RIP Fennton Gygax

Part 2

Reginald slowly opened his eyes. He felt as if his head had been kicked by a horse, and he didn’t quite remember what happened. His vision slowly came into focus. He was hanging off of something, with his hands bound tightly over his head. He blinked a few times, and tried to free his hands. He couldn’t budge the knot keeping them tied together. He let out a solemn sigh, and dropped his head. Small tears beaded in his pudgy eyes. Then he heard a commotion. A scream, and the sound of someone getting beat echoed off of the dark walls. Reginald looked up, and saw that he was in a dark cave-like room. Perhaps a cellar. He didn’t quite know. There was a dim blue light coming from a small tunnel. There was nothing inside the room. The commotion quieted down, and the only sound that filled the air was the slow drip of water echoing off the walls.

Makino Roka stood by the burned husk of the jeweler’s wagon. She looked the scene over carefully. It had been only a few hours since Reginald Forrester disappeared. His son, Aldren Forrester had alerted the authorities when his father failed to return home that evening. Makino Roka, who insisted on simply being called Roka, was then hired by the guard to track down Mr. Forrester and bring him home. She had been a professional tracker for many years, and usually bounced from town to town within Vornair. She had been in this particular town for a few months, and already managed to make a name for herself in the tracking world. She was a rough sort of girl, and she carried a long katana as her main weapon. She wore extremely light armor when out in the field, as bandits were a constant problem for wanderers such as herself.

The town’s guard were not particularly adept at tracking down lost people, and often delegated such tasks to Bounty Hunters. Roka never associated herself with that group of professionals, but that was what she did for a living. As she stood there, looking at the scene, she noticed a slick spot on the road, where one of the bandits had spilled some oil. This told her how the fire had started, but not where Reginald was. Further inspection revealed some hastily covered tracks. Her keen eye followed the footprints into the brush, and she began tracking. She soon found horse prints, so she got on her own horse and slowly followed the trail. It looked as if there were four or five horses by the amount of prints, and she wondered if Mr. Forrester had been abducted by a gang of highwaymen. She pressed on, with a bit more speed just in case.

Maxwell Stonehauler coughed a blob of red mucus up onto the floor. His left eye was swollen over, and he could barely glare at Celar Dux as the bandit leader hit him with a swift right hook.

“Where is the stone, Max?” Celar asked with a sneering intonation. “I know you told the fat man about it. I know you found something marvelous. Tell me where you hid it.”

“I won’t… Tell you anything…” Maxwell breathed heavily. The words barely left his dry, cracked lips. The miner was a hardy man, and in much better shape than Reginald, but he had been bound and beaten badly. He was barely conscious as Celar tried to pry the information out of him.

“Max, come on. You’re making me angry. I don’t like beating you, you know. If you just tell me where it is, we’ll let you go, and be on our merry way.” Celar spoke in a soft, calm voice, but punctuated the sentence with a hard elbow jab to Max’s rib cage. The pain was intense, and Max gasped as the air left his lungs. He did not reply.

“Aegon, go check on the fat man. We’ll see if he knows anything.” Celar commanded. Aegon then left the room and went into the back where Reginald was hanging. Reginald had been sitting quietly, listening to the bandits beat poor Maxwell senseless. When he heard Aegon’s footsteps coming down the hall, he began to shake uncontrollably.

“Hey! Fat man! Where’s the stone Max found?” Aegon held a dagger in his left hand and stood in the entrance to the room. Reginald could only see his outline as the light shadowed him from full view.

“Please! No! Don’t hurt me!” pleaded Reginald, still shaking uncontrollably. He then voided himself in fear. Aegon sniffed the air and grimaced.

“Did you just…?” He said as he backed out of the room with a disgusted look on his face. Reginald wept and cried as he thought his life was going to end. Aegon simply left and returned to the other Bandits.

“The Fat Man just shat himself. I’m not dealing with him. Ehart, you go talk to him.” Aegon looked at Ehart, who then looked back and shook his head.

“Hell no, I’m not dealing with a guy who can’t even hold his bowels.” Ehart snarled at Aegon.

“Enough! Both of you. We need to location of the gem. Someone has to get it out of either of these idiots. Now, Ehart will stay here and watch Max. Aegon, you’ll come with me and we’ll talk some sense into the fat bastard. He’ll tell us where the gem is.” Celar grabbed Aegon by the shoulder and marched back into the cellar where Reginald was.

Roka had traveled up the road, and around the bend. The horse tracks got tougher to locate once the trail lead off the main path. She continued on though. Her reputation was at stake. She was, after all, considered to be one of the best Bounty Hunters in this area of Vornair. She followed the clues left behind by the fleeing horses. Broken branches, indentations in the ground, and small hairs left snagged on rocks and plant limbs. She got off her own horse, and lead him through the small game trail. After a while, she came upon the horses. They were tied off by a wooden door in the ground. Roka kept her distance. She did not know what might be hiding nearby. She surveyed the scene for several minutes, before tying her horse off to a nearby tree, and quietly making her way toward the door.

The four horses tied nearby took no notice of her, and they gave no indication of anything being amiss, so Roka went to the door and listened. She didn’t hear anything in the quiet of the mid-afternoon. She tugged on the door handle, and the cellar door slowly cracked open. Then she heard the terrified screams of someone within. She grabbed a dagger from her belt, and slipped into the darkness, prepared to fight. As her feet hit the first steps, her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light. She quietly made her way down the hall toward the screaming. As Roka approached the first doorway, she peeked inside. She saw A bandit overlooking a prisoner. It wasn’t Reginald Forrester. The screams continued. Roka knew there was at least one more prisoner down here. She stepped into the room where Maxwell and Ehart were. Ehart was leaning against a wooden support beam looking at Maxwell with a disgusted look on his face. Maxwell was slumped over, with his head hanging down and arms bound over his head. Roka didn’t know if he was alive or not, but she was not about to let the Bandit beat the man any further. She gripped her dagger tightly, and with a few silent steps made her way to Ehart.

A hand cupped over his mouth, and a sharp searing pain entered his rib cage. Ehart couldn’t scream, and his lungs quickly filled with blood. As he was slowly laid on the floor, he looked up, and saw the beautiful eyes of a young female. He thought he was entering a dream as his vision faded to black…

To be continued...

I am really enjoying the story so far. Thank you.

Well done!

I am glad you guys are enjoying the story! Lets see what happens to Reginald in part 3 tomorrow!

Part 3

Celar Dux and Aegon Dymos were standing right in front of Reginald. They were sneering at him, as they berated him for voiding his bowels. Reginald whimpered, and replied weakly to the taunts, begging them to not harm him any further.

“You want us to stop? Then tell us about the gem.” Celar said in a cold tone. Reginald looked up at Celar.

“Al--Alright… You’ll let me go if I tell you what I know?” Reginald said. Celar simply nodded at him, expecting Reginald to continue. “Maxwell… He found a diamond as large as a brick. He didn’t tell me where it was though! He simply said he wanted to show me! That’s all I know! Don’t hurt me!”

“Bull Reggie… Bull. I know he told you where it was, and that you were both on your way to see it. Where is it?” Celar swung a closed fist at Reginald’s face, and connected a hard blow to his cheek. Reginald screamed in pain, and began to tell Celar everything that he and Maxwell talked about regarding the diamond.

Roka set the body of Ehart Fitz quietly on the ground and then went over to Maxwell. He was unconscious. She cut him free of the bindings, and laid him flat on the floor. He looked to be in bad shape. Then she heard a scream from down the hallway. She quickly made her way to the hall again and peered out. She could see a room further down the hall. Quietly she approached. She looked into the dark room, and her eyes began to adjust. There were three men inside the room. One was tied to the wall. She couldn’t tell if it was Reginald Forrester or not. As she watched one of the men strike the prisoner, she snuck into the room. The darkness made it easy for her to hide, and the screams of the man covered her footsteps.

Aegon looked over his shoulder as he thought he heard something, but shrugged as he didn’t see anything. He turned back to watch Celar remove a knife from his belt and hold it up to Reginald.

“You did great Reggie. We’re going to make sure you don’t tattle on us though. Open your mouth!” Celar reached over and violently pulled Reginald’s tongue out. He then swiftly cut the tongue off. Reginald screamed in agony as blood spurted from the wound. Celar threw the tongue on the ground and stomped on it. At this moment, Roka leapt from the shadows wielding her Katana. She slashed out at Aegon, who was unprepared for the attack. He fell over as her sword ripped a gash in his back. Celar snarled as Aegon fell, and drew his short sword. He lunged at Roka and the two began to duel.

Roka was fast, and managed to block and parry Celar’s attacks. Celar thrust and cut at Roka, trying to break through her defenses. He was violent, tenacious, and trained. This kept Roka from being able to attack. Several seconds past, and Roka saw an opening. She feinted left, and then brought the blade twisting up. Celar caught the feint at the last second, and backed off a millimeter. The tip of Roka’s sharp katana cut the bandit through his shirt and left a large bloody line on his chest. Celar backed up more and then, in an instant, made a dash for the exit. Roka went to follow, but stopped as Reginald groaned. She went over to him. Reginald couldn’t speak. Celar had cut his entire tongue out from the base. Roka knew he needed a doctor as soon as possible, but she couldn’t get Maxwell and Reginald back to town alone. She cut Reginald down, and told him to come with her. He limped behind Roka as they made their way back to Maxwell. Meanwhile, Aegon lay on the cellar floor, still breathing.

When they made it to Maxwell, Roka was relieved to see he was awake. She asked him to get up, and he did so with great difficulty. She motioned for them both to follow her out. They slowly, and carefully made their way toward the door. Roka kept her sword ready, anticipating a surprise attack from Celar. He had long fled though, as the door to the cellar was wide open. Roka helped the two injured men up the small stairway and out into the evening. The sun had just set, and the cool night air was still. Two horses were still tied up at the cellar door, and Roka still had hers. She was glad that in his haste to escape, Celar did not cut the horses free.

Roka assisted Reginald and Maxwell onto their horses, and helped guide them over to where she hid hers. She kept a close eye on the injured men as they sat on the horses, barely able to stay upright. She tied the two horses together with a lead rope, and then secured the rope to her horse. Roka then hopped on her horse, and began move slowly back toward town. She had rescued Reginald and a bonus prisoner. Now she would return and get her reward. Roka hoped this success would add more fame to her reputation within the Kingdom of Vornair. She was bothered though, that Celar escaped. She wondered if she would ever cross paths with the bandit leader again.

Aegon groand. His back was on fire, and warm sticky blood had gathered and began to dry in a small pool under him. He opened his eyes and looked around. Reginald was gone, and so was the person who attacked him.

“Celar? Ehart!?” Aegon called, but no one answered. He slowly got up, and hobbled out of the cellar. He sat down on a crate and began searching for some bandages to wrap around his torso. His back wasn’t bleeding that bad, and he thought the wound couldn’t be so severe. As he wrapped his body in shreds from an old tunic, he wondered who it was who attacked them, if they killed Celar and Ehart, and where Reginald went. Then he saw a leg sticking out from behind the wall support. He got up and limped over to see the dead body of Ehart.

“Damn it..” He muttered as he knelt down and closed Eharts lifeless eyes. He then sat on a nearby crate, taking some time to gather his thoughts before he would leave the cellar hide-out.

Celar Dux raced through the woods on his horse. Who ever had found their hide-out would no doubt be chasing him. His thoughts turned to Aegon and Ehart. He hoped they would be alright. He thought about turning back to save his friends several times, but the thought of facing off against that woman angered him. She was well trained. He couldn’t break her defense. She was a girl on top of all that. He was enraged. He cast the thoughts out of his head, and focused on the road ahead. He did not know where he was going, but he needed to get out of the county as fast as possible. He may even have to flee Vornair all together. He didn’t want to leave his friends behind, but if he was caught, he’d be executed for sure. Celar Dux was a career criminal, and one of the best bandits in Vornair. He was not going to be executed.

To be continued…?

If you guys liked the story so far, I can continue! Otherwise this is the stopping point. (There may be more to this story than this though!) :D

Great story. I don't usually read any of the fan fiction posted on site, but the title drew it into my sphere of interest. :)

That makes me happy to hear malhavoc! I'm glad to have enticed you enough to bring you into the story!

If anyone has a desire to hear more of this particular one, let me know!

I would love to read more if you have more to put out!

I may have more to put out :). I can't say when, but keep an eye out for the thread! Celar needs to be brought to justice right? And Reginald may have some revenge to have? Who knows!

Night Raid: Chapter 2.

Part 1

Gary Bolan lead his herd of cows across the dirt path. It was a warm late summer day, and the sky was clear. He looked up as the last of his cows crossed the path, and saw a plume of dust rising further down the road. He moved to the side, and watched his cows graze in the adjacent grassy field. He was interested in the commotion coming his way, so he hung around the side of the road. As the plume grew larger, Gary began to wonder what was going on. A group of soldiers, lead by two men on an Ursaphant rode up. The large pachyderm slowed to a halt in front of Gary. He stood, with his jaw agape, looking up at the beast. He had never expected Royal Soldiers out in the frontier. One of the men on the Ursaphant climbed down and stood in front of Gary.

“You there, Herdsmen! Have you seen this man?” The soldier held up a drawing of a criminal. The man did not look familiar to Gary.

“‘Fraid not. Not many folk out this way.” Gary drawled out to the crisp looking soldier. The soldier nodded, and in a slight huff, climbed back up the large mount and headed out. The six or so horse mounted soldiers dashed after the large Ursaphant, and soon the whole group was a small plume of dust on the horizon. Gary looked on for a moment. He wondered what that man did to get such a group after him.

Aegon Dymos laid under an oak tree. A clear blue stream ran nearby. He smiled to himself as he chewed a piece of long grass. His back was now fully healed, and he had been traveling a long way on foot. Several months had passed since the beginning of the summer, and his group’s failed night raid on the jeweler. He had managed to limp into a small hamlet near the old hide-out, where a kind old woman helped him recover. He told her he had been a hunter, and that he was attacked and robbed by highwaymen. The old fool believed him, and nurtured him back to health. He decided not to rob and kill her though. She sent him away with a pack full of food and a small pouch of coins. It had been enough to get him well out of the Jeweler’s County. He hadn’t run into further trouble since. Sometimes though, he wondered about the person who injured him.

Aegon sat up and got his pack. He secured his dagger to his belt, drew his cloak about him, and put the pack on. It was time to move on. He had planned to go to the border, and see if he could sneak into the neighboring Kingdom. He did not want to risk being caught in Vornair. As he walked down the road he kept a sharp eye out for Royal patrols and other threats. It had been almost two full weeks since he had seen any Royal Soldiers, but he did not let his guard down. It would only take one slip, and he’d be hung from the gallows, set in the guillotine, or worse. He walked, constantly looking over his shoulder. He would think about Ehart from time to time, and regretted not being able to bury his friend properly. Then he would think about Celar, and how their old leader had left them both to die. He felt betrayed, and swore that he’d kill Celar if he ever saw him again.

The road took a sharp turn from the sparsely forested area Aegon had been walking through. It opened up into a vast grassland. Small yellow flowers dotted the sea of green, and gently rolling hills gave way to a vast expanse of mountain, far on the horizon. Aegon looked across the plains, and couldn’t see any settlements. It would be a long walk, so he set in, and got a stride going. The sun was beating down on the fields, and the large amount of grass made the area hot and humid. It was mid afternoon, and the air was still. Aegon grumbled as he began to sweat profusely. This area was a nightmare to walk through at this time of day. As the sun got lower in the sky though, the air began to move, and a slight breeze picked up. It cooled Aegon off as he walked. By now, Aegon had managed to find a settlement down the road. A small puff of white smoke was all that betrayed the presence of a village or town. Evening was setting in. He headed straight for the smoke in hopes of finding a hot meal and a warm bed.

Celar Dux cackled as he slammed the cards down on the table. The three men gathered around, sighed and grumbled as they pushed their coins toward him. Celar scooped the pot up and dropped the coins into his coin purse. He sneered wiley at the three men.

“You’re one lucky son of a bitch, Alfred.” Said one of them to Celar. Celar looked the three of them over and shook his head.

“I’m just good at cards.” He retorted.

“A little to good.” Replied another man, who glared suspiciously at Celar.

“I’ll be heading out now, Gents. I’ve got business to take care of.” Celar pushed himself away from the table, and left the tavern. As he did so, the three men huddled together and began whispering. Celar was already out of the tavern and down the street when the three men started to follow him. He had been drinking a bit, and was slightly buzzed from the alcohol, but he was stable on his feet. The men followed him into an alleyway, and then through a deserted street. Celar finally noticed them. He stopped and turned around.

“Eh, what do you guys want? I already told you, I’ve got business.” Celar looked at the three. They stood with their arms crossed, looking at him disdainfully. They slowly approached, but Celar kept his ground, definate of their intimidation.

“You robbed us, Alfred. We know you cheated in that game. We want our money back.” The leader said. Celar raised a brow.

“I didn’t cheat. You fools are just bad at cards!” Celar said. One of the men stepped forward and jabbed Celar in the gut with a quick right. The other men then jumped to action, kicking and punching Celar. Celar fought back through the gasps for air. He swung and kicked. He managed to connect a hard left to a jaw, but was quickly overtaken by the brute force of the three combined. He fell to the ground and was repeatedly kicked and stomped, before his coin purse was cut and the three men ran quickly from the scene.

Celar got up and brushed himself off. He wiped the blood from his nose and lip and sighed. He spat on the ground and turned for the inn he was staying at. He could not wait to be out of Vornair.

To be continued...

Part 2

Celar plopped down on the rented bed. He sighed and blinked his good eye several times. After a few moments, he reached under his mattress and removed a small wooden box. Upon opening the box, he gazed upon a glittering blue sapphire of exquisite quality. The gem was uncut, but it still sparkled unlike any rough gem Celar had ever seen. He was glad he decided to risk capture in order to grab this beauty from the spot Maxwell Stonehauler said it was. Celar looked upon the blue gem in admiration. He wondered how much it would sell for in foreign lands.

He quickly put the stone back in the small box and stuffed it under the mattress again. His thoughts turned to Aegon and Ekhart. He missed his old friends, and wished he could have the old gang back together. If it that were possible, he’d have his revenge on the bastards that beat him up and took his winnings earlier in the night. He laid back on the bed, and looked up at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts until sleep took hold of him.

Celar heard a scratching at the door. It was late, and everything was still. It sounded almost as if a creature was trying to scratch its way in. Celar rubbed his eyes and grabbed a small dagger from his pile of clothing on the floor. He crept silently over to the door and listened. There was a heavy wheezing and then another scratch. It was a light sound. Celar didn’t even know why such a sound woke him up. He slowly pulled the latch down, and let the door swing out. A gnarled old hand reached into the dark room, illuminated only by the full moon. Long yellow fingernails pointed into the darkness of the room. Celar looked at the hand from his position on the right of the entrance. He grimaced as a foul stench wafted into the air. He choked, and this slight noise made the hand withdraw quickly back. Celar was terrified, and he couldn’t think of why. Another moment passed, and a dark hunched over form entered the room all at once. Long white hair billowed behind it. Celar gasped, as the hag turned and looked at him with dark eyes. She grinned a toothless smile

“Wha--What do you want?” Celar choked between his fear and the horrid smell.

“You have something valuable. I will trade you for it.” The hag wheezed. Celar was terrified. The feeling this old hag gave off was truly something he had never felt before. The dagger was pointed at her, but he was shaking. He dropped the weapon with a clatter on the floor.

“What are you talking about?” He chanced a look at the mattress where the sapphire was hidden.

“The sapphire. I will trade you the secret of immortality for it.” The hag coughed, and Celar tilted his head. Immortality was an enticing thought.

“Why? Why would you trade such a valuable secret for a mere gem?”

“It is of no concern to you. Do you want to trade or not?” The hag looked at Celar, and his blood ran cold. He felt that he could not resist both the temptation of immortality, and the fear of saying no to the hag.

“What is the secret? I will trade.” Celar sighed. He was scared, but intrigued. What could make someone immortal?

“You will need to go to the Astral Plane. There, a spirit will tell you how to become immortal.” Celar’s eyes widened. The hag pointed a boney finger at him. Celar screamed as something shot from the wenches finger and into his chest. He collapsed on the floor, lifeless.

Everything felt wrong. He could not feel the weight of himself. He felt disconnected from the world, but something pulled at him. Celar opened his eyes. Everything was shimmering. The sky was different. He was in some sort of woods. The trees were the wrong color, and there was a persistent sparkling to the world. He noticed something on his chest. A thin silver chain. It was connected to him, but ran from his body into the woods. He pulled the chain toward him, but there wasn’t much slack. He began to walk in the direction the chain was going. As he did so, it retracted into his body, never leaving any slack behind. He walked for awhile, following the chain and wondering where he was. He couldn’t quite remember how he got here. All he remembered was falling asleep in the inn’s room. He soon began to realize where he was. He was on the road leading to the plains the town was in. He rubbed his head, but his hand made no connection with the ethereal spirit-body he had. It finally dawned on him. Celar Dux was dead. He was walking in the Astral Plane. He suddenly remembered the events of last night. The hag had promised him immortality! He began to move faster. He followed the chain, thinking it would take him to the spirit.

He was correct. As soon as Celar emerged from the edge of the woods and onto the plains, a soul was waiting for him. Its shimmering amorphous form glimmered before him. A voice echoed from it.

“Celar Dux. You have committed great and terrible crimes against your fellow Mann. Robbery, abduction, torture and murder. You have sent many souls to the Astral Plane. This is your key to immortality.” The voice was hollow and wispy. Celar watched as a small leather box, no bigger than the one he hid the sapphire in, levitated toward him.

“What’s this?” Celar asked the spirit.

“You will know in time, Celar Dux. Immortality is within your grasp. Now, follow the chain of fate back to your material self before it is too late.” The spirit vanished. Celar rushed forward, following the chain. He was afraid to find out what “Too late” meant. Soon he was at the inn where his body was. It lay to the right of the open door to his room. His eyes were open and blank. Celar knew the stare of a dead man, so he quickly tugged on the chain. He felt a great pressure and squeezing sensation, then it all went black.

To be continued...

Part 3

Gary Bolan rubbed his eyes as he got up out of bed. It was late, and something had startled his cattle. He grabbed a torch off the wall and headed outside. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness. The cattle were milling about the pen. They looked nervous, so Gary walked around the fence, checking for signs of predators. He had a club at his hip, just in case he ran into a lone coyote or fox. He felt a sudden burst of pain, as a silver sword tip emerged from his stomach. He dropped the torch and slowly fell to his knees, gripping the blade’s tip. He never saw who stabbed him. He died before he fell to the ground. Aegon removed the blade from the farmer’s gut and wiped the blood off on the grass nearby. He rifled through the farmer’s pockets and took the keys to his house. He then proceeded to enter the dead man’s home.

As Aegon entered the house, he began to look around. He smiled as it was clear the farmer had no family inside. He sat on a kitchen chair and ate some bread that was on the table. He thought about Celar’s betrayal. As he wandered through scenarios revolving around Celar’s future death, he noticed a drawing on the table. He slid the parchment over toward him and saw Celar’s face staring back at him. The page read:

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE KINGDOM Reward of 1,000 gold for the capture of this man. 500 gold for the corpse. 100 gold to anyone with information leading up to his arrest. He is considered armed and extremely dangerous!

Aegon chuckled as he folded the page up and slipped it into his pocket. He might be able to make some gold in all of this. Celar’s death was only getting better and better. He got up from the chair and made his way to the counter. The room was dark, and only lit by the light of the full moon. He fumbled around before finally finding a pitcher. He gave it a sniff and found it to be beer, so he poured himself a cup and drank heartily. In the morning, he’d continue into town and try to find Celar Dux.

Meanwhile, back in the County, Reginald Forrester sat on his proch, angrily glaring off into the night. He was still recovering from his time in the cellar. Reginald had suffered greatly at the hands of Celar and his gang. His status as the Kingdom’s finest jeweler was on the line. He needed to craft more, but his motivation was solely on finding Celar Dux and making him pay. His son, James Forrester had been gone for several weeks, in search of Celar and Aegon Dymos. James had swore to his father that he would bring the criminals to justice. The Bounty Hunter, Roka, had also accompanied him. Reginald had not heard from either of them since they departed.

The portly craftsmen leaned back and grumbled. His house was a mess, and his shop had been closed most of the summer now. He would occasionally meet up with Maxwell Stonehauler to discuss plans for exacting revenge on Celar. That was the only thing he could think about most of the time. He spat into the darkness and closed his eyes. When he was healed, he would meet up with his son, and they would track Celar together and bring the fool to justice.

To be continued...

Night Raid: Chapter 3.

Part 1

James Forrester walked alongside the female Bounty Hunter. She was a pretty girl, although rough around the edges. He had been traveling with her since the night his father returned from the incident in the cellar. He had vowed to help track down the vicious bandits responsible for the atrocious torture his father endured. Roka had told him not to come, but he didn’t listen. He had never picked up a weapon in his life, but he didn’t care. He would help bring the bandits to justice. Roka had been annoyed at his insistence, but eventually yielded. His father Reginald also insisted Roka take him, and even offered more money to do so. She finally allowed James to come along on the condition he not get in her way. Unbeknownst to Roka, James and his father made a pact to meet up when Reginald was healed to look for Celar together.

The two continued to walk down the road. They had picked up Celar’s trail from where he fled in the woods, but now the signs were hard to find. Roka had tricks for tracking people, but even she lost Celar’s trail after the first week. All they had to go on was the direction he was headed, and the clue they had found in the cellar hideout. A note to Aegon and Ehkart had been recovered describing a meet up place in the Kingdom of Kairos. They hoped to catch the bandit leader before he crossed the border. James was eager to do anything he could to help Roka. He constantly tried to help, and Roka often had to push him aside, or yell at him.

“Let me do the work. You’re only here because your father is paying me more to bring you with me.” Roka often snapped at him. James was unphased by her cavalier attitude toward him. He continued to do things his way.

Eventually, Roka and James came upon the farm owned by Gary Bolan. They went up to the house and knocked at the door. There was no answer, but interestingly, the door creaked open. Roka shrugged, and pushed the door open all the way. The house was ransacked. Stuff was flung all over the place. Furniture was overturned, and the small farm house was dark. Roka and James entered slowly. They kept alert as they began to investigate the scene.

“Looks like this farm was hit by a bandit raid. Let’s try to find the farmer.” Roka pointed to a hallway that lead to a back area. James nodded and excitedly ventured down it. Roka continued past an alcove and into the kitchen. She looked on the table and saw a carving in the wood. “Celar must die.” was carved in crude writing on the oaken wood. Roka looked it over closely. She was curious. Was Celar Dux here? She continued to search the area.

Meanwhile, James looked through the bedroom. He didn’t find anything of interest at first. When he opened the drawers though, he saw a crumpled piece of parchment. He took the parchment out and unfolded it. A large hole pierced a man’s face. He couldn’t read the writing due to the mutilation of the page. He shrugged and put the page in his pocket. He left the bedroom and went back out to Roka.

“I found this page.” James said to Roka, as he handed her the parchment. She looked it over.

“That’s Celar. I can tell. He must be a very wanted criminal. This Wanted Poster has the Royal seal on it.” Roka pointed out the partial seal on the page. James whistled in amazement. He didn’t know much about the kingdom even though his father had put a ruby on the King’s crown.

“Wow, that bastard managed to evade the King’s troops?” James felt a single pang of fear creep up on him. How could he defeat a criminal who managed to evade the King’s soldiers? He shook the thoughts out of his head. He would have his father by his side, and together they would defeat Celar Dux.

“Let’s check the yard. I saw a cattle barn outside. Maybe the farmer’s corpse is out there.” Roka seemed confident the farmer was dead, and this bothered James. It was morbid to think the farmer was dead just because his house was razed. Again, he shook the idea from his head. The two of them carefully went out the back door and made their way to the barn. They didn’t have to go far before they found the mutilated remains of Gary Bolan. The scavengers of the area had picked pieces of his corpse clean, and left some of the less desirable bits behind. Gary’s bloated and misshapen corpse smelled terrible, and James felt sick to his stomach. Roka knelt down and examined the corpse closely, while James vomited off to the side. As James wretched, Roka rubbed her chin, and looked closely at the wound on Gary’s stomach.

“Sword wound. He was stabbed from behind. Probably never even saw the bloke who killed him.” Roka casually remarked. James heaved slightly and wiped his sleeve across his lips. He didn’t want to look at the corpse anymore, so he turned away.

“Bandits killed him. Do you think it was Celar?” James asked.

“Could have been, but I found a carving on the table inside. Said “Celar must die”. Could be that someone else is tracking him.” Roka raised an eyebrow at James. “What’s wrong? Can’t handle a corpse?”

“Of course I can. I just ate something bad is all!”James lied. He didn’t want to appear weak in front of the female.

“Whatever you say, James.” Roka shrugged at him as she got up. The two continued to search the farm for more clues, but found very little to go on.

“Why don’t we head up the road. There is a town starting up out here with frontiersmen and the like. Hasn’t been around very long. Maybe someone can tell us what happened out here.” Roka nodded toward the road. They began to make their way to the town, leaving Gary’s corpse to further rot.