Dragon Hero II: Bounty of the Blood Witch

by C Woodward

  “Seriously? What the heck!” I complained. How on earth did they find out we disappeared and then catch up to us so quickly? I sighed and went to tell Jerak, feeling more frustrated than scared.

  I guess their ship was smaller and faster while we had a slow cargo ship. They must have had some dumb luck to locate us already. I walked over to Jerak at the wheel. I sighed, “Jerak, the raiders are back.”

  He turned to see, “Oh, man!” I pointed to the ship which was just within sight.

  A crewman came up to me, “Sir! What should we do?” I was surprised with the formality; I didn’t know I was in charge. But, what now? They were gaining on us. I had a plan; not a great one, but it might do the trick. I figured we didn’t have a whole lot of time before they reached us. The three crewmen kept the ship going while Jerak and I got things ready. We found a good number of weapons from the previous battle. I went to get the bows and arrows the raiders left and took them to the captain’s room. I wrapped the ends with cloth and drenched them with lantern oil. The captain’s room has several windows and was an ideal place to fire safely, plus the door had a good lock and key. Jerak was busy setting traps in the other rooms.

  I called the crewmen and Jerak, had them abandon the ship’s duties and take refuge in the captain’s quarters. They grabbed their weapons and came running. “Do you think this will work?” one of them asked with a little fear in his eyes.

  Jerak ran in with my armor and a grin on his face. I grabbed the armor, “You got things set up in there?” Jerak grinned again but said nothing. That was enough for me.

  I told the crewmen to light the lantern but keep it covered so no light showed. Jerak helped me put on my armor. It felt good to be armored to the teeth again, I just needed to make sure to away from the edge of the boat, or I would sink to my doom. The ship drifted in a little different direction because no one could keep it on a straight route.

  I had two short swords on my belt and held a pike. Jerak also held a pike and had his mace ready. He was grinning, “This is going to be fun!”

  I stared at him, “I’m afraid of what kind of traps you made.”

  The crewmen had their bows ready and one exclaimed, “The raiders are here.” I peeked out and saw some invaders place a small plank bridge between their ship and ours. At least six of them ran across. I whispered, “Don’t fire yet.” From a tiny window, I had a view of the deck. They stopped and looked around. I was hoping they would be confused. Two of them went up to the wheel, while the rest split up; two went toward the kitchen and two others went down to the sleeping quarters.

  Jerak was practically giggling. A second later, I heard screaming. After a few more seconds, another group was screaming. When four more guys tried to come across their bridge, I gave the order to fire. The crew men uncovered the lantern, lit their arrows and began firing.

  The crewmen were not very handy with the bows but they managed to reach our opponents’ ship with some flaming arrows. Peeking out the window, I saw a raider nailed by a fire arrow. “One of you aim for their sails” I ordered. I saw two arrows hit their sails and they already caught fire. More raiders came over their bridge. Then, six more came on deck and ran toward the captain’s quarters.

  In the captain’s quarters, Jerak propped his pike against the door. He and I each stood to one side of the door. A key was in the keyhole. The raiders started banging on the door. I reached over and turned the key. As soon as the lock clicked, the door swung open. I thought Jerak was hit as they came falling in, right onto the spikes. I moved in and thrust my pike at another one. I really didn’t aim because there were so many of them. I figured thrusting hard in their direction would work. Jerak came out from behind the door with his hand over his forehead.

  I let go of the pike which was now stuck in someone. I drew both swords and swung at anything that came in the room. The first came at me with a club which did nothing to my armor. I countered with two swipes of my swords. He yelled as I smashed his face, I felt bad for him, since I knew how it felt. Jerak smacked the same raider with his mace.

  This started a real bottleneck of a fight, but it was in our favor. I saw just three remaining who smartened up and backed away from the door. “Guys, fire the door!” I yelled. Two crewmen had their turn and fired arrows out the door. One arrow completely missed but the other hit one in the chest, who screamed and fell backward down the stairs. The other crewman fired as well but only hit the door frame, right next to me! Maybe I should move back.

  Two raiders ran down the stairs and joined up with other surviving raiders. Now, I counted only four of them left. Two took out their bows and aimed at the doorway. “Hey, give me a bow” I shouted. A crewmen tossed me his bow and some unlit arrows. I smiled as I strung up an arrow and started to pull. I casually side-stepped in front of the doorway. An arrow grazed my helmet but I had a clear shot, so I fired. My arrow hit its mark, and not in a nice spot, either. My target dropped to the ground, screaming in pain from the arrow which got him in the crotch.

  “I hope that never happens to me!” Jerak yelled while cringing. I strung another arrow and fired. This time, one was hit in the thigh. He cried out, although he must have felt a world better than the first one I shot. I backed away from the door to avoid an arrow coming my way. I looked at the crewmen. The two with bows fired out the door, again. Both of the arrows hit; one attacker got it in the throat and the other hit the raider with the arrow sticking out of his crotch. Poor guy.

  Now, there were only two left, and one of them was lying on the floor. Jerak came charging out and jumped off the stairs using a leaping, swinging motion straight at the last one standing. He killed the guy, but kept tumbling and finally landed upright on the floor. “Ow, that could have been a bad idea,” he muttered loudly.

  The last raider tried to crawl away and head toward his ship. I pulled back my bow, stood in the doorway and took careful aim. The arrow missed. I am not much of an archer. I stepped away and one of our crewmen nailed him just before he crawled off the ship. We looked around and cheered. No more raiders!

  I removed my armor, while Jerak checked the rooms for any survivors since he knew the traps he set. The crewmen went back to tending to the ship. I took the bodies lying in the captain’s quarters and shoved them down the stairs. Since there was no danger now and Jerak confirmed there was no one left, we set anchor and decided to celebrate.

  “Are you sure that was all of them?” I asked Jerak. He smiled, “No one went down to the cargo hold or storage after my traps were set up. I looked at the row of bodies and counted nine. Three died and fell over or were still on the other ship. The raider’s ship was ablaze now and drifting away from ours. No fire arrows were burning on our ship. The sun was setting and we decided to have a nice peaceful dinner.

  After our celebration. We all looted the raiders and dumped them off in the sea before going to bed. I didn’t know how many days we had been away. I quickly checked my coin pouch and felt relieved that the gems were still there. They ever left my side but I wanted them safe. I let out one good yawn and went to sleep.

  The next morning, I removed my stitches. It kind of felt like I became a new man. I came on this a boat injured and weak, but was returning healed and a little stronger. I held the stitches as we spied a distant land. I stared at the stitches, then threw them overboard. My wound was just a red scar now, and soon it will fade.

  “What do you think we should do, once we reach land?” Jerak asked. I glanced at the remaining crewmen. They survived horrors and overcame frightening odds. Except for what we came on board with and a few supplies, I felt the rest should go these three men who helped us make it back safely.

  I gazed at the horizon, “I doubt we are anywhere near Torclyn.”

  Jerak took a few steps and stared out, as well, “What about Teltar, Kalus, and my brother?”

  I closed my eyes, “It will be dangerous to head back to Torclyn. They will understand and we will meet up with them eventually.”

  Je
rak chuckled, “My brother might be a bit of a runt and Kalus is a wuss, but Teltar is strong. They will be fine.”

  I laughed, “Yup, I’d say our best bet is to find out how to defeat the Blood Witch.” A few hours later, we reached land. There wasn’t a port in sight, but one of the crew members knew of a harbor further south. We continued and came to a cape used as a land marker along the coast. We were able to pull up to a dock.

  Jerak and I found two packs to use and had plenty of food and materials to last us for days. I filled my pack with two thick blankets and sacks of dried meat plus a few cooking utensils. Jerak pretty much did the same. There was an abundance of goods, but we tried not to take more than we needed. Most of the raider’s weapons were simple and compared to the dark elf sword I had, they were basically junk. I decided to grab one of the pikes that came in so handy during our fights. I grabbed one that looked to be in good shape and of a better quality than other weapons I had found. I also found a small knife, which might be more useful as a tool than a weapon.

  After we packed up, I got my armor on again. We arrived in a small fishing village called Unrech. The village was larger than one on the island, but I wouldn’t call it a city. Thankfully, they had a large port and it seemed that their economy relied heavily on trade from Torclyn and Vunash.

  Jerak and I stepped off as soon as the ship was tied down. We thanked the three crewmen. They were planning to make the most out of the cargo and start their own trading company. It seemed that being a sailor was no longer their desired profession anymore. I asked what they will name their company. They had no clue yet, but I threw out the name of “The Three Crewmen”. Not very creative, I know, but I thought it could be a good name for trading company. Well, Jerak and I wished them luck and they wish us luck. I hope the future goes well for them.

  It was noon, so we decided to get a good, hot meal before venturing out. Not including the gems, we had plenty to live on for a few days. Jerak and I were in better spirits as we sat down and enjoyed a meat pie that was actually pretty good. I left my helmet off so people wouldn’t take me for someone sinister, but my new scar didn’t help.

  After our meal, I asked the waiter how long it would take to reach Vunash. He said that it would take three days to walk there. I thanked the man and gave him an extra copper for his trouble. Jerak walked off for a bit and came back a few minutes later with a red mark on his face. I laughed, “You really need to rethink what you say to women.”

  He stared at me, “What do you mean?” I placed the palm of my hand to my face.

  I was eager to leave town and make up for lost time, but Jerak insisted on getting a few pints at the tavern. “It is hardly past noon!” I complained but Jerak was already dashing toward the tavern. I joined him at a table. The place was actually quite full. There were several rough-looking guys around, even a few ogres. Jerak waved for the barmaid to bring him a pint, I only asked for some water.

  I got a few stares, but no one seemed to want to bother me. Maybe the scar made me look like someone who wasn’t afraid to get into a fight. For some reason, that gave me a boost of confidence. Perhaps everything would get better and we can find the answer to my problem.

  A couple of guys were playing a board game at the other end of the tavern. It looked like the one I played with Talestria a few times. It was a little like chess, with a few different pieces and rules. I enjoyed the game, but had only played it with Talestria and she beat me every time.

  I missed her and hoped she was okay. A nagging fear made me wonder if they would try to get to me through her. They didn’t know where she was, or did they? That would be silly since she was as protected as much as possible. Trawlast was built like a fortress and I think their enchanters were as guarded as their King. I held on to that thought anyway. We really needed to go and not waste time in a tavern. Jerak, on the other hand, was already trying to see how much he could drink without passing out.

  I hauled Jerak out before he got too drunk to walk. He protested, “One more pint! Please?” I continued to drag him out, “We really need to get going.” He groaned and pushed himself off of me and tried to make a break back inside. I grabbed him again and pulled him out away like a fussy child. He whined like a child and complained. I tried something else, “But, Jerak, the sooner we leave, the sooner we reach Vunash. There are many beautiful women there.”

  He smiled at that, “Hey, that’s right! There are!”

  I smiled, “Think how many would flock to a hero like you!” Jerak laughed, “Yeah! Let’s not waste any more time and get to Vunash!” I couldn’t help but laugh. I sighed and felt for the gems in my pouch, but to my dismay the pouch was missing!

  I looked around outside and then ran back inside of the tavern. Looking around, I saw a few shady characters but wasn’t sure who had swiped it. I was furious. I slapped on my helmet and yelled, “Alright! Who took my pouch?!” Everyone stared at me. A few people laughed, but no one seemed like they wanted to help me. I stared at the eyes of everyone there and one person looked right back at me. He displayed guilt in his eyes. He was a smaller guy with a larger guy and they appeared to be related. I marched over to them. The larger guy smiled and spoke with an arrogant tone, “What is the problem?”

  I glared at him, then stared at the smaller brother. The smaller one looked at me and angrily spoke, “What, you think I took your coin pouch?!”

  I stared at him and I sensed he was lying and acting out from guilt. I sighed, “Please return the pouch to me with the contents and I will simply leave. The big guy laughed, “You think my brother stole your money? Are you itching for a fight?” He stood up. He was taller than me and wore scale mail armor with iron plates on the shoulders. He also carried a large sword behind his back. Normally, a guy like this would be someone I would never want to mess with, but this world had changed me. Compared to the Blood Witch and my other foes, this guy was nothing.

  I took a deep breath and spoke again, “Return to me what’s mine and I’ll leave.” The smaller brother showed a wide, confident smile as did his brother. Big brother moved around the table to come right up to me. Everyone was quiet. I am six foot but he was half a foot taller, with a larger build. Then again, I had fought beings bigger than him. He was wearing iron gauntlets and appeared to be a seasoned warrior, but he also could be a large goon who made enough to afford nice equipment.

  “You think your fancy armor will protect you?” he taunted. I sighed; I was having such a good day. No weapons were drawn, so this might just be a brawl. I was tempted to shove the pike into him, but this seemed to be a nice village and I didn’t want trouble with the law. He shoved me, mockingly. I staggered back, but that was all. This guy was just a punk and a bully. He laughed, “What’s the matter? Afraid to dent your fancy armor?”

  He reached to shove me again, but I grabbed his wrist, turned my body and pulled him. He fell forward, into a table. I waited while he got up. He took a swing at me but I stepped back and avoided it. He was sure slow. I punched him square in the Adam’s apple. He gagged and bent over, trying to get some air. I grabbed him by his hair and kneed him in the face. He fell to the floor with his face covered in blood and screaming in pain. I might have hit him a little too hard, but he will live.

  I looked down at him, “Go bleed somewhere else.” I heard a few cheers, and turned toward the smaller brother, who was now gone.

  “Got him!” an ogre said. The ogre lifted him by the collar of his shirt.

  I smiled, “Thank you.” The ogre smiled, “That was a good fight, what’s your name, knight?” I pulled the pouch from a pocket of the cowardly brother. I checked and found that the contents were still there. I put the pouch away and answered the helpful ogre, “I’m Blake.”

  A few people stared at me in surprise. I am not sure if I will get used to the fame. A few shouted some questions, “Did you really destroy …? Are you human or…? I heard you married the witch, Talestria, is that true?” and many more. I smiled under my helmet, “Actually, I rea
lly need to get going, but I might come back sometime and we can talk.”

  Jerak pulled me away, “Hey, we shouldn’t waste time, and we need to find some women in Vunash!” He laughed, “Well, I need to. You’re married!” Jerak was still running on the sauce. As we walked out, I noticed a large figure a few buildings away, who darted away when he saw us. Oh no, please don’t tell me they found me again.

  I held my pike and jogged over where I saw the figure run around down an alley. I glanced around and began to chase. I hope this isn’t a trap. I slowed and peeked around a corner to see that the ally ended just ahead. I spotted the large figure and found that it wasn’t one of Forren’s henchmen. It was no other than Torkuhl.

  “Oh, please don’t tell me you are after me!” the large Minotaur said loudly. He seemed frustrated and scared. That’s weird coming from someone as big and scary as him. Jerak arrived, picking at his ear and not really paying much attention. Torkuhl looked around and then back at me. I actually felt sort of bad for him now.

  I sighed, “I am not here to fight you.”

  He looked at me, “You’re not?”

  I shook my head, “I was just curious of who was watching me. I have no problems with you anymore, Torkuhl.”

  He looked at me in surprise, “Really? Then, why did you come all this way to find me.” I laughed, “I just happen to be in the area.” I paused. Maybe it wasn’t wise, but I asked anyway. I smiled from under my helmet, “Torkuhl, why don’t join me?” He stared with his mouth wide open. I could tell he was shocked and he pondered what I said.

  He took a deep breath, “Why would you want to have a former enemy join you?”

  I shrugged, “I’m not sure. Are you still part of the Shadens?” Torkuhl shook his head, “They are no more. Any survivors have become petty thieves.” I didn’t know if I could trust him, but then again I had a strange knack to sense if someone was up to no good.

  I extended my hand, “I could really use your help, as long you are not associated with that faction anymore. I would be honored to have you as a strong ally.”