A cool breeze traveled across the grass sea, creating waves of motion among the grass. Daybreak crept over the horizon, mixing colors of blood orange and deep blue in the sky. Small sounds of birds chirping in the grass singing their morning songs filled the air, breaking away from the silence of the night. Lily stood to her feet and nudged a sleeping Diomede, "Wake up old man Dawn approaches and the smell of town lingers on the wind." Diomede pulled himself from under his bare skin and met Lily's demands with grunts. Clayton stood by the wagon inspecting it to ensure no one or thing had come along. Lily gently shook Kira awake, Kira stretched and moaned. Francisco, hearing the commotion rustled himself awake. "I say I do miss the beds in Mrs. Walters' house. Was like sleeping on a cloud." Kira let out a small laugh, "I do not, I rather enjoy sleeping on the dry flat dirt. It makes me feel one with the great mother." Before long the group was packed and ready to head out. " After we get the new horses we should be making it to Kinga just before sunset." Diomede exclaimed. "If everything goes well, the last two times we have been in towns together hasn't been the best." Said Clayton. "I would have to agree with that, it seems you all draw attention to yourselves." Lily Stated. "What can you expect, we are five random people from different walks of life working together to complete a mission set before us by the gods." Francisco said. Everyone stopped, "Do you believe that?" Kira Asked. "Why yes, your quest for your people will most likely become a tale for young ones to hear before bed." Francisco said. "As one such as myself, I should know when good stories are forming." Diomede couldn't help himself, he agreed with the Bard. For too long had Diomede seen the same thing happen time and time again. "Well either way we should start heading ou.." Suddenly an arrow struck the side of the wagon. Diomede threw his bear skin over Kira and pulled her close to the wagon pushing her nearly under it. "Stay down and under the skin." Diomede commanded. He pulled his great sword from his back, "FRANCISCO STAY CLOSE TO KIRA, LILY GET TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WAGON AND BE READY." Diomede shouted. "CLAYTON GRAB THE HORSES BEFORE THEY DO." At the order, Clayton dashed to the horses grabbing at their reigns. From the tall grass behind him, four men dressed in dark leather rushed at him with swords drawn and raised. Clayton dropped the reigns and pulled his sword from his side. He moved and met the first bandit. The bandit brought his blade down and met Clayton's, Clayton parried and stabbed the bandit in the side of the neck. Blood spilled onto the ground, Clayton pulled the sword outward cutting through the bandit's neck and freeing the blade. The next bandit swung his sword wide, Clayton stepped into him and cut the bandit's arm clean from his body. Clayton pushed the now one-armed bandit and he collided with the third that was running up. Clayton swung his sword in an upward direction cutting the fourth bandit across both his body and face. Clayton turned to the third but, he was pulling his comrade into the grass. The bandit's screams rang out, only overpowered by the sound of metal meeting metal. Clayton turns to see the group fighting off other bandits. Lily swung her axe cleaving a bandit in two at the waist. She used the momentum of her swing to parry two more that had charged her with spears. Cutting the spears' heads off, Lily continued the same motion again and decapitated the bandits where they stood. Another larger bandit came bursting out of the grass and threw a javelin at Lily, before it could reach her the image of Chief Conrad the Unbreakable father to Lily; erupted out from her and caught the javelin. Chief Conrad hurled the javelin back at its send, obliterating the upper portion of the bandit's body just between the shoulder blades.The body fell with a thud, three more rushed out from the grass. They leaped over the now-dead large bandit's body, waving their curved swords and yelling. Lily reared back and flung her axe at her attackers; it connected with the bandit at the back of the three. Digging deep into his body, his screams of pain pierced the air, silenced by his throat filling with blood. Conrad's image traveled to the axe and pulled Lily by their tether. Lily landed on the bandit's body and pulled the axe from him, She leaped into the air and came down upon one of the remaining two that emerged from the grass. She split the bandit from his left shoulder to his right hip, and with a whimper, he fell to the same ground his comrades laid upon. The last stood frozen, his body shook with fear. The rattling of the bandit's belts, knives, and loose coins, flowed from him. Lily pulled her axe from the dirt, now covered in blood, flesh, and dirt. She turned and dashed to the frightened bandit's left side and removed his head from his shoulders. The bandit's cries were interrupted by the sound of his head bouncing along the ground. As Lily readjustied herself, a bandit appeared behind her ready to drive his curved sword threw her, he was stopped by another bandit's arm connecting with his head knocking him down. Lily looked to see where the arm came from, the sight she saw was Diomede covered in blood and surrounded by a dozen dismembered bandits. Diomede stood with his greatsword and rammed through two bandits, one faced him the other gave evidence of his retreat. Diomede spun and threw the now-dead bandits into the grass. Clayton and Lily reached Diomede's side, weapons drawn and ready for another wave of attacks. Francisco stood over Kira covering her with one arm, and his other arm extended ready to cast any magic he could. The three stood covered in their attackers' blood and scanned the grass in search of any movement. However, the only movement they saw was that of the wind causing the grass to dance. "I am not seeing anymore." Lily snarled. Diomede inhaled the air as he did the day before. "They are gone, for now at least." Diomede said. Clayton reached down and pulled a piece of cloth from a dead bandit and cleaned his blade, as he sheathed his sword he noticed his body felt different. It felt lighter, and his movements were faster. It was almost like they were moving much slower them him, and his thoughts were more focused. Diomede turned and wiped his great sword of the flesh and blood that hung from it. He pulled his bearskin cloak back revealing Kira's face. She was coved in sweat and tears, "Their fear and pain…I felt all of it." Kira said through her clenched teeth. Diomede pulled her to her feet, "I know, but you must push those feelings away we must get moving before they return with more." Diomede grabbed the horses with Clayton and reattached them to the wagon. Lily and Francisco helped Kira back onto the wagon. Before long the group was racing down the road. "How much further do we have?" Francisco asked while trying to stay on top of the crates. Diomede did not answer his sight was focused on the edge of the grass along the road. Clayton turned and called back, "At this speed, it should take at most three hours!" Francisco pulled himself closer to the middle of the wagon where Kira sat with the bear cloak now draped over her shoulders. Lily Hung from the back of the wagon, She bounced her gaze from either side of the road, peering into the grass to see the slightest bit of movement. Diomede snapped the reigns causing the horse to ney loudly and peak up their mace. "Don't overdo it, these horses aren't going to be able to handle the weight and the speed." Clayton commented. Diomede replied with a look of anger, "We need the speed, they are going to try and block us up the road." Dioemde said. "They think they are going to cause us to stop, but we aren't going to." "How do you know this?" Clayton asked. "Because those men back there weren't trying to kill all of us just enough to scare everyone into rushing down the road." Diomede said. "But they weren't expecting us to fight back like we did, most of the bandits were green only used to scare folks." Diomede continued. "But I am guessing their veterans are going to be standing in the road waiting for us." Clayton grabbed hold of his hilt and turned back to the others, "Get ready we aren't stopping until we reach the town!" Lily and Francisco nodded in confirmation, while Kira held her face in the bearskin. Kira's mind still lingered on the fear and pain of the bandits, Their screams still echoed in her head. She knew they weren't innocent but a life was still a life no matter how tainted by sin it may be. Kira attempted the best she could to force the emotions out of her mind and body. But the task proved difficult, but her father's voice entered her mind. "Do not drown little one, in the great sea of emotions, whether they are yours or your enemies'." Kira repeated these words over in her head, she could almost feel her father's large hand across her back like he did when she was younger. Suddenly an arrow flew past the wagon, Kira pulled the bearskin cloak over her dead and pear out from under it. Forty bandits stood in the middle of the road, two out in front with bows. One had shot the first arrow, and the other still held his ready to let fly. "I SUGGEST YOU STOP OR RISK CRASHING INTO US!" A voice shouted from the crowd of men. Diomede braced himself and snapped the reigns again, the horses let out another loud ney and burst into a full dash. The wagon buckled and bounced on the road, and the crates that were tightly tied down began to move and bounce. The ropes groaned with strain, the wood creaked from the weight shifting. Clayton drew his sword, ready to clash with whatever was to come their way. "FRANCISCO IF YOU GOT ANYTHING THAT CAN HELP NOW WOULD BE THE TIME TO USE IT!" Shouted Lily. Francisco franticly raced through his mind, "What can I do what can I do?" He asked himself. With all his might an idea struck him, Francisco reached down into his bag digging. The wagon continued racing toward the roadblock, and none of the bandits moved. "Hold steady lads." A bandit with a curved hat said. "They stop, they always stop." He stated. The wagon dipped down as it crossed over a curve in the road, once it reached the top the wagon lifted off the ground and fell hard. The crates and the group were tossed about on the wagon that now was barely held together by its bits of metal. From this distance the group could now see the bandits more clearly, they all held spears, bows, and swords; wearing leather armor with rings bound to it. A majority of them were human, except for four Oxkeen wearing helmets of iron crudely wrapped around their heads and horns. Francisco reached down and grabbed hold of the item he was searching for. Just before the wagon reached the group of bandits, about twenty feet away. The Nesfundur bard blew into his horn as hard as he could, and from it, a wave of force blasted out and knocked any and everything in the group's way now. The sound from the horn was loud enough to cause even the mind to go deaf. The wagon sped past the now knocked-over bandits and contiuned down the road. The bandit with the curved hat jumped to his feet, holding the side of his head. "Who are these people?" he asked as he made eye contact with Lily, who in return gave a hand motion that was commonly known as rude gesture. The Bandit's face deformed into a smile of devilishness.