...in which Broo Fang Tane goes on another over-the-top rampage
Previously:
With the mountain witch Abilene vanquished, Esmiralda invokes her traveling stone to return her and her companions to civilization--in this case, Veral Ski, one of the largest cities in the world of Korin. Here, she means to inform the Ministry of Human Preservation of the loss of their colleague, Merrick, who served the ministry under the direction of Queen Phedera. First, she intends to find a hot bath, warm food and a soft bed. Sadly, it was not meant to be.
Tane's high-pitched battle cry reached a crescendo and he punched his first two fingers up through the soft part of his tormentor's throat. He slammed the dying man's forehead on the table twice, knocking everything else askew. He jerked his bloody hand free, then sent the man sprawling with an elbow to his gut--all actions again punctuated by an incoherent yelp of rage.
The first man lay still, leaking fluids onto the tavern floor before his snickering companions could even react. One of them, a tall bearded fellow with no hair above his ears, lurched forward, but Tane was already on his feet, eyes wide with anger. He caught the man's wrist with one hand and shattered his elbow with the other. The man opened his mouth to scream but Tane's heel knocked him to the floor before he could utter a sound.
I grabbed a chair and ducked behind it. Others dove for cover, behind tables or chairs or each other. A woman with long red hair leaped in my direction. She crawled behind me and I put a protective shoulder in front of her. "Be still and make yourself as small as you can," I told her.
Tane took the bowl off his head and wiped the smashed peas from his scalp. He hurled the ceramic dish at one man and leaped after it. The man dodged the bowl but then Tane was in front of him. He kicked the man's leg, bending his knee backward with an ugly crack, and then flattened him with an uppercut that lifted him off his feet. Blood spurted upward like a tiny, thick geyser.
The fourth man held up his hands in surrender and waved them in front of his face. "I'm sorry mister I'm sorry we were just having some fun..."
Tane grabbed his wrist, bent it sideways until a shard of bone broke through the skin, and then drove the heel of his hand into the man's nose. He staggered back, gulping, and Tane sent him sprawling with a firm kick to his midsection.
Someone threw a knife, but Tane caught it and sent it back. It buried itself in the man's eye. He dropped to his knees. Tane snatched up a chair and shattered it over his head.
He whirled, eyes still blazing, chest heaving. "WHO'S NEXT??"
"I think you got them all, Pard," Seymuhr said.
"He must really not like peas," the woman behind me whispered.
"You can't blame him for that," I answered. I got slowly to my feet, holding up my hands to show him I meant no harm, like I was trying to calm a panicked horse. "There, there. It's okay now. All the bad men are...well, they aren't going to bother you any longer."
Tane took in a final deep breath, then looked around him and let it out loudly. His head fell and his shoulders drooped. "I am....sorry." He sat down heavily.
"My companion meant no harm," I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "He is but a pilgrim on the road to peace. He still has a long journey ahead of him."
"Are you sure he's started that journey?" Someone called out, but I could not tell who.
The serving wench peeked from behind the bar, where she had been hiding. She took a quick look around the room to survey the damage. "I'll get a bucket," she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment