1.28

“If we keep up pace, we should make it back to Cobbleson tonight.” They’d pushed themselves since they left Misty Swamps.

The almost boring return trip was welcoming after the draining fight with the ogre.

“Do you think anything’s happened since we’ve been gone?” asked Bodwyn. The thought of new jobs and more money was exciting.

“I think we’ve had enough excitement already,” said Sharampf. She’d played the fight a hundred times in her head, and had no idea how to do it differently. “We need to trai-”.

“Hey, what’s that up ahead?” Fenrick asked. A little off the main path, someone laid on the grass.

Bodwyn ran ahead to find a body on the ground; “It’s a body!”

“Are they alive?” asked Sharampf.

“Dunno.”

“Check.”

“How?” Immediately feeling stupid by his question, Bodwyn prodded the body with his foot. The others had joined him, with Fenrick crouched next to the body.

“Not dead. But their pulse is low. Gravely injured?” Fenrick rolled the body over to reveal a young human woman with strawberry blonde hair and a few light freckles spattered under her eyes. “No wounds that I can see.”

“A little strange,” said Sharampf. She scanned their surroundings with narrowed eyes, but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

The body suddenly burst to life and swiped at Fenrick with a dagger, a deep slash across his arm.

“What the?” Fenrick reeled back and looked at his arm. A puff of smoke, and the body was gone.

“Are you okay?” Sharampf looked at his arm.

“Yeah, it’s not serious.” Now alert, Fenrick’s sword and shield were at the ready.

A bolt whizzed by Bodwyn’s face and scratched his cheek. It landed between Fenrick’s legs.

“Ambush!” Bodwyn yelled. He pulled out his weapon and took off in the direction the bolt had come.

Sharampf made to follow Bodwyn, but Fenrick stopped her when he saw a hulking minotaur step out from a small copse of trees.

The brute was a little shorter the Sharampf, his fur was brown except for a vicious slash of black that ran down his torso. Scraps of metal were bound to his chest and leather pants finished the ensemble. He held a giant double-bladed axe on his shoulder.

The minotaur quaffed a flask of glowing blue liquid. A light blue mist formed around the minotaur. Ice crystals then sprung up on his body. The minotaur chuckled a deep growl and charged at the pair.

“Ready?” asked Fenrick. Fenrick lowered himself into a defensive stance.

“The best I can be.” Sharampf readied herself. Her mechanical arm extended out behind her, and sparks arced and bounced around the appendage.

“No, no. Two on one isn’t fair.” The sweet voice took Sharampf by surprise. She whirled on her assailant.

The woman from before stood at the ready. She twirled a staff in her hands and wore a sinister smile.

“That was a nasty trick you pulled before,” said Sharampf. “Why’d you do it?”

“We want your money and weapons. Simple as that,” the woman jeered. She spun her staff around like a propeller and with two rapid strikes, before Sharampf had a chance to react, whacked Sharampf on the side of the face.

Crossbow bolts continued to fly at Bodwyn as he ran over to some trees. His coin shield had even saved him once.

Standing now in the small thicket of trees, Bodwyn assessed the area with narrowed eyes. His own hand crossbow at the ready.

“Why don’t you come out of the trees and come face to face with me?” Bodwyn yelled.

“And why would I do that?” replied a voice. The voice was as rough as sandpaper and a little cough followed.

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“Because you’re a coward if you don’t.” Bodwyn continued to scan the trees, but nothing stood out.

“I’m okay with that. That’s part of how we get by and make a living,” replied the voice. A crossbow bolt shot out and Bodwyn managed to dodge it just in time.

Bodwyn fired his own crossbow in retaliation but knew he missed.

“Ha, you missed!” came the voice.

“You’ve missed me countless times and you can see me. What’s your excuse?” Bodwyn chuckled and heard the a groan from the other voice.

“Give it up little gnome, you’re pathetic,” growled the minotaur. The minotaur cleaved his axe like a scythe at harvest. Fenrick easily cleared the blade and kicked at the minotaur’s nose. The ice exploded, but thanks to his ring, Fenrick felt nothing.

“Too cold for you?” The minotaur laughed, unfazed by Fenrick’s kick.

“What’s too cold?” Fenrick shot a grin, his opponent contorted with rage.

“You think you can defeat me? You’re nothing but a flea and I’m a mountain.” The minotaur rushed at Fenrick and swung like a wild lumberjack. Fenrick dodged and raised his shield. He knew one slip would be the end.

“Give up. You’ll be black and blue all over,” growled the woman at Sharampf. The staff flourished and danced with a life of its own. Sharampf blocked the best she could.

Then it clicked. Sharampf changed tactics with her weapon. With the press of a button, the electricity that surrounded the arm died away and the hand connected and whirled like a buzzsaw.

The glaring confidence in her opponent’s eyes shifted to that of concern. Sharampf smiled, a spark of confidence brought her a new bout of vigour. Some of the flair in her opponent’s fighting was gone.

“Why won’t you die,” growled the minotaur. Like a flea, Fenrick leapt and spiralled ahead of the minotaur’s attacks. He was surprised the brute hadn’t yet slowed down.

Fenrick tried to twist away from another slash of the axe when his ankle started to roll. He’d stepped on a loose rock.

His opponent smelled the falter in Fenrick’s confidence and followed through with another swipe. It should’ve cut Fenrick in two, if it wasn’t for the sudden burst of petals.

“Resorting to tricks,” mocked the minotaur.

“Just like you with the ice.” Fenrick pushed through the pain of his ankle and the two stared each other down.

“There you are.” Bodwyn released a bolt as the bandit leapt between trees.

“I surrender,” yelped the voice. “Please, no more. Let me go.”

“So soon?” Bodwyn deflated at the abrupt end.

“You were meant to be easy targets.”

“Whoops I guess,” mocked Bodwyn.

“Yeah.”

“How will I know you won’t just shoot me in the back if I walk away?”

“I rob, I don’t kill.”

“Such high standards.” Bodwyn rolled his eyes.

“Yeah. Though Tavros might.”

“Which one is Tavros?” Bodwyn asked.

“The big minotaur fighting your short friend. I’ve never seen Tavros take so long, he’s gotta be pissed.”

Bodwyn wasn’t surprised by Fenrick.

“Go do something good with your life,” said Bodwyn. He returned to his allies.

Sharampf’s face was swollen now, but her opponent’s leg had a deep gash. It had become an even playing field.

“Enough,” said Sharampf. “You’re beat.”

“Oh, aren’t you confident?” The woman whacked Sharampf’s right eye. It closed.

“Stop.” Sharampf felt a flash of anger sear through her like she’d never felt before.

Sharampf flicked a switch and it arced with electricity once again. She no longer blocked, Sharampf waited for the right moment.

Her body screamed in pain, but she waited. Her arm shot out and grabbed her assailant’s leg with a shocking grasp. Sharampf swatted her opponent around like a dirty rag until she went limp.

“You okay?” Sharampf turned at the sound of Bodwyn’s voice and she managed a faint smile.

“You should see the other one.” Sharampf tried to give a soft laugh, but it hurt.

“Here, this’ll help.” Bodwyn handed her a few berries, and she downed them quick. The pressure eased around her face.

“Thanks. Should we help him?” Sharampf asked.

“No, this is his fight. Notice Tad isn’t even in the fight?”

“He’s got this right?” Bodwyn could sense the concern in Sharampf’s voice.

“Of course he does. Have you known Fenrick to fail?”

“There’s a first for everything.”

It took everything Fenrick had to stay ahead with his sprained ankle, but Tavros had finally started to slow.

Tavros came in high, and Fenrick seized the opportunity. He whacked the axe aside and ran his sword up Tavros’s arm. Tavros roared in anger.

Tavros pulled out another bottle. This one glowed a deep red. He sculled the drink, and Fenrick watched in horror as Tavros grew another four feet and his body bulged with grotesque muscle.

“You don’t stand a chance now.” The minotaur laughed for a long moment, basking in his ego. Fenrick felt his heart drop and ran every scenario through his head. He had no idea how he could defeat this monster.

“Bodwyn, shower him in bolts. Smite with one if you can. Sharampf, ranged attacks if you can. This ain’t just my fight now. Tad, stay back girl.” Tad let out a cry of stress, but heeded her friend’s words.

“Would if I could.” Bodwyn released a quick barrage of crossbow bolts, only a few managed to make shallow purchase.

“You can’t take me on by yourself? Pathetic.” The minotaur charged at Fenrick once again.

“There’s nothing wrong with fighting in a team.” Fenrick noticed his body was lathered in sweat.

The minotaur growled a low chuckle as he thrust and sliced with his weapon. Fenrick had to send up the petals once again, his ankle caused him to falter, and he almost lost his head.

“One more left,” Fenrick said to himself. Fenrick knew what he had to do.

Fenrick dodged another cleave of the axe and sliced along the Achilles tendon. Red hot blood fountained out and Fenrick watched as the minotaur crashed down on one knee.

Tavros twisted his torso and swung the axe, the blade bit into Fenrick’s shield arm and he felt the bone break as white hot pain coursed through his body.

Fenrick drew deep from his reserves and leapt up the torso of Tavros and drove his blade deep along the throat of the massive monster, slicing from ear to ear.

Tavros’s eyes bulged, and he tried desperately to stop the bleeding with his hands, but it was futile.

Fenrick watched as Tavros lurched forward and hit the ground with a loud thud. The minotaur’s body shrunk back to its normal size.

“Let’s go.” Fenrick started to march toward Cobbleson but after only a few steps, he waivered and he sat down and drew a deep breath.