A Tale of Murder: 50

[Cebrious Arcane]

Part 3 of 3

The doors are bolted… silly king trying to delay the inevitable.

We’ve been here before.

As Relliik slides a hatchet blade between the doors, I swing my hammer into the blunt side. A crack between the oak doors opens and the incensed air of kingly chambers squeezes out, thick with the fear of those within.

“Murder, murder, murder…” The children are with us - deep in the recesses of our minds. Chanting and singing. Dancing and begging. “Murder, murder, murder…”

Guards rush the door and their weight presses against my eight brothers in murder as I swing again, and again, each time widening the crack between the doors. Each swing bending the bolt that holds the doors, twisting the hinges, again and again until the wood creaks and gives way as the plink of hinges hitting the floor echoes down the hallway.

The guards all shout together.

“Hold the door!”
“Put your backs into it!”
“Push!”

So we do what must be done.

We let go.

The doors give, and the clatter of platemail is an orchestra as five guards spill onto the floor at our feet.

As my brothers begin the slaughter I raise my eyes to meet the king, across the chamber, trapped in his own tower. The two guards with him both failing to mask their fear.

Like children splashing in the rain my brothers in murder make short work of the guards. With a sound like pulling your boot from the mud, Bushes pulls his mace from the puddle, as Relliik swings his axe into the mess once more with stomach-churning satisfaction - Five men reduced to mush.

The nine of us enter the king’s chamber as one - the remnants of the fallen still bubbling behind us.

With a nod, the king sends his last two guards at us. Terrified, the guards hold their swords out meekly - their shields - like sails pulling them toward a hurricane.

Without sound, an arrow glides over my shoulder and the feathers tickle my cheek as they pass.

One guard now. The other twitches futilely as his dying hands claw at the arrow in his eye.

Coward.

He drops his sword and shield and, raising his pleading eyes toward mine, begs for mercy…

“Pl... please… sir! Have mercy.”

Raising my hammer, the king acts first. His rapier, swift and silver, slices through the back of the guard’s neck and slides out his throat. The blade catching the candle light as the guard’s blood drips freely. Beautiful.

The king removes his rapier and, wiping it on the tunic of the guard, says, without looking up,

“So, shall we begin?”

My brothers know this fight is mine.

Freeing his cloak, the heavy velvet falls from the king’s shoulders and his chiseled form is visible through expensive silks. Young for a king, pity he shares his last breaths with me.

The chamber is wide, and as Dosia and Bushes slide the corpses to the side, the king and I circle. My hammer, heavy and crusted with blood, reflects nothing. His rapier, a gleaming trophy of a king, shines proudly and cuts the air with precision quickness as the king lowers into his stance.

I swing first.

Too slow. My weakened arms aren’t quick enough, and the rested king steps to the side and guides his rapier along my ribs. The warmth comforts me. Sliding from my flesh, and sticking to my sides as it drips, the warmth of my vitae brings a smile to my face. Blood... Battle...

Murder.

Again he swings, and the muscles surrounding my wound tear as I try to lift the hammer. His rapier glides into my thigh as I try to pivot, deep, through the back of my leg. Too close.

Face to face, I bring my forehead into the perfect nose of the king and he sputters and chokes as he falls backwards, leaving his rapier in my thigh. The blood from his nose fountains down both cheeks and his mouth falls agape as the king sees his crimson hands.

With a labored limp I take the necessary step to close the distance between us and bring my warhammer up and into his chin, taking the king from his feet, his soft gold sandals shining proudly as he falls.

Jaw broken, he struggles to talk but can only moan painfully as his tongue hangs loose from his gaping maw.

I pull his sword from my leg, and look into his eyes…

“Fallen king… Tonight your lands and castle burn.”

The tears of disappointment, from countless generations before him, fill the king’s eyes and with moaning pleas lost in exasperation, the tears give way to panic as reality sinks in. “Murder, murder, murder…” The children giggle in anticipation.

“Fallen king… Tonight you die.”

I guide the rapier on its path - past the silks, past the flesh, past the bone, to the beating drum of life. And the drum stops.

Roko tips a candelabra onto the drapes and the crash of metal against stone gives way to the rising shadow of fire behind us.

And, leaving the sword in fallen king’s heart, the flames rising around him, we turn and walk out.

[Cebrious Arcane]

Well shit, conclusion of the 3-parter and no feedback, hehe. Did anyone like it or did it suck?

[incubusfan1413]

nice man i liked it. wish i had the literature skills to write like that.

[Cebrious Arcane]

Hey, thanks for posting! I'm glad you dug it.

I'm sure you have the same "skills" I have, you just have to put some ideas on paper and find someone that likes your style. Lucky for a me, a few people on UOG like my silly Tales and my guild members look forward to them so the hobby has a little substance, heheh.

Thanks for reading.

[Mythia Jhengli]

I remember a while back you mentioned you were going to stop at number 50, Ceb. Still plan on doing that?

[incubusfan1413]

wait so this was number 50 where are the first 49 ahahaha i wanns read them too.

[Cebrious Arcane]

Originally Posted by incubusfan1413

wait so this was number 50 where are the first 49 ahahaha i wanns read them too.

Hahaha, yup. Just scroll back the pages of the Scenario section, they're all here.

If I remember correctly, they're all standalone except 27-30 are a four-parter and 48-50 are a three-parter. There's a semi-two-parter in there somewhere because Punkers Slave wanted me to bring back a little kid character, so I did.

Also, Blizzard gave me the big /ignore for my application as creative writer, so ho-hum to that, but I'm two chapters into my novel, so we'll see how that pans out.

I'm sure I'll continue the ToMs when I feel the twinge of murderous inspiration, Myth. They'll never end, hehe!

Thanks for reading.