Everyone has a Name.
White fluffy clouds skid across an azure blue sky propelled by a cool breeze that fans the plains long brown grasses and knee high bushes in a slow motion dance, a pair of deer graze upon fresh green growth at the edge of a glacial stream as it bubbles and rolls along its endless course. Nervously the deer lift with their heads and look around sharply towards a nearby forest of deciduous trees, with ears and noses twitching the creatures freeze before leaping into flight from an unseen fear.
Minutes pass and the land darkens as shadows leap into existence as a massive cloud obscures the sun, birds taking flight herald the sudden appearance of a young woman that bursts running and stumbling from the forest undergrowth. Her simple clothes indicate a likely farming lifestyle but now show numerous rips and tears in the home woven linen, her honey-blonde hair tangled with brambles streams behind her as she struggles exhaustedly to flee a nameless terror stalking her.
With course yells of glee at the sight of their prey, three large humanoid figures lope onto the plain; each is separated by five to six meters and have obviously been chasing and herding the fleeing young woman for sometime. Heavy builds and short canine tusks protruding from their lips easily identify them as urk bandits or raiders, each is dressed in ragged mismatched clothing and carrying make shift weapons constructed of discarded steel sharpened into melee weapons.
With only eighty meters separating the terrified woman and her pursuers, the urks leave nothing to the imagination regarding their intentions as they shout out derogatory comments, threats and promises to the obviously weakening woman. Staggering across the stream her limbs finally fail her and she collapses into the chill water, sobbing and shivering from the cold she uses the last of her strength to drag herself onto the stony bank.
Shuddering and weeping with terror the woman flounders onto her back legs still convulsing in the water, her breath coming in haggard gasps and with tears streaking her delicate dirt smeared features. Eyes enormously wide she watches the approach of her hunters, slowing to a jog the closest urk is now only eighteen meters away and grins while licking his lips at her. Halting on the opposite bank of the prostrate girl the largest urk digs his rebar short spear into the ground before beginning to undo his pants, all the while appraising the slim figure of his victim and the affect her skin tight water soaked clothes has on her youthful physique.
Time seems to slow for the young girl, the terrifying visage of her would be rapist so near and his companions arguing in the background regarding their order following his attentions drew her perceptions into sharp definition. Her limbs still continue to refuse to function for her, hands clench and unclench in the stony mud of the bank, legs spasm feebly as if still wanting to run and the air itself burns her throat. Then a dark blur flashes across the vista and slams to a halt bisecting the chest of the burly urk, the impact staggers him back a half step and punches the air out of its lungs in a great whoosh.
Swaying he stares uncomprehendingly at the arrow entering the right front of his body and protruding from the rear left, a convulsion staggers the urk who finds its attempts to remain standing impaired by its pants having been pulled down around its ankles. Another convulsion causes its legs to collapse beneath it, dropping him onto boneless legs and elbows while leaving the arrow quivering in the air. A third convulsion causes a cough that sprays bright foamy blood across its punctured chest while the urks eyes roll up white in their sockets, a final convulsion and bubbling gurgle ends the urk leader.
Looking around the young woman sees a man like figure ten meters up the stream, wearing a cloak made of hundreds of individual strips of camouflage cloth that conceals his shape and effectively makes him invisible within the surrounding vegetation. The powerful bow he carries appears to be made of multiple strings and wheels and is obviously of advanced manufacture, without taking his eyes off his opponents he shrugs off his pack and camouflage cloak before carefully placing his bow and another rifle like weapon upon it. Striding up the stream bank he draws a straight bladed combat knife and walks towards the nearest urk that stands no more than six meters away, to his surprise and before he can close further, the urk turns and runs as fast as it can towards the protection of the forest.
The shocked silence of the mans appearance and the flight of the urk lasts but a fraction of time before the remaining urk screams in rage and charges, brandishing its fearsome weapon, a long piece of steel sharpened into a broadsword, it leaps or dodges any obstacle in its way as it rushes forward to attack. Its first stroke slashes down with devastating power, only to be dodged by the calm movements of the man, his return slash cutting a bloody gash across the enraged urks arm. And so the fight continued, dodge and slash, dodge and slash, until the man finally steps inside the wounded urks reach and buries his knife deep into its throat.
Reaching down he cleans the blade on the dead urks clothes then returns to collect his small pile of equipment, and slowly walks over to the prostrate girl that still lies panting where she had managed to drag herself no more than a minute earlier. His features betray his surprise to see she is in fact an elven maid, although by appearance she appears to be in her mid-teens, it is of course nearly impossible to estimate accurately with the elven race.
Kneeling carefully beside her, he cannot fail to notice subtle flinch away from his touch, "Easy now, I mean you no harm, I'm just going to move you out of this water before you get hypothermia." His voice is deep but not uncaring, his powerful arms wrap around her body as he carefully he lifts her lithe body out of the near freezing water and carries her to a sun warmed earthen clearing. Gently he wraps his thick cloak around her shoulders not completely able to ignore how her clinging clothes serve to emphasize her femininity. Reaching into a pouch on his belt he withdraws a small plastic box, "I'm going to attach this medkit to your arm ok. It'll ensure none of your cuts become infected, and help you deal with the stress you've just experienced. Everything will be fine now; I'll take care of you."
She watches her rescuer as he chat's and tends to her, her awareness seems to have shrunk to only encompass this man that just saved her from torment and most likely death. He is an urk like the others, but of far fairer form, his tusks barely noticeable within his weather tanned face that is framed by black hair and inset with grey eyes. Storm clouds form overhead framing his athletic body with its wiry strength, soft sure hands attach the medkit to her arm and she feels the cold infusion of its medications, as her fatigue and pain floats away she finds it impossible to restrain a small smile that is immediately returned.
Its the strange whistling noise that snaps her attention back to the plains, that and the three meter steel fence pole spear that drives itself deep into the earth where her rescuer and just been kneeling a second before. Then regardless of the medicines in her body her blood runs cold, trampling across from the forest is a troll, grey-green hardened leathery skin only interrupted by a filthy rag of a loin cloth. She watches as it cocks its arm back to hurl another of the makeshift spears, its speed and power must be enormous as the missed spear shatters a nearby boulder in a cloud of stone chips and rock dust. Its furious bellow is answered by a high pitched whine and discharge of a particle beam rifle, its violet beam vaporizing a fist sized hole in its shoulder and staggering its run for a hand full of steps.
The troll hefts and throws its last spear, again narrowly missing her hero while the return beam gouges a furrow across its thigh. With the troll being a mere seven meters away the man drops his energy weapon and hefts the urks leaders rebar spear from the ground, the throw sends the steel shaft straight and true to strike the troll in the stomach. Stumbling to a halt the massive creature jerks the weapon free, rumbling out a low growl it steps forward to lunge at the man as he frantically attempts to doge out of the way.
Screams echo across the plains, the troll screams its hate and anger at its enemy, the elf maid screams in fear and anguish as her rescuer is attacked, and the hero screams in agony as the steel spear violates his body. The troll drives the spear so far through the man's body that it plunges into the ground below him pining him in place, shuffling into a full upright stance it grunts a laugh at the writhing man who continues an agonized moan that brings it pleasure. The maids sobbing draw’s its attention and it takes the few steps necessary to stand over the tiny morsel, licking its thick lips in such a way that she is surprised to find she almost wishes the urks had had their way instead of the cruel death the troll has in store for her.
"Uz redy for da reel man lil gurl." Rumbled the troll in a barely understandable drawl, as he reaches out for her he stops at the sound of a high pitched whine. The violet beam slices from the centre of its torso to just under the armpit, burst and burned organs slipping from between the cauterized folds of leathery skin and ribs. With a choking breath the troll tumbles sideways allowing even more of its internal organs to vomit from the fatal wound, the deathly silence leaves the maiden sitting stunned and unable to move, her mind having shut down from the rigors it has been forced to endure.
Eventually she manages to timidly stand and make her way over to her hero, he lies sprawled on the ground surrounded by his gore and still attached by several coils of intestine to the rebar spear a few meters away. His grey blank eyes still aim along the barrel of his weapon, as if even in death he watches over her, she kneels weeping over his body hands stroking his hair back. As the rain begins to fall she staggers wearily to her feet once more and begins the long walk home, looking back over her shoulder she whispers to him "I never even knew your name?"
