Dragon Hero II: Bounty of the Blood Witch

by C Woodward

  I laughed, “Thanks for helping me.”

  He grinned, “Hey, if the future battles are as fun as the last one, I’ll be happy to tag along!”

  I shook my head and chuckled, “You like fighting, do you?” Torkuhl nodded, “It’s always fun and that healer over there is handy as well.” He pointed at Kalus who looked over and appeared a bit confused but waved and went back to whatever he was doing.

  After lunch, we headed back onto the road. Kalus was playing on his lute but broke a string and just sat and sighed. Jerak thought it was funny and laughed when it happened. Kalus gave Jerak a dirty look and muttered about needing to get another string. Teltar was practically asleep while following the wagon. Torkuhl picked at his teeth and Rejun walked along side the wagon and appearing to be daydreaming. Today, we should reach Halatross and maybe tomorrow we will be done with all of this. I somewhat doubted it would happen that quickly. It might even be a few days before we find out what we’re up against.

  It started to sprinkle lightly as we reached Halatross. The sun was still up but so were the clouds. I heard a stray drop hit my helmet. Everything looked so colorful with the contrast of the moisture in the air and the sun slowly setting on the western mountains. The eastern gate offered decent protection from the rain but to my disappointment, I saw other figures by the gate and that discouraged me. We saw two figures dressed in white and green robes. They quickly turned and watched our approach. I let out a long sigh; it was the elves.

  “I am sorry but we need to see who you are, before you can pass,” one of the guards addressed us. Everyone looked back at me. I felt the distrust when I looked at the two elves and the town guards.

  “What is the problem?” Bolam asked in a friendly tone. Bolam knew the answer, but he still felt obligated to ask.

  One of the guards turned and looked at one of the elves, “We’ve heard rumors of Blake coming this way. He isn’t permitted to enter Halatross.”

  Torkuhl snorted, “That’s just stupid!”

  The guard ignored that comment, “For crimes against the elves, he is banned from entering the city.”

  I knew that the guard was just following orders. I couldn’t help but feel disappointment, “Very well, I shall not enter.” The guards and the two elves stared at me, and didn’t utter a word. The elves felt satisfied about stopping me, the guards were almost arrogant about it. There was silence within our group. Torkuhl folded his arms and thought this was stupid. I walked over to Bolam. He just shrugged and whispered, “What should we do?”

  I glanced over at the other guys, “I still want you guys to do some research in town.” Teltar rode over, “You shouldn’t be left alone. Forren could be planning this and attack you.” I could hear the rain start to fall a little harder.

  I sighed and handed Teltar my money, “Here, maybe one or two others will stay with me while the rest of you go and rest up in town.”

  He grabbed the coin pouch and then tossed it back to me, “I will stay.” We both looked over and saw the others overhearing the conversation.

  Bolam sighed, “It would make sense if I stayed as well. There was just enough room in the wagon to sleep and be protected from the rain.” It was decided that Torkuhl, Jerak, Rejun, and Kalus would go into town to gather information. They took their packs, so they will have what they need, plus it would make more room in the wagon. We discussed a plan while standing away from the gate and any prying eyes. Bolam looked at them, “There can’t be too much traffic in and out of town or Grubska and his minions might find out.”

  Kalus chimed in, “Are you guys going to scout out west?” I pondered that for a bit. That was an interesting idea.

  Bolam shook his head, “It would be too obvious with the wagon. Teltar and I are not sneaky enough to get near there without getting caught.” Rejun stepped in, “I can do it.” Jerak stared, and didn’t know what to say. Rejun smiled, “I can sneak up on any animal, and the rain will just make it easier.”

  Jerak placed his hand on Rejun’s shoulder, “I’ll come with you.”

  Rejun laughed, “No offences, but I think the Minotaur is sneakier than you.” Torkuhl perked up his head.

  I could hear the raindrops landing harder on my helmet. I looked at Rejun, “I don’t want you to risk anything. If you get a slight hint, come back.”

  Rejun smiled, “Oh, believe me, I wouldn’t stick around and fight.”

  Kalus smiled, “I’ll see what rumors I can gather around town.”

  Bolam nodded, “Good idea. It might be good if you guys meet up every day to update each other.”

  Torkuhl appeared a bit bored, “What do you want me to do?”

  I pointed at Kalus, “Torkuhl in case there is any trouble with Rejun or Kalus, I want you and Jerak to protect them.” Jerak and Torkuhl looked at each other. Torkuhl nodded, “Easy!” Teltar yawned, “You two should just go hang out by the lower class districts and you might run into some information yourself.”

  Kalus looked at them, “I don’t want you two blowing our cover so, well, just be yourselves and I’ll come by to see how things are.”

  Bolam looked at Kalus, “One of us will come into town for an update once a day.”

  Kalus looks at back at Bolam, “Where do you want to meet?”

  Bolam stared off at the town, “The temple is fine enough.”

  Kalus sighed, “How original. Well alright, what time?”

  Bolam shrugged, “Sunset is fine.”

  Kalus glanced at Torkuhl and Jerak, “Alright. Shall we be off?” I gave the guys some money and knew Jerak and Torkuhl would just enjoy themselves in a tavern, which was fine. They will blend in well enough. Rejun was feeling a bit excited and nervous. I warned him about the Blood Witch and he assured me he would be very careful. Kalus walked over to chat with Rejun for a bit.

  Bolam looked at Teltar and me, “Should we head out?”

  Teltar mumbled, “Where do you want to go?”

  I looked around, “For now, let’s find a place to get out of the rain.” I sat in the wagon with Bolam while Teltar followed. Our plan was move to a different location each one day while one of us traveled to town every evening to gather news and information. So, we still needed to keep near town. Teltar offered to do the relay back since he had a horse and the wagon would stand out a bit.

  We went back on the road, heading east. Once we were out of sight of the town, we turned north and took a rougher path for about an hour. We saw plenty of dwellings outside Halatross and it was easy to hide the tracks of the wagon among those of the farmers and travelers.

  After an hour off the main road, we spotted a barn far out on the property. Teltar took his horse and the warhorse and stabled them in the barn. There were no other animals there, so hopefully no one would be visiting the barn anytime soon.

  The rain started to pick up as we waited in the wagon. Bolam thought about turning on a lantern but decided it would be best not to show any light. I still felt somewhat paranoid. We knew Forren and his minions were most likely somewhere in the area. It wouldn’t take long till word spread around that I was in the area. His lack of feedback from his dead druid would just confirm that. I feel better knowing the druid was gone. I hoped he was the only tracker.

  The rain was coming down a little harder now. Teltar was already asleep and held his sword next to him. Bolam was snoring on the other side of the wagon. I was in the middle, awake and paranoid about any stray sound. Wait, are we even keeping watch?

  Paranoia kept me awake most of the night. I had my armor on and my axe was right at my side. When I couldn’t fall asleep, I woke up Teltar. He grumbled, but got the hint and sat up for the remainder of the night. I really must have been up most of the night, because it felt like ten minutes later when I woke up to the sound of Teltar bringing the horses back.

  The sun was almost up and Teltar wanted to get the wagon away from the barn before anyone came by. Bolam helped him. They exchanged a few words. I was so dead tired that I didn’t even care wh
at they were talking about. I just knew that a minute or two later the wagon started to move and I went to sleep.

  I woke up and smelled bear meat being roasted. Bolam and Teltar were a short distance away cooking lunch. The rain stopped but everything was still wet. I let out one long yawn and popped my neck. I didn’t sleep well at all. “Oh you’re up” Bolam said cheerfully. They were sitting on a dry log, leaning against a large rock. They had a small fire going and both smiled warmly. I sat down and also leaned back against the large rock. It was tempting to just close my eyes and go back to sleep.

  “So, what is on the agenda for today?” I asked while trying not to yawn.

  Bolam poked at the fire, “We take it easy and later today Teltar will travel to town and gather what information the others have accumulated.”

  I looked around and stood back up, “Alright then, I’m going back to sleep.” I could hear Bolam laughing as I walked back to the wagon. I woke up a few hours later. They were still relaxing by the big rock. Bolam was reading one of his books. Teltar was taking a nap and seemed content. I stretched and walked over to them. It began drizzling a bit but our small area stayed mostly dry.

  “Sleep any better?” Bolam asked while keeping his eyes on his book. I yawned loudly and sat down. The sound of a few raindrops and the crackling fire were the only noises to be heard. I saw bear meat hanging nearby catching the smoke of the fire. I walked over and tore off a big chunk. The meat was tough but tasted good. I sat down and all three of us relaxed.

  After a while, boredom took over and I broke the silence, “How do you think the others are doing?” Teltar mumbled something and adjusted himself to be more comfortable. Bolam placed a bookmark in his book, closed it and looked at me, “I really don’t know. I hardly know Kalus and his methods and Jerak’s brother might find some useful information.”

  I deduced that Jerak and Torkuhl would mostly likely be in a drunken stupor and hanging out in the rougher part of town to be very useful. Knowing Kalus, he might gather some information but he might just end up trying to win over heart of a girl or two. I have some hope for Rejun in finding some information. I felt more comfortable knowing the druid was gone, though Forren could hire trackers to locate us. I would feel a whole lot better if we knew what he was up to.

  The rain stopped and stayed away for most of the day. It didn’t rain hard, but the ground stayed wet and the air was moist and cool. Teltar was packing up to meet the guys. “Be careful when you come back. Make sure no one follows you” I said.

  He nodded, “I’ll chat with Kalus and have a warm meal and head back by night fall.”

  Bolam stood up, “Tonight we will stay here. Tomorrow we must find a new site to assure no one followed you and could learn of our location.” Teltar secured the last of his gear and hopped on his horse, “Yes, I’m going to take a long route back so don’t expect me till late.” Bolam and I quietly watched him ride off. I felt bad that he was going off on his own. He will get a decent meal out if it and didn’t seem to be bothered at all.

  By evening all was quiet. I got bored and collected wood for the fire. I was still a bit paranoid which made me think that jamming sharp sticks around the outside of the camp would be a good idea. I found a good collection of branches and by sundown, it looked like a weird fence that surrounded the perimeter of the camp. It wouldn’t stop a large animal from getting through. I knew it was only something to help me pass the time.

  My thoughts were with Talestria and what might happen in the next few days. Bolam had started cooking some bear meat stew with some plants he had found. It was a bit bland, but it was something different and it felt like we were eating something healthy.

  Bolam commented, “Not sure what is your plan with the barrier.”

  I laughed and poured some soup in a metal cup, “I was just bored” and then heard a noise a little north of us. I put my helmet on and grabbed my weapon. Bolam raised a brow but felt no need to check up on me. I marched over where the noise came from and saw three small figures scampering away to hide from me. It was a little hard to see through the glare of the setting sun, but I saw enough to know what it was; choguls.

  I stood there gripping my weapon in my right hand. They were quiet and still, but I could tell they were nervous. I creeped passed my barrier which they had tried to tear down. I raised my weapon and ran to where they were hiding. To my surprise, they jumped out in attack mode. Normally they would have run.

  There were three of them, and one of them actually had a real looking broadsword. The other two had make-shift clubs with a piece of metal tied on. I wondered if the broadsword was taken from a dead rogue or something. All three howled and charged at me. I took a step forward, holding my sword with my armored left hand and moved out of harm’s way. I swung to the left and into the neck of the closest chogul. The blade held plenty of power and it was decapitated with ease.

  The other two came swinging. I stepped away and leaned back to avoid both attacks. Quickly, I grabbed the broadsword and sank it into skull of one and, then sliced through the other with my sword. The chogul with the sword sticking out of its skull was howling loudly. I finished it off with my blade and sheathed my sword. Stupid choguls.

  I searched to make sure nothing else was lurking around before walking back to camp. I came to the campsite holding the broadsword.

  Bolam looked at me with concern. “What happened?” he asked as I dropped the sword near him.

  I sat back down and told him, “Some stupid choguls.”

  Bolam shook his head and chuckled, “You know, I used to be afraid of those nasty creatures.

  I chuckled, “They are creepy, but really, they are just annoying.” Bolam gave me my mug of soup. I pulled the mouthpiece off my helmet and sipped. “I hope the guys will have found something.” I said after swallowing some food.

  Bolam stared at the fire, “I hope so. Hopefully, when Teltar gets back we will learn something helpful.” After dinner, Bolam decide to turn in early, so I sat by the fire and tried to relax. After a minute or so, I decided to remove my lame fence so when Teltar came in his horse didn’t got poked. No rain had fallen for a couple hours now and I could see one of the moons. I threw another piece of wood on the fire and put the pot over it to keep the soup warm. There should be plenty for Teltar when he gets back. Then I recalled that Teltar was eating in town so I might as well help myself to another serving of soup. As I scooped some into my metal cup, I heard a noise. I put the cup down, took out my weapon and walked toward the sound.

  I carefully stepped closer to the source and crouched behind a tree. It was Teltar. He was riding his horse casually toward the camp and passed me. I stood up and followed him. My heart was beating fast and I was excited to hear the news from the guys in town.

  Teltar hopped off his horse and tied it nearby. I jogged over, “Hey, Teltar.” He looked at me like he had just woken up from a nap, “Huh? Oh, hey.” He sat down by the fire and looked at what was inside of the pot. I stood there waiting for him to start sharing the news, but knowing him, it would be pointless. “Is this any good?” he asked while scooping some soup in a small wooden bowl.

  I flopped down, “Thought you already ate.”

  Bolam’s voice chimed in, “Hey Teltar, what’s the news?” We all sat around the fire. Teltar shoveled in some soup while we waited eagerly. He finally lowered his bowl and looked at us looking at him. He got the hint, “Oh right. Um, let me see.”

  He pulled a rolled-up note from his shirt and handed it Bolam. Bolam unrolled it and read it to himself and then read it out loud, “It looks like Kalus must have written this since the penmanship is quite nice.”

  I grunted, “Tell us what it says.” Bolam chuckled, “Oh, sorry. Um, he writes that he found out that Forren hired some rough looking people who shipped supplies in wagons to the west. Rejun said he saw them traveling to a northern pass in the mountains, but it was too risky for him to follow further. He writes, ‘I overheard some rumors of a restoration project
there which was likely a ruse for Forren Grubska’s dark plots.’” Bolam scratched his chin for a bit.

  Teltar reached in and took out a second note, “Oh, forgot the second part” and handed that to Bolam. Bolam unrolled it and read it out loud, “There was a small group that came from north of town. Rejun was still busy at the time. He says, ‘I doubt that Torkuhl and Jerak could be sneaky enough to find what their plans were. I tried to get a closer look at that small party. All I learned was that they traveled in a covered wagon on the road from Trawlast. I will try to gather more information about that tomorrow. Stay safe.’”

  Teltar sighed, “It sounds like Forren is making base at the old fort.

  “Old fort?” I asked. Teltar sip some soup and burped a little before he went on, “Long ago, we dwarves established a fort there to act as an outpost in case the elves or dark elves tried to invade the mountain range from the south.”

  Bolam raised a brow, “If he had any brains, he would be setting a trap.”

  I nodded, “Well, I see no reason for us to invade a place like that. We have to lure him away from there somehow.” We tried to develop a plan. We still had no information on the size of the opposing forces, but we were sure they outnumbered us. Even without the Blood Witch, it would be dangerous since they had the base advantage. Maybe Forren was worried now, but maybe not. What could we do? None of us really knew how to start.

  I was curious about the group from Trawlast. It made me bit anxious. “What about the group that came on the road from Trawlast?”

  Teltar grunted, “Sounds like they were trying to see if you were there. Security was too strong for them to slip in easily.”

  Bolam shrugged, “But the Blood Witch is an infamous assassin for the Lyonus Empire. She might figure a way in.” Teltar shook his head, “Not even she could get inside without my people knowing. We have taken every phase of attack and infiltration into consideration. There is just no way to sneak in.” I sure hoped he was right.