Situated behind a large boulder with the mouth of the cave plainly in view, Tonles watched a group of fourteen Chatar, and Hurnol enter the cave. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the ax handle, and it took all of his reserve to stay the weapon from doing its job. After they were gone, he crept closer to the opening and hid behind a tree waiting with his only companion, the falling snow.
The scouting party entered the cave, and right away the captain, a big Chatar, sensed something was amiss. He walked over to the extinguished fire and bent down, while running his hand over the smoldering ashes.
“They’re either still here or they left within the hour. I’m guessing they’re below. You two,” he snorted and pointed to two of the goatmen in the back, “go back and tell the others what we found. I want you four to wait here and guard the cave. The rest, you’re with me.” The boarman said, and led them below.
****
Tonles observed two goatmen leaving the cave and as fortune would have it, they were walking straight towards his tree. He lived for the rush of the kill and waited until they were parallel to where he was, before Ripper sang the song of death and dismemberment, cleaving them both in half. Admiring his handiwork, he turned to a nearby tree.
“That was easy, don’t you think.” He said chuckling at his own humor. He quickly threw their body parts away and went back to watching the cave, hoping for and wanting, more fun.
At the bottom of the passageway, Konafar and Sun waited on the left while Jacko and Breen stayed poised on the right. They watched the eight silhouetted forms, with their weapons drawn, walking toward them. While Breen was thinking about her pending fight, sweat began dripping down the sides of her body.
“This was a good sign.” She thought, because every time it happened before a battle, she fought bravely, more focused, and more determined to win.
When the enemy was halfway to the bottom, the lead goatman suddenly halted them, as if he was sensing something waiting for them below. Several seconds later, he threw his torch below, and it landed a few feet behind Jacko. Instead of continuing down further, or saying something, they started slowly retreating backwards.
Konafar thought they were discovered and rushed toward them from his hiding place. He was followed by the others. Before the enemy could react, Konafar caught up to them and brought Carnage upwards, from the tail guard, into the first boarman’s groin. The creature gasped and didn't utter another sound as the weapon passed right through his body, exiting out of the top of his head. Then in one continuous motion, Konafar turned his blade downwards into the thigh of a goatman, cutting his limb in half and sending him rolling down the passageway screaming in pain.
Jacko saw a Chatar closing in on Konafar, and before he could reach help, Konafar turned at the last second and rammed his sword through his stomach, killing him instantly. Sun raced past them both and engaged a Hurnol who was moving down the slope. The goatman jabbed twice at Sun, before his spear was grabbed and he was kicked square in his knee cap, breaking the bone and sending him rolling away in pain.
Breen moved in front of a rather large boarman and deflected two of his attacks with her shield before the Chatar slammed into her shield with his and pressed forward, driving her downwards. After Jacko killed the Chatar, he engaged a goatman, defensively sidestepped him and blocked several attacks before grabbing his spear, jerking him closer and stabbing his arm with finger-knives. The fluid from the Coldtilian sack numbed the Hurnol’s limb and caused him to drop his weapon. Jacko sliced his throat and killed him.
Sun charged after another boarman, blocked his sword and struck him in the face with the Dragon Claw, digging two of his fingers into his eyes and blinding him. The creature wailed in pain, Sun punched him in the throat, crushed his larynx and sent him rolling down the passageway. Unfortunately for the Chatar fighting Breen, his comrade rolled right into his legs and was distracted enough for Breen to slice open his belly, causing his innards to spill out onto the earth. The last goatman turned to try escaping, but Sun was quicker, grabbed him by the armor and pulled him backwards into the waiting pommel of Konafar's blade. The goatman was knocked out with a thud.
In the aftermath of the fight, Sun left to find Tonles; Breen checked on Woo, and Jacko searched for materials to make a carrier for his classmate.
When the remaining party members heard the screams from their comrades they became so frightened they ran from the cave. They never saw or even heard Tonles as he came out of hiding and sent them to the afterlife.
When Sun came out of the cave, he saw Tonles hunched over four dead bodies, searching them for anything of worth.
“Did any of them escape?” Sun asked.
“They tried.” He grinned.
“None of us got hurt.”
“Good. Help me hide the bodies and then we’ll go back inside.
Breen finished her assessment of Woo and walked over to Konafar.
“I don't know if we can move him in his present condition.” She said.
“We can’t stay here, so we’ll take him to Wistful and hope it’s not too late.” He replied.
Just then Tonles and Sun came down the passageway toward them.
“Did anyone get away?” Konafar asked, despite knowing that he didn’t have to.
Tonles grinned proudly. “No.”
“Nice work. We need to get Woo to a healer, so help Jacko look for something to carry him out of here.
Due to a lack of materials, they decided the gate was their best option to carry him out. As they were shaping it into a carrier, Breen did one final analysis on Woo and came over to them. By the look on her face, they knew what she was going to say before she uttered a word.
“Woo has passed.” Her voice was sad.
Tonles took the heavy gate and threw it against the wall in frustration.
Jacko’s heart sank for his classmate.
“Let’s get out of here.” Konafar said.
They left the cave and found a suitable place to bury him. When the last of the stones was placed on his body, Konafar looked at them then started speaking.
“I believe we owe our friend Woo some revenge.” His voice sounded sinister and cold.
“We do.” Jacko chimed in.
“Let’s find out where the rest of them are hiding.”
They followed the rocky wall eastward until they came upon a small passageway leading upwards. It was shortly before nightfall, and they figured it was the perfect time to discover anyone making camp for the evening. Tonles had really good eyesight at night and took the path alone. When he reached a part of the trail overlooking the entire area, he quickly discovered thick smoke rising above the trees just south, indicating he’d found what they were looking for. After returning, it was decided that Sun and Konafar would go investigate while Jacko, Tonles, and Breen stayed behind.
Sun and Konafar walked for an hour before coming upon the encampment and positioned themselves on a small bluff overlooking the enemy. A small number of boarmen and goatmen were either walking around or sitting by a fire drinking. Two giants were seated towards the west side of camp drinking, and by the look of the jars at their feet, Konafar thought they should be drunk by now. A large war beetle, chained to several trees, was about twenty feet away from camp. It looked like it was sleeping.
Sun’s gaze fell upon the lone human wearing platemail on the other side of camp.
He was engaged in conversation with a lot of boarmen and goatmen. “That must be their leader.” He said, drawing Konafar’s attention to where he was looking. “That’s quite a large group looking for us, don't you think?” He added.
Konafar didn’t reply and continued to study the man in the armor. “It can't be?” He said.
“What?”
“He looks like my friend Runit.”
“In the green armor?”
“Yes.”
Sun focused on the man. “Why would your friend be there?”
“He must have been captured when we raided the t
own. The bigger question is, why is he helping them? Wait here, I need to find out.” Konafar said and left before Sun could protest.
“He's going to get himself killed.” Sun said quietly.
Konafar pulled his cloak tighter to help hide his features, walked down to the ground level and around the bluff without incident or detection. For a big man, he moved effortlessly throughout the camp. The ones who saw him paid him no heed, because they were too inebriated to comprehend that an enemy would actually breech their camp. He eventually took up position near Runit, using the thick underbrush to listen to him speak.
“Is there any news from the scouting party?” When they didn’t have an answer, he became angry. “I want you to take some men and search for them. If you happen to find the ones we are looking for, kill everyone except for my two brothers. I want them to join us.”
“What do they look like?” A goatman asked.
Runit went on to describe Tonles and Konafar in great detail, and it took all of Konafar’s restraint to fight back the urge to attack, because even though he was sure he could; the others would fall on him, and he would die. After listening for several more minutes, he returned to Sun and left the area.
Konafar told them what they had discovered, the number of men, giants, and the war beetle they had with them.
Tonles was the first to speak. “Runit is leading the enemy?” His angry reaction didn't surprise anyone. “Why does he want us alive? He has to know we would never be taken.”
“I don’t know why he wants us. Maybe he wants us to join his cause.”
“Join him? He knows we would never do that.”
“I think he might be under the influence of something.”
“Like a drug?” Breen offered. “But that will wear off eventually.”
“They’re going to send another scouting party to find the others. We should either kill them or attack the main group.”
“Attack the main group, the five of us? Are you crazy?” Breen said.
“It doesn’t look like they’ll stop searching for us. If you don’t want any part of this, then leave.”
“He’s right,” said Tonles. “They’ll continue to look for us until we’re either captured or dead. Sun and Breen, they don’t know you, so you could actually escape. Jacko, I’m afraid he knows you personally, so I don’t know if he’ll stop looking for you.”
“I’m in. I don’t feel like running and hiding for the rest of my life.” Jacko responded bravely.
“I will help as well.” Sun added.
“Breen, if you still want to leave, then I suggest you wait in the cave until morning.” Konafar told her.
“Let me hear your plan first then I’ll decide.” She said.
“I was thinking we have a couple of options. We could continue to ambush the search parties and play cat and mouse with Runit’s troops until they are depleted, and then attack. However, I don’t think he’ll fall for that if the next party goes missing. Or we could attack tonight, under the cover of darkness, after the other group leaves.”
“And how many men do they have?” Breen asked.
“The last time they sent around ten, so we should expect another group of that size. I’m guessing they have around thirty. You’ve got the two giants, Runit, the beetle, and maybe twenty of the boarmen and goatmen. I know it’s not the best circumstances, but I’d rather fight them while they are unprepared and drunk.”
“Good point. Plus we’ll have the element of surprise on our side.” Sun added.
“I’ve been thinking; we'll need a distraction for this to work,” Tonles began, “and the best way to do that is to let the war beetle loose. I’m sure if the creature was on the rampage, everyone would be so preoccupied with it that we could get close enough to kill Runit and the giants.”
“What about the others and the scouting party?” Jacko interjected.
“Trust me. Once Runit and the giants are dead, the rest will be so frightened and disorganized they’ll run away. We won’t have to worry about the scouting party either. If they return before we leave, they will have no interest in us.”
“How do you plan on getting the beetle free? Breen asked.
“Should we use fire to excite the creature?” Sun asked.
“That would be the logical thing to do, given the fact that fire is a beetle’s weakness; however, that isn't what we want because it might burrow underground until its body cools off. We need to damage the creature by striking its eyes, legs, or mandible. Konafar, what are they using to hold the creature?”
“Chains.”
“I’m pretty sure the bug can break its restraints once we rile it up, when that happens it will lash out at anything nearby, be it friend or foe. Once freed, I'm assuming the giants will try to settle the creature, and that's when we'll attack. No matter what, we can’t allow any more than one of the giants to control the bug, or it could be disastrous for us.”
“Runit has to be confronted during this time as well.”
“Who will attack what?” Jacko asked.
“We'll decide that after we enter their camp.” Konafar stated. “Breen, we really could use your help.”
She thought about it and agreed. “When do we leave?”
“Now, while the other scouting party is away.”
By the time they reached the bluff, activity within the camp was down to a minimum. Tonles and Konafar quickly assessed the whereabouts of the giants, whom hadn't moved from their original spot, and Runit, who they figured would be in the largest tent near the middle of camp. Konafar gathered them close and spoke in hushed tones.
“Since Tonles is the strongest, he's the best choice for agitating the beetle. After doing so, he'll move back into the forest and wait for the giants to make their move. As they approach, he and I will attack them. Sun, I need you to go after Runit.” Sun nodded. “Jacko and Breen, I want you to intercept all others that may interfere. Our plan must be adaptable, so if something happens to Tonles, Jacko you’re with me. Breen, keep to your assignment; we'll need all the time you can give us. Does everyone understand?” They nodded.
“Can you spare me some throwing knives? I’m pretty good with them.” Breen said.
After giving her their knives they left.
Quietly, they climbed down the bluff, and snuck around the perimeter until they were in their assigned positions. Tonles was near the beetle. Konafar and Jacko were positioned behind the drunken giants. Breen was somewhere in between them, and Sun was further north, ready to move when the time was right. Tonles waited within the shadows of the trees until all but a few of their enemies were awake, then crept slowly into the camp.
When he was on the side of the beetle, with his back towards the woods, he raised his ax and brought it down into the hard shell. What he didn’t expect after the impact split the exterior, was being sprayed in his face and body with bug’s hot, bloody ichor. It sent him backpedaling into the forest where he tripped over a fallen log and bumped his head on the rigid ground. When Breen saw him fall, she took a mental note of his location and then remained vigilant for anyone who might interfere with their plans.
When Tonles attacked the beetle, he set off a chain of events that went as followed. First, the beetle shrieked so loudly it woke the entire camp, second; it yanked on its restraints, easily broke them and began trampling on anyone nearby. Third, most of the boarmen and goatmen began running for their lives when they saw the beetle free, and finally; the bug got the attention of the giants who then ran over to restrain it. Sun ran across the camp, killed the distracted guards posted outside of Runit’s tent, and entered.
Konafar advanced on the giants from their left, and the trailing giant didn’t see him until it was too late, with Carnage in mid-strike. The blade sliced through bone and cartilage and amputated both legs at his knees, leaving the helpless giant rolling on the ground bleeding to death. After he screamed, the other giant turned around, and as he was about to advance on Konafar, the war beetle wrapped its
mandibles snugly around his waist and carried his meal off into the woods. After the beetle disappeared from view, Jacko and Konafar ran toward the green knight’s tent while cutting down anyone who got in their way.
****
“So you're Runit the traitor.” Sun said to the Green Knight after he came through the flaps of his tent.
Runit stood up from behind his table. “I'm grateful that you've come here to die.” He coldly replied.
“Well you have that wrong. Right now, your camp is in disarray, and your old classmates are here to send you to the seventh layer of hell.”
“Maybe they will, but I can tell you; you won’t. Do you really think you have anything that can penetrate my armor?” He tapped on it a few times. “In fact, even if you did, I don’t think you can defeat me, so you might want to run along and wait for your turn to die.” Runit smugly looked at Sun, who believed there was something very disturbing about his appearance. Maybe it was his pasty white complexion, or the fact that his left eye twitched every time he spoke.
“Well let's see if that tin suit of yours can withstand my attacks.” Sun said.
The Green Knight laughed at him, closed the visor to his helm, unsheathed his two-handed sword, and moved out from behind his desk to attack.
Sun had defeated other armored warriors before with his powerful kicks and punches, so he felt confident he would win, He met the charging warrior with a series of kicks that passed through his defenses, hitting him several times in the chest and arms. Although the force of the blows moved Runit in different directions, they had little to no effect on his armor, except for the loud, resounding thud.
The green knight recovered and countered with several slashing swings before lunging forward. Sun maneuvered and twisted his torso out of the way. After sidestepping to the left, he connected with Runit, hitting him squarely in the chest. The hard metal studs from the glove, coupled with the Iron Fist technique, dented the re-enforced armor, but not enough to cause any damage.
Runit smiled inside of his helmet and then feinted once to the left, while letting go of the hilt with his right hand, and thrust the blade singlehandedly at Sun's leading leg. At the very last second, Sun saw the attack and stepped backwards, but not fast enough, and was grazed by the sharp steel as it sliced through his garments.
A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set Page 46
