Dragaur Tombeaux

It was cold. Foundation was always cold but it was worse this time of year. Dragaur Tombeaux loved the cold and the dark. He always had had an affinity for the dark since he was a small child almost as if he could see in the black. Some of his comrades in the guard had theories on why but that’s all they were theories. He didn’t talk to any of them and never had. So the other guards in Foundation knew very little about him. He was a dragoon and had been a knight of House Durendaire. At one time he was a hopeful candidate for the Heavens Ward. That was all over now.

Disgraced, he was now just another guard watching over the Brume and the other slums that had gotten better over the years admittedly but were full of scum as far as he was concerned. He looked over the edge of the wall he was on top of and scowled from behind the visor of his helmet at the people warming themselves by braziers at the openings of alleyways. He missed his dragoon armor but he couldn’t wear it. Nor would he want to. It had a purpose and corralling drunken peasants wasn’t one of them. The thought made him sigh audibly as he had come so far and now here he was nearly back where he had started as a boy. The Brume. He marched along the wall and the end of his pole arm clicked on the stone wall as he looked down each alley as far as he could. He stopped at one at the end of his walkway atop the wall and stared. He watched a short redheaded girl go down a dark alley. She had a basket full of something. He could see movement further down the alley she turned down. Two or three figures were loitering back there. A few seconds passed and he could see several apples roll out into the street. He scowled down at the apples then sighed once again as he realized she was being accosted and he would have to go down there. He hopped off the wall with ease landing then lightly jogged into the alley. His pole arm held at an angle so he could easily strike out with it.  He could clearly see now two men trying to rob or do worse to the young woman. He ran down the alley, the crunch of snow under his boots rang out as he deftly maneuvered around the basket and the apples halfway down the alley where she was jumped.  His shadow cast from the lights of the main street disappeared into the darker alley. “Halt...let her alone and step toward me.” He called out in a growling angry voice.  One man turned as the other held the young redhead woman against him. The man smiled showing several missing teeth.“A city guard eh? Thought you guys would be smart enough to mind your own business…listen just leave...we ain’t gonna kill her. You want a bribe, that's what all the guards want right? That’s what your bosses want. Folk like to think the Brume will change...foundation will never change.”

“Let the girl go...and I’ll let you leave. If you push me I’ll leave you bleeding in the snow. I swear to Halone.”

The man unsheathed a pair of daggers and the other pulled one of his own bringing it to the girl's throat. A moment later the first man lunged and was parried by the staff of Dragaur’s pole arm. A dance of blades in the dark ensued leaving the toothless man winded. A few more parries and Dragaur made some space between before jumping up and to the side his feet found purchase on the rough brick wall and he pushed off shooting a straight strike out from his shoulder down at an angle and into the man's neck. The force knocked him down to the ground where the long blade at the end of the pole pinned him to the ground. He looked down and then pulled the pole arm out. “I swore to Halone my friend. You should have listened.”

The quiet gurgling of a man drowning in his own blood as it melted and mixed with the packed snow was all that could be heard as Dragaur stared across the dark alley at the man holding the girl. “Your turn...are you going to let her go or no?” The man hesitated until Dragaur took several steps closer and he let the girl go. Dragaur gave a sort of half smile. “I can go now yeah?”

“Of course.” Dragaur nodded and as the man began to step around him Dragaur’s pole arm shot out and down straight at his head. The man slid aside and was able to dodge the strike. The cross guard below the blade though was angled perfectly to catch the mans neck and pull him forward and down. The snow and ice facilitated the man’s slipping down on his face. Dragaur brought the blade point down and into the brigand’s back several times. Puncturing longs and organs repeatedly until the man stopped moving. Dragaur smiled wider this time and took a deep breath as he looked over at the girl who didn’t seem any less afraid. “Your lucky night. You..”

Was all he got out when he felt a white hot stab to his back. He immediately knew it was the third shadow that he thought he had originally seen. He yelled out and brought the butt of his pole arm up and into the crotch of the man. Eliciting a loud squeal as the man stumbled past him toward the girl. Thinking to take her hostage more then likely, but he wouldn’t get the chance as Dragaur lunged forward. The blade pierced the back of the man's head with such force it splattered the girl with blood. Dragaur collapsed forward. His arm slipped behind him and felt around the back of his chain mail covered torso. It came away warm and wet, obviously covered in his own blood. The girl, despite being covered in blood and fairly traumatized, went to help him. As she got him to his feet he pushed her away. “Get off me you stupid bitch...and stay out of dark alley’s.”