Returning Home

The remaining knights returned from the caves where they had been led by Atharen. They mumbled amongst themselves as they traveled as far as the cross-roads together. Some talked about the power and gifts the Dragon gave Vorah while others retorted Vorah for allying with a creature like that, still others say they should have killed the Dragon. Each went to their cities, their homes, families but Ravine was left to return to a house with only tools to sharpen, repair, and mend his equipment.

Ravine came to the edge of his home, a place of peace and prosperity. Its small cottages, cobble stone roads, street market stalls, shops and diners all bustling as they had when he left. As he walked through the crowds on occasion someone may wave to him but otherwise he went unnoticed. Even in his home people seemed to pass by him without a second thought to look back to see the person behind. Approaching the town square, the street market was roaring with people buying goods for dinner, clothes for a party, and linens and cloth to sew new outfits. He stopped somewhere in the middle of it all slowly turning around. It was as if he were invisible, the people walked by him, around, and some even bumped into him and kept going. Several people even brushed passed him, tripped or fell with the remarks 'I must be tripping on air.' A short time later he walked toward his home on the other side of town.

Closer to his home some people were walking the streets, heading in any which direction. But one in particular ran up to another with glee.

"Katerina! Katerina, come quickly," she exclaimed as she grabbed another girl's hand and drug her toward the market. "Katerina, the produce stall has sales on apples! You have to get some!" As she ran she smashed into a tall, muscular man and caused him to drop his bottle of ale. "My apologies sir," she said with a bow. "I didn't see you." The man stumbled drunkenly around as she tried to slip passed him but he turned and caught her by the hand.

"Where do you think you're going, little whore?" he said in a gruff tone, obviously drunk. "You made me drop my drink, now pay up!" The girl fumbled around trying to break free from his grip but failed. She managed to reach in you pocket and pull out all her coins.

"Here, this is all I have sir, please let me go," she said holding out five bronze coins.

"That isn't enough you wench!" He threw her against the wall and grabbed her neck. A single hand covered nearly all of her neck, he could easily kill her. "Now pay!"

"I don't have anything else!" she screamed. she struggled for breath as he tightened his grip. There was nothing she could do, she tried to pry his hands away but she couldn't. Ravine would hear her screams and begin to run toward the commotion with sword drawn ready to fight.

**Ravine would not be visible yet.**

Nearby, Katerina witnessed the attack first-hand. She screamed as the drunken bastard lunged at her friend, and she called out for help as soon as he went after her. She was a few steps away as he initially attacked her, and she hesitated for a moment before trying to run at the man's back and grab him to pull him off of her friend.

"Stop! Stop hurting her! Somebody, help!"

The man was throw off balance when she grabbed him by the back and pulled him away and in doing so, he released the girl who fell to the ground coughing and breathing heavily. The man turned his anger to his attacker, turning around and hitting her in the abdomen.

"Little wench, you think you can attack me and get away with it?" he asked as he towered over her and clenched his fist for another blow. He was a tall man, at least seven feet high.

Ravine came to the end of the road, just within eye sight, and pushed through a crowd to get close enough to help them. He would not be able to reach them quickly because there were people hording at the end of the street waiting for carts and horses to pass. Non of them payed enough attention to hear the faint screams of what was happening on the other horizon or if they did they were to scared to take action.

A sigh was heard as a man in a long dusty cloak finished his mug of ale and put the cup down on the side of the alley, he walked forward completely friendly looking and calm " Im sorry im not sure if you hard of hearing friend but..they said let go and stop. Either you didnt hear them or you dont understand the language fully. That second one probably because you dont look so intelligent. You should let them go before things get ugly."

Katerina took the punch to the stomach full-force and doubled over, wincing in a sharp burst of pain. She staggered back, trying to avoid the man's next blow while clutching her abdomen. Her screams for help were cut short as the wind was knocked out of her, and she tried helplessly to evade her attacker.

The man turned to him clenching his fists, he was still disoriented but sober enough not to fall.

"What did you call me, welp? This has nothing to do with you, stay the hell out of it before I beat you too," he said as he turned to kick Katerina and continue this fiasco.

Ravine got through the crowds in time to see the man punch her, disgusted with what was unfolding before his eyes his aura began to rage. Even the town's people nearby felt it, saw it, and coward in fear of what he might do. His speed increased, taking half the time as it had to cover the same ground. He would soon be nearly upon them....and so would the man's friends.

The man in the cloak would allow the kick to begin to go and once the man's leg was partially extended he moved inhumanly fast, grabbing the leg and flipping him with it. He turned and while them man was recovering he would aim for his rib cage and punch so fast you could barely see the fist before it was back at the cloaked figure's side, clenched. "I told you" the man said with that same friendly air "They said to stop."

The man fell to the ground with a crush impact, cracking the stone beneath him. Drunk and disoriented he fumbled around to get up while cursing at this stranger that made a fool of him. When he rose he stumbled to keep his feet then punched toward the man.

"You fatherless bastard! You think you can take me on welp?" he said in his rage as he punched at him repeatedly.

Ravine got within a quarter of them when he was cut off by a group of men rushing that way, they stopped him as they laughed. There were twenty there, another twenty came from the other side of the scene. The majority of them went toward the scene while only a few remained to hold Ravine where he was.

"Heh, you're a slow knight, took you longer than us to get here," one remarked.

"Hah bet he can't even swing that sword of his, its bigger than he is." Another told them.

"Stand aside, I have business to attend to that doesn't involve you." Ravine said as he tried to pass them by.

"Where do you think you're going, knight? Afraid to fight us like you're some kind of coward, he must be one of those elves."

"What did you call me!?!" he said as he turned toward them, his aura in a full rage.

Dran easily weaved away from every punch chuckling alittle as he did then kicked him hard in the chest and then punched him hard in the kidney. Atleast it felt like he was trying but he looked as if he was just fooling around. Smiling the entire time "Give up yet drunk?"

Ravine didn't give the men time to answer, enraged by their remarks he attacked. Five remained behind but they wouldn't last long. He ran one of them through the chest, shattering his bones and causing his own ribs to pierce his heart, another tried to attack him from the side but he turned and took his arm, then lunged to decapitate him. The next two he killed with a single slash to the chest, one screaming in agony. Walking past to reach the terrified man who had insulted him he plunged his sword into the dying man's throat. The last one tried to run but didn't make it far, Ravine caught him easily and ran him through. The man coughed up blood then fell forward dead, Ravine stepped back and dodged the falling corpse. When he fell Ravine snapped out of his rage and remember what he had been doing, turning toward the incident he saw the men behind and yelled to the cloaked man.

"Look behind you!"

He took the hits hard, stumbling with each one. Finally he stopped and started coughing. By that time some of the men behind came and attacked the stranger. They aimed for his lower back, below the shoulder blades

"Mess with one of us and you mess with all of us." one laughed as he drew a knife to stab him.

Dran whipped around quickly as he heard the men walk up, he ripped the knife from the man's hand by grabbing and crushing the man's wrist. He then took the hilt of the knife and rammed it into the man's chest probably breaking a few ribs as he jumped in the air and kicked another of the men hard in the face.

Katerina staggered back, still trying to recover, but managed to get out of arm's reach when the man came up to help her. She regained her footing just enough to start backing away, and she desperately looked for a break in the crowd to slip through and try to run.