His vision swam as the soldier picked himself off the floor. His shoulder sore from where it had apparently collided with the floor, just before his head had done the same. Spitting blood from his mouth, Festus adjusted his helmet to look at the new enemy and was surprised to see that the barbarian was being fought by a large wounded foreigner wielding the dead guard’s broadsword.

The barbarian had turned towards the new threat thinking that Festus had been incapacitated, and while he was seeing double, Festus could definitely swing his weapon. Taking a deep breath he calmed himself and focused his sight, before silently pulling his shield from his back and unclipping the crow’s beak from his belt. Like this shield this weapon was also his father’s and Festus had taken quite a liking to it. It was a weapon shaped like an axe except instead of a blade it held a long and viciously sharp metal spike which had a large square weight on the back of the spike to help balance the weapon.

Carefully moving towards the barbarian, Festus swung the spike into the back of the barbarian’s knee driving the point into the thick bone. Unable to keep his weight on it the barbarian collapsed onto his left knee, his empty hand stabilising himself and preventing him from falling any further. Twisting its body around on one leg, the barbarian swung his mace backhand into Festus’s shield. Bracing himself against it, Festus was pushed back a few feet but the metal of his shield held and redirected most of the force saving him from harm.

The extension of his arm during the backhand caused a wound on the barbarian’s shoulder to reopen, stitches ripping through the skin and causing dark blood to flow down the muscles of his arm. Lunging forward, Festus brought his crow’s beak in a heavy overhead strike aiming for the kneeling barbarian’s head. The barbarian’s body extended as it was couldn’t dodge the thick spike which easily pierced the skull and dropping the overgrown brute onto his stomach. Pulling the spike from the dead enemy’s head, Festus looked toward the foreigner who saved him.

“Thank you for that, no doubt you saved my life there.” Quickly nodding his head in the giant’s direction. “now let’s finally get that damned gate closed.”