Chapter 7 - The Duel!




The captain was dead, the stench of piss and shit now mingled with the sickbed smell that pervaded the room. Hrodulf ignored the smell... It was nothing he hadn't smelled before though usually it was mingled with the metallic, coppery taint of blood. Death, in many forms, was the constant companion of the pirates of the sea of fallen stars. He approached the captain's table, a table that he had thought would be his but that his captain... His father... Had passed on to another. The book on the desk that he had once thought was a journal that the captain would read daily seemed to be something else... Writings that tugged at the edge of his mind.

The knocking at the door awoke him from his dream... His memory of the recent past fading as the warmth of the leg of the woman he was sharing the small bunk with. His clothing was mixed with hers on the floor of the barracks, he slapped her bare arse as he rose and offered her a wolfish smile as he rose and pulled on the leather breeches he had discarded what felt like a few short hours ago.
Morfindion stood in the doorway looking despairingly at Hrodulf as he pulled on his clothes once again, clothes that were spattered with dirt and blood from the day's of travelling and the violence the night before. "you never fucked a woman before?" he asked the Elf raising a quizzical eyebrow "no... Of course you haven't... Explains a lot" he finished not giving the Elf a chance to reply.

"you need to see this" Morf said in reply after closing his mouth on the retort he had almost vocalised before his brain told him what a bad idea it might have been. Hrodulf snatched up Grimnir as the woman snorted and rolled over again in an attempt to go back to sleep and followed the Elf as he made his way to the gatehouse where the figure of Nighthill stood surveying whatever was in front of the gates.

As he approached the parapet he could hear a chanting raised up by the assembled forces arrayed before the gates... A chant in the language of dragons "CHAMPION! CHAMPION!" the voices called. In front of the assembled Kobolds and cultists stood a tall figure, almost 7' in height and covered in azure scales the creature, while having the same rough shape as a man bore the appearance of the very dragon that had assaulted the battlements a few short hours ago.

It was stood roughly 80 yards from the gates of the keep and in front of it on their knees weeping were a human woman, a youth wearing a bloodied tunic and two small children. Cultists stood behind each of them a blade pressed to their throats. "Defenders of Greenest! This has been a most profitable night but I have these useless, pitiable creatures that are of no use to me... I will give them to you if you will send out your greatest warrior to face me in single combat!"

"By the gods!" one of the men to Hrodulf's left exclaimed dropping he sword and gripping the stone of the battlements "my wife! My children!". "You have my word" the creature shouted "the prisoners are yours if you send a single warrior to face me!" the half dragon gestures to the gatehouse "you have five minutes to save their lives" he said with a sibilant laugh... Obviously not concerned by anything that the inhabitants of the keep may have had to offer.

"You must save them!" Morfindion said turning to look at Hrodulf who stared back at the Elf "Why the fuck would I do that?" he replied questioningly "there's no gain for me". "Are you afraid to face it?" Morfindion answered a look of incredulity on his face. "What?" Hrodulf asked in a quiet tone that pealed with menace like a thunderclap in the heavens. The Elf took a step backwards involuntarily but continued "Are you afraid?" he asked again looking for a way to escape from the parapet, even looking over the merlons to see if he thought the fall would only injure rather than kill him if he tried it.

Hrodulf's hand struck out with a speed that was almost as terrifying as the tone he had used and pulled Morfindion towards him so that their noses almost touched "are you calling me a coward?" he asked in a tone that sounded almost friendly... Well if your friend wanted to smile while he slit your belly and pulled out your viscera naming each organ as he showed it to you matter of fact-ly.

"No... No... Not at all!" Morfindion replied hastily "I just think you can take him... Think of what the governor would do if you save more of his people" The cold fire in Hrodulf's eyes dimmed a little as he weighed the words of the Elf and flicked a gaze at the bandaged governor. He released the Elf and made his way down the stairs to the doors of the keep which were opened for him as he hefted Grimnir and rolled his shoulders.

The creature looked at Hrodulf as he approached and he threw his head back and laughed "This is the best you have? This tiny man who wears no armour? What fools you are!". "Release the humans half-breed!" Hrodulf muttered in the language of Dragons which snapped the creatures attention back to him immediately.

"Half-breed?" the creature snorted "you have the temerity to malign the parentage of Langdedrosa Cyanwrath!!" "I am surprised that you have the strength to walk upright given that your mother was a three copper whore... She never did!" was Hrodulf's reply accompanied by a half smile as the cold fury within him built... The tick drawing back his lips from his teeth as he twirled Grimnir once and launched his attack!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter 12 - A figure on the horizon

Image
As they crested the first hill a single figure could be seen coming back along the same route that the army had taken, it appeared to either be wounded or old as it was leaning heavily upon a staff and making slow progress. "We should investigate Hrodulf" Morfindion whispered needlessly as the figure was still too far away to hear what might have been said. Hrodulf grumbled saying "the quicker we get this over with the quicker I can get back and try my luck with Linan" at which Morfindion looked at him as if trying to work out if he was being serious or not. As they closed the distance it became clear that the figure was a woman, relatively young but injured with a ragged bandage wrapping her leg and bruising starting to appear beneath one eye. "Ho friend!" Morfindion called out once the distance had been almost closed "you look as if you have been in the wars... What news have you of the road ahead?" I  hear that you intend to follo...
Read more

Chapter 11 - The Hunt...

Image
Morfindion looked out at the fields that surrounded the southern side of the village of Greenest, the rolling hills and copses of trees, a look of bewilderment on his face "How are we going to track them down to their encampment?" he asked of no one in particular. Hrodulf looked at him sceptically and then laughed, a laugh that came from deep within his belly and filled with genuine mirth "You aren't joking are you? Where have you been living all your life? in a cave or something?"he asked the haughty looking Elf. A twitch, almost too small to see appeared on Morfindion's face as the question hit an apparently raw nerve but Hrodulf ignored it saying "Well if I am going to be doing the tracking I am definitely going to be having all of the reward... what are you here for? Muscle?" he said with a feral grin enjoying the wounded look that briefly lit the Elf's features. "There is a trail Elf, one that even a blind man might be able to...
Read more

Chapter 6 - When is a door not a door?

Image
A cold fury burned within Hrodulf's eyes, a twitch pulling at the muscles of his face as he adjusted his grip on the axe he named Grimnir. He rose silently and charged towards the group clustered at the door, action being the answer to the question Morfindion had asked. Grimnir whistled as it rent the air cutting the thread of life from one of the cultists and burying itself in the neck of a Kobold. Morfindion followed up behind and once he got close launched a spell that covered the other human with a green spray that caused him fall to the floor jerking and spasming in his poisoned death throes. The remaining Kobolds seemed to not quite understand what was going on until it was too late, Grimnir swung again, rending the air, drinking their blood and spraying it across the rear door of the temple. Two more lay dead at Hrodulf's feet, no sound issuing from his lips that were drawn back from his white teeth. Morfindion stabbed at one of the remaining Kobolds cutting ...
Read more