AmazonII

[dezdimona]

Astrianna had put two suns and many miles between her and the battle. She lived off of what was left of the jerked meat she had, and from small game that she was able to bring down with a well thrown stone.

As she crested a hill she stopped to listen to the world that was going on around her. Birds sang, squirrels argued and chased one another and the insect life was creating a small din of its own.

 

She drew the sword and raised her arms above her head, breathing deeply of the clean air. She felt alive and strong and as she stretched the muscles of her body she suddenly moved with the speed of a great cat, swinging the sword in a series of moves that were almost impossible to see. Each series of movements brought into play years of training and generations of combat techniques that had been passed down from mother to daughter, from generation to generation, each generation adding to the maneuvers and making each daughter the master of the ability to deal death to a foe.

 

Astrianna was the apex of generations of select breeding, the perfect combination of body, mind and spirit. Here moved a true warrior woman, fast, deadly and without remorse or hesitation to kill. She continued through all of the training movements she had been taught, the thrusts, the parry’s, the slight changes of stance and position, the yells and facial idioms.

 

She stopped, her skin glistening from the exertion, her breathing fast but not labored. She again looked at the weapon that she held. Light of weight, yet strong and flexible. The bluish hue it gave off in the sunlight only intrigued her all the more.

She sheathed the blade and continued on her way.

 

As she entered a clearing she could see an encampment not far to the east. Wagons and the number of people moving about told her it was but one thing. A merchant caravan, that meant food and supplies, both of which she needed, and thanks to the bodies she had stripped of their gold, she had plenty enough money to provision herself quite well.

 

As Astrianna approached the wagons, an out rider broke away from the group and galloped towards her. She stopped and folded her arms so that one hand was close to the hilt of her sword. The rider came to a halt some few feet away and sat and eyed her up and down. Another woman may have blushed and averted his lingering gaze, but Astrianna gave back what she received.

 

He was well built, though not overly muscular. His dark hair and green eyes made him quite nice looking she mused. His body was scarred and the grip on his sword worn, she knew by his look and his demeanor that he was no stranger to a fight and more than just common caravan protection.

“What do you seek”, he asked her? She answered precisely and to the point, she had no inclination to banter words with him. “Provisions” she said. He looked at her again for more than a few seconds, whether he was waiting for her to become agitated or perhaps it was just his way she knew not, nor did she care one way or the other.

 

“You’re a long way from any settlement or town, and traveling these parts alone is not very bright.”

Astrianna burst into laughter. “ You think that I am some helpless and weak towns woman?” she asked.

The rider thought to himself. No pretty one, you have the look of trouble and the smell of death about you. “No lass, you look capable of dealing with most any animal hungry enough, or any bandits stupid enough to cross your path. “From wence came you?” Now Astrianna stared at him. She thought that this one would be more than ready and capable of anything. His eyes were unreadable, and she caught only the slightest of shifting of his weight in the saddle. Her first instincts had been correct, this one was no common guard, this one was a warrior like herself.

 

She smiled slightly, and shifted her weight to her left leg with the subtlest of movements. “From a great battle a few suns ago” she answered. She noticed his easing of his weight back into the saddle.” Aye, we had heard rumbleings of that moron for a king, Proctus, that he had raised an army to invade the Amazonia lands. How faired the battle?” “What was left of his army fled like the dung piles that they are” she answered. She caught just the slightest of a look of amazement on his face and then it was gone just as quickly.

“Come”, he said, we’re about to make camp for the night, and your welcome to stay and provision up”.

Astrianna trotted alongside the rider and down towards the waiting caravan.

 

Astrianna , sat and watched the merchants make camp, no effort was wasted and they moved like a well disciplined combat unit instead of just merchants.

The women and a few children also had the air of a group well disciplined at camp making. The rider approached her, dismounted and stood in front of her. The light chain under his outer leathers made no noise and smelled of animal oil and not of city made products. Dangerous was the first though that popped into her head!

 

“Dinner will be simple and light, Fires will be stoked all night and the guard will not ask questions of unwanted visitors, they will be killed”. Keep to your bedding least the wyrms feast on you , my guards will not harm you, if you must answer natures call.

She stared at him for a second, smiled and then broke into laughter. “Your men would do well to avoid me, I strike like the serpent and move like a cat, and death follows my sword arm!”Her demeanor spoke of fact and not boast. “Aye lass, we’ve no quarrel with you, but there are things in this valley that even you would be well to avoid”.

“ Come, lets sup, and then we’ll provision you, for the morrow, for we break camp early”.Astrianna arose swiftly and with a grace that brought an unseen smile to the face of the Rider.

 

She awoke with an alertness that would have made any warrior envious. Something was wrong, she could feel it. Her hand upon her sword, she rolled slowly and quietly from side to side, surveying the encampment from her bed under one of the wagons, she saw all the tethered horses moving restlessly in the light cast by the fire not far from them.

A foul smell, like that of rotting flesh began to fill the air, and the hair on her neck stood up! She rolled from under the wagon, sniffed the air and silently crept toward the origin of the horrendous odor.

 

As she parted some tall weeds, she saw it, a wyrm, a lizard like creature that was not only fast, but deadly with its infected bite. Astrianna’s eyes widened as the creature moved out of the shadows. Here was a creature that made the ones she had seen, and on the one rare occasion battled seem like the little chameleons she had as a child.

Enormous it was, a good 8 horses long and at the shoulder, a wagon in height! She surveyed the camp, where were the guards? They were nowhere to be seen? She had to do something or the merchants and their families would be caught like rats in a trap.

She tensed up for the attack, she knew she would get only a glancing blow in, but it might distract the creature. Big they were and this one the biggest she had seen, but they were fast and when riled, mean beyond compare.

 

Suddenly a good dozen arrows sprouted from the creatures head and shoulders. Raising its ugly head it bellowed in a roar that hurt her ears, and then she was off and running towards it, her war cry filled the night air.

 

The creature was bewildered as more arrows pierced its hide from every direction, Astrianna leapt and with a vicious downward swing cut thru the creatures left hind quarter. She hit the ground at a run, arrows missing her by scads inches. As she began her turn a horse and rider flew by her, the rider’s war cry echoing from the valley hills, he arose in his saddle and as he passed near the wyrn, let fly with a short spear which embedded itself in the animals shoulder.

 

The creature tore the spear from its flesh, and with a speed that amazed even her and surprised her leapt at the horse, its jaws just missing the rider and sinking in to the horses flank. The horse was pulled off its feet and the rider smashed into the ground. The horse was torn asunder, its screams horrible to hear, and its entire hind end disappeared down the wyrms throat.

 

Astrianna sprinted towards the downed rider as half dozen men appeared from the shadows with spears and shields, all racing towards the creature. The creature roared and swapped ends so fast that Astrianna could not believe her eyes, she smiled and raised her voice to her gods, here was a battle she might not win, but she would die like the warrior she was bred to be.

Two men attacked the left side of the worm, both embedding their spears deep into the wryms belly. Only one was able to escape the front claws that cut his partner in two. Two more from the other side and one from the front and back each drove their spears deep into the crazed reptile, the lashing tail snapped the spine of another guard like a rotten twig.

 

Astrianna was almost upon the downed rider when the creature wheeled upon him and advanced. She looked into the creatures eye for a brief second and in the short space of time knew it for what it was and a small shiver ran down her spine. She knew she was going to die, but it mattered not to her, battle lust filled her, generations of warrior blood came to a boil and the look on her face would have sent lesser men running.

 

With a burst of speed she leapt into the air, time slowed down to a crawl, an inkling of what death was like passed through her mind, The creature turned its head towards her and raised it up to meet her attack. A smile crossed her face and from the corner of her eye the downed rider exploded off the ground in blinding speed, drew his sword and jammed it thru the lower jaw and up into the skull of the giant worm. The creatures head shook and again the warrior was throw thru the air and hit the ground.

 

Astriannas blade swung down in a vicious arc as her one foot landed upon the creatures neck , her blade cleaving the wryms skull.

Its head snapped back, catching her full force on her right side, she flew backwards stunned, her blade embedded in the creatures skull, hit its back, her breath exploding from her lungs and fell to the ground next to the creature.

 

Her eyes went black and she knew death was near. Shouts from the four guards increased as the archers had dropped their bows and joined the foray against the dyeing wyrm. Instinct and survival caused Astrianna to roll away from the lizard, but she was dazed and a claw opened up a wound in her thigh, and she was pinned to the ground.

The creature turned its head towards her, seeking to kill those that were ending its life, its jaws were fixated closed by the warrior’s blade, but the heavy foot upon her would soon crush her chest. She fought to breath, drew her dagger and struck downward with all her might.

 

The animal shook and the foot lifted briefly and suddenly Astrianna was yanked from under the massive foot as it crashed back down to where she had just been. She saw the warrior grab a spear off the ground, and charge toward the wyrm. Bleeding and battered, she jumped to her feet took a sword from a dead guard and screaming her battle cry ran after the man who’d saved her.

 

The wyrm was bleeding heavily from dozens of wounds, the remaining guards rushed in stabbed with sword or spear and jumped away just as quickly, dyeing and outnumbered the creature tried to fight back with its tail and claws, shields caught blows, knocking men aside, but they were up and back to the attack. As the animal turned its head towards the two screaming apparitions, a spear penetrated its left eye and found its brain, it raised its head to bellow, but could not, and then a sword driven by the fury of a creature much smaller than itself, struck a blow that cut halfway thru its neck and it died!

 

Astrianna collapsed and the world went black!

[dezdimona]

Thankyou kindly.

[Zurek]

nice thats the most I read that didnt involve good pictures ;)

[dezdimona]

Thankyou. :)

[Dark0ne]

Thread cleaned up. Strike issued. People will listen when I tell them to steer clear of subjects or they will be removed, however good intentioned they think their actions are. This forum will not be used to continue old greivances. Leaving this topic open but I don't want to read another word on it. Thank you.

[tyreil829]

i like reading this Dezi the ending where Astrianna collapsed its leaves it at a cliff hanger which i hate and love at the same time

 

nice work dezi on the story Kudos will be added

 

Col John Sheppard

[nosisab]

I read somewhere in the thread something about not involving good pictures. I must discord, I could see it like in a movie.

 

Now you keep me waiting for more, Dezdimona.

[dezdimona]

Thankyou Tyreil and nosisab, part three is already in the works :thanks:

[Erse son]

Excellent story!

[sabya123]

Excellent story, the end is full of suspense . :sweat:

wat happens in part III ? :ninja: