A little way down the road we spotted a broken wagon on the side of the road. “They have been attacking our night shift workers when they cross this road. So far, we have only sustained a few minor injuries, but they destroy our wagons and burn our shipments,” he explained. Next to the wagon laid several burned up tree trunks, which still smelled of smoke. He continued, “They have yet to attack the camp which boggles our minds.”
Jerak kicked a stray piece of the fallen wagon, “Why not just move your lumber during the day?”
The dwarf sighed, “We have been for the past week or so, but our productivity is reduced because of it. We fear that they might soon become bold enough to attack in the camp.”
The dwarf paced, “We had the guards patrolling the road between Trawlast and Golashe but they haven’t had any luck finding the vile creatures. We have spotted them in this area every night, but we don’t have the manpower to hunt them down and protect our camp at once.”
Teltar rubbed his beard and looked at the dwarf, “So you want us to stay here while the rest of you hunker down at the camp?”
The dwarf nodded, “Yes, we are armed with crossbows and can fortify the camp quite well, but we are not hunters. Forming a posse to chase them would just leave us with the risk of losing men.”
Jerak smiled, “Do not worry! We have experience with such things!”
We followed the dwarf back to camp for dinner. I had goose bumps all over my body. I was really not sure how well I would do here. The choguls were weaker than us, but I was sure they would outnumber the three of us. I stared at my left forearm. I really didn’t want to get thrashed again. At least Jerak and Teltar were with me. I was quite certain Teltar was a very capable fighter, though they had said the choguls were well organized. I swallowed and hoped that I was overestimating our foes.
Dinner was chili and sourdough rolls. A warm meal in this world always felt like a treat. I like dried meat and fruit once in a while, but it isn’t something I want to eat every day. The chili tasted really good but I refrained from eating too much. I figured getting a cramp in the middle of a battle would be a bad thing. The dwarves mostly talked about work and their families back in Golashe or Trawlast. Eventually they asked where we are from.
Jerak explained he was from the fishing village of Icreryn. They didn’t bother asking Teltar; they must have known for some time. “So you there with the fancy helmet, where are you from?” one of them asked me. I paused and tried to come up with a believable lie. I glanced at Jerak who didn’t really know what to say either. I swallowed my food and just smiled, “Oh, I am from overseas.”
The dwarf who had addressed me nodded, “From the Lyonus Empire, eh? How is it over there?”
I nodded, “Uh… last time I was there, it was still standing.” The dwarf and a few others laughed. I sighed in relief as the conversation turned from me.
After dinner and more chitchat we geared up and headed down the road. My pulse was racing from anxiety and excitement. “Now Blake, when you face more than one opponent like the stupid choguls, here is a tip…” Jerak coached.
I put my helmet on, “Yeah…?”
Jerak continued, “Sometimes, in a group, they are overly confidant and don’t expect a head-on charge. That often makes them panic, at least long enough that you should be able to dispatch one.”
Teltar looked at me, “You are not seasoned, huh?”
Jerak answered for me, “He will be fine! He once took out several ghouls without a scratch. He has been trained by one of the greatest fighters of all time!”
Teltar raised a brow, “Oh? Who trained you?” Jerak pointed to himself and grinned. Teltar rolled his eyes.
We sat behind the wrecked wagon for who knows how long. Jerak doodled in the dirt with a small stick. Teltar leaned back and quietly rested while waiting. I was nervous as heck and even the faintest noise made me jump. I held my two short swords and took several deep breaths to calm myself down. Several chogul shouldn’t be much of a threat with the three of us. We awoke from our daydreaming when Teltar tapped us each on the shoulder. We peeked over the broken wagon. The enemy had arrived.
There were so many of them! I was expecting like seven or so. There were at least twenty! Behind the choguls, stood a dark figure atop a horse. I guessed he must have been the mastermind of all this mayhem. I took a deep swallow and just stared at the horde. The choguls didn’t seem to spot us but how could we face such numbers? The shadowy figure moved his arms and appeared to be holding something. A second later I saw an arrow coming straight at my face.
My life passed before my eyes but didn’t get far before the arrow bounced off my helmet. My jaw dropped and I let out a huge sigh of relief. The chogul horde turned in our direction and Teltar yelled, “Head for the woods!” Teltar jumped to his feet and took off running towards the trees. Jerak and I both complied and swiftly followed. I glanced behind me to see a large group of choguls pursuing.
The space between the trees would make it nearly impossible for that horseman to follow us but the chogul were small enough to run through with ease. Teltar made a sharp turn north but I was too scared to even ponder what his plan was. We made the turn and saw the choguls had spread out while chasing us in the woods. Teltar stopped, “Keep moving!” he ordered. Jerak and I kept running past him. I could hear Teltar confronting the choguls shortly after we passed him.
“Flank!” Teltar yelled. Jerak nodded and turned to the right. I almost followed him but something told me to turn left. I darted back south and could see the figures up ahead. Some of the choguls were already splitting up to get Jerak and me. Three were waiting for me. I lowered my head and charged them like a bull. It wasn’t the smartest move; I clipped the tree and felt a claw-mark on my right bicep.
My head was still ringing but the pain snapped me back to reality. I made two wild swings with both my weapons. I hit something soft with my right but felt metal on my left. I could hear howling and growling echo from the trees. Two were in my range but the third was trying to move around the close-knit trees. I manage to wound one but only accomplished ticking it off even more.
I barely blocked the short sword thrust at me. I countered with my other weapon and stabbed the base of the chogul’s neck. The other one smacked me hard on the back with something blunt. I cringed from the pain and stumbled forward. I grit my teeth and jammed my sword right into that beast. It yelped as my blade plunged into its gut. I coughed out something and saw the third chogul making its way toward me.
My vision was limited though the moons shone brightly. The trees obscured the already dim light and increased the chaos. I pulled my blade back just as another club came down at me. I shoved the chogul forward and lunged for the kill. These guys weren’tto overpower but in such numbers they were just nasty! I took a few deep breaths then heard Teltar yelling something.
I turned and saw dark figures moving about nearby. The tall one was Jerak and the wide one was Teltar but there were several smaller ones moving all around them. I tightened my grip on both blades and rushed to their aid. The numbers were staggering! Teltar and Jerak had been holding their own but backed up slowly as they were all but surrounded.
Two choguls stood with their backs exposed to me. I ran in and thrust into both their backs at once. They yelped loudly and fell to the ground. Two less to worry about. A few others saw their allies fall and realized I was still around.
“This is crazy!” Jerak yelled.
Teltar shouted back, “Let’s pull out!” I nodded as I saw several of them coming toward me.
The three of us took off running east and out of the woods. Sweat was pouring down the sides of my face and I wondered if our little tactic had done any good. The pain in my lower back was starting to bother me. The sound of angry choguls kept me moving, though. When we reached the clearing, the horseman was nowhere to be found but there were more choguls just waiting for us.
The three of us continued toward them. There were roughly half a dozen of them. Jer
ak and I had already charged into two. I extended my short swords and felt one of the blades impale a chogul. Jerak’s mace met with one of their skulls, and a second later a great sword pierced another. Teltar yelled, “I’ll handle these, go!”
Jerak elbowed me, “Let’s get to the wagon and take!”
I was worried for Teltar until I heard several more painful yelps from the choguls. Teltar was the sort that could easily take care of three choguls on his own. I barely did it myself, but I was a novice compared to him. The rest of the choguls appeared from the woods and paused to stare at Teltar and our group. Jerak yelled, “Hey you ugly rats! Come get us!” He tossed a rock and actually hit one of them in the shoulder. I almost laughed when it cried out. Jerak’s taunt worked a little too well.We watched as ten or more chogul moved toward us.
Jerak and I backed up to the wrecked wagon. I really didn’t know what to do. Teltar was already finishing off the last of the small group we faced. Jerak waited and so did I. They moved in close and I charged straight for them, swinging bothblades wildly. It didn’t take long before choguls swarmed around me. I could feel each sword strike solid and soft targetsover and over again From the corner of my eye, I saw Jerak flailing away. He was smart enough to attack the outside instead of charging the middle.
They just kept coming at me. My blades were doing some damage but my reckless assault left me open.I felt a stabbing pain by my ribs. The wound felt bone-deep. I leaned back and cried from the pain. I felt the tearing of claw-swipes and a bite or two. A painful strike to my stomach from something blunt took me to the ground. Above the noise of growling choguls, I could hear Jerak yelling my name. My body dropped and found myself on the ground.
I could feel the weight of them, stomping and clawing at me. I winced from the pain and tried push myself up but my wounds had taken all my strength. It was all I could do to breathe and wiggle my body just a little. My head was swimming and my vision started to get darker. Was I going to die?
Chapter 6
There was darkness all around me. I found myself waking up in a black void. I couldn’t feel my body, nor could I move. I wondered if I really did die. The sound of a slow heartbeat filled the air around me. I laid there listening to the heart beat. What was it? All of a sudden, the sound of slow, heavy breathing joined the heartbeat. What was going on?
“Interesting!!”
A deep voice boomed from every angle. My eyes focused on what was in front of me. Two large yellow eyes formed out of the darkness. The pupils of the eyes were not human but reptilian. The eyes shone brightly, and I could tell there was quite a bit of intelligence in them.
The voice spoke again, “How am I unable to affect you until now?”
I stared at the eyes and couldn’t even think of what to say. I was not even sure if my mouth worked.
The voice laughed a little, “So very interesting!”
The eyes seemed as if they were staring through me. There was a moment of silence until it spoke again.
“Hmm, not a mortal… I see some use for you.”
I felt as though I floated there as I wondered who or what this was and what use it had for me.
“I will grant you all the power that I am able to spare if you free me from this shell,” it explained.
Free it? Wait was this? Was it a spirit that was trapped in the helmet? The voice spoke again as if it could read my mind.
“Indeed, locate all of the other pieces and I will give you my blessings.”
The eyes began to close slowly and, right as they closed . . . “For now I will offer what I can. Do not fail.”
My body began to swell with a fiery feeling. There was so much pain from my mouth, I just had to yell. My joints stiffened and I could feel nearly every part of my body tensing. I opened my eyes and jumped to my feet. Everything was dark red. I felt an overwhelming surge of power. A few figures flew into the air as I stood. All I could see was their silhouettes, but I somehow knew what needed to be done.
The figures came right into view. I lunged forward and punched at one with my fist. The force of my punch sunk into it and shoved it to the ground. Another one came toward me. I grabbed its raised arm and slammed it into the ground. Their bodies felt like rag dolls to me. I clenched my teeth and charged into more standing figures. I lowered my head and charged. It felt like brittle bowling pins splintering as I broke through them. The burning feeling throughout my body grew stronger as I swung with both fists toward the crowd of figures.
Each punch sent a figure flying which motivated me to attack more. I grabbed one of them by the shoulder and head-butted it. Its body went limp after one good slam to the face. I tossed that corpse aside and went for another. I charged against a few more and started to beat each one to a lifeless pulp with my fists. My brain was spinning and suddenly I felt very light headed.
The feeling of pain came back to my body and my limbs gave out. I soon collapsed to the ground and my vision returned to normal. I saw dead choguls lying all around me. A nauseous feeling came over me and everything started to get blurry. My body stung all over. I coughed out stuff which I knew was partly blood. I could tell by the copper taste of it. The last thing I saw was someone running toward me before everything faded to black.
As I came to, I could hear Jerak’s voice followed by Teltar’s.
“What do you mean he is a fast healer?” Teltar asked.
Jerak then spoke, “Oh, like I said, he is able to heal faster than a normal human because he is from another world.”
I opened my eyes and everything looked so bright and blurry. Every inch of my body felt beyond sore. Just opening my eyes felt like an overwhelming chore.
“Oh, he is awake!” Jerak exclaimed cheerfully.
I turned my eyes and saw him leaning over,
“Oh, man! You’ve been thrashed up pretty bad!”
My vision became a little clearer. I saw that it was day time and that we were on a wagon.
“We were worried that you might have been dead,” Teltar sighed.
Jerak chuckled, “When those chogul overtook you, I thought you were dead for sure, but you surprised them! I mean you surprised us!”
Teltar nodded, “I am not sure what you did, but it did a lot of damage to those filthy beasts.”
I coughed out more stuff but at least it wasn’t blood this time. My ribs hurt too much to attempt to cough again.
Teltar looked over at me. “You should save your vitality and sleep. We will reach Golashe soon.”
The pain made it hard to sleep. The fact that I was more tired than I could ever recall in my life won over the pain. I occasionally woke up to a bump on the road which was a stern reminder of my wounds. I laid there with my eyes closed and listened to Jerak talk about the fight and about me.
“Yeah, he even took out two with one punch!” Jerak explained.
I could hardly recall what had happened. There was this black void and those glowing eyes then everything became fuzzy. My head hurt just trying to think about it.
I opened my eyes just in time to see the western entrance to Golashe. It was loud and filled with dwarves and a few other races working together. Jerak leaned over into my field of vision.
“Hey! Don’t worry about getting up; we have a thing to carry you on!”
Teltar grunted, “It is called a stretcher. Try not to move too fast.”
Jerak nodded, “Ah, I just stumbled; I didn’t mean to bump him against the side of the wagon… besides, he looks fine!”
Teltar sighed, “He doesn’t look fine to me.”
After a short trip through town, the wagon stopped. Jerak and Teltar began to lift me up carefully out of the wagon. The difference in height between Teltar and Jerak left me a bit slanted but I didn’t seem to be sliding, so I guess it was fine. I just hoped I didn’t get a head rush. Jerak carried the back of the stretcher.
“Don’t worry about your things. I put them in the pack.”
Teltar mumbled to himself, but I couldn’t make out wh
at he was saying. Okay, here comes the head rush, I thought to myself.
I ended up looking at the ceiling of a building. The only reason I knew where we were was because of the ropes and pulleys that went across.
“What happened?!” a voice cried out.
Teltar answered, “He got a few injuries and we’re going to let him rest.”
Jerak smiled, “Don’t worry, he is a fast healer and we can cover the cost of the room.” Jerak looked down at me, “Hey, I found a few small bits of silver in the dirt. I’m not sure how much they would be worth.”
They sat me down on the floor of the room in the inn. I was soon seeing a plain wooden ceiling. It felt nicer not being moved around and not getting a head rush. Teltar looked down at me.
“Just get some rest. I hope you heal as fast as your friend says.”
Jerak walked over and looked down at me again. He took out a few tiny pieces of silver.
“There wasn’t much silver on the choguls but this should cover the cost of the room for a few days.”
I stared at the tiny pieces of silver and felt the urge to lick my teeth… wait something wasn’t right. I licked my teeth a few more times to confirm it. Yes, for some reason several of my teeth were sharp! The front teeth seemed normal but the others were actually fangs! At least four on each side, top and bottom rows were not normal. The teeth were at least double their length and sharp enough to bite something off. I started to recall that after my visit with the dark void my mouth was in some kind of pain.
I stared back at the tiny bits of silver and, realizing what they were, spoke softly, “Those are my fillings.”
“What?” Jerak exclaimed.
I tried to lift my hand and point but I couldn’t even move a finger yet. I took a few deep breaths which still hurt quite a bit. I was going to say something but it hurt to speak and I was not sure how to explain it. Jerak looked at my teeth and then back at me.
Dragon Hero Page 12