Thralls of a Dread Lord (1.43T)
Welcome to my weekly serial. This is a rough draft that I am working on, for your reading pleasure.
It is a fairly grim tale, so be warned.
Here is the first post from this series.
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Elves were swift and precise. As Retaak advanced one of them lunged, driving the tip of his blade into the flesh just above the Ogres knee. The attack was surprisingly painful, either using magic or some secret elfen nerve-strike, but he did not falter. He lashed out with his mace, denting the winged dragon-helm of the elf and sening him crashinh to the ground.
Ashoktyaar was already on the other two. The hacked at him with desperation, but their blades were as nothing to the troll. One of the elves ran him through and he twisted, ripping the blade away and then hacking through a hastily raised shield. A slash from the other elf found his throat, spilling blood. The trolls paused, then grinned, launching himself at the elves, his heavy cleavers rising and falling, cleaving through shields and then meat until they were red with blood.
“Well… that was brutal,” said Kuzat.
“How is your throat, brother troll?” asked Retaak, looking to Ashoktyaar.
The Troll, hand pinching the wound closed now merely nodded. Retaak could see now that while blood oozed out from between Ashoktyaar’s fingers it had slowed to a trickle. Retaak’s knee wound bleed longer.
“Retaak…” Uyage’s eyes were glued to the prison cell, her tone spurred him to turn from the carnage.
The prison cell was a wild tangle of trees and bushes bursting from walls and stone. Mushrooms with colourful caps, and bright red flowers, grew under a verdant canopy of leaves. It was impossibly strange, especially so far from the sun. This was why he smelled wood and earth. So thick was the invasion of vegetation that he almost missed the mud covered elven woman staring at them from between the bars. Her brown hair was a cloud of curls with flowers settled in them. Amber eyes stared at them through the mud above smirking lips.
“Albyursia Pástyamóz?” Retaak asked. His elvish was poor but she would recognize her own name. Her eyes widened briefly, and then darted the red ruin on her guards before returning to Retaak.
“I am she. Are you here to kill me?” her voice was calm and strong and she spoke Diguti, the tongue of the Fellspawn, with no accent.
“We are not,” said Retaak. “We have been commanded to take you from this place and bring you back with us, alive and unharmed, to the Twilight Halls of the Fellspawn Warrens in Bemachhorak, where our lord Ushochhushi awaits.”
If she knew Ushochhushi, Albyursia hid recognition of his name very well.
“What is your name, Ogre?”
“Retaak.”
“I am pleased to meet you. Introductions to the rest of your friends will have to wait. More guards are coming.”
Retaak looked to Uyage.
“She’s right,” said Uyage after a moment of listening, sounding somewhat surprised.
“There will be Deathseekers with them, or worse,” said Albyursia. “They will kill me now. Give me whatever device your master gave to you to bind me with and let us be on our way. I would rather live to plead with your Ushochhushi than die to the spears of my own kind now.”
“Ushochhushi is not my master,” growled Retaak.
“Forgive me,” said Albyursia. “I know your language, but my practical experience with the Fellspawn is limited. I meant no offence, Retaak.”
“You don’t care that we killed your guards?” asked Ashoktyaar, ostentatiously jerking his blade to splash blood on the wall.
“They were keeping me prisoner,” said Albyursia. “I have been tortured by these Brouvians, and I was sent here for execution I believe. Elves are no more harmonious among themselves that Fellspawn.”
“Retaak…” warned Uyage.
Retaak held out the collar that Ushochhushi had given them to put on the elf. Albyursia looked at it, sighed, and locked it into place. Retaak let her out of the cell, only belatedly realizing that she was naked, saved for the mud. Uyaashie handed her a cloak and some boots taken from one of the guards.
“Thanks. Always a collar when a nice bracelet would do. Am I right ladies?”
Uyaashie snickered. And then, without a word, Uyage led them away.
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