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hours based on its current position.
     
    The sound of rustling leaves brought Caleb’s focus to his surroundings and not just the road itself.
     
    Caleb’s eyes narrowed as he saw six men step out from the forest that stood at both sides of the road. The men all wore dark clothing with bandanas that completely hid their hair. There was no doubt in Caleb’s mind that they were highwaymen, brigands that charged passers a fee to walk the roads. His suspicions were confirmed the moment that they began to walk towards him.
     
    The six men took on a pyramid-like position with one man standing in the front, two men standing behind the first in a row, and three men standing behind them. It seemed to indicate that the man towards the front was the leader of the group.
     
    Getting a good look at the leader, he noticed that he was the only one of the highwaymen that had facial hair and an identifying facial feature. The man’s black goatee and the long, diagonal scan on his left cheekbone made him stand out from his subordinates.
     
    “Greetings traveler,” the leader said with a slight inclination of his head. “If you would be so kind as to empty your pockets, we will let you leave in one piece.”
     
    He’s not even acting like he’s anything but a highwayman , Caleb thought in disbelief. Has he no shame?
     
    Caleb knew better than to make his thoughts be known, though. He had seen the swords at the hips of the six highwaymen. Such were not odds that he would willingly go up against. In an effort not to start a fight, he said, “I don’t have pockets.”
     
    “Duly noted,” the leader said with an exaggerated sigh. “Don’t be such a smartass. Hand over all of your possessions, including that sword.”
     
    Caleb’s anger could be seen through his eyes at that point, becoming even more prominent as his right hand grasped the hilt of the longsword. “We seem to be at an impasse then. I can’t hand over my sword, and I can already tell that you won’t be willing to turn around and leave.”
     
    “It never ceases to amaze me how fast a lowly peasant can go from evading a fight to provoking one,” the leader commented with a grin. His hand grasped the hilt of his longsword. “The question is this. Do you honestly believe that you can take us all on?”
     
    “That’s the big question,” Caleb agreed with a forced smile. “I’m not worried though.”
     
    Mistaking Caleb’s words for an insult in regards to a lack of fear or respect, the leader of the highwaymen drew his sword and swung it at the blond with a quick dash.
     
    Caleb, anticipating the attack, grabbed the scabbard by its middle with his left hand and raised it so that it was level. With a single motion, he drew his sword and parried the highwaymen’s blade. The mirror like blade glimmered as it held back the crudely made sword.
     
    “Impressive,” the highwayman commented as he jumped back and went in for a quick thrust to Caleb’s torso, but the young man easily parried the strike off to the right.
     
    Using the gap in the highwayman’s defenses, Caleb threw a punch with his left hand and caught his jaw with it. The force of the punch, while not all that great, was enough to knock the highwayman down. It also made the brigand drop his sword, which Caleb kicked off to the side immediately.
     
    As soon as their leader hit the ground, the other five highwaymen drew their swords and all came in at him, charging as fast as they could.
     
    No thoughts passed through Caleb’s head as he was attacked by a force that should have easily overwhelmed him. It was out of pure instinct that he did what he did.
     
    With a quick spin of his body, Caleb brought the tip of the blade to the ground. The combination of the two actions sent a small cloud of dust towards the five highwaymen.
     
    With the men distracted, Caleb stepped forward and thrusted the blade towards the closest man. He felt the tip of the blade pierce the man’s wool tunic and