Cinnamon Bun Chapter Fifty - Ambush

Chapter Fifty - Ambush

Drop all of your weapons and equipnt and get onto your knees, the deer-person (Cervid, Amaryllis had called them) in the middle of the pack before us said.

This isnt good, Amaryllis said. Her knife-wand slid into her hand from sowhere and began to crackle with an electric hum. Cover the rear, she said.

I nodded and spun around, my backpack coming off to be tossed to the side as I pulled my shovel off my pack and held it before . Insight, I muttered.

A confident Cervid Lancer, level ?.

A confident Cervid Runner, level ??.

A bored Cervid Plains Speaker, level ?.

Theyre pretty strong, I said. That had just been the three that snuck up behind us. I was willing to bet the leader was even stronger.

We can take them, Amaryllis said, her voice brimming with confidence that I didnt doubt for a mont was fake. Its just three on six.

I wondered what she ant for a mont before I saw Orange wriggle out from her shirt to co padding through the air. She stood floating at shoulder height next to .

Licking my lips, I stepped up towards the nearest group of deer people and raised my voice so that they could all hear. Hey everyone. My na is Broccoli. My friend and I were just travelling by here. If this is your bridge we apologies.

Five, Six, youre on the secondary target. Two, Three, Four, youre with on the primary, the one I suspected was the leader said.

Judging by the way the cervids shifted, the numbers were their nas. Or at least, code nas. Most of them were wearing helts of one sort or another, and all of them had padded clothes on, like my gambeson but stretched out over their entire bodies. No markings that I could tell except for thin orange lines on their shoulders. Their equipnt looked uniform, all made of the sa materials and with the sa cut.

Were these soldiers?

Broccoli, Amaryllis said. You should run. Its theyre after.

No, I said. That wasnt going to happen. I didnt abandon friends, especially not when they were about to be attacked by so bandits or sothing.

Break! the leader said, and that ended any hope that we could have a civil discussion.

Amaryllis was the first to act, her knife hand stabbing at the air even as a thunderous boom sounded out and a pillar of bluish light as thick around as my wrist shot out and hit one of the deer folk.

He scread as his body convulsed and his charge turned into an ungainly flop to the ground.

I didnt have ti to feel pity for him.

Two of the deer people rushed straight at . One with bare hands, the other with a long spear. The Lancer and Plains Speaker.

I froze for just a mont, the cracking of their hooves on the stone bridge like machine gun fire in my ears and the focus in what I could see of their eyes in the slits of their helts rooting on the spot.

Then Orange collided with the Lancers face and his spear slid past , cutting a hot line into my sides as it caught on the edge of my gambeson.

I scread and did the first thing that I could think of. I jumped.

The Plains Speaker looked up to in ti to win a foot to the face. I used him as a springboard to land on the hip-high stone railing of the bridge.

This wasnt so fight in a dungeon where the enemies were only mostly real. This was dangerous, truly dangerous.

Amaryllis was ducking and weaving around a pair of spears trying to hit her, sparks flying out of her talons and skittering across the skin of her enemies. She was taking them four on one and, sohow, was holding her ground.

One of the cervids was a mage of so sort, throwing translucent shields around that took Amaryllis attacks without so much as a shudder. Orange, help her! I scread.

I didnt want to fight, I didnt want to hurt people. I didnt want to be attacked. And I especially didnt want to fail a friend.

I swallowed and tightened my grip on my spade.

The Lancer spun around and his spear darted towards . I batted it aside, jumped off the railing so that I was right up in front of him, then I fired a blast of cleaning magic right in his face. He stumbled back, which gave all the ti I needed to hop up so that I was a bit above him. I ca down with my entire weight swinging the head of my spade down on his helt.

The bong of steel eting steel was like music.

The Cervid Lancer said so rude things as he took a step back.

I didnt have ti to follow up as the Plains Speaker flung his arms out at , a net opening wide in the air between us.

Eyes widening, I flung my spade at the net and, fortunately, slowed it down enough that I was able to side-step it.

The Lancer shifted his helt back in place with one hand and looked ready for more.

And now I was without a weapon.

I jumped, flying over the Plains Speaker.

He raised both hands to catch but I brought one arm up and pointed it at his face. Fireball! I scread.

The Plains Speaker shielded his face.

No fireballs happened.

I did get to land on the opposite railing without any issue though. My spear was next to my backpack, but I didnt have ti to grab it. Instead I pressed both feet against the rail and shot backwards as hard and fast as I could, my legs springing out to trail behind .

I crashed into the Plains Speaker shoulder-first.

The breath escaped from his lungs with an oomph and he stumbled backwards until he was pressed up against the rails.

The Lancer had moved out of the way and was stabbing for again. I dont know how I avoided the stab, it was all a blur of scrambling limbs to try and not get poked by the shining tip of his spear.

I grabbed the end of the lance just behind the tal spike at its end and, with my entire weight behind it, swung it around and into the Plains Speakers side.

The Plains Speaker yowled as his partners spear cut through his cloth armour. The Lancer yanked it back and out of my grip, but the damage was done.

I froze for a mont as blood spurted out of the wound and onto my hands.

It was hot.

The Lancers foot kicked out and I coughed as a steel-shod hoof buried itself in my side.

I crashed to the ground. Rocks dug into my palms and knees as I tried to gather my breath and fight through the pain.

A shadow moved above . The Lancer, his spear raised up to strike.

I rolled backwards, a move that I hadnt done since gym class so ti ago. I was soon under the Lancer, on my back with my legs above .

My stamina dropped to near-empty. anie! I scread as both feet crashed into his chest in what would have been the strongest jump I ever made, were I standing up.

The Lancer went flying.

He was lighter than I would have thought, barely heavier than I was when wearing my full pack and gear.

The last I saw of him were flailing limbs as he went over the railing and splashed into the water.

No ding that announced that I had killed anyone. Good.

I was panting and rolling onto my feet when a hoof ramd into my side and sent my rolling across the bridge. Ah! I tried to scream, but my lungs hurt too much.

With tears in my eyes I looked up to find the Plains Speaker walking up to . He was favouring his injured side and had taken off his helt. It was laying off on the ground so feet away.

His expression wasnt pretty. Filthy human scum, he spat out before lashing out with another kick.

I couldn't do much to stop this one either except to curl into a ball around the impact to my stomach and try to keep my lunch inside as pain roiled across my chest.

Making look like an-- he began, then stopped.

Amaryllis scread.

We both looked over to see her pinned to the ground, the long shaft of a spear through her thigh.

No, I said.

Hah, see what happens when-- the Plains Speaker began to say as he turned back to .

I wasnt where he had left .

My shaking hand clenched the edge of the helt he dropped.

The cervid turned around just as I swung with every last bit of strength I had left in . His helt caught him full in the side of the face.

I saw a tooth fly.

Dont! I said.

I swung in the other direction and caught him in the forehead.

Hurt.

This ti the point of the helt caught him across his deer-like nose. It crunched.

My.

He was falling back, eyes watery and wide, blood spurting out of his nose as he exhalled. I couldnt reach his face anymore. I let my hand fall into the helt, wearing it like an oversized glove as I pushed what little stamina I had left into a forward lunge.

Friends!

My wrist snapped.

I cried out and pulled my hand back to my chest. The helt, with its pointy edges, stayed stuck in the Cervids chest armour.

I was breathing in gasps as I cradled a wrist that wasnt bending the right way.

The four remaining Cervids were moving closer. One had Amaryllis bound and unconscious on his back.

Kill her? One of them asked.

No, the leader said. Shes a witness. Wheres Five?

One of them, the mage, snorted. Went over the edge. Hes swimming to shore.

The leader looked over the side of the bridge and sighed. Against a level six. Sad. Four, knock her out. Two, give Five a healing potion.

I watched as one of them raised a wooden wand my way. Light gathered at the end of it.

I tried to jump but my legs only wobbled.

The ball of light crashed into my chest and sent flying back.

I wished that the world went black, that I would fade into the abyss of unconsciousness. No such luck. I writhed on the ground, tears streaming and teeth grit against the pain. I saw the Plains Speaker, looking the worse for wear, stopping above .

His hoof ca down and planted itself on my leg and twisted.

Six! the leader called back over my scream. Were going. Leave her.

Tch, Six, the Plains Speaker said.

He spat on and walked away with a limp.

I heard them all moving off, five sets of hooves clacking across the bridge. They were joined by the lancer I had thrown off the edge.

Then their voices faded away into the distance. It didnt matter to .

My hand, my left hand that still shook, reached into my bandoleer. Fingers scrapped across broken glass as I pulled out my broken trifecta potion. The remains had leaked out.

I flung the glass aside with a cry.

My backpack was still there. Soone had kicked it, but it was otherwise untouched. They werent bandits here for our stuff.

I crawled to it.

Health 31/120

Stamina 02/125

Mana 79/115

I wasnt bleeding, not much that I could tell, but I was hurting all over. I didnt want to wait and see if I would heal over ti.

Reaching my pack was hard, looking through it was harder.

Then Orange ca closer and I saw the kitty climb into the backpack. She ca out with a potion between her teeth.

Thanks, I said. The cork ca off. I downed it in one swallow. It was surprisingly sweet.

Health 37/120

Stamina 02/125

Mana 79/115

My health was ticking upwars, a point every few seconds. I found a second potion and drank it too.

The pain left, but it was slow. A soothing warmth that banished the hurt.

I sat against the side of the bridge and waited for my health to climb back to full. And in the anti, I allowed myself to cry.

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