Down on maim street

Previously: Esmiralda and her companions have discovered that the shattered ship—found upside-down and in the middle of a forest—was once captained by Harfirgorn the Merciless, a pirate of some repute that had vanished long ago. Following clues in a log book they find in the pirate’s quarters, they hope to discover his final resting place. On the way, they meet up with a lady of the wood, whose husband has succumbed to the vile magic of the pirate's witch. Together, they search for the source of her vile magic. They approach a small village in hopes of news, information or, at least, a hot meal.

Then, a small group of villagers show up and push a little too far...


As his high-pitched growl reached a crescendo, Broo Fang Tane spun, tore out his tormentor's eye, held it high, crushed it on the table in front of him and then crammed the shattered orb back into the ruined socket with the heel of his hand. Each separate action was punctuated by a bizarre war cry, and all three completed before the man had a chance to scream.


And scream he did: a shrill wail of pain, shock and fear. Lobern staggered and clapped a hand over the wound, his remaining eye wide with horror. Blood leaked between his fingers. He opened his mouth to scream anew, but Tane silenced him with a swift kick that sent him sprawling.


"Was it worth it?!?" Tane shouted to the other two. Veins stood out on his forehead and neck. His eyes blazed with fury and his cheeks were red with rage. "Are you laughing now??"


Gorb had frozen in place. He started to back away, but Tane was on him, pounding his trunk with a flurry of blows that left him coughing pink mist. He sank to his knees, wheezing, holding a nearby bench


Merrick grabbed me and pulled me to the floor. He tucked his head under his hands and hissed at me to stay put.


"There's nothing to do now," he whispered. "When his fury takes him, you can only get out of the way."


"But..."


"Be silent, woman!" He hissed. "You'll kill us all, and anyone else nearby as well!"


The third villager bolted toward the door and Seymuhr, who was watching Tane's outburst with a sort of amused respect, let him go.


Tane looked around the tavern room, hands still clenched into blood-soaked fists. The tavern keep had stopped where to was, his face slack with horror. He carried a try laden with new glasses of ale and it tipped dangerously before he recovered himself and leveled it off.


"He'll bring others," Merrick called to Seymuhr with a gesture toward the door that now hung open.


"I know," Seymuhr rasped.


Baram was the only one who had not fled, flinched or otherwise acted during Tane's bloody outburst. Now she made a soft cooing sound, her head tilted slightly to the side. Her eyes widened and her expression softened. She moved--very, very slowly--toward Tane, whose breath came in ragged gasps through his flared nostrils. She reached out to him.


"Oh, no," Merrick said as he closed his eyes in an expectant grimace. "I liked her, too."


But Tane did not flinch from her touch, nor did he attack her. His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes. With a deep sigh, he hung his head. "I did it...a...gain...didn't...I?"


"Again?" I wondered aloud.


"I told you he does not mix well with people," Merrick answered. Then he let me go, and pushed himself up to his knees. Evidently the danger was over.


Lobern was still prone, although it looked like he lived. Blood seeped out of his ruined socket. The other, Gorb, was dribbling blood into a small pool below him.


"I guess not," I muttered. "Bones of Barnok. We...we should leave this place. Shouldn't we?"


Merrick did not have time to respond. For the third villager had returned and I could see, behind him, the shape of several others. I wasn't sure if I should reach for my knife or crawl further under the table. Tane seemed, for the moment, calm. If Seymuhr thought the group of men was a threat, he didn't show it.


The villager, however, held up his hands. "We don't want to fight," he said. "We need your help."


Next: The Mountain Witch's Reach

Poking the bear

Previously: Esmiralda and her companions have discovered that the shattered ship—found upside-down and in the middle of a forest—was once captained by Harfirgorn the Merciless, a pirate of some repute that had vanished long ago. Following clues in a log book they find in the pirate’s quarters, they hope to discover his final resting place. On the way, they meet up with a lady of the wood, whose husband has succumbed to the vile magic of the pirate's witch. Together, they search for the source of her vile magic. They approach a small village in hopes of news, information or, at least, a hot meal.

 

Unfortunately, they may have found something else, instead...

 

As the man approached, he stuck his little finger into the corner of his mouth. Slurping noises followed.

Merrick shifted uneasily on the bench, while Broo Fang Tane let out a deep sigh and hung his head. Across from him, Seymuhr chuckled briefly.

The men were all dressed alike: dirty pants with long shirts that hung open about the neck. They were stocky, if not large, and looked like they were used to hard labor with thick arms and broad shoulders. One of them followed their leader, a step behind and slightly to the side, scratching at his beard. The other broke off in an attempt to circle us.

"We don't want any trouble," Merrick said. "We're just looking for a hot meal, and maybe a bath."

The first man sat down beside Tane, slipped his finger out of his mouth, stuck the damp digit into Tane's ear and wiggled it vigorously. His companions laughed at Tane's disgusted expression and even Seymuhr hid a snicker.

"What do you think about that, monk?" The man said. There was a smile on his face, but little humor in his voice.

"I thank...you," Tane responded in his usual, lilting way. "I had not cleaned....my...ear in some...time." His eyes were closed and his breath came in slow, even intervals. 

"Well, then the other one is just as filthy!" With that, he slipped his arm around Tane's shoulders and stuck the wet pinky in his other ear. Several things happened at once.

The tavern keeper reappeared. "Now, Lobern, we don't want to start a fight with these good people..."

"What's wrong with you?" I shifted away from Tane and directed the indignant outburst to the man called Lobern.  

"Nothing. What's wrong with him?" He patted Tane on the top of his head like he was rewarding a dog—only with a little more force.

"I only seek a meal and some rest," Tane said. "Please there are...other...places to sit."

"And other ears to poke," Merrick put in. "Please, you've had your fun. You don't know what are doing."

"Sure I do," Lobern said and he looked up at one of his companions, a blond man who stood behind Seymuhr, just out of reach. "Gorb, what am I doing?"

"Sending a message," Gorb said with a shrug, "and making sure it is heard."

"What you are doing," Merrick hissed, "is making a terrible mistake. That man is a mighty warrior—a fighter and killer without peer. You tempt your own fate and court your own end. You beckon Ewl."

I glanced from Merrick to Tane. Surely, Tane had dispatched the Hunyn easily enough. I had thought that Seymuhr, with his thick slabs of muscle and pair of maces, was the bigger threat.

"Is that so? Are you working for the dark god itself?"  Lobern leaned in and pinched Tane's cheek. His voice suddenly got higher, and he affected a lisp--like a mother speaking to a small child. "But you're so yittle! And cute!"

Seymuhr laughed at that. The third villager closed in.

"I work for no dark god," Tane said. His head was still lowered, his breath coming in slow even intervals. I thought I detected a ragged edge to them, though. His fingers twitched and formed a fist. "I..."

Lobern wasn't paying attention. Instead he had pulled a long, slimy thing from his nose and dangled it for his two companions to see. He draped it over Tane's clenched fist. "Thanks. I was wondering where I was going to put that," he said, then sparked a round of laughter with a bellowed guffaw and slapped Tane on the back.

I looked helplessly at Merrick, wondering what we should do, then at Seymuhr, begging him silently to intervene on Tane's behalf. He looked as amused as the three villagers.

Lobern leaned in, sneering. "We don't like people walking in here, speaking of evil--there's enough of that about already. But mostly, I just don't like you, no matter how 'yittle' or 'cute' you may think you are..." He continued to poke Tane and then I saw Merrick's eyes open.

For the monk had started to make a strange sound: a sort of quiet, high-pitched growl that grew in intensity as his hands tightened into fists and I heard the bones there cracking. The growl grew in volume and then, as his eyes snapped open and lip quivered in rage, Broo Fang Tane exploded into action and the screaming started.

Next: Down on Maim Street