Chapter Two
Gra-Tuke crouched low, keeping below the rise of the hill as he silently approached the crest. He had heard some unfamiliar noises coming from the other side and his instincts were telling him to be cautious. As the son of his tribe's shaman, Gra-Tuke had come to rely on his instincts as they were so rarely wrong.
Carefully, he reached the top of the hill; his movements barely perceptible in the still air. Peering over the crest with his axe carefully laid out next to him on top of its protective bag, he sought to discern the meaning of the strange noises. What he saw chilled him to the bone.
There were dozens of creatures around a roaring fire. They were short in stature, perhaps only as tall as his chest, but they bore such a cruel expression and temperament that their demonic origin was unmistakable. He shuddered at the sight, but what he saw next had the most impact.
There was one amongst the demons that was larger than the rest and wore a necklace of what could only be human finger-bones, something only a demon-shaman would wear. As Gra-Tuke watched in horror, the demon reached into the fire and tore something loose from a central part of the fire. As it proceeded to eat that which it had torn from the fire, Gra-Tuke came to the sudden realization that it was, in fact, a human body in the fire.
Anger and rage welling up from within, Gra-Tuke gripped his axe tighter. He was outnumbered by dozens, but his rage was rapidly outweighing his reason. In a single fluid motion, he leaped to his feet and charged over the top of the hill. Legs flashing faster and faster, he charged towards the demon enclave. As he approached the outskirts of the camp, the hill flattened out, but his feet did not touch the flat. He leaped into the air, axe poised to strike. He screamed out in rage and landed.
The axe cleaved the air in silent contrast to the screaming barbarian wielding it. Gra-Tuke barely noted the impact as the axe neatly sliced the demon-shaman's body in twain. The body of the shaman tumbled to the ground, half falling into the fire, and the other half collapsing to the floor, inert.
Gra-Tuke did not pause, did not hesitate. His blood boiled with the fire of rage and only the deaths of these fell beasts could sate it. He lurched to his left, chopping at one of the demons as it stared blankly at the dead shaman. His axe struck true, killing the demon nearly instantly.
The rest of the demons surrounding the encampment cried out to their own gods for deliverance from this terrible human creature that had appeared in their midst. They prayed and they ran for their lives, desperate to get out of the crazed barbarian's reach.
The demons scattered. But they were cruel and still filled with the blood-lust from their earlier kill.
Groguth, stopped his retreat and reconsidered. He had personally killed the other human earlier that day. He had drug the man screaming from his wagon. He was a great and terrible warrior amongst his kind. And, after all, it was only one human. He really wasn't all that big either. He spun around and charged the human's back, both claws gripping his spear tightly.
Gra-Tuke had just slain another of the demons with a short upward cut underneath its ribcage. He wrenched his axe free to seek out the next foe. His instincts screamed at him to move, to turn, and to do something. He spun around.
Groguth screamed a prayer to Rakanisu as he closed the last step to the human with the axe. With all of his strength, he charged the human's back, putting all of his weight and momentum into the blow that would surely skewer the man. Dimly, in the dark recesses of his mind, Groguth realized that he was the last of his clan still standing. He did not have time to reflect upon it as, amazingly, the human spun around to meet him.
Gra-Tuke spun, his arms and axe trailing behind the pivot of his hips and shoulders. He immediately realized that his spin was too late as the demon spear traced a line of fire across his side.
Groguth grinned evilly as his spear connected with the human's side. He had been aiming for its back, but the side was good too. His grin turned to shock as he plunged past the man and the man's axe spun so much faster than he thought possible.
Gra-Tuke used the momentum of his spin to drive the axe faster and faster until the axe head bit into the demon's back, sending a spray of ichor into the air. The demon stumbled, but righted itself, glancing back at Gra-Tuke with hatred in its eyes.
Groguth winced in pain as the human's axe clipped his shoulder. It hurt terribly and his left arm felt like it weighed as much as one of the human's wagons. He looked back and saw the human growing larger and closer. The spear fell to the ground as he tried to get away.
Gra-Tuke charged after the small demon. It seemed slower now. Perhaps his blow had truly injured it. Before he could take six steps, he was upon the beast, chopping it down and ending the battle at last.
Now that the battle was over, Gra-Tuke could tend to his wound. He searched the camp for anything useful and luck seemed to be with him on this day. He found a trio of small vials filled with some sort of red liquid. Using techniques taught to him by his father, the shaman, he sniffed the contents, took a small sample, and finally concluded that the sweet-smelling liquid, was indeed what he had hoped.
Eagerly, he drank down the contents of one of the vials. Instantly, he felt a rush of warmth run throughout his body. Quickly, the warmth concentrated itself in his side and he could feel the bizarre sensation of flesh mending under the influence of the potion he had consumed.
Gingerly, he tied the other two vials into the bottom of his leather shirt, wishing that he had taken one of the great belts that his father kept with his own axe. Shrugging, Gra-Tuke did not have the time required to head all the way back to his village. Instead, he jogged towards the monastery and the healer that his father had sent him to retrieve.
During his journey, he practiced swinging his axe in various different patterns, sure that his key to survival lay in the mastery of arms such as these. He had seen other demons and things indescribable on his journey. He did not engage them in battle as he felt that time was running out for his village and haste was needed. His pace quickened.
His eyes had not deceived him! There WAS a woman with a bow guarding the bridge. He approached cautiously, stealthily. She aimed her bow at him, apparently spotting him despite his attempts to conceal himself. He watched as the string tightened, drawn to the release point. He suddenly realized that he was too close to her to avoid the arrow aimed at his heart. He decided to try and talk his way out of this one. She did resemble one of the rogues that his father told him to seek out.
"Greetings, I am Gra-Tuke, Emissary of the Tribe of the Stunned Bear. I make my way to the monastery to seek the aid of the healer Akara." He stood taller as he spoke, his own words giving him courage and strength in purpose. He WAS the emissary of his tribe and he WAS on a desperate mission.
"You travel in vain, barbarian." Her voice was as cold steel, devoid of any emotion.
"No, I must reach the monastery and bring back the healer for my tribe. Please do not attempt to deter me from my appointed duty." He was careful to place just enough menace in his voice to let the woman know he would nt be turned away, but not enough to display open aggression.
She frowned, shaking her head. "No, young warrior, you do not understand. The Monastery is no longer home of the one you seek. She, and the few of us that remain have fled the accursed place. It has been overrun with demons and beasts most foul. To go there would be to walk into the arms of death."
Her words stunned the barbarian. If the healer was gone, then his tribe was lost. He had failed. Dread filled his heart and the grip on his axe began to slacken. His mind virtually ground to a halt. He was unable to think, he just stood there with a curiously foolish look of astonishment spread across his features.
"Don't look so distraught, young one." Gra-Tuke bristled at being called such and barely held his rage in check as she continued.
"I can take you to Akara and what's left of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye. We have a camp set up on the other side of the Blood Moor. Come on, I'll show you a path that will take us out of sight of the demon patrols."
With that, she relaxed her bow and trotted back towards the encampment she and her sisters had come to call home in recent weeks. Gra-Tuke fell into stride with her, his mind confused and full of doubt.
