Chain the Bandit Easter 8

“What’s the mater Bandit Eater? You seem surprised”

♪~ Under forest high and forest low rose man as giant tall ~♪
♪~ Skin black as ash from battle’s scorch ~♪
♪~ With envied purse for bounties won ~♪
♪~ Garbed for war for guarded coin ~♪
♪~ Left held dragon’s maw and right the moon in chain ~♪
♪~ Hailed as savior and sung as king ~♪
♪~ Ever nimble, the highwayman ~♪

Chain could barely hear the deep voice of the dark-skinned giant who stood before her as she had been unprepared for the assault of the Builders’ Song upon her senses. Instinct and experience alone was all that had allowed Chain to see her attack through and her feet safely back to the ground. Though her attack had been blocked by the enormous hand cannon in the giant’s left hand at the end of the chain that also held the spike ball it still bought Chain the time she needed to regain her composure. Exchanging her bewildered expression for a cocky smile Chain gladly answered the giant’s question.

“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting to face two Heroes today.”

“I guess I can’t blame you. Seeing ol’ Dandelion work is wont to make you think he could have handled this job alone. The thing is though, ol’ Dandelion was just lending us a hand since he’s got a grudge against some of the Brass Line’s customers.”

“Well thanks for clearing that up for me. I guess then that makes you Bearings’ boss.”

Chain tried to maintain her bravado but the fact that the giant before her put no strength into blocking her attack and holding her in a weapon lock told her she was in over her head. The massive toothy grin that the giant flashed her as he was offered the opportunity to introduce himself only served to confirm for Chain how bad her position was.

“That’s right Bandit Eater. Bearings and the rest of the cowards here answer to me; Roc the Bandit King!”

With an exuberant shout as he introduced himself, Roc hurled Chain away and whipped the chain so as to both attack the maid and returned the spiked ball to hand. Having an idea as to what she was up against however, Chain was prepared to be thrown so and was able to contort her body in the air to deftly avoid the whipping chain. The spiked ball was a different story and Chain chose to strike it in a matter that accelerated its return to its wielder while flipping her over it. Chain’s efforts were awarded with another shot from Roc’s hand cannon which she promptly deflected away with her sword as she completed her flip and landed.

“Not bad Bandit Eater, but I would hope you wouldn’t demonstrate any less. Killing you without you at your best would amount for nothing.”

“I guess it’s a good thing then that that idiot Bearings chose to share the cheapest wine he could share with me, otherwise I might be just a little tipsy right now.”

Chain’ words held more courage than she did but against the Hero who stood against her she had little option but to follow them through. Kicking off the ground Chain charged as fast as she could towards the towering giant. Had she still been facing a normal bandit she would have closed the gap in a blink before the bandit could react, but Roc was no mere bandit. The Hero simply offered Chain a calm toothy smile as he whipped his chain and the spiked ball it held about creating a dance of attacks with it that encircled Chain. Deft as Chain was her charge was stopped as Roc’s mastery of his weapon forced the maid to defend herself as though she was being attacked by multiple parties on all sides. Complicating matters more so were the shot’s the giant released from his firearm into the fray. With tremendous effort Chain managed to fend off the impressive display of attacks but she was locked in place and had taken notice of an increasingly odd phenomenon.

(The chain… is it getting longer and longer? Damn it, it is isn’t it?)

♪~ With all the Stormroot in his reach and a chain that binds the moon~♪
♪~ All who ventured forests low and high ~♪
♪~ In his trap they did walk ~♪
♪~ Face his might no choice they’d have ~♪

Even as Chain thought to question the impossible dance of the Bandit King’s primary weapon did she hear the verse that rose out of the Builders’ Song. She likely had a snide remark ready to berate herself with but before she could she realized that at some point Roc had appeared before her in the dance of his ball and chain. Chain’s surprise at the giant’s appearance drew forth an even greater smile than he had offered her before but instead of rubbing in his supremacy he politely continued the conversation he and Chain were already having.

“I guess if you haven’t already killed him like the rest of the cowards that you slaughtered here I’ll have to thank him.”

Chain smiled arrogantly and opened her mouth to make a snide retort but was silenced when Roc’s chain carrying right fist drove into her stomach, the impact elevating her a number of feet off the ground. Her eyes widening in pain and shock Roc smiled ever brighter as Chain rose high enough to make eye contact with him.

“But first Bandit Eater, I’ll have to thank you for wiping out all of these cowards who didn’t even have the courage to allow their Hero to save them.”

Drawing back his right hand Roc prepared himself to unleash a massive and powerful blow. There was nothing Chain could do but take the blow undefended and with a shockwave she was launched into the underside of one of the engine cars of the train with enough force to buckle the entirety of the head of the train. Her eyes rolling back enough in her head from the pain to reveal just the whites of her eyes Chain coughed up a massive gout of blood as she was merged with the underside of the engine car.

“LINK!”

Melody could not see the fight or the impact for the blue uniformed soldiers that were still between her and where the battle took place but between hearing the verse and seeing the whole of the train buckle she feared for the worst. Forgetting caution she put her long legs to full use to run as fast as she could to reach Chain. The blue uniformed soldiers did not fail to notice Melody’s sudden acceleration and moved to block her path with bodies and words alike.

“Don’t get in my way! Link’s in trouble!”

“If you rush to her aid now you are like to get the both of you killed!”

“That can’t happen! Link can’t lose to a bandit! It doesn’t matter if he’s a Hero! He’s still a bandit and Link would never lose to a bandit.”

“Do you hear that Bandit Eater? The harpy who’s been fighting at your side seems to think that you should be able to beat me.”

Roc watched the attempts of the soldiers to both guard the private passenger car and prevent Melody from getting herself killed with great disinterest. Turning his attention back onto Chain he frowned with disappointment as she slipped free of the train bottom and fell to her knees vapidly.

“Perhaps her faith in you is much too great however and you shall be disappointing not only her but me as well. Is this really all there is to the dreaded Bandit Eater?”

“Oh shut up already.”

With labored breath Chain spat out her response to the Bandit King’s query followed promptly by a fair bit of blood. With blood running down her arm from where it emerged from within her chainmail, Chain stabbed her sword into the ground and used it to prop herself up unstably and allowing Roc to see the stream of blood spilling from her back onto the ground. With heavily blurred vision Chain could not make out the expression that Roc made in response to her injuries and did not care as she berated her opponent for overestimating her.

“I don’t need to be patronized by an idiot elevated beyond all reason by the Builders deciding to add a verse about you to their song because of your stupid reputation.”

“So you take one meager blow and you whimper like a dog. After I had so much hope after seeing you avoid ol’ Dandelion’s attacks with such ease. Perhaps you really are little more than your relic.”

“I thought I told you to shut up already…”

Pulling her left hand free of where it joined her right on her sword hilt, Chain let it drop freely and dangle at her side where she weakly snapped her fingers. The weak ringing sound could not be heard above the roaring flames that were starting to consume the woods around them but the spark of light that formed in Chain’s hand did not go unnoticed by Roc.

“Do you really think I would give you the chance to cast another spell?”

“Of course not… But who says I was casting a spell?”

“Don’t tell me…?!”

A sinister smile split Chain’s face as Roc took on a surprised and defensive posture.

“That’s right… I can open gates directly to the same power that the Builders and Great Spirit Wells use. I don’t have to even cast a spell… Just open the gate and let it consume everything.”

“You wouldn’t…”

“Try me. I’m up against two Heroes… have a number of busted ribs…a dislocated shoulder… am losing a lot of blood… and am in way over my head even if I wasn’t so messed up. I don’t really have a lot of options right now.”

“Then allow me to present you a better one adventurer.”

“Who…?”

Chain could merely ask her question but not trace the source of the young man’s voice that was most pleasing to the ear due to her injuries. Roc was not so restricted and his gaze rose up to the atop the toppled private passenger car.

“So the main dish has finally graced us with his presence has he? About time Hm, hm, hm, hm, hmmm…”

Copyright © 2018 Joshua D Tarwater