The warrior who’d delivered the message scuttled away before Limgr could unleash his anger upon him. The message he’d delivered was not a good one. And as such, it was socially acceptable, and even expected, for Limgr to unleash his anger. And so he did, screaming his rage and frustration out for the whole realm to hear. He even knocked down the sparse furniture to adequately show his frustration.
Frustrations vented, he went to go deliver the news to Guntrek.
“This is good,” he said. “The scaled ones will destroy the Destroyer.”
“No, Mertzklaw. The Destroyer has escaped unharmed.”
“The monster didn’t kill her?”
“No.”
“Then send the assassins.”
“We cannot. The women have yet to breach the human realm.”
“Aarrrgh!” Guntrek screamed and Limgr quickly ducked lest he become a target. “I want her lying dead at my feet!”
“It will be done, Mertzklaw,” Limgr said, rushing out before a flying projectile could injure him.
----------/---/----------
The next morning as soon as the men had finished breaking down their camp, Cane said, “Dayne, we have a slight problem.”
“And what problem is that?”
“By slight problem, he means huge, incapacitating problem.” Nika added, holding up his sword. It was easy to see the bite marks taken out of the metal. It looked as if a rat had gotten to it. A really big rat.
“What in the world? What the hell eats steel?” Dayne asked.
“I bet it was that woman,” Nika said. “She’s made no effort to hide her dislike for us ‘lowly humans.’ She’s probably a monster in disguise.”
Dayne snorted in disbelief. Even though Anna got under his skin, her being a monster was far-fetched. And besides, she had proven to be more than she appeared.
“I didn’t know women ate steel,” Raúl said. “The only steel she even had was in her weapons and they were bite free. Still are.”
“Are you standing up for her? She calls you carrot-head! Why anyone would stand up for her is beyond me.”
“Don’t blame me,” Anna said sharply as she walked up, restraining the urge to smack him upside the head. “I can’t eat metal.”
