[IRP] The Dead One Calls

[WyvernSlayer]

Satsume stared down his foes. His face bore a look of determination struggling to surface through the pain. As he leveled the spearpoint at the assailants, Paige moved up alongside him. Her rapier was outstretched.

"You won't be carrying us off that easily," she declared. As she spoke, two men in the hallway scurried past, each one with a woman over his shoulder. "....well, you won't get all of us so easily!"

Satsume's mind was eased slightly as Paige's willingness to fight. Maybe it was the comfort of not needing to protect both her and Cecily. Maybe he thought she wasn't mad at him anymore. Regardless, it lifted his spirits some - much in the same fashion as Cecily's songs.

"Hurry up and get this over with!" yelled the lead goon.

Satsume snarled, and made a couple of cursory jabs with his spear to maintain distance. The room was one of the larger ones in the inn, but fighting space was still at a premium. If he could force them into tight quarters, it would make this fight far less dangerous.

"Hnnngh! Hyah!" Satsume's thrusts were weak. The pain siphoned speed from his attacks, as he struggled to balance the two. If the two men in front had any weapon other than heavy cudgels, they probably would have cut him down by now. I need to keep them away until I can take away their space..., thought Satsume. The brigand made a clumsy attempt at a quick side club attack, which Satsume just barely intercepted near the base of the weapon with his spear. His legs buckled as he grit his teeth through the searing pain, struggling to keep his remaining ribs intact.

Suddenly, he noticed the pain in his side begin to dull. And then he heard a familiar voice behind him. Cecily's notes sent Satsume's muscles bristling with energy, and adrenaline began to surge over him. A faint sneer crept over Satsume's face. He shoved the brigand’s arm aside and opened his stance.

"Come on, fool!" he bellowed over Cecily's song. Shouting still hurt, but the galdr made it less noticeable.

The brigand in front of him raised his club over his head, intending to make good on his boss' order to cave in Satsume's skull. "Hrrrraaaaaaaagh!"

Satsume swept a leg behind him, shuffling his open stance sideways, opening a gap between himself and Paige. The enemy's attack fell hard into floor, busting through the floorboards and burying the head of the cudgel. Satsume brought his lance up, glancing the blade across the man's face. He yelped in pain, immediately letting go of his weapon and recoiling backwards to cover his bleeding face with his hands. The thought of following through with a horizontal sweep briefly flashed in Satsume's mind, but he had closed the gap too much and risked hitting Paige on the backswing. Instead, he brought the lance up horizontally and shoved hard, knocking his bewildered opponent back against the wall. His head smacked the wall - hard - and he fell to the floor.

The leader glanced at his fallen comrade, then locked eyes with Satsume. He looked about ready to speak, but instead looked at Cecily and made a mad dash to get through to her. Instinctively, Satsume jutted his lance across his body to block the way. The brigand halted, his sword still brandished in front of his face.

Satsume traced the man’s glare to the body on the floor next to him, and without looking, picked up his back foot and brought his heel down on the hand reaching to retrieve the club. Another scream of pain caused the leader to flinch.

Satsume smirked and pointed his speartip at his chin. The pain was threatening to bring him back down, but Cecily’s galdr held strong.

“You don’t get them until you get me first,” said Satsume. “Now come on!”