Cebrious Arcane
Forum Murderer
A Tale of Murder: 28
Part 2 of 4
Venison, tonight. A few deer felled, a quick fire, and we’re eating. With a casual glance I assess my brothers. Salty. Ready for action. A white knuckled grip on the meat, a ground tooth, the headaches were amplified in all of us. Nothing could quench the thirst of the voices, “Murder, murder, murder…”
“My brothers. We are less than a day from the castle. After this meal we push onward.”
The passion for bloodlust was reflected in the eyes of The Murderers Inc. Memories of bloodied past dancing in their eyes like the fire’s reflection. Grinding teeth pulled into a grin of anticipation and fevered longing.
“Do you think they anticipate our attack?” Relliik asked, mouth full of meat.
“It’s unlikely, but possible. The seven of us…”
Flaming arrows pierce the midnight sky as they cascade into our camp. Metal on metal as our weapons are drawn. We’re close enough to the mountains to feel the cold, but not close enough for snow. The arrows land and ignite the dried winter grass.
The birth brothers, Rokoichi and Rikego, throw their meat in the direction of the arrows and mount in unison. Torris and Relliik vanish into the brush as Simee and Ice begin their incantations.
Like clockwork.
Rokoichi and Rikego charge around in a wide circle, preventing any chance of escape.
The flaming cascade comes again. Eight arrows. Their arch is too high. The arrows - easily avoided.
I’ll be the bait.
“C’mere you cowards! Face me in the open and die with honor!”
Another cascade.
“With aim like that, it’s no wonder you’re childless!”
And here they come. By the sounds they are an oafish group, hired hands or possibly cheap assassins, or…
“You killed five of our men! We are The Order of the Falling Leaf and this is our forest!” This must be the leader. The rest look as though they couldn’t speak if they wanted to.
Wait, did that one just drool? Five push into the clearing. That leaves three at least in the forest.
With a sigh, I force a response. Simee and Ice look on in anticipation, awaiting the command to strike.
“So these are your woods, then, eh? This is your kingdom? Today you shall fall beneath the steel of the Murderers Inc. Today your forest will burn!”
With a rare degree satisfaction, I kick the flaming logs of our fire into the brush behind me and relent to the grin as the heat from the rising flame pushes against me.
A gurgled scream, then three more chops. Relliik’s bravado laugh echoes through the night and my brothers burst into action.
Dragging my warhammer through the embers, I charge at the leader. His four oafs move towards action but are stopped by the flames of Ice and Simee’s spells - monstrous flaming waterfall inferno fully engulfing the four.
The smell of burned flesh is always appreciated.
As I charge the leader, Ice draws his sword and ends the twitching.
“It’s annoying when they twitch,” he says with a laugh.
The leader draws two daggers and lunges at me. He’s dexterous but weak. I block the left dagger and kick the shoulder of his right.
I feel the heat of the flames rise behind me as I pull my warhammer overhead.
“All who stand in the path of the Murderers Incorporated shall perish.”
The crunch of his skull sends chills up my spine.
A final whistle of Torris’ arrow, and all is silent.
“How many were they?” Relliik asks, pushing through the brush. He’s careful to step on the charred corpses, and not around them.
“Ten.” Rikego and Rokoichi say in unison. Both of them holding a charred limb from the men they had vanquished.
“What? We were still hungry,” says Rikego, taking another bite.
With a satisfying look at the burning forest, I wipe the blood from my hammer and mount my horse.
“Murder, murder, murder…” The headaches persist.
Good.
“Enough games. Onward my brothers. We near the castle.”
Part 2 of 4
Venison, tonight. A few deer felled, a quick fire, and we’re eating. With a casual glance I assess my brothers. Salty. Ready for action. A white knuckled grip on the meat, a ground tooth, the headaches were amplified in all of us. Nothing could quench the thirst of the voices, “Murder, murder, murder…”
“My brothers. We are less than a day from the castle. After this meal we push onward.”
The passion for bloodlust was reflected in the eyes of The Murderers Inc. Memories of bloodied past dancing in their eyes like the fire’s reflection. Grinding teeth pulled into a grin of anticipation and fevered longing.
“Do you think they anticipate our attack?” Relliik asked, mouth full of meat.
“It’s unlikely, but possible. The seven of us…”
Flaming arrows pierce the midnight sky as they cascade into our camp. Metal on metal as our weapons are drawn. We’re close enough to the mountains to feel the cold, but not close enough for snow. The arrows land and ignite the dried winter grass.
The birth brothers, Rokoichi and Rikego, throw their meat in the direction of the arrows and mount in unison. Torris and Relliik vanish into the brush as Simee and Ice begin their incantations.
Like clockwork.
Rokoichi and Rikego charge around in a wide circle, preventing any chance of escape.
The flaming cascade comes again. Eight arrows. Their arch is too high. The arrows - easily avoided.
I’ll be the bait.
“C’mere you cowards! Face me in the open and die with honor!”
Another cascade.
“With aim like that, it’s no wonder you’re childless!”
And here they come. By the sounds they are an oafish group, hired hands or possibly cheap assassins, or…
“You killed five of our men! We are The Order of the Falling Leaf and this is our forest!” This must be the leader. The rest look as though they couldn’t speak if they wanted to.
Wait, did that one just drool? Five push into the clearing. That leaves three at least in the forest.
With a sigh, I force a response. Simee and Ice look on in anticipation, awaiting the command to strike.
“So these are your woods, then, eh? This is your kingdom? Today you shall fall beneath the steel of the Murderers Inc. Today your forest will burn!”
With a rare degree satisfaction, I kick the flaming logs of our fire into the brush behind me and relent to the grin as the heat from the rising flame pushes against me.
A gurgled scream, then three more chops. Relliik’s bravado laugh echoes through the night and my brothers burst into action.
Dragging my warhammer through the embers, I charge at the leader. His four oafs move towards action but are stopped by the flames of Ice and Simee’s spells - monstrous flaming waterfall inferno fully engulfing the four.
The smell of burned flesh is always appreciated.
As I charge the leader, Ice draws his sword and ends the twitching.
“It’s annoying when they twitch,” he says with a laugh.
The leader draws two daggers and lunges at me. He’s dexterous but weak. I block the left dagger and kick the shoulder of his right.
I feel the heat of the flames rise behind me as I pull my warhammer overhead.
“All who stand in the path of the Murderers Incorporated shall perish.”
The crunch of his skull sends chills up my spine.
A final whistle of Torris’ arrow, and all is silent.
“How many were they?” Relliik asks, pushing through the brush. He’s careful to step on the charred corpses, and not around them.
“Ten.” Rikego and Rokoichi say in unison. Both of them holding a charred limb from the men they had vanquished.
“What? We were still hungry,” says Rikego, taking another bite.
With a satisfying look at the burning forest, I wipe the blood from my hammer and mount my horse.
“Murder, murder, murder…” The headaches persist.
Good.
“Enough games. Onward my brothers. We near the castle.”
