Dragon Hero II: Bounty of the Blood Witch

by C Woodward

  Everyone saluted us by tapping their chest twice with their right fist then bowing their head. I did the same for them and went off to gather my things. Everyone lined up by the entrance and saluted. Clagmir, Torkuhl, and I saluted back and walked forward.

  Chapter 11

  It felt so good to be out in the air. I guess I had gotten used to the smell of sweat. The sun felt warm and was almost too bright for my eyes. Twenty days of solid training. I felt tired from fighting Torkuhl and all those guys. Not having to deal with the weights gave me the energy to head back to Vunash.

  Clagmir, Torkuhl, and I made it to the main road. Torkuhl went on to Clagmir about his idea for his own arena. I mostly tuned it out and let my thoughts back into my head. I had been keeping my mind in a dormant state for too long. I still wore my uniform, which was now filthy from all the exertion.

  I checked my pouch which was safely in my pack. The gems were still there, and I wondered what to do with them. I should try to get a better weapon. The idea of waiting to get it enchanted made me think of going back for more training! I reflected back on those twenty days. I couldn’t remember seeing anyone who didn’t fall apart after the first two days there.

  We could now see Vunash and I was excited. It was late in the afternoon, and I felt relieved to be back! I readjusted my pack and quickened my pace. Clagmir laughed, “You are that eager to see the rest of your friends?”

  I laughed, “Oh, I was thinking more about taking a bath and eating some good food!” Clagmir laughed. The guards glanced at us without bothering to check to see who we were. I guess with Clagmir around, they assumed we were no threat. It was so weird to see so many people again. The novelty of it all almost made me feel out of place.

  We were walking toward the temple. Clagmir frowned, “I think it might be best if you headed to the nearest bathhouse before entering the temple.” I chuckled, “I smell that bad, huh?” Clagmir smiled, “People are beginning to walk out of the way to avoid you.” He pointed to a cluster of buildings, “Just go over there. I must attend to other matters.”

  I waved, “Thanks for everything, Clagmir!” He smiled, turned his horse and rode off.

  Torkuhl sniffed his arm pit, “I don’t seem that bad.”

  The woman at the bathhouse almost cringed at my scent. I laughed, “Sorry. I have been busy lately.”

  She glanced at my clothing, “Oh, you’re a paladin. I thought your training didn’t end till next month.”

  I looked down, “Oh, well. I finished early.” She raised a brow, “Oh, just go right ahead. There is no one coming in at this time anyway.” I reached for my pouch. While holding her nose she quickly said, “No bother! We don’t charge servicemen.” I smiled and thanked her. Torkuhl went outside. He didn’t seem too eager to take a bath, then again he didn’t seem to sweat and didn’t smell half as bad as I did.

  She was right; the place was empty, and I doubted there was a big demand bathing at this time of day. I shoved my things in a large drawer that had a lock with a small key attached to a loop of string, so things could be safely stored. That was good because I was a little paranoid with the money I had. I put the string around my neck and walked to the bath area. The water was barely warm. I guessed they didn’t bother heating it much at this time of day. I slowly stepped in and adjusted to the coolness of the water. Looking around, I saw a light brownish lump of soap. The soap was mostly animal fat and was rough compared to modern soap back at home, but I could use a rougher soap. After scrubbing down, I sank into the water, leaned back and closed my eyes.

  “Calooby!” a familiar voice yelled, followed by a splash.

  Without opening my eyes, I sighed, “Hello, Jerak.” I was hoping to relax a bit more, but it was nice to have him around again. He laughed, “You could never do that when there are others here. It’s nice to have no one around.” I didn’t reply, but could hear him climbing out and walking toward the wall. A moment later he complained, “No one over that side either. Darn!” I dipped under the water to get my face and hair wet. My hair felt really gross and I wasn’t sure if there was any shampoo here. That sort of thing is a luxury item, so people usually brought their own. Oh well, I didn’t need to impress anyone anytime soon.

  “Hey, Jerak. So, why did you guys travel to Halatross?” I asked while trying to clean the rest of me.

  He walked back over, “Oh, we found a lead on that Forren guy.”

  I ran my fingers through my hair as I dunked my head again into the water. After coming back up, I asked, “What did you find about Forren?”

  Jerak was splashing water around, “He is traveling west of Halatross. It appears that he is hiring more people and gathering strength.”

  I sighed, “Further west. That’s where I just came from.”

  He stopped splashing around, “Oh? Xum’gol’s old base, eh?”

  I nodded, “I was summoned by him by mistake, right in that area.” Why is Forren going there? The thought made me feel really uneasy. After my bath, I dressed, thanked the woman and left the building. I saw a group of folks chatting with Torkuhl; it was the guys! I waved and they all seemed excited to see me. “So, how did the training go?” Teltar asked.

  Torkuhl filled him in, “It was great! He was constantly run ragged but beat everyone afterward!”

  Kalus raised a brow and looked at me, “You beat them?”

  I laughed, “Sort of. At the end I had to face all the trainees, one by one.” Torkuhl scratched the back of his head and muttered in a low tone, “And he fought me, too.” They all stared at Torkuhl and then back at me. I just smiled a little and shrugged. Torkuhl smacked me on the back and laughed, “Normally, I would be ashamed of such a thing. But, we shouldn’t expect any less from him!”

  Rejun glanced at Torkuhl and then at me, and back at Torkuhl once more. He looked at me, pointed at Torkuhl and asked, “Wait, you beat him?”

  Jerak came walking out, “What?!”

  After everyone explained the situation to Jerak, he demanded to challenge me. I laughed, “Alright, but let’s do that when we are not in the city.”

  He nodded, “Then it is settled. When we leave here, we will see who is better.”

  Torkuhl snorted, “What makes you think you can do any better than me?”

  Jerak smiled, “You are stronger, but I am quicker!”

  Torkuhl laughed, “You are still no match for me!” Rejun and Kalus stepped away.

  I joined in, “We all have our strengths and weaknesses.”

  Torkuhl chuckled, “I have no weaknesses.”

  None of us dared to argue with him, except Jerak. He glared at Torkuhl.

  I interrupted before he could start an argument, “Hey, where is Bolam?”

  Jerak looked at me, “Oh, he is over to wrap up your pres…” Rejun covered his brother’s mouth and took over, “He is over to talking with someone for a bit.” I looked at them and could tell they were hiding something. The only one with a straight face was Teltar.

  We walked to the temple. Clagmir was outside, talking to some of the paladins. Jerak tapped me on the shoulder, “We will be right back. We need to go find Bolam.”

  I knew he was keeping a secret, so I just sighed and played along, “Alright, I’ll be here when you guys come back.” He acted giddy and almost blew his cover except Teltar smacked him on the back of the head. I watch them walk off. Teltar seemed to be the only one who wasn’t amused. Torkuhl stood by me and watched them go when Jerak ran up to him and dragged him away. Now, I was really curious about what was going on. I knew it wasn’t about Bolam because he was elsewhere. For a moment, I thought it might be Talestria, but they hadn’t had time to get her down here, and it would have been too dangerous for her.

  “Blake!” Clagmir yelled out. I turned. He was waiting by the temple doorway. I was very curious as we walked inside. I couldn’t wait to see my armor! The Arch Bishop greeted us with two priests who were carrying a large, brown linen bag. “Welcome back, Blake!” the Arch Bishop said warmly. He
looked at the linen bag and nodded to the priests who held the bag gently. “It was no small feat, but such armor is well suited for a king!” he said with a sense of pride. The two priests opened up the large sack and revealed the armor. My jaw dropped.

  The armor looked amazing! It looked really cool before, but now it was just crazy. Every little bit of trim was solid white and gave off a faint glow. Every plate had its own tiny border of white and with the blackness of the armor it looked really impressive. “You should have no problem fighting the forces of evil with this suit!” The Arch Bishop said. I kneeled down and picked up a piece of the armor. It might have been my recent training, but the armor felt a little lighter too. The two priests walked off and leaving the sack and its contents. The Arch Bishop smiled, “I hope you will put this to good use. Now, if you excuse me, I have other matters to attend to.”

  I thanked him and took the sack of armor. Clagmir helped me put it on. The armor felt a bit strange, like it was radiating power. Maybe, it was the excitement I was feeling. It took hardly any time to put on the armor. Clagmir sighed and stepped back to see it, “You are indeed lucky, having such a fine quality suit of armor. And for it to be enchanted is such a blessing.”

  I chuckled from under my helmet, “Your gear isn’t enchanted?” Clagmir shook his head, “My armor is simply blessed. Now my shield, on the other hand, is enchanted. Most paladins just bless their own equipment.” I knew that paladins could empower their gear with a form of protective magic. I also knew that it only lasted for a certain period of time. Being married to Talestria really helped me understand magic!

  I walked out of the temple, feeling pumped. I deflated quickly as my stomach reminded me that I should eat. None of the guys had made it back yet, which got me even more curious about the surprise. I glanced to side of the armor and nearly forgot about the cape that was supposed to be attached underneath the epaulets at the shoulders. It wasn’t with the rest of the armor. I guessed it was in such ragged shape from all the wear and tear that it wasn’t worth keeping. “Hey!” Jerak yelled as he ran toward me. The rest of the guys followed behind, including Bolam!

  Bolam looked pretty much as I remembered him. A trimmed beard and mustache, hair slicked back and tied in a short pony tail. He wore a nice, blue robe. “Nice to see you again, Blake!” Bolam said cheerfully.

  I walked over, put an arm around him and patted his back. “So, how is life treating you Bolam?” I said while getting a second look at him. I decided to take off my helmet to be polite.

  He smiled, “I am now a teacher. I took a few students with me to Halatross.” He pointed over at the others, “I ran into them and they filled me in on current events.”

  Teltar nodded, “I heard word of Forren traveling through there, so we went over to check it out.”

  I waited for more input, “And?” Bolam looked at the other guys and decide he would answer for them, “There is a necromancer with him. I don’t know his name, but he could be one of the surviving servants of Xum’gol.” I got a mental image of the older figure that was with Forren when we searched in Torclyn. If Forren hired someone like a necromancer; who knows what’s possible.

  Rejun stepped in, “You are going after that guy, right?”

  Jerak shoved his brother playfully, “Of course! And we are all going to aid Blake!” I glanced at Bolam. He sighed, “I will have to decline. I have a busy life now. Falstrid runs the schools and permitted me to take time away from my teaching.” Add another ally to my group.

  Rejun shoved his brother away, “Shouldn’t we give him his gift?” Today was just getting better. I was curious what the gift could be. I was handed a large bundle covered in brown paper. It was starting to feel like my birthday. Bolam smiled and explained, “When I went to Halatross, I was teaching my students about relics and other aspects while we traveled down to the temple. I found a few items that might interest you.” I unwrapped it and could hardly believe what I held. It was a weapon, but not just any weapon; the one I found in the spirit temple. It looked like a hybrid of a sword and an axe. I guessed when the Shadens took it and left it there, after the big fight. I held the weapon. Its weight felt good and I could feel the power in it.

  “No one else would be safe using it, and it would just collect dust in the archives at the school,” Bolam explained.

  I smiled, “Thank you so much, guys.”

  Jerak was picking at his ear, so Teltar elbowed him. He perked up, “Oh, yeah! There is another gift!”

  Rejun complained, “Seriously? You are giving him that? It’s kind of creepy!”

  Jerak laughed, “Shut it, Rejun!” Bolam sighed, “I found it. I thought it would be interesting to show the students the effects of very powerful magic. Then I figured out what it was.” I was confused for a moment, then a faint idea came to me. Holding a dark, rough bag, Jerak pulled out a skull. Kalus and Rejun moved back, out of the way. The skull was from someone of a slighter, thinner stature than a human.

  I chuckled, “Let me guess.” I grabbed the skull and held it up high with one hand. I looked the skull in the eyeholes and said, “We meet again, Deshra!” Torkuhl snorted, “So, that’s what happened to him.” He took a few steps forward and gazed upon it. He had mixed feelings, then stepped back and folded his arms. He laughed, “He was always one that accomplish a lot, but now he is just a trophy.”

  “He was an evil man,” Teltar shrugged

  Torkuhl sighed, “He didn’t seem evil first, but he got what he deserved and he died in battle.” I noticed that on the back of the skull was a metal insert that looked like a clip. Jerak grinned, “It’s a belt buckle!” I raised a brow and looked at it again and then back at Jerak’s expression. Mm, okay.

  I put my “belt buckle” in my pack, claiming I didn’t want to damage it. After all the gifts, I insisted on treating everyone to a big meal. We decided where to eat by scent. When you are hungry, nothing really beats the smell of barbequed meat. Everyone ate their fill of meat and everything else. After our meal, I decided it would be a good thing to come up with a plan. Teltar, Bolam, and I sat together while the rest enjoyed themselves and finished their meal. Kalus was in a corner tuning his lute. I sighed and looked at Bolam and Teltar, “So, how do you think we should do this?”

  Teltar wiped sauce from his beard, “If they are near Halatross, they could be hiring goons there, which will make things harsh.” I rubbed my forehead and looked at the pile of bones on my plate, “I am worried that they are heading west of Halatross where Xum’gol once dwelled.” Bolam was quiet and in deep thought, trying to absorb all this.

  Teltar nodded, “If they have a necromancer, there will be problems.” Bolam raised a brow, “That place was once a burial site for those who died in the old elf wars. I heard that the undead there were destroyed by Falstrid, Wotmire, and Clagmir, I’m not sure that they are heading there.”

  I ran my fingers through my hair, “That is where I came from. There is an altar there, which might be something.”

  Teltar shrugged, “Altars don’t mean so much, but there are some altars they might have access to.” Bolam nodded and looked at me, “I don’t know what they are doing west of Halatross, but I do have a theory of why they are after you.”

  I waited for the reason. Bolam took a deep breath and then explained, “Forren Grubska is a man with everything, right? He has great wealth and the talent to get what he wants. The only thing he doesn’t have is what you have.” A chill ran down my spine. Bolam closed his eyes, “A human who doesn’t age, an off-worlder; Xum’gol once tried to use you to empower a gate to the underworld.”

  Teltar shrugged, “Blake is a power source?” Bolam nodded, “The magic school doesn’t allow the teaching of necromancy and other dark arts. From my research, I understand some of the aspects of it, which explains my theory.” I leaned over as he continued, “Some practitioners of dark magic dabble in ways to drain someone’s power or life essence. For someone like you, Blake, it could be possible to take your ability of not
aging!”

  I sighed, “But such magic doesn’t work on me.” Bolam shrugged, “It might be possible if you were in a severely weakened state.” I looked away and recalled my encounter with Xum’gol. He didn’t attempt his drain spell on me until after I was beaten up. The Dragon Spirit didn’t contact me when I had the armor just when I was also at a critical state.

  I looked back, “That makes sense.”

  Jerak walked to where we were seated, “So, what are you guys talking about?”

  Bolam answered, “We are trying think of a plan against Forren Grubska.”

  Jerak looked a bit puzzled, “Why don’t we just head straight in and take him on?”

  Teltar shook his head, “That would be a bit careless.”

  Jerak laughed, “What are we afraid of? Blake has his armor and there are plenty of us to take them on.”

  Bolam glanced at Jerak, “They might be setting a trap. They have hired more goons. We don’t know.”

  Jerak turned his head, “Well, sitting around won’t make things easier.” I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. I thought for a moment and commented, “Well, Forren wouldn’t attack inside the city, but I’m not sure about the Blood Witch.”

  “She doesn’t seem to care about taking you alive,” Jerak sighed.

  Bolam scratched his chin, “It would make no sense for Forren to want you dead. I wonder if her new powers have caused her to become insane.” I went over and paid for the dinner. Everyone had eaten their fill of good food. I guess paying with one of the gems required that the owner make a trip to get enough change. I found out that those gems are worth quite a bundle! No wonder those two goons who stole my coin pouch didn’t want to give it up. I got back a bunch of gold and silver coins along with who knows how many copper coins. They added a considerable amount of weight to the now stuffed coin pouch, but it was easier to use them than the gems. I doubt paper currency would be a choice in a world like this. I looked around and saw everyone else was leaving.