Seeds of Virtue, Dark Descent, Book I

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  Vistalas and Ristil were meticulous fighters, using strategy and cunning to achieve victory in every battle. They used every spare moment they had to study their opponents to spot weakness and take advantage of those failings. They were smooth, sleek, and fought with style. Thorstar was none of those things. He cared not for weaknesses, failings, or faults. His only concern was how fast he could pull his sword from the head of his most recent victim. He fought with only one thing: brute strength.

  Thorstar charged across the warehouse, his huge legs slamming into the ground with enough force to crack the stone. His thick sword was raised just over his right shoulder, ready to destroy anything in its way. At the moment, that happened to be four thieves with raised weapons.

  As he closed in, three of the thieves scattered, none wishing to be in the way when that giant sword descended. They moved to the sides, aiming to get around and behind the charging warrior. Yet one of them stood strong, an older man that looked to be a veteran of the thieving world. He knew how to fight, knew how to use someone’s strength against them, and he knew how to stand strong against men who fought with nothing but strength and power. Or so he thought.

  When Thorstar reached him and swung, the thief raised his sword but turned his blade downward in a way that should have disbursed the power of the attack and make it flow down the blade and into the ground. His defensive strategy should have helped him counter the attack and launch one of his own, but as Blood Edge hit his raised sword, the weapon shattered as if it was made of kindling. The razor sharp blade continued down and slammed into his body, slicing through his armor and flesh as if they weren’t even there. The old thief was almost cut in two.

  The other thieves watched as their companion erupted in a fountain of blood. The floor and wall behind the man–almost seven feet behind him–was suddenly painted in red. The two halves of the thief stood upright for a few seconds then fell over, hitting the floor in a sickening splat.

  The sight before the three remaining thieves made them pause and stare in complete amazement and shock. None of them had ever seen such a display of strength. It both impressed and horrified them at the same time.

  The ground suddenly shook beneath their feet. All three looked up to see Thorstar on the move again, heading straight for the closest thief. The man quickly backed away in fear, raising his blade before him. To his surprise, Thorstar stopped well away from him. His confusion on why only lasted a few seconds before that sword, that extremely long sword, caught him underneath the chin and lifted him off his feet.

  Thorstar pulled Blood Edge down as the thief flew through the air. He never bothered watching the man slam into the ground with bone crunching force. He only turned to focus on the next threat. The man he had just launched across the warehouse was not mortally wounded, but he wouldn’t be joining the battle any time soon. The other two thieves, however, were a different matter. Though they still wore looks of anxiety and distress, they moved toward him, weapons waving in anticipation of drawing his blood. They looked a little more ready as they approached. None of their precautions mattered to Thorstar. He just charged once more, preparing his sword to slice them in two.

  He swung when he was just close enough to reach them, making his long sword do most of the work. The thieves, now knowing about his superior reach, ducked and spun towards him, weapons flashing. Moving with such speed that they were once again taken by surprise, Thorstar twisted away from them, just managing to miss being cut down the side. Though the thieves missed, they held steady and pressed the attack, moving in close to take away Thorstar’s advantage. Their thinking was sound for Thorstar had a difficult time swinging Blood Edge at targets that stood just a few feet from his body, but the large warrior not only knew how to fight opponents with his sword, but he also knew exactly how to handle those that sought to take away his reach.

  He brought his sword in close, perpendicular to the ground just as the thieves attacked. Two swords and a dagger bounced of the steel blade but the last dagger found his thigh and left a nasty gash. He hardly noticed.

  The thieves pulled back again, readying another strike. Thorstar let go of his sword just as their blades came forward. He managed to avoid the two blades of the one on his right, but the thief on his left dragged his dagger across his side, just under his ribs, and made another nasty gash on his leg. Again, Thorstar acted as if he hardly felt those wounds. He just grabbed the thief by the arms and lifted him off his feet. The man shouted in surprise and pain as Thorstar squeezed. Then, with hardly any effort, as if he was lifting a simple feather, the large man lifted the thief up over his head and slammed him into his companion.

  The other thief had expected anything but the attack that Thorstar made so he hadn’t even tried to move away. He had been so intent on stabbing Thorstar when the warrior had turned that he never saw the shadow fall over him. Then his fellow thief hit him, slamming him into the ground. The impact sent surges of pain through both their bodies and broke more than a few bones. They struggled to roll away from each other, to get to their feet because they knew the large warrior would not leave them alone for long. Their instincts proved correct. Before they had moved a few feet, Thorstar put his fists together and brought his arms crashing down on the top of the thief’s back. There was a loud snap and the thief screamed in pain. Then his arms and legs went limp, all feeling leaving his limbs.

  “Get off!” The man on the bottom screamed, trying to shove his companion off him. The thief on top remained still, laying over him like heavy, wet blanket.

  Thorstar turned and picked up his sword. He took it in both hands and turned to face the thieves.

  “Move!” the thief against the ground screamed in terror.

  “I...I can’t,” the other man whimpered, almost with tears in his eyes. Then he let out a strangled gasp as Thorstar rammed his sword through both men. He had struck with such force that the tip of the blade cracked the stone beneath both of them.

  As soon as their struggles ceased, Thorstar ripped Blood Edge from the bodies. He paid little attention to the blood streaming down his leg and side as he turned to finish off the final thief. He had long ago learned to never leave a wounded enemy lie. Just when one least expected it, they may appear and stab you in the back.