“If you’re so confident,” Katherine said, “Why don’t you fight Mak and I without your horde of boot-lickers”
“Back off boys, the brat and her pet are mine!”
Krun brandished his crooked blade.
“Let’s take this creep down, Mak!”
A thousand thoughts flew through my mind. None of which were helpful to the current situation.
How do I tell Katherine I witnessed her parents' murder and did nothing?324Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdYRQB09mq
Did she already make the connection?
What if Krun says something?
“Mak!” she shouted, “Now!”
She rushed forward, and, against all odds, the training paid off. I moved with her.
As Katherine engaged Krun in close-quarters combat, I tossed several portals around the battlefield. Traps for Krun, but opportunities for me.
I began jumping between portals rapidly, changing directions and waiting for the right moment to strike.
Krun was surprised by Katherine’s ferocity but was holding her off quite well.
“Someone taught ya how to hold a sword, eh? Almost impressive!” he said as he parried.
“I’m not the same scared child I was back then, get on your knees and beg and I might have mercy,” she replied as she got in a glancing blow to the cheek.
As soon as that happened, I came in and struck the back of his leg with my claws.
“Ouch! You sneaky lil rat!”
We continued our strategy for several minutes when, finally, Krun’s foot fell into one of the portals.
“Wha-?”
Katherine pressed her advantage but Krun’s undamaged leg glowed with energy and he left several meters backward.
Of course, he knew magic, why not!
“Quite the team, a bit ironic though,”
No.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Please no.
“To think, you’d be teamin up with ‘im!”
Oh, Prime Divine and all the Heroes no!
“The rat that watched me gut yer parents helping you fight me!”
This can’t be real.
I stared forward, I couldn’t bear to look at Katherine.
“Heh,” I heard, “Heh, hahaha!”
“You really think I give a single care about what Mak did before we met?”
A simultaneous, “What?” escaped from both Krun and I.
She looked at me, “I figured that you were there years ago, I know you couldn’t have done anything,”
“The only one to blame,” her voice as harsh as her blade, “is you!”
She lunged at Krun at a remarkable speed.
I couldn’t just stand by after she said something like that, now could I?
Krun gritted his teeth as they exchanged blows, clearly thrown off by how ineffective his words were.
I saw him make a hand movement and a soldier readied an arrow.
Oh no, you don’t!
The bandit fired at Katherine, but the arrow vanished mid-air and landed in Krun’s ankle.
“Don’t start without me,” I said, emerging from the same portal the arrow came out of.
Katherine smiled she sliced the hand that took her parents clean off Krun’s wrist.
“GAH!” The Orc fell to his knees, clutching at his bleeding arm.
“Men! Attack them!” his voice cracked in anguish.
But his men stood still in fear. Not of us, but of what had just arrived behind us.
The sound of galloping horses filled the air as the Archbishop of Regemendax and his men arrived.
Dozens of mounted warriors in uniforms of gold and ivory flanked an elderly but regal-looking man riding an albino riding drake.
Krun fell silent and, for a while, all were quiet.
“Well, this was not the welcoming party I expected. That’s for certain,” the booming voice of the Archbishop echoed across the field.
At this, the bandits scattered.
With a simple nod, the holy man commanded his troops to seek out and capture the fleeing raiders.
“Cowards! Don’t leave me ‘ere!” Krun yelled to no avail.
Gus and Reggie arrived moments later, followed by several monks.
“I told you,” Gus said as he instinctively began preventing Krun from bleeding out, “You got this,”
“Ah! Watch it ya big oaf! It’d be a more pleasant death bleed’n out than you squeezin me arm till it popped!”
“Just be grateful you’re not dead yet,” Reggie jeered.
“I have to admit though, you didn’t do a half-bad job,”
“Thanks,”
Katherine chuckled, “Well, well, was that a compliment Reggie?”
“Don’t get used to it,”
“Well, you certainly have my compliments,” said the Archbishop as he arrived at the scene, “Quite capable young adventurers we have in our fine land,”
All immediately knelt before his Excellency, “It is an honour,” said Gus with a shaking in his voice.
“You may rise,” he said softly, “come, let us toast your victory before questioning this fiend,”
“The names Krun you stuffy old- Ouch!”
Two of the monks pulled him to his feet and pushed him forward towards the Abbey.
“Tell me, young heroes, what are your names?”
“My name is Gus, grandson of the Giantess Marygold! Your Excellency,”
“Reggie, sir,”
“My name is Katherine, niece of Aldan and Clementina,”
“Well, you certainly have quite the lineages! Your Aunt and Uncle were some of the kingdoms best adventures in my lifetime,”
Not wanting to draw the attention of such an important person, I kept quiet. But he looked directly at me.
“And you?”
“I-um, I’m Graakmamak, but I just go by Mak,”
“Graakmamak? Fascinating, I have never known one of your kind by name, but it is a pleasure to learn yours,”
“Th-thank you, sir,”
“I had heard from the Guildmaster that a Nequese had joined the ranks of the adventurers, but I didn’t expect to meet you so soon. I’m told you were apprenticed by Aldan?”
“Yes sir,”
“Then I’m sure you’re quite the capable magic-user, and full of a random assortment of information as Aldan always loved to go on tangents when he lectured,”
Katherine and I nodded, “That’s my uncle,” she said.
“I recall one time when he was presenting to the Royal Court and he spent no less than thirty minutes going off-topic about-”, The Archbishop was cut off by the sound of the gate to the Abbey rising.
“Ah, perhaps later then, it was nice to meet you all,”
On the other side waited the Abbot, “I’m so terribly sorry about the mess, as you’re well aware, we had some uninvited guests,”
“It can’t be helped; fortunately, that storm has passed. Let us celebrate the victory the Prime Divine has blessed us with, and thank him for the timely arrival of these young adventurers.”’
The Abbot gave a warm smile as the monks cheered.
Between what happened with Krun and all this attention, it took everything I had to not just fall over. Though I can’t deny, I liked this place much better than Oakenveil.
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