The trading convoy moved steadily along the road from Altdorf to Nuln. Armed with a broadsword and a loaded pistol, young Magnus, one of the four hired coachmen going with the traders on their trip as an escort. He was new to the job hasn�t killed a man or engaged in a fight with a living being before in his life. All he knew prior to this was farming and working the land for his parents. He marched along with the convoy on his horse as they went along the Altdorf-Nuln road. They made a couple of stops in nearby towns and villages along the road, seeing many places and beautiful forests as they go. So far it was all smooth sailing. They would shortly stop at B�genhafen in the busy marketplace. Magnus had never traveled this far from his farm. He never really had a reason to. He used to go on errands for his parents to Altdorf where the marketplace was bigger, and more densely populated than the small B�genhafen. It reminded him of Altdorf. He met interesting people in B�genhafen and even had some girls flirting with him. After stopping at B�genhafen they continued towards their next stop, Geissbach.
Shortly stopping at the market of Geissbach they continued further south, deeper into a forest. Ubersreik was their next stop and was a short distance from Geissbach. But hours had passed, and it was getting darker. They continued a bit longer on the road had turned from cobble to dirt. Magnus found himself surrounded by trees and bushes. It made him a bit uneasy, but he felt safe staying alongside the convoy. The sun was close to sundown and they would have to stop and make camp in the forest soon. Magnus looking into the forest he noticed a light in the distance. He could not make out what he was looking at, but it was bright. Suddenly, it was quickly snuffed out, gone, the moment he tried leaning in for a closer look. He leaned outwards from his horse, that he almost fell off it but quickly readjusted his position as he noticed it. Feeling as if something bad was ahead, he rode up to the Captain. Franz Becker. Becker looked to be in his late 40�s, he was a bearded fellow, brown-haired, and had a distinguishable scar on his face. Donned and equipped with better armour and equipment than Magnus who only wore a light gambeson. His armour didn�t look pristine but well-worn at best. He has had a lot of experience doing this. Franz looked above his shoulder and saw Magnus coming up the road.
�What is it boy?� he asked Magnus, he could tell Magnus felt worried and a bit uneasy traveling in dense forest like this in the evening.
�The forest sir! � I saw a light; I don�t think we�re alone!� he said in a worried tone. Franz thought about it and gazed into the forest but didn�t seem to be worried like Magnus. He reassured him that nothing was going to happen and that this was the safest route to Nuln. �Nothing ever happens here,� He told him and ordered him back to his position. It shortly became night and they were halfway to Ubersreik. But the Head of the convoy had ordered the camp to a stop. He spoke with a thick Middenlander dialect.
�All right! We make camp here tonight � Becker! Just direct your men into positions - the others of course help set up camp. Chop, chop! We haven�t got all night. � We leave first thing in the morning people,� Magnus and his co-workers got to work, each taking turns at guarding the camp while the others surrounded a campfire, telling stories, drinking ale and such.
Franz walked up to Magnus and ordered him to take the next shift. Magnus walked towards a tree stump they had been sitting on looking into the forest, he found one of his co-workers sitting on it. He told him that it was his turn to be on watch. The man nodded and walked away to the others at the campfire. Magnus let out a sigh as he sat down, it had been a busy day, he allowed himself to relax a bit as it would be a while. The others laughed and enjoyed good ale at the campfire, Magnus sat still, gazing into the forest as he whistled a tune from a song, his mother used to sing to him as a child.
Something rustled in the bushes, birds flocked away out of the trees to the sudden movement in the bushes. Magnus jumped on his feet and pulled his broadsword from his scabbard. He called out for the other two coachmen who went towards his position the moment he called, with the two next to him with their weapons drawn. Magnus, hesitant at first, he built up the courage to walk slowly up the bush. Making slow progress but cautiously, the others behind him grew more apprehensive and so did he. His heartbeat increasing by the second. He went in with his hand grabbing something that hid inside the bush. It squealed and got loose from Magnus� grip. His coachmen laughing at him for his mistake. He had become so uneasy this trip, that he didn�t realize it was just a deer that had just run away from his grip. Out of all the things in the dark forest, it was a deer. Franz came into view behind the two coachmen and yelled at them.
�What are you three doing! Back to your posts dammit!� He demanded. He gazed at Magnus and signaled him to come towards him with his finger. He shook his head as Magnus came within talking range. He said in a disappointed tone. �Magnus. You've been too uneasy as of late. - I told you, this is the safest road to Nuln. I�ve gone through here many times without problems,� he tried reassuring him once more, sighing. �Go join the others at the campfire, I�ll take this shift now,� he added.
Magnus simply nodded and thanked him. He made his way towards the merchants and his co-workers who were already drinking, laughing at each other's jokes and stories. Magnus� encounter with the deer had just made the recent gossip among the group. As Magnus was walking to the campfire a coachman�s horn was being sounded for a short moment before stopping abruptly, and then a loud thud like something heavy hit the ground. It came from behind him. With his own eyes, the man in plate armour, Franz laid dying on the ground with a bolt lodged into his neck. He�d soon bleed out and be nothing but a lifeless corpse within seconds. Shocked by the event, a group of four men came suddenly out from the forest, yelling and waving their weapons towards him and the other coachmen. The merchants quickly ran in their tents to avoid the violence ahead. Two of the bandits charged at the two other coachmen and the latter went for Magnus. Magnus on instinct reached for his pistol with his left hand, he aimed it at one of the bandits coming at him. He fired.
BLAM. With a loud powerful shot, it pierced the man�s body enough to throw him off his feet! He was already dead before he even hit the ground! The other stopped in his tracks, cursing, then continued with his charge towards Magnus. Magnus didn�t have enough time to load another shot, so he grabbed his broadsword from his scabbard and held it at the ready. His opponent didn�t look too fit and rather skinny and armed with only a heavy mace. Magnus was confident he could take him on. Magnus stood his ground at the ready and when the man came within close distance, Magnus successfully parried the man's swing.
The bandit stumbled back and seemed to be confused at first before realizing what had happened. Magnus saw this as his chance to strike he swung his sword at him, aiming for his right arm. The man parried his attack and Magnus stepped back to regain a better stance. His opponent went in for another strike, this time doing an upwards attack with the mace. Magnus decided instead of parrying his attack, he�d try and move in with his sword in a swinging motion aimed at his chest. While the bandit was skilled in close combat, he wasn�t fast enough to react to Magnus� attack.
Magnus pierces his body with a swift strike into his stomach, and his insides exploded outwards. The man surprised at Magnus slumps down to the ground. The fight wasn�t over yet and the other two coachmen had just been finished off by what was rest of the bandits. They noticed Magnus was still alive and started targeting him, one had a crossbow and began loading it, the other moving towards him.
Magnus did not forget about Franz�s body at the stump, he ran fast over to Franz�s corpse. His face lifeless and stuck in the expression he died with. It terrified Magnus but his focus was not Franz�s face, it was his items and equipment. While he had not forgotten about his adversaries, he still dropped on his knees to grab Franz�s things quickly. On Franz�s body was his money pouch intended for him and his co-workers and his sword in his scabbard. Magnus thought about taking the money and running away like a coward. But then the Merchant group would be defenceless and most of them were women. Magnus felt as if he couldn�t live with himself for abandoning these people, so he dropped his pistol to draw Franz�s sword with his left hand.
The moment he grabbed it he felt a sharp and great pain in his left shoulder. A bolt had been fired and it got lodged into his left shoulder. Magnus cried out as the pain intensified, it was unlike any other feeling he had felt before. But it wouldn�t stop him from standing up to these bandits. The adrenaline shortly kicked in after, and the other bandit that was charging at him came within close range. He still held his broadsword with his right hand and his opponent came in with a swinging motion. Aiming at his wounded left shoulder, Magnus tried raising his weapon to meet his to block his sword. But the man was fast with his swing and he struck his left shoulder, it cut through his armour and penetrating his flesh. He was lucky it didn�t hit bone, but the pain increased an extravagant amount. It felt as if something drilling through his arm, the moment sword struck him. Magnus dropped his sword on the ground and held onto his bleeding shoulder. He was in great pain and had lost a lot of blood at this point, feeling as if he could die at any moment. The bandit seemed to not care for his pain and enjoyed this. He raised his sword this time upwards to come down Magnus� neck hoping to finish the job.
Magnus tried to grab Franz�s sword with his left arm, despite his wounds, he tried to ignore the pain. He tried to stab the Bandit before he could strike him. He managed to penetrate his attacker�s armour with Franz�s sword which was in greater quality than his previous one. The sword lodged into his chest and he fell to the ground. Dead.
The man with the crossbow noticed what had happened, seeing his comrade dead with a sword lodged into his chest. He cursed, �F-...F... - Fuck this!� and disappeared into the forest, dropping his crossbow.
Victorious, Magnus was, but he couldn�t celebrate. He panted slowly as everything began to calm down. The pain coming back to him, he winced. His vision becoming blurry he fell to the ground and almost giving into an unconscious state. A face came into view, a woman�s face. She was pretty, beautiful, blue-eyed, brown-haired with a worried look on her face. He was able to catch a glimpse of this woman�s face, and then suddenly he was out of it. Lights out for Magnus.