Wire Harp Submission 2

Acrathiis was bustling with people of all races, ages, and nationalities, all of whom came to participate in the fifty-sixth annual Great Merchant's Festival, either as sellers or as customers. Hundreds of booths of all shapes and sizes filled the streets, each offering their own products and services. Merchants would walk from street corner to street corner, declaring with pride and arrogance in their voices, that their wares were the best in the lands and were for sale for an affordable price.

Percival McDorran and Robyn Mock were sitting at their large booth carved from pine wood. Percival glanced across the street, seeing other merchants lighting candles and lanterns to help customers view their items while the moon floated in the star-filled night sky.

"The Grandmaster told me that the first day of the festival is a little slow for us," Robyn said as she straightened the flutes and sashes on the left side of the booth.

"Maybe a little light would help," Percival suggested to her.

Ignoring her companion's suggestion, Robyn snapped her fingers. "I just remembered, I forgot to see if the temple had any rooms available. It's not that far away." She rose from her seat and walked away.

No sooner than when Robyn left a tall, beautiful woman with long auburn hair and a white dress approached the table. She removed her steel-rimmed bifocals while her gray owl-like eyes devoured the display of swords and shields to the swordsman's right.

Percival took in a deep breath, hoping to shake the nervousness that was creeping up on him. "Can I help you?"

The woman's attention went to Percival, her thin lips parting with a smile. "Yes, I was just looking at your goods." She picked up the sword with the blue handle and no cross piece. Her eyes took note of the gemstones embedded under the etchings of tree branches that extended to the lower part of the blade. "Very beautiful."

"Thank you," Percival responded as his cheeks began to flush. "I forged those myself."

The woman's eyes widened with excitement. "You did not."

"I'm afraid I did."

"That is quite impressive my boy," she said, looking at the rest of the goods. "Everyone who stays at the monastery in the Whisperis mountains is an expert craftsman in some form or another."

The woman's words sparked confusion in Percival. Before he could ask how she knew of the monastery where he and Robyn came from, the woman grabbed a plain gray cotton shirt, then dropped a bag of coins on top of a pair of copper jewel encrusted bracelets.

"And I will take these," the woman added, grabbing a thick spool of yarn and a bronze ring. "There is fifty gold in that bag."

Taking his eyes from the bag, he looked at the items the woman held in her hands. "Those items do not add up to fifty gold."

"Consider it a donation to your church," she said, looking into his eyes.

"Just how do you know-" Percival stopped as the woman reached out with her left hand and grabbed his sword from behind the booth.

"Then I will buy this then," the woman declared, moving the ordinary looking sword in front of his face.

Percival made a grab for his weapon. "That is not for sale."

"But I want to buy it," the woman said, her lips pouting. "You have plenty of swords to choose from. Much better looking swords in fact."

Frustrated, Percival shook his head. "Fine, take it." He took one last look at the weapon that was previously his, seeing tiny runes glowing on both sides of the blade.

"Simply marvelous," the woman said as the sound of battle horns roared in the distance. "It's about time she showed up," she added in a casual tone. "I suggest you grab your sword."

Percival was about to clarify which sword was his, when the woman vanished before his eyes. He began searching for her as a wave of people ran past him, screaming of a barbarian attack.

"Barbarians?" Percival whispered as he spotted twelve men and six women, all on horseback, wearing leathers and hide, and armed with swords and axes.

Percival looked over his shoulder, seeing ten of the city’s guard come together and marched towards the barbarian warriors.

One of the barbarian warriors, a beautiful woman with long brown hair and light blue eyes. As she strode past him, Percival couldn’t take his eyes off her curvy figure that was covered by armor. "Have the people of Acrathiis chosen to face us honorably, or shall we expect more ambushes?" the woman asked in a loud voice that echoed throughout the streets.

The guard at the front, a robust man wearing the standard breastplate armor, looked up at the woman. "Princess Amberlee, the Great Merchant's Festival has started. People from all over the world are here to trade. Surely you know the importance of the festival. Your people used to participate in this event."

"We did once upon a time," said Amberlee, drumming her sword handle with her fingertips.

"Very well then," the guard began, looking at all of his men. "But know that you and your band are no match for the Acrathiis guardsmen and the merchants who have stayed to defend their goods."

Percival looked around and saw some of the merchants had indeed stayed behind, armed with crossbows, daggers, and what other weapons they decided to bring with them.

"Petty merchants and feeble guards do not intimidate the finest warriors of the Tealcnarr nation." The princess let out a cry, that got a response of ferocious roars from her warriors, who charged the guards.

Gritting his teeth, Percival ran with into the battle, barely avoiding two arrows fired by merchants hiding behind their oval shaped table.

Running past a red haired guard fighting a bald barbarian warrior, Percival found himself face-to-face with a Tealcnarr warrior six inches taller than him, wielding a curved sword that was stained with fresh blood.

The warrior swung his sword towards Percival, but only managed to cut a few brown hairs from the his head.

Percival managed to sidestep the barbarian's next two attacks, then slashed his own sword in a wide arc, cutting the warrior's left pectoral muscle. Before his foe could retaliate, Percival kicked his left foot into the warrior's calf, then drove the bottom of his weapon in her stomach.

Turning away form his wounded foe, Percival went up to a dark skinned, short haired warrior and slashed his blade through her right leg. As her leg gave out, the warrior woman drove her sword though his shoulder.

Holding his bleeding shoulder Percival heard a familiar cry. Looking back, he saw Robyn leap into the air and spin kick a seven foot Tealcnarr male in the face. The warrior stumbled back while the monk threw six lightning quick jabs into his chest, then follow through with an uppercut that sent the large man to the ground. Just as Robyn regained her stance, two large Tealcnarr women charged at her.

Percival was about to help his friend, when a powerful weight struck his back and forced him to his back.

"Child's play," the swordsman heard Princess Amberlee say as she jumped onto his chest.

Percival let out a scream as he felt the Amberlee’s blade pierce his unwounded shoulder.

"Another easy kill," Amberlee said as stood up and drove her blade at her enemy, only for him quickly rise to his feet and block it.

The swordsman backed two more steps, doing his best to ignore the pain in his arm and side as he deflected Amberlee's sword once more while rising to his feet. As Amberlee went for another attack, Percival moved his body left, then followed through with a stab into her right shoulder.

"That is an impressive sword," Amberlee began as she swatted at Percival's cheek. "It will look good on my mantle."

Percival smiled and dodged another of Amberlee’s swings. "As would that armor of yours," he replied, dodging another swing. "Only that would look better on the floor next to my clothes-" his words stopped as Amberlee slashed her sword across Percival's chest, drawing a thin line of blood. "I will cut out your-" she ceased her words as another battle horn filled the air. "More guards must be coming.” The princess debated whether to finish her opponent, but then she saw Robyn approaching her, her fists balled and focus in her eyes.

Robyn, grabbed her friend and said," I would have been here sooner, but the temple was farther than I thought. The beds are comfortable though." She stopped to look at his wounds, ignoring the retreating barbarians.

"I'll live," Percival said, ignoring the pain in his chest and arm. "That woman..."

"She is apart of the Tealcnarr barbarian tribe that lives in the northeast part of the island," Robyn began, putting his sword back in his sheath, then placed his right arm around her.

Percival sighed as he watched more guards arrive while two dwarven merchants helped gather the fallen.

One of the guards, a stout woman whose forehead was marked with a large bruise, stepped in front of them and said," Those barbarians have slaughtered villages and towns all over the island in a matter of days."

Percival raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that this island was sparsely populated."

"It is now," the guard said, removing her helmet to reveal her bald head that sported a long purple scar. "The Tealcnarr used to be peaceful."

Percival looked at Robyn as she gasped at their booth that was now broken in half, with their goods scattered everywhere.

"We made some money before the fight," Percival said as Robyn let go of him and began picking up their wares. "A woman came and bought some yarn, a ring, and my sword."

The monk turned to Percival and glanced at the sword in his sheath. "She bought your sword? Interesting." She sighed and looked at the pile. "You should get to the temple, it's six blocks from here.”

"Are you sure?" Percival asked, watching the monk as she began gathering their goods.

"The city will provide us with a new booth and I can manage," Robyn said as she looked around.

Percival nodded as he wiped the small trickle of blood from his chest, then began walking.