|
VS
|
|
84%
|
|
16%
|
TARMAS'CREN
VS JOLDRUN
The barbarian warlord crouched silently in the thick foliage of the forest,
his ham sized fist gripping tightly a hand-crafted bone knife. Like the
greatest of the carnivorous animal hunters, the barbarian warlord stalked
his prey using surprise as the ultimate advantage. His eyes scanned the
area like a drone, searching for any movements.
Catching
quick site of his prey, Tarmas'cren leapt from the foliage, breaking out
in a high speed run. The prey, a wide eyed doe, caught site of the huge
man leaping from the brush, and jolted to motion, tearing into the forest
as fast as its legs would permit.
The doe was fast, but Tarmas was faster. Taking shortcuts around trees
and leaping over streams, he perused the deer deep into the forest. The
deer began to tire, and grew weary; its legs shaking from fear and exhaustion.
The bone edged knife stabbed through the air and into the creatures haunch,
crumpling it to the ground as Tarmas used his sheer weight to overpower
it.
When he finished cutting the creatures throat, the barbarian dropped to
one knee and thanked the gods for the lovely gift they had bestowed upon
him. He promised he would waste none of it.
Suddenly,
Tarmas sat up, alarmed, sticking his nose into the air like some sort
of animal might. He sniffed twice, wrinkling his nose.
In a flurry of motion, a figure leapt from the bush next to the barbarian,
taking a powerful swipe at his head with a silvery sword. He ducked and
rolled, the swing missing him by no more than an inch. The assassin, a
dark skinned man, regained his balance from the over powerful attack.
He turned around, gripping a short sword in one hand and a small shield
in the other.
Tarmas
crouched low to the ground as he circled the dark skinned man, gripping
the bone dagger tightly with one hand. "Why you come here?" he stammered
weakly in common.
The
dark skinned assassin was surprised to hear the barbarian talk. "You,
barbaric monster, are on the kings land, and you have killed his deer.
I, Joldrun, second born of Sir Thanis, deal you your punishment.
"
Joldrun swiped viciously at the barbarian, his sword tearing a piece of
the barbarian's braid from his head. Tarmas reacted by stabbing at the
man, but the shield managed to get between the flesh of the dark skinned
man and the bloodstained bone dagger. The dagger snapped in two as the
shield pulled away, sending shards of bone in all directions.
Knowing
he was momentarily defenseless, the barbarian used all his might to shove
Joldrun, knocking him onto his back.
Producing a hatchet from his bear hide belt, Tarmas spun around and hurled
the thing with all his might directly at the assassin. The hatchet tore
through the air and imbedded into the shield, splitting the wood down
the grain, rendering it pretty much useless.
Joldrun
smiled at his fortune, but didn't waste time thinking about it, knowing
he might end up dead if his attention waned for just one second. Charging
the barbarian, he swiped the blade at his head. The sword caught nothing
but air. Tarmas ducked, sliding his last hatchet from his belt.
As Joldrun over swung and lost balance, Tarmas brought the head of the
hatched up, sinking it deep into the stomach of the dark skinned man.
The barbarian felt a slick warm flow of blood seep over the hand gripping
the hatchet. Knowing the hatchet had not sunk deep enough to instantly
kill the man, Tarmas brought it into the air once more. Crimson splashed
of the metal head of the weapon as the barbarian swiftly chopped downward,
hewing Joldrun's lower leg from his knee. The warrior fell to the ground
just as the piece of his leg did, blood soaking the earthen floor.
The
hatchet made a final killing blow, splitting Joldrun's head right down
the middle. Tarmas peacefully commenced skinning the kings deer.
By: Calvin Cockell