text: [Themes: fantasy, anti-hero]
  
  You unsheathe your blade, pointing it at the bastards. One of them gulps almost imperceptibly, but the one who spoke to you just lets out another nasty laugh. "Wanna play hero, eh?" He callously drops Isaiah, pulls a mace from his side. The others follow suit, pulling out their own weapons; one has a curved blade, the other a pair of daggers. This should be easy.
  
  You leap forward and swing, managing to decapitate the one with daggers easily. Blood gushes from his neck, before he falls to the floor, lifeless. This manages to scare the other two, but mace guy nudges sword guy, the latter nodding before rushing forward to cut at you. You don't bother to use your sword on him, instead ducking out of the way of his swing then tripping him up. Then you use the sword, cutting him right in half with one swing while he lies on the ground.
  
  At this point, mace is quaking in fear. He drops his weapon, raising his hands and getting on his knees. "I-I surrender! Please, don't kill me!" You step forward, planning on delivering the killing blow...
  
  But mace leaps up and pulls a dagger from his boot! His speed surprises you, and he manages to catch you with a glancing blow. Instantly, you begin to feel light-headed, almost unsteady. Still, you swing, cutting off his arm and wedging your blade deep into his side. He lets out an ungodly scream, then dies.
  
  You grin, give a little chuckle. Then you collapse.
  
  When you awaken next, you're in a soft bed, a bandage wrapped around your wound. It throbs still, and your throat is parched. A soft groan escapes your lips, then you grunt out, "water", hoping someone may hear you. There's a slight shuffling, then a cup of water is handed to you. You look up at who gave it to you, and there stands Eliza. She smiles.
  
  "I can't thank you enough for what you did... But you've brought trouble to the village at the same time. There was one watching outside, he told his leader about what happened. They came to town early this morning and said that if we don't surrender all our goods, they'll raze the place. We have until tomorrow to decide."
  
  "Really..." The word that escape your lips comes out less as a question and more as a statement.
  
  "Yes, really."
  
  "How long have I been out?"
  
  "4 days now. The dagger was poisoned. We got our healer to work on you, you should be fine if you rest another few days."
  
  That gets you to jolt up, hissing slightly as you grip your wound. "I can't. I have to leave."
  
  "Please, just relax. You'll be better soon. We plan to surrender to them. And as far as they know, you're dead; we hid you well. You'll be safe to rest here."
  
  Hmph. So they're giving up, simple as that? Back in your day the people would have fought back tooth and nail. What are you going to do?
  
  > You'll defend them from the raiders come tomorrow. They need it.
  You shake your head vehemently. "No. I won't stand by while you all give in to worthless bandits. I'll stay, and fight them off tomorrow."
  
  Eliza's eyes widen. "You're still hurt! They're near fifty strong, if you fight them, you'll die!" She's begging you particularly hard.
  
  "I've fought worse odds. I can handle them." To prove your point, you get out of the bed and stand up, Eliza moving quickly to sit you back down. You shrug her hands off.
  
  "Please, don't. These men will slaughter you."
  
  "I can do it." You shoulder your way past her, to your knapsack. There, you slip into your clothing, and grab your sword. "I'll watch for them. When they come, I'll kill them all." A bloodthirsty grin makes its way onto your face. "Watch." Ignoring any further pleas from Eliza, you carry onward and leave the room. You see that it's a small hut, the only door leading directly outside; it's night, which means you have time to set up.
  
  You go to the largest tree in the center of the village, scaling up it and sitting on a branch. There, you wait. And wait. Then you wait some more.
  
  The sun is high in the sky, the villagers are out in the fields, and your ass is sore by the time the raiders finally do come. The villagers milling about pause in their work as they watch them, all with fear written on their faces. The raider leader, a large and burly man in chainmail, raises his arms up high. "People of this fair village! We have come to accept your surrender. Should you resist, we'll kill all of you. So please, resist."
  
  Isaiah steps forward, head down low. You note the bandage on his cheek, where the cigar was jammed into his face. "Please, don't harm us. We surrender. You are free to take all the supplies we have."
  
  The raider leader lets out a small tsk, shaking his head. "Really? That's all? How disappointing." You're about to jump down and attack him, when...
  
  "I guess we'll just have to kill you anyway." The raider leader pulls out his sword and runs it through Isaiah's chest. Your blood begins to pump viciously. "Kill them all."
  
  That's when you finally jump from the branch. You were too late. Isaiah is dead, because you took too long to just jump down and kill them. You're no hero.
  
  You land on top of the nearest raider, his head crushing beneath the weight of your boot. The others quickly turn their eyes to you and stare in awe. You unsheathe your sword, then start swinging with a primal yell. A few men are taken down by your blade, while the others go on the attack. You bring up your blade occasionally to block attacks, swinging when you see an opening. It's a slaughter for them.
  
  By the time you take down a few dozen, the others begin to retreat. Their leader yells at them, calls them cowards, but stands his ground. "FINE!" He unsheathes a blade of his own. "I'll do it myself!" He goes on the attack, swinging the sword at you. You block it, then swing, but the raider manages to leap out of the way. Damn, if you weren't still recovering, you could have gotten him. Still, it's been a long while since someone managed to dodge one of your attacks. This should be fun.
  
  The two of you continue on like that for a while; he strikes, you block, you strike, he dodges. It's almost like a dance between two experienced partners. This man, he's well trained, and a far better swordsman than you are. There's one difference though, and that is while you lack strength, you make up for it in raw power.
  
  It also helps that you picked the winning side in this battle.
  
  Slowly, the villagers start to gather courage. Before you know it, rocks are being pelted at the raider. He ignores them well enough, but they throw him off enough that he starts to barely evade your attacks. Then, after a longer time, some start pushing forward with pitchforks and other tools in hand. They attack, but the raider attacks back and they retreat before they get killed.
  
  But, their attacks are all you need, and soon, one of your swings eventually makes its way into his hip. He lets out a yell of agony, dropping his blade and falling into a kneel. You don't waste any time letting him have his last words, instead bringing the blade down right onto his head, bisecting it down the middle.
  
  There is silence.
  
  Then, defeaning cheers.
  
  The town is safe. You've done it.
  
  There are no celebrations afterwards however. The bodies of the raiders are burned, Isaiah is brought to his daughter. The others return to their homes, some continue to work. Eliza picks out a plot in the cemetary, and the gravekeeper gets to work. You approach her as she watches. Her father has been set down in a coffin not far from the grave.
  
  Her eyes are red and puffy. She's been crying all day, no doubt. You place a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him," you say.
  
  She turns to look at you, no malice whatsoever on her face. "I know."
  
  "What will you do now? Manage the inn?"
  
  She sighs, shakes her head. "I don't know. My father was all I had."
  
  You nod. "... I'll leave you be."
  
  Then, you walk away.
  
  You have a decision to make. Stay here in this village and live out the rest of your days, or continue onwards into the great unknown.
  
  > You'll stay here. Perhaps you can help the people that way.
  The next day, you knock on a random villager's door, and ask for a job. He knows that you saved the village, so he gladly gets you work tending to the fields. It's hard work, but they provide you with a nice home and let you take some of the harvest for food. It's a good way of life, you suppose.
  
  You keep Eliza company when you're off work. She decided to stay in the town, managing the inn like her father before her. It takes her a while, but eventually, she's back to her usual self. Smiling softly, being as kind as possible, and working hard. But you see in her eyes that she won't be able to recover fully anytime soon. You know the pain. One may be able to put on the guise of being back to normal, but they'll never be the same deep down.
  
  You continue to spend your days tending to the fields, visiting Eliza after work or on your days off, and making friends around the village. It's a nice life, you'd say. Eventually, you integrate so well into the village's society, that it's almost like you've been there your whole life.
  
  Finally, you are at peace.