Dragon Hero II: Bounty of the Blood Witch

by C Woodward

  Talestria put her hand on her stomach and let out a long drawn-out sigh. I finished my meal and retrieved the horse. We were quiet as we got back on the road. Talestria hid her depression, but I could tell she felt hindered. We need to figure how to get her powers back. Kalus seemed a bit nervous knowing that we have a bounty on us. I him asked what he knew about the Blood Witch.

  Kalus shrugged but replied in a solemn tone, “I believe that she was once an elf from other lands and was a skilled assassin for the Lyonus Empire where they dabbled in the dark arts. She was hired to kill rival nobles for that Empire. I am not so sure how she got the name though.” Talestria muttered some vulgarities under her breath which I barely heard and didn’t care to repeat.

  Kalus looked at us, “I am sure she is a powerful assassin with a great assortment of magic but, she wouldn’t be a challenge to either of you.”

  Talestria spoke in a discouraged tone, “If she has the book of Scrathelm, she must have vast power now.” Kalus tilted his head, “But, that book would be more harmful than helpful. Why would she risk her very sanity for such reckless power?” Talestria just shrugged. He stared at us and I knew he was racking his brain over it. He then asked a question that got me thinking, “I am curious, which of you did she attack first?”

  I sighed, “She tried to kill me first.”

  “Then I came to Blake’s aid and she attacked me.” Talestria finished. Kalus looked like a light bulb floated above his head, “Mm! So she was sent to assassinate you, Blake!” That didn’t make me feel better. Who wanted me gone?

  We pondered on our conversation during the rest of the trip. Either the elves or the Shadens most wanted me gone. “Kalus, do you think the elves want Blakey-poo dead?” Talestria asked.

  He shrugged, “We elves don’t handle death well and considering what he did. Forgive me for saying this, but I don’t understand why you are forbidden to venture into any elvin establishment.”

  I smiled. “It’s fine. I am not proud of what I did and I deserve that restriction.”

  Talestria hugged me, “Aw, you only defended yourself, sweetie.”

  Kalus shrugged, “I doubt the elves hired the Blood Witch because we really don’t work that way. Besides, she killed several elves to get that book.”

  I nodded, “Indeed, which leaves us with the Shadens.”

  Talestria added, “Don’t forget any surviving Xum’gol cultist!” I didn’t think of them. I figured they were all rounded-up and killed. The Shadens were mostly common thugs who did every mischievous thing they could after their leader died. I doubt any of them could afford to hire someone like The Blood Witch to take me out.

  Talestria poked me, “Hey! What about that minotaur?” I laughed, “Torkuhl wouldn’t be the type to hire someone to do the fighting for him. Besides, he seemed fearful of me and he claimed he held no grief toward me.”

  Talestria chuckled, “You’re right. He sounded scared when I last saw him. I’ve never seen a minotaur run that fast!”

  Kalus laughed and reached for his notes. Torkuhl seemed a very unlikely suspect but the only one we have to consider. That night, Talestria wanted to see if she could set up the fire on her own. Kalus was strumming away on his lute. I watched her while wearing my armor and feeling a bit paranoid. All our talk about The Blood Witch spooked me. I recalled her sadistic laughter and crazed fury. I was really freaked out about the heavy sense of hate I perceived before she attacked. It seemed logical that she first intended to finish me. I might not know who hired her but, I knew that I must stop her.

  I look at Talestria. She giggled at starting the fire although she looked like some crazy pyromaniac. When we reach Trawlast, I might try leaving her there and venture out on my own. She’ll be safer that way, although I doubt she would accept that plan. I have to figure out a way to get her to agree to stay in Trawlast. However, I am not sure if the dwarves will be keen on that idea.

  I took a deep breath, then let a little out as I watched Talestria’s cheerfulness chase away my worries. I smiled and joined her for dinner. Kalus entertained us with music. Dried fruit and meat go through your system quite well. That’s odd since I’ve been poisoned, having eaten mushrooms tainted with parasites, and experienced magic that would do unmentionable harm.

  I roamed around the area in the darkness. Talestria had gone to sleep and Kalus was in his meditation stance and I wasn’t sure if that meant he’s asleep or not. I could still see a faint glow from the hot embers in the fire. I found a nice, leafy tree to fertilize. I was lucky to have found some leaves that wouldn’t irritate. Before I had chance to use the leaves, I heard heavy footsteps a short distance away. I quickly cleaned myself and pulled my pants up. The sound stopped a short distance from the camp. I quietly moved closer to get a look. In front of me were the back sides of at least two choguls and an ogre.

  I moved my hand to pull out my sword but realized that I forgot to bring it with me. I also didn’t have my armor on except the boots. The ogre squatted down to inspect the camp. I quickly searched the ground near me for something to use as a weapon. I found a small rock and a decent sized stick. They will have to do. The rock wasn’t big. I couldn’t use it as a weapon in a brawl, so I chucked it as hard as I could at the head of the ogre. I missed. The rock flew just over its head. The ogre didn’t notice it until it landed in front of it. I charged from behind and let out a loud war cry. The sound caused the ogre to face me, which was what I wanted. It gave me a clear shot. My stick shattered on its face. It would have been enough to really mess up a human but, ogres are much bigger and apparently have a higher pain threshold. Now, I had the full attention of an ogre and two choguls.

  Each of them had crude weapons. I was more worried about the ogre than the two choguls. While holding its hand over its battered face, it was still able to stand and tower over me. Its stick was more of a solid tree branch, and looked like it could really mess up my face. Each chogul had a club a little larger than my stick. One waved a rusted pickaxe with a half-broken handle. I decided to retreat a short distance to get out of range, in case the ogre decided to test its weapon on me. I heard a girly shriek from camp. That had to be Kalus because it didn’t sound anything like Talestria.

  The ogre didn’t come after me, but the two choguls did. I heard them howling and panting as if on a hunt. I believed I could handle the two of them but wasn’t as sure about facing an ogre if I had no weapon. As soon as I stopped, one chogul was already in attack position. It swung at me with the old pickaxe. It was easy to avoid this first attack but the second chogul was now in range looking for its turn.

  Chogul number two hit me in the side which hurt. I tried to get the pickaxe from the first; but just grasped the rusted blade. I tried yanking it out its hands. The chogul didn’t want to let go. It pulled with all its might and kept a good grip on it. The other chogul swung and scarcely hit my left arm. I gritted my teeth and pulled again on the axe. The chogul still held its grip so I hurled it up, over and behind me. It lost its grip as it landed in the grass. Now, I had a weapon.

  I swung quickly, getting the feel of my new weapon as the other chogul charged me. I blocked two hits with the broken handle. One blow hit my finger which hurt like heck. I gripped the weapon more properly, feeling my right middle finger throbbing in pain.

  Before the chogul could make another attack, I made mine. The pickaxe sank into its side. The creature yelped in pain and dropped to the ground. The wound was likely fatal, but dying will likely take a while.

  I pulled out the weapon and turned just in time to see the first chogul coming my way. Claws ripped through the front of my shirt. I felt a small burst of pain as it lightly cut into my stomach. I reacted by kicking the blasted thing. My armored boots did considerable damage as it connected to the groin region of the chogul. It made one quick yelp and splatted to the ground. I was about to finish it off, when I heard the ogre yelling and heard loud noises from the camp.

  I ran as fast as I could. Kalus was circling around a tr
ee trying to avoid the ogre. In a comical fashion, the ogre was working around to the other side to get Kalus. Talestria kept her distance while grasping my sword. She appeared to be trying to charge a spell but was waiting for the ogre to stop circling the tree. Kalus narrowly avoided a heavy blow from the ogre and took off running away from camp. The ogre muttered something then turned toward Talestria. She let out a small bolt which exploded in front of the ogre causing it to stagger for a moment. Then it got really mad at Talestria.

  I ran into the camp and charged the ogre. It raised its club and turned its head my way. I swung my crude weapon. All it could do was turn in my direction as I drove the pickaxe into its right thigh. It was a deep wound even for something as large as an ogre. The ogre yelled out in pain and made a wild swing at me; I jumped back and felt the whoosh of air from the large club. I almost fell on my back to avoid the attack but manage to retain my footing.

  The ogre touched the sunken pickaxe but didn’t bother to pull it out; instead it turned its attention on me. I ran in a large circle around the ogre to reach Talestria. The ogre’s leg was in bad shape and its limping gave me an advantage. Talestria handed me the sword as I ran to her. I could see a slight smile on her face as I grasped the sword with a sense of hope. I smiled at her and moved back to the ogre. It was furious. I could see a burn mark from Talestria’s bolt on its crude shirt. I waited for the ogre to make its move now.

  The ogre did a war cry and swung downward at me. I jumped to the side to avoid it and countered. With both arms I hefted my sword upward into its torso. The blade sunk under its ribs and punctured through vital organs. I leaned forward to push the blade in further. The ogre made a big gurgling sound followed by a violent spit of blood. I had blood and spit rain down on me. I think I managed to hit the heart of the ogre. I didn’t expect to kill it that quickly but my victory was short-lived when I realized that the ogre was falling on me. I tried to move, but hit the lifeless left arm of the ogre and soon felt the dead weight of the creature on me.

  I was in no danger, but having a big, smelly, dead ogre on you was something not to be desired. I managed to get my arm out and struggled to pull the rest of me free.

  “You did it!” Talestria cheered.

  Kalus ran back towards the camp. He looked very relieved that the battle was over. “Um, can you guys help me?” I asked. Talestria was the first to grab my hand and started pulling. Kalus ran over to push away the side of the ogre. None of them should take any pride in their strength but they did free me, eventually. I winced when I saw that I was coated with spit and blood. Talestria took a step away from me and cringed. Kalus handed me a handkerchief but stepped back as I grabbed a wineskin and poured water on me, and then wiped myself clean with the handkerchief.

  Kalus looked at me, “You can keep that.” I laughed and begin to turn over the dead ogre. The only part of the sword that was visible was the hilt. I pulled the blade out and used the shirt of the dead ogre to wipe off the blood. I put the sword away and finished cleaning myself and then went to sleep.

  We didn’t have any more encounters that night. The chogul I kicked was the only survivor but thankfully it didn’t seek out revenge. I’ve never seen a lone chogul try to fight. They are much too cowardly to take on even one person, let alone three. Knowing that their larger ally was no match for us, added more fear. I also knew how much of a coward Kalus was but I didn’t feel inclined to discuss it with him.

  Talestria, on the other hand, gave it some evil stares. Kalus sort of cowered when he looked at it and then looked at me. I just replied with a shrug and a sympathetic expression. We didn’t bother eating breakfast before heading out. The smell of the dead ogre was enough to turn our stomachs. I still had some of that smell on me but Talestria handed me her new bottle of shampoo, so I spent my morning washing my hair.

  “I can’t wait to visit a bathhouse!” Talestria said cheerfully as I handed her back her shampoo. She let out a yawn,

  “Dwarves have bathhouses, right?” I laughed,

  “I am sure they do.” Talestria grinned, “Oh goody, maybe you and I can go take one together.” That got my attention. Kalus coughed, “I don’t think bathhouses are what you think they are, Talestria.” Talestria looked at Kalus, “What?” Kalus chuckled, “Bathhouses are separated for women and men only.”

  Talestria sighed, “Phooey! Blake and I would have great times taking...” I interrupted, “Um, sweetie, I don’t think you need to share that with Kalus!” Talestria blushed and Kalus laughed.

  We saw a few more travelers as we continued. Talestria decided to stop at a quiet creek. The creek was barely deep enough to fill our wineskins but it was enough to keep the horse happy. He just drank all he could and happily munched on the tall grass that grew along the bank.

  Kalus watched the horse and asked us, “Did you two ever given that horse a name.”

  Talestria shrugged, “I never thought to give him a name.”

  Kalus thought it was a bit strange and shrugged, “I feel the horse deserves a name.” He walked up to the horse.

  I didn’t know if I should get so attached enough to name it, but I laughed, “Go ahead and give him a name.” Kalus laughed, “It is your horse to name. I looked at the horse. It was a run of the mill brown, work horse. Then, I thought of a name that made me laugh, “Okay, I will name him Alpo.”

  Talestria and Kalus looked at me wondering why I was laughing. I shook my head, “I’ll tell ya later.” After eating lunch, we rode out again. Everyone was calling the horse by its new name and each time I heard it, I wanted to snicker. I kind of felt bad, but Alpo didn’t seem to mind the extra attention. Out of pity, I took out some dried fruit and gave it to the horse before we started on our way. Kalus was singing a song about some man who found a magical, singing hat. The weird song ended with the hat singing when no one else was around. It was lively and made the trip more pleasant.

  Talestria was looking through her purse. It wasn’t exactly a purse like back on Earth. It was mostly a small pack she wore either over her shoulder or on her back.

  “Phooey! I didn’t bring enough gold.” she muttered while looking through there. I peeked in and saw all sorts of weird junk and more money than I ever had.

  I laughed, “Perhaps we can find a job in Trawlast.” Talestria sighed and Kalus laughed. He kept strumming on his lute, “Dwarves are too proud and think very highly of their own craft. They might not desire meaningful work from a human or a dark elf.” Talestria glared at him, Kalus quickly turned away and walked a little slower so he was hidden by the front of the carriage. He let out a nervous laugh, “On the other hand… you two might prove to be valid exceptions.” Talestria looked at me and rolled her eyes, I just laughed and looked ahead.

  A little later in the day we came upon a fort in the middle of the road. The walls were made of stone with wide towers that stood just above the walls. We saw a line of wagons in front of the gateway. This was the first time I ever witnessed traffic in this world. Out of habit, I tried to tap on the brakes. Big brain fart!

  Talestria was the first to comment, “What is going on here?” Kalus sighed and stood close to the stopped carriage, “The dwarves keep a tight defense on their capital and check all visitors. They get a bit carried away.”

  The groups in front of us were either simple travelers or industrious traders. I could see a few armored dwarves further up checking wagons and talking to a few. I let out a sigh and wondered how they would handle a human, a dark elf and an elf entering their city.

  Talestria started complaining about the wait. Kalus was feeling a bit uneasy, mostly because he was an elf and things between elves and dwarves were not in the best shape. I am not sure how they would tolerate a dark elf.

  After a while, two dwarves came walking toward us. They wore shiny chain mail and plate helmets covering most of their faces, apart from their beards. They appeared surprised at our company.

  I smiled, “Hello there.” One dwarf just stared at us. The other pause
d for a moment then asked, “What business do ye have in Trawlast?”

  Kalus kept his mouth shut and Talestria just looked at me. It looks like I was the spokesman for this group. I cleared my throat, “Well, you see we are here to visit King Wotmire and consult with him over some things.”

  The dwarves laughed.

  Talestria chimed in, “I am Talestria, and this is Blake. We are here to talk with your king.” The dwarves stopped laughing and gave us an odd look. Then, they laughed again. “Highly doubt that! You don’t look like a witch and you don’t look like the man that defeated Xum’gol!”

  I stared at them, feeling a bit defeated. There wasn’t really any way to prove we were who we said we were. Talestria didn’t have enough magical power to impress the guards. Then, I thought of one thing that might work. I still had my sharp dragon teeth. I got them from my first visit with the dragon spirit and never lost them.

  I cleared my throat to get the guards attention again. They stopped laughing for a moment. “What do you know of this Blake fellow?” Referring to myself like that felt strange. They shrugged and I carried on, “Well, he would have some freakish sharp teeth.” I grinned, baring my teeth at them. They stared in surprise but shrugged, “So you have weird teeth, that doesn’t mean you are Blake” I lowered my head and sighed.

  We ended up being ordered to move our carriage to the side of the road and let others pass. Talestria and I stared at each other and kicked up some dirt and tried to figure a way out. I sighed, “I guess we can try to get a pass in Golashe and come in that way.”

  Kalus mentioned that that would be mean a whole day of travel to Golashe and who knew how long it would take to get things cleared up. Kalus paced back and fourth. He sometimes acted like he had an idea but would stop himself before saying anything.

  Talestria poked me, “Hey, what if we bribed the guards to let us in? No, they wouldn’t like that, would they?”