WIth his endurance spent, Kalmond couldn’t sprint, so he ran at normal speed back towards the gate at a pace that seemed to take forever. When he got there, he stopped short. Both palisade doors lay shattered on the ground. Trolls were everywhere, slashing, stabbing and chopping at villagers who screamed piteously.
McCrushin, Arnold, Claudia, and Molly fought one of the Ogres, while Runecaster and Rock fought the another. The rest of the ogres crashed about the village screaming obscenities and destroying everything in their path. Kalmond didn’t even think about Urseon until he saw five trolls dive into his cave.
“No!” Kalmond screamed. “Urseon!” He tried to run forward, but a line of trolls blocked his path.
Kalmond put away the axes in exchange for the water cannon spell. He blasted a hole in the troll line, but more enemy closed the gap as he ran through. He was surrounded. As he fought off the attackers, Urseon emerged from his cave, hogtied and dragged by trolls by a chain around his neck. He locked big, brown, terrified eyes with Kalmond.
“Urseon! Fight! Don’t let them take you!” Kalmond shouted as he took up his axes again to hack away at the trolls that seemed to pop up from the ground like weeds.
Kalmond sustained his rage against the trolls, tearing through the mob, but it was no use. The enemy dragged Urseon towards a new portal that appeared near the stream where Dundree’s crops grew.
A high-pitched shriek filled the air. Trolls ran between Urseon and Kalmond with two children under their arms. One of the children was Sarette. “Urseon, help!” she screamed.
“Sarette! No!” Urseon screamed and thrashed against his restraints. He opened his mouth again and roared with the voice of a bear. His voice shook the ground so violently that his captives toppled over and the boulders of his former home came tumbling down.
Snap! Went the chains around his wrists. He reached down to his ankles and snapped those chains as well. When he stood, he used the broken lengths of chain to lash out at his former captives, killing them both.
Four trolls rushed up. Chains connected with scimitars, shattering them all. The trolls kept coming with teeth and claws. The bear-man mowed them all down with his chains. Another troll came on with an overhand chop that Urseon batted away with his forearm. The blade sliced away a flap of skin that Urseon barely seemed to notice. He punted the troll like a football, catching it squarely between the legs. The troll doubled over on the ground and Urseon crushed its skull under his boot heel.
Kalmond finally caught up to the bear-man and managed to take out several more attackers hot on Urseon’s heels. Urseon relieved two corpses of scimitars, and with a blade in each hand, he pounded hard after the kidnapping enemy. Urseon spread his arms wide and swung both blades forward. Two troll heads flew up into the air, and Urseon chopped both heads in two with a reverse swing as they dropped back down. As the children ran away to safety, Urseon Raised his face to the sky and roared loud enough to part several wispy clouds in the sky.
“To arms!” Urseon bellowed “To arms, all!”
A storm sea of voices rose high above the clash and clang of swords. From every hut, villagers streamed, swords in hand. But there were still hundreds of trolls swarming over the town. The villagers dropped like cattle, but they pressed the enemy bravely.
Kalmond found himself fighting beside Runecaster and McCrushin near the center of town. A popping sound announced passage through the portal to Darkwell. Four Rocks hit the ground and immediately charged into the fray. Seconds later, several more appeared. Seconds after that, three water sprites came through. Before long, a constant stream of Rocks, Darkwell Villagers, Sprites and friendly adventurers poured out of the portal. Kalmond had caught sight of Urtoast and Zombo before he had to concentrate on the battle.
His existence became a blur of constant violence. He was conscious of very little more than killing to stay alive. He had no idea how many experience points he earned, his hit point level or the status of his endurance bar. Kalmond became the state of war itself as he slashed, smashed chopped, punched and kicked.
The pace of battle slowed, and the enemy thinned out until two Ogres remained. To Kalmond’s horror, they both squared up against Urseon near the site of his former home. The bear-man was no longer afraid, but he should have been. Urseon threw himself again and again at the ogre with his captured scimitars, but it did little good. The ogres batted him around like a kitten playing with a mouse.
“McCrushin! Runecaster!” Kalmond shouted. “Get me close.” He pointed with the bear axe, and McCrushin was the first to clear the way with his bone axe. Runecaster followed through swinging her flaming chain dart.
Kalmond pushed through the dwindling troll army until he got within throwing distance of Urseon. They made brief eye contact, and the look in Urseon’s eyes told Kalmond he expected to die. The dwarf put both hands on the bear axe and threw it high. Urseon dropped his scimitars and dove for the axe, catching it cleanly with both hands on the haft.
The bear-man dodged an ogre’s fist, then buried the axe blade in the ogre’s arm. The green monster screamed, and Urseon followed up with a swing that scored a critical and nearly took off the ogre’s leg. The second ogre charged, but Urseon was ready with stolen strength provided by the bear axe enchantment. He brought the axe around in a spin that slashed the ogre’s belly wide open and spilled its guts in the dust. It fell dead into is companion, who tripped over the body. Urseon finished the last ogre by planting the bear axe blade in its head. He dropped to his knees and dropped the weapon.
Kalmond rushed over with McCrushin and Runecaster. They helped him to his feet as Urseon aged in their arms. His hair and beard grew long and white and his skin loosened and sagged. They dragged him to Molly’s house and helped him sit in a chair.
“That was the coolest and weirdest thing I’ve ever seen,” Runecaster in the Realm said.
“Thank you both,” Kalmond said to his friends. “I owe you a lot. I mean it. But would you please leave us alone for a while? I’ll tell you everything later.”
“OK…” McCrushin said over voice chat. “It’s getting weirder.” Both adventurers left.
Urseon smiled up at him with the same bright brown eyes now set in an ancient face. “This was my purpose,” he said in a creaky voice. “I will sleep now. Help me to the bed.”
Kalmond bent down, and Urseon wrapped his arm around the dwarf’s shoulder. Getting the big man across the room was a struggle, but Urseon finally settled down with a groan and a deep smile.
The cabin door burst open. Kalmond whirled in alarm, but saw that it was Molly.
“Husband!” she exclaimed.
“Husband…” Kalmond said, stepping away from the straw bed as Molly pushed him aside.
Urseon winked at Kalmond and brought his finger to his lips.
“You brave, glorious fool!” Molly said, dripping tears down on Urseon.
“Hello, my sweet. One last battle we shared together after many,” Urseon said.
“Don’t talk like that. We have many years together,” Molly replied.
“No, darling. this is it,” Urseon said. “I can leave now, happily. Please don’t be sad.”
“How can I not be?” Molly asked.
“Because you will see me through the portals where we all must go soon,” Urseon replied.
Molly rested her hand on Urseon’s forehead and left it there. Kalmond stood silently watching the old man breath shallow until he let out a long, quiet, satisfied sigh. Molly closed his eyes and stood.
“He was a good man, my husband,” Molly said.
“The best,” Kalmond said. Molly straightened her battle mage armor and lifted her chin. The dwarf cleared his throat. “I hate to ask you this so soon, Molly, but…”
“Think nothing of it, Bear Dwarf. We both serve the realm. You need passage to the Sixth Circle,” Molly Replied.
“Yes.”
“I’m afraid I will need the Portal Key to do that.”
“Portal key…” Kalmond
said. “Why does that—” He slapped his forehead. “Of course!”
Kalmond hastily opened a chat window, hoping Driskroll was still alive.
“Can’t talk. Looting,” Driskroll said. “It’s a mob scene out here. So many dead things…”
“Nevermind that,” Kalmond said. “I have the greatest reward for.” He sent driskroll the coordinates, and the orc merchant showed up immediately.
“What is it?” he asked.
Kalmond grabbed him by the collar of his leather armor and held his gauntleted fist in front of Driskroll’s face. “Give me the damn Portal Key sphere right now, and I won’t bash your damn teeth out. That’s your reward.”
“Damn dude!” Driskroll said. “Chill!” He handed over the sphere.
“After all the shit you put me through…” Kalmond said.
“And all the shit I got you out of,” Driskroll replied.
They both laughed as Kalmond handed the key to Molly.
“You want to come to the new circle?” Kalmond asked.
“Do you really have to ask?”
Kalmond turned to Molly and said, “The portal, please.”
The Matriarch of Dundree added the portal key to her inventory, then brought out the basilisk egg that glowed once again. Streamers of light filled the cabin, and in the next moment, Kalmond found himself standing in knee-high grass.
The grass stretched out in every direction under a cloudless, crystal blue sky. In the distance, three figures moved towards him. One of them was definitely a centaur.
“Virgil?” Kalmond called, looking around in the air for some kind of sign.
“Yes,” came a voice behind him. The dwarf turned to find Virgil standing in pristine white robes leaning on his staff. He smiled as he took a step forward. “Would you like a quest, noble player?” Virgil asked.
Table of Contents
Title
Copyright
Thank You
Other Works by P. Joseph Cherubino
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Realm of the Nine Circles: The Grind: A LitRPG Novel Page 34
