Waylon Champion's Story

"Brandon sighed a breathe of relief. He was now free. But he wasn't happy. The slaver would live to do his crimes, and other little kids would feel his wraith. That wasn't going to happen......he wouldn't let it......as soon a he had his weopons, he'd put a bullet in his head. He walked torwds Waylon. then looks at the slaver, or Ras, "Ur a disgrace to the human race. Your the reason why immortal despise us.....ur a vermin. And I hope you die like a bitch" Brandon stepped back away from canes reach and place the girl by Waylon. "keep her safe". He face torwds Ras.

"Alright, but I keep the other stuff till I get my money." The trader replied and released Brandon and the girl. "Here you are. He is yours. Do whatever you want to. As soon as I get my cash."

Brandon made sure he was far enough away before he shot this at him "You're a disgrace to the human race. You're the reason why Immortals despise us...you're a vermin. And I hope you die like a bitch."

That gave Waylon an idea.

"Keep her safe," Brandon told him.

"I'll handle the rest of this," he muttered, pulling out thirty quid and throwing it at the trader in a small pouch. "Those are for the slaves. I have an idea for the weapons."

He walked up to the suave man and pulled out his sword. "I challenge you to a sword fight. This means no guns of any kind, so you can forget using that special cane of yours to hit me from long range. To honor this..." he pulled the bow and quiver full of arrows from his back, tossing them to the group. "And I assure you, the group won't intervene, not even my fine property I just bought." He looks at Brandon and nods his head at him reassuringly, telling him that he's got this.

"So, here are the rules," Waylon continued. "If you disarm me or rest you little cattle prod thing in me, you get a point. If I disarm you or corner you to where I've made you defenseless, that's a point for me. The first to three points wins."

"The stakes. If I win, I earn those weapons and the two other slaves you currently have." Waylon lifted his weapon and put it in eyesight of the trader. "If you win, this sword is yours. And trust me when I say you want this sword."

He stances himself, the sword in a downward position behind him, his unoccupied hand stretched out in front for the trader to shake. "So, I ask you good sir. Do we have a deal?"

He knew this was a big risk. But with the girl in the group's care as well as Tanya, he couldn't afford to give up so much quid to gain the weapons, even at the discounted price. He was a very knowledgeable swordsman and trusted his practice and abilities. He felt like he had a chance to take him. And if not...well, he'd thrown the recurve bow and arrows in the direction he did for a reason. Only make sure bets. He smiled.

Ras thought for a moment "Ok. Deal." He stood with his cane ready as if it was a sword. He had a swordsman stance. He moved his jacket out of the way of both hands. Clearing as much room as possible. So he can move agile like. This was a coin toss of a match. He just hoped he wasn't looking for blood.

Finally, the trader responded. "Ok. Deal."

Fair enough, Waylon thought and brought his sword in front of him diagonally. He eyed the Trader, watching him move with agility as he took off his jacket, giving him more free room.

Good idea, he thought and shrugged off his own white jacket. He continued to watch, keeping his eye on facial expressions, body tension, things like that. He seemed loose and nimble, but his face revealed that he was unsure of how this bout would go. Waylon smiled intensely. That was all he needed.

Confidence roared through him as he took the first swing: Forehand side. A blow to the hip was a very uncommon first move, so this would hopefully throw him off guard. Spinning off the pivot of the possible connection his blade made with the cane, he moved with speed and precision as his backhand slice came rushing towards the trader's shoulder. This would reveal how fluid he really was with the blade: Whether he blocked the second swing with the hilt above the blade or below.

Ras rotated his cane in a graceful fashion. But it was an odd move. He barely made it in time. He kept the one hand behind his back. This was going to be fun. he lifted his cane outward to move the sword away to make an opening for an attack but instead he lept back and regained his original stance.

---elsewhere---

The man drifted. Upword. His body still heavy from the shot to the ribs. It hurt. He was a Jamos. But he was apart of the new rising terror. He walked over to Aura. "Its not to late to save the girl. Your her mother? She looks just like you. Sadly I wasn't fast enough to stop them. After I found out what was really going on." He coughed a bit of blood. The bullet went thru it was a clean shot and he would make it. Just didn't stop it from hurting like a bitch. "They betrayed my trust and tricked me into this. Because of my own blindness I will burn in hell, But please let me help fix this. I slowed them down so we have a few months. You will need an army to break thru their defenses. Also to access the room you will need a password." He hands her a slip of paper with a bunch of numbers and letters on it. "My name is Rorik. I have given you all the information you might need. Now if you think its right and god won't frown on you for doing it. Shoot me in the head. Otherwise I may provide help in their tactics and strategies. Things I can tell you but not here because of time." He pulled out his side arm and held it out to Aura while holding his wound with the other. He was waiting for a response either was fine with him.

Waylon saw that the trader had parried effectively enough on the second shot, barely timing it right, but held that grace as he blocked the stroke with the cane facing downward. Graceful indeed.

The trader had pushed Waylon's blade aside and gained a little breathing room, steadying his feet. Waylon moved with the blade, a true extension of his arm, as he spun and was once again facing the graceful merchant.

"Impressive," he winked and swung his sword again. This time, momentum was on his side as he spun around and threw another forehand side against his left hip. He would expect that one, but would the change in power throw him off?

Not waiting to find out, he once again used the force of contact from the clashing blades to spin his sword around and do a downward strike, aiming for his cane. If the power in the first stroke was enough, then the cane would clatter out of his hands and onto the sand below, giving Waylon a point.

Ras was confident in the blocking power for this next one. He griped with both hands on the cane. When the blade hit it knocked the cane out of his hand. "Point to you. You are good. Lets go again" He picked up his cane and readied his stance.

Rorik stood. "From here on out because of the pain I have caused I will vow my life to service you." He grabbed the gun and kneeled down. "This will be my sword and shield to protect you with." He stood again.

Waylon felt the smooth jar of his sword as it knocked the cane into the sand. Point.

Stepping away to give him his bearings, the trader picked up his cane and readied himself. "Point to you," he said. "You are good. Let's go again."

"Alright then," Waylon responded and put himself in a stance, hilt facing upward diagonally. "You attack first.

"Alright then." He fake jabbed forward followed by a swing from the right. It was more speed then force. But each was going to hurt if hit. Then he began to do a pattern. He aimed for head, Left leg, right arm, Torso, Head, Left arm, Right leg, Head, Right arm, it continued fast and graceful. But not as good as it use to be. He knew that all he had to do was fuck up once while doing this and he lost. But the same whent to waylon. Just maintain what he wa....fuck he skipped a part in the pattern. Now he looked like a savage with no swordsman skill.

"Alright then." He fake jabbed forward followed by a swing from the right. It was more speed then force. But each was going to hurt if hit. Then he began to do a pattern. He aimed for head, Left leg, right arm, Torso, Head, Left arm, Right leg, Head, Right arm, it continued fast and graceful. But not as good as it use to be. He knew that all he had to do was fuck up once while doing this and he lost. But the same whent to waylon. Just maintain what he wa....fuck he skipped a part in the pattern. Now he looked like a savage with no swordsman skill.

Waylon saw the jab heading toward him. He knew it was fake, but it was brilliantly placed. This made Waylon give up some ground, putting his weight on his heels and thus putting him on the defensive.

Waylon stepped back. And saw immediately that the cane was heading toward his torso, a fronthand side. He caught it, but it was a little too close. Luckily, he'd swung with the side of his cane, so it didn't hurt that bad. It was much like getting hit in the arm with a stick, which it kind of was.

Turning, the trader barraged onward. Head. Waylon ducked. Left Leg. Easy swipe. Right arm. He spun backwards, catching the cane behind him. Torso. Waylon spun back to facing his opponent and pushed the cane away. Head. He stepped to the right and blocked the stroke with more authority. He had sure footing. Left arm. Back underhand block. Right leg. Front underhand block. Head. A front overhand block and he pushed the cane away once more. Right arm. He actually swung at the cane, knocking it away with more force. He lost a little grace as he swung back around, distracted in his own thoughts. Waylon took this opportunity and swung again at the cane, knocking the trader back on his heels most likely. Finally, he was on the offensive.

Waylon didn't hesitate as he went into his own pattern. Left arm, at the shoulder. Then, right side of head, left side of head, right ankle, jab at the torso. Using the force the trader used to knock away the jab, he spun once more, gained the momentum, and made a heavy stroke towards the right side of the torso. Again, he was hoping that the trader would be caught off guard by the power behind the stroke and the cane would go flying out of his hand once more.

Ras seen the attacks He dodged easily but then something happened. It was the attack from befor. The one that cost him the first round. Well he knew how to get around that. He tossed his cane up in the air. Then dodged the attack by sidestepping it. As soon as the blade passed he caught the cane and hooked it to Waylon's ankle and pulled.

And he missed!

Waylon had grown too overconfident on the fact that the Trader was rusty on swordplay and forgot that using the same move again rarely worked.

Rather than meet the block, the trader avoided it completely, tossing his cane up in the air and sidestepping the stroke. Waylon went right by him, the momentum carrying him onward. He stepped forward with his left foot to keep the momentum going. However, something yanked on his right leg. The next thing he knew, he was on his back, arms sprawled out, the cane tip being pointed in his direction. And speaking of point...

"I underestimated you," he smiled courteously, picking himself up off the ground. He readied himself in a more swashbuckler stance, his right foot in front of his left.

"1-1," he called, knowing he should've beaten him on that one. "I won't underestimate you any longer."

He stepped forward with an overhead swing heading towards the shoulder, then a side swipe to the head. Backhand side. Spin and a jab. Which way the trader would parry would decide how he continued the sequence.

The first swing and jab were easy to dodge He waited for the next attack. But it was the same as the first. He had not expected it. He miscalculated the block. Then the jab came it hit dead center of the cane making it hit Ras in the head. He stumbled back and laughed. "I guess thats it. You win and I will honor my word" He pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Waylon. "It was a good match. Well take your prize. I think I will be headed out." He began to walk off. "And Waylon if we ever meet again, lets have a rematch. I will find something to gamble with next time." With that he walked off.

It was a win Waylon never expected.

As he stepped forward with the jab, rather than swatting it up, left, right, or even down, the trader held it out in front staff style. This ultimately ended up with the force of the jab pushing the cane back until it hit the trader in the head. And like that, it was over.

The Trader would laugh. "I guess that's it. You win and I will honor my word." Throwing the keys to Waylon, he continued. "It was a good match. Take your prize. I think I will be heading out." He turned to leave and stopped. "And Waylon, if we ever meet again, let's have a rematch. I will find something to gamble with next time."

Waylon smiled, the fellow being more kinder than he anticipated. "Very well. I will look forward to it!" he called back. "Happy travels!"

For a moment, it felt like the world was going to be okay. Like it wasn't a desolate land with danger around every corner. What started off as a tense encounter turned into a friendly bout of skill and ability. This is what the harsh conditions did to people. They turned them into monsters, having to fight for their right to survive, having to do the most immoral of things to even be considered wealthy. Somehow, he felt the trader was the same way. He didn't want the life of a trader, to sell slaves and weapons that he had to steal. However, it was the only life he had to pick.

It was a nice change of pace, for once.

He turned back to the rest of the group. "Here's your weapons," Waylon said, handing him the bag. "For the love of God, don't kill the dude. Forgive and forget." He then turned to the remaining two and unlocked them from the chain. "You guys are free to go if you wish." He then turned to the Immortal girl and Tanya. "Let's get these two inside so we can heal them up real good." he motioned towards his house and went inside.

Brandon looked a Waylon. "your going to just let HIM WALK?" Brandon was furious. He let a slaver walk away.....After wat he done to a little girl?! Brandon rushed to his rifle and pulled it out of the sack. No ammo. He forgot how he was completely out of ammo a while ago, After the standoff with the raiders with Ara, and that nutcase Ras. Brandon threw the gun down onto the dust. He looked over to the little girl.....still breathing, but unconscious. He picked her up bridal style. He looked at Waylon. "See wat he did to her? You let a raider walk away" He grabbed his back pack. "weres Ara?"

The Red didn't leave. It was to far away from the territory of its home. So it just stayed next to Waylon. The raider made a quick escape over the wall. "Thanks you for save me." He attempted to say. Ara walked up to Brandon, Her head down. "Its gone. The garden is gone." She stepped back to show the survivors. Issac still looked pissed. Mark walked past and started to mess with the chains and the pole. Sorose and Kijer Stood ready to catch Tanya if she fell even though Issac was helping her walk.

Waylon saw Brandon show extreme anger towards him. "You're going to just let HIM WALK?" Regardless of what Waylon just asked him to do, Brandon picked up the gun and found it with no ammo. Out of pure frustration, he threw it on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Red decided to stay with Waylon. The Raider took it's opportunity and left with a kind word. Perhaps that would put a good word out to the raiders and they wouldn't get attacked.

"See what he did to her?"

Waylon turned to see Brandon motioning towards the girl.

"You let a raider walk away."

"First, he was human," Waylon replied calmly. "You said it yourself. Second, he showed chivalry, a trait I've never seen in an adversary before, much less a salesman. Men like that aren't born everyday. And third, despite anything that he may have done, he didn't pick the life he lives. Wouldn't you do anything to survive?"

Waylon sighed, "Look, Brandon. Racism is bad. We're the most under appreciated species existing right now. The last thing we need is a repeat of what happened in the past...wars among our own kind. It's what started this whole godforsaken wasteland life in the fucking first place. And thinking that way will cause our race to go extinct."

With that, he walked away, just in time to hear Ara say to Brandon. "It's gone. The garden is gone."

He sighed. He needed to think. He turned to the rest of the group. "Alright guys. Medical supplies are in the living room, underneath the couch. I need Tanya and the Immortal girl prepped. Bandage any exterior wounds they may have, put bones back into place if you have to. Red, if you know anything about medicine, we can use your help. Otherwise, don't get in the way." He picked up a book off the shelf. "I'm going to go prepare." He walked down to the underground aquifer, shutting and locking the door behind him. He didn't want any interruptions.

Waylon knew there was nothing the group could do about the internal bleeding the Immortal girl suffered. He didn't know if Tanya suffered the same or just needed some rest. There was something he could do, however.

The book he had was Titled: The Magic Behind Fire. The chapter he'd flipped to was entitled "The Essence of Holy Fire". He began reading.

"First, he was human," Waylon said, as calmly as ever. How can he be calm? He wasn't human. How could any body do that to there own people?

"You said it yourself. Second, he showed chivalry, a trait I've never seen in an adversary before, much less a salesman. Men like that aren't born everyday. And third, despite anything that he may have done, he didn't pick the life he lives. Wouldn't you do anything to survive?" Waylon continued. Brandon looked him straight in the eye. "Hes not human, hes a vermin, and vermin need to be destroyed. He leeches off unsuspecting people, and beats little girls! Yeah, I get stealing for survival, but forcing a individual ito submission? That's terrible."

Brandon looked at Ara "It's gone. The garden is gone" She said......."WHAT THE FUCK!" Brandon yelled. "I didn't even get to see it! NOT Even a fucking glipse, What the hell happen!?" Brandon asked

Sores took the kid from Brandon. Him and mark walked into the house. Tanya seen the girl, "Put all your focus on her. I have come this far i can wait a bit." Without hesitation they got to work. Marks Fingertips started to glow as he put his hand on her head. Instantly he bent over from pain. He removed his hand.

They laid the girl on the table. Sores looked to Mark looking for answers. Mark thought for a moment. "3 Broken ribs. A chip of a rib is in the wall of her stomach but didn't get thru. Not just that but there is some problems in the whole stomach region. Just a mess. She will need some surgery. I know you might be rusty but you think you can handle it." Sores looked up. "Not a doubt in my mind." Mark went and got the medical supplies while sores removed the crusted clothes.

It was horrific there were cuts bruises and blisters everywhere even a burn mark here and there. Issac came in making some chemicals and disinfectants. They began work immediately. Mark put a large cotton ball in his mouth, sat down, and then put his glowing hand on the girls head. As Sores began to make cuts so he could work on the ribs. Mark reacted as if he was the one getting cut open. They took some of the chemicals that when touched after a period of time harden. They would use this for the for the repairing of the broken ribs. One of the ribs acted as if it had exploded. So they had to fish out bones out of the area. There were so many fragments they weren't sure if they could get them all out.

After about an hour of sweat blood and lots and lots of the compound and stitches they were done. There was some blood loss not that much which was surprising. Sores put a blanket over the little girl as if she were asleep. It was still not a sure guess if she would make it or not though Mark was shaking with pain. Issac was helping find out what was wrong with Tanya in the meantime. Luckily it was only cracked ribs, collarbone, and a sprained ankle. Mark had trouble standing. But he finally got up. Sweat covered his forehead. He walked out shakingly to Brandon. "I-I think i-it went well. I-I m-made sure sh-she didn't f-feel a th-thing." He sat down on the ground. "B-but its s-still not a good i-idea to s-see her. Sor-es H-has to keep w-watch and n-needs to be a-alone." He looked up at Brandon with his glowing orange eyes. "B-but if you must s-see her." He set his hand on Brandon's shoulder. "J-Just don't g-get close." Mark tried his best to work up a smile but the pain almost prevented it. So all he could do was reassuring smirk.