[maikafanawen]

Ani Dao released two of her knives with a quick flick of her wrist the second Bali gave the signal. The camp was roused, and the men charged at the company in fury. The second pair of knives appeared in the elf’s hands, lighting fear into her opponent’s eyes. With a quick flash, a knife sliced open the man’s throat. Pinching the blade between her two fingers she threw it at another. She flipped over the back of one of the men and sent him flying into his tent with a hard sidekick. Ducking just under a sweep of a sword, she removed two of her knives from a body and sunk them into the man’s bowls. He dropped his sword and clutched at his stomach. With blood foaming from his mouth and drew his hand back for a punch. Ani Dao moved sideways just in time, but was met hit with a kick from behind. It had knocked the wind from her for a moment and a large man, with big black eyes leapt in front of her as she stood. She groped her for knives, only to find them all spent. Then she drew her sword, and held it before her in challenge.

“I’ve got you now little girl.” A burst of sarcastic laughter broke from the man, and his own sword hissed from its scabbard. Wearing a confident sneer, he attacked.

Ani Dao sidestepped the man’s lunge and parried the next several attacks. At once the man decided to change his strategy. At least five inches taller and one hundred pounds heavier than his opponent, he tried to overwhelm his slender foe with sheer physical strength. His heaviest blows were turned aside, and soon the soldier’s face began to betray exhaustion as well as the first icy touches of doubt.

Surprised at her own success with the sword, she smiled confidently. The man stole a quick look around the camp at the people who were fighting. He focused back on the elf, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Who are you?”

Ani Dao laughed. “You’ve never heard my name, I promise. But perhaps you’ve heard of Ahret Ban?” The name didn’t mean anything of course to the man. He smiled wickedly.

“Then you must be lucky with a sword?” he decided. Ani Dao shrugged.

“I am lucky with some things.” Annoyed with the conversation the man was trying to inflict upon her she swung around hard with her sword, trying to knock his from his hands. He parried her move and pushed her up against a tree with his foot. She hit hard and watched as he withdrew a second weapon from his belt, this one a long slender dagger. He lunged toward Ani Dao, feinting with the dagger as he brought his sword around and down in an overhead strike. The elf deflected the sword and sent a hard kick into the man’s ribs. Bones cracked. His eyes bulged with pain, and then went black with anger. He flipped his dagger into a throwing position and propelled it towards the elf. She blocked the weapon with her sword, and it fell to the ground. The man cursed and gripped his weapon with both hands. He came like fire at Ani Dao, thrashing his sword at her fiercely. Squinting against the dust he aroused, she blocked each attack. Rousing the entity of her strength, she crouched beneath his next swipe, and thrust upwards with her weapon, skewering him. Blood spurted onto the ground, and his eyes widened in disbelief before he fell motionless to the ground. She stepped on his mail-covered chest, and removed her sword.

Shivering with disgust, she quickly sheathed her sword and ran quickly around the camp collecting her knives to use once again.

[ April 06, 2003: Message edited by: maikafanawen ]