by F. P. Spirit
Lloyd gazed admiringly at the black metal blade. “That is a really nice sword.”
Glo looked from Lloyd to the star metal blade to the lightning strike hammer. “Well, now that we know what it is, I suppose I could just research its origins.”
Seth let out a short laugh. “I think Lloyd is going to burst if he doesn’t get that sword.”
There was a moment of silence, then Aksel bowed his head slightly. “Go ahead. The hammer is rather unwieldy anyway, and a sword that can cut through almost anything might come in handy.”
Still strumming his lute, Elladan turned to face the dreamy-eyed shopkeeper. “Well then, do we have a deal? The hammer for the sword?”
“Done!” Haltan’s voice rang out with no real emotion.
Elladan turned to Lloyd. “Go ahead. Pick it up.”
Lloyd glanced around at the others and then grasped the black metal sword. A grin broke out across his face as he lifted it from the counter. He hefted it and it almost shot up to the ceiling. The grin on his face grew wider. “This thing is as light as a feather!”
Elladan could not help but smile at the young warrior’s joy. Aksel, Glo, and Seth all chuckled in turn. Elladan observed they were still alone, but they really shouldn’t dwell here any longer. What he was doing was not exactly illegal, but it was somewhat unethical. Still, it had been the only way to get the truth from the dubious shopkeeper.
“We should leave now,” he said quietly. Lloyd looked up from his new blade and nodded his understanding. They all made their way to the door, Elladan following the others. As the others filed outside, Elladan turned back around. He called across the store to Haltan, “Nice doing business with you.” He slung his lute over his shoulder, then spun around and exited the store, pulling the door shut behind him.
The companions hustled quietly down the street, not slowing until they reached the curve in the road. Haltan’s shop was soon out of sight. Seth was the first to break the silence. “You know, he’s not going to be very happy when he snaps out of it and realizes what you did.”
Elladan shrugged. “Probably not, but short of magic, there was no other way we were getting the truth out of that one. And anyway, his original deal was outrageous. Maybe he’ll think twice from now on before he tries to swindle a bard.”
Giant
He flew like a mage’s missile straight into the monster’s back
Early the next morning, the companions returned to Ravenford Keep. When they reached the front gate, Francis was on guard duty. “Ah, if it isn’t the Heroes of Stone Hill—or should we be calling you the Heroes of the Bendenwoods now?” The affable guard immediately shook his head. “That doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?”
Elladan placed a hand on the guard’s shoulder. “Trust me, there’s an art to it, my friend. When we’re done with this next set of business, stop by the inn. We’ll put our heads together and come up with something.”
A shy smile spread across the guard’s face. “I’ll have to take you up on that.”
Aksel wore an amused expression as he addressed the likeable fellow. “In the meantime, the baron asked us to return here. He said there were some things he could use our help with.”
“Certainly. I’ll take you to see Captain Gelpas. He would know what the baron had in mind. Follow me.”
Francis left the second guard alone at the gate and led the group into the castle. They followed him through the main hall and down a side hall that led to the officers’ quarters. Gelpas had an office there. It was a fairly sparse room, mostly taken up by a desk and some chairs. There were a few cabinets along one wall and a rack where the captain’s belt and sword currently hung. The town coat of arms hung on the wall behind him. Gelpas sat at his desk, intently scouring parchments strewn about on the furniture surface.
Francis cleared his throat. “Excuse me, sir. You have some guests.”
Gelpas looked up from his desk, his brow furrowed. His expression immediately turned to one of recognition, though his demeanor remained serious. He rose from his desk and stepped around it to greet them. “Ah, gentlemen. Welcome. I trust you have finished all your business around town?”
Aksel spoke for the group, “Yes, captain, as a matter of fact, we have.”
“Good, good. You couldn’t have returned at a more opportune time. There is something that has come up which could use immediate attention.” Gelpas spun back around and rummaged through the pile of parchments on his desk. After a few moments of searching, he picked one up which had been partially buried. “Here it is.”
Lloyd stepped forward anxiously. “What is it?”
A thin smile spread across the captain’s lips as he gazed at the young warrior. “It seems that the source of the trouble up north has finally materialized.” He read from the parchment aloud. “A hill giant is terrorizing farmsteads up around Bardon’s Gap. It started a few weeks ago with broken fences and missing livestock, but the creature has grown bolder over time. Last week, two farmsteads were entirely wiped out.”
Elladan stepped forward and gazed over the captain’s shoulder. “Bardon’s Gap? Isn’t that at the eastern end of the Vogels?”
Gelpas glanced up at him. “Yes, as a matter of fact. Why?”
Elladan cocked his head to one side. “I was just wondering if this was somehow related to those black mages we ran into.”
Glo’s eyes narrowed. “What are you thinking?”
“I was thinking, why would a hill giant suddenly leave its home and raid farms down in the valley?”
Gelpas stared at the bard intently. “You think this creature was driven out? By these black mages?”
Elladan nodded. “Think about it. First the orcs raid caravans, and now a hill giant attacks the farms north of here. It’s almost like someone is targeting this area.”
Silence fell over the room. It lasted for a few moments until Glo chimed in. “It does make a certain amount of sense.”
“Maybe,” Aksel said slowly, “but we still have no hard evidence to tie these things together.”
Gelpas stood with his arms crossed, his expression grim. “Well, if you do find evidence of such a threat, bring it to me immediately, day or night. For the moment, however, this giant needs to be stopped.”
“Consider it done,” Aksel responded.
Gelpas gave him a slight nod, then stepped back around his desk. “When can you leave?”
Aksel considered it for a moment. “We should be able to start out within the hour.”
“Excellent.” Gelpas reached for a quill and noted something on the parchment. “Oh, and there is a 4,000 gold piece reward. Return here for it when you get back.”
The companions bid the captain adieu and left the keep. On their way out, Seth rubbed his hands together. “That should do it!”
Aksel smiled at the halfling’s exuberance. “That should give us enough gold for those scrolls from Maltar, but how about we finish this job first?”
Seth waved the gnome off. “Details, details. One giant. How hard could it be?”
Glo barely suppressed a smile. When Seth had his mind set on something, there was no talking him out of it. The halfling wasn’t the only eager one though; Lloyd was bounding with excitement. His words blurred together as he spoke. “Speaking of details, are we going to work with Titan and Brundon again?”
Seth’s mouth twisted into a half smirk. “Do we have to?”
Lloyd was taken aback. “I thought you liked Titan?”
Glo placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Ignore him, Lloyd. He just likes to complain.”
Seth let out a short laugh. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Aksel decided to weigh in. “We will have more than enough money to afford those scrolls even if we hire them out.” He turned toward Elladan. “We’
ve been offering them 50 gold pieces apiece each day.”
The bard gave him a slight nod. “Sounds reasonable.” He paused a moment, his head tilting slightly. “You know, since you seem to hire them out a lot, I can work that out as a standard fee.”
Aksel considered it for a moment. “That would save time.”
“Alright. I’ll go find them and work out the details.”
“Just have them meet us in front of the inn within the hour.”
The companions had stopped at the base of the hill below the keep. Elladan flashed them a pearly smile, then took off in the direction of the Charging Minotaur. Glo watched him go with amusement. “I think he likes to haggle almost as much as sing.”
“Well, lucky for us he’s good at both,” Aksel agreed. “In the meantime, Glo and I will pick up rations for the road. Seth, Lloyd, go pick up the mounts.”
Seth’s tone was rather dry. “Sure.”
Aksel chose to ignore him.
Glo went with Aksel to Pheldan’s shop. There he ran into Xelda. She greeted him in excellent elvish. “Quel amrun. Nae saian luume.’” It meant Good morning. It has been too long.
Glo felt bad. He had come to enjoy these daily lessons, but today he would have to cancel. “Amin hiraeth, Xelda. Amin aa’ il govad yassen lle sina re” which meant I’m sorry, Xelda. I cannot meet with you today.
Her smile faded. “Why not?”
“We are headed up to Bardon’s Gap. There’s a giant destroying farms up there.”
Xelda’s expression darkened, her voice thick with emotion. “That is indeed horrible, but why must you always be the one to face these dangers?”
Glo was taken aback. He had not expected such a fervent reaction from her. “It is what I came here for—to help people with my gifts.”
Xelda turned away from him, folding her arms across her chest. Her tone was icy. “And what if you die in doing so?”
Glo was at a loss for words. He could not fathom why the young half-elf had suddenly grown so cold. “But…Xelda…if I did not…I wouldn’t be who I am.”
She spun around and glared at him, her brown eyes aflame with anger. “Fine!” she spat. “Go ahead and get yourself killed. And for what? Fame? Glory? Those are hollow trophies to put upon one’s shelf.”
Glo’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t known she had felt so strongly about this. He took a deep breath and tried to explain once more. “It’s…not…like that. I don’t care about the fame or the glory. My gifts were given to me for a reason—to make this world a better place. If I do not try, then what good are they?”
The anger in her eyes abated somewhat. She glared at him a moment longer, then turned her back on him. “Well then, you should go. Your destiny awaits you.” She took a few steps, then stopped. “I just hope you can live with the lonely path you have chosen.” With that she strode away across the store and disappeared into the backroom. Glo suddenly felt numb. His eyes lingered on the doorway where she had disappeared for he knew not how long. A familiar voice finally made him turn away.
“What was that all about?”
Aksel stood next to him. Glo shook his head, still uncertain as to what had just happened. “I do not know. I merely told her I would be away today—that we were hunting down that giant. I am not sure why she got so upset.”
Aksel merely shrugged his shoulders.
“Xelda’s always been a fiery one, just like her mother,” Pheldan said. The old half-elf teetered over to join them. “I never quite knew what would set her off either, but if I had to guess, I would say you got under her skin, young elf.”
Glo raised an eyebrow. He had never thought of it that way. As far as he knew, he and Xelda were merely friends. He gazed at Pheldan uncertainly. “Should I go talk to her?”
Pheldan slowly shook his head. “It’ll do you no good. Xelda’s a stubborn one. Once she’s made up her mind, I’m afraid that’s that.”
Glo felt like an idiot. His stomach churned from the mixed emotions that welled up inside him. If Pheldan was right, he had ended any chance of a relationship with Xelda before it had even begun.
Pheldan drew close, lowering his voice. “It’s been rough raising her on my own. My wife, Firla’nes, left us before she was born, and both her mother and father died during the dragon attack.” The old half-elf’s eyes misted over. “I lost both Firla’nes and my dear daughter, Narila, within the span of two years.”
Glo felt his heart wrench. Pheldan had lost so much so swiftly. His voice caught as he spoke, “Was that…the dragon, Ullarak?”
Pheldan wiped the tears from his eyes. He gave them a slight nod. “Yes. It was eighteen years ago, just after Xelda was born. The dragon hit us with no warning. It tore into the keep and slew the old baron before any of us knew what happened. Xelda’s father was up there…”
He paused a moment as more tears streamed from his eyes. Glo reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Pheldan continued, his voice breaking as he spoke, “We heard…the roars from down here…greenish smoke rose above the keep. Narila went…running up the hillside. She never…made it…”
The old half-elf stopped, his voice choking. Glo felt the blood drain from his face.
“I’m so sorry,” Aksel said, his voice barely above a whisper. The little gnome had gone pale as well.
“It’s…it’s alright,” Pheldan managed to say. “Most of us…lost loved ones that day.” He wiped his eyes once more and cleared his throat. “When the dragon finished with the keep, it turned on the town. It was a couple of months before Gryswold and his party arrived. They hunted the beast down and in the end slew it, but by that time most folks were either dead or had run away.”
Glo was at a loss for words. So much death. It was horrible. It also explained why Xelda had gotten so mad at him. She had lost both her mother and father to a monster—she couldn’t face the chance of losing someone else. Glo let out a deep sigh. She is probably better off without me.
He and Aksel spent a while longer at the shop consoling the old half-elf. The little cleric said a few prayers with him for his lost loved ones. When they were done, they said their goodbyes to Pheldan and left. As they walked down the road, Glo glanced back at the shop one last time. He resolved to himself that he would not return. Xelda was far better off without him.
Less than an hour later, the small company met in front of the Charging Minotaur. Titan and Brundon waited there with Elladan as promised. The company soon headed out, turning north at the end of the block. They continued in that direction, passing to the east of the keep. A short while later, they had left town, headed up the north road toward Bardon’s Gap and their inevitable clash with the rampaging giant.
Later that evening, Brundon and Elladan stood at the bar of the Charging Minotaur. They were surrounded by a crowd of patrons, all rapt in the latest tale of the heroes’ exploits. The duo took turns describing their clash with the hill giant. Brundon waved his mug around, ale sloshing around in all directions. “The giant was on the run, the ground shaking with its every step. The gap between us began to widen—it was getting away! Suddenly Lloyd launched into the air. He flew like a mage’s missile straight into the monster’s back. Boom!”
Brundon illustrated with his free hand, making a flying motion through the air in front of him. Those gathered around the bar held their breath, waiting for the tracker to continue his story, but Brundon passed the tale over to Elladan. The bard’s voice rang out across the entire tavern, rising and falling in a fevered pitch. The crowd was enthralled.
“Lloyd smashed into the giant with all the might he could muster. So great was that blow that it toppled the creature, slamming it hard into the hillside. The ground trembled all around as the earth itself protested from the force of the tremendous impact. When the shaking finally stopped, Lloyd stood over the monster, his great black blade ready. The m
onster tried to rise, but then the mighty Titan joined the fray. The giant roared, huge arms and legs swinging wildly in all directions, but they were no match for the ferocity of the two warriors. They fought on with swords of vengeance, seeking retribution for the lives of those poor farmers the monster had so callously snuffed out. The battle raged on back and forth until finally, one mighty blow struck true. The sun shone blood red in the west as the foul creature gasped its last breath. The monster fell still, its reign of terror ended once and for all.”
At the end of Elladan’s narration, the room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. It lasted for a few moments, then the entire inn began to applaud. They rose to their feet as one and cheered, lifting mugs to Elladan and Brundon and the rest of the companions over in their booth. “To Lloyd!” many cried. “To Titan!” others yelled. “To the Heroes of Stone Hill!” even others shouted.
Elladan and Brundon were swarmed at the bar as patrons strode up to shake their hands and buy them more ales. A number of folks came up the booth to thank the rest of them. Lloyd, Titan, and even Glo, Aksel, and Seth received praise and thanks for their part in the slaying of the murderous giant. More rounds of ale were bought, Kailay and Morwen busily hurrying back and forth from the bar with more mugs than the companions could keep up with. Finally, things began to settle down.
Lloyd leaned forward and whispered quietly to the others, “I didn’t really look like that, did I?”
Seth leaned back with his feet up, enjoying the aftermath of the show. “Close enough.”
Titan raised her mug to him. “I have to say, I was impressed.” Her gaze grew wistful. “I wish I could fly through the air like that.”
Glo had been curious about that, but in all the mayhem forgot to ask Lloyd about it. “So that was another one of those spiritblade techniques?”
The young man grinned self-consciously. “Yeah, it’s called Soaring Dragon. I really only mastered it yesterday.”
Titan shook her head, a thin smirk gracing her lips. “Looks like I’m going to have to step up my game to keep up with you.”