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Rain pelted the men as the flurry of metal and claws raged on. Blinking against the barrage of water, Rehan charged forward at a panther mauling a young soldier. Swinging his sword hard, the blade whistled and lodged itself into the animal's neck. He knew the man was dead as he gripped the hilt of his sword and pulled it out of the beast. Bloody water dripped off his sword as he ran deeper into the fray, not bothering to clean the weapon.
Don't think about it, Rehan. Ignore it; keep swinging that sword if you want to live. The carnage was enough to make a seasoned warrior sick. Wounded men cried out in agony at the limbs they were missing, or deep claw marks ripping through their skin. Equally though, the army of beasts had their own casualties, saturating the ground with their own blood.
Lifting up his shield, Rehan barely managed to keep himself from being clawed to death by a cheetah. The force of the leap knocked him hard on his back, leaving him trapped under the animal as it clawed savagely at his shield. He blindly swung his sword at it, unable to get a clear view or be in a good position to wound the enemy.
An arrow whistled by, puncturing the cheetah's side. Growling in pain, the beast looked up in the direction the arrow had came from, and that was the distraction Rehan needed. Pressing all of his strength into his left shoulder, he heaved the animal off him and rolled on top, plunging his sword into its surprised face.
Staggering upward, he took heart at the sight of Lord Gerald fighting. The man truly knew how to hold his own in a battle, and Rehan was thankful it was on his side that Gerald was fighting on.
After a while it was uncertain who would win this battle. Each side suffered many casualties. As if unaware of the battle raging beneath it, the rain continued its harsh decent, creating a mixture of blood and mud for the battlefield.
Altair gave her hand a small squeeze that he did indeed know what he was getting into. His concerns though remained unvoiced. Could he so easily change who he was for her? Could he completely turn his back on his life of crime? Maybe he could retain some parts, and opt for the life of an adventurer. Searching for the world's hidden treasures and secrets with Robyn held a great appeal to him.
"Shh! We can't let the guards see us. Father said we're not allowed down into the crypt." Altair held onto Robyn's hand as they sneaked past the men and down to an old staircase. "I'll light a candle once we get down there. We can't let them see the light." The pair stumbled their way down the stairs in the dark until reaching the bottom.
The air felt stale and the silence that greeted them was eerie. Lighting the candle Altair brought with him, he held it up to illuminate the small area around them. Rows of stoned sarcophagus could be seen, holding within them the remains of past members of the Swizec family.
He stopped at each sarcophagus to hold the candle near the nameplate.
Jeremiah Swizec - 905 to 950 - He was a dear brother and valiant fighter. May his soul find peace
Alatir shook his head slowly. "This was my uncle. He used to teach me archery." Robyn continued to look at him questionably, and he felt compelled to say more. "You met him once, during the spring ball my mother always insists we host for the other families." Altair changed his voice to sound like his mother as he pretended to scold Robyn for not dancing with the other boys. He was rewarded with her giggling and couldn't help but smile.
Thier adventure inside the crypt lasted for several hours until their curiosity was quenched. They were about to leave when Robyn tugged at his arm and pulled him over to a larger sarcophagus. Two names were etched on the plate, revealing that two people had been buried together inside, and by the names Altair could faintly remembered it being his great great great grandparents.
Two stone hands clasped together in a loving embrace rested upon the top of the sarcophagus. He watched Robyn remove a small metal ring he had made for her. The ring was made of a flexible wire that he weaved into a criss-cross circular formation. He had made himself one as well, which she slipped off his hand. Pulling apart the ends of both rings, she intertwined the two so that they became linked together.
Taking the linked rings from her, he slipped them into the small gap inside the clasped hands as she instructed. Taking a step back he realized what he had done, and looked away from her as his face turned red.
Drowsiness started to tighten its grip on Altair as the night wore on. Shivering still, he moved as close to Robyn as he was able to and then leaned his head against her shoulder. Sleep enveloped him soon after.
[ 08-01-2006, 10:10 PM: Message edited by: Deiter Leafblade ]
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