by Tony Johnson
Ty and Kari exchanged worried glances about his health.
“It’s nothing,” Steve played it off, feeling their eyes following him as he kept walking.
Above them, the skies seemed to split open and the rain they had sensed came down on them in a torrential downpour. Even though they were standing at the bottom of the ten-foot-tall cornstalks, the rain hammered down on the heroes. Each of them folded down one of the long leaves, forcing the runoff of water to enter their mouths.
Kari outstretched her hands to the sky and spun around gracefully, gratefully accepting the cold relief of rain that washed off the mud, blood, sweat, and stench of the sewers.
Steve temporarily forgot about all his pain and smiled as he watched the half-Human, half-Elf enjoy the downpour. He noticed her combing her fingers through her wet hair, getting out all the grime. For the first time, he saw how beautiful she was. No longer did she look sad, angry, or scared as she did during the escape from Celestial. No longer was she covered in dirt or soot. She stood there before him in the rain with her dark hair wet and flat. Her sparkling blue eyes shone brightly in the reflection of the moonlight, but what captivated Steve’s heart more than anything was her smile. He was smiling back without realizing it. It was infectious.
The perfect moment of happiness on the worst day of his life was interrupted by Ty sneaking behind him, pulling back his plate of armor, and pouring a cold stream of rain from a cornstalk down his back. Steve cringed, but then started laughing as he pulled off a couple cobs of corn and threw them at Ty as revenge for the prank.
The three companions continued drinking the rainwater by using either the cornstalks or cupping their hands. Other than the disgusting sewer water that had entered their mouths, none of them had had anything to drink since the attack on Celestial began. Since they all had pretty much been running nonstop, the water provided aid against further dehydration.
Realizing they had not consumed any food since the morning, Steve and Ty began taking and peeling cobs and eating the corn as they walked along. Although the corn was uncooked and not filling, they were thankful that at least something was entering their stomachs.
“Why aren’t you eating any?” Steve asked Kari after noticing her hands were empty. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“I don’t think I can eat anything right now,” she answered. Steve saw her quickly glance back towards Celestial and right away knew why she had no appetite.
“Is it because of the things you saw today?”
She nodded her head. “I’ve seen animals killed violently before, but never people.” She felt her eyes begin to burn. Don’t cry in front of them. Don’t cry in front of them, she repeated in her head.
Steve dropped his cob and rested his hands on her shoulders. Looking into her eyes, he said, “Everyone feels this way after witnessing their first death.”
Again, Kari nodded and stared at the ground, not wanting to let him see the tears welling up in her eyes.
“The first one is the worst one,” Ty said between chews, acting like there was nothing they could do and this was something Kari would have to deal with.
Kari pulled herself away from Steve’s attempts to soothe her. Slightly mad at herself for showing emotion and the fact that Ty didn’t seem to care how she felt, she argumentatively said, “It wasn’t just one I saw today; it was one hundred and that’s a generous underestimate. Nobody was safe. Elderly, adults, teenagers, even children were being killed. There was one boy, no more than five, who had a monster drive its spear through him for no reason at all. An innocent child! He did nothing deserving of death.”
Now, instead of ranting at Ty, Kari simply vented her thoughts out loud as they came to her. “What if that boy grew up and became someone of importance? Maybe it could have been one of his sons or daughters, or one of their descendants. A whole family tree wiped out in one instant. How many people really died the moment that monster impaled him with a spear?”
Kari stopped, her face red both from embarrassment and shouting. After some deep breaths and continuing to hold in her tears, she asked the question bothering her. “I can’t stop thinking about all their faces as they died. Why did all this evil have to happen?”
Seeing her morale lowered, Steve tried to raise her hopes. “It’s not easy being defeated like we are, having lost our city and seen the horrible things that happened, but I believe that no matter how dark it gets, there’s always a light to be found. Even in the midst of the evil, there is good.”
“What’s the good in all this?” the Halfling gestured with her hands, failing to see any positives.
“The three of us made it out alive,” Steve explained. “I have to believe there’s a reason behind that. The one thing I know about Alazar is that no matter how bad things get, every one of his creations has a reason and purpose behind their existence. Maybe ours has something to do with the fact that we may be the only ones that managed to escape.
“I honestly don’t know how long we’ll survive with the way things are going, but until the day Alazar no longer has a purpose for me and I die, I’ll try with all my might to be what you think that boy could have been. I will aim to live up to the possible potential that evil snuffed out when they killed that child. I want to live my life making change for the better.”
“What you’re going through is natural,” Ty added, consoling her. “Steve and I have both gone through this being warriors. It’s okay to get upset when it seems like so much evil is happening.”
“Thanks, guys. Both of you are so kind. If you weren’t here with me, I don’t think I would have the motivation to go on.” Kari took off her quiver and set it on the ground. “I feel better, but I don’t know if I can stomach any food yet. Maybe later.” She began taking corncobs and putting as many as she could fit at the bottom of her quiver before placing it back on her shoulder.
The two warriors watched her, gauging to see if she really was okay. She eased both of their minds with what she said next: “Let’s get going. If I have a purpose, I hope it’s firing an arrow into the Hooded Phantom’s skull.”
“That’s our girl!” shouted Ty, pumping his fist.
“The sooner, the better!” Steve added.
Chapter 36
“Nice shiner you got there,” Grizz mocked, walking past a boy with a huge black eye after saying goodbye to his wife. The Dwarf smiled when he was out of sight of the bully he knew to be Ivan Griegan. It looks like Liam hit him pretty good! he thought proudly of his son.
“Boys!” Grizz yelled loudly, his voice louder than all the shouting and yelling of the children during recess. Liam came over, soon followed by Nash on his crutches. They hugged their dad goodbye.
“I have to go for a couple days. I need you to watch out for each other and mind your mother. If I come home and find out you’ve misbehaved, I’m not going to be happy,” he told them before heading back to his shop. Once there, he found Dart looking at the stockpile of weapons and armor.
“You’re not going to be fighting, you know.” The Dwarf startled his apprentice who was facing away from him and hadn’t heard him enter.
“I know,” Dart replied. Grizz could see the teenager’s disappointment as he said it. He’s looking at all these weapons and armor and a part of him probably imagines slaying this great monster himself.
“The armor and weapon I’m giving you is for your protection only. If you come under attack, you’re to let the warriors do the fighting.”
After Dart agreed, they searched together to find a weapon Dart felt comfortable holding. They settled on a rapier Grizz had crafted two years prior. Dart just celebrated his sixteenth nameday, so he was still gaining muscle. Most of the weapons were too heavy for him, but the rapier was the perfect weight and size.
“Well, go ahead and give it a swing,” Grizz encouraged, leading him to an open space at the center of the shop.
“I like it,” Dart said, cutting it through the air.
“Good, but don’t go thinking it makes you invincible. It will be nothing more than a fire poker to this monster.”
“What do you think the monster could be?”
“Something large that needs to be killed,” was all Grizz responded with as he walked away. He went to the back part of the forge, behind a locked door Dart was strictly forbidden to enter. A few minutes later he came back out wearing a full suit of brown, black, and silver armor. There were intricate runes woven throughout the pieces giving the armor a vintage look.
“Whoa,” was all Dart could say upon seeing his master in battle attire. Then the apprentice noticed a dual-headed weapon sheathed across the Dwarf’s back. He didn’t know what to call it. One side of the anvil block featured a large mallet while the other side had a razor-sharp axe. A jasper gemstone was imbedded between the two.
“What is that?” Dart inquired, never having seen such a brutal-looking weapon. The colors and runes matched the Dwarf’s armor.
Grizz beamed at his two-handed weapon. “This side, I call Skullcrusher,” he said, holding up the hammer. He then flipped it over to the axe. “And this side is Skullcleaver. I call the weapon by both names.”
“Wait, you’re coming with us?” This was the first-time Dart was excited to be in the company of the Dwarf.
“I’m not going to let you go out there and get yourself killed with a tiny group of warriors, especially when they don’t know what they’re up against.”
He led Dart to the stable and spent twenty silver coins to rent two horses. They rode swiftly to Serendale’s main entrance, to the gates that had been closed only two hours earlier.
Twelve of the thirteen warriors had already gathered at the gates, fully armored and mounted on horses. Among them were Captain Doyle and Captain Westfield. Willis, the young, silver-armored Elven warrior who had let Grizz into the garrison was also among the crew. Grizz looked around, hoping his harsh words to Krause had inspired the commander to lead his men for once, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Typical Krause, if anyone dies on this mission, he is going to get more than just an earful the next time he sees me.
With Dart talking to his cousin, Grizz spoke to the two captains. He had never interacted with either before, other than the times they came to his shop to get their weapons and armor refurbished.
“You don’t know what you’re up against out there. I would like to offer my help if you’ll have it. The more men you have, the better.”
Looking him over and seeing his armor, Captain Doyle said, “We’d have it, but that decision is up to the party leader, Captain Griegan.”
Grizz noticed both captains roll their eyes at the name. “He should be arriving shortly,” Captain Westfield mentioned.
Griegan, great! Grizz thought sarcastically. The father of Ivan, the school bully. Grizz disliked the man almost as much as Commander Krause. To make matters worse, Griegan was Krause’s best friend, which everyone in Serendale knew was the reason why he was second-in-command. Westfield and Doyle don’t look happy about him leading this mission.
“What on all of Element is that weapon you wield?” Captain Doyle asked.
Grizz drew out Skullcrusher and held it out for the men to see. Some of the other nearby warriors were sneaking glances at it as well.
“That’s fine work, Dwarf,” Westfield said. “I hope we get to see it in action.”
A man with a crooked nose, underlined by a thick mustache trotted into the middle of the group on his horse and interrupted the conversation. “You know it’s a crime to draw a weapon on a warrior,” he kept a serious face and didn’t laugh at his own joke.
“Captain Griegan,” Westfield and Doyle acknowledged their superior even though they held the same title of Captain.
“What do you have there, Grindstone, a heavy-duty cheese grater?” Griegan asked, holding out his hand to inspect the weapon.
My anger is going to be tempted with this man. I can tell that already, the Dwarf knew.
Grizz happily obliged and tossed Griegan the weapon. The captain caught it, but his face immediately went red and his arms began shaking because of Skullcrusher’s weight. He quickly gave it back to the grinning blacksmith.
With a temper, he said, “There is no traffic in or out of the town without permission by Commander Krause. What makes you think you’re riding with us?”
“I mean to take this boy to his father, mother, and brother at Hunters’ Den,” he said, motioning to Dart who was now beside him,” and then help you search out and kill this monster.”
“We don’t need any help, especially from the likes of someone like you,” Griegan replied. “Go back to your forge and craft your weapons with your apprentice.”
I can either tell him he can’t stop me from going or think of some alternative negotiation, Grizz considered. I would love to see what he would try to do if I rode out as soon as the gates open, but I’m sure there’s a better way to handle this.
“Captain Griegan, how old is that shield you carry? It looks worn, maybe ten, eleven years. May I see it?”
The warrior took if off his back, handed it over, and explained its importance as he gave it to Grizz. “It belonged to my grandfather who was killed during the minotaur attack here in the year 929. It’s been passed down through the generations.”
“The edges are dented and the leather strap is worn. It could use some work. If you let us ride with you, when we get back, I’ll fix it up for free and repaint your family crest since it is chipping and fading.”
Grizz handed the shield back after Griegan agreed to the offer by nodding his head. Too proud to shake my hand, Grizz questioned, or too racist?
“You can come with us, but if we come under attack, my men and I protect each other first, not you and your apprentice.”
Well, that’s the opposite of the vow you swore when you took the warrior’s oath to put civilians first, but, “Fair enough.”
Captain Griegan called for the gates to be opened. He headed to the front of the group and turned to speak to his men. “It’s already late. We need to ride hard. It will be nearing dark when we get to Hunters’ Den.” He pointed to Dart. “We’ll drop off the kid, explain the situation, and then head out in search of this monster. Since its mode of operation is nighttime attacks, we will search every night until it is found and killed. Let’s move out!” He shouted to his horse and kicked his heels into its sides.
“Stay near me,” Grizz commanded Dart, “at all times,” he included. “There’s no telling what we could be attacked by out in the Evergreen.”
“Yes, sir,” Dart nodded. Grizz could tell by his shaking voice that the boy was somewhat nervous in venturing out, but soon after the fifteen and Copper rode out of Serendale, the Dwarf looked at his apprentice. With the brisk autumn wind blowing his brown hair back, the boy’s nerves soon gave way and he was smiling. Riding with these men, clad in steel with a weapon at his side. He must feel like a warrior.
It was an uneventful trip from Serendale to Hunters’ Den. The party stopped only once to let their horses drink water from the Fluorite River. After crossing its wooden bridges, it took them five more hours to reach the Den. Night was setting in as they arrived.
Hunters’ Den was a two-story building that appeared like a gigantic wooden shack from the outside. It had missing shingles and rooms with lopsided balconies where tenants loved to sit and relax, taking in the pine-tree smell of the forest.
The entire structure looked like it could fall at any moment, but, in truth, it had stood strong at its location in the Evergreen Forest for over one hundred years. It was not only a tavern, it was also somewhat of a tourist attraction.
The heads of the taxidermy animals covered the walls of the Den. On the first floor there were the stuffed heads of a bear, lion, rhino, thirty-point buck, and elephant. The Den was a place where avid hunters would bring their game if they thought the animal they had killed was larger than what was on t
he wall. If it measured and weighed more, their animal’s bust would be mounted, replacing the lesser one. The hunter’s name would then be put on a plaque under their accomplishment. From all over the world, hunters would bring their game, especially those from the Savannah, the Deletion Desert, Bogmire, and many of the other areas rampant with wildlife.
Grizz had been here plenty of times. They have good food and better ale, he knew, but we aren’t here to eat and drink. Maybe that’s something to look forward to after we kill this monster.
Dart hadn’t even tied his horse to the stable before he ran onto the Den’s large wooden porch. He banged loudly on the locked door with the side of his fist. The owner of Hunters’ Den, a plump, bearded Giant, with a grease-stained apron, opened it and smiled when he saw the warriors dismounting their horses. His last name was Sepelli, but everyone called him Mr. Sep.
Dart squeezed past the Den’s owner and entered the tavern. Grizz could hear him calling out for his parents.
“How are you doing, warriors?” Mr. Sep asked, wiping his hands on his apron so he could greet each of the captains with a handshake. He knew all three of them by name, since most Serendale warriors visited the Den from time to time. The Seps gave all Serendale warriors free lodging.
“Have you been keeping out of trouble Copper?” the friendly Giant asked, bending down to pet the direfox.
Mrs. Sep, a portly woman, came out from behind the bar. She and her husband were in their late sixties. The two were a well-mannered and well-respected couple who knew a lot about the kingdom and its history.
Mrs. Sep kindly offered the men a meal, but Captain Griegan declined. Grizz and the warriors spread out along the wall with Griegan remaining centered in the doorway.
Everyone in the Den had heard the clattering of armor as the warriors came in. Those who weren’t in the lobby came out of their rooms on the second story, propped themselves against the crooked wooden railing, and looked down into the open room below. There were thirty to forty people in total, with members of all four races.