“Well, that could’ve gone a lot better,” Ean said, exhaling loudly while pulling his conjured sword from the bleeding throat of the now-deceased dorphan at the same time Kita pulled out a sharp snapped branch from the creature’s belly.“Yes. This was sloppy amateur work that nearly ended with a grave injury to Rector, as well as losing our kill,” Kita said, tossing the branch aside.“I’ll be fine. We still got our kill, with minimal damage to the important parts of the beast we needed to harvest. It will take some time, but I will be able to slowly heal my arm in stages,” Rector continued, adjusting his torn sleeve sling slightly, wincing quietly.“It would have been nice to know that your trap spell was going to arm and trigger straight away,” Ean said with a sigh while brushing the traces of wet blood from his palm down his trouser leg.“I told you my magic is starting to depreciate. I also mentioned without Mhurl helping to keep my an’uul from closing my magic has become increasing
“Rex,” Skul said, visibly shaking, “I feel myself beginning to falter with the next step that I am required to perform, would you be my second?”“Uh,” Rex stammered, the words pulling him from his momentary brain pause, “I don’t know what is required of me in this situation.” In Rex’s mind with all the books and movies he had read and seen a ‘second’ was required to lop off the person’s head after disembowelling themselves and that did not fit into a marriage situation.“My dear, he is asking you to hold him steady, like Horken is doing for Teema,” Kiri interjected softly, adding a smile while speaking, nodding at Horken.“In that case, yes. I can do that for you,” Rex replied with a nod, visibly relieved.Moving to stand behind Skul, Rex looked over and studied how Horken was holding Teema. Copying how his arms looped under the pits of Skul, gently holding his head steady, Skul sagged a little of his weight into Rex’s grip. Rex could feel Skul’s body relax slightly under his grip, an
“Judging by your expression I’m guessing you aren’t going to tell us how you intend on overcoming the obstacles you described to us?” Rex asked, a little exasperated, using one of his knuckles to massage above one eye.“It’s much more fun to find out when it happens, then having the skill and aptitude to overcome any obstacles that arise while having that sort of fun, THAT is the thrill, no?” Kiri replied with a large smile.“Are you trying to tell me when you go into a battle, and something goes wrong, it’s a thrill for you?” Kealy asked, one eyebrow raised.“The deciding moment when you find out if it will be your last moment or if you have the fortitude and wits needed to overcome the surmountable odds is a thrill, yes,” Kiri replied with a knowing smile and quick nod, “But alas we will not be travelling tonight, watch Skul and Teema must be observed while the spell finalises. We will leave at dawn on the morrow, I suggest you all rest while you can.”“You’re speaking differently t
Rex and Kealy had just finished another unarmed spar, Kealy was having to pick herself up from the ground once more, “I don’t understand how your reactions are so fast. I can jump short distances between shadows, and you catch me before I can strike every blasted time.” “I don’t know what to tell you,” Rex chuckled, reaching out to clasp onto Kealy’s hand to pull her to her feet, “I can half sense, half feel where you are, so I react to that sensation.” “I told you before rogue,” Dilo growled, “It’s called battle sense. He is so focused on the fight with you, his whole body is tuned in to react to whatever you try and do. But that can also be a downside, go again.” Setting themselves up to spar once more, Rex soon gained the upper hand in the fight when Dilo suddenly shot into Rex while standing out of his sight range. She was just about to strike him in the kidney when he rolled his body slightly, causing the blow to be a glancing strike instead, catching her wrist from the overext
Once the goodbyes had been finished, and Skul was walking through to the edge of the clearing holding Teema’s hand, Kiri turned to the group left, “I have let go of the magic involved with the multiple summons I had prowling the forest to prepare for what is next, I need about ten more minutes, and we will be able to begin the journey ourselves. I will require the assistance of all battle-ready individuals during this process though.” “We are all battle ready except for Venya, “Rex said, a hint of confusion creeping into his voice, “What will we need to be ready for?” “Battle obviously,” Dilo growled, shaking her head. After a quick sigh of frustration from Rex at her comment, Dilo smirked and held out her hand to him, “I will need the use of my sword if we need to be ready to fight.” Kealy was the only person to object, “Wait! You took that from her because she attacked us, how do we know once she has her sword and our attention is elsewhere, that she will not resume her earlier a
“He is speaking to someone, I can hear the difference in vocal tones. How in the nine hells would someone else be in a snake’s mouth to be speaking with him?” Dilo asked, her eyes furrowing in confusion. “That should be impossible,” Kealy breathed, still having her ear against the throat of the giant snake. She was about to speak again when the skin pushed outward abruptly, close to her face causing her to recoil away sharply in alarm. “The f**k was that?” “He is attempting to cut his own way out?” Dilo postulated, scowling at the snake’s skin jerking outward in constant pulses. “A heroic exit through the neck of a twenty-foot snake after being swallowed? Of course he would,” Kealy sighed, smiling while shaking her head slightly. “He does this often?” Dilo asked, raising an eyebrow at Kealy. “Irritatingly. There are stories of him being involved with a soul transfer from a Djinn to a beast, fighting a tenaculum, he was instrumental in turning the tide of a large battle by charging
“Who are you?” Venya asked, tilting her head to the side, confused by the short, olive-skinned man that was covered from his bald head to bare feet in blood and flesh chunks now standing just outside of a large, opened gash in the neck of the snake.“I am Grub. Oh don’t be worrying pretty face, Grub will fetch wonky leg, give me few minutes,” the man said, spinning quickly on his heels to face the opening once more and as he moved forward, he pushed the skin aside to step back into the throat of the snake.Venya stared shocked at the gaping wound in the dead snake, she had never seen a man like that before. He was a short olive-skinned stockily built man who had a bald head and very prominent facial features, broad shoulders with a slightly pudgy belly, baggy pants held up by a cord tied around his waist, and bare feet. His skin was half covered in a wide variety of sparkling black tattoos, all except a strange red smear mark that ran from one cheek across his nose, stopping at the ot
Venya came back a few moments later carrying a full water skin and a few cloth strips, “Sorry Rex, this is the best I could manage to procure in the short time I had.”“It’s fine,” Rex said with a smile before his face turned stern and his tone went flat and serious, “I’m going to need you to help me with something more important first.”“Something important?” Venya asked, slight worry creeping into her voice, “Is everything ok?”“It will be,” Rex smiled, keeping his voice calm and airy to help elevate Venya’s concern. “I need you to help me straighten my broken leg, so it heals properly in the correct position.”Venya looked down at the bone still partly protruding through the skin of his shin and winced slightly, “I don’t know if can do that.” She was shaking her head slightly while speaking.“I’ve done as much as I can by myself, but I don’t have the strength required to put it where it needs to be and keep my mind straight through the pain, and as you can see, it still needs the l