Donner and Thalia: A Thief in the Night (Episode 2)

Chapter 1

Presents

DONNER AND THALIA

Episode II

A Thief in the Night

Robert C. Gemmell

Copyright 2020

Previously...

Donner McClure has begun his career in Knighthood with quite an achievement. With the Wizard's apprentice, Lenny, the preacher's son, Paul, and his oldest friend, the beautiful and talented Thalia, Donner slew a Demi-God and saved the fiefdom from a great rat menace. Stories of Donner's achievements have been spreading around Kinleath, finding even the ears of the Island's Nobility...

1.

"I don't know if that idiot is going to get himself killed or save the entire kingdom someday," Thalia said to herself as she sat on the edge of the lake by Hillshade. Many a time as a child by this lake, Donner would play out great fantasies as a hero, with Thalia begrudgingly playing the beautiful princess in danger who needed her brave Knight to save her from whatever imaginary dread was threatening her.

Donner had been underwater for about five minutes. He said that the water breathing potion Lenny had whipped up for him would be sufficient for anywhere between five minutes and an hour.

Should I worry? She thought. No, it was Donner after all, he would be fine.

Over the past few weeks, since their encounter with the Avatar of the Rat God, Donner had been on quite the winning streak with adventures, Slaying the Mist Monster of the forest north of town, and dispatching the wolf pack that had been killing cows in Hasbeek's farms.

Today, he was fighting his mightiest monster to date. The Giant Octopus that had infested the lake by Hillshade. Some passerby trader, eager to get it out of his possession, sold a baby giant octopus to an ignorant parent of an odd little girl who thought it was cute. After a few weeks of regular feeding, it had gotten a little too big for its bowl, and the parents released it into the lake where it wouldn't be anyone's problem, until it was everyone's problem.

Being that the Giant Octopus is an Apex Predator in freshwater environments, it still had its regular feedings and continued to grow bigger and bigger. Now it was so big that it was a problem only a Knight could solve, and luckily, Hillshade was defended by one of the boldest young Knights a town could ask for.

Vanquishing the giant octopus would be Donner's highest paying quest to date, even after accounting for taxes. Donner said he needed the money to buy some new gear. But Thalia knew the truth, as much fun as Donner had with the extra coin he earned, it was the glory of being a Knight that motivated him most.

The surface of the lake burst as a giant tentacle hoisted Donner into the air. Thalia jumped to her feet, watching the monster's tentacle jolt Donner from side to side as the young Knight swung his sword back and forth, slashing into the beast's grip. As the creature roared, its beak was poking out of the water between dark, deep black eyes looking up to its attacker.

Donner wrestled his other arm free and grabbed his bastard sword with both hands, starting to hack at the tentacle, ripping it open on his freshly sharpened blade as the monster thrashed him back and forth. It finally relented and let Donner go, dropping his body back into the water as a chunk of its limb fell to the water with him. It roared once more as Donner leaped from the lakebed, taking deep breaths as he slammed his sword down and severed another one of its tentacles.

The Octopus screeched again, and with one of its seemingly endless number of arms, slammed into Donner's chest and threw him across the lake to the shore next to Thalia.

"Are you okay?" Thalia asked.

Donner flipped his legs up and jumped back to his feet. He held his sword proudly and pointed it towards his enemy, "I got this," he said before running back into the water. The octopus turned to him and slammed again back to the shore.

"Are you sure you got this?" Thalia asked again.

"You saw how much gold the job was worth, wasn't expecting this to be easy," Donner said as he ran back in and leaped over another swing of the monster's appendage. Belly flopping into the water before getting up to take another big swing and slice another arm.

"It'll just get easier every arm I cut off!" Donner said as he ducked in the water and lifted his sword to slice yet another limb. The Octopus wasn't even trying to fight Donner anymore, just writhing in pain as it waved both its arms and stubs.

"Come on, you foul beast, no more free fish for you!" Donner cried out as he waded his way through the water to get close enough for the killing blow. Roaring with just as much might as the monster, he brought his sword down to finally fell the beast. In one last effort, the seafaring threat wrapped a Tentacle around Donner's waist.

Thalia covered her ears as the beast let out one final death shriek before falling back into the water, pulling Donner under with him. The lake was still and calm, the threat hiding in its murky depths dealt with. Thalia stood up. She took a slow step towards the lake, wondering if Lenny's potion kept Donner breathing underwater. With a cry of victory, Donner burst out of the water, holding his sword high before falling forward on the shore of the lake. He pulled himself to his feet and made his way out, grunting with each step. Once he was ankle-high in the water, he fell forward on dry land, still clutching his sword in a death grip.

"Donner?" Thalia approached him, "Are you okay?"

Donner turned over on his back and smiled, "All in a day's work," he said as he took his free hand and pushed himself up, getting to his feet. "The giant octopus has been vanquished, single handily at that," he grinned.

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to get involved," Thalia said. "I would hate to steal your glory," she smiled and rolled her eyes. "Besides, you don't want to know what monsters with tentacles do to women," Thalia said as she shook certain uncouth stories her mother had scared her with when she started adventuring with Donner out of her head.

Donner sheathed his sword, and shook his body to try to wick away the water from him, "I'm soaked," he said, "Glad I was able to take him out when I did, Lenny's potion had just worn off," he said.

"I thought he said it would last at least five minutes?" Thalia asked.

"And it did, it lasted at least five minutes," Donner said, defending his Friends handiwork. "I'm soaked, Do you think you can help me out?" Donner asked, standing with his arms out in front of Thalia.

"Sure," Thalia said as she rolled her eyes and brought her hands up, weaving her fingers with expert precision calling forth a wind spell of the illusion school.

A thick, cool breeze came from Thalia's hands as she waved them over Donner's body, drying the water from him and leaving just a bit of moistness in his hair.

Donner brought his hand up to his wet head of hair, running his fingers through it, "What do you think, slick it back or part to the side?" he asked.

"Hm, I guess part to the side," she said, Donner's hair did look good when he actually had it well made and combed.

Donner ran his fingers over his head, slicking his hair back, "Too bad," he smiled.

Thalia rolled her eyes again, "So, I guess this was another epic adventure for Sir Donner, huh?"

"That's right," Donner said as he began to lead Thalia from the lake, he had one destination on his mind, city hall. He was ready to turn another adventure in and collect his pay. And more importantly, have another one of his great successes filed away in the Kinleath national records, yet another page in the book of Sir Donner the hasn't-officially-earned-a-title-yet.

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