The Dragon's Wrath: Shadows in the Flame

by Brent Roth

  I was obligated to accept the challenge.

  “Terms of the fight?” I asked while scratching an itch on my nose.

  “Full-on combat,” she replied, seething with anger.

  “As you wish.”

  Tossing the loot onto the ground while picking up the best sword in the pile, I changed my mind and dropped it back onto the pile as I turned around ready to face my challenger. Beckoning her to start with a wave and a nod, I could barely stay awake as her eyes burned and steam appeared to shoot from her nostrils.

  The latter was due to the temperature but it was a strange effect.

  “You intend to mock me, to fight without a weapon?” she spat out.

  “The terms were decided on, I am free to choose the way in which I beat you into the dirt,” I replied nonchalantly while scratching the side of my head.

  Dropping all pretenses, the massive shield-bearer with a spear charged at me as if she were a raging bull. With spear lowered and shield held at center mass, her speed was incredible as she closed the distance between us. Tracking her movements and the trajectory of the spear I stood still as she closed the gap within a second and finished the movement with a [Lunge] as the spear was thrust with one-hand.

  Anticipating the path but unable to fully comprehend the speed in my weakened state, I deflected the glancing blow with my forearm as it slashed through the leather and cut through my skin. Forearm damaged and bleeding, her next attack came with a [Shield Bash] that hit me square in the chest and sent me reeling.

  Backpedaling as she continued to pressure me with the shield still in contact with my body, I dug my heel in as we compared our strength. Pushing her back as I began to overpower her, she quickly rotated her body and pulled her shield to the side while swinging her spear in an upward motion in an attempt to slash my face.

  Leaning enough to dodge as the spear spun around and quickly came full-circle, she repeated a [Lunge] that clipped my side as she readied a [Heavy Thrust]. Feet planted and with stance secured her shoulder cocked back as her muscles visibly tightened.

  Releasing with a fury that I had yet to see the heavy blow came at such a speed that I couldn’t hope to dodge as it pierced through my abdomen. Pulling the spear back she readied another blow as I returned a smile with blood dripping onto the ground.

  Without hesitation she attacked again as I sidestepped and grabbed the shaft of the spear and pulled with her momentum added on. Yanking her towards the ground she stumbled forward and raised her shield as she regained her footing.

  Kicking at the shield with all of my remaining might, the sudden impact jarred her as she fell to her side and rolled away. Springing to her feet she readied her shield and spear once more as she began another charge. Letting her close the distance, I built up static around my body as I prepared a [Discharge] and leaned down on the ground.

  With one knee planted in the ground and my spell nearly complete, she [Lunged] at me as I ducked and rolled beneath her and released as electricity exploded outwards, sending her tumbling through the air head over heels. Crashing through the brush as snow fell over her due to the impact with a tree, the resilient warrior jumped back to her feet as she shrugged the snow off.

  Circling me with caution, I used the time to check my health and stamina and saw that both were relatively fine. Sixty-four percent of my health remained and over eighty percent of my stamina was left despite the four-inch hole in my stomach. The fight could easily continue for a while longer.

  Maintaining my position as I patiently waited for her to come again, she decided to toy with me instead. Waving at me and beckoning me to attack as I had done earlier in the fight. Another smile and nod from me alerted her to my intent.

  As she readied her weapon and held position, I broke into a sprint and charged at her with every intent to mislead and distract. Rapidly closing the distance between us I raised my shoulders as I lifted a leg in a motion to jump only to see her raise her shield and spear as she zeroed in on my path. Seeing her intent, I continued the feint as I transitioned into a slide at the very last second and watched as she released her spear only to cancel the movement halfway and pull her shield back in an effort that was much too late.

  Hitting the snow hard and sliding alongside her legs, I pulled on her ankles as I brought her to the ground. A [Shield Bash] was thrown at my face as she twisted around but I blocked it with a bent arm as my bleeding forearm absorbed the blow. A kick soon followed as she tried to get loose but having grabbed her ankles they were quite harmless.

  Yanking her towards me so she would lose her positioning, the shield dragged on the ground as she dropped the useless spear and attempted to stand up. Switching my grip to around her waist, I got to a knee as she did and with position on her back, quickly wrapped her up and threw her back down to the ground. Kicking away the spear as her shield had caught her arm, pushing on the shield caused her to let out a scream of pain.

  Releasing the shield so I wouldn’t break her arm, she quickly pulled her arm free and abandoned the shield. As she attempted to get out of my mount, she quickly found that my arms were wrapped too tightly around her waist as I pulled her back in.

  Shifting position as I turned her with me, I rolled onto my back as her back was now resting on my chest. With my arms shooting from underneath her armpits to her collar, I held her in place as I tried to hook my legs underneath each of her thighs. Quickly pulling my right arm out and wrapping it around her chest from over her right shoulder, I grabbed my right wrist with the left hand and pulled her in.

  Hugging her tightly, she pulled at my hands and with the sudden jerk and movement, I slipped my right arm under her chin and around her neck, only to have her shift weight and counter as we fell to the our sides. Unable to use the choke I had been working on as my left arm became trapped under hers and with my elbow pinned against the ground, she quickly broke my leg hooks and began to twist as I fought for control.

  Losing position as my left arm remained useless, I covered for my poor technique with incredible strength as I decided to attempt a one-armed choke as I grabbed my own collarbone with my right hand and sunk in my arm. Digging my arm in and then continuing with the one-armed choke, I used my brute strength to secure it as she panicked and tried to pull my arm with both of her hands.

  No longer paying any attention to the rest of her body, I regained both leg hooks and turned us back into the rear mount and grabbed one of her wrists with my now free left. Pulling a hand away while straightening her out, my one arm dug deeply beneath her chin as she fought for a few more seconds until her resistance suddenly stopped.

  Her body going limp, I released the grip and rolled over. Standing up as I picked up her shield and spear and placed it against the tree, she remained motionless on the ground but was still clearly alive. Turning her onto her side so she wouldn’t choke, I healed myself with a [Holy Light] and then proceeded to wake her up.

  After a minute she had regained consciousness as I remained seated on the ground with my back against a tree. Letting her slowly come to the realization that the fight was over as she frantically looked around, I was doing my best not to fall asleep.

  “Finally awake?” I asked as she remained planted on her ass with her legs bent and arms wrapped around them.

  “Yes,” she replied curtly.

  Seeing that she had calmed down considerably, I was happy to find out that her first instinct wasn’t to lunge at me or to go for her weapon that was placed by thr tree next to her location. She had the opportunity, I made sure of that. If she took up the weapon though.

  Well, she might not live to see another day.

  “You’re not bad,” I said honestly. “Could use a little work but you’re not bad.”

  Watching her in the moonlight, I could see the realization that she had been soundly defeated by an unarmed man was sinking in. A lump in her throat, she gulped before deciding to reply.

  “Why didn’t you finish me,” she questioned.

  “W
hat would be the point? I could have killed you without moving an inch if I wanted to do that. Unless you’re immune to lightning, which I suppose is possible.”

  “Is that why you refused to use a weapon?”

  “Pretty much,” I said. “No reason to harm you if it could be helped.”

  “Yet you took the blows of my spear, why?” she asked instantly.

  “It’s not like I wanted to get pierced in the stomach…” I trailed off with eyes wandering as I stared at the moon. “As I said, you’re not bad. You landed clean hits, was a good showing from you. My point still stands though, you need to learn how to fight in a unit, with my units. I don’t care if you’re experienced.”

  Ready to log off as an hour had been wasted in the forest with an NPC I didn’t particularly care for, the only thing holding me back was her reply. She was definitely proficient with shield and spear and there was a distinct possibility that she was more advanced in those proficiencies than any of my warriors.

  She could be useful after all, in the training of my troops.

  My thoughts on abandoning her as a Companion had come around as she now looked to be a bit more useful, save for her attitude. Though, she mostly had a strong personality and a short temper… not too different from me in a way. My temper was a little better managed though, at least according to me.

  “Were you holding back?” she asked after a brief period of silence.

  “In a lot of ways, yes. I have been working for nearly eighteen hours straight now.”

  “I apologize,” she said as she got on her knees and bowed. “It was rude of me to demand your attention after three days of work without sleep. You have also shown me that my strength is not as great as I believed it to be, you have humbled me and shown me grace and mercy in victory. I will depart the village immediately if you wish.”

  Confused slightly by her weird behavior, she had done the same thing in the inn at Bergenheim, where she went from no emotion to angry and then straight into an apologetic mood. Next, she would undoubtedly be inquisitive and calm.

  “There’s no reason for you to leave, you asked for an opportunity to showcase your skills and to test mine,” I said calmly. “You’re allowed that much, seeing as you don’t know me all that well and I’ve taken you to my village hundreds of miles away.”

  “So you say,” she nearly whispered. “You don’t intend to hold this against me?”

  And as predicted, she had switched into the inquisitive and calm mood. Laughing inside my head as I kept a straight face, this game was beginning to be all too comical. This emotionally troubled warrior was nowhere near as stable as Selene and Katherine and in terms of temperament, Annalie was not worth having around.

  Even so, the opportunity for her turn a new leaf and change for the better was there. If she is able to overcome her trauma and progress after killing the kraken, then she would be welcomed. If she cannot… her services would no longer be required.

  One week and I would have another answer.

  “No, I don’t hold grudges over something so minor,” I mumbled as I continued to stare at the moon. “The only grudge I hold now… is against the ones who killed a member of my family. Those that were involved… they are the only ones who have to worry.”

  Resting my head against the tree, this was it for me.

  “I’m going to sleep, head on back to the village.”

  “You’re going to sleep here?” she asked with a confused expression.

  “No, I’m returning to my world.”

  Chapter 91: A Special Inn

  (Saturday, January 1st Game Day / Monday, May 3rd Real Day)

  “Ah the smell of fresh smoke rising in the early morning,” I said as I inhaled a small amount and stood back. Still without the proper tools for the job, I turned to fire-setting as a way to help clear the large outcroppings of rock along the mountain’s base. Building a small pyre similar to the ones we used at the funeral, the idea was to set the fire beneath the rock and let it burn until the rock had become sufficiently heated.

  After some time, all one had to do was let it cool down and with the reduction in internal temperature, the rock would fracture. Some people tossed water to help it cool faster but the fracturing effect wasn’t necessarily any greater by doing so. It really only sped the cooling process up and wouldn’t be worth the time invested.

  Short of any mining picks or pickaxes, we used a little ingenuity and built a makeshift log tent of sorts to help funnel the heat towards the rocks. Eventually we would have picks to dig into the rock so we could place the fire underneath but for now, the shoddy methods would have to do. And so far, they were doing quite all right.

  Turning and walking away from the two dozen or so fires that were burning along the edges, the men and women were still digging away in the trenches in an attempt to finish up what would become the basement.

  Ignoring them as they would be done within the hour, I decided to meet up with the carpenter to talk over my designs. Spotting the middle-aged man with a hefty beard, a quick wave and shout got his attention.

  “Brodd!” I yelled.

  “More work for me?” he replied instantly while rubbing his beard.

  “Of course, what is life but to work?” I said playfully.

  “There are finer things to life than work alone but my words fall on deaf ears…” he muttered as he took his stance with legs apart and hands set on his hips. “Well out with it, what would you have me do this time?”

  “Ah but Brodd, this one is for everyone’s benefit,” I said cheerfully.

  “You say that about every work project you know,” he shot back.

  “Only because it’s true! Hah!” I laughed out before going into my long winded explanation. “Okay, let me run this by you. Basement is for storage, going with three thirty by thirty structures ran length wise along the base. Middle structure contains the stairs, one going up on the back right corner, one going down back left. One large doorway in the center of that middle structure lets you enter, with counters on either side just inside.

  “Another two large doorways, with one in the middle of the left and the other on the right wall that lead to what will be a dining room and bar, and a large lounge with a small stage for music. How’s that for the first?”

  Lifting his brows as he stretched his eyes a little, he began to tug on his beard while mulling over everything that had been explained. Taking his time while I continued to tinker with the layout that had been drawn up on my schematic menu, the diagram was nearly complete save for final measurements.

  “That’s not terribly difficult to do,” he muttered after some time.

  “Yeah?” I said with a grin. “Now the second floor has the same pattern for the stairs, with them being at the back of the center structure, only now the right staircase will head to the first floor and the left staircase will head to the third, alternating with every floor.

  “Splitting up the second floor, the center structure will serve as an open space while the flanking structures will be sectioned off to fit six rooms each. Three against the back wall and three against the face. Windows all around except for the part against the mountain, as no one wants to stare at a rock wall inches from the window.

  “I’m thinking thirty by thirty on the interior dimensions leaves us with enough space for three ten by twelve foot rooms against the front and back walls. That leaves a six foot or so hallway in between. Third floor is the same layout. Twenty-four regular rooms.”

  Clapping my hands together in excitement, the picture in my head was so grand that I could barely contain myself. This would be the coolest structure ever built by my own hands and with some help, it could turn out to be a magnificent log building.

  “Whoa whoaa whoaaa,” he said while increasingly drawing out each word as he went on in addition to throwing his hands up as if to stop me in my tracks. “Three floors?! Have you lost it, that’s a mighty tall building and you don’t sound finished yet! What comes after the third, a
fourth?!”

  “Precisely Mr. Brodd!” I exclaimed as if I were a certain Mr. Holmes. “With the fourth floor I’m envisioning much larger rooms with a slanted roofline and an open deck of sorts if you’ve seen one. Half of the space will be for the suites, possibly two rooms, fifteen by fifteen in dimension located in each side structure for a total of four. That should leave an open deck of say, roughly ninety by fifteen feet? Add a railing all around and bam, we’ve got ourselves fancy resort-style living arrangements!”

  Brodd simply stood there with his eyes shut as he tried to envision what I was visioning. Placing a hand across his forehead to wipe imagined sweat, he let out a small puff of air as if he was relieving some built up tension.

  “Yeah!” I let out with a hushed yell while throwing my hands up into the air as I cheered quietly. “Awesome building is awesome!”

  Shaking his head, my carpenter wasn’t really onboard with me but that was okay. I could do most of the work myself if he didn’t want to get involved. Assembling the structure would be difficult but it was doable. Crafting furniture such as the tables, chairs, and bar in addition to the finer structural items such as the stairs or railings, would primarily be left to him anyways.

  “You can keep your crazy schemes this time Sigurd,” he said with a vigorous shake of his head. “I want no part in this, I’m busy enough as it is.”

  “Then, I still have need for you…” I began to explain as I placed my arm around his shoulder. Informing him of all the finer details, of the furniture and other specific items that would require his specific touch, took little more than a few minutes of my time.

  Parting ways, the entire conversation had taken roughly fifteen minutes as the pit was looking closer and closer to being ready. Limited in my options with sizes due mainly to the length of the pine trees in the vicinity, thirty feet was the safe average for usable wood per tree. Each log was anywhere from eight inches to twelve inches in diameter and due to that, it took a fair number to stack all the way up.