Frostbane
Chapter 4: Spark in the dark
Author's note: Alright, I'm back for more. Please review after reading, please. I enabled the guest reviewer option long ago! And so sorry for updating so late, I got lots of things I need to do this summer so it's not easy for me. Oh and my girlfriend? Now, I don't give a damn about that girl. Just another one that doesn't value what I've done for them. So, forget about that, read!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
A lightning struck, drops of rain pounded against the grassy plain. Darkened sky clouded in, the Sun ran and hid behind the mountains. Down the valley, a small tavern with its light dimly shined through the windows. The echoing sounds of laughter and verbal fights was heard loud and clear throughout the valley.
Heavy footsteps strode from afar, downwards from a hill, their target, the tavern. Two hooded figures headed for the small structure, intentions hidden as vaguely as their identities. One knocked on the door. They waited, a few minutes passed, and the wooden door opened roughly, but slowly. A pig sticked his head out, eyes barely open, a bottle of wine in his hand.
" What is it?" The pig asked, with a thick stench of alcohol surging from his body.
" A place to stay." Simply replied by one of the strangers. The pig slowly dragged the door open. After a few seconds, the pig returned to his original place: a small table near the bartender's. The two stepped inside, slowly made their way towards the reception. Inside the tavern, there were thugs and bandits and countless more of other outlaws. Fights, were all over the place, chairs were flying, teeth were rolling, and many knocked out bodies lied in awkward positions around the floor.
Finally, they reached the reception table, having to dodge a few flying bowls and tables. The leopardess receptionist, looked up from her newspaper.
" How can I help you?" with a care-free tone.
" A room, please." The stranger in the front replied.
" Okay, do you have anything with you? You know, thieves and all, you must have something to defend yourselves?" The leopardess asked.
" We carry just these." The one in the front replied, pulling out from under his cloak a twin dual blades, with the scabbards bright blue with jagged-edged ice shards patterns for decorations.
"And this." The other one continued, drawing out a long katana, with the handle decorated with a mixture of blue and red patterns, and thin red ropes tying to the scabbard.
" Wow. Ok, no need to provide you with knives then! Here's your key!" The leopardess said, amazed at the sight of the swords. Unfortunately, the whole tavern seemed to have noticed as well.
" Hey, nice blades you got there." A huge ox appeared from a far table, with a giant mace hanging on his belt.
" Yeah, care to let us wield them a bit?" Then a panther spoke out from the other side of the room.
" We don't want any trouble." Said the one holding the katana, with an annoyed tone.
" Now, what harm could a couple of seconds do, huh?" the ox approached, followed by many of his comrades. Finally, he was face to face with the stranger, his eyes staring arrogantly into the spot that seemed to be the stranger's eyes. And then, the ox dared to reached his right hand down on the katana.
But just before he could touch it, a hand grabbed his wrist, instantly stopped the action. The ox's eyes were almost popping out of his skull, surprised at the force of the grip.
" Touch my sword, and you'll have your mace stuck between your jaws." The stranger warned with a stern cold tone.
" Ok, ok, I'll keep my hands to myself!" The ox cried out in pain, surprised at the force of the grip. The stranger let go, and instantly, the ox's left hand found its way to his right wrist, rubbing the numbness out of it. The ox turned to retreat, but secretly reached for his mace. Once he got a grip on, the ox suddenly swung his mace towards the stranger's face.
The mace suddenly stopped just inches before it could touch the stranger's face. A katana blocked the way. But the shockwave created from the force of the swing blew the hood off of the stranger's head, revealing a white tiger's head, with strong defined stripe patterns on his forehead, small scars across his face and a rough jaw.
" Now you piss me off." The tiger said, then with a swift motion, he knocked the mace out of the ox's hand, quickly jumped and kicked it flying right between the jaws of the ox. " And I keep my word." He added.
Suddenly the panther from early on plunged himself towards the other one. But, he met an ice fist right in the face, knocking him back several feet.
" No need to hide in these cloaks Kann, now agility is the most important thing." The tiger said to his friend.
" Aw, ain't that a shame Mitch. Now I finally have a chance to let loose some muscles. Haven't fought for years!" Kann replied with a wicked half smile, he pulled off his cloak, revealing a big white wolf with jagged "hair" and confident, maybe a small bit of arrogance, eyes, and a small patch of diamond-shaped beard on his chin. He wore a worn-out thick black shirt, with a pair of black pants with grey horizontal stripes across the thighs. His right arm has turned into a combination of flesh and ice, murkier than regular ice, but reflected the light just as good. Under the dim light his arm looked memorizing. Kann drew out his dual blades and got into a stance, ready for the fight.
Suddenly someone roared out a battle-cry, then the rest just charged against the two. Kann quickly kicked a table, blocking the path of five advancing foes, buying them space and time. Mitch threw his cloak at a wolf's face, then jumped and kicked him in the face, knocking him back, thus knocking five more others back. Mitch drew his katana, and so did Kann with his dual Frost Banshees.
One boar rushed towards Kann with his swinging axe, Kann parried it with his blades, then head-butted the boar and turned to kick him in the stomach, sent him flying. Mitch dodged a sword, then parried a mace, turned and punched the one with the sword in the face, the grabbed the mace and brought his katana up then-
"Don't! Please don't kill in my house!" The leopardess from early on shouted out, her looks worried.
Mitch instantly rotated his katana, bringing the handle into the guts of his attacker, knocking the air out of the mace-wielding wolf.
" Thank you." The leopardess seemed thankful at Mitch's merciful act.
Kann parried another axe, jumped and kicked his attacker upon the chin, sent his body flipping then landed on the ground. Kann then drew back his swords into the scabbards.
" Okay, no bloodshed right? It's fine, I'll use this." Then he formed an ice fist on his right hand, " They can't draw blood from the both of us anyway." Kann smiled devilishly, taunting the bandits.
A leopard charged at Kann, but too slow. Kann charged, getting momentum, stepped on his thigh, and leaped up in the air, front-flipped, then landed in the middle of the advancing bandits.
" Come on. Bring it." Kann taunted, smiling. The bandits hesitated for just a second, then a boar charged towards him. Kann leaned back, dodging the mace, then grabbed the weapon and right hooked the boar in the face. Then he rolled forward, grabbing a spear, and swiped it across the ground, knocking down many surrounding him. He used the spear to knocked a sword out of one's hand, then brought the back end of the spear upon his head, knocking him back. Then he used the spear to block an axe, stepped on a sword, then elbowed the attacker, then turned to double-palmed the axe-wielder in the guts.
Mitch sliced a spear in half with his katana, then deflected a sword, spinned and kicked the attacker in the jaw, sending him to the ground. The tiger swept his legs across the ground, knocking one out of balance then uppercut him right on the chin. Then the tiger suddenly jolted backwards, elbowing a charging boar, then kicked at the leg of a charging wolf, taking off his balance then maneuvered his body with his hands and then kicked the wolf, sent him flying, wrecking a table at the landing. Mitch drew in his katana in its scabbard, grabbed a chair, and wrecked the thing while smashing it against a leopard's head.
After a few more minutes of wrecking and smashing the bar. The two came to be the last men standing, obviously. Kann walked to the only usable table, where Mitch was sitting, to join him. On the way, he had to knock out one with his fist.
" Urh, some fight, huh?" Mitch asked teasingly.
" Yeah. Good occasion to stretch some muscles. I've been frozen in 10 years, you know. And this arm is weird!" Kann replied, commenting on his newly transformed arm.
" What's about it?" Mitch asked, " Oh, um, can we get two beverage of beer over here please?" Mitch called out to the waitress.
" Well, I guess that it is tougher than my regular flesh-and-bone arm, oh and it transform itself into anything I want to." Kann explained, grabbing a beverage handed to him by the waiter, and took a sip.
" Well, let's rest. I don't want to be late." Mitch said, after finishing his part.
" Yeah, me too. Now who gets the top bunk?" Kann asked, following Mitch and finishing his part as well.
" The one that gets the most knock outs?" Mitch said jokingly.
" So it's mine then, I got 21." Kann said, after paying the bartender for the beer, then the two headed upstairs.
" What? No way! I saw you only got 19." Mitch dismissed.
" I got 21, remember? The ox came up 3 times." Kann joked.
" Okay you win. Don't shake the bed this time!" Mitch warned his friend, then they both laughed and got into the room, and locked the door in case of anyone who would try to break in.
Author's note: ok, this marks my return. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry for being silent for so long. this is kinda like a bonus chapter! So, please, look out for the next one! Till next time!