I've been looking up a lot of Norse Mythology stuff lately. It has been giving me a lot of inspiration
Chapter 4 – The Princess, The Elf, The Demon and The Wanderer Part 4
There was screaming, yelling, and the sounds of swords clanging together. Koga opens the door slightly. He was breathing heavily as he watched groups of people board the boat he was on. Koga saw right before him as someone slashed in the chest. Blood splattered on the wooden surface. The person who cut the individual laid his wild demon-like eyes on Koga and walked towards him, raising his sword in the air. Koga snapped his eyes open, and the first thing he saw back was one of the Orders of the sword goons ready to stab Koga in the chest. Koga catches the blade between his hands, snaps it into pieces, and then kicks the goon off the bed, sending him crashing into the wooden wardrobe. The other goon rushed to Koga with his sword raised into the air. Koga rolled across the bed and out of the way, dodging just in time as the order assailant slashed his sword downward. The Goon runs across the bed, chasing Koga. He swung his sword at him, but Koga was too quick, and he dodged each incoming swing. The Goon thrusts his sword forward, and Koga moves out of the way, causing the Goon to stab his sword into the wall.
"How unfortunate," said Koga, punching the Goon in the face and knocking him back. Koga yanks the sword out of the wall, swings, and slices the Goon's head off. Blood spurting out of the decapitated body.
"NO, YOU KILLED MIKE!" The other Goon cried. Koga would then chuck the sword at the Goon, which pierced his heart. The Goon gasped, and he fell back.
"Goddamn Order of the Sword," said Koga staring at them. His eyes then widened. "OH, NO! BEAN!" Koga rushed out of his room and headed into the trio's room. The room was, of course, empty. This made Koga worried for a moment, but he then noticed that there wasn't any sign of a struggle. Then it dawned on him. He heads back into his room and sees that Bean's sword that he took from her is gone, along with other items. "You gotta be kidding me..." He groaned, rubbing his head.
Barbara came walking down the hallway after hearing the noise while gripping a small Ax. Once Barbara arrived outside of Koga's room, she gasped. "Oh my goodness!"
Koga turned around. "Sorry about the mess." He said, rubbing through his long black hair.
"Koga dear, are you ok?" Barbara asked, setting down the axe and checking on him.
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine," said Koga as Barbara checked his face for bruises.
Once she saw that Koga was ok, she looked down at the bodies. "Who on earth are these people?" She asked as she lifted her foot to see she was stepping in a pool of blood. Koga would explain the events that transpired before arriving in Southwold. He did not mention the job he was hired to do involving bringing Bean back to Dreamland.
Barbara just shook her head. "I knew you'd run into some sort of trouble like this, Koga," She said in an I told you so sort of tone.
"Hey, who wouldn't want to piss off a bunch of corrupt jackasses while having the skills to back it up," Koga said as he dressed in his travelling attire.
Barbara sighed. "Well, I'll go ahead and clean this mess up. Seriously, Koga, did you have to go and lop off the bloke's head? Look at all of this blood!" She asked as she picked up the body and threw it over her shoulder.
"It was a force of habit," said Koga grabbing his shortsword and greatsword. "I'll be back, Barbara,"
"Please be safe, Koga,"
"Always am,"
And with that, Koga had left the bar and Inn and stepped outside. He noticed that the horse was gone.
"DAMN IT! THEY TAKE THE HORSE!"
...
The trio rode on the horse down the dirt trail. Bean had no idea where she, Elfo, and Luci would go. All that mattered was that she had more reliable transportation than just walking for miles and miles. They had food and a weapon just in case they were to run into trouble. Bean, however, was going to miss Southwold. Those first impressions were pleasant for her. But for now, she had to keep moving.
"It sucks we had to leave Koga and that nice town behind," said Elfo, already missing Southwold.
"I know. But we had to," said Bean. "But we would've been back to dreamland the next morning."
"So, any idea of where we go now?" Elfo asked
"No idea," said Bean, honestly.
"Running off without a plan, huh? That sounds like it'll go well," Luci said, sitting on the back of the horse, smoking a cigarette.
Bean knew Luci was right, but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was her freedom. Her freedom to do what she wanted without being tied down by some prince she didn't love. Bean was not going to let that happen. She was determined to keep running as long as she could. As those thoughts went through her head Bean heard the horse she was riding let out a sharp cry, and it tipped over, sending the three of them sliding across the ground. Bean groans as she gets to her feet and turns around. An arrow was logged into the horse's thigh. She looks up from the horse to see Noland and two of his goons trotting on their horses over to Bean, Elfo, and Luci.
"We meet again, Princess Tiabeanie," said Noland as he got off his horse. "Hopefully for the last time..." Bean glared as she drew her sword, pointing it at Noland. "Whoa, whoa, hold it, little princess. We're not here to fight you. I see that you left that fool, Koga, behind. Which was a good move," he smiled. "The only reason we're following you is that we're not sure if he gave you the Dragon Key or not,"
"Well, we don't have that stupid key!" Bean shouted at Noland. "And if we did have it, I'd give it to you! I don't care about what secrets it has or whatever power it hides! I want to be left alone!"
Noland chuckled. "Good," He nods approvingly. "So you don't mind if we search your bag just in case?"
Bean scoffs. "Whatever..." She walks over to where her bag is and picks it up. She turns around and tosses the bag to Noland, and he catches it. Noland opened the bag, and his eyes widened. "You don't care, eh?" said Noland, as he dug into the bag and pulled out the red and black scaled Dragon key.
Bean and Elfo gasped. "W-What the heck?" She blurted out, confused.
"Oooh...I must've grabbed it while taking Koga's stuff...my bad," said Luci. He looked over at Bean and Elfo as the two glared at him. "What? I said my bad!"
"Yeah, whatever. Can we go now?" Bean asked irritably.
Noland began rubbing his chin while staring at Bean, thinking. "Princess...aren't you to be married?"
Bean's heart stopped, and she gulped. "What're you talking about?" She asked, trying to play dumb. But the sudden shock and hesitation in her deliverance gave it away.
"That's right. You were meant to be married to the Prince of Bentwood. And from what I've heard, you ran off. Koga was sent after you to be taken back to Dreamland."
Bean held her sword tightly, and she raised it back up. Noland smirked. "I'm sure we'll be rewarded greatly once we take you back home. On top of that...we might even be a part of Dreamlands army with our skill."
Just when Bean thought she was free...someone was trying to take her back to Dreamland...AGAIN
"Now come along nicely, princess," said Noland with a big grin.
"NO!" Bean screamed from the top of her lungs as she charged forward and swung her sword at Noland. Noland drops the Dragon key and blocks her attack with ease. Bean continues to attack Noland relentlessly. The two other goons tried to restrain Bean, but Elfo and Luci stepped in. Elfo takes out his small pocket knife and stabs at the Goon's legs, causing him to scream in pain. Luci wrapped his tail around the other Goon's legs, causing him to trip and hit his head against a tree, knocking him out cold. Bean and Noland continued their fight. Bean was putting a lot of pressure on Noland. Noland had underestimated Bean's ferocious battle style. Bean gave one good swing to Noland, Noland blocked, but the force knocked him back and caused him to fall over. Bean rushes over to finish him off with a strike to the chest, but Noland takes a dagger from his waist and tosses it at Bean, going straight into her shoulder.
Bean gasps and places her hand around her shoulder where the knife is sticking out, and she trips and falls over. Elfo gasped and rushed to Bean's aid but was given a rough kick to the face, knocking him back. Luci jumped in but was grabbed by his head and slammed into a tree before being chucked aside.
"ELFO! LUCI!" Bean called out in shock. She then glares up at Noland, "YOU BASTARD! SCREW YOU!"
"This never would've happened if you'd come quietly!" Noland said, glaring down at Bean. "Now get the hell up and- " Noland stopped talking as he looked up from Bean and stared forward. One of his goons was struck in the chest and fell to the ground. Bean turned her head and saw Koga slowly walking forward with a sword in hand. "Of course..." Noland said tiredly.
Koga looked over at Bean, seeing the stab wound in her shoulder. Koga saw Elfo and Luci both laid out on the ground. Koga sighed and rubbed his head. "Jeez, Bean, you are a damsel in distress, huh?" He asked, placing his eyes back on Bean. Bean just glared and put her hand around the handle of the knife. "Don't pull it out. It'll just make the bleeding worse," Koga told her.
"Koga," said Noland. "You can have this princess and claim your reward. Just don't get in my way when I return that key to headquarters."
Koga looks at the ground, seeing the Dragon key. He reaches down and picks it up. Koga smirked. "Nah, I think I'll keep it," He said, grinning confidently at Noland.
A vein appeared on Noland's head. "And just what in the hell will you do with that? You don't even want it!" He said frustratingly as he pointed at Koga.
"Nope, I don't," Koga replied calmly, "But I'm just not going to hand it over to you so casually. You have to earn it. I am the one who found it, after all."
"No, it wasn't you liar, it was me!" Luci called out.
"Well, I was the one that picked it up...so it was me," Bean chimed in.
"Guys, my face hurts..." said Elfo, rubbing it softly and cringing every time he touched it.
"ENOUGH!" Noland bellowed. His voice echoed in the forest around them. He points his sword at Koga. "You get what you asked for. I've wanted to do this since you joined the Order."
Koga pockets the key and holds his sword out to Noland. The two kept eye contact as they slowly walked forward with their swords. Sweat was running down Noland's head as everything was in slow motion from his point of view. Unlike Bean, Noland was highly cautious of Koga. He hated Koga, but he knew he was skilled. He knew how ferocious he could be. Koga's green eyes were piercing through Noland as Koga got closer. Noland rushed forward and swung his sword. Before Noland knew it, his sword was knocked right out of his hand and flew into the air. Koga had parried Noland's slash in seconds. Koga lunged forward, and Noland's eyes widened. Suddenly, Noland was in the air, and he was spinning. He lands on the ground with a thud...but Noland sees his body above him. But his body had no head. Noland's vision quickly went black as his body lifelessly slumped. "Goodbye, Noland," said Koga as he slung the blood off his sword and used his sleeve to wipe the rest away. Koga places his eyes on Bean. "You're welcome." He said with a smile. Bean scoffs and turns her gaze away from Koga.
"I'll take that as a thank you," Koga replied as he sheathed his sword, went over to Bean, and kneeled. "Damn, he got you good,"
"Can I pull this out now?" Bean asked, wincing as she tried moving her arm.
"Um, no? unless you want to die from blood loss," said Koga, as he bonked Bean on the head
"OW, WHAT THE HECK?!" shouted Bean, glaring at Koga.
"THAT WAS FOR STEALING MY STUFF!" Koga shouted back.
"THAT WAS LUCI!" Bean pointed at Luci.
"Aww, Snitch!" Luci groaned.
Koga stood up and kicked Luci in the face, sending him into a green bush. Once all that was done, Bean was placed on the horse that belonged to one of the goons. She winces a bit. "Hey, Easy!" she yelled at Koga.
"Oh, Sorry, I'll be more gentle next time. Oh, beautiful fragile princess," Koga mocked with a grin.
"Oh, you're just asking to be punched in the face," Bean growled.
Koga chuckled playfully as he went to pick up Elfo. "Damn, they got you good, too," He said as he stared at the right side of Elfo's face, which was swollen. It was black and blue.
"Is it that bad?" Elfo asked curiously.
"Oh no, you look cute as ever!" said Koga, lying, of course, but he wouldn't tell Elfo how he looked.
With Bean, Luci, and Elfo all ready to go. The group would return to Southwold.
...
Once the group had arrived back in Southwold and returned to the Inn. Still awake and worrying sick about Koga, Barbara was thrilled to know he had returned. She gasped when she saw Bean with a dagger on her shoulder.
"Oh my goodness, deary!" Barbara rushes over and gently takes Bean's none injured shoulder. "Come, we'll have that taken care of right away!"
Everyone found themselves in Bean, Elfo, and Luci's room. They were watching as Barbara tended to Bean's shoulder. Koga was lying on a bed watching Bean with a grin. Bean noticed this, and she frowned at him. "What are you grinning at?" she said, annoyed. Koga stretches as she replies, "Just enjoying your karma is all," Bean lets out a yelp as Barbara applies the ointment to her wound. Bean began squirming in pain as she felt the sting. "OW OW, OW!" She cried.
Koga then started laughing, followed by Luci, who joined in. "Yeah, it is pretty funny, is it?" Luci smirked.
"Oh, stop it, you two, that's enough! It's not nice to make fun of an injured lady!" Barbara shoots a glare at the two. With that done, Barbara had finished tending to Bean's wounds. "I wouldn't move that arm too much, dear. That wound was pretty deep; any movement would reopen it."
"Thanks, Barbara," said Bean sincerely, smiling at her.
"And you, Elfy, just keep that bandage on and let the swelling go down," Barbara said to Elfo.
"Thank you!" said Elfo, his mouth muffled by the swollen mark on his face.
"No problem at all, sweethearts. Now try and get some rest." Barbara said as she patted Bean on the head softly. As she walks by Koga, he smacks him on the head. "OW! What was that for?!" He asked angrily. Barbara lets out a laugh. "Not so funny now, is it?" She said, glaring down at Koga as she exited the room.
Luci began laughing harder than ever. Koga punches Luci in the face, sending him flying into the wall. Luci slowly slid down the wall and landed face-first on the floor. "Ow..." He said softly. With that, Koga gets up from the bed, goes to the window seat, and looks out into the starry sky.
Bean looks at Koga. "Hey, why didn't you hand over that key, Noland?"
"Why would I?" Koga repeated with his green hood covering his eyes.
"Well?" said Bean. "Why? I mean, you said it yourself. You aren't going to use it."
Koga removed the hood from his eyes, and he stared out the window. The moonlight reflected on Koga's face as it lit up his bright green eyes. "Maybe nobody should ever need to bother creatures that don't want to be bothered. Or, humanity doesn't need more power-hungry fools to plague the world. Dragons don't want their home to be ruined or watch their loved ones be killed so that they could become trophies on some fool's wall..."
Bean looked at Koga, surprised. "Wow...I didn't take you for a guy who cared about majestic creatures..."
"Yeah, you look like the type of guy who would punch a deer for just looking at you wrong," said Luci
Koga scoffs. "Well...the more you know..." He placed the hood back over his face and crossed his arms.
Elfo also had a question "Hey...Koga?"
"Hm?" Koga groaned
"Is it true you were born on a mountain?"
Koga lifts his hood one more and looks over at the swollen-faced Elf. Elfo gulps. "I uhh, Barbara told us that some swordsmen went to kill a troll, and they found you on the mountain and stuff! I just wanted to get to know you more, is all!"
Koga shrugs. I don't have a good memory of my childhood. I don't know if any memories I have are real or not. My only memories are with the leader of local swordsmen who reside here and Barbra," Koga paused momentarily. "That's all I can think of." Koga placed the hood back over his head, and he crossed his arms once more. The trio would all turn in for tonight to try and get some rest. Bean wondered what would happen to her now. With her arm currently injured, she couldn't protect herself. Bean sighed as she placed her non-wounded arm across her face, covering her eyes. What was she going to do now? Would she have to give in and accept that she was going back home? It seems as though that would be the case.
Bean struggled to fall asleep that night...
...
Back at the forest where Noland had cut off Bean. One of the goons that Luci knocked out regained consciousness. He let out a small groan as he held his head. He stumbles as he gets to his feet and then looks around the area. Noland's decapitated head was the first thing he saw lying on the ground. "Captain Noland!" He gasped. "Lords above! This is terrible! I-I have to go back to base! Captain Nolan, your death will not be in vain!" The Goon would then head off, running as fast as possible to head back to the Order of the Swords stronghold.