choosing targets (solo)

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"Hmm looks like a good size group is passing by", spoke Orland as he sat atop a hill. His spear was planted in the ground and his shield resting at his side. Around him were three other individuals. One of them was playing wit his horse another simply enjoying the day while sharpening his blade. The last was stringing his bow and preparing himself for combat.

"That group is too big Orland", spoke a famine voice. A woman with golden hair and blue eyes walked up to the knight. She too had a spear and a shield, but her armor was far thinner than Orland's' and she was no where near the giant size. She did however have a certain fire about her. Her eye's show a strength that could be rarely found in brigands these days.

"You said that about the last group Helen", spoke Orland. The giant did not even bother to move and argue his point. At this time they had already had this argument several times over.

"I am going to have to agree with Orland", spoke the archer. "For the last ten groups that came by our ambush spot you have called off attacking. I understand not wanting to be overrun, but some of those groups had only three people."

"Come on now Odin", spoke the cavalier as he finished playing with his steed. He had a mace on his shoulder and a wide grin on his face. He was a big man in size and in weight, though he was no where near as big as Orland. "Those groups of three were filled with swordmasters and nomads. Remember what happen to Ivar. Swordmasters are a no no, and Nomads are just annoying to deal with."

"Thank you Han, but I don't need you help with this", spoke Helen. "I am the leader after all I should handle the complaints of my men."

"And the count down to mutiny grows ever closer", spoke a female Thief as she sharpened her blade.

"What was that Morgan", asked Helen in a more serious tone. For a leader of Bandits control was important. Any bit of resistance to the leader's authority needed to be whipped out before it grew into a mutiny.

"She is saying that flaunting you title of leader around shortens your time as our leader", spoke Orland as he grabbed his spear. "Essentially she is saying", spoke Orland as he stood up. The armored giant towered over Helen as the setting sun moved behind his helmet. The light obscured his face from view leaving a black shadow were his face was suppose to be. The lighting and the position made Orland look even more intimidating than he was already. "Eventually I would get tired of your crap and put you down. Bandit squads are lead by the strong and there is no one here as strong as me."

Helen did not say anything. She knew that Orland was right, but she did not want to back down. She was there leader and backing down here would destroy her authority in the band. Orland knew it and so did Morgan. It was for that very reason Morgan brought it up. She herself wanted the position, but loss out to Helen's skill. Orland however did not bother to join in the fight. He knew he could win, but thought he did not have the leadership abilities to run the squad.

"However", spoke Orland as he suddenly turned to Morgan. "Helen is the leader. She is the smartest of us all and has defeated you in combat to get it." Morgan grinded her teeth at Orland's words. She did not like thinking about that loss and Orland just threw it into her face. "Such talk should not be spoken. If it happens again then you would have to answer to me Morgan."

"I don't need your help", spoke Helen finally bringing up the courage to speak. "I can handle the group my self dang nab it", shouted Helen. She had enough with people jumping in and taking her job.

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"Hay heads up lads", spoke Odin as he turned everyone's attention to the front. A rider was coming there way from the group of that was moving by. On his back he had arrows and in his hand he had a bow.

"Nomad", spoke Oland in an annoyed tone. Nomad were pretty much his bane. Their high movement combined with their ability to fire from horse back made fighting them almost impossible for him to kill.

"He must be a scout from the group", spoke Helen as she walked too the front of the group. "Let me do the talking", spoke the maiden as she looked back at the rest of them. No one said anything so she took it as a sign of unanimous agreement. "Orland do me a favor", she spoke suddenly turning toward the giant. "I need you to walk back down the hill a bit. When he gets close then I want you to come back up."

A puzzled expression crossed Orland face, but he listen to the order. He walked down the opposite side of the hill a few feet. At first he did not understand till the rider got within talking distance. It then hit him.

The nomad stopped just outside the sprinting range of the bandits. "Who are you all and what are you doing in out lands", asked the nomad. He nocked an arrow and pointed towards Helen since she was in the front. He was expecting them to loss their cool and show their true motives by trying to attack him or start yelling, but instead the group remained calm. Their eyes almost stared straight through him and looked at the forces behind him. It was a small tribe of at least 20. Too large for them to just simply take, well in Helen's eyes that is. Orland and Odin had different ideas on the matter. They looked at the capable fighters more than the whole group. Their fighting men numbered at 11. The others were small children and women not of war. With the right formation and a few hostages the duo believed they could take them.

"We are simple mercenaries", spoke Helen. "We were traveling to our target and stopped to rest."

"Lies", spoke the nomad as he pulled further back on his bow. His arrow was aimed at the opening in Helen's helmet. "Your group was here a day pass when my brother scouted the area. If you were passing mercenaries you would have left by now. What is your true motive of being here She-Devil."

His brother thought Orland as he heard the conversation. That meant that they had sent out a rider. A rider that they did not notice. The fact that they did not catch a scout meant hard times ahead for Barta's Beast. Pin pointing scouts is a important job for brigands. Ambush was their main form of attack. If they could not do so then they were good as dead. The conversation had gotten to a point where Orland had enough. The little archer had balls to point an arrow at them, but to call their leader a She-Devil, even if it was true, was crossing the line.

"Hay little chump", spoke Orland as he walked up from behind the hill. The archers eyes widen as he stared up at the giant of a man. He had saw him before from far off, but thought his eyes were playing a trick on him. When he had arrived at their position Orland was behind the curve on the hill. It made him look a lot smaller than he actually was. When he crossed over that hump and allowed his full size to be seen a overwhelming fear rushed over the nomad.

"What the", spoke the man as he could not believe Orland's size. Orland stood about the same height as he was at the moment and the massive man did not even have a mount.

"Listen here you little sniveling rat", spoke Orland as he walked closer. The nomad turned his bow towards Orland, but the giant was not even fazed. "Our business is our own. If we say we are resting here then we resting. We are not cutting you and your little clan of rodents to little pieces so I suggest you move on before we start to. Beginning with your pale hide."

A malice could be seen in the nomad's eyes as he looked to loss his arrow. "Rodents, you arrogant...", spoke the archer before he was cut off by Odin.

"I would not do that if I were you", spoke Odin grabbing the Nomad's attention. His bow was already pulled back and he had a keen shot on the nomad. This was now a lose lose situation for the rider. "Go ahead and un string your bow", spoke Odin.

Reluctantly the Nomad withdrew his arrow, but he did not take the string off his bow. "You win for now, but you all better clear out. If my clan passes by here again and you are still here we will kill you all", with those words he rode off on his horse and moved to rejoin his group.

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Helen watched as the nomad rode back to his tribe. She did not expect a retaliation. The saceans were known for their honor and the group had not harmed their scout in any way. They may have hurt his pride a bit, but there was no physical damage.

"Little rodent needs to learn his place", spoke Orland as he stared at the fleeing rider.

"There has been a change in plans", spoke Helen as she watched the clan move toward the west. "We are going to attack that clan."

"Alright", shouted Orland as he walked over to his things. He was going to need to prepare his stuff for travel. Odin also celebrated a little, but he did not shout like Orland.

"However", spoke Helen as Orland was half way there. "We are going to wait a few days first."

"What", spoke Orland as he turned back towards Helen. Anger could be seen in the giants eyes, but the maiden kept her cool. "What do you mean we are going to wait a few days. The target is right there. If we attack now we..."

"Will be seen coming and get cut down by every able lad with a blade", spoke Morgan.

"No one asked you Morgan", spoke Orland.

"No she has a point", spoke Odin. Immediately Orland paid more heed to the advice. Odin held great respect with Orland. Odin was no as big as him, nor was he as strong. However Odin was the most skilled fighter in the group and for that reason he gained the respect of everyone. "Their clan would see our assault coming and besides I am pretty sure they have a swordmaster in their group. Remember what happen to Ivar."

"How could I not", spoke Orland. Images of blood came flashing back to his mind. "Ok if they do have a swordmaster then how in the world do you plan on taking them down", spoke Orland toward Helen. "Unless we catch them off guard we will end up a pile of blood and severed flesh."

"My thoughts exactly", spoke Helen. "However did you not see the way they were traveling. They were moving West."

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"So", spoke Orland not realizing the importance of the direction.

"Ohh I see", spoke Odin as he unstringed his bow and walked back into his previous position on the hill. He crossed his arms and began to simply stare into the sky.

"Great now we have to deal with that fat tub of lard", spoke Morgan as she too moved back to her old spot She sheathed her blade and pulled a book out of her traveling bag and began to read it. All the while Orland simply stood there confused about the matter.

"So that is your plan then", spoke Han as he turned toward Helen. "I have to admit it would work, but it relies a bit to much on the strength of others."

"Ok will someone just tell me what is going on", shouted Orland. He did not like the idea that he was out of the loop. Everyone else knew, but him and that very fact was eating away at him.

"Ahh Orland," spoke Morgin as she closed her book. "You are the strongest of us all, but also the dumbest."

"Try saying that to my face pipsqueak", counted Orland. He still had no idea about what was going on.

"The western wind blows bring with it death and plunder", spoke Han trying to give Orland a hint. Orland however had an even more confused look on his face.

"They are talking about Bim, Big bandit Bim and his Western Winds", spoke Odin tired of the whole game.

"Bim", spoke Orland as it all came rushing back to him. Big bandit Bim was the reason they stopped were they were. Any further they would have been in his turf. Bim was not known for his leniency and has been known to cut the heads off other Bandits roaming his territory.

"Oh so you are finally understanding", spoke Helen. "We are going to wait for Bim to assault the group and then attack once Big's group is on the retreat. Most of their fighters would be away chasing after the remaining brigands. During that time we should be able to hit them in the rear and cut down that smug little rodent."

"Little rodent", spoke Orland. He was starting to see where this was going without Helen having to tell him.

"Yes we are going to kill that smart mouth boy. Who does he think he is calling a She-Devil."

"Wait you are going to risk our lives for the sake of your pride", asked Han.

"No", spoke Helen quickly changing her tune. "We are going to risk our lives for plunder and glory. Revenge is just a fortunate by product"

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"Sure was not saying that a few minutes ago", spoke Morgan as she pulled her book back out.

"Silence Morgan", spoke Helen she was now a bit flustered. It was clear to everyone in the group that she had more personal motives for this assault rather than just business.

"No she has a point now", spoke Orland surprised that the words ever came out of his mouth. "A few minutes ago you were like Oden and Orland you two are idiots that group is way to large to attack. Now you are like we are going to ambush them when they lest suspect it."

"No that is not true", spoke Helen taking control of her emotions. "The group is still too large for us to take on at the moment. What I am suggesting is that we wait for another group of bandits to attack then we strike at them. If we go now we will be completely annihilated."

"Actually now that I think about it the opposite of your plan could happen", spoke Han. "Lets just say for a fact that Bim sends his guys to attack the tribe. They get beat up and start to retreat. More than likely the younger less experience are going to give chase. While the more experience are probably going to say in the camp and keep an eye out for a secondary force."

"That means Swordmaster", spoke Morgan as she turned a page. "Just to clear this up right now I ain't fighting no swordmaster."

"Ok no one knows for sure if they have a Swordmaster", spoke Orland. He was starting to get tired of hearing it. Ever since Ivar got cut to ribbons everyone has been obsessed with Swordmasters and let the idea of one freeze them in place. Sacae has plenty of swordmaster, but there was plenty of more people who could kill you. A swordmaster was just one of the dangers that came with being a raider.

"Orland has a point", spoke Helen. "We don't know if they have a swordmaster and if they do leave their strongest forces behind we will just shift our target to their out of camp warriors. We could catch them in a pincer and end them. Then we can join up with Bim and assault the camp."

"That is if Bim even lets you in", spoke Orland.

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"He has a point", spoke Odin. "Bim is not known for sharing his loot. Since we are after loot right", spoke Odin as he stressed the loot portion. He wanted Helen to know that they were not risking their lives for her pride, but rather the food and supplies the tribe had on hand.

"Of course we are after the loot", spoke Helen. "However I think I can convince Bim to give us a share."

"I doubt it", spoke Morgan.

"Come on Morgan give Helen a chance", spoke Han. "She has not even told us about the card she has up her sleeve. You do have a trick to get Bim's help right."

"Of course I do", spoke Helen. "I...".

"You don't have one do you", spoke Orland.

"Don't worry about it I can wing this", spoke Helen. "Us attacking the enemy from behind is a boom to Bim. Out assault would not only save him troops, but also made dealing with the tribe easier. Besides me and Morgan have already worked with Bim in the paste. I am pretty sure he would not mind giving us some of the loot."

"Seems like a bad plan to me", spoke Morgan.

"Well no one asked you", spoke Helen.

"Whatever", spoke Orland. "I have night watch today so I am about to get some sleep. Hopefully by sun up you would have thought up a better pan", spoke Orland. The giant walked off the hill to their camp that was set up a little bit away. He entered his tent and shut his eyes."

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Night soon fell and Orland rose to take watch. It was always a boring job. Most of the time there was no real trouble at night. Not many people desired to fight when they could not see their targets however from time to time there would be a wolves, thought they usually did not bother the camp. Orland hated this more than anyone else. It was a vital job, but it was so boring and so very annoying. There was no fighting, nor was there any real challenge. Orland simply had to stand there and guard the camp.

Suddenly there was a sound in the grass that was unusual to the area. Orland at the moment was a little bit ways from the camp. He had walked off to take a leak and was on his way back. From the tall grass he could see a gleam from the dim moon light. Immediately Orland realized that that was a blade. No animal that moved in the night reflected light like that. only a sword, a well polished sword, could send that much of the night's light shinning back into his eyes.

"Who goes there", shouted Orland! His intentions were to spook the person trying to sneak up on them, but also wake his sleeping comrades. As Orland shouted the person poped out of the grass. The sneak rushed towards Orland trying to silence him with his blade. The giant immediately pulled up his shield and blocked the blow. As he clashed with the first night blade four others appeared out the grass and rushed the tents.

"We are under attack", shouted Orland as he threw his attacker back using his weight. The man flew back a bit, but then charged back in. It was clear he did not want to give Orland a chance to use his spear. The knight however had no intentions of using it, or at least at the moment. As the swordsman rushed in Orland stepped forward and smashed his shield into the man's face. The wall of steel knocked the man clean over and gave him a slight concussion. Orland then used his spear to puncture the man's heart as he lay confused on the ground. As he looked up he heard screaming and the sound of clashing weapons. His comrades were under attack and needed his help.

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Orland rushed towards the tents as fast as he could. He could see Helen fighting with a young lad with a sword. He did not worry too much about her, she was Helen after all. She could hold her own in a fight. He was more worried about Odin. The archer was practically helpless in an up close battle. As Orland moved across the hill he felt a thump on his right shoulder. He had felt this before. It was an arrow, but lucky for him it did not pierce. The knight stopped for a moment turned. Across the field he could make out the sight of somebody with on top of a horse. Orland tried to make out who it was when he noticed a shift in the persons shadow. Arrow thought Orland as he immediately lifted his shield. The massive wall of steel deflected the arrow and sent it off somewhere else. Orland was not sure who it was, but this person was getting in his way of finding Odin.

"Curses", spoke Orland as he abandoned his search for the archer. Odin was going to have to look after himself for a while. His armor was holding up fine now, but enough thumps from that bow it would all be over very soon. The giant knight rushed forward while raising his shield. Arrow after arrow slammed into the giant's shield as he pushed ever forward. For a moment it seemed as if he was about to reach the mounted archer, but the horsemen simply rode off and began to shoot arrows again from a safe distance. His actions ticked Orland off greatly.

"Dang nabit he keeps moving backwards", spoke Orland to himself. The knight was going to have to find a way to make the archer come to him. Another arrow cut its way through the air and slammed into Orland's armor. This one hit his chest piece. The giant was too busy complaining to himself to raise his shield. As the arrow hit his chest it knocked the wind out of him. The arrow did not pierce, but it gave the knight a good idea. Orland immediately fell over. His armor hit the ground and let out a great thump. The giant laid there motionless as the nomad stared on. It seemed that he was not completely convinced that Orland was dead. He took another arrow and shot it as the knight as he lay on the ground. The arrow sailed over the knight. It seemed the darkness was effecting the nomad as well plus the added elevation change thanks to the giant being on the ground.

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The nomad rode up to the knight wary. He looked at the massive man, but could not tell if he was dead. The lack of light obscured his vision. "Is he dead", asked the nomad to himself. Orland remained motionless as he heard the nomad pull back on his bow. He wanted to take a shot at the giant before he dismounted. As Orland heard the string pull near completion he hopped up as fast as his armor allowed. The nomad stunned and released the arrow early. The projectile landed in the grass next to Orland as the knight pressed forward.

"Only got one shot", spoke Orland to himself as he stabbed his spear forward. Rather than aim for the rider Orland thrusted toward his horse. The spear cut into the horses neck and sent a slash of blood onto the grass. The beast fell over along with its rider.

"Crap", shouted the rider as the massive beast pinned his leg underneath its body. A evil grin crossed Orland's face as he stared down at the situation. The giant took a step on the massive beast further crushing the archer's leg. The man screamed out in pain as Orland drew back his lance. It was in that moment the moon light shinned through the clouds and illuminated the man's face. It was the nomad from earlier.

"You", spoke Orland with a bit of surprise. He did not expect for the little runt to show back up. "So it looks like the little rodent came back to die", spoke Orland before he stabbed the man in the face with his lance. He was trying to say something, but Orland was not going to have it. Whatever he had to say did not matter to the giant. Orland then turned his attention back towards the tents. The sound of combat was gone and he was not sure if his side had won. He took his time walking back. He was not sure if the enemy was still there. As the knight walked into the camp site he was greeted by Odin's bow. The archer's arm was badly cut, but he was still breathing. "So I take it we won", spoke the knight. The other members came from the darkness they seemed pretty wounded from the attack. After a quick exchange of information Helen decided it would be best for the group to move on rather than try and meet up with the other group of bandits. That passing Clan would probably send out some more skilled warriors to hunt them down.Even if they did not start the fight they just killed several of their people.

'Ok we are moving out immediately", spoke Helen as she finished dressing her wound. The other bandits had their stuff packed and began to move.

[ End Thread]