Chain the Bandit Eater 6

From end to end of the toppled and burning train bandits by the dozen descended upon the glowing brass carapace. Their attempt to pillage the wreck was not without resistance as from the cargo level of the private passenger car behind the engine cars a flood of blue uniformed soldiers burst forth upon the bandits. The battle cries of the soldiers mingled with those of victory and despair of the bandits and rose above the roar of the flames giving pause to many along the train wreck. This pause proved costly for no small number of bandits as an enraged harpy tore through their ranks. How much of her anger was aimed at the bandits and not herself was debatable as Melody sung nervously to herself even as she decimated the ranks of the bandits around her.

“You’ve gone and done it now Melody~♪ You knew Link was at the end of the train but you just had to act like her and go after the bandits in a fit of anger~♪”

Even as she chastised herself Melody did not relent in her assault upon the bandits. Dancing acrobatically between attacks that proved useless against her the lithe harpy strived to reach the end of the train where the observation car, and hopefully Chain, awaited her. In as great of a hurry as she was though Melody was not unaware of her surroundings and as she twisted, flipped, and turned through the ranks of bandits, her folded tail feathers twitching about as she flicked her tail to and fro to maintain her balance while keeping her wings tucked tight against her sides while her talons rent flesh, limb, and life alike. Her spatial awareness in the heat of combat was far greater than that of any of the present bandits who themselves were starting to notice the danger the lone monster presented to their ranks.

“Damn it all! Someone stop that damn harpy!”

“Stop a harpy! Are you mad?! We chose to attack during the day to avoid things getting complicated by monsters!”

“Now you’re all just being mean!~ ♪”

Despite causing significantly more permanent wounds to the bandits than their words did her Melody could not stop herself from complaining at being called a monster. Regardless, she was not caught unaware by the rising and out of synch chorus calling for her to be dealt with.

“I guess I really have done it now~♪ If this keeps up I’m going to end up like that generic sorcerer~♪ But what should I do?~ ♪ If I pull away from the bandits I’ll be an even easier target~♪ Not that that matters since that was a verse~♪”

Acknowledging the direness of her situation did not stop Melody from examining her options. The easiest escape but one most likely to get her killed would be to take to the skies again but that would also mean abandoning Chain. Again risking becoming an easy target she could leap clear over the train wreck and have a clear path to the end of the train where she hoped Chain still was. Due to her talons being bare she could not risk entering the burning wreck and compromising her ability to stand in exchange for relatively safer cover to reach and scorched limbs. Glancing out towards the woods from which the bandits had rushed forth Melody found herself presented with the option to use the trees as cover as she circled around to the end of the train.

“So many options but I don’t like any of them~♪ Why couldn’t they be like a meat market where I like everything?~ ♪ What would you do Link?~ ♪ Oh!~ ♪”

As she twisted around a sloppy dagger thrust Melody noticed a gap between two cars that she could fit through and reach in nearly a blink. Tearing off the arm of the unfortunate bandit whose thrust she dodged Melody brought herself as low as she could to the ground by folding her legs against her body as though she were perching or taking flight. With powerful flicks of her ankles the harpy propelled herself with spectacular speed towards the opening which suddenly closed before her eyes as a powerful explosion from the observation car blasted the train cars before it forwards.

“Uh-oh~♪ It looks like my luck is out~♪”

Having had her chosen option close off before her, Melody decided to turn and face the bandits in resumed combat. To her surprise the bandits had stopped to observe the explosion piquing the harpy’s curiosity.

“Huh? What? Don’t tell me the bandits weren’t expecting that~♪”

Melody’s eyes suddenly lit up and she gasped sharply with sudden realization. Daring to hope Melody risked following the terrified stares of the bandits towards the end of the train.

“It couldn’t be…”

“That’s impossible…”

“Just what is she?”

“It’s–”

“Link!~ ♪”

Melody chose the name that she addressed the chainmail skinned maid to express her exclamation at seeing Chain alive but the bandits chose a different term to describe the nightmare they saw.

“The Bandit Eater…”

Standing atop the second-to-last train car Chain stood with a fire in her eyes as she looked down the length of the train at the scene created by the bandits. Even with blood running down her face from an unseen head trauma the bandits looked on the maid with horror, or perhaps her blood added to the terror of the bandits. The blue uniformed soldiers who fought at the head of train did not understand what had stilled the bandits so but did not waste the opportunity they were offered and further turned the tide against the bandits. Only Melody looked upon Chain with joy but even her joy quickly turned to horror as she heard the lyrics of a verse of the Builders’ Song fill the air.

♪~ Under ashen sky were no stars hung to grant his wish ~♪
♪~ From bow string true did he shoot his own ~♪
♪~ A shooting star of blood red hue ~♪

Melody listened to the verse and knew that Chain had been targeted by the same individual who had singlehandedly derailed the Brass Line. Powerless, the harpy watched on as she watched a red streak of light pass through Chain from somewhere in the forest. Unlike the sorcerer who Melody had witnessed take the first shot of the unseen assailant the light did not pass through a fiery hole in Chain’s midsection. The streak of light in fact did not ever touch Chain. As the verse became audible to Melody, Chain’s cape formed and billowed around her catching the red streak on one side of its wearer and releasing it freely on the other.

Chain watched the streak of light disappear into the devastated forest before turning her head to look back in the direction it originated from. There was no fear in her eyes as she narrowed them with fiery bloodlust at whoever had fired the shot at her. With no answer to her unspoken challenge coming from the woods Chain turned her attention onto the bandits who flooded the toppled Brass Line. Watching their terror become palpable Chain let the winds from the flames blow her cape aside revealing a before unseen sword at her hip. Gripping the two handed hilt of the sword with quillons that could serve as grips themselves with her right, Chain drew forth the rapier-like blade of her long sword and took her first step towards the terrified bandits. With a twisted and malicious smile of pure glee Chain commented on the presence of the bandits.

“You know, I thought you idiots were at least smart enough to wait till nightfall. But since you were kind enough not to leave me waiting… I’ll go ahead and grant you all a swift death.”

Copyright © 2018 Joshua D Tarwater