Chapter Twenty Nine: Smoking Buddies

The king was sitting on the couch watching the orc smoke from his pipe. The orc started speaking.

“You know I could kill you right now.” He said coldly. “I just think that’s funny.” No one laughed. The king looked at the other guard, who was now holding a sword. The king looked back at Batuuk and smiled weakly.

“Please don’t,” the king said, his voice cracking.

The sound of forty guards running outside in the courtyard made Batuuk hesitate, he looked at his magician and then returned to the smoking pipe.

“I just think it’s funny.” The orc said as he lit the pipe again and took another long drag.

The guards burst into the room and surrounded them. The mage opened a large portal beneath the three of them and they fell into a garden on the outskirts of the castle. The couch, the coffee table, the king, the mage and the orc. Everything gently landed on the grass and the portal lifted over them and instantly closed.

Batuuk was smoking gently from the pipe. The flowers gently danced in the wind. It was dark but the moon lit up the night.

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“What do you want from me?” The king asked.

“I want your swords, and every single piece of armour in this castle, I don't care if it was your grandfather’s heirloom sword, or if it’s from a museum, if it is spiky and sharp, you give it to me.” Batuuk coughed and he started to feel it. He swiftly reloaded his pipe and lit it with another match.

“But then how will I protect my kingdom?” The king responded.

“That’s just it, mate, It is not your kingdom anymore. These lands, everything you see, belongs to me. I will be back in one week with my entire army, either we kill you and take it, or you hand it over and hide behind those walls.” Batuuk coughed and then spat, he stared at the king and threw the pipe into the field behind him. The king winced seeing his favourite piece get lost in the flower garden.

“I’m taking your crown too.” Batuuk said. He got out of his chair and grabbed the gold crown off the human’s head. It was delicate and ornate. Batuuk tied it to his belt and let it dangle on his hip. The mage opened a portal and the forest was visible on the other side. Batuuk and the mage casually walked inside and the portal closed. The king was sitting in the purple flower field alone.

The king was distressed, he pulled out a second pipe from the folds of his robe and filled it to the top. He lit a match and smoked the whole thing. When he exhaled he fell backwards into the chair and thought about who he was going to fire first.