@DragonSong "We should make it to Selevea before nightfall as long as we keep up this pace," the well-groomed man in leather armor turned to check on his companions. The young woman atop his gray horse looked exhausted and her child was just waking up at the sound of Arden's voice.
The boy, who looked to be about 5 years old, sleepily looked over at the man escorting them and said, "I gotta go potty, please," in a very shy voice. Arden looked around and saw no immediate danger. He chuckled and pulled on the reins of the horse to bring her to a halt. Nodding to the woman he helped her son down from the saddle and added quietly, "If you have a similar need, I'd rather not stop again until we get to town. It is not uncommon for bandits to watch these roads." She did not reply but she did also take his hand so she could dismount.
The boy quickly ran off into the bushes, undoing his pants even as his exasperated mother followed after him chiding him to be careful. Arden stayed by the horse, keeping a watchful eye on the area. He hadn't been lying about the bandits. Selevea was a decent town but the large number of smuggling opportunities tended to draw in some less savory characters.
I'll be glad to spend a night in town, with a locked door to keep them safe, he thought to himself. It had been a long trip from southern Connlaoth over the mountains and into Serendipity. The woman and her child had hired him to escort them to Summervale and though the pay was not very good he had his own reasons for accepting the job.
As the woman and child were returning from the bushes the sound of a snapping twig caught Arden's attention. He peered into the trees surrounding the road and thought he saw a flash of movement up ahead.
No time to make a run for it and we only have the one horse. If its highwaymen with crossbows even sending the others on the horse won't work. With quick and decisive movements Arden pulled the young woman and her child behind him and stood in front of them with his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Let us pass. Don't waste your time or blood," he called out in a commanding voice. Even as he spoke he shifted slightly to make sure his charges were shielded by his body on one side and the horse on the other.
Four men emerged from the bushes in front of the stopped travelers with weapons gleaming in the sunlight. They didn't seem like they were going to just let them through. Worse still, two more exited the brush behind Arden and his charges.
One man in the front group with a scraggly beard and missing teeth called out, "You don't make the orders here. We'll take your money and that nice armor you have and then maybe if we are feeling charitable we won't take your wifey there. He laughed in a tone that made it clear he had no intention of being "charitable."
Arden drew his sword as the man who had spoken gave a signal to the rest. One man approached from the front group with a rusty looking axe while the other two leveled their crossbows at Arden. Meanwhile the two men in the rear approached with their swords drawn. Arden grimaced, knowing that he would have to use his magic against these men and even that might not be enough with so many of them. He blinked once and as he turned to cover the woman and child from the men behind them a light blue silhouette remained in his place and solidified into an exact copy of Arden. The copy then stepped forward to meet the man wielding the axe.