Fire Burns.....
" GET HIM!" someone called out, Grell turned to see who it was but his eyesight made it so he could not see who among the crowd had yelled. He however didn't think it mattered since they had surrounded him... and he had no place to run.
Grell pulled out his medium sword, Mugen, and after thinking for a moment he pulled on the shield he had purchased earlier that day. It fit his arm well and the weight felt good there. If this was to be his last stand at least they could say Grell Grainstaff went down fighting.
He smiled and began to laugh out loud... the advancing cowd stopping and watching this crazied man as he seemingly lost his mind against their odds. However Grell simply felt the world change around him... " The Gods are with ye, son." he could hear his mother say. His feet digging into the earth and charging at the group...
Two men rushed him with swords, which Grell easily dodged. These men were not fighters, they were farmers.... people that tilled the land and gave life to those in the city walls. That was to Grell's advantage... so he tried not to fight to kill... but to wound.
The two men regained their composure as Grell dodged their blows and rushed him again. Grell turned and smashed one in the face with the shield while he stabbed into the shoulder of the other... making him drop his sword and fall to the ground in pain. The one he smashed in the face went down as well... he would be out of the fight for now.
" ARRRRG!!" a man bellowed behind him, Grell turned and could see a man carrying a mace in one hand and a hand sythe in the other. This one was at least 3 heads taller than him and had scars covering his body... either a merc or soldier turned farmer... this one could fight and he showed it by bringing the mace down on the shield sending jolt through Grell's arm.
He felt his left arm go numb and limp. Grell tried to lift his arm but found he could not use it... so he had to rely on his right. The man was swinging again... this time the sythe bringing it down on Grell's head, which luck allowed him to parry at the last second and sent the sythe flying out into the crowd.
The large man bellowed again.. this time using both arms to bring the mace down. Grell felt time slow as he tried to make a mad dash under the large man... his limp useless hand dropping the shield and his bare hand slid along the larger man's legs... a rent in the fabric allowed him to touch the man's calf and sent Grell's disease through the man.
The disease ran quick and was quite deadly if not treated. Though since it was well known now that Darkbloods carried this disease you could easily get the drug to counteract the agent from a chemist or passing vendor. Even then the disease left the person in bed for a few days. Unlucky for Grell, the disease didn't spread fast enough and the large man was able to bring the mace down... crushing Grell's legs.
Grell shouted out in pain and rage as he pulled himself forward.. the large man laughing at the sight of the Darkblood pulling himself along the ground. Grell shouted out at the crowd a loud and ancient profanity passed down to him by his father. Yet this was drowned out by the sound of a thunderclap... and the sound of rain falling and soaking the lands.
The crowd all laughed and enjoyed the downpour. Grell just tried to keep himself concious.
He pulled himself on his back and stared up at the sky and felt his body grow cold... it was his time.. and he could feel the world growing dark.
" Sorry mother." he whispered to the nothingness, " Looks like I won't meet you in the light... " Slowly the crowd moved closer and the gleaming blade of a sword came down on him.... then the darkness too him.
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The pain in his legs, arm, and shoulder told he wasn't dead. He knew this from experience. Granted this didn't mean he wasn't close to death or dying. Again he knew this from experience.
" Do you think he will wake up soon?" he heard a voice squeek out... like she was afraid of saying anything around Grell.
" I don't know... but I am just glad the village didn't kill him." This voice he thought he knew, it was also female... , " It is not his fault that he was tricked to work for that snake."
Grell lifted his right arm.. the only part of his body that did not ache at the moment and let out a cough. " I am awake... " he groaned and opened his left eye... trying to get a hold of where he was.
The light was dim but he could see many weapons and armor on the walls. Shields, bucklers, and boots lined the floors. In the middle of all this he could see his caretakers... the young darkblood woman that sold him the shield... and a younger darkblood girl that now trembled behind her. " Please... don't worry... I won't do anything... " he groaned.. .feel his side ache... then remembered the sword. " What kind of ... * groan* ... guest would I be if I did that?"
The older Darkblood woman walked over to him and checked his bandages, " Don't move.. they nearly killed you... your just lucky that before my husband left us the business I was a healer... you will live.. and in a couple days you will be back to normal." She then narrowed her eyes, " then leave... leave this place.."
Grell looked up into her face with his good eye. " Why did they do this? Mr. Fellis just wanted to move another person in.. he"
" He wants to move us all out... thinks he owns our land because he is a town elder!" She hissed back at Grell. Grell flinched feeling like she had also hit his leg as she yelled at him but it was hard to tell with the pain coursing through his body. " Jal Fellis has taken more lives here than any other tyrant in this corner of the world." She continued, " He even took my Stephen from us... killed him for being the first for saying " No" to moving."
Grell leaned back, " That kindly old man?" he asked her... " He looks like a soft breeze would shatter his bones..."
The woman shook her head, " So that is what it was... he showed you that illusion.. how old did he look? 70? 80?... The "real" Jal Fellis is only 40 years old and keeps most of us under his thumb by force... others by money... The other elders were going to stop him when Jal first started this."
" But he hired dumb Mercs to shut them up.... right?" Grell sighed gazing up at the woman. She didn't have to say anything... he knew it already. " I am sorry... that I am just a dumb Merc... " he groaned before passing out again.
Days passed... Grell found that sleeping in a bed, warm and cozy was not really for him and slipped out and slept on the floor. The woman, whose name was Cleo, would feed him until Grell could use his left arm and walk. Her daughter, Faun, would watch the man and stay back.. she was scared of the large man with the scars and look of danger in his eye.
To repay her for her kindness he got up before the others and grabbed the water buckets and followed a well worn path to the village well and filled the large buckets... carrying them back. Cleo met him at the door and looked very angry, " You should not be up like that... your legs are not fully healed."
Grell smiled and set the water down, " I just wanted to help... I grew up on a farm... and know how to help with household chores." He then turned and grabbed the ax and began splitting wood. " Besides... this helps... a workout for the body... while I think of a way to get back at him."
" Chuck is still sick... didn't get the medicine until two days after you diseased him... you better not go after him."
Grell smiled as he split the wood... feeling the ax slide through the little logs like a knife through butter, " Not him... Fellis."
Cleo shook her head, " And get killed in the process."
He shook his head, " No... at least not yet." He then returned to splitting the logs. Cleo looked on and watched him. Faun watched as well... but through a hole in their wall... not knowing if she should fear the man... wish his death ... or cheer him on.
Cleo moved back into the house and left Grell to finish his task. It wasn't until about mid- day that he stopped and whiped the sweat from his brow. The amount he had cut would supply them for a while... most of the rest of the winter. There would be more... but he wouldn't be there for that.
" Though this is kinda nice." he thought to himself, " Like before mother was sick... " He turned slightly and looked at Cleo's home. It was falling into disrepair and needed someone to fix it. " I could do that." he said out loud and smiled.
" Little early to be thinking about that now isn't it?" a voice chuckled behind him. He spun around and caught sight of a man covered in black cloth.... only his eyes shone through and another that he did not recognize. He was wearing furs and a pair of glasses that kept his eyes from view. He walked with the air that he was used to walking on flower petals, while the man in black acted like a dog following it's master, quick jerking movements of his limbs as he followed the man in furs.
" Who are you?" he asked trying to focus his mind on the situation and not on the fact that when turning he had jarred his leg... causing pain to shoot through it.
" Oh come now Mr. Grainstaff... you know me... I hired you after all." the man smiled while the man in black stayed just inches behind him.
" Fellis.... " Grell growled, " So is this the real you?"
Jal Fellis smiled and bowed, " Yes... I it is." he kept his eyes on Grell and licked his lips like a snake tasting the air. " Now isn't it lovely to see someone that you paid to do a job ... not doing his or her job."
" I am sure he is a he, sir." the man in black sing songingly added to the conversation.
Jal turned to the man and nodded, " Very astute of you to notice that, Valdemar." his voice seemed to linger in the air.. like the smell of death. " Though I knew that.. just making a point." Jal slipped a hand into his fur covered jacket and produced a bag of gold coins, " Now Grell if you do me a favor.. now that you know the truth... will you just dispatch those of this village... so I may have the land?"
Grell looked down at the house... then back at Jal's money. " Why do you want the land?" he asked.
" Land is land... and land is land." Valdemar piped up, " What does a Merc care?"
Jal nodded, " With the money here you could buy land for anyone there... far from here.. .where it is warm." He moved his fingers and caused the coins to jingle in the pouch. " You could even take that woman and her daughter as your own... hell with this money who will say different?" Grell felt a deep anger rise from within him and his grip on the ax tightened.
" Too bad... so sad... " Valdemar pouted before charging Grell, leaping into the air and landing just behind the darkblood. The whole action took less time for Grell to blink and he wondered if the thing with the name Valdemar was human or some true agent of hell. " Looks like another Merc bites the dust." he whispered into Grell's ear. His hands felt cold as the grave and his nails looked like daggers.
Grell twisted his head and caught the creature Valdemar in the head with his horn. Valdemar howled and drove his nails into Grell's back and staggered to the wood pile. Jal Fellis watched this with glee. " You know before this is over.. one of us will be dead... Valdemar... let him be for now." He turned and walked towards the woods...
Valdemar glared at Grell and laughed, " I will be back... and I will get you my no so pretty." Then without warning he chucked a dagger towards Grell... which easily missed him... Grell turned and watched as the girl Faun was standing watching the two men... the dagger imbedded in the doorway. " And your little doll too." He then lept into the trees and was gone.
Grell slowly staggered to the child who ran inside... her mother rushing out... gazing at the dagger in the door and then at Grell's new wound. " Valdemar... shit.. it's his calling card." Grell didn't say anything... something felt wrong... like his body was getting heavier.
" Faun.. .the antitidote... now!!!" she yelled out. The little girl nodded and rushed to the back of the house and grabbed a small bottle and handed it to her mother. She then opened Grell's mouth and poured it in... letting him swallow it. " Please stay here... " she called out to him as he felt his eyes close... and the world growing black again.
( To be continued)
