Exams, no girlfriend, a cantankerous grandfather - George has it tough. And that's even before the assassins come for him, he discovers the magical sword stashed in the attic, and finds out he's responsible for saving a world he didn't even know ex...
Returning from the little gnome's room, Bup clambered back up onto his chair and smiled when he saw that his friend had ordered another round. "Ah, you're a good fella, Korbus. Did I miss anything?"
The old man nodded towards the castle. "Some sorta commotion over there. Quite a few of them soldier types have hightailed it back inside. And judgin' by how fast they hightailed, I'd say somebody's in for it."
Bup inspected the thinned but still numerous ranks of soldiers. "Maybe Lord Vardie-Dardie needed his arse wiped?"
Korbus sniffed. "I reckon there'll be more arse-kicking than wiping. And I suspect none of the arses in question will belong to Vardun Ri."
"Well, ya never know." Bup picked up his tankard and took a generous swig. "A gnome can always hope. After all, when yer mostly arsehole, there's plenty of arse to kick."
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Only the high colour in Vardun's cheeks indicated that he was anything other than calm, as he summoned Karzil Li into the dungeon that had formerly housed Laya and Danus. However, the warlord was no fool, and at the sight of the upturned table and the empty shackles, he knew precisely what that colour foretold.
"Ah, warlord. So good of you to join me. Unlike our former guests, who seem to have taken their leave. Perhaps you would care to explain?"
A succession of excuses cycled through Karzil's mind, but he couldn't bring himself to voice any of them. From the moment he'd walked into the room, he'd known his fate; no amount of undignified groveling would change it. "No, my lord. I only ask your forgiveness, for failing in my duty."
"My forgiveness? Oh, you may certainly have that, my dear fellow. Please, consider yourself forgiven."
Karzil blinked, and shifted nervously on his feet. "Thank you, my lord." This was not what he had expected.
"Not at all, not at all. Of course, I will require a little more than an apology, by way of recompense."
"My lord?"
"Tell me Karzil, did you know that an organised mind is one of the key attributes required for effective leadership?
"I...no, my lord. Er, I mean, yes, my lord. That sounds right."
"Of course it's right. And an organised mind is, of course, a prepared mind. You see, Karzil, I had prepared my mind for certain activities, this morning. Activities which have now, through your sheer, infuriating, idiotic incompetence, been denied to me. A denial which has left me with a perturbed mind. Now, we can't have that, can we?"
"My lord, I—"
"No!" snapped Vardun, eyes burning a dull red, his calm facade vanishing in an instant, "we cannot. And we will not."
The warlord's eyes widened, as realisation dawned. "No, please. Kill me, but not...that."
"Come, my good man. As you are responsible for disturbing my equanimity, surely it's only fair that you will provide the means by which it will be restored."
