“You witch!” he shouted.
Benny was shocked at what happened next. Instead of going stiff and falling out of his chair, Flack pushed Virtue off him and stood up. Virtue clutched her stomach as if sick, and winced in pain.
“What’d you just do to my wife?” Benny screamed, drawing the short sword he kept at his waist and approaching Flack. The man laughed.
“I get bitten by that whore and you have the audacity to get angry at me when she pays the price? I can’t help that my blood’s poison to vampires!” The entire group of Kudgels laughed hysterically.
Benny rushed to Virtue and held her from falling. “What’s wrong?” Benny asked.
“First nausea, then diarrhea and a whole bunch of scrumptious little goodies,” Flack said, drawing his scimitars, “But I can put the wench out of her misery if you like!”
He dove at Virtue, and Benny knew he’d never have time to block the swords. Miraculously, a huge spiked club came crashing down on Flack’s hands, knocking the scimitars to the floor and breaking one of Flack’s hands. Flack screamed in pain and clutched his hand. The Kudgels rose and drew their swords as Dale stood between Virtue and Flack.
“I’d advise you to leave, or I’ll kill you and then all your friends,” Dale’s voice dripped with menace.
“Beranger!” Flack stated. The man clutched his broken hand as he stared at Dale. For a split second, the man’s mouth contorted in a look of pure fear before smiling a sly grin.
“The name’s Dale if you please,” Dale said.
“I was wondering if I’d ever see you again. I guess the stories about you are true, then,” Flack said.
“Stories?” Dale asked.
“You’ve gone soft, boy. The Beranger I knew and heard of would have killed me and that couple there for disturbing his meal, yet here you are, watching over them like a mother bear nursing her cubs!” Flack laughed.
“You speak as if you know me,” Dale said, “Yet I don’t recognize your voice. Perhaps if you’d remove that mask you cower under…”
“You’d like to see my face, wouldn’t you, Beranger? No, not now. I’m gonna leave…I’m gonna let ya’ll think you’re safe.” A Kudgel ghoul picked up Flack’s weapons and they headed for the door. “But when you think you’re safe, you’re not. We’ll meet again.”
After the ghouls and Flack left, Dale and Bum helped Benny carry a worsening Virtue to their bedroom. Things didn’t look good.
Chapter 4
Virtue’s sickness came and went over the next few days, and each time it relapsed it seemed worse than before. Bum made some special tea, which he claimed they used for many ailments in his tribe. While it kept Virtue from getting any worse, it didn’t stem the coming and going of the infection entirely.
“His blood tasted like death,” she said one day, “I’ve never encountered anything like that before. It felt as if my body was about to fall apart.”
“I should’ve warned you about the Kudgels. Dale told me you were a vampire, but I didn’t know the inn’s policy about what happens when men slap your buttocks,” Bum said. Benny, who was sitting near Virtue on the edge of their bed, looked at the orc.
“What about the Kudgels?” Benny asked.
“In order to help them survive in the harsh desert environment, they do all manner of things to their bodies in case they are attacked by various creatures. One thing they do is inject chemicals into their bloodstream which act as a poison for vampires and other types of blood sucking creatures. I don’t know what it is, or how to cure it, but I’ve heard it can be deadly. My herbal tea seems to have stopped the bacteria from Flack’s blood from progressing, but it didn’t take it away. I’m afraid you’re at a stalemate. You won’t get better, but at least you won’t get worse.”
“Thank you for all your help, Bum,” Virtue said, holding his hand and kissing it. Benny shook the orc’s hand as well.
“Yes, Bum. Thank you,” Benny stated.
“Don’t mention it. There’s nothing I enjoy more than helping those in need.”
Dale was standing at the window of Benny’s room, rapping his fingers on the window sill. He then began to pace back and forth across the room, a worried look on his face. “This isn’t good. From what I know of Flack, which isn’t much, he’s not the type of man to forgive and forget. I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of him or the Kudgels. But, the strangest thing is that he seemed to know me from somewhere. He’s human, I could tell, but I have no recollection of even being in the same vicinity as he or his band.”
“Perhaps we should stay here for a while,” Bum said, “and watch out for him.”
“Look, I appreciate it, but Jack and I are more than capable of protecting the Fox Den,” Benny said, drawing his sword and swiping it through the air for emphasis.
Dale wasn’t impressed. “There’s no telling how many Kudgels are in this area, and if Flack is the Grand Cerberus, then there could be an infinite number of them at his disposal. He’d sic his dogs on this place just for the hell of it.”
“Jack and I can handle them,” Benny stated.
“Jack’s too out of shape, and while I don’t doubt your fighting skills have improved significantly, you’re still not good enough with a sword to defend against dozens, maybe even hundreds of those Kudgel ghouls,” Dale said, “Bum and I are experienced with fighting larger numbers. We’ll stay here for a while and protect Gant. We have contacts all over Lower Sultry who will arise if there is a mass invasion. For now, it would seem the Kudgels are merely trying to stir up trouble.”
“Well, I’ll help you if it comes to a fight,” Benny said.
“The Kudgels are like wolves in the night,” Bum said. “If they strike, it will be at a time when nobody else expects it.”
“Bum and I will teach you some more advanced sword fighting techniques,” Dale said. “Hand to hand won’t do much against Kudgels.”
“When do we start?” Benny sheathed his sword and placed his hands on his hips.
“Why not now?” Bum asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Dale said, “Change into something more comfortable and we’ll meet you in the clearing.”
The two men walked out while Benny changed into an outfit more fit for training. Then he remembered what Virtue had mentioned about Nadia, and he addressed the issue again. Virtue laughed and sat up.
“Don’t worry, Benny. It’s not what you think. He lied because he was embarrassed…Nadia left him for a younger man.” Virtue was still laughing.
“You read his mind?” Benny asked, astonished.
“Yes. I’m getting better at it. And no, he doesn’t harbor any ill will towards either of them. He's just upset, that’s all.”
Benny gave her a kiss after changing.“You always amaze me.”
They stood in the clearing where Jack sparred with Benny. They’d piled their real weapons off to the side and used the wooden training swords that Benny was used to. Dale had taken his shirt off completely, and Bum was donning the same green tunic he’d worn when Benny first met him. Dale had lost a considerable amount of muscle since Benny fought him, but he was still in great shape, and Benny knew that if anything, Dale’s lean physique would improve the man’s speed. Benny wondered why Dale had put his fake face back on.
“So, show me what you’ve learned.” Dale raised his sword.
Benny raised his too, assuming a fighting stance. He spread his weight equally on his two legs, and the two fighters slowly began to circle each other. Benny knew not to rush Dale; that’s how he’d gotten his own scar. However, Benny knew not to let Dale make the first move. He checked Dale, faking a couple attacks before coming in with a hard thrust to the midsection. He followed with a flurry of blows, all of which Dale easily blocked. Benny then attacked with an overhead strike. In what seemed like one move, Dale blocked the overhead blow with his sword, parried, and allowed his sword to slide out of the block and brought the sword down on Benny’s collarbone. It stung, but didn’t hurt. Had
it been a real fight, Benny would be dead.
“Again,” Dale said.
They had several quick bouts, all of which ended with Dale nailing Benny off a counter. Dale never outright attacked Benny, but rather allowed Benny to make mistakes with his attacks that Dale worked off of.
“Now, let me see your defense,” Dale said, this time being the one to attack. He kept his attacks paced out at first, all of which Benny blocked. But his counters were slow and off aim, and Dale came in behind his counters and got him.
“Your offense and defense are good, but you need to work on counter attacking.”
“I’m ok. I just need more practice.”
“No amount of practice will help that flailing,” Bum said, laughing.
“When you block, it needs to be done in such a way that a counter attack can be easily made. They need to flow together, so that they are almost one motion. This is what I like to call a one-step counter attack.” Dale had Benny do the overhead blow that Dale “killed” him with the first time. He slowed down this time, though, so Benny could see the motions of the block and counter.
“See what he means?” Bum asked. Benny nodded.
“This can be very useful when fighting Kudgels. Remember, we have no firsthand experience, but we’ve done lots of research, talked to people who have fought them, and fought similar enemies. One step countering can be great for dispatching enemies quickly, like the Kudgels, who never attack in groups less than a dozen or so. Bum and I will attack you in succession. Remember the block and counter I showed you? I want you to form your own from our attacks. Every blow can be countered…you just need to find it. Bum and I will be screaming and cursing when we attack, since we’ve heard the Kudgels use noise to intimidate and throw off their opponents.”
“You haven’t shown me any counters yet!” Benny protested.
“No counter is going to be the same. I showed you one, now you need to figure it out.”
Benny closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, Dale and Bum were standing about 10 feet away. Dale came charging in, followed by Bum, whose voice cut through the air with an undulating wail. Dale attacked with a simple slash, aimed at Benny’s neck and collarbone on the right side. Benny parried as he blocked the blow to the left, which allowed his sword free air to immediately cut across Dale’s chest. Dale gave a fake scream and fell, as the wailing Bum came at Benny, stabbing his sword at Benny. Benny side stepped as he brought his sword down on the orc’s hands and followed with a swipe at Bum’s neck that would have decapitated him if Benny hadn’t been wielding a wooden sword. Bum coughed and grabbed his neck.
“The boy’s a quick learner,” Bum said.
“That’s good. Let’s keep going,” Dale said.
They continued running different scenarios for the rest of the morning, and after an hour or so they were all sweating profusely, if you could call the green slime oozing from Bum’s pores sweat. They grabbed their gear and walked into the dining hall to cool off. They sat down at the rainbow gnome table, and Dale looked around at the walls.
“I've always enjoyed the frescoes on the walls. I see a painting of the Sky Titans over there.” Dale pointed to a painting of blue skinned men with aqua green hair falling from a castle suspended in the clouds.
“I’ve seen that painting my whole life, but never knew who they were. Who are they?” Benny asked.
“They were the first beings that the Protector created in this world. They were to watch over everything else that would be created after them. After the humans, elves, dwarves and other intelligent races began to turn against the Protector, the Sky Titans gave up on the world and moved their castles into the sky. Before they left, though, they built two massive horns. One made of gold, the other of silver. The purpose of these was so that if the world was overtaken by evil, the golden horn could be blown to summon the Sky Titans, who would destroy the world. If the golden horn is blown by mistake, the silver horn is to be blown to let the Sky Titans know the summoning was a false alarm.” Dale shrugged.
“That’s just a story though, right?” Benny asked.
“Well,” Dale pointed at the multi-colored gnomes on the wall behind him, “I thought these fellows were just a story too. Turns out every myth has some truth behind it. Where there’s smoke, there’s bound to be fire.”
Benny noticed for the first time the huge bite marks that wrapped around his entire midsection. The holes were at least two inches in diameter, and one of the tooth marks was directly over a now non-existent nipple. Dale saw Benny staring and smiled.
“They’re just souvenirs from my fight with Cycleze. It nearly killed me, but I deserved it. We all reap what we sow,” Dale said. Benny wanted to ask for more details, but decided to wait until Dale was ready.
Dale was wiser and more intelligent than Benny had thought he was. Benny was starting to see the man hidden behind the sadistic, uncaring sociopath that had been Beranger. The evil was still a part of Dale; both Benny and Dale knew that. But Benny was starting to view Dale as more than a friend…Dale was becoming family.
Chapter 5
When Benny woke up the next morning Virtue was gone. Hearing some commotion outside, Benny threw on a shirt and leggings and ran outside to find Virtue, Dale, Bum, Jack, and many of the townsfolk huddled in a mass, looking at something in front of the dining hall of the Fox Den. Virtue saw him; her face was grim.
“You need to see this, dear,” she said.
“What’s going on?” Benny asked.
Pushing his way between Dale and Jack, Benny gasped at what he saw. Scattered in the pathway leading to the Gant village were the remnants of the horse and wagon Dale and Bum had ridden in. The horse had been torn to shreds, with its entrails strewn about the entire mess like a devilish party streamer. The horse's head was spiked onto a shard of wood from the wagon and stuck in the very center of the massacre. Someone had drawn a crude eye symbol on the gray hair of its forehead in coagulated blood.
“What in the Protector’s name?!” Benny was too shocked for words.
“Our friend, Flack,” Bum said, “That eye is a symbol used by the Kudgel army.”
“Why an eye?” asked Nap, who was standing in the crowd.
“It represents their leader, the Grand Exalted Cyclops,” Dale said. “The real Cyclopes are now extinct creatures of immense strength and power who are said to have ruled and were worshiped as gods by the intelligent races. They use the name and the symbol to instill fear into their enemies,” Dale said.
“They certainly aren’t shy about doing it, are they?” Virtue asked.
“This is the first time Bum or I have ever witnessed their handiwork first hand. It has to be Flack. He’s still pissed about the other night, and from the way he talked, I assume I did something else to him that he holds a grudge from, which I can’t remember.” Dale looked confused, “I’m gonna miss ol’ Betsy, though. She was a good horse.”
“May she graze in greener pastures.” Bum laid a hand on Dale’s shoulder to comfort him. Is Dale that upset over a horse? Benny thought. The man had changed.
The next few weeks, things were relatively uneventful, aside from Benny’s advanced training with Dale and Bum. Benny got an eyeful of female body parts when a group of Amazon warrior women passed through Gant. Their home was in the jungles of the deep south, beyond the kingdoms of Lower Sultry, and the border of the known world. They were unnaturally muscular women, who were all scantily clad; some even being naked except for a sword or crudely made crossbow. They were scarred, had many piercings, and some wore face paint and tattoos. Most were shaved bald, but the ones who weren’t had their hair in long matted dreadlocks.
Virtue saw Benny staring as he filled the trough for horses, and slapped him playfully in the back of the head. “You don’t want any part of them, dear. They’re brutish warriors and sociopaths. They care only for themselves, and I doubt they would let a man as ugly as you become one of their male concubines.”
�
�Virtue, you know you’re the only woman I’ll ever need.” Benny laughed.
“One of the vampires in my old coven had experience with Amazons. They employed vampires to give them berserker bites for various civil wars and for mercenary work. It became dangerous, though. Somehow they learned to control the berserker and healing bites at will. They’re only human as far as I know, but they’re the only ones I know of who can reverse any and all of the vampire bites. We can’t even convert them to vampirism if we wanted to.” Virtue ended her monologue abruptly when she clutched her stomach in pain.
“What’s wrong?” Benny asked.
“Just what that Flack creep did. It’s not getting worse though, don’t worry.” There was uneasiness in her voice, as if she were hiding something. “There was something in his mind, something that occurred between him and Dale in the distant past. I couldn’t read it all, but Dale did something to him. Dale doesn’t remember Flack, and I’ve noticed he’s having a hard time remembering the past in general. I think memory loss is an unavoidable side effect of the conversion bite I gave him.”
“Better memory loss than having ‘Beranger’ among us again,” Benny said. Virtue silently agreed.
A week later something even stranger happened. Two finely clad boys holding trumpets burst into the Fox Den one night, blowing a lively tune as a man followed them. He was dressed in a full set of bronze armor, a wide brimmed hat, and a cape. He held out a scroll and read aloud to everyone who was sitting in the dining hall.
“I, royal messenger of the Emperor of Upper Sultry, Son of the Sun, hereby invite all worthy fighters to attend a royal tournament in the Imperial City precisely two months from now. The bouts are to be non-lethal. Any murder during a bout will be met with the severest punishment. The winners of the tournament will earn a royal feast with the Emperor himself, and will be allowed to choose a prize, which will include, but are not limited to, the right for a male victor to marry the Emperor’s daughter, the right for a female victor to marry one of the Emperor’s sons, an entire chest of gold and jewels, a mansion and two servants in Upper Sultry. This said in the name of the Son of the Sun.”
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