'Twas sunset in Woodborrow when Strander arrived at the "Broken Sword Inn," and of course, as always, he was the first to arrive , a further testament to his punctuality, but thus was to be expected from a knight. He heard a voice call his name, "Strander? Is that really you?" Strander turned around and saw the owner of the inn, Otix, "By the gods it really is you, how long has it been?" Strander laughed, "To long old friend."
Otix motioned towards a table, "Come, let us sit, catch up a bit."
The two friends sat and Otix ordered a drink from one of his employees, on the house of course, Strander and his companions had very special treatment at The Broken Sword.
"So what brings you back to me Inn after all these years?" Otix asked
"Reunion. The party and I are meeting together once again to revel upon the past, as well as discuss each other's present happenings, we're bound to have at least one interesting story with three years apart." Strander replied.
"Aye ye are, so does that mean the rest of the boys will be comin?" Otix asked
Strander nodded
"Even Olaf?" Otix asked
"Even Olaf."
"Well then we better break out the Ale reserves." Otix said
The two laughed hysterically, a combination of humor and nostalgia overtaking them. The laughter ceased and Otix wiped a tear from his eyes, he heard the door open and looked up, "Oi look, there be one yer boys now," he pointed at the door. Strander looked over and indeed another old friend of his had arrived. It was Bracken, the only half-orc Strander knew, the only half-orc still alive probably, as they were seen as an abomination by both man and Orc, but the party did not share these feelings, for they knew Brackens outstanding character.
"Bracken!" Otix shouted
Bracken looked over, Strander and Otix waved, Bracken smiled and walked towards them, Otix nodded at Strander, "Well I'll leave ya to it, Twas good seeing ya," Otix stood out of his chair, shook Brackens hand and headed back behind his bar.
Strander stood up and hugged his old friend, "It's good to see you," he said
"Likewise Strander," Bracken replied
The two sat at their table.
"How have you been?" Strander asked.
"Quite well, was working as an escort for a merchant heading to Highlake, the pay was good, then after that I was employed by a Highlake noble to handle a 'rodent' problem, then of course when the king found out a half-breed was in his kingdom he demand I be let go."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Strander commented
Bracken chuckled, "It's alright, I knew it was inevitable, at least I got a new sword."
Strander looked at the sword sheathed on Brackens back, the handle was gold with a Ruby encrusted in its pommel, it was a beautiful sword.
"How did you acquire such a beautiful blade?" Strander asked
Bracken smiled, "One of the rodents was carrying it."
The two laughed, Strander had missed Brackens macabre sense of humor he carried so well.
"What about you? Any good stories?" Bracken asked
"Ah, not really, protecting those who can't protect themselves, typical duties of a knight." Strander replied
Then a loud thud was heard all throughout the Inn, The two friends looked at each other and grinned "Olaf." They stated simultaneously, and indeed it was Olaf. Olaf was a giant of a man, and a jolly one at that, and he could consume more alcohol than most thought humanly possible, and still battle vigorously afterwards.
Olaf looked all around the Inn for his friends, his face lit up like dragons breath upon finding them, he stomped his way over to their table, "It's been three years and ye bastards are still as ugly as ever!" Olaf exclaimed as he wrapped both of his tree trunk like arms around them in a grip that would've squeezed the life out of them had that been his intention.
After Olaf let go of them, and they caught their breath, and laughed a bit, Strander spoke "You haven't changed a bit."
"Aye, why would I?" Olaf replied
"Maybe your breath would smell better." Bracken said
"Aye and maybe you'd learn to fight." Olaf retorted
"Ha, please I could dance circles around you." Bracken drew his new sword, in all it's glimmering magnificence, not as a threat of course but more as a way to brag about his swords beauty. Regardless, this statement stood true, Bracken was the best swordsman in the party, in fact, he was the best swordsman many people had ever layer eyes on.
"Where in blazes did you get that thing of beauty?" Olaf asked
Bracken looked at Strander then back at Olaf, "Solving a rodent problem."
"Ah, I see. Well enough talk, let's drink!" Olaf exclaimed, "Otix! Bring me as much as Ale as one of your pretty wenches can carry!"
The three of them sat down, waiting for the last two members of their party to arrive. While waiting they reveled on past adventures, Olaf spoke of his recent happenings, which to no ones surprise, involved various reportedly large breasted women and a substantial amount of alcohol, and an encounter with a Minotaur, which explained the newer and shiner horns on his helmet.
"When the hell will those two be here?" Olaf exclaimed as he began to empty another pint
"I'm not sure," Strander said, "Xander being late doesn't surprise me, but Scar is normally on time."
"Speak of the devil," Bracken pointed. Standing in the Inn conversing with Otix was Scar, a Bestial from the wild lands. The Beastials were a race of humanoids with many animal like qualities such as claws, tiger like teeth, fur, and even a tail. The Beastials had a connection with nature unlike any other race in all the land. Beastials could communicate with certain animals, and in rare cases plants would come to their aid, of course the Beastials had no control over these happenings. Scar was a quiet, collected, and perhaps had the highest intelligence in the party, although you would never guess this from the way he spoke, for Bestials weren't very good at using any languages other then their own, and similarly no one could speak Beast-Speak quiet like the Beastials. Otix pointed out the table where the rest of the party was present, Scar nodded and met his friends. "Hello friends, Scar happy to see you," he said, Strander shook his hand "It's good to see you Scar, I see you've grown out the hair," Strander observed the long braided ponytail on Scar's head where his hair was quite short the last time he saw him.
Scar smiled, "Yes, Scar grow hair, Scar like." He said as he sat and greeted his other friends
"So Scar," Bracken said, "How have you been."
"Good," Scar replied, "Scar meet woman, she make Scar happy."
Olaf laughed, "Aye so you've gotten your beast on eh?"
Scar grinned, "Yes, Scar get beast on."
The party laughed, "Another Beastial?" Strander asked
Scar nodded in confirmation, then he said, "Scar want friends to meet woman, Scar have surprise for friends."
"What kind of surprise?" Bracken asked
"Good one, one that make Scar's friends smile." Scar said
"Well, we'd love to meet her Scar." Strander said
Scar nodded, "Where Xander?" Scar asked
"Late as always," Olaf said, putting down yet another pint, "That halfling probably got those sticky fingers of his caught," Olaf laughed
Then suddenly a light and cheery voice responded from seemingly nowhere, "Oh please, Sticky Fingers fair enough, but caught, HA never!"
The party all looked over and just as they had suspected and hoped, it was their halfling, Xander, standing boisterously, which was not out of character for him in the slightest. Xander had a reputation for, "finding things," or at least that's what he called it.
"And um actually, I'm not late, I arrived exactly when I wanted to," Xander said
"Did you happen to find that medallion on your way here?" Bracken asked pointing at the shiny gold medallion around Xander's neck, the likes of which none of them could afford,
"No!," Xander said as he sat, the party knew they were in for a story, "I was traveling to Merchant-Town and on my way there I stumbled across this beautiful medallion lying on the ground at a bandit campsite. Now when I saw this beautiful medallion lying on the ground I figured these bandits clearly don't know how to handle this fine jewelry if they're just leaving it on the ground, so I figured it to be best for everyone if I kept it." Xander smiled, proud of the lie he was able to muster so spontaneously.
"Well, thank the gods you did," Strander said sarcastically, "Saving this beautiful medallion from those bandits filthy hands, we really need more citizens like you Xander."
"I know, I try," Xander said brashly
Scar shook his head, "Halfling still a liar," the rest of the party laughed at Scar's comment, except for Xander of course.
The party ordered drinks and had a toast to "A Party Reforged." They drank, sang, reveled on past adventures, in particular one incident with Xander and a female troll, an incident Xander would much rather forget. Then suddenly the entire Inn went silent, the party looked over and they too went silent, two elves had entered the Inn. This was a rare occurrence, elves were almost never seen in an Inn, the thought themselves much to classy for that sort of thing, which made it an even bigger surprise that they were in a place like "The Broken Sword," which was a successful Inn yes but by no means classy. One elf was an adult male, and he looked as most male elves did, long face, long blonde hair, but he had a certain intensity about him, and the other was a girl, she was very young, Strander thought perhaps she was his daughter. The male elf asked for a room, Otix obliged and the two elves went upstairs. After the elves went to their room the Inn's silence ceased and the reveling did continue for another fifteen minutes. Then suddenly a scream from outside the Inn was heard, a woman's scream, a scream of terror, a scream that someone screams before they are killed, and out the window a great blazing fire was seen, Woodborrow was being attacked. The door was smashed open and several men in all black robes entered the Inn, "Find the elf!" One of them shouted, and the others showered throughout the Inn, Strander and his companions stood with their weapons drawn, "Stop!" Strander exclaimed, "I don't know who you are or what you want, but you won't find it here, now leave, before someone has to die."
"You dare defy The Order of the Shadow!" The hooded man pointed at Strander and his companions, "Attack!!!"
And suddenly all of the hooded men regrouped and charged and the party.
A man swung his sword at Strander, Strander blocked with his shield and stabbed the man straight through the gut with his shield, and slashed a second one across the stomach, making his entrails fall out. Olaf grabbed a hooded figure by the neck, slammed him on the ground and crushed his head like a melon with his massive club, another man charged him from the left, Olaf smacked him across the face with his club, he proceeded to grab him by the legs and throw him out a window of the Inn. Two hooded men trapped Bracken in a corner, one man thrusted his spear towards him, Bracken sidestepped the attack, wedging the spear in the wall, making it stuck, he chopped the spear in half rendering it useless, the other man swung his axe, Bracken blocked with his sword and kicked the man in the chest, and slashed him across the face, the other came from behind with the now unwedged broken spear head, Bracken ducked, causing the man to fall on the ground, and Bracken stabbed him straight through the back. Scar fired his bow hitting one of the men straight the the chest, another man ran right for Scar upon seeing this, Scar lept over the man, and once behind him Scar wrapped his tail around the mans neck and snapped it with ease. Xander, being the sneaky Halfling he is slithered throughout the panicked crowd, backstabbing, and slitting the throats of their enemies, but then he was caught by a very large hooded figure wielding a mace. "I'm gonna enjoy crushing you!" The man screamed, Xander with a trick up his sleeve, stuck his tongue out at the man, taunting him. The man barreled towards Xander, Xander pulled out a throwing knife, and threw it right into the charging brutes skull, stopping him in his tracks entirely. Xander laughed at the large mans gullibility. The threats in the Inn had been handled, but there was more chaos happening outside. The party rushed out the door and saw a horrific sight, dozens of hooded men in robes burning down houses, slaughtering all in their path,
"Let's go!" Strander shouted. The party rushed into battle, killing as many hooded men as they could, but they came from all directions, and eventually they became overwhelmed by their enemies. They were surrounded and death would soon follow. Then, from the Inn, there was a blinding light, all the hooded men turned their attention towards it, "It's the elves!" One of them shouted, all the hooded men ran towards the light, only to be vaporized by it soon after. The light dimmed, and indeed it was the two elves from the Inn.
"What's going on?" Strander asked, it was obvious these elves were involved
"Not here Sir Knight, quickly we must leave, before more of them arrive." The elf replied.
The two elves ran off into the nearby forest, the rest of the party looked at Strander, Strander nodded, and they all followed the elves into the forest, into a new adventure.
YOU ARE READING
War of the Shadow God Book 1: A Dragons Wrath
FantasyA group of Adventurers must protect their world from an ancient rising evil.
