Dungeons & Disappointment

Chapter 7: Forest Fight

"Hey!!!" I screamed, getting all three of their attention. "STOP RIGHT THERE, DICKWAD!!!!"

All three of them looked at me incredulously, almost as if I was a leprechaun that had just sprung up out of nowhere. I held the knife at the ready as both the human and the orc studied me over, trying to assess if I was a threat or not, and I locked eyes with the fish girl, who was giving me a pleading look.

Maurice looked at Kanneen. "What did he call me?"

"Let her go!" I yelled at the two guys. "Or I'll take both of you out!"

Maurice started to laugh, and I watched as he whacked Kanneen on the arm playfully, and Kanneen lifted a large axe off of the ground, holding it at the ready.

"Eh, go knock that one out Kanneen. He's big and strong, so we can sell that one."

"Okay." He said in a deep, low voice. "I'll keep him in one piece."

Kanneen lumbered forward, holding his axe, and before I could react, he swung the axe, so much faster than I initially thought he could move, and in the flash of a moment, I dashed backward, completely dodging the strike from the axe. I gasped as the axe cut the air with a whistle. For the first time, I realized I was actually in a fight, and I had nearly zero skills. It was all instinct. My eyes widened as he gripped the axe, and I heard the girl's voice ring out from my left.

"Stab him through the hauberk!!!" She yelled. "He's a half-orc!! Aim for the heart!"

"Shut up, stupid fish!!" Maurice yelled. "Or I'll roast your fins for stew!!"

I gritted my teeth, and I kept focused on Kanneen, and I noticed that there was one spot of his armor, I guess called a hauberk, and I saw that there was a spot, near his heart, that wasn't armored very well. A single weakness. She was right.

"Alright, come at me, you big dumb oaf!"

Kanneen growled, obviously having struck a nerve with that comment, but this time, I advanced and struck at him, cutting a decent-sized gash across his arm with the knife. He recoiled, cursing up a storm, and he hefted the axe, trying to recover from the hit, but I pressed forward and swung again, cutting the knife straight across his flank, piercing the leather armor, and cutting his chest open.

"AAAUGHH!!!!" He yelled, backing up as his eyes glowed with hatred. "You'll pay for that, punk!"

He stepped forward, then swung his axe, but, to his surprise, I dodged backward, and the axe crashed into a tree, sticking into the wood of the tree with a mighty chop. He growled, licking his lips, and he pulled the axe out of the tree effortlessly, readying another strike, but I rushed forward, attempting to stab him through the armor at the heart, but before I could stab him, he blocked the strike with the axe, and I backed up yet again, trying to give us enough space to wiggle around. The moment I backed up, however, he made an awful strike, attempting to swing again with the axe, but the blunt end just smacked harmlessly against me since he didn't have enough room to swing. He attempted another strike, but he whiffed as the axe cut the bushes next to me instead of me.

So far, the battle was going awfully, and really, the only reason i was alive was because Kanneen kept underestimating me. But, in spite of that, I steeled my nerves, held my knife at the ready, and went in for another strike, and this time, I felt the sharp metal blade of the knife slash across his arm, cutting the flash of his forearm in a wicked, jagged line. He recoiled from the strike with another growl, and when I looked at this dude's face, I saw that he was wincing in pain from being cut up so badly. I decided to press the attack as he was dazed, but, as I went forward, I felt my right foot snag a root, and I fell flat on my face, the blade of the knife sticking into the ground as I busted my head on another root, causing stars to dance in and out of my vision.