Jacko felt his throat tighten at the realization. “I need to find out what happened to my friend.”
“The army that occupies the town has many troops, some of which are from the giant race,” Delisar added.
“I don’t care. I still need to know.”
“I didn’t sign up for this,” Gunther said.
“And neither did I,” Valasca chimed in.
Konafar and Delisar didn’t weigh in and remained silent.
“If it was your friend, would you just ignore the temptation of knowing?” Jacko looked directly at Gunther.
“Hmm, let me think about it…Yes. If my friend was foolish enough to stay behind, then he deserves to die.” His tone was cold.
“Get away from me,” Jacko snapped at him.
“We will. Let’s go, Valasca.” Gunther took out his pouch, removed some of the coins, and offered them to Jacko.
“What’s this for?”
“Well, you paid for my services, and now I’m leaving. I’ll give you back half of the upfront money out of the kindness of my heart. Valasca, you do the same.”
Valasca was in the process of going through her pouch when Konafar suddenly grabbed them both by the back of their necks.
“I’d advise the two of you to give him back all the money along with an additional hundred gold pieces for your lack of respect.” Konafar squeezed their necks tighter, causing them to wince in agreement. Konafar shoved them away. Valasca did as she was told. Gunther had other ideas, and as he was reaching for a blade, Woo noticed.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said.
Gunther paused and turned around to face Woo. “You know I’ve had enough of you and if…” Woo grinned. “What are you smiling about?”
“You’ll see, or shall I say, feel.”
Just then, Gunther saw an enormous shadow creeping over his shoulder. In the next instant, the thief was cleaved from the top of his head all the way down past his groin. Everyone watched in horror as both halves fell apart and landed on the cold, hard earth with a thud.
“I never liked him anyway,” Konafar said and turned toward Valasca. The girl froze in place. “Do you want some?”
Valasca shook her head, threw down her pouch, and ran toward the forest. After she was gone, Konafar wiped Gunther’s gore on the thief’s dead body and sheathed his weapon. “That felt good, because he never shuts the hell up. Now as you were saying, Jacko.”
“I was supposed to meet my friend there. I need to find out if he is alive or dead. You don’t have to go with me if you don’t want. Just wait until morning, and if I’m not back, then leave.” Jacko reached into his pouch and handed Konafar and Delisar the rest of the money that was promised upon completion of their mission.
“What’s this for?” Delisar asked.
“Final payment in case I don’t make it back.” He turned to Woo and Mao. “Wait here as well.” Jacko turned and started walking toward the town.
Delisar checked his weapons before yelling for Jacko to wait for him.
****
Moving rapidly, and under cover, they arrived at the town just before dusk. Hiding in the foliage, the first thing they noticed was that the portcullis was gone and four giants stood guard directly in front of the entrance. They were dressed in furs, carrying spears, and had various size boulders at their disposal. High on the battlements were many Hurnol and Chatar creatures carrying bows and walking around, keeping a watchful eye below.
“Now what?” Jacko asked Delisar.
“I know of another way in.”
“Where?”
“The town has escape tunnels underneath it. They were designed to be used in case the town falls.”
“Won’t they be guarded?”
“I hope not. Keep low and follow me,” Delisar said.
They moved through the underbrush toward the right.
After they were gone, Mao, Woo, and Konafar decided to seek shelter in the forest to the north and wait. They made camp in a small clearing and lit a fire.
“So what’s your story?” Konafar asked them once he was comfortably seated.
“Story? Are you trying to find out why we are on this trip with Jacko?” Mao responded.
“Yes.”
“Jacko asked us to go with him.”
“That’s it?” Konafar was a bit surprised.
“When a fellow student needs help, all he has to do is ask. That’s why we’re here,” Woo said.
“I like your attitude.”
“It doesn’t matter how dangerous either,” Mao added.
“Gold usually drives my desires, but bravery, well that takes precedence, and for that I would follow anyone until the bitter end. Too bad there aren’t many brave men left, just cowards and shady people like the recently departed Gunther. Have you known your classmate long?”
“I’ve known him for five years and Woo here, just met him yesterday. How about you? How long did you know the others in your group?”
“I’ve known Greghor a couple of years. I met Gunther and Valasca in the town of Tinderrush. They got into an argument with a group of thugs, and when they saw me they pleaded for my help.”
“What made you help them?” Woo asked.
“They agreed to pay me a lot of gold. Long story short, I fought off the men, and they’ve been with me ever since. We hired Delisar for our last expedition. Have either of you traveled much?” They both shook their heads no. “Would you like to hear some stories?”
They nodded.
As the light was fading into darkness, and Konafar was still telling tales of adventure, an arrow bounced off Konafar’s shoulder armor. All three men moved into action at once. Woo grabbed his staff and went to the right. Mao scrambled behind a tree just as another arrow missed him, and Konafar grabbed Carnage and charged ahead into the darkness.
“Where did they go?” the leader of the Chatar asked his men after he fired an arrow.
“I think they’re hiding,” another snorted in response.
“Let’s go in after them,” the leader said.
Just as they were about to enter, a large human, dressed in chainmail, came crashing into their scout party, taking them by surprise. Before they could react, Konafar began hacking and slashing the closest Chatar apart.
****
Back inside of the forest, Mao and Woo heard the sound of fighting and followed the screams. By the time they reached the scene, six boar creatures were dead and Konafar was kneeling on one knee, using his sword for support. His shoulders slumped, and his head hung low, looking like he was either praying or winded.
Puzzled, Mao asked, “Are you okay?”
Konafar turned his head, smiled, and said, “I’ll be alright. I have a curse, and every time I go into battle, I can’t stop fighting until my enemy is no longer standing. Unfortunately, I’ll need to rest to regain my composure.”
“I’ve heard people refer to that condition as Wrath,” Woo said.
Konafar didn’t respond.
“Do you suppose they were the creatures hunting Jacko?” Mao asked.
“Go ask the one without his head.” Konafar laughed vigorously and stood up. “Let’s go back to the fire.”
****
Delisar led Jacko along the far right side of the wall until he found an area and slowed. Up above, they could hear the guards, as they patrolled the battlements, speaking in a language that they didn’t recognize.
“It’s just over here,” Delisar whispered and led Jacko to a section of the wall.
He felt along several stones until he found one, in particular, and pressed down. The stone gave in, and a part of the wall slid open and led into a darkened corridor.
As soon as they entered, Delisar used the lever on the other side and closed the door, then he lit a small glow rock.
“There are many tunnels further ahead. The one we are going to take will lead us to an old abandoned warehouse in the middle of town,” Delisar said.
“What about the
other ones?”
“I only have the key that opens the door to the warehouse.”
Quietly, they walked down the dimly lit passageway, passing multiple tunnels along the way, prompting Delisar to say, “The tunnels are a series of burrows that lead to different parts of town. We should be relatively safe if we stay quiet.”
****
They continued on until they arrived at a locked metal door with the symbol of an eagle etched on the surface. Delisar pulled a key from somewhere inside his tunic and opened the door inwardly. The room beyond was dark and cold with stairs leading up and toward the back.
“There might be someone upstairs,” Delisar whispered.
“I don’t hear anything.”
Jacko was about to move when Delisar grabbed his shoulder, warned him to stop, and listened for a few minutes before giving him the signal to move. The wooden steps creaked under their weight whenever they moved onto a new one. Jacko thought that if someone or something were indeed in the room above, they would hear them. The stairs ended at a closed door. Delisar pushed it open, ever so slightly, and peered inside. The culinary room was empty, but the adjoining room contained at least a dozen beds, which appeared to be occupied. Two guards silhouetted by the moonlight were standing as still as statues and holding pikes.
Delisar closed the door and whispered, “Apparently, they have turned the room into barracks. Do you still want to go through with this?”
“I need to find out if he’s here.” Jacko looked worried.
Delisar removed his bow from around his shoulder, notched an arrow, and nodded for Jacko to open the door. Carefully, he opened it wide enough for the tracker to take aim. He launched two arrows and killed the guards. When no one else stirred, they entered the room. Delisar kept his weapon trained on the beds, while Jacko went around slicing the throats of its occupants. After he was done, Delisar walked up to one of the windows, peered outside, and saw a group of humanoids walking down the street.
“There’s a patrol outside. If they come in here, we’ll need to kill them quickly. Wait by the door and, as soon as they enter, I’ll start shooting. We need to kill them quickly and try not to make too much noise.” Delisar moved away from the door, notched an arrow, and waited.
Outside, they heard the sound of drunken Chatar walking by, then they heard the knob of the door beginning to rattle, like someone was trying to open it. Delisar pulled the drawstring back, while Jacko was poised and ready to strike. The door opened a few inches, then they heard someone say he was at the wrong barracks. The door closed again and they walked away. Delisar began stripping armor off the dead.
“I’ve been on these types of raids before. We should dress like the guards, so that we don’t draw too much attention,” he said.
“Where do you think they are keeping the prisoners?” Jacko asked.
“It all depends on how many there were. We’ll check the inns and the eating halls. Let’s hurry up before someone else comes in.”
They each dressed in leather armor and wore helmets to hide their features. Jacko grabbed a pike, while Delisar kept his bow ready. After they finished making the proper adjustments to their disguises, they left the barracks.
Delisar led them through the town. Most of the streets were deserted, and the ones that weren’t, they either avoided or hid in between the buildings until the patrols passed.
****
They arrived at the first inn along the way and hid across the street in between two buildings. The inside was dark.
“Cover me. I’ll go up and take a look,” Jacko said.
He took two steps out and was pulled back by Delisar when he saw two guards stumbling down the street.
“Don’t move,” Delisar whispered as he drew back the bowstring.
“Don’t kill them both. We should capture one of them and find out where they are keeping the prisoners.”
Delisar agreed and waited until the guards were five feet past the alley and unleashed death in the form of an arrow striking a guard in the throat, sending him sprawling to the ground, gasping for air. The other guard never heard his friend fall. He finally noticed he was missing when he stumbled to his right and almost fell over, because he wasn’t there for support. Slowly, he turned around and squinted when he saw his friend on the ground several feet away.
“Get up,” he snorted back to him.
When he didn’t answer, the guard looked more intently.
“If they find you sleeping, the captain will have your hide,” the guard said, snorted, then stumbled toward his fallen comrade.
After he bent down to look at his friend, Jacko came running at him. The guard heard him at the last second, looked up, and was greeted by a flying sidekick to his head that knocked him unconscious. Delisar rushed out, and both men dragged the bodies back in between the buildings. They bound and gagged the guard and repeatedly slapped his face until he stirred awake, then he started squirming.
Delisar quickly placed a blade under his chin and pressed it against his throat. “If you cooperate, we’ll let you live, so do not make a sound. Do you understand?”
The boarman nodded and stopped squirming. Jacko removed the gag.
“Good. Now tell us where the captives are being held,” Delisar said.
The Chatar saw Jacko’s hand near his tusks and tried to gore him. Jacko quickly moved his hand away, and Delisar pressed down on his neck and waved the knife in front of his eyes.
“Now I’m only going to ask you one more time before I start using my knife on every inch of your disgusting body. WHERE ARE THE PRISONERS?”
The guard refused to answer, and Jacko placed the gag back into his mouth. Delisar took the knife, stabbed his left wrist, and began slowly moving the blade until he reached his shoulder. The creature squirmed and tried screaming, but the gag only allowed muffled syllables to escape. Delisar removed the blade and held it in front of his face.
“Are you ready to talk?” he said.
The guard stared into Delisar’s eyes. Delisar smiled, plunged his blade into his right leg, ran the weapon down until he reached the top of his boot, and removed it, dangling the dripping knife in front of his eyes. The creature tried to bite through the gag but failed.
“Next, it’s your eye, and then it will be your vital organs, one at a time.” He paused, letting his words register with the creature before continuing. “Nod if you want to tell us.”
The guard finally nodded in agreement, and Jacko removed his gag.
“Where are they?” Delisar demanded.
“Your kind is being held in the northern part of the town where humans sleep.”
“Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Just then, they heard the sound of more troops approaching. As the guard was about to call out, Delisar plunged the knife deep into his throat and twisted the blade until he died.
As soon as the guards passed their hiding spot, they took to the streets once again and stayed in the shadows until they had to cross a particular street. As they stepped away from the shadows, they were seen.
“Hey, you, stop where you are,” a loud voice said from behind, in a language only Delisar understood. He whispered for Jacko to stop moving.
“Where do you suppose the two of you are going?”
By the sound of the voice, they could tell he was far enough away that if they faced him, he wouldn’t recognize their features. Jacko and Delisar turned around in time to see three creatures passing under a lamppost. Jacko’s jaw dropped, not from the two goatmen with the long pikes, but from the creature behind them that resembled a jackal, the likes of which he’d never seen before. He was at least a foot taller than Delisar with a very long snout, a densely bloated stomach, broad shoulders, thick arms, tree trunk legs, and was covered in fur. The only protective garment he wore was a loin cloth. Strapped across his back was a large wooden handle that Jacko was pretty sure had an ax head on the other end.
“Wait until they get close enough before attacking,” Del
isar whispered.
Jacko noticed him inching his hands toward his daggers.
“Where are you going? You know the rules?” the jackal said and stopped.
His two companions continued to close the distance, holding their pikes upright in a non-threatening manner. When they were close enough, one of the guards noticed they were different. As he was about to warn the other, Delisar threw a dagger and hit him in the throat. Jacko rushed the other, leveled his pike, taking him by surprise, and plunged the weapon into his stomach. The creature howled in pain and fell backward along with Jacko’s pike.
“Fools,” the jackal shouted in a language they both understood, “now you will taste my ax.”
He unsnapped the weapon from his back and held it forth with both hands. The double-headed ax was at least six feet long and looked every bit deadly.
“This should be fun,” he announced and walked toward them at a quick pace.
Delisar quickly had his bow out, notched with an arrow, while Jacko picked up a fallen pike. They began moving away from each other to surround the big creature.
The jackal shifted his long, narrow snout, ever so slightly, keeping both humans in his sights, then he darted after Delisar, who fired and missed. The creature was on top of him, swinging his ax across his body, trying to cleave him in one swipe. Delisar moved out of the way, while unsheathing two daggers, and tried stabbing the jackal. However, he was quicker and pummeled Delisar with the butt end of his ax right in the center of his chest, sending him sprawling to the ground, gasping for air.
Jacko took one step and stopped when the creature suddenly turned and faced him, poised and ready to swing. At that moment, he knew he was a dead man if he would’ve continued. The jackal almost laughed at the puny human when he stopped him from advancing just by a threatening posture. While the jackal was distracted, Delisar remained on the ground, holding his chest, while slowly unsheathing his sword and hiding it behind his back to cloak the weapon from his assailant. The jackal turned his attention to Delisar.
A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set Page 17
