Raggedy Man
"I dreamed me a dream that was all about you,
but I’m not your stupid honey-dew,
I pulled your soul in the guitar with me, and I woke up screaming...
Whoa, I’m hurt deep!
I'm calling your name
calling your name
calling your name, Woo hoo!...
Yes, my manhood's back. Good thing my nuts dropped again, heh heh," sang Reid, feeling his private parts and the day old beard stubble growing on his face.
Reid didn’t sing loud, just enough to entertain himself as he hid in a hill crevice and scanned a farm below with his rifle scope. A true ranger, he’d marched fifteen miles southeast in under four hours navigating by the sun and a ‘simple’ map Kerod gave him before they departed Hatos.
‘I’m not in Ashtoni yet...I must be ….here..’ he pointed to a village north of Ashtoni on his map, but he couldn’t read the name.
‘I’m a man with a bad plan.’
Reid figured the assassin wolves would’ve killed him or delivered him as a prisoner to someone in Ashtoni. And that person(s) in Ashtoni no doubt sought his GPS ‘key.’ This gave Reid a plan...of sorts.
‘Find the guy who wants the GPS, make him take you to warlock’s castle in Orent...or something. Jeez Reid this is a bad plan, but damn it’s my only plan.’
Reid aimed his scope at a small road leaving the farm, searching for..
“There he is again, him and his buddy,” Reid muttered, fixing his scope on two small bodies walking the road. A little elf boy and his gobra friend, heading his direction.
Reid waited for the boys to walk passed him before descending the hill, and emerging from the tree line behind them.
“Hey, you kids!” said Reid, in a hushed voice.
The boys spun in terror at the ragged stranger before them in the road, but they didn’t run, and in seconds their faces changed from fear to curiosity.
“Hey, elf boy, I know you can understand me,” said Reid to the blonde haired elf.
“Uh..I can speak Canid-La,” replied the elf boy.
“No you can’t,” said his gobra friend, frowning at him.
“Yes I can, I can read it too...some of it..I’m studying it!”
“Why? You don’t even know any can-”
“Hey!” barked Reid, the two boys gaped at him.
“I’m not a canid...I’m something else, and I need your help translating for me.”
The gobra boy's eyes grew wide and he whispered to his elf friend, “Ben, he’s not a canid..he must be the one they’re all looking fo-”
“I know, be quiet!”
“Ben? Your name is Ben? My name is Reid and I’m unarmed,” said Reid, raising his arms and displaying the only item he carried, his rucksack.
The boys stared at Reid before Ben spoke, “A lot of people are looking for you, mister.”
“I bet they are. Can I ask you who’s looking for me?”
“The warlock’s canids!” shouted the gobra boy.
“Daly, be quiet!” yelped Ben.
“No I won’t be quiet! And you should tell your dad!” pleaded Daly.
Ben ignored his friend and stared at the strange black ‘boots’ and dark green clothing Reid wore.
“Are you an alien?” Ben asked Reid.
“...Um, yeah, that’s exactly what I am, ha!” said Reid with a laugh, and the boys laughed with him.
Lovely Barn
Grilled fish (or maybe squid), bread and fruit flavored water. A feast like no other in the barn, amongst the cattle and odd farm animals of Cionis.
“Hee hee, life’s good!” joked Reid, while making another fish sandwich.
For an hour Reid and the boys laughed as Reid told fantastic tales of his world, where giant mechanical birds fly, and people communicated for miles with little ‘mobile’ devices. He then amazed them with a penlight on a keychain.
“Wow!” shouted the boys.
“Ahh, you brats are easy to please, heh!”
But the boys did most of the talking and Reid learned a lot about Cionis. Mainly that two factions were hunting him. Mia’s canid force, led by Brycius. And another group called the red guard.
“There’s a red guard looking for me too? Who the hell are they?” asked Reid.
“The red guard, they’re rebels and enemies of the warlock, and of the canids,” answered Ben.
“So why are they looking for me?”
“I don’t know! Maybe because the warlock is looking for you too...but my dad doesn’t trust any of them. He says neither the red guard nor the warlock want anything good for Cionis.”
Reid considered his position. A three way turf battle between a warlock, a canid army in civil strife, and now a red guard, gripped this world. And all sides wanted his GPS.
‘Man, I gotta get off this pla-’
A howl outside the barn, then clashing steel.
“Someone’s outside!” yelped Daly as they all peeked out of the barn door to check the noise.
“..Oh no! You two hide, hide now!” Reid shouted at the boys,grabbed his ruck and ran outside. He button hooked around the barn and sprinted back to the cliff he occupied earlier.
‘My rifle!’
He’d stashed his rifle and the GPS in a tiny cave over the hillside. Walking with those sensitive items in town made him a target, so he hid them.
Running toward the road he glanced to his right to view the source of the howling and steel clashing. One hundred meters out, in the field, twenty canid wolves surrounded and engaged ten other canid wolves and wolf riders who backed them off with spear and shield.
Reid dashed to the rear of their battle, gambling on running by them to reach the cave and using the hill for cover. A simple plan, but..Murphy’s law and all.
“There, over there!” growled a wolf spotting Reid. Immediately six wolves turned and sprinted toward him snarling, “Take him alive!”
The wolves shortened the distance with Reid in moments. By the time he reached the road side three wolves were within meters.
'Perfect!'
Reid spun, and tossed an M67 grenade at their feet.
BOOOOOM! The explosion blew limbs off of the first two wolves and scattered the third. Reid reached and dashed up the hill. Three wolves spread out as he climbed, a fourth nipped his heels.
“Too close ya mutt!” yelled read tossing something at the wolf. The wolf dodged the object and ran to the side of the hill, expecting the object to explode. But rocks don’t explode.
“Psyche! Stupid dog!”
The tricked wolf growled at Reid who’d reached the hilltop. As the three wolves surrounded Reid the tricked wolf leapt at him, with intent to kill. Reid spun at the leaping wolf, and stuck a forty five in his face.
Pop!
The bullet entered the wolves mouth and exit his skull. The wolf dropped dead and his comrades backed away, fearing Reid’s explosive weapon. This gave Reid the second he needed to pull his rifle out of the cave.
“What now, you dogs!” he shouted at the remaining three wolves, who growled but kept their distance.
From the hilltop Reid witnessed all of the fighters move right under the hill he defended. The wolf riding canids, now down to three riders and three wolves, formed a perimeter with their back to the hillside and kept the attacking full wolves at bay with their spears. But they were outnumbered and in trouble.
The lead spearman broke ranks and thrust his weapon into one of the attacking wolves, but he stepped out too far and the enemy wolves leapt and slayed the wolf he rode, knocking the spearman to the ground, and his helmet off his head.
His remaining comrades rushed to his aid fending off the attackers as the helmet-less spearman looked up the hill at the earthman Reid, with a sad smile.
“..Stelio?”
Reid’s heart sank when he recognized Stelio, and his intent. Stelio and his guards moved the battle from the field to the bottom of the hill not for themselves, but to protect Reid from the enemy wolves.
Reid watched Stelio recover his spear, slashing at any wolf who tried to advance up the hill toward Reid.
‘Stelio?...You came to rescue me?..’ At that moment time stopped for Reid, and his personal safety no longer mattered. He flipped his rifle setting to ‘full automatic’ and charged down the hill toward Stelio, blasting.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Braaaaaaaaaaaaaat! Braaaaatt!
Reid’s rifle burst killed four wolves attacking Stelio, as the explosive bursts echoed across the greenland. The enemy wolves scattered as Reid fired volleys until he reached the king of the canids, and greeted him.
“Dude, what the fuck?” shouted Reid, standing in front of Stelio, swinging his rifle left and right at any advancing wolf.
“Aye captain, it's good to see you too!” replied Stelio, spear in hand, standing back to back with Reid and the remaining guardsmen. The two forces faced off, snarling and posturing.
One of the enemy wolves, the big grey and black growled at Stelio.
“You should’ve remained in your dreamworld, fool king, for your time is over!” said the grey and black.
“Is that so, Brycius?” growled Stelio, stepping forward. “If my time is over then make it so, or are your words empty...you traitorous mongrel!”
“Stelio..why are you pissing this guy off when they seriously outnumber us?” whispered Reid.
“No Reid! Wolves of our order do not back down...do they Brycius?” smiled Stelio
For the first time in front of Reid, Stelio shifted to his full wolf form transforming into the biggest and blackest wolf Reid had ever seen.
“...Holy mother of sexy beasts!” stuttered Reid at Stelio. The king wolf loomed twice the size of every wolf on the field. He snarled with dagger teeth and glared with killing grey green eyes.
The enemy canid wolves, although outnumbering the king and his guards, were still hierarchical creatures by nature. They backed away from the alpha king, some with tails between their legs.
But the yellow eyed Brycius wolf, also a big alpha, howled his discontent to rally his canids, and spoke in his wolf form.
“Fool king, we outnumber you ten to one. Even if your battle is mighty it will still be your last,” taunted Brycius.
“As will it be your’s, Brycius!” growled Stelio, with Reid at his side, aiming his rifle at Brycius.
“Hmm..then perhaps negotiations are in order...good king,” said Brycius, grasping the lose-lose standoff before him.
“Stelio, if my wolves attack, I’m sure your guards and your earthman will slay many of us, but eventually we’ll rip you all apart!” said Brycius, his canids snarling behind him.
“So be it!” snarled Stelio, raising his back hair in a fearsome display.
“So ready to die when there’s no need. Stelio, give me the earthman’s Key and I’ll let you and your pet leave here unhar- eh? sniff, sniff”
Brycius stopped talking and faced left. Every canid on the battlefield sniffed the air and did the same, including Stelio. Reid glanced at all the canids who suddenly focused their gaze to the top of the road.
Then the ground shook, as thirty gallots rode out of the treeline, mounted by gobra and elf archers and spearmen. Who all fired at the wolves.
“The red guard!” shouted one of the wolves evading a volley of arrows flying at them.
As the gallots and arrows drew closer each canid side tried to pull their leaders to retreat.
“Brycius, we can’t take them all, we must flee!” barked a wolf.
Brycius, furious, growled and leapt at Reid, “Give me the key earthman!”
Reid fired at him, point blank, Pop!
Brycius evaded the shot and landed on top of Reid, smacking him against the cliff side. But before Brycius could strike again Stelio slashed his jaw and chest, cutting him deep.
Brycius yelped, but fought back and pushed Stelio away from Reid. This allowed Brycius’ canids to leap from behind him and snatch Reid’s rucksack with the GPS in it.
“No!” yelled Reid from the ground, watching a wolf run away with his ruck in his jaws.
Reid lifted himself and aimed his rifle at the wolf, but a hail of arrows from the charging red guard cavalry forced Reid back.
“Reid, we must flee!” growled the black Stelio wolf, biting Reid’s belt and pulling him from behind.
“But Stelio, they got-”
Stelio shifted to man form, threw himself under Reid’s legs, and shifted again, lifting Reid on his back.
“Hey man!” shouted Reid, clutching his rifle and Stelio’s black fur as the big wolf barreled north, howling to his remaining four guards.
Reid, now a spectator, glanced in every direction as all fighters fled the road, the farm and the unnamed village. The red guard, who attacked from the east, ended their chase. Brycius and his traitor wolves hurried south to Orent and castle Veras.
‘Damn!’
Reid strapped his rifle to his back and held tight as he strode the great wolf Stelio. The king’s fur between Reid’s fingers calmed the army ranger, who breathed a sigh of relief. Reid then lowered his body to speak in Stelio’s ear.
“You came to rescue me…king?”
“Aye...captain.”
“Why would you do that? Are you really a fool?”
“....Aye...I am...forgive me.”
“No you idiot! Were you trying to get yourself killed?” barked Reid.
“Aye...I suppose...saving you was worth my life.”
“..What?.......Stelio...”
Reid held Stelio, trembling as his adrenaline subsided. He lay his face on Stelio’s broad back and felt his wolf heart racing as he ran.
“Where I’m from, god takes care of fools and babies…but not forever,” whispered Reid, pulling Stelio’s fur hard, hurting the king tsundere style.
“Ouch! Aye captain...I hear you...but fools can’t promise they won’t do things again... Owww!” howled the wolf as Reid pulled his ears with malice.
“Stelio...if you die saving me...I will never ever forgive you,” whispered Reid in Stelio's ear, as he hugged the mighty wolf. He then buried his face in Stelio's soft black fur, saying no more to the fool king..
..who saved his life.
“....Aye captain...I hear you..”
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The Song Reid Sang at the Beginning of the chapter: Too Much Love- By Harlan T-Bobo
The LYRIC HE SANG is 1:08 - It's a truly soulful outburst, check it out ^_^
Also for you Gun Nuts ^_^
Reid's Rifle: Knight's Armament M110 A2 Battle Rifle.
https%3a%2f%2friflegirl.files.wordpress.com%2f20...m110a2.jpg [https://riflegirl.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/knights-armament-m110a2.jpg]
It's not an AR-15 or M16 which fire a 5.56 round. This is a true "battle rifle" that fires the much larger 7.62 round (the same bullet used for Rambo's M60 machine gun.)
When Reid arrived on Cionis he had 200 rounds of rifle ammo. He is down to just over 100 rounds now.
Reid's Hand Gun: Colt M1911 45. ACP
http%3a%2f%2fmarkgreaneybooks.com%2fwp-content%2fu...-45ACP.jpg [http://markgreaneybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Model-1911-45ACP.jpg]
When Reid arrived on Cionis he had three 7 Round Clips, he is down to maybe 10 rounds now.
Reid's Bombs: M67 Fragmentation Grenade.
https%3a%2f%2fupload.wikimedia.org%2fwikipedia%2fc...7%2fM67b.jpg [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/M67b.jpg]
Reid used three of them...he has ONE left...
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All of Cionis key is proofread by the awesome Chiisutofupuru who writes Sasha. An awesome story that I proof and I'm a fan of ^_^