that coward? If he had entered the fight instead of hiding away who knows where, Tesyb would have made sure to separate his head from his body before anything else.

He exhaled as he wiped his sword across his sleeve, smearing blood he couldn't tell was his or theirs. He didn't know how long the fight had lasted, but it felt like it had taken hours. As the silence settled, Tesyb realized his hands were shaking. It was over—at least for now. But the smell of smoke and blood said it wouldn't be for long.

Hudan looked around before he started walking, and Tesyb followed him.

Feroy was crouched near the edge of the firelight, a hand gripping the collar of a wounded bandit. The man was barely conscious, blood bubbling from his mouth with each breath. Tesyb and Hudan approached them, their boots crunching in the dirt.

The ex-mercenary didn't look up at first. He said something low to the dying man, but hearing nothing back, he pressed his knee against the bandit's chest, forcing another wet gasp.

Tesyb's pulse was still hammering from the chase, but seeing the bandit there—alive, if only barely—lit a new spark of anger in him, and made him want to kill him right here. Maybe this one could still answer for what they'd done. But he knew that wasn't what Tiranat or Lord Kivamus needed right now. They needed information about these bandits more than anything. Looking at the expression of Feroy, he knew the ex-mercenary wasn't going to leave this bandit alive for long.

Hudan glanced at Feroy. "Find out what he knows. Every detail."

Feroy nodded once, eyes cold in the firelight, and turned back to his gruesome work.