Enigmatic Fantasies #14 - A Stranger Part 4

This is a much denser chapter than previous, and a lot more action packed. Enjoy.
First Part
Second Part
Third Part

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A Stranger

Part 4: Judge, Jury & Executioner

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            Galatine and Jonathon arrived at their destination before the sun could even rise. They emerged over a hill to see the ruins of a once mighty city. The massive, enclosed structure dominated a vast swathe of countryside. To the untrained eye looked more akin to a massive temple than a city.

            The city's monumental walls were filled with holes if they had not already collapsed. While the city appeared sturdy, it's age and decrepit state sparked a healthy fear in the back of both men's minds. Galatine brushed aside his concerns and marched onward into the city. Jonathon followed close behind.

            The pair found themselves on the bottom tier of a layered cityscape of stone and concrete. Each layer was partially consumed by overgrown vegetation. The first signs of morning light trickled down from numerous holes in the upper tiers. The duo traversed the cobblestone street, lined with abandoned buildings. Each of which was built into the city's stone foundation. Several bridges crisscrossed the layers above them. A vast travel network that rose to the very top of the city. The whole structure was dead quiet, aside from the occasional drip of water.

            "Master Galatine," Jonathon broke the silence. "What could this Stranger possibly want in this city. It may be vast, but it is also empty. What could she possibly find that some scavenger hasn't picked from this corpse of civilization long ago?"

            "Perhaps it has nothing to do with the city itself," Galatine surmised. "From my understanding, there are still a handful of people who inhabit this fallen city, but not as citizens. Perhaps she is supposed to meet with one of them?"

            "I can see that being possible," Jonathon accepted the explanation. Even if the two hadn't found any signs of life yet, the city was still vast enough for that to be an option. The master and apprentice continued their search, but it wouldn't take them long.

            Less than an hour into their search they found their target. At the center of a crossroad stood a lone figure who carried a large pack. It was a woman with long, dark red hair in a mangled mess. Garbed in clothing that befitted a noble, yet it was tattered and worn. As Galatine and Jonathon approached she turned to face them.

            "Greeting...Gentleman," the Stranger began, "I have managed to get myself lost. Would...You two happen to know the route through...This place...A maze."

            "Is this a jest," Jonathon scoffed, "or have you truly gotten yourself lost?"

            "I am not much for humor," she admitted.

            "That imperfect speech and that odd appearance," Galatine stated as he continued his approach. "You wouldn't happen to be a Stranger in these lands?"

            "That is correct," the Stranger confirmed.

            "Then you're the one we're looking for," Jonathon revealed.

            "Oh? For what reason?" The woman asked quizzically.

            "You have no idea who we are, or what station we hold, do you?" Galatine asked the foreign woman.

            "I'm afraid I don't," the Stranger shook her head.

            "I will forgive your rudeness because of your foreign heritage," the master remarked. "I am Judge Galatine and this is my apprentice Jonathon. You are to address us both as your honor. Understood?"

            "Certainly your honor," the Stranger nodded.

            "As for the reason we are here," Galatine continued, "you are coming with us for questioning. I have no idea what your intention for coming to this abandoned city is. Regardless of your reasons we cannot abide by rogue mages in these lands."

            "I see," the foreign woman closed her eyes, "I had no idea the city was abandoned, this is what I get for buying old maps." The two judges gawked at both the revelation and the foreigner's sudden eloquence. "But I must apologize twofold your honors. Firstly, I have no idea what you mean by a rogue mage, and second, I have no intention of coming with you. If you are concerned with my intentions, I have no greater ambition than to wander from place to place."

            "Your compliance is not a factor," Jonathon exclaimed, "you will come with us willingly or in chains."

            "Is that a threat?" The Stranger glared as her grip on her pack loosened.

            "No, it is a fact," Galatine stated.

            "There is no reason for this to get violent," the Stranger proposed. "Please let us depart on peaceful terms, I do not wish to harm you."

            "That's too bad," Jonathon hissed.

            "Your honors I will give you one last chance," the Stranger dropped her pack and held up her index finger. "I will not start a fight with you, but," she renewed her glare, "I will finish it."

~--~

            The Stranger and the duo of judges stood at an impasse, both sides waited for the other to make the first move. The two men had the hands gripped tightly on the hilt of their swords. The foreign woman merely kept her hands to her side.

            Jonathon made the first move, he charged forward and drew his sword in a single, swift motion. He slashed in an arc in front of himself, but the Stranger narrowly dodged the strike. The attack left only a shallow cut on her clothing.

            Galatine followed up with an attack from his own much larger blade. As Jonathon pulled back his weapon Galatine thrust forward with his own. The tip of the blade was aimed straight at the Stranger, but the foreign woman sidestepped the blow. The second strike left a deeper, but still shallow, cut along her right side. Then she bounced back further and made some distance between herself and the judges.

            "I will give you one last chance," the Stranger declared, "depart now or I will defend myself." The two men did not respond, instead, they both flanked her and attacked her from both sides. "I warned you," she exclaimed as the pair closed in.

            The attack looked inescapable, however as Jonathon closed in on the woman he stepped on a loose piece of ground that gave way under his armored boot. The apprentice was delayed long enough for the Stranger to duck under his master's swing. In the second it took Jonathon to right himself, the enigmatic woman had already moved out of the way. Now the duo's weapons were on a crash course for one another.

            Galatine spun on his heel and narrowly averted the collision. Yet, Jonathon couldn't stop his momentum and nearly crashed into a nearby wall. The master turned to see the Stranger ascend a nearby staircase and move to higher ground.

            "You shall not escape," Galatine roared.

            "Who said I was running?" The Stranger turned back as she held out a piece of gravel in her left hand. While pinched between her fingers, she flicked the piece of gravel with her right index finger. The small piece of rock was sent straight in Galatine's direction.

            'Does she intend to hurt me with that pebble?' The master wondered. He got his answer when the gravel, as though guided by an invisible hand, curved through the air and nailed him in the leg through a small gap in his armor. The judge was brought to a temporary stop as the sharp pain jolted through his body. 'How?' Galatine clutched his leg as a small amount of blood trickled out, 'she claimed to be no mage. Yet, she can guide a mere rock to pierce my armor?' As the judge considered the contradiction in the woman's words Jonathon returned and ran to his master's aid.

            "I will strike you down, witch!" Jonathon roared as he leaped passed Galatine and swung his sword towards the Stranger.

            "Jonathon don't!" Galatine warned his apprentice too late. The Stranger snatched several pieces of gravel off the ground and flung them all at once. Again, the small pieces of rock arced through the air and struck Jonathon at every weak point in his armor. One piece even slipped through a gap in his helmet and narrowly missed his eye. The injured Jonathon tumbled down the staircase and landed with a loud crash.

            The Stranger continued to put distance between herself and the duo, while Galatine looked back at his fallen apprentice. He considered his options, his apprentice was wounded and may need immediate attention. However, the Stranger might escape, or worse circle around for another attack. The master swallowed his concerns and chased after the enigmatic woman.

            "You are not the only one who can use magic here witch!" Galatine yelled as he thrust his sword forward. At the tip of the blade, a small ball of fire formed and quickly grew in size. The Stranger turned back to see the flame grow to the size of a cannonball. "Dodge this," the master challenged as he fired off his spell.

            The Stranger rolled to the side and barely avoided the ball of fire. However, she was still signed by the sheer heat from the flame. As she got back to her feet she saw Galatine still in mid-charge, on a beeline straight for her.

            The Stranger swore in her foreign language and grabbed another handful of rocks. She threw them all at Galatine, each of which painfully struck the master through the gaps in his armor along the upper body. Yet, the determined judge powered through the pain and tackled her with the full force of his body.

            The woman was knocked into the air and flung off the edge of their elevated position. She dropped like a stone back onto the street but managed to cushion the fall with a well-timed roll. The roll could only do some much, however, and she tumbled and crashed into the side of a building. The bloodied woman forced herself back to her feet as Galatine circled around.

            "I have to admit he pulled one over me," the Stranger looked at her hands now covered in her own blood. "Whoa, I'm not used to seeing this much of my own blood anymore."

            "I think you have bigger problems," the similarly bloodied Jonathon emerged, sword at the ready. The two squared off as Galatine's footsteps echoed from above. The Stranger backed up as she clutched her sides. Yet, Jonathon ignored his pain and pressed forward. The apprentice dashed straight at the woman and slashed. The Stranger dodged the first swing, but Jonathon followed it up with a quick stab. However, the enigmatic woman tripped over a large chunk of rubble and fell on her back. The sword narrowly missed her and only managed to clip the edge of her.

            "How fortunate," the Stranger rolled to her side as Jonathon went for a follow-up attack. The judge's swing went wide and struck the ground beside her as she spun back to her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Galatine bolt down the staircase from earlier.

            "We've got you now," Jonathon taunted her between his heavy breaths. The Stranger didn't retort, instead, she brandished a set of pebbles held between her finger. "That won't work this time," the apprentice declared as he rushed her again. The foreign woman remained silent as the set of "pebbles" began to glow. As Jonathon closed in the Stranger flicked one of the "pebbles" in his direction.

            As the projectile approached Jonathon realized, it was no pebble, piece of gravel or hunk of rock that was shot at him. The object was too round and smooth, it appeared almost like a marble. The strange object spun through the air in a corkscrew motion and flew right over his head. Out of Jonathon's sight, the projectile arced around his back and flew into a gap in his armor around his elbow. Unlike the gravel which merely struck him, the strange object traveled inside of his armor and began to grind along his arm. Jonathon dropped his sword in a cry of anguish as a horrible pain burned through his arm.

            Galatine looked on in shock as Jonathon's charge gave way to a stumble. Meanwhile, the Stranger flicked another of the "marbles" into her left hand. The foreign woman crushed the mysterious projectile with her palm and clocked Jonathon in the face. The woman's tiny, unarmored hand should have done nothing against the young man's helmet. Yet, Jonathon was still flung backwards, as though he was rammed by a bull. The Stranger clutched her left hand in pain while the apprentice crashed into the ground. His helmet flew off and revealed his bruised and bloodied face.

            "Jonathon," Galatine cried out for his apprentice, "you'll pay for the witch!"

            "He is not dead if that was your concern," the Stranger assured.

            "You will fall here, by my right of judgment," Galatine roared to the heavens.

            "With the next shot," the Stranger held up on of her projectiles, "I will end this." Galatine ignored her declaration and stampeded forward. The master unleashed a barrage of small fireballs at the foreign woman. In turn, the Stranger fired off her prophesied projectile. It spun around the wall of fire, straight at Galatine's face. The judge dodged the strange attack with a twist of his body and raised his sword.

            The Stranger released the rest of her projectiles. Each of which collided with one of Galatine's fireballs and exploded. The burst of force knocked the enigmatic woman away, but Galatine powered through. As the master swung his sword down the Stranger again tried to dodge at the last second. However, this time Galatine clipped her right shoulder, which released a stream of blood. The foreign woman collided with the wall as Galatine loomed above her.

            "Your last ditch effort has failed," Galatine mocked, "any last words before I pass judgment?" The Stranger laughed at Galatine's declaration. "Do you find your own death humorous?" The master questioned the woman's sudden fit of laughter.

            "That was neither my last effort nor a failure," the Strange revealed. "I said the next shot would end it, I never said when or how." Galatine's eyes widened as he felt the projectile strike him in the back and fly into his armor through a gap. The "marble" traveled up his back, a trail of pain left in its wake. It finally transitioned into his helmet and struck his head. The force blast off a part of his helmet and exposed his blonde hair and green eyes.

            'How?' Galatine pondered as his entire head rung with intense pain. 'Did it seek me out? Did she plan this from the start?' The master stumbled back and dropped his sword before he finally collapsed on the ground. The older man desperately clung to consciousness. Yet, the darkness still consumed his vision. The last thing Galatine saw was the Stranger look down upon him before he finally plunged into a sea of blackness.

~--~

            Galatine awoke to the smell of a campfire, his body ached and plead for rest, but the judge refused to relax. 'How am I still alive?' He thought to himself as he scanned the now dark cityscape. Beside him were the remains campfire and the body of Jonathon, bandaged and wrapped in a blanket.

            Galatine quickly checked his apprentice's well being. The master was relieved to see the younger man still drew breath. As he became further aware of his surroundings Galatine realized he was also bandaged and wrapped in a blanket.

            "Who could have?" The master pondered, "Wait, the Stranger!" Galatine tried to spring to his feet, but his wounded body protested. The judge fumbled and fell to his knees as his eyes darted around the area. He found no sign of the Stranger. The only item of note was a piece of paper pinned beneath a rock nearby, a message scribbled into it. Galatine snatched the paper and read the contents to himself.

            "Two...Apology...Your honor," the message read. "Speech...Easy...Writing...Difficult... Will...Make...Message brief. Was not...Intention...Bring...Serious harm. Fought to...Defend...Self...Now...Feel...I...Went...Too far. First apology...heal your wounds...Experienced with that...Second apology...I...Disappear...For...While." As Galatine poured over the poorly written note he grasped the content despite the poor grammar.
            "Is this her idea of mercy?" Galatine leaned himself against a nearby boulder, "What is her goal in sparing us? Does she even have one?" The master continued to stress over this quandary. In an attempt to break away from the thought he looked up to the city's ceiling. Where once the first lights of morning trickled down, there was now nothing but the glow of moonlight.

            He basked in the glow of the moonlight for a moment until he noticed a shadowy figure out of the corner of his eye. However, as soon as he noticed the figure it disappeared into the darkness. 'Was that the Stranger, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?' Galatine considered as he turned back down to watch over his apprentice.

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This is the reason I split the part up, it just got so long. All together these parts are over 5,000 words, so yeah it had to be split. If only for my own sanity.

As for this part, I haven't written a fight scene in a while, but I feel I did a decent job. It's different from my original notes, but this version flowed better. I actually had to cut some stuff out from the original, mostly more mysterious powers for the Stranger. However, I decided she had enough going on already. The rest were just tweaks to the course of the fight, originally Jonathon was knocked out much earlier (around the time he fell down the stairs) and the fight was supposed to end with the Stranger knocking Galatine from the upper floor.

That's all I have to say for now, the next part should be shorter.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
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