Thralls of a Dread Lord (1.68T)
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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Retaak stared at the arrow in surprise for just a heartbeat. In that time a second pierced his shoulder armour and into the flesh underneath with a discernible ‘thwak’. This spurred him to seek cover behind the closest tree thick enough to hide his bulk. As he moved he felt the wind of another arrow just behind his neck. Heart pounding, he slid last few feet along the rough ground, slamming into the tree.
Breathing hard, Retaak took stock of his wounds. The arrow in his arm had penetrated right through, but did not seem to have hit any blood vessels. The one in his shoulder was close enough that had it gone deeper it might have his his heart. an elf.
The shafts were black and cut perfectly straight with burgundy fletching and sharp, cutting heads. They were not barbed, but they were no hunting arrows. He was being tracked by a warrior. The size of the arrow as well as the craftsmanship indicated an elvish foe. A thrill went up Retaak’s spine as he realized that only one type of elf would have been able to track them through The Desolation of Karniloth: A Deathseeker!
Deadliest of the Elven warriors, Deathseekers were feared for their skill with bow and blade. Ushochhushi had first come to the Dread Lord’s notice by besting one in single combat; a feat that few Fellspawn could boast of. Retaak would gain considerable fame if he survived.
Looking around, he saw that his hiding place was well protected from side shots. Retaak had no idea how close the elf was, even. The attack had caught him entirely by surprise. He did not have a shield and only bore his falchion; the axe was still on the outcropping where he had dropped it. It may as well have been a hundred paces away with death waiting for his every move.
He needed a way to escape or make the elf come to him. If he remained here, as sheltered as it was, the Deathseeker would find a way to strike. It was best not to let his foe take their time.
The terrain was not to his advantage. Trees might block some of the elf’s shots, but the underbrush made stealth impossible for Retaak. There was no sneaking out of this. What could he do? Hiding seemed unlikely. The elf would not fall for false trails or decoys. Deathseekers were cunning hunters.
And then it came to him. There was a way that he could make the elf come to him. It was risky, but better than waiting to be picked off.
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