Thralls of a Dread Lord (1.70T)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed today, turning an already chaotic political landscape in the US into a maelstrom. My heart goes out to Americans who are being ill used by Trump and his cronies.
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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“Come then, runt. Fight me.”
The elf seemed in no hurry to finish him. He thought Retaak weak because he was not a bull. He had no doubt that the Deathseeker would use his bow if he felt that he was in real danger though, so he made a show of moving with difficulty.
The pain from his arrow wounds vanished in the flood of adrenaline and Retaak had to control his impulse to charge. The only way that he could win would be if he got a grip on his opponent. The Deathseeker would simply be too fast and too skilled for him to defeat without good weapons and armour.
“You should kill me quickly, with your bow, elf,” observed Retaak, stumbling a bit. “I may not be a bull, but I am strong enough to break you.”
The Elf smirked, an expression of practiced disdain showing. Retaak could not help but wonder how many Fellspawn had seen that face as they died.
“Come then,” gestured Retaak. “If you wish to dance so badly, then you should take the lead.”
The elf moved then, bursting into motion. So swift was he that he crossed the space between them in what seemed like the blink of an eye. His blade flashed out, and Retaak felt it slice him on the arm. The Deathseeker moved out of reach as Retaak swung his cleaver,
“The children where I grew up hit harder than you, Deathseeker,” growled Retaak.
This time Retaak stepped forward and swung as his opponent tried to bait his attack. In the wake of the Falchion’s passing, the Deathseeker lunged, stabbing Retaak right above the knee.
Ignoring the sting of the blade, Retaak said “Are you trying to tickle me to death?”
A slight twitch of the brow as he attacked again betrayed some of the elf’s anger. The Deathseeker’s behavior was due to some kind of personal agenda, He either hated Fellspawn to a fanatical degree, or it had something to do with Albyursia.
This time the elf slashed Retaak just under the ribs and then slipped under the Ogre’s grasping arms to strike him in the back. Retaak could not help but gasp at that.
“You could at least put up a fight,” snarled the Deathseeker.
“I’m too tired,” quipped Retaak, grinning and holding his sword as if it were about to fall from his hands.. “Albyursia keep up rather late into evening…”
The Deathseeker’s face twisted. He threw himself at Retaak. As the slender warrior closed, Retaak dropped his Falchion. He felt the knife bite and then he grabbed the elf into a lethal embrace. The Deathseeker realized his mistake, but he had no idea that Retaak was fast for an Ogre and he was caught and lifted off the ground.
The slender elf struggled, but with his arms pinned to his sides his options were limited. He tried to work against Retaak’s joints, but the Ogre was a good wrestler and knew how to keep his grip. He tried to bit and but his head against Retaak’s head, but he found no success in that. His efforts became more frenzied but less effective as Retaak squeezed, making breathing impossible. Then all at once there was a series of cracks and Retaak broke the Deathseekers back and ribcage. His opponent spat blood and his struggles rapidly ceased.
Retaak counted out a minute, still holding him still and then tossed the body up against a tree. Then he laughed, He’d beaten a Deathstalker. A particularly arrogant one, to be sure, but still worth boasting about. A fucking Deathstalker!
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