Dragon Hero II: Bounty of the Blood Witch

by C Woodward

  We made camp, once the sun dropped from the western sky. Again, we had the same setup. I guess you don’t change something that works. Kalus was playing his lute and Teltar was turning his dried meat over the fire. I relaxed before retiring in the wagon. Grum took a big bite of his food and spoke with his full mouth, “Might be risky tonight with the road being blocked and bandits traveling here looking for an easy score.”

  Teltar checked his meat and replied, “We should be fine.” Kalus laughed, “I need to bang on some pots and pans to wake you up, Teltar!” Teltar shrugged and took a bite of his food. I went to sleep right away, I was now used to the armor. I dreaded the marks it will have from so much abuse, though it might repair itself right away now. I soon woke up to Kalus yelling.

  I wasn’t sure how long I slept, but it was long enough that I was out of it. I took out my sword and jumped off the wagon. To my surprise it wasn’t a bandit, but strange looking monster. It walked on all fours and looked sort of like a bear, but with antlers and longer limbs. The snout was very long and had really sharp teeth and beady eyes. The two brothers hid under the wagon as did Kalus. Teltar was keeping the beast occupied by swinging at it wildly with his sword. I ran at the beast, hoping to stab it while it was distracted with Teltar. The beast spotted me and swiped at me with a long limb. I barely dodged the long claws, and it left me off-balance.

  “What the heck is this thing?!” I yelled, now getting the monster’s full attention.

  Teltar yelled in between swings, “It’s an elkvian!” I didn’t know exactly what an elkvian was but I knew it wanted to kill me. The monster was making broad swipes; keeping us both at bay. Teltar and I moved away from each other in hopes of surrounding it. The creature looked at both of us apparently trying to decide who the bigger threat was. He must have hated Teltar’s swing because it charged him first. Teltar blocked, using his sword as a shield and tried to prevent the sharp claws from tearing into him. He was holding it off, but was slowly losing the fight.

  I took this moment to charge the monster myself. I plunged my blade into its side. Either the creature had a thick hide or I hit bone, because the blade didn’t sink as deep as I hoped. It disliked that move and countered with a heavy back hand. The armor helped, but the force of the blow knocked me to the ground.

  The animal gave one loud roar and shoved Teltar back then jumped on me. I tried to roll away, but before I even turned my body, I was slammed down by the large claws of the beast. I stared at the face, which was hideous. It made me think of some mutant deer but with big, sharp teeth and a huge head. The creature drove its head down in hopes of taking a piece of me. I tried to move my head so it would have to bite around the decorative blades on the top of my helmet. The blades served their purpose. I heard a roar of pain as it bit down on the blades. The monster raised its head and glared at me with blood foaming from the mouth. I was grateful it wasn’t my blood. The creature raised its claws to strike as if I were a hard-shell crab and it wanted to break me open to get the meat inside. The beast shrieked in pain and quickly turned its attention to a target behind.

  Teltar had begun a heavy rear attack while the thing was busy trying to make a meal of me. I am not sure how strong Teltar’s blow was, but I was able to break free and roll away. I reached for my sword and saw the beast take a swipe at Teltar which caused him some damage. Teltar grunted in pain and before I knew it the creature was back to me.

  I kept my hands together and was able to push my sword upward. That move didn’t do much but, with access to a weapon, I could fight back. The weight and force of its claws scared me as it pressed down hard on my chest. The armor was withholding the weight for now. I gritted my teeth when it attacked again. I tried to stay calm and looked for a weak spot. After the third attack, I spotted it.

  The beast now hit me with both claws and the weight made it hard to breathe. To my surprise, the beast pressed its claws and then lowered its head to my face. I quickly pressed the palm of my left hand on the snout of the beast. It grunted and growled as it tried to get a bite at my face. I gathered my breath and decided I needed to act before I lost any more air flow.

  “Graaaaaah!” I yelled as I grabbed the snout of the beast with my left hand and stabbed the side of its long neck with my right. The blade sunk in slightly. I pressed its head toward the blade and pushed the blade in the direction of its head. The blade sunk deeper and deeper. The beast began fighting me less and less. Its weight on my chest still made it hard to breathe. My strength and vision were fading and I soon lost consciousness.

  I woke up coughing with Teltar and Kalus hovering over me. Teltar had cuts on his face but his wounds were already healing. I assumed Kalus used some healing magic on him. “Glad to see you are alive!” Kalus said cheerfully. I took a few heavy breaths and slowly stood up. The beast was dead and beheaded.

  Grum cheered, “That was quite a fight!”

  Teltar nodded, “I have never seen one of those; only pictures.”

  Kalus kicked the headless body, “They are not from around here. Someone must have brought this from the other lands.”

  I stared at it, “You mean someone brought this here?”

  Kalus shrugged, “These are not the kind of creature one keeps as a pet, so someone must have brought it here for a bad reason.”

  Teltar cleaned his blade, “It could have been brought here to attack you.” I stared at the head of the ugly thing, “Who would do this?”

  Chapter 5

  I could hardly believe it. First, the Blood Witch and now some crazy monster called an elkvian. The idea of someone trying to take me out seemed more likely the more I thought about it. That morning, Teltar quickly skinned the beast and tried to salvage any meat from it. I helped him carve up any good pieces. We skewered it on sticks and leaned the sticks near the fire. Kalus was watching a pot of water begin boiling while playing his lute. Grum and Dhurm were shaken up but refused to admit it. We left later that morning. All were quiet with a lot on our minds. I know I did.

  After our big breakfast of elkvian meat, Teltar used some rope and tied up the rest of the carcass to the back of the wagon. We didn’t have enough salt to dry it but, it should be fine until we reached the village.

  I sat with Kalus near the head of the monster. “That would be a good trophy,” Grum mentioned in a cheerful voice.

  I smiled, “Teltar did a great deal in the fight as well.”

  “I am happy to get some fresh meat,” Teltar spoke while chewing on some of the cooked elkvian.

  I laughed, “I think we have enough to feed us for a while. And thanks for the trophy. You can keep the hide!” Teltar gave a slight smile which is the most he smiles, “Thanks.” I counted the points on the antlers on the beast; any hunter from earth would be green with envy. I removed the flesh from the head and leaving a bare skull. The eyes of the beast creeped me out. The skull actually looked really cool so I put it on the back of the wagon before I hopped in. Grum started the wagon rolling and we moved on.

  I was able to rest and catch up on sleep. I was too tired to worry about wagon noises or tool sounds coming from Dhurm. I wasn’t sound asleep and woke every so often when the noise became louder. I woke up when we took a brief break. Dhurm finished up his task for the day and sat down and took a nap as well. It seemed he had planned his work to be finished by the time we were supposed to reach Felmun. Since he stopped hammering on metal and wood, it allowed me to sleep more soundly.

  I guess I slept better than I thought since no one woke me for lunch, and when I did open my eyes, the sky was already getting dark. Long naps during the day often leave me disoriented. My back felt out of place, so I twisted and heard a satisfying pop.

  “Oh, now you are awake,” Grum mentioned cheerfully. I sat up, trying to get my bearings. Dhurm was lying down reading a notebook. Grum turned his head and spoke again, “We are making good time and should reach Icreryn before night fall!” I smiled and stared out the back of the wagon. My trophy was still mounted on the b
ack. I let out a big yawn and laid back down.

  Grum was right, the sun was barely in view when we reached Icreryn. The village was larger than I expected. It was no city but, it had a good amount of wooden and brick homes. We saw a few people outside who glanced at us and then went back to their business. I guess with the road to Felmun being closed, there was an increase in local traffic. “Now, where is an inn?” Grum muttered. He took a few seconds to find an inn. I peeked out. The inn was simple-looking with a barn attached. Teltar and Kalus had already dismounted and was speaking to the stable boy out front.

  I put on the rest of my armor and hopped out of the wagon. “Do you need anymore assistance?” I asked Grum. He rubbed his fore head, “No, we should be fine tonight, Dhurm… Dhurm!” Grum turned and prodded his brother. Dhurm grumbled, got up, looked around and instantly knew what to do.

  Grum looked back at me and shrugged, “I think we might stick around for at least a day, so we won’t need your services until further notice.” I nodded and found Teltar and Kalus.

  Teltar nodded when I walked up to him. “We have at least a day here and they will contact us if they need us” I told him.

  Kalus scanned the area, “I saw a few lookers but at this distance and lack of light, I’m not sure.”

  I laughed, “On the prowl?” He laughed, “It has been quite awhile without much to look at. Well, mind you, your mistress is quite lovely…in her own unique way.” I guess Talestria’s weird habits and personality turned him off a bit, and he had seen her angry side. That side of her even scares me

  Teltar took out a few coins and said, “We should have enough for tonight and for more provisions tomorrow.” Kalus jogged to the door of the inn. He slowly pushed the door open and we heard people chatting. He smiled. He seemed excited to be back in a normal, social place. Kalus didn’t seem happy in the dwarven cities.

  Grum called for me so I ran back to them while Teltar and Kalus walked inside the inn. “If you want, we can get the hanging meat salted” Grum said cheerfully. I glanced at the meat from the monster we had defeated. It was a nice gesture he made to take care of that for us.

  Grinning, he added, “As long as we can eat some later.” I knew there was a catch, but there was plenty for all of us. I nodded and turned back but, he called to me again. “What about the skull?” he asked.

  I looked at him, “It is a bit bulky for me to carry. Is it alright if I keep it on the wagon for tonight?” “That’s fine,” Grum agreed. He untied the skull and mounted it in a more prominent place. He stood back looking proud. I just shrugged and walked to the inn.

  I saw a bunch of people drinking and enjoying themselves. Pretty much everyone was human and seemed to be simple farmers and fishermen. Kalus was already sitting next to some woman and flirting up a storm. Teltar was no where in sight.

  I sat next to Kalus and waited for him to stop flirting to ask him where Teltar was. He turned his head as if he knew what I was going to say, “Teltar is already in the room.” Kalus turned and continued his flirting. I glanced around hoping to see someone I knew. A few people stared at me and whispered to one another. I turned to the barkeep and began to lower my mouth piece and asked for water, when someone crashed into the room. I saw someone wearing dark armor who stuck out like a sore thumb. Several people in the room yelled cheerfully, “Jerak!”

  “Thank you, thank you!” Jerak said merrily loudly as he stumbled inside. I didn’t turn around to see if he took notice of me.

  “Hey, Jerak! Fought any monsters today?!” someone shouted. Jerak laughed, “Not today, but no monster would not dare come here when I am around!” People laughed. I guess he is enjoying his fame. I heard footsteps coming toward me from behind. “Hey! Who is sitting on my stool?” he said loudly. I could tell he was referring to me. “Hey, dark knight! Would you be so kind?” he said. His tone sounded a bit rude.

  I smiled and spoke from under my helmet, “Didn’t see your name on it.”

  Jerak now sounded a bit angry, “What? Everyone knows that is my stool. Now get off!”

  Someone else chimed, “Kick his butt!” A few people laughed. I slowly turned around to see him. He looked the same; same leather armor with a half plate covering the chest. He still had his buckler and his mace was at his side. He had the same wavy brown hair and a scar running down the right side of his face which was slightly covered by a blue headband. He stared at me in confusion, “Who are you?”

  I stood up, staring at him. Without saying a word, I slowly lifted off my helmet. Grinning, I said, “Boo!” Jerak staggered back and then laughed, “Oh, man! Blake!” He grinned widely and gave me a firm handshake and clapped me on the shoulder. He turned his head and waved at everyone, “Hey, everyone! This is Blake! The guy I told you about!” Some people stared and whispered. I smiled and waved.

  The barkeep spoke up, “The same? The man that defeated Xum’gol?”

  I turned to the barkeep, “Yup.”

  “Wow!” He looked surprised. “Hey, have a drink, on the house!” Jerak quickly went around me and sat on the stool where I had been sitting, “I’ll have the usual!” I sat at the stool to his left. I saw that Kalus was on his other side. He looked at me and shrugged. The girl he was chatting with smiled at me but I just smiled and turned away.

  “He is married” Kalus said to her. I nearly laughed when he said that. Jerak slapped me on the back, “Oh, yeah! How is Talestria?” The barkeep stared at me with his mouth wide open. Jerak looked at the barkeep, “Aw, come now! I told you guys about that as well!”

  The barkeep shook his head, “We thought you made that part up.” Jerak brought up some of the old times and we explained things in between gulps. He had become a legend in the area, but his fame wasn’t as great as he hoped it would be. His brother thought he made up a great deal of his stories. He ended up working random jobs around town. He ordered a few more drinks and that took its toll, “See now, you are here and we should do something great!”

  I was glad I only drank water and laughed, “Jerak, maybe you’ve had enough. We can talk more tomorrow.”

  Jerak pointed at me with an unsteady hand, “You think so, but wait…” He fell over. I helped Jerak get home; a small but simple house. I leaned him against the doorway and knocked. A younger man opened the door. He must be Jerak’s brother. He had the same hair and facial features, but no scar. He was scrawnier than Jerak. He stared at me and spoke in an angry tone, “What is it? Oh! Just plop him there. I’ll wake him up in the morning.”

  I stood there, not sure if I wanted to just leave him where he was. Slowly, I eased Jerak down by the front door, smiled and extended my hand to the young man, “Hi, I am a friend of Jerak. Pleased to meet you.”

  The young man raised a brow, “Didn’t know my brother had any friends.”

  I laughed, “I didn’t know he had a brother. My name is Blake.” He stared at me as if I was lying, “So, you are real. Huh?” He looked down and dragged his brother inside the house. “It is late, so feel free to stop by tomorrow.” Before I could say anything, he closed the door in my face. Strange guy.

  I walked back to the inn. For the first time, I could hear the ocean in this world. The lights were still on inside the inn but I didn’t feel like going in yet. I walked toward the sound of the ocean. I saw a few groups of people but, no one bothered me.

  Past the inn, I saw a dock area and a few people talking. I didn’t want to disturb them, so I walked up the beach away from the dock. I felt the breeze in my hair which reminded me that I left my helmet at the inn. No matter; Kalus would keep an eye on it, I hoped. I stared at the reflection of the two moons on the water. The sounds of the ocean always helped me clear my head. I let out a sigh and found a large rock to sit on. I stared into the sea, trying not to worry. Thoughts of Talestria filled my mind. I really missed her and I hoped she was alright.

  A voice spoke out, “It is unwise to be alone at night. That is when the predators come out.” I turned my head to see a man in a brown robe wi
th green runes all over it. He looked like some kind of crazed hermit with wild hair on his face and head. He reeked of body odor and dung which I could smell as he stared at me from a distance. I stared right back at him, waiting for him to speak again. He frowned and spoke again, “You seem to be a stronger prey than I thought. Pity you slayed my elkvian.”

  Goosebumps covered my body. My instincts brought me to my feet and I drew my sword. He stared at me, “Mr. Grubska wants you alive, but I find that is not a natural way to handle prey.”

  I glared at him with my sword held tightly, “So, he is really after me! Why?!”

  The strange hermit laughed, “A predator doesn’t reveal its secrets to its prey.” He pointed his hand toward me and from behind him, up flew several large birds. I ducked to avoid being scratched by the swarm. I shielded my face from the bird’s claws but it hindered my vision.

  I saw rope-like vines quickly wrapping around my legs. I franticly swung my sword and hacked at them. I cut several but more kept coiling around me. I heard the hermit laughing, “Go ahead! Your metal weapon will just help spread the venom of my plant!” I smelled something like rotting fertilizer.

  He was right. When I hacked at the vines from the plant, the plant seeped a strange liquid. Suddenly, a bird flew straight at me but I sliced it apart. Another came at me from a different angle and clawed at my head. The talons were sharp and painful, but not very long. The plant was back to its full form and looked like a bad horror movie plant-monster. In the center was a large closed bulb surrounded by leaves with more vines wiggling around it. Several more started creeping toward me.

  How the heck does a plant this big just suddenly appear? I hacked away at several more vines and tried to retreat. As soon as I did that, the birds came at me again. A mist of venom sprayed from the bulb in the center kept the birds away, but they circled and waited to come at me again. I saw no end to them. They appeared somewhat limited in their ability to get me.