Six days had passed since the summoning. It had stopped raining the last night.

After breakfast we started with our daily routine, which was mostly chattering about various things.

We came to know we would start to cross a massive mountain chain, the Claws, in a few days. It would take several days over two mountain passes to reach the far side.

We would leave the Empire of Arhithrea at some point to enter the Kingdom of Austerre.

Miss Tessa mentioned Dwarves living in the Claws.

She promised us we would be allowed to leave the carriage at some point. It was about time. The carriage was really nice, but I desperately needed a change of scene.

I sneaked a peek behind the curtains once in while. Most of the time I saw fields. Occasionally there were a few low houses at a distance. There were many people working on the fields everywhere. From time to time we passed streaks of forest. The terrain was bumpy and once I even got a glimpse of a distant snow covered mountain range!

We were crossing a larger stripe of wood land as the carriage suddenly stopped.

A few moments later we heard a loud cracking of a falling tree. Miss Tessa instantly got to her feet.

Then I heard someone shouting something about giving money.

“Attack from the right!” I heard someone yelling from the front of the carriage. Miss Tessa opened the right door of the carriage.

“Stay put!” she yelled as she left the carriage.

“Keep an eye on the other door and alert me!” She looked over her shoulder for a moment.

“Yes, Miss Tessa!” we cried as chaos spread outside the carriage.

I could see three men approaching Miss Tessa with a lewd grin.

The left one died instantly as Miss Tessa slashed his throat with a large knife.

She killed another before the last one got up his guard.

Another four men closed in on Miss Tessa.

I swept the cabin. Milly and Tilly sat on the bench dazed.

“Tilly! Keep an eye on Miss Tessa as well! Milly! Come with me! I have a peek out the window!” I squeaked.

They nodded. Milly went to the door and secured the handle. I jumped on the bench by the window and put the curtain aside a bit.

A burly man approaching the carriage from the other side.

“Damn!” I cried.

“Miss Tessa! We have a visitor at the back door!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

Miss Tessa was tied up fighting the raggedly clothed men in front of her.

Milly had fetched a scissors from her sewing kit.

The bandit approached the carriage and opened the door.

“Entertainment for tonight!” he roared drawing a short sword.

He looked at Milly noticing her scissors and sneered

“Want to tickle me? I’ll I stab you back with my mighty rod tonight, bitch!” He licked is lips and shot her a lewd grin.

I stepped up, planting my supporting leg firmly in ground. While putting up my guard I kicked him right in his jewels.

He staggered back to the door howling in pain.

With a mad cry he slashed at me. I stepped back but he still managed to cut my waist.

Milly stabbed her scissors at him, but only managed to scratch his leather armor.

He whirled around and cut upward at her. He sliced up her dress and cut her hip.

Milly stumbled back screaming.

Quickly I stepped up again and landed a firm hit on his jewels again.

He roared in pain while coming down with his sword from above.

I raised my left hand to divert his slash to my left letting him push me half a step to the right.

Using his push for leverage I homed straight jab with a twist of my tummy to his balls.

He screamed out in pain. His sword ripped through my skirt leaving a cut in my left leg.

I hissed, gritting my teeth.

His sword was stuck in the floor though.

Milly raised her scissors again and jabbed at his wrist.

I continued firmly kneeing between his legs, extending my support leg for added power.

Finally he doubled over. He had managed to free his sword though and slashed at Tilly, slicing her left arm.

Tilly screamed in pain while scrambling back.

Ignoring his foul breath I got a solid hit on his neck with my side of my left hand adding a twist of my body to the jab.

He groaned.

While he started straightening again I showered his nose with quick jabs.

He staggered back a step catching his balance again in the door frame.

I followed up and planted a firm kick in his stomach.

He lost his grip on the door frame, tumbling out of the door.

I stepped up to the door. He fell and lost his footing on the wet grassy ground. I swept the area in front of the carriage.

Behind me I heard the racket of a fight.

The fall seemed to have knocked the wind out of him.

Measuring the distance, I jumped, landing right on his chest, knocking the wind out him again.

“Lilly! Stay!” Milly and Tilly screamed.

They were at the door of the carriage.

I sank my knees in his upper arms, pinning them to the ground.

He scowled at me with a pained glare.

I started pummeling his jaw with all I had to keep him stunned for as long as I could.

His head came up after a moment as he tried to sit up.

As the distance was right I smashed his nose with my elbow causing him to fall back to the ground again.

Blood ran ouf his nose, flowing all over his face.

Roaring he freed his left arm from under my knee. He grabbed my collar and pulled down.

My dress gave way and he ripped it down to my waist, while I continued flattening his nose.

My hands were covered in blood now.

His blood!

Suddenly he howled in pain again and I pinned his arm back to ground, continuing to pummel his jaw.

I heard Milly screaming behind me.

A quick a peek over my shoulder showed me that he caught Milly between his legs, squeezing her.

He managed to free his right arm then and landed a hit right over my left eye. I was flung to the side, going down hard, dazed. My vision started to blur.

He sat up. Milly was still pinned between his legs, struggling in panic.

“I’ll hump you all senseless, filthy bitches!!” he brayed with a fierce grin.

Again I heard a whip cracking from the carriage followed by pained howl.

He grabbed Milly by her collar ripping her dress and shirt down to the waist.

With his other hand he pulled her onto his lap. Then tossed her to the ground to his right.

While Milly was laying stunned on her back, he mounted her and pinned her arms with his shins.

I was still panting heavily.

Then I saw Tilly sneaking up to them. Just as the bandit mounted Milly, she tried to kick his jewels.

She hit his waist though and lost her balance.

She screamed at the top of her lungs as he grappled her.

He deliberately shredded her dress and shirt apart.

Both girls screamed in panic while flailing out at him.

He was restraining Tilly while Milly helplessly struggled under him.

Luckily he hat turned his back to me while mounting Milly. I gritted my teeth and got up, pain shooting through left leg.

This had to end. Quickly! I limped over while staying in his back.

Arriving without being noticed I sled my right arm around his neck. I had caught him in a clean sleeper hold!

Yelling furiously he tried to shake me off. I focused to keep the hold to shut off the blood flowing to his brain. A few seconds only! Hold fast!

While failing to shake me off, he threw Tilly to the ground to his left, hard. She let out a pained scream.

Then he tried to pull off my arms. I held firm.

Panicked he threw himself on his back to crush me with his weight. I braced myself to take the hit. Pain shot through my back but I kept his neck firmly between my arms.

“Aaahhgg!” Who hides stones in the grass!

Yelling in frustration he pulled his feet back and lifted his hip up to increase the pressure. Determined I focused on my hold.

He weighted tons! Luckily the ground was softened and the stone piercing my back vanished into the soil.

A moment later he howled out in pain again and crashed back to the ground.

Is this flattery?

I saw Milly scrambling to her feet.

Back Milly!

Too late! He kicked her square in the chest. She flew a few meters through the air before she hit the ground, knocked cold out.

I felt rage boiling inside!

Focus on the lock!

In the meantime Tilly scrambled back to her feet.

The man tried to rip away my arms. Good bye sleeves!

I struggled to hold firm.

Crying out in rage Tilly started to hit him in the face.

He shoved her back with his left arm, while desperately trying to break my lock.

He went over to rake my arms.

Gritting my teeth I let out an ear piercing scream just beside his ear.

He flinched.

Tilly continued to kept his other arm busy so he pulled her and went in with a hook to her jaw. She went down knocked out cold out as well.

He tried to bring up his hips again while tearing my arm.

I felt him growing weaker.

The time slowed to a freeze!

Then he went limp.

Since this may be a trick I held my lock with utter determination.

“He is dead! You can let him go!” someone shouted at me after a while.

Miss Tessa squatted right beside me. I needed a few moments to loosen my grip.

Miss Tessa picked up the bandit and threw him aside.

She was a bit roughed up as well. Her attire was certainly not impeccable as she was all over covered in mud and blood.

There were some tears in the fabric of her dress. I looked down. My muddy dress and the shirt were beyond repair I reckoned.

“Any deep cuts?” she asked me while looking me over.

I coughed out some blood.

“Only a few scratches. Miss Tessa.” I croaked.

“Brave girl!” She smiled and cautiously patted my head.

“Milly and Tilly!” I panted.

“They will survive!” she said solemnly

“Let’s have a closer look at your wounds. Where does it hurt?” she looked me in the eyes.

“All over!” I moaned.

“My eye feels bad and my back. There was a stone.” I coughed.

She cautiously turned me on my side and gently prodded my back and my ribs.

“Nothing broken.” she finally diagnosed.

Then she examined my eye. “Doesn’t look really bad. I think you’ll keep it.” she smiled.

“Stay put!” She shot me a menacing glare.

She got up and left for Milly and Tilly.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on breathing.