The horse drawn wagon trudged clumsily along the old mountain roads. The horse and wagon both looked as if they had seen far too many years and not nearly enough maintenance. The driver, a man of medium build and sporting a proud mustache, tugged on the reigns a bit. These roads were ancient and poorly maintained. It wouldn't do for his horse to trip on one of the jutting stones and break a leg.
The man leaned back in his seat a bit and glanced about him. As many times as he had taken this road he still didn't feel safe on it. The road was a remnant from an ancient city that used to lay deeper in the mountains. During that time the road had been well protected by the cities knights, but the city had long since collapsed into dust and this road was now a bit of a hunting ground for wandering bands of brigands.
The driver cast a glance to his passenger, dozing quietly beside him. A strange fellow to be sure but he claimed to be able enough protection. Fortunately they had yet to test that claim.
The wagon hit a bump, jarring the occupants and the driver gripped the reigns more tightly. To his side, the sleeping man shot awake, his crystal-blue eyes scanning the environment from the shadows of his cloak. "Where… where am I?" The man gasped out.
"On the road to Durnell, deep within the mountains. I reckon' we'll make the town fore' dark." He chanced a glance at the other man. "You know you still haven't told me your name."
The cloaked figure looked confused for a moment, as if unsure of the answer. "Xa-" he started, then corrected himself "Lex. My name is Lex."
The driver nodded" Well Lex, its nice to have someone along on this trip. Name's Hedas." He flicked his eyes quickly to Lex's side. I can't say as I approve of your traveling companion."
Lex followed his gaze and found himself staring deep into the gray eyes of a mountain wolf, its mostly bluish-gray fur sporting patches of white. "That's Naree" He explained to the driver after a moment, not sure himself of where the knowledge came from. 'She will not harm you."
Hedas nodded, still not convinced but unwilling to argue the matter further. "What business takes you to Durnell, might I ask."
Lex opened his mouth to answer, then paused in thought. "I do not know." He finished after a moment. "I just know that I must go there."
Hedas studied him for a second, considering, then after a moment he nodded. "Well, certainly picked a strange time. Winter is setting in. Within a few days time this area will be packed with snowfall. You'll be stuck in Durnell for the winter."
Lex nodded back. "That does not worry me." His gaze turned to the road and he spoke no more.
The driver shook his head and also turned his attention back to guiding the horses down the path. In truth he was in a hurry to get to the town, finish his business and be off again before the snowfalls began. Durnell was a nice enough place but he didn't fancy spending the entire winter there.
As he expected, they made good time on their journey and as evening began to draw on them they found themselves a mere 5 miles from town. Despite their progress however, Hedas grew anxious. These roads were not a safe place to be after dark, when the bandits came out to waylay unwary travelers.
As if to confirm his suspicions a noise came from off in the trees, a rustling that signaled movement. The driver cast a glance at his companion but saw that he was sound asleep. "A fine time to be takin a nap." Hedas remarked, giving him a nudge. The cloaked figure remained unmoving however and Hedas feared calling out to him lest he alert those who may be waiting in the bushes. To his dismay the noises continued to grow both in size and frequency. The older man dropped his hand to a compartment below his seat where his short-sword was stashed. He wasn't much of a fighter but he would be damned if he would go out without spilling some blood.
Before his hand could retrieve the weapon though a figure sprang from out of the bushed, landing only a few feet away from the trundling wagon. A moment later another figure fell from the trees above and landed in the road ahead, followed by another and another. The path was blocked.
The figure who had emerged first approached the wagon, his hand gripping a jagged looking blade. "I'll make this simple," he spoke in a slow drawl that indicated he wasn't city born. "Your goods or your life. Choose."
Hedas glared defiantly back at him. "Ye'll not be havin' my valuables without a fight."
"And who will be fighting us, old man. You? Or maybe him." The thief indicated the sleeping figure. "Maybe if you wake him up he might be able to do something. It won't be much though."
"I'll not be needing any help to deal with a villain like you." Hedas gripped the sword he had pulled from beneath his seat and prepared to jump at his assailer. Before he could mover however his ears caught a strange sound, like whistling wind, coming from beside him. Turning to where his companion had been, Hedas found nothing.
"I should think your choice in prey to be rather wanting." The old man heard the voice and turned to find his cloaked companion standing on the ground in front of the thief, an intricately carved long-knife pointed at the other mans throat. "I'm going to be charitable in this instance and give you and your men a chance to flee without the need for bloodshed."
"There are more of us then you see," the criminal remarked with a sneer. You can't kill us all."
"We shall see." At this, half a dozen more men emerged from the shadows around them and advanced on the lone cloaked figure.
The first man to die never even knew what hit him. Moving with the fluidity of water and the speed of wind, Lex pulled a throwing blade from his belt with his free hand and hurled it with perfect accuracy, the movements accompanied by the sound of whistling wind. The deadly missile hurled through the air and sliced into its target, dropping him like a rock. Two more throwing blades flashed and another two men died with silent screams.
All of this happened in the space of about a second, the gangs leader being too shocked to act at first. After the third man had fallen though, he recovered his whit's and attacked. If he ever thought himself a match for his opponent though, he soon learned the error in his assumption. Lex's movements were almost unbelievable fast, parrying the other mans attacks as if he knew the moves before they were made. Even when the other bandits joined in the attack, Lex had no problem parrying their attacks, his counters following immediately.
The fight was over in less then a minute, a single figure standing at the end, holding his long-knives in a battle stance. The bodies of his attacked lay around him, all having been dispatched with brutal efficiency. When he was satisfied there was no one else, he spun his blades in a few incredible arcs and sheathed them.
Hedas had watched this spectacle with baited breath, his mouth hanging open in awe. During the battle the figures cloak had slipped and Hedas had gotten a good look at him. His pale skin had shimmered in the moonlight, his silvery white hair flashing as the young man moved. Hedas had heard tales of his kind before, but he had never actually seen one.
As Lex approached the wagon, the old man remarked. "That was amazing."
The cloaked figure shook his head in response. Those were mere highwaymen. Not even close to a challenge for a season swordsmen."
"Like yourself?"
The younger man paused to consider for a moment, before replying. I'm just a traveler."
Hedas didn't believe that for a second, but since the other man had just saved his life as well as his gold, he thought he should let the subject drop. It was at this point that he noticed the wolf had not moved once during the entire encounter. This thought unsettled him but he decided to ignore it.
"All due respect to your abilities mr Lex, I'll feel a lot safer once we reach Durnell."
His traveling companion laughed in response. "So will I Hedas, so will I." His gaze pierced the darkness ahead, alert for any more danger. Oh, and call me Alyx."