The Sufferer's Chronicle_Book 1_The Soul Prison

by Derek Hampton

  Chapter 13

  The next couple of days were actually rather peaceful. Dedricus had taken plenty of time to reflect on himself and tried coming to terms with what happened at Relothra. It was still tough to submit to it. While the group had packed plenty of supplies, they needed to stop at a nearby town for water. Carrying on without stocking up would be a mistake.

  They were now out of Horas’ territory and found themselves in the region controlled by Thogar Bransson. The area was surprisingly well kept, largely untouched by the conflict afflicting the rest of the country. Trees grew much more spread apart and the color of the grass had faded to a bright yellow-green color.

  About a mile ahead was the town of Amberbrook. Ari had been to the place before, describing it as a humble farming village. It was actually the largest source of produce in all of the country. Their food production accounted for the majority of Thogar’s earnings. He kept garrisons to the north, ready to defend from invaders.

  There was only a couple hours of sunlight left and the group figured stopping in a town for the night would be a good rest. Walking with haste, Amberbrook started coming into greater view. It rest atop the only hill they had seen in days. It had no walls, and was made up of a collection of buildings. From what they could see, the road led directly into it.

  Two banners hung on wooden poles at the entrance. They depicted a bundle of tan wheat bushels on a green background. Cheering and joyful yelps could also be heard. It was obvious some kind of celebration was going on.

  “The Harvest Festival!” exclaimed Ari, his eyes glistening with joy.

  “That’s this week? I’ve heard of it, but never been.”

  “Yeah. It’s a week-long celebration dedicated to a good harvest. I went our first year here in the Highlands.”

  “If we’re staying the night, we might as well check it out after getting rooms.”

  As the group came into Amberbrook, they found themselves in a place dressed up for the occasion. Stalls for activities, games, and merchants were set up all throughout the town, placed before the clay and wood buildings.

  They’d need to find an inn and set down their heavy bags before they could get to enjoying the festival. Ari knew of a couple cheaper places, but assumed they’d be full with all the buzz. Even worse, Amberbrook was a small town. It would be that much harder to find lodgings.

  Turning down one street, they found a row full of games. The first place the Elf wanted to check was down near the end. Despite this, the urge to play was strong amongst them all. A voice called out from one of the stalls.

  “Hey Kid! Win something nice for the lady, eh?” invited one of the game keepers to Dedricus.

  “Wait, what? For her? No, no, no. It’s not like that.”

  Kasyra laughed aloud, trying to hide the redness in her own face, and tapped her friend in the gut with the back of her hand. She claimed that it didn’t have to be like that for him to win a prize for her. He grew a determined scowl, finding the time to prove to her, before stomping over to the stall.

  “Alright, how much for one game?”

  “One gold piece.” replied the man, placing his elbow down on the counter and raising a brow suggestively.

  “You don’t even know the game yet!”

  “This guy’s trying me.”

  “I promise you he isn't, but whatever.”

  He stomped over to the stall, digging through his pouch of coins in a fury. It mattered little as to what the game was, it was an opportunity to win something for her.

  Behind the stall was a small wooden slope, with four stoppers and holes below them. Each hole had a number painted on its respective stopper, starting with one. The game keeper handed the mercenary a ball.

  It was a simple game. Roll four balls and score at least a ten. If he won, he would be allowed to pick from one of the five prizes that rest on the counter.

  Dedricus flashed a confident grin, rearing back the first ball. He unleashed the ball with his full force. It flew up the ramp, avoiding all four stoppers and hitting the top of the stall. It landed back into the dirt with a thud.

  Silence fell over everyone nearby before Kasyra burst into laughter. Ari followed in suit, laughing at his friend, with the gamekeeper hiding a snicker. He growled under his breath, requesting another ball.

  “I've got it this time.”

  Like before, he pulled his hand back behind him and swung it forward. The free ball inched up the ramp, only to slide right back to his feet without touching any of the stoppers.

  He faced another round of laughter and requested another ball. With moderate force, it actually landed in the hole marked with the one. It was something, though there was no way he could win at all. For comedy’s sake the game keeper gave Dedricus another ball, only to meet another failed roll.

  This went on for two more games before he erupted in a molten rage. With his final ball, he hurled it at the slope rather than even trying. The ball actually landed in the four hole. All stood dumbfounded but the blade, who was too far lost in his rage.

  “Look, calm down. It's a tough game. I'll try and probably do just as bad!” stated Kasyra, handing a gold coin of her own to the game keeper.

  Dedricus took a spot next to the Half-Elf, who was still trying to mask his laughter, as she went up to roll. With graceful form, she hurled the ball up the incline. It slid with little resistance, landing modestly in the third hole.

  Three fours in a row followed. All were shocked by her scores. Six more games and Kasyra had an armful of prizes, ranging from stuffed dolls to a bag of candies. Ari cheered her on while the blade looked on with a visage of pure contempt.

  “I think he kinda looks like you!” she said, handing Dedricus a stuffed bear with ruffled fur.

  “No. He doesn't.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, angered by his lack of amusement as he shoved the bear away. Reeling the animal back, she held it tightly in her arms with the others.

  Kasyra had a notorious habit of growing petty if shown any attitude. Her two friends had been on the receiving end of this a handful of times, often resulting in heavy sass. Dedricus had now incurred her wrath, obviously upset for a trivial reason himself.

  “Can’t take it that I’m better than you at a stupid game?!” she yelled angrily.

  “No. I don’t even care. The game’s just dumb as hell.“

  “What? What's got you so mad then?”

  “You already know what's got me so upset!”

  “If the two of you are done, I’d like to find a place to stay for the night. You two get a room if you wanna keep arguing.” Ari butt in when Dedricus finished speaking.

  “Shut up!” they both yelled at the voice of intervention between them.

  The Elf rolled his eyes and turned around as they fought. The incessant arguing obviously frustrated him, but allowed them to go at it.

  “Are you mad that I saved your life?!”

  “Do you know how stupid that sounds?”

  “So you're calling me stupid now?”

  “Are the three of you not enjoying the festival?” asked a firm, accented voice.

  Looking to the right, Dedricus could see a tall man. He was thin with a gaunt face, showing no sign of cheer, and wore dark robes. Blonde hair reached down to his shoulders, sporting one braid that hung over the left side of his face. On either side of him, two soldiers clad in Delrish styled armor kept watch.

  “Yes, erm… Yes, we are Lord Thogar.” Ari quickly mumbled.

  “Then what’s all the fuss?” he asked, locking his hands behind him.

  “Friendly competition!”

  Dedricus and Kasyra swapped nervous, but knowing, glances. Thogar was among the more powerful warlords and one proficient in magic. The mercenary wondered if he could sense magic, much like Ravious had sensed Kasyra’s abilities. Even worse, the two were allies. Though his fixation on the Half-Elf was quite odd.

  “Good then. So, friendly competition? May I join in?”

  “Oh.
No, not really. We were about done here.” said Dedricus, hoping to get the powerful Delrish man to move on.

  “Oh, but the night is young! One roll of the ball to rule them all, hmm?”

  A couple nervous laughs and Thogar invited himself to a roll of the ball. The game keeper handed him a ball, free of charge, and perked up to watch with excitement. After reeling his arm back, he carefully rolled the ball up the ramp. As if guided by the five Gods, it landed flawlessly in the top hole.

  “Excellent score, my Lord.” one of the guards said in a deep voice, as both clapped.

  “Still have a good arm I suppose. How’s my roll size up?”

  “Better than both of us!” Kasyra said with a half-hearted chuckle, before lifting up her armful of prizes, “Would you like a prize?”

  Politely, the warlord declined and stated that she had earned those herself. Participating in the spirit of competition was all he wished for. Suddenly, he reached out to touch her chin. He pulled up to force the young woman’s gaze.

  “There’s something… Magical about you.”

  “Let go of her.” said Dedricus firmly, shoving his hand away.

  Thogar’s guards drew their weapons and neared the mercenary, who was ready to do the same. In an unexpected twist, he called them off. He said it was a night to be enjoyed and not one for trouble.

  “Watch yourself, my dear.” said Thogar, without looking back and carrying on with his guard.

  With him gone, the group gave a collective sigh of relief. Dedricus pointed out how creepy he was, but was only met with silence. After yelling over it just moments before, Kasyra wasn’t ready to talk. This angered him, but he figured it just wasn’t worth it. Fighting petty with more pettiness would just make a greater mess.

  They walked in silence, continuing on the way to the inn Ari knew of. The mercenary wished he regretted what he had done. He didn’t. She had done that to make him look like a fool. A cruel joke between her and the Elf.

  Of course it made no sense. It was then that he realized his social skills had degraded severely, only having two friends and simply using people for his own profit. He was angry over someone else, a friend at that, being better than him at a game. The whole thing was ridiculous and it reflected poorly on him. He wondered if he’d feel bad later.

  The place Ari knew of was crowded. It was a large two-story wooden building with a thatch roof. Chairs and tables had been set up outside for the event, filled with merry people drinking and eating.

  Inside the building, the first floor was rather quiet. A few people sat at the tables, drinking and having a good time. The Elf and his friends shuffled towards the bar, where an irritable looking innkeeper aggressively attacked the counter with a damp cloth.

  “Hello again Mr. Vlastus.” he said, avoiding from placing his hands on the bar.

  “Huh? Oh. Fat Elf. What’s up?” asked the innkeeper in response, his voice doing a terrible job of hiding the volatility behind it.

  “I was wondering if you had any rooms for the night? I know it’s a busy-”

  “How many rooms ya need?”

  “Three.”

  The innkeeper pointed to one of Kasyra’s stuffed animals. Hiding behind the fact that he was stuck at work, he explained that he was unable to go out and win something for his young daughter. With one or two of those stuffed animals, he could be persuaded to clear a few rooms for them. The young woman looked down at her armful of prizes before tossing her shoulders up and down.

  Setting them all down, she handed two of the more ridiculous ones over to him. While it wasn’t too big a deal, as she won them with very little effort, Dedricus felt grateful she had won them at all. Otherwise, finding a place to stay might have been considerably more difficult.

  “Three rooms. Eighteen gold total or six per one of ya.”

  “Not too bad, considering the going ons.” said Dedricus, reaching into his coin purse.

  “Should I make it seven?”

  The mercenary responded the only way he knew how, with a smile and an awkward laugh. His two companions paid their dues and each were handed their keys, the corresponding numbers painted on the bow. Their rooms were upstairs and down the hall.

  Arriving at the top of the steps, Dedricus room was number four. While Kasyra had seven and Ari had eleven. Turning the lock and pushing the door open, the blade dropped his things and awaited his friends in the hall.

  “Ready?” the Half-Elf asked from down the hall.

  “I, uh… I think I’m just tired. Might be why I’m so on edge. I’m probably just gonna go to sleep. Maybe I’ll check the festival out next year.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, you and Kasyra have a good time. I’ll wake you guys up tomorrow and we can hit the road again.”

  He was met with a tepid glare from the young woman and tried to just ignore it. The two of them proceeded down the stairs, laughing and shouting as they went, as Dedricus shut the door behind him. Taking off his gear, he plopped down onto the bed and threw the covers over himself. The warmth set in and he dozed off.

  Chapter 14

  Dedricus awoke to a loud banging. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to locate the source of the noise. It sounded like the clattering of armor. There was no light coming from his blinds, leading him to believe it was early in the morning.

  The banging was growing closer, almost outside his door. He was now jerked awake and angry. Hurling himself off his bed, he took his bastard sword and head for the door. As he reached the knob, the clattering grew louder.

  He opened his door quickly and looked to the right. Three of Ravious men were coming at him, weapons drawn. Dedricus shut it tight and locked it, with a gasp of surprise, quickly throwing on his brigandine and boots.

  He had no time to put on anything else before a massive pounding blew upon the door. Tossing his bag over his shoulders and readying himself for combat, he passed a look over his bastard sword. The furious knocks soon erupted into hacking, as the soldiers were tearing apart the door.

  “Hello?” Dedricus asked mockingly, making a bad attempt at a woman’s voice.

  The men didn’t seem to care, continuing to smash the door down. He realized how pathetic he looked, wearing just his boots, briefs, and brigandine. Undoubtedly, it would be an interesting confrontation.

  As the wood finally broke down, Dedricus took his blade in one hand, with the other wrapped firmly around the pommel. He drove his blade through the man in the door frame and pinned him to the back wall of the hallway, dead on impact.

  “You know, you should really be more patient!” he told the deceased man.

  The other soldiers swung at him, only to miss as he retreated further down the corridor. He slid to a stop at Kasyra’s door, twisting the knob. It was locked. He slammed his fist against the door, trying to get her to open. The Black Garde were growing nearer, walking cautiously with weapons raised.

  A final throw was hurled at the wood. Nothing. Slamming his head against it, he growled aloud. After dealing with the troops he'd have to find his friends. He strangled the grip of his blade as his breathing became focused and rhythmic. There were only two men left. Even if they were trained, he could take them.

  Dedricus roared with anger, lashing out at the first soldier in his path. With a wide arc, he sliced the man's leather armor to ribbons. The attack wasn't deep enough to end it in one swing. With a retaliatory attack, the soldier advanced on him.

  The hit cast his blade away, sending it downward. He dodged the next attack, bending back, and brought his weapon to a ready position. Shuffling could be heard coming up the stairs.

  There was no time to waste. Instead of toying with the men, Dedricus conjured a small but concentrated orb of shadows from his left hand and shoved it forward. The soldier blocked with his shield, but let his guard down too soon. A flurry of aggressive strikes felled him. The final one remained, though he now had deadly support.

  A group of rangers were posted near the top of the sta
irs, crossbows in hand. The mercenary dove to the floor, reaching for the dead man's shield and held it up while staying low. As they got in formation, they wasted little time, having had their weapons loaded.

  “Release!” yelled one of the men from the back.

  He counted four of them. Five if you included the remaining soldier. The hail of bolts battered against his shield, bringing with it a warm pain in his lower leg. A deadly barb tore through his left shin and protruded from his calf.

  There was no doubt they were reloading. He'd have to fight the pain if he wanted to make his move. As Dedricus dropped the wall of metal, he charged forward. The pain was too much.

  Stumbling, he collapsed to one knee. The angled blade was his only defense against the small line of rangers before him. He was hesitant to use much of his Dark Magic in fear of fatiguing himself. If he didn't, he'd die though.

  Full of fury, the mercenary blew a concentrated blast of foul shadows at the middle soldier. He was quickly engulfed in burning smoke, as he began to remove his armor in attempts to free himself from the pain. The others stepped away, lowering their readied crossbows in the process. The burning soldier ran back down the hall and tumbled down the stairs.

  Breaking the wood out of his shin, Dedricus pulled out both ends of the bolt. His wound bled all over the floor, through the pain was negligible. Ahead, only the four rangers remained. With the bolt out he’d be able to move much more freely. He advanced, coming into contact with the first of them.

  His blade sunk deep into the ranger’s shoulder, piercing their leather armor with ease. The move was reckless, as he was met with a second storm of bolts. Two missed their mark, flying passed him as one stuck him in the shoulder.

  He didn’t care, fighting the pain and pressing on. Taking his bastard sword in both hands, he stepped up to the next ranger. Like an animal to slaughter, the second man’s head and neck were separated. It hit the ground with a bloody slosh. The other two repositioned near the top of the stairs, their crossbows ready.