Dungeons and Dragons: Forged In Flame (COMPLETED)

Chapter 34: Tyranny In Delmirev

Climber remembered the day that the gallows went up in the town square of Delmirev. The hanging ropes, the creaking planks on the pedestal... it was like a stage. Nadarr was prepared for some truly draconian punishments (no pun intended).

Luckily, he hadn't had to actually use the gallows yet. No one had had their neck trapped on the rope, their very souls dripping out of their feet, their corpses limp like clothes on a washing line. But, it was only a matter of time.

Climber figured that if Leaper ever reared his head in Delmirev again, it'd be the last thing he'd ever do. His disappearance had driven the already mad Nadarr even madder, the power rushing to his head like blood does when you hang upside down.

When they saw it for the first time, Zealous had said quite a rude word that I probably shouldn't write down on this page.

"That thing makes my eyes bleed," Earbender commented with a grin, his sing-song voice still playful despite the awful implications of the nooses drifting in the wind.

"Why would he put it up in the town square?" Zealous had asked Climber, even though the answer was obvious.

Fear.

In a way, Zealous was still like a child. Climber knew that Leaper leaving Delmirev had been quite hard for him, but Zealous put on a brave face because he knew that it was important for Leaper to go on his grand quest. On the other hand, Climber thought that Leaper's quest was selfish. He never thought about the implications of others when he rushed in to be a hero. Leaper's choice to just leave had a knock-on effect for every Dragonborn in Delmirev.

Besides, Climber already had enough to think about with Zealous. After giving it a lot of thought, Climber had come to the conclusion that he didn't really care about gender in a relationship: it was the personality that was really important. Anyone who understood that Climber sometimes needed alone time was someone who he would likely go out with.

But Zealous? That was another question. While Leaper and Earbender could have their enemies-to-lovers story, Climber didn't think it would be as simple as that with Zealous. They were friends, but it wasn't like they were best friends or anything.

It wasn't like Zealous wasn't a nice person. He certainly was. When Leaper left, it had really taken a toll on Leaper's mother, and Zealous had decided to check on her often, sometimes daily. It was a very selfless thing to do, and although seeing her hurting upset Zealous very much, he still went to Leaper's house every day to see her.

Climber was going through a similar thing to Zealous. Climber understood that Leaper had been very close to Heskan, so Climber had been spending time with him so he wouldn't get lonely. Climber liked that he had gotten closer to Heskan, and he liked how he had gotten closer to the new students at the dojo. It was funny how much the small children reminded Climber of his own friends - and his childhood, a thing of the distant past.

Life was actually rather blissful for Climber if he didn't think too much about relationships. But, Nadarr had soured it all.

"Of course he put them in the square," Climber said. "If Nadarr hangs someone, he wants everyone to know about it."

Climber turned from the gallows and walked down a cobbled path between some houses. The houses looked like the tombstones of all the people in the battle against the orcs all those years ago, who's lives had been claimed, including Shieldbiter and Leaper's father. The ghosts that haunted the town were metaphorical, but they still appeared in Climber's nightmares, as if they were ready to claim him too.

Earbender turned with some swagger and followed Climber, while Zealous clumsily turned from the scene and jogged after the pair.

"Climber?" Zealous asked curiously.