Smash!
Venir’s head was rocked from behind by the big fist of the once mighty Farc himself. Venir reeled from the blow and fell, rolling backward. He leapt back onto his feet. The ogre father now stood between him and the ogre son.
Farc shouted, blocking him with his hands.
“Stop!”
Venir came at him.
“Stop!” Farc pleaded louder, once more.
It would have been easier to make such demands of the wind.
Son of Farc, in a heap behind his father, was struggling to regain his feet. The movement seized the instincts of the Darkslayer. His prey was alive still, not dead. He charged and leapt into the massive body of Farc, crushing his last good eye socket with a devastating haymaker and then shattering his jaw with a knockout. Farc fell face first into the bloodstained stone floor.
Son of Farc’s face turned into a pit of fire as he gazed upon his fallen father. He charged Venir, attempting to bowl him over once more, but Venir didn’t care. He braced himself and latched onto the ogre’s large head and neck, locked on and squeezed so hard that the ogre made a noticeable choking sound.
Venir squeezed, turning the ogre’s head purple. He wasn’t letting go. Son of Farc’s legs kicked and his body twisted, but to no avail. Venir had full control of the ogre this time. Son of Farc dropped to his knees. The crowd watched as the remorseless man cranked it up, squeezing with all of his might. His muscles were popping out all over from his sweat and blood soaked body.
No one imagined that he could possibly choke the ogre out, for it had never been known to happen, nor did it. Instead, something else that had never happened … happened. As Son of Farc roared, his voice was cut off.
CRACK!
His neck broke in the arms of the berserk human warrior. It was a sound no one had ever heard before at the Pit. So far as anyone remembered, an ogre’s back had never been broken.
It was over. A huge silence overcame the stunned crowd. Before their eyes, the man who had pulled off the improbable five years earlier had, this day, pulled off the impossible. When the cage was opened again and Venir climbed out, a frenzied chant erupted.
“VEE! … VEE! … VEE!”
CHAPTER 64
Halflings were fast. To have survived on Bish with such feeble bodies, there had to be magic in the feet of the halfling race. So the people would say. No matter how dire their situation, somehow halflings managed to move fast enough to survive their fate.
But other than being quick and hardy, halflings were considered little more than occasional inconvenience. They were amusing little people who traveled with caravans or in small nomadic packs, fetching supplies as needed. Often, they would not leave a person alone until they had traded whatever it was they had, for whatever it was they wanted. People would take what they neither wanted, nor needed just to see them gone. It was as if halflings could talk people into letting themselves be robbed. Yet, there was much more to these little people.
Georgio was bored. He missed the city, the sights, sounds and the mouth watering food. His parents wouldn’t pay him for his chores like Venir did. Then again there weren’t any biscuits or fruity pie for him to buy with his tiny coins either. He huffed as he walked along a creek bank after abandoning his usual chores. The tall reeds of grass and patches of woods gave him the privacy he needed. The small village was a nuisance of nosy old women and smelly old men.
Heedless of his parents’ warnings, he found time to play. He was deep in his own fantasy in the forest, imitating his hero, Venir the Darkslayer. Equipped with his own hand axe, Georgio tossed it with surprising accuracy into a tree, when suddenly he heard a rustle. He turned just as a little blonde head slammed into his chest and knocked him to the ground.
Georgio studied the halfling in puzzlement. He had never seen one up close before. The sight of this little blonde halfling fidgeting in a panic made him giggle.
“Human, what you are laughing at?” the halfling said, eyes darting all around.
The sound of the halflings tiny voice turned Georgio’s giggles into an eruption of laughter. The halfling turned and began walking away, head down, little hands stuffed inside the tiny pockets of his pants. Georgio scrambled up, still laughing. He began to follow, but slipped along the slick embankment and into the creek. He climbed back out, chuckling with a mouthful of water. The halfling kept going.
“Stop!” called Georgio. “Stop— please!”
The halfling stopped and turned. Georgio got a closer look at the dark rings around the halflings sagging blue eyes. His heart sank.
“I’m sorry for laughing.”
He lumbered over to the tiny person and took a knee.
“I’ve just never met a halfling before. I’m Georgio!”
He held out his hand. The halflings little hand fit just inside Georgio’s meaty palm.
“I’m Lefty Lightfoot sir. I need help. We all do! There’s great danger!”
At that, Lefty slumped to the ground and started crying. It made Georgio want to cry as well as he sat down and patted the tiny weeping boy.
CHAPTER 65
Few living things survived in the wake of the Vicious-led Badoon Brigade. The evil that radiated from the Vicious stifled the life force of lesser living things. But despite the path of devastation—where most vegetation and small vermin lay dead—the Badoons did not kill every living thing along their route.
The strong life forces on Bish sent creatures fleeing and their unusual migration sparked alarm across the Outlands. The alarm reached a little known place that was as ancient as Bish itself. It was called Dwarven Hole. It was the home of the dwarfs and the giant dwarfs, known as the Blood Rangers.
The Blood Rangers were great hunters that thrived in seclusion. They lived within Dwarven Hole, protecting their kind. Few other races, if any, had ever seen a Blood Ranger, for there was only one hundred. They were little more than a myth as their hold was buried deep in the plains of Bish, north of the Underland. Dwarven Hole was practically a secret as well, and the dwarfs liked to keep it that way.
No more than ten miles separated the Badoon Brigade and the Blood Rangers. The giant dwarf rangers were privy of the activity and movements of the Badoon within hours of their departure. And though the dwarfs most often stayed in isolation, the Blood Rangers had often been involved in defending Bish and its peoples. It seemed that another such time was along the horizons.
CHAPTER 66
Despite being beaten within an inch of his life, the mighty Venir mustered more than enough energy to entertain himself. The bodacious part-orc woman he had flirted with, minutes before stepping into the cage with Son of Farc, had scurried him away. His animal instincts had been awakened, and Dolly the entertainer was eager to oblige.
He laid inside the stone walls of her candlelit chambers, sprawled out on her big round bed. Dolly stood before him in a tight black dress with a deep slit that showed off her muscular thighs. A deep V plunged down the front of her full and swelling chest. Lust shielded him from any decent thought he ever had.
As Venir lay down amid comforting pillows, Dolly pursed her puffy lips and blew out some of the candles. She brushed her long straw locks away from her batting eyes. A giggle burst from behind her snaggled teeth. It wasn’t the worst face he’d seen, and far from the prettiest, but Dolly’s body could make an old dwarf cry. She let her dress slide slowly to the floor. He pulled her into the bed, crushed her into his arms and ravished her all night long.
Early the next morning he was having breakfast with Melegal, Mikkel and Nikkel in the tavern. The aroma of baked dough, eggs, and sausage filled the air, and Venir ate enough for ten men. All were quiet, even the usual patrons of the tavern. The buzz of the battle had dissipated, yet the lingering silence seemed unnatural. Venir washed down another biscuit, then clonked his wooden cup on the table.
“Okay, out with it! Why is everyone acting like they’re eating with a ghost?”
Mikkel met Venir’s eyes and glanced away
.
“I thought you were dead,” Melegal answered. “The fact that you aren’t isn’t easy to understand. Don’t get me wrong, Vee, but I don’t quite follow how you survived last night.”
Venir took a deep breath and winced. His ribs were sore and he felt them crack in the iron cage, that much he was certain. He shouldn’t be up and about, and he knew it, but here he was, just like any other day. He sipped his coffee and helped himself to some more bread and scrambled eggs. Melegal’s question was fair, but it wasn’t something he could explain. He remembered the feeling of dying, something inside slipping away. The cold grip of death was on him. Then somewhere deep, a spring of energy rushed through him like a crashing wave and his body crackled like fire. It was something he didn’t understand.
Mikkel forced a broad smile and added, “You must have wanted Dolly pretty bad, huh, Vee?”
They all gave a half- hearted chuckle.
“Venir?” Nikkel asked, his curious eyes staring, head cocked. “How come you’re bigger now?”
“What do you mean, Nikkel?” his father asked.
“Why, he’s bigger, he’s taller. How come?”
“You know,” said Melegal, looking perplexed, “when you came down here I thought something was off. I figured it was all the swelling, but … stand up, Vee. I think Nikkel’s onto something.”
Venir shrugged, pushed himself back from the table and stood up.
“Mikkel, stand back to back with Vee.”
Mikkel obliged.
“Don’t tell me he’s taller than me now, Melegal.”
“Well, no … but he’s the same height!”
“What!? Turn around, Vee,” Mikkel said.
Venir turned and met Mikkel, eye to eye.
“Venir, you have grown. I think I saw it!” said Melegal. “I mean, when you were in the ring making your escape from Son of Farc … I thought you grew that moment. Your entire body lurched like it was hatching from a shell. The whole room shuddered. I felt it. You are bigger, no doubt about it!”
Mikkel’s voice was distant.
“I never heard of anything like that before.”
Venir had. This wasn’t the first time either. He thought that the armament had something to do with it, but it happened long before that. Bish offered plenty of strange things no one cared to investigate, so why should he.
Venir let on a grin saying, “It’s happened to me before actually, when I was a child.”
Everyone sat back at the table and pulled their chairs in.
He continued, “When I was a boy, I caught a fish … a silver fish. Nothing like I’d ever fished before. I was hungry and instead of taking it home with the rest, I ate it. It was the most wonderful thing I ever tasted. Sometimes when I burp I swear I can still taste it. The next day, my grandfather said I was bigger. I grew overnight.”
“That’s amazing! I want some silver fish too!” said Nikkel
Melegal then asked, “So did Chongo eat some too?”
“Yep, but he didn’t grow his second head until a long time after that.”
“Are you pulling our legs Vee?” asked Mikkel.
Still grinning, he replied, “Maybe.”
“Ah!” Mikkel got up and walked away. Melegal rolled his eyes. They finished their meal without another word about it.
The next day, early in the morning, the small group of friends began to part ways. Nikkel fetched Quickster and the two adventurers headed back north out of Two-Ten City. To Venir’s embarrassment, Dolly came running out, begging him to take her with him and causing a scene that caught the fancy of everyone within a hundred yards.
Somehow Venir managed to break away, whispering, “I’ll be back for you one day.”
Dolly fell for it long enough for him to speed off out of sight. Mikkel’s laughter was audible all the way out of the city, while Nikkel waved with sad look in his eyes.
Melegal was still chuckling when he came upon the same smart-aleck orc boy he had encountered on the way in. Melegal locked eyes on the boy and scowled, causing the boy to tremble and run off.
“Is there any chance,” Melegal said, breaking the odd silence, “that could be Dolly’s boy?”
Venir didn’t reply as the shameful closed doors encounter with Dolly was still sinking in. The thief had a fair point that he hadn’t ever considered. In the past he had never given such things a moment’s thought. But today, for some reason, he began to ask himself some searching questions. Venir’s head was cast down as he vowed never to return to Two-Ten City again.
*****
From high above, Eep’s magic eye stared down on the warrior and the thief. Oran and McKnight were keeping a close watch, having convinced Tonio into gathering firewood.
“I can’t believe that big, tiresome human is still alive,” hissed Oran as the swirling, scintillating colors at the edge of the vision began to fade.
“He must have had help,” said McKnight.
The two paused, trying to imagine what they might be up against.
“Did you see that ugly orc woman? I find it hard to imagine that he …” his voice trailed off. McKnight couldn’t bear the thought. He knew Two-Ten City had much better to offer.
“Clearly you do not get around Bish much, human. You are rather sheltered in your City of Bone. Two-Ten is the most normal city. You should visit it,” said Oran as he examined his long black nails. “You will be a changed man.”
“No thanks! I’ve been there before and I have a pretty good idea why I left.”
McKnight flicked a stick into the campfire.
“Unlike your kind, I see no need to maintain sub-human standards.”
“The human heart is as wicked as the rest … even yours.”
“Maybe so, but at least it’s human. Now let’s cut the chat. We have about a day to wait until they show up. In the meantime, let’s go over our plans again, because getting that over-sized menace back to Bone alive won’t be easy. Are you sure you and Tonio can handle it?”
McKnight slung one of his knives, impaling a squirrel to a tree.
“I’m quite sure I can dispatch his friend.”
Oran said, “I have Eep, remember? He will tip the scales in our overwhelming favor.”
“Good,” said McKnight. He gathered his blade and prepared to skin the squirrel. He held the vermin in his face and looked it in the eye.
“Ah Melegal, what a nice little fur coat you have,” he said as he crushed it in his hand.
CHAPTER 67
The omnipotent Scorch had existed in their universe longer than most all eternal beings. But to Scorch it did not matter how long he had been there; it mattered only that he existed. Unlike many of his counterparts in the universe, he had no assigned realm of responsibility, for he pre-existed even that.
He had dealt with his eternal frustration long before most infinite beings arrived. He told them —There is no end— but they did not listen. So he made the most of his situation by doing whatever he wished. Time and time again, his meddling led to the demise or the enlightenment of other worlds and their civilizations. And now Bish was to become his latest exploit as he tossed one additional ingredient into Trinos’s secret stew. Bish would never be the same.
CHAPTER 68
The winds on Bish were brisker than normal, but not as refreshing as one might expect. The change was strange, the typical warm and dry season was replaced with something else. Venir’s thoughts had been elsewhere for most of the journey since leaving Two-Ten City. For whatever reason he wasn’t himself, instead he tried to somehow distance himself from his past.
Lost in his memories, Venir was in a daze on Chongo’s back, and had all but forgotten that Melegal was behind him when Quickster sneezed, jolting Venir back to the present.
“Ah … did Quickster startle the deep-thinking lout?” Melegal said with snicker. “You’re not even humming a tune. What’s going on in that thick skull of yours, Venir?”
“Uh, just thinking back to when things were different is a
ll.”
“You mean, before Brool?”
“Yeah, but not just that.”
Melegal remembered those days too. But that had all come and gone, and Venir was able to move on, as most people did in Bish. Few dwelled upon the past, although long journeys could cause a man to reflect from time to time.
“Two-Ten City stirred you up, didn’t it. But I think we’ve had as much good luck as bad there. I mean, you wrestled an ogre and lived—you should be happy. I’m glad for you,” Melegal said.
“Bet you are, thief,” Venir said, managing a smile. “And where’s my share of the winnings?”
“In due course, Vee. You gotta get me back to Bone, first. Now, quit thinking so much, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”
Venir could still remember the exact moment that it happened. It was the day he had become the Darkslayer. He could remember the sweltering weather and the sight of the dropping moons glowing in the dawn. It was that day when life on Bish had opened up like a black cave and swallowed him like a drop of water. He didn’t regret it, for somehow he had survived, again. It took him a moment before he realized Melegal was talking to him.
The Darkslayer: Book 01 - Wrath of the Royals Page 27
