Into the Dragon's Den (Axe Druid Book 2)

by Christopher Johns

  “Reckon he weren’t tha’ good at it?” He waggled his eyebrows before continuing. “Mayhap she were embarrassed she chose such an ugly sod?”

  The audacity of these little—I summoned Storm Caller from my inventory and whipped the great axe between the two of them and split the target straight down the middle.

  One them whistled. “Good thing he has a good throwin’ arm—no’ good for shite else! BAHAHAHAHA!”

  Both of them roared with laughter, and I couldn’t hide my anger and embarrassment—but mostly it had actually been really funny. Assholes.

  As I was walking past a more secluded section of the buildings, I noted James was sitting alone in a meditative position. I heard a low rumble from his chest, and he was floating a little bit.

  “Hey, Zeke,” he mumbled without opening his eyes.

  “Hi, bud,” I replied. “Brought you a present.”

  He sighed and sank until he was back on the ground. I offered him a hand to stand up, and he took it. I pulled Flame Fang from my inventory and held it out to him.

  “Dude!” He slid it on to his hand and jabbed with it. “This is amazing! How the hell did you manage this?!”

  “Coal helped some, but mainly it was that new ability I got from the quest rewards.”

  “Dude, you could make some badass fire weapons!” James punched me lightly. “This is so fucking cool! Thank you!”

  “No problem, man.” I smiled at him. “Hey, you wanna spar a little bit?”

  He looked at me incredulously. “You want to fight with me?”

  “Yeah, no big deal. Just a little sparring.” I shrugged and added, “Not to mention, Zhavron was right—we need to keep each other sharp. We need to train. It hasn’t been all that long since he told us to dig our heads out of our asses.”

  “Yeah, man. Let’s go have some fun.” James grinned wolfishly.

  We walked back to the training grounds in time to see four warriors pile on to Jaken as he fought to keep a hold on his shield. He growled and threw his shield arm out and away from himself, kicking one of the Dwarves in the stomach and launching him into his friend.

  One of them had the brilliant idea to bring his axe in close and use it as a club to whack Jaken across the ribs. The others moved in to assist their clever friend.

  “En garde!” Jaken shouted and let go of his sword.

  For the first time I had ever seen it in person, though we had known it could do it, the sword began to move as if wielded by a spectral Fighter. It weaved, slashed, and stabbed at the Dwarf on the right-hand side. The others began cursing and calling it cursed and trying to get away.

  Jaken seized the opening for the Dwarf that had hit him and socked him across the jaw with a back-handed shield slap. He fell to the ground unconscious, and the others continued to back away.

  “Do you yield?” The Paladin panted with a bloody lip. I could see from where I stood that he was favoring the impact site on his ribs.

  “Aye, call off the cursed sword!” One of the Dwarves all but shivered.

  “Fin,” Jaken barked at the sword. It zipped to his open hand, he caught it, and returned it fluidly in a single motion.

  “Since when the fuck did you decide to start using that?!” I cried in disbelief. “You know these guys don’t like magic.”

  “That’s the enchantment I asked for, man.” Jaken shrugged. He cast an AoE heal on himself and the Dwarves with him. “I just haven’t needed to use it. It’s a multiple enemies kind of thing. My shield too.”

  “Fuck,” I spat vehemently. “I wish I had thought of that.”

  “You gonna order a new weapon, man?” Jaken asked. “If we’re going to be taking on Dragons, it may not be a bad idea.”

  I thought about it for a moment. He wasn’t wrong, but I did love Storm Caller.

  “We didn’t bring any materials with us, though,” I reasoned.

  “You could ask Granda if he will look into a special order,” James supplied.

  “Yeah!” Jaken slapped him on the arm. “Not to mention, you know he’s always got things being brought to him. Let him work for you and he will, I’m sure of it.”

  “Let me let him know.” I closed my eyes, cast Mental Message, and began speaking to Granda. “Granda! It’s Zeke. I know it’s last minute, but could we talk about a weapon for me as well?”

  A long second later, I heard the elderly Dwarf’s reply, “Aye, lad, have Jaken bring ye to the forge after a bit. He knows the way. We can discuss it over a bite.”

  I looked over at Jaken. “He wants us to come over in a while. Wanna keep James and me alive while we beat the shit out of each other?”

  “Hell yeah!” Jaken grinned and rounded up his sparring partners to watch with him.

  I took my shirt off and my boots, feeling a little lighter in just my padded breeches. The fungus grass and stone felt weird beneath my feet, but it wasn’t unbearable. James stood at the other side of the yard and stretched himself a little vigorously.

  “Putting on a show?” I called over to him.

  “Oh, you know it, sister.” He smiled back and pulled his arm in front of his chest, stretching it parallel to the ground, then switching arms.

  “You guys using magic?” Jaken called the question to us.

  “Good question!” James said as we walked forward. “I’m good without it. You need the handicap?”

  “I’ll get mine without it.” I tried to appear aloof, but I was a little nervous. “Besides, magic wasn’t all that helpful against Rowan. We need to be ready to fight by hand if the situation arises again with the next general we fight. Or even the next minion. It would be better to try and prepare now, right?”

  The others nodded in agreement, both their eyes unfocusing as if to recall our battle with the general. Sure, we got the drop on him, but we might not get the drop on the next one. We needed to be ready.

  It had been a long time since I had sparred an opponent I knew was more suited to that style of fighting than I was. Sure, I had taken martial arts when I was a teen; five years of that and then the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program had ensured I wasn’t insanely rusty, but hand-to-hand combat was quite literally the only way James handled shit. This was his money maker.

  “Yo, Jaken—you gonna ref this shit?” I asked.

  “I can do that,” he replied happily enough. “So, no magic. No Ki. Just good, old fashioned ass whoopings for all.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders a bit to loosen them. Despite my trepidation, I was still excited to see what I could do.

  “Alright then, ladies.” Jaken held his hand up, then dropped it. “Start!”

  One second, James was six feet away. I blinked once, and his fist was connecting with my stomach in a way that left me breathless and angry.

  “You gonna make it?” he teased.

  I put my left hand toward his voice and flipped him the bird. He chuckled, but I didn’t see his feet move. I shot my hand forward and lunged into the grasp. I missed by a country mile. James was already behind me.

  “Gonna have to be quicker than that.” He laughed again as he began to move his feet in a rope-a-dope fashion.

  I took a second to clear myself of the mounting frustration I felt, the Werewolf’s haze beginning to set in around the field of my vision. I shook my head and beat it back a little as I settled into a stance I hadn’t taken in a while but still felt natural. My legs were a smidge wider than shoulder length apart, knees slightly bent, and my fists waist level in front of me.

  James took this as an invitation to attack, and he swept closer to me. As he crossed the twelve feet between us, I tried to gauge where he was going to try and hit me. I went with my gut feeling and shifted to the right as soon as he was close.

  I raised my fist at the same time as I pivoted and connected with his shoulder, but it was hardly a tap to the practiced monk. He used the momentum of my shift to fling his knee up and into my ribs. A light enough hit, but it was where it hit th
at hurt the most.

  It seemed like his hits were crazy fast and accurate, but that was all that was behind them. The strength at my disposal was going to be what helped me. I would just need to hit him hard enough to negate his speed.

  I felt his knee coming back for a now-third strike, bent like I was hurt, and grabbed his other leg. I yanked it as hard as I could and shoved with my shoulder. He fell to the ground, and I got one solid hit to his chest before he pushed me away with his foot and rolled into a low stance.

  “Got ya,” I grunted with a smile. I felt the beast in me reveling at the idea of me winning, and the red haze deepened.

  Time for me to go to him, I thought. No reason in letting him be the aggressor the whole time. We are the predator.

  My mind snapped back into my own thoughts with a colossal mental yank. I wasn’t about to shift and kill my fucking friend.

  I relaxed my body and paced toward him slowly with my hands slightly flexed and near chest level. This way I could grab, smack, punch, or slash with my claws if needed.

  James stood and walked toward me. Gone was the teasing look, replaced by one of determination.

  I stepped into range, and the real beatings began. James’s fists and feet beat into me with a rhythm all his own. It was so hard to figure out, and he hit the same places almost every time. But I gave as good as I could. I slammed an elbow into his right shoulder. Caught his left bicep with a clawed hand and slapped him in the face once with the back of my fist.

  James just shrugged it off, and push kicked me away from him. I was strong enough to stay on my feet, but I still slid a good six feet away. Then he began to move as if I weren’t there.

  James flowed seamlessly from punch to kick, block to punch, double block. His limbs worked in unison to fend off imaginary attackers and savage them after a successful defense.

  As he moved, his body began to glow with pale, white light that flowed from the center of his back to surround him in a shell. His breathing was steady—quiet even—as he peppered the air with a flurry of blows that made a whiffing sound as his fists picked up speed. The light began to collect at his fists and legs, specifically his shins and feet, where it left a trail behind as he moved.

  In a final furious movement, he leaped into the air with a kick that tossed him into a backflip and then he landed with his right fist punching into the ground and his left knee stabilizing him. Where his fist connected with the ground, the earth was obliterated. There was a crater slightly larger than the size of his fist.

  Jaken and I both gasped, and the monk used our awes to move in.

  James used the space between us to bolt forward and leap at me. At the last second, he twisted his body, and I saw his foot careening toward my face—then I remembered nothing.

  “…ke…” I heard a ringing voice, then a little louder, “Zeke!”

  I opened my eyes to see Jaken and Yohsuke kneeling over me.

  “You got knocked the fuck out!” Yohsuke teased, and Jaken just laid a golden-glowing hand on my chest. I felt better immediately.

  “Damn.” I groaned. “Anyone see the bus that kicked me?”

  “I’m so fucking sorry, man.” I heard James’s voice from above my position.

  I craned my head back and caught a glimpse of his worried expression. His pale skin with black scales along his cheeks like freckles.

  “Why?” I sat up slowly. “It was a good fucking kick, man. Shit. I appreciated it until I went night night.”

  The Dwarves with Jaken chuckled heartily, and I smiled at them with fake menace. “You boys want some of this? Let me get my axe…”

  They all coughed and stuttered about needing to go eat or some such, and they scurried off.

  “What the hell was that glow though?” I groaned as I stood.

  I rubbed my jaw and opened it as a test. It felt fine.

  I had recognized the start of the show as the beginnings of forms. Forms, sometimes referred to as katas in karate, were things that young martial artists learned to help practice and perfect movements and skills needed for defending themselves. But that other stuff? No clue. I motioned to his hand with concern.

  James held his hand up in front of him—it was slightly dirty but otherwise completely unharmed.

  “That was new,” he said simply. I watched as his hand flicked up, and his face looked like he had begun reading something. “Martial Trance—allows the user to take on a meditative stance in combat to collect and concentrate ki. The ki can then be stored or used to devastating effect by the user. Two uses daily. Trance is broken if the user takes direct damage.”

  “That is fucking amazing.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “You just unlocked that?”

  “Yeah.” He looked confused. “I haven’t even heard of the other monks getting this. Why now? Why me?”

  “Gift horse, mouth.” Jaken grinned his typical grin. “It’s been a while. Let’s get to the forge. And hey, maybe we can see if maybe Granda can make you a similar weapon to that one, James.”

  “Sounds good to me.” James smiled and must have dismissed his status screen because he began to follow Jaken.

  Sure, I could try to be like James and beat him, but he was better than me. And I would have to be okay with that and fight in my own way. I would use the experience though, and I would sure as fuck keep training with my friends.

  The three of us walked through the streets, taking a route that I hadn’t seen before. It was a different section of the city. There were more compounds similar to the others that we would see. Some had large statues of Dwarves holding weapons at their gates in positions of honor.

  One such statue we passed had a nose that looked suspiciously like it was forged of iron. I smiled at the vision of the few members of that clan that I had interacted with, and I could see that being an idol of theirs.

  As we continued walking, Jaken finally said something through our earrings, I’m going to let you guys know now—where we are going is one hundred percent safe. Even if it’s hot as fuck. Just, mind the lava—

  “Lava?!” James stopped in his tracks.

  Ssh! shut up, man, Jaken hushed him and stepped toward him.

  He looked around and continued in our heads through our earrings as we started forward once more. While people know that there are lava pools in the area, they don’t know how close they are to this portion of the city. It’s a well-kept secret and for good reason.

  And what reason is that? I had to admit, I was a little worried about it.

  Granda will be able to explain it better than I can. Come on. Jaken continued walking forward at a quicker pace, and we followed once more.

  We came to a larger gated compound with three large buildings in the front and another even larger building in the back that dwarfed the others. They were all made of a combination of stone, mithral, and a blackened material I had never seen before.

  “What’s that black stuff?” James beat me to the question.

  “They call it stone heart,” Jaken explained. As we walked by, he stopped to touch it. “The Dwarves say that it’s a creation made by their god to keep the magma away from the surface world. They can only mine so much of it because to mine more would mean putting the surface in danger. What I’ve found, though, is that this is a composite material that has mixed lava with ore veins for a stronger material that cools after a long time. Touch it.”

  We obliged him. The material felt warm to the touch—not uncomfortably so but warmer than stone should’ve been.

  “This stuff is hundreds of years old,” he whispered. “I’m pretty sure that the mixture is mithral as well because it melds well with the metal and the stuff is damned near impossible to break without the right tools and methods for mining. And that’s a family secret.”

  “What’re ye doin’, lad?” A Dwarven woman with thick muscles, a rosy complexion, and brown braids eyed us. “That be Jaken? Who are these ‘uns?”

  “Granda asked us to come by and have something to eat with him,”
Jaken explained.

  “Oh, aye?” Her eyebrows raised. “Well, follow me then, lads. I’ll take ye ta Granda.”

  “Thanks!” I smiled at her.

  “Ah, yer the fox, then?” She came closer to observe me. She looked over to James. “Aye, an’ a Dragon Elf? Wow, ye keep strange company Jaken, lad.”

  “I do.” Jaken grinned at her. “How have you been, Deltrif?”

  “Been good,” the Dwarf grunted. She turned and began to walk off. “Been working on tryin’ to level me smithin’ and minin’ up as best as I can. Be at around levels thirty-one and fifty-three respectively.”

  “Congratulations!” Jaken slapped her on the back. She barely moved. “Remind me, and I’ll buy you a pint.”

  She smiled and winked at him. “Oh, I will.”

  We walked after that in amicable silence. There was no sound of hammers against metal. There was no forge-like ambiance this evening. There were the sounds of singing, drinking, and eating in the building we walked by, but otherwise, it was quiet.

  We walked into the larger building. The inside was filled with row after row of anvils with no furnaces to heat the metal anywhere in sight, but it was sweltering inside. If I hadn’t had Coal inside me and the benefits he brought me, I would have been cooking. I could only imagine how Jaken felt in his armor.

  James looked perfectly fine, comfortable even, the rat bastard.

  We climbed a set of stairs to a room that appeared to look out over the floor below. This must be Granda’s office.

  Deltrif knocked on the door, and we heard shuffling a second before it opened. Granda stood behind the solid oak planks with a soft smile. “Welcome, lads, welcome. Come in. Deltrif, if ye would be so kind, have the servers bring a fine meal of whatever they be having downstairs.”

  “Aye, granda, I’ll see to it.” She gave the older Dwarf a peck on the cheek and waved bye to us. As she walked away, Granda smiled wistfully. “Beautiful lass. Strong, like her ma. Forges like her gran da.” He added that last bit with a sly wink and a flex of his arm.

  “It’s good to see you again, Granda.” I walked over and shook his hand. The old Dwarf pulled me into a hug and patted my arm before squeezing it.