Vuroth's Tear: Even the Gods Cry

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The woodsman stood on a large rock that stuck out from the grass of the wide field, his bow slung over his shoulder and the hawk stood on his outstretched arm. He looked at the bird, his brown eyes met the birds.

"What have you seen, Dawn," He spoke with his mind to the bird.

The response he got was a series of images, the army of undead traveling through cities and towns, killing everyone they found. Some of the dead were recruited by the demon's magic to join his ranks, the rest were decapitated, and the heads were left on spikes in a circle around the pile of burning bodies.

He saw an image of a living man traveling with the creatures, his body covered in black runes and his eyes were solid black.

"Good work, Dawn. Now fly, don't lose them." The bird let out a screech in compliance before leaping off the man's arm and flapping his way into the sky.

The man let his arm fall to his side and watched his bird companion soar into the bright blue sky.

Aven woke in a dark room, his head throbbed, and he could feel blood drying in his hair and down his neck. He tried to move but his hands were bound behind his back. It was too dark to see any surroundings, only a thin line of light came from under the door in front of him.

The last thing that Aven could remember was walking the streets of the city, on his way to the swordsmith to pick up a special sword he was having made for Analda, a surprise he had been planning for her. Her old blade was flimsy and poorly made, nothing more than a cheap tool for her to train and practice with but the new sword was cold forged, strong and light steel with her name engraved in the hilt. Someone must have knocked him on the head and brought him to wherever he was.

He yelled and struggled to break free, but his bindings were strong iron shackles and chains, it was no use. The door opened and in walked a man with a lantern in one hand, his other hand was behind his back. Aven worried what he might be holding, with his hands tied back, he couldn't defend himself if he were attacked.

Aven tried in vain to see the man's face but the lantern was too bright and with his blurred vision from the blow to the head, even in ideal light he may not be able to see the man clearly.

"It took quite some time finding you," The voice was familiar to Aven, but he couldn't place it, the accent, he knew he had heard it before but couldn't think through the throbbing pain in his head.

The man hung the lantern on the wall from an outstretched hook as another man, an enormous beast of a man, stepped in. He stood just inside the open door with his huge arms crossed at his chest. Aven looked around the room but all he saw were stone walls and a dirt floor. He struggled again with the chains as the man came closer.

"Don't tell me that you forgot me already, I'm a little offended," He pulled his hand from behind him and Aven flinched, expecting to feel a blade in his gut or chest. Instead of a weapon, the man revealed the stump where his hand used to be, tightly wrapped with a dirty rag, "do you remember me now?"

Yes, he remembered this man now, "Still haven't learned your lesson, huh? Still can't keep your hands to yourself." Aven smiled and spit at the man. The big man in the doorway stepped forward and punched Aven in the face, "You hit like a little girl!" He laughed and spit at the big man this time, getting another set of knuckles across the cheek.

"You should show some respect to my friend here, he has something of a temper, don't you Jonas?" The one-handed man asked with a grin, the big man huffed in compliance before swinging again. "You can call me Balt, by the way." The giant man, Jonas, left the room and returned with Quicksilver. He handed it to Balt.

"Be careful, it's sharp," Aven said with a chuckle that made him cough, "You might lose a finger... or a hand." Another punch, this time to the gut.

"Easy, Jonas," Balt held the sword out by its leather-bound grip and Jonas pulled the scabbard off. He admired the almost weightless blade, swinging it through the air before finally touching the tip to Aven's chest, "It's a beautifully crafted weapon, may I ask where you got it?"

Through gritted teeth Aven responded, "It was my father's." He gave Balt a death stare, he hated others touching his sword without permission.

Balt grinned at his frustration, "It truly is a work of art, simply beautiful."

Aven spit a thick blob of blood onto the floor, "It will look even better when it's covered in your blood," He looked at Balt's missing hand, "again."

"You think that you're funny, don't you," He put pressure on the sword and twisted it slowly until he saw a cringe of pain on Aven's face.

"I'm going to take your head with that sword," He looked down at his blade being twisted slowly against him again, "or maybe I'll just take your other hand."

"How does it feel, knowing that your dear old daddy's sword, your sword, is about to end your life?" Balt laughed and looked at Jonas.

"I would be frightened, but you are going to be the one to lose their life and I'll be the one to take it" Aven snapped again, looking Balt right in the eyes.

Balt smiled at Aven, helplessly sitting in the chair in front of him, the fury was clear on his face, "No, you won't." He pushed Quicksilver deep into Aven's chest, twisting the blade from side to side until Aven went limp. Balt let go of the handle and turned to look at Jonas, "Get rid of him somewhere he can't be found," the giant nodded at Balt and started towards Aven's body, "Oh, and Jonas, keep the sword for me."

"Yes, Balt," Jonas responded in his deep, resonating voice.

Balt was sprayed with blood when Aven's sword tore through Jonas' gut, his innards poured from the wound while he growled in pain, dead before he hit the floor.

Balt dropped to the floor cowering in the corner, "I... I killed you! You died!" He held up his stump of a wrist in a sad attempt to shield himself from Aven.

Aven tore his shirt open at the cut in the fabric from his sword, his chest had no mark from Quicksilver. He smiled at the man fearfully crying on the floor, "I believe we discussed whether I would take your hand or head," He grabbed Balt by the shirt and threw him into the chair that he had been bound to.

He grabbed Balt's remaining hand and severed it at the wrist. Balt screamed in both physical and emotional agony. He stared at his bloody stump, the second one received by Aven. He looked up at Aven and before he could speak, Aven cut Balt's head from his body.

Aven looked around the room for the scabbard to Quicksilver and saw it on the floor behind the chair. As he bent to pick it up he noticed the shackles that had been on his wrists, melted and still glowing, so it was his magic that freed him. It was then that he looked at his sword's blade, there was no questioning how he survived being stabbed, he and it were one, bonded. He ran the edge across his palm to test his theory and felt the pain of it cutting flesh, but it left no wound. Slowly, he stood and with a grin, slid the blade in its place.