[hr]
Livia shrieked and tumbled down onto the ground, her knives clattered to her side as a cloud of dirt and dust settled on her colorful tunica. "Mistress!" Ortha rushed to Livia's side and held onto her master's hand. Livia looked up at Rugal, blue eyes burning.
"I am fine, help me up." Livia commanded. Ortha did as she was bade.
The brute leader stared at Rugal, who was standing still like he was some sort of maniac. "[You are joking,]" he said after some thought, "[you must think me stupid.]" He motioned towards one of the other bandits, "[Bring the great spear and give it to Grendol. This strange man will learn a lesson about foolishness.]"
The brute named Grendol, who was a massive hulking beast of a man sauntered up, a twelve foot spear in hand. All things said, he was actually quite handsome. He was young with dirty blonde hair and fair skin, but had muscles and form to match Rugal's own. He held the spear in both hands and braced himself, keeping a good distance away from Rugal.
And then he charge, spear in hand.
A scream pierced through the tense silence. Livia's horse neighed as a bandit struggled to mount it.
"Ortha! Kleo!" Livia screamed. While Rugal was setting up his show of force, four bandits had tackled Livia to the ground. They sat on her small frame, holding her head down in the dirt. Two more held her arms down with as much force as they could muster. Another pair had grabbed the two handmaidens Ortha and Kleo from behind and held blades to their necks.
Grendol stopped his charge with a pivot the moment before impact and dashed backwards to the main group.
"[Honestly,]" the bandit leader said, "[Do you take me for a fool? No man gambles unless it is a sure thing. Only children and women take such poor chances.]" He pointed at Livia, struggling beneath the weight of four grown men. She was trying to scream, but the weight on her chest stopped her from drawing breath. All she could manage were short gasps for air as tears rolled down her cheeks into the dirt. "[Anyone would know from her appearance that she is the Viper of Etruria. A dangerous fighter to be sure, but quick to anger and easy to take by surprise. Without the use of her poison blades, she is nothing but another young girl.]"
The bandit leader took several steps back as he kept his eyes trained on Rugal, "[Now, unless you want these fine girls to find themselves in the afterlife, I would suggest you let us be on our way. I'll consider the toll collected and let you pass now. But don't take too long to think, since I hear that a person can only last two or three minutes without breathing before brain death starts to occur. And honestly, girls who aren't brain dead tend to be more exciting.]"
"Get off of Livia! She's going to die!" the cry came from the oldest girl, Eurydice. She was pushing against the man sitting on Livia's chest with all her might, but he wouldn't so much as budge. The bandit grabbed her by the throat and ran a short knife down her tunic before pressing the cold iron on her chest right above her heart.
"Silence." He said. "No like kill. No worry. Come with us. Good life."
The fourth handmaiden was holding onto the chest that Rugal had left behind like her life depended on it. She was afraid, but refused to let the heavy burden leave her hands.
"[If you kill one of us, we kill all of them. It'll be a shame too, since they're all so comely. Just turn around and leave, right? Easy.]"
Right to Rule
[hr]
Code:
Rugal's story"Livia plays tough and rough, but that's just for show. Out of all of us, she's the most delicate."
Livia shrieked and tumbled down onto the ground, her knives clattered to her side as a cloud of dirt and dust settled on her colorful tunica. "Mistress!" Ortha rushed to Livia's side and held onto her master's hand. Livia looked up at Rugal, blue eyes burning.
"I am fine, help me up." Livia commanded. Ortha did as she was bade.
The brute leader stared at Rugal, who was standing still like he was some sort of maniac. "[You are joking,]" he said after some thought, "[you must think me stupid.]" He motioned towards one of the other bandits, "[Bring the great spear and give it to Grendol. This strange man will learn a lesson about foolishness.]"
The brute named Grendol, who was a massive hulking beast of a man sauntered up, a twelve foot spear in hand. All things said, he was actually quite handsome. He was young with dirty blonde hair and fair skin, but had muscles and form to match Rugal's own. He held the spear in both hands and braced himself, keeping a good distance away from Rugal.
And then he charge, spear in hand.
A scream pierced through the tense silence. Livia's horse neighed as a bandit struggled to mount it.
"Ortha! Kleo!" Livia screamed. While Rugal was setting up his show of force, four bandits had tackled Livia to the ground. They sat on her small frame, holding her head down in the dirt. Two more held her arms down with as much force as they could muster. Another pair had grabbed the two handmaidens Ortha and Kleo from behind and held blades to their necks.
Grendol stopped his charge with a pivot the moment before impact and dashed backwards to the main group.
"[Honestly,]" the bandit leader said, "[Do you take me for a fool? No man gambles unless it is a sure thing. Only children and women take such poor chances.]" He pointed at Livia, struggling beneath the weight of four grown men. She was trying to scream, but the weight on her chest stopped her from drawing breath. All she could manage were short gasps for air as tears rolled down her cheeks into the dirt. "[Anyone would know from her appearance that she is the Viper of Etruria. A dangerous fighter to be sure, but quick to anger and easy to take by surprise. Without the use of her poison blades, she is nothing but another young girl.]"
The bandit leader took several steps back as he kept his eyes trained on Rugal, "[Now, unless you want these fine girls to find themselves in the afterlife, I would suggest you let us be on our way. I'll consider the toll collected and let you pass now. But don't take too long to think, since I hear that a person can only last two or three minutes without breathing before brain death starts to occur. And honestly, girls who aren't brain dead tend to be more exciting.]"
"Get off of Livia! She's going to die!" the cry came from the oldest girl, Eurydice. She was pushing against the man sitting on Livia's chest with all her might, but he wouldn't so much as budge. The bandit grabbed her by the throat and ran a short knife down her tunic before pressing the cold iron on her chest right above her heart.
"Silence." He said. "No like kill. No worry. Come with us. Good life."
The fourth handmaiden was holding onto the chest that Rugal had left behind like her life depended on it. She was afraid, but refused to let the heavy burden leave her hands.
"[If you kill one of us, we kill all of them. It'll be a shame too, since they're all so comely. Just turn around and leave, right? Easy.]"
