Questlander

Chapter 10: The Winged Defenders

With weapons drawn, both Yarlin and Kael crept towards the cries of distress. Each moved silently with the intention of stealth and anonymity. The goal was to approach the scene inconspicuously, in order to ascertain the situation before rushing into action.

They began their approach under the shade of the willow trees, until the open expanse of the grassland once again became the dominant feature. These wild grasses, thick and green, could offer little concealment as the plants were rather stout. And so the pair, crept low using the the sporadic assembly of shrubs and bushes for cover. Eventually, the pair came to rest behind a dense and gnarly purple thorn bush growing adjacent to the umber path. They found themselves yards away, but still close enough to observe the grim situation before them. 

Up the road from their position, brigands, by the look of their disheveled outfits, were assailing a group of travelers. And the situation was clearly in the favor of these bandits. For they had a thicket of trees to shelter behind, while these travelers were out in the open, having only the barrier of an overturned wagon for cover. Four archers, within the thicket of trees, were peppering them with arrows.  Two others, wielding axes and simple wooden shields, were creeping their way forwards to the besiege travelers, using the coverage of an abandoned wagon for added protection. One other, hiding within the trees roared, "Drop your weapons, Now! And I might be generous and let you live!"

The few beleaguered defenders, five as Kael could see, defiantly rejected this proposal. And they had good reason to.  For they were protecting a group of nine fearful survivors, most of whom were adorned in a white cloak with red and green embroidery. All around the wagons, laid numerous cadavers from both sides and the moans of the injured. Even the horses were not spared the carnage. The scene was an ever-present,  grim reminder to the viciousness of the these brigands.

Three of the defenders, stout in their stature, barked, "Over our dead bodies, you curs." The archers in response fired another volley towards them; all of which had no success as they either flew right over their position or impacted upon the wagon.

Three of the defenders with crossbows in hand shot back in retaliation. Two of their arrows whizzed into the advancing axmen. One was able to deflect the missile with their shield, while the other ran behind the abandoned cart for cover, narrowly evading the shot. The third went whizzing towards the tree line. There was a howl of pain, as the arrow struck one of the archers right in their thigh and brought him to the ground.

As Yarlin observed the scene, he spat to the ground in disgust. "A bunch of cantankerous bandits by the looks of them." He shook his head disapprovingly as the archer fell to the crossbow's shot. "I believe we can take them out easy if we are swift enough. They are clearly green behind the ears. Their shots are erratic, and by the reaction of that axman, clearly undisciplined."

"I suppose you have a plan?" inquired Kael.

"Nothing fool proof," Yarlin grinned at the premonition of action, "but I got an idea. Now see there," Yarlin pointed at a thorn bush up ahead, "if you can crawl to that location without any problem then I can provide a distraction for you to infiltrate their coverage in the tree line."

Kael's eyes seem to pop out of his head in anxiousness and terror. 'A fool hearty plan, indeed.' Kael thought. If any one of those brigands saw him, he would be out in the open without any coverage. His leather armor, although light and flexible, was no protection against arrows.  

Yarlin laughed at the scowl Kael gave him. "Look, you'll be fine. These bandits are too focused on those five defenders. Anyhow," he gestured to his dark skin tone and thick figure, "I will stick out like water amongst the dunes if I try to make the trip. They will surely notice me before espying an elf like yourself.