Augury Answered

by Phillip Murrell

  I frequently used exposition dialogue.

  It’s full of all the worst fantasy tropes.

  The heroes are constantly provided a new spell or army to get them out of a jam.

  Nobody needs to practice or rehearse a plan that is thought up on the spot.

  A lack of female characters. I wrote characters for my friends, few were girls in those days.

  I used the conjunction “and” so many times to form run-on sentences that it was criminal.

  Passive voice was a second language.

  And, finally, I threw in some insta-love because “why not?”

  If none of that scares you away, then you may find it interesting that this was where I created the “crick” creature. If you read (or have read) my Bystanders series, this was the story that Keith and Kyle planned to buy movie tickets for on their way to watching Disorder (which was a screenplay I wrote).

  Still here? Great! Without further delay, here’s The Adventure.

  This book is dedicated to my parents who didn’t help any with its production, but did bring me into this world.

  Chapter 1

  Under Attack

  The beautiful village of the Sweet Water Valley was calm one afternoon. Everyone was peaceful and went about performing their daily routine, until the attack came!

  “The scavengers are attacking!” someone frantically cried as people ran in all directions trying to escape the massacre that was coming.

  Huge, fiery dragons armed with deadly weapons and evil black armor were carrying men. They swooped down killing many in the process. By now, the town’s soldiers started to fight back at the invaders. The King watched as he put on his armor.

  “My Lord,” one of the King’s most loyal knights spoke, “the scavengers are a deadly foe. You should retreat. I will lead the defenses and fight till I die, giving you time to escape.”

  “David, you are my best knight and I appreciate your concern for me, but a king who runs away from every conflict is no longer a king. He is a coward,” said the King.

  “But, my Lord . . .” David started.

  “I shall not repeat myself. I am now going to defend my kingdom,” stated the King.

  “And I shall fight by your side,” said David.

  Both David and the King drew their swords and charged outside the castle into battle. David thrust his sword into the neck of the first scavenger he saw, dropping it instantly. The King finished one off quickly as well. Seeing this performance by the two, many of the other knights found courage and started to fight to the point where they were winning.

  “We’re doing it! We’re doing it!” the King shouted very excitedly.

  While saying this, he did not notice a scavenger sneaking up on him. The King felt the sharp point of a spear drive into his chest.

  “Uggg!” exclaimed the King as he fell to the ground.

  David, hearing the shout of pain, turned around just in time to parry a second blow intended for him. David ducked and slashed at the scavenger, striking it in the torso and killing it. Just as the knights gained confidence by seeing the King arrive, they lost it all as he died.

  “The King is dead!!” someone shrieked. “Run for your lives! Save yourselves!”

  David kept fighting to give the fleeing villagers some time and was soon hit over the head by a club, knocking him unconscious. The last thing David saw was Sweet Water burn to the ground.

  “David,” said a voice. “David, are you alright?”

  David, slowly regaining his consciousness, looked up and saw his friend, Dawayne, over him.

  “I’m surprised,” David said to his friend. “I would have thought you to have been at the front of the retreat by now.”

  “Are you kidding? I stayed to fight off the last of the scavenger filth.”

  “I’m proud of you. Now, which way did they go?” David asked, testing the truth of what Dawayne said.

  “How should I know? I was running . . . I mean, they went that way,” Dawayne said pointing north and south.

  “You’re a big help,” David joked.

  “I try,” said Dawayne.

  “OK, we’re going to need weapons, troops, horses, food, and shelter,” David said, listing the essentials.

  “What do you mean we?” Dawayne asked. “I think you mean you.”

  “Dawayne,” David said flicking Dawayne’s ear.

  “Oww! OK, you mean we, but we will need horses.”

  “I know. How far is the closest town?”

  “Gilburg is a week’s travel. We can buy horses there and then go to a magical princess’s kingdom. She can give us the other supplies we need.”

  “Good thinking, Dawayne. How far away is her kingdom?”

  “It’s about a month’s travel and that’s on horseback.”

  “That’s a long time. Unfortunately, that’s the best we can do. OK, what we’ll do is buy the horses at Gilburg and then head to . . .” David said not knowing the name of the princess’s kingdom.

  “Gatesville is the name of Princess Lalindra’s kingdom.”

  “I will also have to try to find the Power Sword.”

  “What’s that?” Dawayne asked.

  “It’s a magical sword that is made of diamonds and can shoot off flames,” David answered.

  “That would help,” said Dawayne.

  “We better get started. We have a long journey ahead till I can claim the Power Sword and then we can attack Krag. (Krag is the leader of the scavengers.) Krag must know of the Power Sword and will, no doubt, also try to claim it for himself,” David said.

  As the two men were about to set out for Gilburg, they heard a soft whimper. After some searching, they found the source of the sound. It was a little girl about five years of age.

  “Hello, my name is David. What’s the matter?”

  “The bad men killed my mommy and daddy and Christopher,” the girl replied.

  “We can’t leave her here,” Dawayne said.

  “I know. We will have to take her with us. What’s your name?”

  “Dorris,” replied the girl.

  “Well, Doris, would you like to come with my friend, Dawayne, and I?” asked David.

  “Yes,” said Dorris, obviously frightened to stay by herself and wanting the comfort of an adult.

  “Good. We will have to walk for a long time till we get horses, but then you can ride one,” said David.

  “I’ll fall off,” Dorris informed.

  “No, you won’t. I’ll sit behind you and hold you,” said David.

  “OK,” was all Dorris had to say after the reassurance.

  “Let’s go,” said Dawayne, getting impatient.

  “OK, up we go,” David said lifting Dorris up onto his shoulders.

  While David, Dawayne, and Dorris were walking to Gilburg, they heard a scream.

  “You killed my best friend. That made me sad. I guess you’ll have to cheer me up again,” replied a man.

  “What’s going on?” Dawayne asked David.

  “Hold still!” the man yelled.

  “I don’t know, but it looks like that woman could use help. Stay here,” David said to Dorris, putting her down.

  “Hold her, boys,” said the man.

  Two other men that were watching grabbed the woman’s arms.

  “Let her go!” yelled Dawayne as he threw a dagger at one of the men.

  “Wha . . .” was all the man could say before the dagger entered his chest.

  “Alright, Dawayne!” David exclaimed as he stabbed another man through the stomach.

  The last man ran into the forest like a coward.

  “Are you alright?” Dawayne asked the woman.

  “Yes, I am,” said the woman as she kicked Dawayne.

  “Uugh . . . Uugh . . . Uugh,” Dawayne groaned as he clutched his stomach.

  “Ha, ha,” David laughed and asked the woman what her name was.

  “Maria,” answered the woman.

  “Well, Maria, where are you heading
?” asked David.

  “I am from Grassy Meadows, a nearby town that has been destroyed by Krag and his scavengers. I am heading towards Gilburg to raise an army to defeat Krag,” Maria answered.

  “Well, you’re in luck. That’s where we’re heading. You can help us defeat Krag,” Dawayne said.

  “No, she is not in luck. She’s not coming,” said David.

  “Why can’t I?” Maria asked.

  “Yeah, why can’t she?” Dawayne asked.

  “Yeah, why can’t she?” Dorris mimicked.

  “Because, she’s a woman and women aren’t warriors,” David said.

  “Neither are pigheaded men!” Maria exclaimed in fury.

  “Can’t she at least comes to Gilsbeard with us?” asked Dorris messing up the town’s name.

  “Fine, she can come to Gilburg with us, but that is as far as she goes,” David said annoyed and humored at the same time.

  Maria was about to argue further, but Dawayne whispered he could find a way to let her help, so she remained silent.

  “And who is this sweet little angel that just helped me?” Maria asked Dorris.

  “My name is Dorris and they are Dawayne and David,” Dorris said introducing everyone.

  The group traveled day after day until they finally reached Gilburg, finding the town full of knights.

  “Why so many knights?” Dawayne asked a nearby merchant.

  “You must be new or else you would have known that this is said to be the next town attacked by the scavengers,” the merchant answered.

  “Then we better get our horses and leave fast,” said Dawayne to David.

  “You’re right,” said David. “Where can we get some horses?”

  “At the stable,” replied the merchant.

  “Maria, you said you would stay here. Luckily for you, Krag may attack and you’ll have a shot at your revenge,” said David.

  “I won’t break our bargain,” said Maria as she winked at Dawayne.

  When David, Dawayne, and Dorris went to the stables, all they saw were two bony ponies.

  “You call these horses?” Dawayne asked in disgust.

  “Hey, you want a horse or not?” asked a rough-looking man as he spit on the ground.

  “We did, but not anymore,” answered David.

  “What do you mean not anymore?” Dawayne asked David.

  “Trust me,” was all David said.

  Half an hour later, the three went to a wrestling match.

  “Not much of a challenge. Anyone else want to fight?” the winner of the match asked.

  “I do!” yelled David. “I bet all my money, plus my friend’s money, that I can beat you for two horses.”

  “How much you and your friend have?” asked the wrestler.

  “Over five hundred gold coins.”

  “Alright, you got yourself a bet. I’ll try not to hurt you . . . too much,” said the wrestler with a laugh.

  “Yeah, thanks,” David said.

  The match began. David hit his opponent seven times in the stomach with all of his force and the other man seemed hardly hurt.

  “He must be made of stone,” David said to himself.

  “And I thought you were going to be a challenge,” said the wrestler.

  David rammed the wrestler against the wall.

  “Ugh!” the man yelled. “That did it. No more Mr. Nice Guy.”

  The wrestler picked up David and threw him to the ground. The wrestler then pulled out a whip and used it on David.”

  “Aw! You’re cheating!” said David as the whip struck him.

  “Did I say no use of weapons? Huh, did I?”

  “No, you didn’t,” said David catching the end of the whip.

  He yanked it out of the man’s hands and whipped the wrestler in the face. The man shrieked as David jumped and landed on the man’s head. He then kicked the man several times in the stomach after David brought the wrestler’s face to his knee. Finally, David picked the wrestler up and dropkicked him one more time.

  “Had enough?” David asked kicking the man one more time.

  “Uuuugh,” was all David got for a response.

  “I won!” David yelled as all the spectators cheered.

  “He won’t give you the horses,” a man said to David. “However, he owns three in the stables.”

  “Could you get them for us please?” David asked.

  The man ran off and soon came back with a black and a white horse. Both looked as if they were the best horses alive.

  “Here,” David said handing the man three gold coins.

  “Thank you, sir,” the man said running off into the crowd of people.

  David mounted the black horse and lifted Dorris up in front of him while Dawayne mounted the white stallion. As the travelers left, Maria set two thousand gold coins on the wrestler’s chest as he slowly regained consciousness and quickly took his last horse, which was brown, and mounted it. She then followed the other three at a safe distance. The party was just now taking the first steps of their quest.

  chapter 2

  The Quest Begins

  “Well, Dawayne, you lead the way,” David said, pointing as he spoke.

  “Just follow me,” said Dawayne. “We just have to go south for now.”

  “Are you sure Princess Lalindra will give us the supplies we need?” David asked.

  “Yes. She hates Krag as much as we do. She’ll help us.”

  The three traveled further until they came upon a small forest and stopped to rest.

  “I’m hungry,” Dorris complained.

  “Here,” David said as he handed Dorris an apple. “That’s all for a while though.”

  Dorris quickly consumed the apple. There was a rustle in the bushes nearby.

  “Did you hear that?” asked David.

  Before Dawayne could answer, a brown horse ran through, followed closely by Maria. She had an arrow fitted in her bow.

  “What are you . . .” David started before he was interrupted.

  “Shut up and get ready to fight!” Maria yelled.

  Both David and Dawayne got their weapons ready. Immediately after they were prepared for battle, a wild crick with two arrows stuck in it ran out. (A crick is a giant bear with a snake’s head that has poisonous claws and can spit venom.) Dorris started to scream in terror. Maria shot her last arrow at the beast and missed. She cursed herself for missing and pulled out her dagger. Dawayne threw a dagger at the crick and hit it in the left eye. The beast roared with agony as David threw his dagger into its right leg. The crick grabbed Maria by the waist and threw her against a boulder. Maria slid down the rock and hit the ground. She didn’t have the strength to get up. Seeing this, Dorris fainted.

  “That did it! You shall die now!” David yelled.

  The crick answered David by spitting venom at him. David dodged the venom and then, using all his strength, stabbed his sword through the monster’s stomach. As the beast roared with pain, David cut off one of its fingers. The crick slapped David’s hand. The blow was so strong that it sent David’s sword out of his hand and into the lake.

  “My sword!” said David, shocked by the force of the blow.

  As the battle raged on, Dawayne climbed a tree and jumped down, landing on the crick. The crick fell over and Dawayne stabbed a dagger in the palm of each of the crick’s hands. While the creature was down, David stuck his hands into the wound of the crick’s stomach and pulled. The flesh ripped easily. There was so much pain that the crick ripped its paws up. The daggers pulled out. Dawayne retrieved his daggers and threw them into the crick’s back. Then, he grabbed them and pulled them down along the monster’s back. The crick, with its remaining strength, stabbed a bloody paw into Dawayne’s stomach.

  “Ahhh!” Dawayne screamed as he unconsciously fell over.

  David kicked the crick in the leg. He then did a roundhouse kick across the crick’s face. The crick grabbed David by the neck and then lifted him off the ground. While being strangled, David kicked hi
s dagger through the crick’s leg. The crick dropped him and David fell down unconscious. Fortunately, the crick fell backwards and Dawayne’s daggers pierced its lungs instantly killing it.

  “Oh what a headache I’ve got,” Maria said slowly regaining her senses after four hours had passed.

  Maria went over to David.

  “Wake up, you idiot!” Maria yelled.

  David groaned and then stood up.

  “What are you doing here? We had an agreement!” shouted David.

  “Never mind that. Where are Dawayne and Dorris?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s find them,” answered David.

  The two looked, finding Dorris sleeping peacefully and Dawayne still unconscious.

  “She’s alright, but what happened to him?” Maria asked.

  “He was cut by the crick’s claws.”

  “Oh no,” Maria said with a worried tone.

  “What’s wrong?” asked David.

  “A crick’s claws are poisonous,” replied Maria.

  “Then we better get him to a healer quick,” David said. “Help me pick him up. Ahh!”

  Maria and David both looked at David’s right hand. It was twisted and broken with bone sticking out at the wrist.

  “What happened to your hand?”

  “The crick slapped it.”

  “Now we’re in trouble. We lost all our horses, have very little food, and Gatesville is about a fifty day travel on foot. To make matters worse, neither of us can carry Dawayne, who is unconscious and sick from poison,” said Maria.

  “We better find a place to stay until our conditions get better,” said David.

  “Good idea. I’ll go get some firewood,” stated Maria.

  David moved Dorris and Dawayne to a cave nearby and then washed all the crick’s blood off of him. Maria came back soon after that with more than enough wood.

  “Now go hunt for some food,” David said.

  Maria retrieved her arrows and obeyed. Two hours later, Maria came back with a wild boar and two cottontail rabbits.

  “This good enough?” Maria asked.

  “Excellent,” answered David.

  “I saw some blackberries out there,” informed Maria. “I’m going to go pick some.”

  Later she came back with plenty of berries. David had already cooked the boar and was beginning on the rabbits.