Defending Felicia

As the bandits were making their way from the shore to Felicia, me, Tara, and Genevieve moved from the walls onto the top of the roof of the castle. Shortly after, the bandits started swarming in through one of the gaps between the walls where a gate was supposed to be.

"They're trying to destroy the walls," I said. "It's time to engage in battle."

"I'm ready," Tara replied as she hugged me.

"I love you, babe," I said to Tara as I looked into her eyes. "Be careful and stay close to me."

Tara kissed me. "I love you too, Ricky."

Genevieve pointed her spear at one of the bandits on the ground. "Let's kill them."

We ran to the center of the castle to engage the enemies in combat. A bandit with a spear came charging at me. They had archers in the distance firing arrows at us. As me and Genevieve were battling the bandit with the spear, Tara was firing her arrows at the archers that were around us.

"There's a lot of them," Tara shouted.

"Yeah, there is," I yelled. "But let's keep strong and put an end to these bastards."

Genevieve pierced the bandit with her spear. "We got this!"

After defeating the bandit with the spear, Genevieve went to help Tara fight the enemy archers. I was approached by a tall muscular bandit. He was strong, and with every strike he hit me with, it felt like a truck running into me.

"Fuck, this brute hits hard," I yelled.

"Do you need help, Ricky?" Tara shouted.

"I should be able to manage," I yelled. "You and Genevieve just stay focused on the other bandits."

As I was fighting the brute, enemy archers were shooting their arrows at me. I ended up getting an arrow stuck in my arm, but it didn't make it through my armor.

"Damn these bastards," I yelled to myself.

Genevieve looked towards me. "Are you alright, Richard?"

"Yeah, I'm still good," I yelled as I was swinging my blade at the brute.

As I continued fighting with the brute, another bandit was coming towards me. There were bandits all over the place. This brute was bashing me up pretty good, and I knew I wouldn't be able to face the brute and another bandit at the same time, so I decided to run.

As I was running, the brute and two other bandits were catching up to me. I was at the walls while the bandits were striking me with their weapons. I managed to get a couple of strikes on the brute, and then I made my way outside of the walls and saw Tara getting ready to make a powerful strike on her next target bandit with her blade.

"This is getting pretty dramatic," I yelled to Tara. "If we survive this, we totally deserve some good drinks!"

"Yuppers!" Tara shouted. "If only we knew how to make those drinks."

"Oh, believe me," I yelled. "I'm gonna make sure we figure out how to if we survive this!"

The three bandits followed me outside of the walls. Tara landed a powerful strike on the topless female bandit while I landed a fatal strike on the brute.

"Hah!" I yelled to the dead brute. "You won't be a problem anymore."

The topless bandit and the bandit with a spear were chasing me. Genevieve came rushing and pierced the topless bandit with her spear.

"Take that, you bitch," Genevieve shouted to the topless female bandit.

I continued to move back as the two bandits continued to chase me. Genevieve caught up to the topless bandit and pierced her with her spear a couple of more times. The bandit fell to the ground dead.

"Good work, Genevieve," I yelled.

Tara cheered Genevieve on.

"I'm enjoying this," Genevieve shouted.

There were three more bandits attacking us. Tara was attacking the archer, and me and Genevieve were fighting the two that were attacking us at close range. The fight went on, and me and Genevieve eventually slew the two close-ranged bandits.

"Two more down," I yelled.

Genevieve gave me a light jab on my shoulder with her fist. "We fight well together, best friend."

"We sure do, bestie," I said to Genevieve.

As Tara was still dealing with the archer, a screaming wild lady bandit with two daggers came running at me and Genevieve.

"Here comes another one," I said to Genevieve.

"I guess she wants to die today," Genevieve replied.

The wild lady was fast and doing cartwheels. She was focusing her attacks on Genevieve. I was trying to help Genevieve deal with her, but I had a hard time striking her due to her excellent agility and speed.

"Damn, this woman is fast," I yelled to Genevieve.

"She's crazy," Genevieve shouted.

As me and Genevie continued to fight the wild lady, Tara put an end to the archer and another bandit, and then she joined me and Genevieve in combat with the wild lady. After receiving multiple wounds from the three of us, the wild lady dropped to the ground dead.

"Good shot, Tara," I said. "I think it was your arrow that finally put an end to that savage."

"She was pretty fast," Tara replied. "But not faster than an arrow!"

"Are you okay, Genevieve?"

"She gave me a few cuts, but I'm still good," Genevieve replied.

As Me, Tara, and Genevieve were heading back to the castle, we took out another archer that was standing near one of the gaps between the walls.

"It doesn't look like there are any more bandits around this area," I said. "Let's go search around the rest of the castle."

"Sounds like a plan," Tara replied.

"You lead, and I'll follow," Genevieve responded.

As we were searching the castle for more bandits, we became swarmed. I had two bandits with large swords coming after me while Tara and Genevieve were dealing with other bandits in the area. The two bandits chased me up the ramp and began slashing at me with their large blades. I was taking some serious wounds. I tried to fight back, but I was having a hard time striking them. Genevieve came running to help me.

"You're getting destroyed, Richard," Genevieve shouted. "Go catch your breath, and I'll deal with these two filthy scumbags."

"Thanks, Genevieve," I yelled as I began to run.

The battle continued on. Me and Tara were fighting bandits on top of the walls while Genevieve was dealing with bandits around the castle. Tara was getting tired and was out of breath as two bandits were striking her.

"Hang in there, Tara," I said as I came rushing at the bandits. "I'll deal with these two bastards."

I attacked both of the bandits knocking one off of the top of the walls.

"Look out, Ricky!" Tara shouted.

The other bandit struck me and knocked me off of the top of the walls. I was on the ground next to the other bandit. I struck him a few times with my blade and put an end to his life. The remaining bandit came rushing towards me. I moved past her and saw Genevieve running towards me as I was making my way back up onto the top of the walls.

"I'm on my way, you two!" Genevieve yelled to me and Tara.

The female bandit followed me back up onto the top of the walls, and then we skirmished. I landed a few strikes putting an end to her life. I turned around and saw Tara shooting an arrow towards a couple of fleeing bandits.

"They're running," I said.

"Cowards," Tara replied.

Genevieve laughed.

"Alright, let's search the area for any more remaining bandits," I said.

As we were searching the area for more bandits, three archers made their way to the top of the castle.

"Let's take out these archers," I said.

Tara raised her bow. "With pleasure!"

"A dead bandit is a good bandit!" Genevieve responded.

I went rushing towards archers as they were firing their arrows at us. I struck the closest bandit with my blade a few times knocking him off of the top of the walls.

"And there he goes," I said to myself.

I then went to attack the female bandit. Tara was firing her arrows at her while Genevieve was chasing another bandit that was coming my way. I struck the female bandit a couple of times, and then we both fell off the top of the walls.

"Fuck, that hurt!" I yelled as I landed on the ground.

After falling to the ground, I went rushing towards a male bandit archer that was attacking Tara. I started hitting him with my fists as Tara was firing her arrows at him.

"How about an old-fashioned fistfight, you bastard!" I yelled to the bandit.

"Knock him out, Ricky!" Tara shouted as she was getting ready to fire another arrow at the bandit.

Genevieve came running to help me and Tara. She went to deal with the female bandit that I knocked off of the top of the walls while me and Tara continued to attack the male archer. I struck him a few times with my blade, and Tara finished him off with an arrow.

"And that's the end of you," Tara said to the dead bandit.

I turned around to check on Genevieve, and she was right there next to me.

"You sure finished off that bandit pretty fast," I said to Genevieve.

"The bitch pissed me off when she shot an arrow at me," Genevieve replied as she had a smirk across her face.

Me and Tara laughed.

It was really dark out now. We were searching the area for more bandits, and one came running at me from out of nowhere. I climbed to the top of the walls, and then I was being chased by a couple of more bandits that were already on top of the walls. I could hear Tara and Genevieve fighting the bandit that I left on the ground. As I was trying to escape the two bandits that were chasing me on the top of the walls, I didn't realize that I was so close to the edge.

I accidentally went over the edge of the walls and fell hard onto the ground, and then everything went dark...

I am drifting through space and time. I see this bright light. I am drifting towards the light. I see this beautiful colorful world. I can hear this familiar music playing inside my mind. I see Tara as her younger self...

That music, I know this composition. I composed it for Tara back in Willow Creek. I called it, Save Tara. It's coming back to me now. I composed this composition before Willow Creek in some other time. But where and when?

I am looking at Tara as her younger self. She doesn't have her blonde hair or crystal-colored eyes like she did when I saw her in the last experience I had. She doesn't look like a goddess anymore, she looks like a normal girl. I can hear her talking. She is talking to me. I see myself standing right next to her.

"We really are in the world of the far past, Ricky. I guess this means we really do get to start all over again. Me and you, Ricky," Tara says.

I can no longer hear the music. The beautiful colorful world and Tara fade away. I am continuing to drift through space and time. I see something forming in the cosmos...

I see the presence of that of the Keeper of Time. The presence is communicating with me...

"Damn, my head hurts," I say.

"You hit the ground pretty hard when you fell off of the walls, Ricky. You've been unconscious for several hours," Tara says to me.

​

"It's a miracle you're still alive," Genevieve responds.

​

"Have all of the bandits been defeated?" I ask.

​

"While you were unconscious, me and Genevieve slew the remainder of the bandits that initially attacked Felicia," Tara replies. "Unfortunately, this was only the first group of bandits out of several more."

​

"That's right, I remember Genevieve saying that there were several groups of bandits when she first saw them in the distance from the castle tower," I say.

​

"I think there are around three more groups left, but I believe the recent group was the largest one," Genevieve says.

​

"Well, it probably won't be long until the next group attacks, so let's get ready to continue on with this battle and put an end to the rest of these bastards," I say to Tara and Genevieve.