“What are you doing,” the driver hissed. “They’ll kill you.”

  “They’ll certainly try,” Simon said, too quietly for the other man to hear, as he trudged off the muddy roads and into the wilted fields.

  Simon hat despite the in his voice, he didn’t stop the wagon. That was smart. Riskiing stuck a sed time at this moment would be the dumbest thing anyone could do. He wasn’t worried about that, though; the men in that wagon didn’t seem especially ined toward selfless acts.

  When he walked through the field, his tra got much better immediately as he stomped across the grains that should have long since been locked away in the granary. The strangers didn’t e out to meet him, though, until he was almost to the vilge. Instead, they moved away from him and toward the road.

  Simon shook his head at that. “Fight me, not them,” he growled to himself.

  He knew he’d have to use magi this fight, but he was trying to hold off as long as he could. He wasn’t as young as he used to be.

  When one of the ragged lookiepped out to meet him, Simon’s appraisal of the situation ged. These weren’t bandits, they were deserters. That made them an order of magnitude more dangerous. Still, he kept his hand off his sword for now, but only because it would irouble that much faster.

  “Where are your friends off to, old man?” the soldier o him called out as he approached them. No one was afraid of Simon, and no bows were pointed in his direost of those were with the group that had set up a ways off to deal with the caravan. They were waiting for some order, though, and for now, they just stood there.

  “Those poor bastards?” Simon asked, trying diplomacy. “They were just giving me a ride. I wouldn’t worry too much about them. They’re just skin and bone like the rest of us.”

  “I dunno,” the man said with a scowl, “Even a skinny ox will still feed us for days. We’re the King's men and at liberty to sge whatever supplies we o tihe fight. Now, hand over your purse, and we’ll let you off with a warning.”

  “If I give you my purse while you spare the caravan, Simon asked?” He didn’t care too much about his gold at this point, but it robably worth more than anything that group had. It would have been a good deal for everyohe caravan would go free, the deserters would get paid, and Simon wouldn’t have to waste any more magic. Sadly, he didn’t think this guy was smart enough to go for it.

  “Why would I do that when I have archers?” the deserter asked. With a whistle, he poi them, and they started to draw arrows. “See - men like us, we do two things at onow, hand it over before I take it.”

  “Yes, but what if you don’t have archers?” Simon asked.

  The man’s face twisted into a look of fusion, aook a moment to enjoy it before he pointed and said, “Dnarth Vrazig.”

  Distant lightning wasn’t a spell he used a lot anymore, but it never disappointed and came down from the sky like a bolt from the blue, killing one man immediately before jumping to one or two others. Simon didn’t know if they would live or not, but the damage was done, and their shot oiled as suddenly everything came into chaos.

  “Shit, he’s a warlock,” the deserter said, taking several steps backward as he fumbled with his sword. “He’s a—”

  Simon didn’t let him get away, though, and matched him step for step, drawing his bde. There was no fear in him to slow him down, though, and he beat the other man for a draw, stabbing his sword through the other man’s chest before he could draw his own sword and parry.

  No, that wasn’t quite right, Simon realized as the man stumbled backward and onto the ground. He had brought his sword up in time, but Simon’s bde had cut right through it so easily that he hadn’t even noticed the resistahat surprise was matched when he realized that he’d ght through the man’s mail just as easily.

  “Woah,” Simon gasped in surprise, “What in the hell is this?”

  He looked down at the bde for a moment. He had no time to study it in aail now that the arm had been sounded and people were moving on him, but he felt an overwhelming desire to do so just the same.

  The bde’s scabbard had seeer days, but the on itself gleamed. He wasn’t even sure it was steel. There wasn’t a spot of rust on it, and the lines and ruhat had been carved on it were clear and bright. No, they’re more than bright, he realized. There’s no light to refle this gloom. They’re glowing.

  At a gnce, Simon didn’t reize any new words of power. There was no word of vorpal or ser sword, but there was definitely more to learn ohe fighting was done. Now, he had to turn to fight the other men who were running at him, and Simon turo face them as the gleaming blue-gray lines shone across his magic sword.

  The first parry he made with the bde was almost his st, as it turned out. That wasn’t overfidence or anything, not really. Instead, as he raised his bde to parry the overhand chop, he sliced right through the bde again, and the solider that he was fighting thrust the bde further in, taking advantage of the ued opening and striking a gng blow that deflected painfully off of several ribs.

  Simon grunted in pain as he took the man’s head. If that warrior had been much better, he would certainly be dead by now. He sidered using a healing spell, but he could still move well enough and didn’t want to be distracted while two more men drove toward him.

  This time, he didn’t parry with the edge. He used the side of the bde to block the blow of the first man’s broadsword before he cleaved off the arm that was wielding it with the terstrike. While he tried to process what had just happehe man behind him with a spear thrust forward. Rather than trying to dodge in his current state, he lopped the point of the spear and the foot of wood that followed it off directly. He still took a quarterstaff-like blow to the gut from the spear that doubled him over for a moment, but even as he grimaced in pain, he decided it had been the best choibsp;

  The spearman was looking at him warily now, but the swordsman was busy screaming in shock. “My hand, he took my fug hand!” the man bellowed.

  Simoed at the spearman, grimag himself from the sudden movement, but the man was smart, and even as he drew a dagger, he jumped behind his maimed panion. Simon took the opportunity to finish off the injured man with a quick thrust that ighe pot helmet he was wearing.

  “There’s still time to run,” Simon said calmly. It wasn’t because he cared about his oppo's life, of course. It was because he could feel himself starting to run oy. He was more tired than any spell warranted, and for a moment, he thought to bme the sword, but it didn’t feel like a magical drain. It was deeper than that. Bloodloss, he thought to himself. That only further increased his sense enbsp;

  “Why run when I could kill you and take your fancy sword, you devil,” the spearman answered, fshing him a smile that was missing a few teeth. “You might have some ricks, but you barely reach me, you?” As he spoke, Simon gave a few half-hearted sshes, but the man danced back out of reach. He might only be armed with a dagger now, but he also had a pretty good eye.

  “You think a Warlock ’t hit you for te away?” Simon smirked, trying to decide if he wao waste on the spell.

  “Doesn’t matter,” the warrior spat. “I know my friends reach you from there…”

  Simon only had the barest urge to turn, but he resisted the oldest tri the book, and he paid for it with an arrow in the back. “Fuck,” he growled, staggering back a couple steps as two others nded close by. He wasn’t alone, Simon remembered. He’d know his lightning probably hadn’t gotten all of them, but…

  His oppoook that moment to strike, but Simon was ready for that o least. Though he’d been looking iionally weak, he had more than enough strength left to carve this guy up. He brought the sword up in a swing that took the warrior's arm at the elbow before he brought it down in a vicious strike that cut him in two from cvicle to groin.

  That was his st gasp, though, and he fell to one knee as he tried to survey his surroundings. There were still three left that he could see and maybe more that he couldn’t.

  For the moment, Simon ignored hypotheticals and dragged himself against the closest building as best he could. Then, once he had some cover, he tore open his shirt so he could get a good look at that wound. He healed it with a word of healing after only the quickest of iions, opting to skip a minor word so that he could try to ease the blood loss rather than just close it.

  It worked, and he instantly felt better. The thied in a jagged scar, and he doubted he’d healed all the muscuture correctly, but right now wasn’t the moment to worry about such things. Instead, he slowly got to his feet and peeked around the er, sword in hand. He would have preferred to heal his arrow wound, but the arrowhead had a barb on it, and there was no way he was healing it until he’d removed it.

  He saw all three advang toward him but decided they weren’t grouped up quite closely enough yet. So, he retreated deeper into the ruins of the vilge, making noise as he went to try to get them clether.

  “Surely we talk about this,” he yelled, feigning weakness. “I’ve got !”

  “We want your head, old man!” one yelled.

  “You’ll pay for what you did to Trenton!” another called out.

  Despite their anger and his best efforts to act like he was bleeding out, they were still beira cautious. That made sense sihey had some idea of what his powers were, but even so, he found it to be frustrating as he weaved between buildings slowly while the arrow in his back dug ever deeper into his kidney.

  “I’m going to be pissing blood for a damn week,” Simon cursed as he tried to find the right vao strike them down.

  He jumped when a red light suddenly appeared behind him, sending a long silhouette out ahead of him. Simon spun around with bde in hand and found the portal he hadn’t even been looking for yet.

  He shook his head and turned away again. If the group had been the goal, then he was sure that this or the bridge they were going to cross had the portal he was looking for, but he still had three assholes to deal with, So if he bounced, he’d pretty much be guaranteeing himself that he’d have to do all this agaiime.

  Still, now that he knew where the finish line was, though, he could afford to burn a little hard. Simon leaned around the er and spotted where two of them were positioning inside a house on the far side of the square from him for some ambush. “Meiren!” he shouted, enveloping the eerior of the p fire before the roof fell in ohey died screaming, but Simon didn’t care. He was already looking for his , and hopefully final, target.

  Simon found him attempting to flee he edge of the vilge. He would have let him go, too, except for the fact that the idiot was heading in the one dire he couldn’t allow. He was running right back to the retreating caravan.

  Simon sighed and fihe fight with another word of distant lightning. It wasn’t such a strong spell, but it made him see stars as his vision greyed out for a moment. By the time he recovered, the fleeing man was dead.

  So, Simon started back toward the portal he’d seen earlier. It looked nicer on the level, and if he was about to cause himself unspeakable pain to heal up, he at least wao get out of the rain and mud.

  A brief update for everyone. week I will be increasih After Death to 3x/week. As a result, the schedule for all my stories will adjust slightly. The new schedule is as follows:

  Monday: Death After DeathTuesday: Brewing BadWednesday: Death After DeathThursday: TenebroumFriday: Death After DeathSaturday: Brewing BadSunday: Tenebroum

  Will Brewing bad or Tenebroum be getting a simir treatment? Nht now, as you see, I am out of days in the week!

  However, when Tenebroum Ends It's possible that I might increase Brewing Bad's posting frequency, or eveh After Death's posting frequency. There is no reason we couldn't get to 4x/week sometime year. I'm really enjoying the current arc. It all depends on reader levels of i. I will free a couple days up when Tenebroum finishes in a few months ( You believe it?!) I have promised my patrons, though I don't think I've mentio here, but if DaD gets a little more support over the few months, I will hire aor, so the chapters get ed up before you ever see them. Time will tell. I'll let you know if that happens.