Second Skin- Fractures

by M Damon Baker

  When I finished with my task, we rose as one and took a few cautious steps away from the leader before Stel, Broda and Venna faced off against the larger group again. As they did, Khorim and I drew our blades against the smaller bunch.

  “Sorry, no deal,” Stel said, as he stared down the leader.

  “Five Talons for each one you take alive, boys!” The leader shouted in a furious rage. “The men included. We’re going to make them watch what we do to their women for a while before we kill these bastards.”

  Harsh screams and hoots of excitement erupted from both groups as they charged towards us. Although they outnumbered us heavily, I could tell right away that they were not accustomed to fighting together as a group. Instead of coming at us as one, they rushed forward in a staggered line, as each one ran towards us at their own pace. Their obvious lack of discipline and coordination, in addition to my little surprise, gave me a faint hope that we might yet prevail.

  When the first Bloody Heart came at me, I Parried his clumsy dagger thrust. My maneuver forced his blade aside, exposing his neck, and I slashed it wide open with my off-hand sword. He fell to the ground gagging violently, vainly clutching his ruined throat with both hands. I watched for only a second as the health bar above his head fell rapidly, and his life’s blood drained out onto the street.

  As I turned to face the next threat, my eyes widened in surprise as an arrow shaft suddenly sprouted from the chest of the man in front of me. But I had no time to contemplate the source of the timely shot before yet another Bloody Heart took his place.

  I feigned injury to bait him in, and he obliged with a desperate lunge at my side. Unfortunately for him, I had seen Khorim stalking him from behind, and my ruse had allowed the dwarf to ram a blade into my attacker’s kidney and then rip it viciously across his back. The wounded man slid to the ground in shock, with his spine severed and bleeding out profusely.

  As I scanned around for my next opponent, I could see none standing in front of me. While three of the bodies on the ground bore the slashing marks of our blades, the rest had an assortment of arrows and crossbow bolts jutting from their corpses. I had no idea who our mysterious allies might be, but they had certainly proven their worth. Since our foes had already been dispatched, we turned to aid Stel and the others, but found only a slew of bodies strewn about the street.

  As with the group Khorim and I had faced, a few of the dead bore clear signs of damage done by our weapons, but the rest of the fallen Bloody Hearts were pierced by the bolts and arrows of our unseen benefactors.

  Two of the dead were still restrained within the confines of the Trap spell I had placed on the ground. My ruse worked just as planned, and the trap had snared the Bloody Hearts as they charged towards us. Much to my delight, the lone remaining Bloody Heart alive was the leader, Nedd’s cousin, and he was held firmly in the grasp of my trap’s entangling vines.

  As I stared at him, I remembered the vile threats he had made against me and my friends, and a dark expression came over my face. I advanced towards him and slapped the flat of my bloody sword into his crotch forcefully, and grinned at him as he flinched, and let out a pained grunt.

  “Tell me again what you’re going to do to me and my friends,” I commanded.

  He remained silent, but still glared at me with impotent rage.

  “Not so talkative now, are you?” I taunted him in return.

  “Very well then, I won’t bore you with speeches. This is your punishment,” I said when it was clear that he wasn’t going to speak.

  As I spoke, I rotated the blade in my hand, and with the sharp edge now digging into the soft flesh of his groin, I began to slowly pull the blade upwards. The sharp edge of my steel bit into him deeply, slicing easily through his most sensitive area as his screams began echoing through the alleyway.

  I didn’t let his agony end quickly, as I was sure he’d done to so many helpless victims before. As I continued to pull my blade through his flesh, I twisted the hilt of my sword back and forth, letting it rip through him both slowly and deliberately while causing him as much pain as I possibly could. His tortured cries rang in my ears, but I might as well have been deaf for all the mercy he would receive from me.

  I kept cutting him, and he continued to scream in agony until my blade came to a stop as it struck one of his ribs. Then, with the blade practically impaling his mutilated body, I twisted the hilt sharply and yanked it free, while simultaneously dismissing the Trap spell.

  Once he lacked the support of the vines, his body immediately fell to the street. A wet gurgle managed to escape him as he twitched on the ground and slowly bled out on the pavement. I watched the precipitous decline of his already depleted health bar, and once I was assured of his demise, I turned away from his soon-to-be corpse, unwilling to waste another second of my time on the worthless piece of shit.

  As I faced my companions again, I saw a look of grim acceptance on most of their faces. Clearly, they understood why I had taken the leader’s life in such a ruthless manner, but the cruel violence was still a shock to them. The lone exception was Venna, whose expression could only be described as a mixture of both shock and pity. The look on her face foretold of a conversation to be had between us, one that I was sure would be uncomfortable for me.

  A noise from behind us drew our attention, and we turned as one, anticipating yet another threat. What we saw instead were six people, each of whom carried a crossbow or short recurve bow as they descended from the rooftops above us. One of the group, presumably our mysterious saviors, handed off his weapon and approached us with his arms outstretched.

  “We mean you no harm,” he said as he advanced. “Please let me explain the situation.”

  Stel motioned for him to approach, and he did so, keeping his hands clearly visible the entire time. Khorim, suspecting a possible ruse, kept a close eye on the five remaining archers, alert for any aggressive moves.

  “I am Lukas, leader of the Bloody Hearts here in Hasse. I want to apologize to all of you for what has happened here—especially you, Dreya. I am truly ashamed of what my organization has become.”

  “Wait,” I asked with suspicion. “You’re a Bloody Heart too?”

  “Yes. But please, let me explain,” Lukas implored.

  Stel held up a hand, silently requesting my acceptance as he nodded for Lukas to continue.

  I nodded for him to continue as well, and Lukas began to tell me his tale, and while he spoke, his compatriots cleared the bodies from the street.

  Over the next few minutes, Lukas told us how Nedd’s cousin, Jorum, had killed the previous leadership of the Bloody Hearts. Once he had control, Jorum had placed his own people in positions of power throughout the organization and began turning it from a loose association of thieves and smugglers into a ruthless gang of bandits, thugs, and assassins.

  He told us how the formerly honorable group, honorable being a somewhat relative term, became a den of vicious animals, preying upon anyone they could, abusing the helpless, and worse. From the start, Lukas had worked against Jorum and his cronies, but their hold on the organization was strong, and they quickly killed off anyone who opposed them. Lukas was forced to be very subtle in his opposition, or he too would have been identified and eliminated.

  My arrival and discovery in Hasse had provided Lukas with an irresistible opportunity to eliminate Jorum and the bulk of his lieutenants. When word of my presence here was made known to him, Jorum had immediately gathered his most loyal associates and set this trap for me. Lukas, in turn, knowing Jorum’s plan, had set up the counter-ambush.

  “With Jorum and his henchmen gone, it will be easy for me to take control and eliminate his few remaining people from our organization,” Lukas concluded. “It will take me a little time to spread the word that the bounty on you has been rescinded and to eliminate the rest of Jorum’s influence, but if you give me two weeks, I promise that you will be safe once again.”

  I almost couldn’t believe that the threat agains
t me had finally been eliminated—the threat that had been looming over my head almost the entire time I had been here in this world—and, ironically, it had been ended by dissident members of the Bloody Hearts themselves. If Lukas was to be believed, and I had no reason to doubt him, I just needed to wait for him to finish cleaning house before I could stop hiding and reclaim my life again. My sense of relief was almost palpable.

  “Dreya,” Lukas’ words interrupted my thoughts. “I want to apologize to you once more and offer you anything Jorum has on his person as recompense for your ordeal. He had a very bad gambling habit and was known to carry a large sum of coins around. Hopefully, the contents of his purse can make up for some of the harm that has been done to you… At least in some small way.”

  While Lukas has been speaking to us, his fellow Bloody Hearts had removed the rest of the bodies from the street, leaving only Jorum’s corpse behind. Once I stepped over to his lifeless form, I pretended to fumble with his purse strings while I placed my other hand on his body and opened the loot menu. Quickly, not wanting to give away my status as a Deathless, I transferred everything to my own inventory before I finally pocketed the coin purse. Then, as I moved away from the body, two of Lukas’s associates swooped in and removed it from the street, clearing the final evidence of our battle from the alley.

  “Please go now in peace; I will see to the rest,” Lukas bid us in parting.

  We withdrew cautiously and backed away towards the end of the alleyway. Once we were clear, we merged into the hustle and bustle of the city and hurried off, with Stel leading us back towards the Fat Burglar. When we finally reached the doors of the inn without further incident, we rushed inside.

  We stood together just inside the door for a moment, amazed at our miraculous escape from what had promised to be certain death just moments before. A waiter, seeing us standing there idly, offered to show us to a table. His words stirred us from our collective stupor, and we followed the young man as he led us into the common room. Once we were seated, Khorim spoke up and ordered a much-needed round of ales.

  “I thought we were dead,” Venna said as the waiter strode off.

  “I must admit, I did as well,” Khorim replied somberly.

  “You heard what Jorum said,” I countered. “A quick death would have been preferable to what he intended for us.”

  “I would not have let them take me alive,” Broda spoke in a somewhat subdued tone. “Nor any of you, if I could have prevented it. Not once I knew what they had planned for us.”

  An uncomfortable silence fell over the table. The thought of killing one of our own was revolting, but to let them fall into the hands of Jorum, after what he said he would do, was simply unacceptable. The stark reality of the situation we had faced was far more than any of us had been prepared to deal with.

  “Thank you, Broda,” I said, breaking the awkward silence. “It would be difficult, and not something I ever want to be forced to consider again, but I would do the same for you if need be.”

  Broda reached across the table unexpectedly and took my hand in hers. While she said nothing, her eyes conveyed more than mere words ever could. In those eyes, I saw pain; the pain of a past hurt that would never be erased. But alongside that pain, I also saw gratitude. She knew that I had meant what I had said and that my words were no hollow promise. Her eyes shined back at me, grateful for my willingness to do what would be necessary to spare her any further suffering.

  When I stared into her eyes, the haunted look in them recalled an eerily similar expression I had seen once before. It was the same look that had been in Ella’s eyes when she confided in me about what had happened to her. Had Broda endured a similar fate at some point? I wondered. Before I could dwell on the thought for too long, the waiter returned and deposited our drinks in front of us. As soon as the mugs were on the table, Stel raised his tankard and offered a toast in an attempt to break the somber mood.

  “To our escape,” he offered plainly.

  We drank deeply from our mugs, grateful to have survived the encounter.

  My brief moment of reprieve was ended when Venna set down her mug and broached the topic I had been dreading.

  “This was a most unpleasant encounter,” she began. “And now that we have managed to escape, and the Bloody Hearts appear to no longer be a threat, I want to put the whole thing behind us. However, there is something that I think we need to discuss first.”

  While I knew where she was headed, I waited for her to make the point.

  “In the end, Jorum was helpless,” Venna continued, looking straight at me. “You could have killed him quite easily, yet you chose to... mutilate him. To take his life in a most cruel manner.”

  She paused for a moment and gathered her thoughts before she finished.

  “It was unnecessary,” she finally said, although I could tell she felt much more strongly about it than her few words had conveyed.

  I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before I replied. Her rebuke angered me tremendously, but I needed to respond with more calm than I felt at that moment. I took a minute to gather my thoughts and rein in my emotions as best I could before I answered her unspoken accusation.

  “That man threatened to rape me,” I replied to her bluntly. “He threatened to rape Broda and you as well. He threatened to capture your husbands and make them watch as he and his gang violated both of you over and over again.”

  Just thinking about it again had rekindled my anger, and I was forced to pause for a moment as my rage threatened to boil over. Only after I had taken another deep breath was I able to continue again.

  “The threat he made today is the very same one that I have been living under every day since I defended myself from being raped by his cousin.

  “I have no doubt that Jorum and his cronies have made good on similar threats more times than either of us would care to know. There’s no telling how many shattered women that piece of shit has left in his wake.

  “And you want to talk to me about what is cruel?

  “For the sake of clarity, I will tell you this. Any time I find a filthy raping animal like Jorum, they are absolutely going to get what they deserve. I will not allow that kind of filth to escape justice, nor will I give them an easy death. I will not show them any mercy—I will show them exactly the same mercy that they gave to their victims. None!”

  The burning anger inside of me wanted to say more, so much more. But my emotions were beginning to get the better of me, so I stopped there and added just one final comment.

  “If you find that unacceptable,” I said, “then perhaps we need to part ways now.”

  The table fell silent once more when no one was willing to make the first reply, until Stel ventured to speak.

  “I understand your anger, Dae, though I would not choose to exercise it as you do,” he offered. “I will not participate in your vendetta, but I do not think any less of you for it either.”

  “Thank you,” I replied in appreciation of his candor and acceptance.

  “Aye,” Khorim agreed. “Vengeance is a noble pursuit, and I can see the righteousness of your anger. It’s not for me to judge you.”

  Broda surprised me once more by reaching for my hand again.

  “I’ll do my husband one better, as usual,” she said, with a playful smirk crossing her face as she spared a glance at Khorim. “You’re more than capable of dealing out justice on your own, but if there’s ever a time that you need my help, I’ll be there for you.”

  I gave her hand a tight squeeze to let her know just how much I appreciated her support. Whatever had happened to her, I knew that having the chance at some payback would help heal the scars she was clearly carrying. If I could, I would certainly give her that opportunity.

  Venna spoke last, obviously upset at her failure to persuade any of us, and she glanced at Stel with her disappointment clear on her face before she spoke.

  “I did not mean to question the validity of your anger,” she offered in a more s
ubdued tone. “Only your methods, and I will make no further objections. But if there ever comes a time when you reconsider your course of action, I will be here for you.”

  “Good, now that that’s settled, let’s move on to more pleasant issues. Money!” Stel cut in before the unpleasant conversation could continue.

  As he had each time before, Stel handed each of us a small coin purse filled with our share of the money that had been gained from selling the last of our loot from the ruins. When I took mine in hand, I brought it under the folds of my cloak and pulled apart the drawstrings to reach inside. As the bag worked its magic and informed me of its contents, the total took me by surprise.

  Inside the coin purse were 1 Talon, 17 Gold Bits, 13 Marks, and 24 Coppers, far more than we had made selling the rest of the loot from the ruins. I was surprised by the total until I remembered that this haul came from the sale of the higher-value gold and silver items, not the simple adventurer’s gear we had been able to pawn off on Carlon.

  “Not a bad job, Stel,” I complimented him. “You did well.”

  “Yes, well, waiting to sell the higher-value items was a good idea,” he said, motioning towards Venna, who had suggested the idea.

  Stel was clearly attempting to reinforce the fragile peace between us, and I took the opportunity to mend fences. I raised my mug in Venna’s direction and offered her a silent toast, and after she brought up her mug in return, we each drank deeply. Then, once she placed her mug back on the table, Venna announced her plan for the next day.

  “I must report to the Abbott in the morning,” she informed us. “He will insist on hearing the news as soon as possible.”

  “Forgive me,” I inquired. “But I don’t know the etiquette for such things. Will we be accompanying you in this?”

  “No, Dae. I must do this myself, not even my husband will be joining me,” she told me.

  “There’s a training grounds across town,” Broda offered. “We can go there if you like, to work on your skills.”

  “I thought everyone kept their talents fairly secret? Wouldn’t practicing them in a training ground give too much away?” I inquired.