Champion

Chapter 52

Actually, Laurena, I think I'm good. I got more than I ever imagined I could during last night's service," he told her. He finally looked at the acolyte, but also gave Sapphire's hand a loving squeeze as he continued, "And I want to hold onto it for as long as I can."

Laurena continued to politely try to encourage the Champion to attend another service, but he deflected and refused each request. After nearly an hour of this Laurena had finally given up, and they had spent the last hour and a half alternating between pointless small talk and uncomfortable silence. The pattern was finally broken moments ago by David's question.

"He's late," Sapphire continued her reply to David's inquiry, "and I can think of no reason why he would be."

"Well, what do you want to do?" he asked her, wishing she would just call the whole thing off.

"I think we've waited long enough," she finally stated, granting his wish. "Let's go back to the temple and turn in," she said, turning to give him a wink and a sultry smile.

"Yeah," he agreed quickly, faking a yawn, "I'm beat. I can't wait to crawl into bed," he added with a wink of his own.

Leaving the coins for their meal on the table, they rose to leave. David had finally asked Sapphire about the currency of the realm that afternoon, and the explanation was interesting.

"Until recently the economy was mostly trade based, goods and services. But about thirty years ago some explorers found a metal in the mountains that was unusual, extremely useful, and nearly impossible to craft magically. It became one of the most sought after commodities in Erosius, and the Erosian clergy decided to turn it into the currency of the realm," she said, then pulled a platinum coin out to show him. It was small, about the size of a dime, and stamped with a profile picture of Eros on one side and the words "Love is Eternal" on the other side.

"Hmm," he said, inspecting it. "I'm going to need to spend some time trying to make some of these."

"Well, if you can I'd be surprised," she replied, "Only a handful of the most gifted crafters are skilled enough to make them. Even my mother struggles with them."

He returned the coin, and decided to put the idea on his 'to do' list. Unfortunately, that list kept getting longer.

Leading the way out of the tavern, David took a quick look around once they were outside. It wasn't too late in the evening, so there were still a few people walking the streets. The important part was that no one seemed to be standing around, or giving them anything more than cursory glances. He was wearing the same equipment as the previous day, but in the light of the half-moon his manner of dress stood out quite a bit less. He hadn't spotted either of the men from yesterday at any point today, but he was still vigilant.

The trio made their way down the main road, back towards the temple. When they were about half-way back David noticed that the traffic along the road had disappeared. Taking a moment to look around, he realized that the once bustling street was deserted. Concerned by this discovery, he reached into the tactical pouch on the left side of his vest and drew out his NODs. He was dressed as he had been the previous day, so he was wearing his boonie hat, not his helmet. That meant he couldn't clip the NODs in place, instead being forced to hold them with his off-hand. At least he would be able to take a better look down the alleys they were passing. Switching the device on, he held it up to his eye and began to look around.

***

"They are approaching the ambush site Shadowmaster," the hooded man in dark clothing informed his superior.

"Good. What about witnesses?" Shadowmaster Whisper inquired.

"Taken care of. We began moving people out of the area as soon as we received word that the group was on the move."

"Excellent. Now focus on the objective. Reports indicate that the sorceress is quite powerful and will be the hardest to take down. The acolyte is not a full priestess, and is magically insignificant, and the man carries no long weapons, only a few knives. Keep your distance and take them out with archers, only close in if you have to," the Shadowmaster issued their final instructions.

"It will be done my lord."

***

Laurena was tired, bored, and irritated. She knew the odds were against her, but she simply had to try to convince the Champion to go to another worship service, the s*x was just too good. But he wasn't interested, and she was irritated because he was now the first man to ever turn down an opportunity to receive a Blessing from her. Lost in her own ruminations, she did not notice David's pace slow as she turned down the alley that was the shortest and most direct path back to the temple.

David had closely observed their route earlier, because it was how his mind worked now. Between the training he received from Mr. West and his experiences in combat, he could no longer walk around blindly oblivious of his surroundings. Every person was a potential threat, every piece of trash on the roadside was a potential IED, and every narrow alley was an ambush point. And this particular narrow alley was a truly epic suckfest. No alcoves, overhangs, or containers broke up this part of the eight foot wide and one hundred foot long path. The adjacent buildings were all two stories tall, and there was no cover to speak of. He had decided that there was no way in hell he was going to walk it twice, and had informed the women after they had passed through it earlier in the evening that they would not use it on the way back. But he was so busy scanning the area with his NODs that he didn't realize where they were until after Laurena had already turned down the alley.

"s**t," he cursed.

"What is it David?" Sapphire asked him.

"I told her we weren't supposed to walk back this way," he replied in annoyance.

"LAURENA," Sapphire yelled to the acolyte, "REMEMBER WHAT DAVID SAID EARLIER. WE ARE WALKING BACK A DIFFERENT WAY TONIGHT."

Frustrated the acolyte stopped walking. She had been moving at a fast pace, and was already thirty feet down the alley. "WE ARE ALMOST BACK. CAN WE JUST USE THE QUICKEST PATH? IT IS LATE AND I AM TIRED," she called back loudly.

Sapphire cast a questioning look at David, but he didn't notice it because he was carefully scanning the alley and rooftops with his NODs. He thought he saw a small motion atop a building about halfway down the alley, but when he looked closer he couldn't see anything more.

"David?" Sapphire tried to get his attention.

"No," he finally answered quietly. In a voice just loud enough to carry to the acolyte he continued, "No Laurena, we are taking a different route. It will not be much longer."

Even more annoyed now, she walked back to them in a huff.

***

"Sir, they are avoiding the trap," the dark figure said.

"Damn," Shadowmaster Whisper cursed. "Attack them now. Move your ground team to intercept and have the archers move along the rooftops. Don't let them get away."

His subordinate nodded and hustled off to carry out his orders while the Shadowmaster cursed his poor luck. This unknown man was becoming a major annoyance. They had carefully watched the group's path to the tavern, and identified this location as the perfect ambush site. There was no reason for the threesome to take a different route back, but it seemed that the man was determined to do so. If any of his men had given their position away he would kill them.

***

Laurena rejoined the pair on the main road, and David was about to continue his walk to the next cross street when he saw movement on the same rooftop as earlier. Turning his NODs back to the location he saw a pair of men carrying bows running towards them across the building tops on the left side of the alley, and another pair running along the roofs on the right side.

"s**t, we got company," he told the women, drawing the pistol from his right thigh holster.

When the pair turned to see what he was looking at, all three heard a door banging open to their right. Turning to the sound, David raised his pistol and braced his firing hand with his left. Without the NODs he was not able to see as well in the moonlight, but the four men pouring from the doorway twenty feet away weren't exactly hard to spot. They were carrying swords, axes and daggers, and charging directly at them.

"Motherfuckers," was all David said before the fight began in earnest.

As is always the case in combat, multiple things happened at the same time. David quickly aimed at the nearest target, and fired two rounds center mass into the charging man. Laurena cried out in fear and ran behind him, and Sapphire began chanting a quick spell. Shifting his aim a few degrees to the right, David pumped two more rounds into the next closest target, and then he had to dive to the side and roll away from the third and fourth attackers, because they had closed the distance and their attacks were trying to occupy the same space where his head had just been.

Laurena was frozen in terror. She was suddenly right back on that mountain trail, tied to a pole, and was waiting for the unspeakable acts to begin. She had managed to move a few steps behind David, but then she had stopped, cowering in the street petrified by the sudden attack.

Sapphire was pissed. She was remembering the ambush that had taken her father. She refused to lose David the same way. As she gathered the power to violently defend him she smiled viciously as he quickly killed two of the attackers. Maybe he didn't really need her help, but she was damn sure not going to sit this one out either. Casting forth a spell of telekinesis she was surprised to find it far more powerful than she was used to. But as she used her magic to try to knock the attackers from their feet the spell just washed over and past them, having little effect.

"They're protected from magic," she alerted her companions.

Ducking a sword strike aimed at his head, David then threw his body into a backwards roll to avoid the second attacker's horizontal axe swipe speeding towards his neck. Despite hearing Sapphire's warning he had more important concerns at the moment than their magical defenses. Dropping his NODs from his left hand he drew his new enchanted blade from its sheath on his vest, and prepared for an opening to either use it or the 9mm in his right hand. The two men were attacking him furiously, enraged at how quickly he had downed their compatriots. Unfortunately, fighting angry is often the same as fighting stupid, and when the swordsman missed again, his friend with the axe had to jump back to avoid the follow-through of the swing. That was all the opening David needed. Shooting from the hip, he pumped two rounds into the swordsman, one chest and one hip, and then shifted to fire two more rounds at the axe wielder. The man hopped to the right, away from his mortally wounded ally, so the first hit him in the left thigh and the second grazed his left side. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his thigh and screaming in agony.