The Shattered Path

Chapter 39 - The Challenge

Aryl stared at the brown liquid filling the metal mug in his hand. He hadn't taken a drink and he didn't really want one. He hadn't been in a mood to celebrate before, and he surely was not now. He couldn't stop thinking of the woman he had rescued. He had practically given her to the Raujornian.

He was seated in a wobbly wooden chair which had one leg shorter than the other three. The Merthians were courageous fighters and intense celebrators; but lousy carpenters, it seemed. Woodworking was about as boring as it gets, so he did not fault them for it.

"I kill beasties faster and easier than you by far!" bellowed the sturdy Merthian across from Jaegor. The two men continued insulting one another. There was no end.

Jaegor spit ale, responding with an exaggerated laugh.

"I could carry you in one arm and kill ten beasties with the other, in the time it took you to wet your britches!" the big nosed Merthian smiled wide, showing the gap of three missing teeth. He sloshed ale across the table, using his mug to gesture at Jaegor.

Aryl tried to ignore them but they were too loud and too messy. There were many men in the room behaving in a similar manner. He had started to leave twice already and Jaegor had pulled him back, the second time giving him a mug of strong ale.

"In your dreams! I killed me dozens of beasties!" Jaegor bellowed, swaying and holding up three fingers. "He seen me do it!" He gestured to Aryl with his thumb.

Aryl gave a wry smile to the disbelieving Merthian. He really didn't want to be a part of their contest. He really didn't want to be in the room. Maybe if they got in a fight, he could slip away and be alone.

"He saw you?" the bearded man threw his head back and laughed. "My youngest be bigger than him! And she can barely see over the edge of her boots!"

Aryl frowned at the man, which only made him laugh harder.

"Let me tell you!" Jaegor started. "Let me tell you this!" He swayed and repeated himself. "Let me tell you this!"

The Merthian took a large gulp of ale and looked to Jaegor expectantly, prepared to explode into laughter at anything the other man told him.

"Let me tell you this!" Jaegor said again, though he already had the other man's attention. Then he paused, forgetting what he had intended to say.

Aryl sighed heavily and tried to watch the other men in the room. They were all engaging in similar shouting matches, or shoving one another. They were rough men with thick beards and long hair, many with braids. Most wore swords at their side and many wore thick hide vests; dressing for battle was a part of the tradition. It seemed like a silly tradition to have the town get drunk three nights after a battle. What if the enemy returned on the third night after? He didn't put that question to any of these men. It just seemed like a bad idea from a strategic point of view. For all he knew, the beastmen were getting drunk at the same time, somewhere below ground. He smiled when he imagined the beastmen gathered in a great hall, drinking ale. Their behavior could not be any more aggressive than the men in the meeting den. All of these men seemed charged and ready to fight.

"No! Let me tell you this!" Jaegor shouted again.

Now, the Merthian grew tired of waiting. His dark eyes began to roam the room, looking for someone new to challenge, perhaps.

"Hanarans and beasties kill me better than you ever dreamed!" Jaegor slurred the words. He stumbled sideways, falling against Aryl.

Aryl put his arms up to keep his friend from fully dropping into his lap. He clamped his jaw shut to keep from saying something harsh. He had had enough of the meeting den for one night.

Jaegor returned to swaying in place. "If a beastie came through that door right now, I'd kill it before you even had time to blink. No, to run away!"

The Merthian finally exploded into laughter.

Something bashed against the wooden door, causing it to shudder in its frame.

The Merthian across from Jaegor stopped laughing. Many men turned to face the noise, some falling silent, but many others continued their ranting.

Again, something bashed against the door causing it to shudder, seeming as if it might fly from its hinges.

"Door be opening the other way, stupid," shouted one drunk.

Laughter erupted in the room before it fell silent. Everyone watched the wooden door.

"Why don't someone be telling whosit on the other side the door open the other way?" Jaegor asked to no one in particular, taking a gulp from his mug.

Aryl rose to his feet. Jaegor was probably right; it was likely a drunken man who couldn't figure out how to open the door. Aryl's hand went to his sword anyhow. Something did not feel right.

The meeting den was quiet except for a few loud chuckles. Distant shouts and cries carried from somewhere outside.

The door rattled on its hinges for a third time and the wood splintered in the center.

The sound of steel sliding across leather filled the room. At least a dozen swords were drawn from their scabbards. Many of the men suddenly appeared more sober than before.

The door exploded in a spray of splintered wood.

A lanky beastman stumbled through the debris, taking two steps into the room. The creature was covered from head to toe in dark brown fur. It wore hide pants and vest, carrying its spear in one hand. It had a wide nose and many pointed teeth. Its golden eyes went wide, surveying the room, and the cat-like ears on top of its head went flat. It had made a terrible mistake.

Jaegor was not close enough to the door to be the first to kill it. Twenty other men beat him to it.