It was somewhat true. I did spar a good deal growing up but never really got into a serious fight with a sword. Actually, no one really did back home.
Bolam looked at me and shrugged. “That is fine but I don’t have the money for a decent sword for you.
“Um…” I laughed, “Maybe when we go out, I’ll make myself a club to use.”
Bolam smiled, “Sounds fine with me.”
We eventually made it outside of Halatross. I was not very happy about leaving so late. Bolam seemed excited and antsy from waiting to travel.
“So, what’s the name of the place we’re going to?” I asked.
Bolam grinned, “Nevar’s Bog.”
I raised an eyebrow, “What’s so special about that place?”
Bolam pushed his glasses up. “It was named after an exiled elf hero. There should be some interesting things there for me to research.”
I was a bit confused, “What are exiled elves?”
Bolam looked at me strangely. “Dark elves… you didn’t know?”
I decided that since there was no one else on the road, I would tell Bolam about myself. There was a good stretch of farmland. The nearest person was way out in the field. Far enough out to where you couldn’t even tell what they were. The terrain was filled with tall grass and short hills. There were clusters of wild flowers in all sorts of colors.
Bolam laughed, “I am supposed to believe that you came from another world?”
I sighed, “Yeah, some guy named Xum’gol summoned me by mistake and Falstrid brought me to Halatross…”
Bolam shook his head, “Now you are telling me you know Grand Master Falstrid and met the great Lich Xum’gol? You are too funny!”
I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t believe me. Heck, I had trouble accepting the fact that the ground I was walking on wasn’t Earth. I pulled out my wallet and took out a credit card and my driver’s license and handed them to him. He adjusted his glasses and stared at them.
“What are these supposed to be? Wait, this one has a portrait of you.”
I nodded, “Yup, that’s a picture of me when I registered for my driver’s license. It was taken by a device called a camera.”
Bolam’s curiosity was evident. “Camera? It is too finely detailed to be done by hand. He looked at my credit card and seemed really impressed with the tiny hologram image on it.
I explained a bit more about my world like there was no magic and about several machines and such.
Bolam handed me back the cards and sighed, “That is really interesting, but forgive me for not believing you.”
I smiled, “That’s fine, I barely believe that I am here myself.” I then had an idea, “Hey Bolam, you know all sorts of magic right?”
Bolam looked almost insulted, “Of course, I am skilled in fire and knowledge based magic, what about it?”
I thought about how Falstrid and Xum’gol were unable to do anything to me with magic. So I thought that maybe someone like Bolam wouldn’t be able to do much either.
“Okay… um, cast any spell on me. Something other than some sort of fireball,” I explained.
Bolam laughed, “Are you serious?”
I smiled, “Xum’gol wasn’t able to cast anything on me and Falstrid’s magic didn’t work either. So maybe you will believe me if you try to and can’t. Don’t do one that makes me sleepy.”
Bolam laughed, “I don’t know that spell but I know what to cast.” We stopped walking and he started to chant. I could see his hands started to glow a bright orange color. I was sure hoping that he wasn’t going to light me on fire or anything.
“Huh… that is strange… let me try again,” Bolam said in a confused tone.
He started to chant once more. His hands started to glow again and then died down, nothing happened.
He scratched the back of his head. “Let me try something else.”
Bolam opened up his large book. He thumbed through the pages and began to chant. This time his hands started to glow a greenish color but then died down to nothing.
He closed his book and laughed. “Wow, you just might be telling the truth!”
We then left the main road and turned onto a dirt road that runs right along the river. “So how long will it take to reach this bog?” I asked.
Bolam smiled, “Two days, but we started late so I’m not sure.” This was a farther hike than I was used to.
It had been a long time since I had done any serious hiking back in Boy Scouts and I was a bit out of shape. Having two wounded arms didn’t help either. The left arm still hurt and felt a bit useless. I stared at my right arm and worried about having to face something nasty.
There was a good deal of farmland and small communities that made me feel a bit safer. I spent the rest of the day talking with Bolam about my world and the events that brought me here to this world.
Thankfully I found an ideal piece of wood on the ground that made for a decent club. It was a fallen branch with tiny twigs sticking out of it. I carefully snapped off the twigs as we walked. The handle area was good enough to grip with one hand. That made me feel a little safer.
That night, Bolam set up the campfire by some large boulders. There was enough windthat would have been a little miserable except for the large boulders blocking the bulk of it. I laid out my blankets and carefully ground off some of the pointy bits on the area of the club that I wished to grab. It would have been easier with the use of both hands.
Bolam was preparing a simple meal by the fire and turned toward me. “Food will be ready in a while. How are your injuries?”
I peeked at both wounds. The right forearm was scabbed over but still felt sore. The left hand was not so great.
After our burnt meal of some form of wild potatoes, I laid down to rest.
Bolam wiped his mouth, “Not much flavor but it is a blessing for travelers within these areas.”
I burped a little which brought back the burnt taste, but I was too hungry to complain. It was a weird potato. Looked like some small weed from the ground up. Thankfully Bolam knew what they were because I would never have thought uprooting it would have produced a large edible root below.
Bolam jammed his staff onto the dirt. A moment later the top of the staff started to glow.
He cleared his throat, took out a book and started to read to himself.
“What are you reading?” I asked.
Bolam sort of zoned out, but, after I asked again, he looked at me.
“Oh? Just an advanced-level magic book.” He closed it partially and displayed the cover to me.
I chuckled, “I’ll take your word for it. I haven’t learned how to read your language yet.”
Bolam chuckled as well, “I guess that makes sense. I wouldn’t mind learning your written word. Maybe we can help each other.” He sat the book down and reached in his pack for some paper and writing utensils.
I started to write the alphabet with a sharp writing coal. Bolam watched me write and asked what each character meant. “A, B, C? You don’t have that many characters” he commented.
I laughed, “Oh, you combine them to form other sounds.”
Bolam copied my list and shook his head, “That is a bit odd. Our characters are just sounds.” He then scribbled a few characters of his own. “This one is ah, and that one is eh.”
I sighed and started to write any word sounds that I could think of in my own language. Bolam and I started to copy from each other’s work and went through it a few times until we filled out both papers. Afterwards, we carefully rolled up our own copies and put them away for safe keeping.
Bolam let out a yawn, “So who will take the first watch?”
This world had its own version of paper rock scissors, but it was four elements: fire, air, water, and earth.
“Ha! I got earth!” Bolam said cheerfully.
I picked fire but apparently earth beats fire. Bolam got to get sleep first. That was fine because I’d rather have gotten the first watch done and over with
. I sat on my blankets and stared at the dying fire. I wasn’t sure how long I was supposed to be sitting there watching.
I zoned out thinking about various things. I was homesick but I was also excited just being there. And I was a little scared sitting out in the middle of nowhere with just a big stick and only one decent arm. The only sounds I could hear were the last flames from the campfire and the wind blowing through the tall grass and trees. I kept a tight grip on my club and thought about how I would use it if I were to see those freaky chogul things again. I really hoped I wouldn’t see any that night.
Bolam took over as soon as I caught myself nodding off. He used the time to read one of his books with the light from his staff. I laid back and fell asleep almost instantly. Bolam woke me up the next morning by tapping his staff next to my head. It didn’t feel like a full night’s sleep. It took me a minute to realize that my right arm felt fine. I pulled off the bandage and was surprised to see the claw marks reduced to tiny scabs.
Bolam looked surprised, “Weren’t there larger scabs yesterday?”
I smiled and nodded. “Now to see how my left arm is doing.” It still stung but felt better. I could use my hand just fine. It only hurt if I strained it. I couldn’t help but feel pumped from my rapid recovery. It was awesome!
I swung my club around with my right arm to get a feel for it. I occasionally grabbed it with both hands but felt a bit of pain from my left arm. I guessed I would have to rely on my right arm for the moment.
“So Bolam, why are you checking out the ruins in the bog?” I asked.
Bolam adjusted his fake glasses. “I am only a student. Soon I want to be ranked as a teacher but need to prove myself worthy.”
I raised a brow, “So they made you travel out here to prove yourself?”
Bolam shook his head. “No, my expertise is with studying magical objects and Nevar Bog has a high chance of storing various ancient items that would greatly help my research!” Bolam started to grin. “I don’t know of anyone ever venturing out there. I hope to discover something amazing!”
“, there might be some awesome stuff in the ruins, huh?” I said with some hope of finding something cool to take with me.
Bolam laughed, “Yes the tomb should still house some really fascinating items. Some which might not have been seen for centuries!”
My eyes widened, “Wait a minute… tomb? We are going to raid a tomb? Serious?”
Bolam laughed, “I thought I explained that. Oh, right-you couldn’t read my job post.”
I started to feel really uneasy. Tombs back home might not have been a huge danger but I already knew that this world had the undead. To be honest, I would rather not see any more of them ever again!
“I do hope that no one has ransacked the tomb. It would be a pity not to find anything of interest inside. Although, I highly doubt anyone would take cursed items,” Bolam lectured.
I stared back at Bolam, “Why would there be cursed items?”
Bolam explained, “Oh, it is not too uncommon to see cursed items in tombs and graves. Mostly to keep such ill items sealed away and also to prevent others from getting hold of them for fear of getting themselves cursed. There is also a legend that the dark elves became cursed and their artifacts became cursed with them. I really don’t know, but we might learn something about that when we go.”
I still didn’t like the idea of going to a tomb, though I was quite curious about what was over there. Plus I was hoping to maybe find some cool sword. Then I wouldn’t need to lug around a tree branch.
A couple of hours passed before the sun stood straight above us. My stomach began growling, telling me it was lunchtime. Bolam refilled the wineskins by the river as I grabbed some dried meat. It had a slightly sweet and spicy flavor. It was also quite tough to chew. After finishing my small meal I laid back and closed my eyes. Bolam didn’t seem to be in a huge rush. He sat down on a rock and started to read again.
“Hey, now!” Bolam called to me.
I must have fallen asleep but not for that long. I yawned, “Oh, sorry, I’ll go get my things.” I would have liked to have gotten at least an hour more rest, but he didn’t want to waste the day.
The terrain looked pretty much the same since we left the countryside. Tall grass, low hills, droopy looking trees and an occasional large rock covered the scenery. We spotted an old fallen wall out in the distance. Half the wall still stood while the rest had fallen in a pile of broken brick and stone.
As we walked toward the ruins, Bolam shrugged, “Why is there a wall out in the middle of nowhere? There are all sorts of ruins scattered all over the place. Some look like they might be forts, and some might have been early villages now long forgotten.”
I saw a few varying types of trees. The trees became more dense as Bolam and I walked closer. We passed the old wall and saw something that we wished we hadn’t seen . . . Choguls!
I counted four of them standing at a distance. They could hear us talking from far away and apparently some hid on the other side of the wall to ambush us. They were there to the left of us as we walked. When I saw them, I couldn’t help yelling, “Crap!” and sprinting forward.
Bolam followed me. My heart was pounding loud enough for anyone to hear.
Bolam yelled, “Keep them busy and I’ll cover you!”
That was easy for him to say. I moved my shoulders back to let my backpack fall. I got my right arm free but one of the choguls came into reach before I could get my left arm free.
This chogul had a huge club that he swung straight at me. I’m not sure if it was my own quick reaction or dumb luck, but my backpack sort of acted as a shield and blocked the club. I grabbed the strap with my left hand and figured I could keep using my backpack as a shield. I lifted my club and was ready to counter, but saw a second chogul coming at me with a hand axe. I made a wild swing toward the axe and, thankfully, prevented it from hitting me. I saw the other two choguls running around toward Bolam. “Oh, crap!” I thought.
The chogul with the club came at me again. I blocked it with my pack. The full load of blankets and food helped soften the blunt force of the strike. I took a step back and swung as hard as I could at the chogul. I could hear a sickening cracking sound as it impacted. I wasn’t sure if it was my club that cracked or his face but the chogul dropped right away. The one with the axe readied his axe and came at me again. I made another wild swing but missed him. The chogul leaned back to dodge my weapon. I could see him lift his hand axe toward me again.
Just then, the sound of an explosion could be heard behind me followed by a yelp. The chogul and I both turned our heads to see another of the choguls on the ground with his faced charred black. Bolam swatted at the other choguls as they came within range of his staff. Bolam might be a mage, but he was big enough to keep the choguls at bay.
The chogul with the axe and I looked at each other and both came at each other again. I aimed for his axe and knocked it out of his hands. A burst of adrenaline pumped through my veins. The chogul looked surprised as I let out a war cry and smacked that ugly thing as hard as I could. A mist of blood burst from the chogul and he soon joined his comrades.
I felt pumped! “Not so tough now that I have a weapon, huh?!”
Bolam yelled something, so my little victory was cut short. I turned and charged at the chogul that he was holding off. I let out another war cry that caused it to turn its head. Bolam’s staff impacted the snout of the creature and caused it considerable pain. I joined in and aimed for the head. Choguls heads are at an ideal height for me to target, and this one dropped as well.
Bolam took a few deep breaths. “Good job!”
I took several deep breaths myself. The thrill of the fight waned and pain shot through my left arm. The pack took the bulk of the blows, but it still hurt. I dropped my pack and wiped sweat from my forehead.
My head was still spinning and my heart was pounding. That was awesome! I killed three of those scary things! Well, Bolam did help with the last one.
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I lifted my club up high and felt really good about myself. The club had a big crack down the center, but it did its job.
Bolam chuckled a bit, “I guess you really are a fighter!”
I smiled but heard something in the far distance. Bolam and I turned toward the north and saw more choguls and a very large man with them.
More of those freaking choguls and a bald man that looked too big to be human… oh, crap! It was an ogre! The ogre stood maybe eight feet tall and looked to be wearing common clothing. The thing that got my attention was the huge weapon he was holding. It looked like a huge sledgehammer. It looked much too heavy for anyone like me to lift, but he didn’t seem to have any problem with it.
Bolam took a step back and gasped, “This is not good!”
I strongly agreed.
The ogre and his small friends stopped and took notice of us. They did not seem very happy to see their other friends lying right by us dead.
The ogre grunted, “I will break your bones into bits!”
He lifted his hammer and moved toward us. The other choguls raised their weapons and followed the charge. I bit my lower lip and held my weapon. Any morale that was boosted from the last fight was quickly destroyed.
“Hey, stupid!” a voice called from the wall. The ogre stopped and turned. I looked over and saw a man in leather armor. He had a small plate of armor covering his chest and stomach as he stood proudly on top of the wall. The man had brown wavy hair and a big scar that came down on the left side of his face.
He lifted his mace and pointed it at the ogre, “Today is not a good day for you. For, the great hero, Jerak, is here for your head!”
Bolam and I looked at each other.
Chapter 3
“I never heard of you!” The ogre grunted.
“You have to be a complete imbecile not to be afraid of me! Or perhaps you seek death?” Jerak taunted.
The ogre grunted loudly and charged toward him. Jerak stood there and waited for the ogre to come into range. The ogre pulled back his hammer and swung mightily toward Jerak. Jerak sidestepped the hammer as it crashed into the wall, breaking off large chunks. Before the ogre could recover, Jerak swung his mace downward at the ogre’s face.
Dragon Hero Page 5