Chapter I

Chapter I ©

“So, this is Hidas.” Roq’s eyes wandered as they walked into the city through the northern gates. Looking at fairly clean small buildings and tents as people sold their goods to crowds of costumers. Taking a quick whiff of the sweet scented air, Roq looked over Ogbarg as he followed the scent and found the bakery. Hearing loud yells through the crowds, Roq looked around until he saw a man chasing a young pocket picker, trying to get away without any shoes on the gravel road.

            “Yeap.” Ogbarg said. “This is the best town to get a good Scotch at a good price.” He rubbed his stomach. “Nothing better than a good Scotch to warm the belly!”

            “Good Scotch huh? Roq said. “How about sword sharpeners?”

            Ogbarg nose wrinkled. “Don’t you think that wretched sword is sharp enough?”

            “Nay. No such thing as too sharp.”

            Ogbarg grunted. “God forbid you cut yourself.”

            “God forbid you get too drunk.” Roq quickly muttered in defense as he caught Ogbarg from the corner of his right eye starring back at him.

            A little girl in a red bonnet had been staring at them through the crown since before they passed through the gate. She sat atop a barrel while her parents bartered with a sodden old man and woman over the price of a dozen apples and peaches. She was locked on Ogbarg, and as he got closer and closer her eyes got wider and wider until they looked like they would roll out of her pretty little head. Roq sent her a quick glance as they walked by.

Ogbarg whipped the drool from the corner of his mouth, growled, and gave her a snap. The girl leaped off the barrel and bolted for her mommy, screaming.

            “What are you looking at?” he said under his breath. “Little brat.”

            “That’s a good way to stay out of harm’s way,” Roq said with a smirk. “Scare the lights out of the humes’ kids.”

            “So?” Ogbarg said as they kept walking, returning the parent’s dirty looks over his shoulder as the girl peaked out from behind her mother and stuck her tongue out at him.

            “Keep that up and I’m going to be breaking you out of prison,” Roq told him “Again.”

            Ogbarg grinned. “Ahhh. The good times, eh?” He shook his head. “Naw, Hidas ain’t like other places. This is one place where us non-humes don’t have to have to run. In this town people like us are just like everyone else.”

            “Where we can scare little girls and not get arrested?” Roq asked

            Ogbarg smacked him across the back and laughed. “Exactly!”

            “Right. So where’s the smithy?”

            “Drink first,” Ogbarg demanded. “then you can do your boring business.”

            “Naw, I’ll go to the blacksmith first.”

            “Drink first!”

            “Blacksmith!”

            “Drink!”

            “I don’t want no damn Scotch! I want a blacksmith!”

            Ogbarg’s face suddenly popped in surprise as he gasped. Then just as suddenly, he looked disgusted and jabbed a finger down the street. “Fine! The blacksmith’s around the chicken shack. So you get your damn swooord polished, because I don’t drink with any candy-asses anyway!”

            Ogbarg stomped off into the crowd as Roq sent a grin after him and grabbed the hilt of his sword.

“Maybe I’ll test it out on you when I get back!” Roq shouted through the crowd as Ogbarg stuck up his middle finger.

Roq watched until the grumpy old org entered a wooden building with a oak brown sign that said Appleseed Tavern, then turned and put his mind on the task at hand. Hearing the chickens flapping their wings, Roq paid them no attention as he slowly walked past. Walking through the tight crowds, he jumped and grabbed the hilt of his sword as an older man shouted.

“Ouch my foot!” The old man shouted. “Watch where the hell you’re stepping. You saw me standing here! What you’re going to do with that sword, eh? Try something, I’ll still kick your young a*s!”

Maintaining his anger as his face turned red as the hairs on the back of his head stood, Roq released his sword, turned his head, and walked away from old man.

 “Damn humes.” Roq muttered as he walked out of the crowd and stopped for a moment to calm down.

Turning his head and looking back at the crowd, he spotted to old man finally getting to the front of the line and purchasing a fresh chickens dangling by the feet from a tightly secured rope. Placing his sights back in front of him and passing the chicken shack, Roq came by a small dirty brick building with a copper broken sword held up on the front entrance of the blacksmiths shop. Grabbing the knob of the door and turning it, he pushed on the door and notice that the door wouldn’t budge.

 “Looking for the poppa?” A little boy wearing a imitation guard’s helmet asked.

Quickly turning around and looking down at the kid, Roq frowned and quickly became annoyed with all the humans he saw in one day.

“The black smith?”

“Yeah. That’s my poppa.”

“Is he in?”

“Huh?”

“Is he in here?” Roq asked as he pointed to the door.

“Nope. He doesn’t work at this place anymore. But he does work at a different building now.”

“And where is that?”

 “Information isn’t free, you know.” The little kid said as he smiled and held out his hand.

“Okay.” Roq sighed then picked the boy up by the shirt. “How about I pay you in punches?”

 “W-wait! It’s…it’s over behind the Appleseed Tavern. Don’t hit me!” The boy begged as he covered his face and helmet.

Letting the boy go and laughing as he turned to go back, he felt the boy tug on his bag of coin.

“H-hey!” Roq shouted as he turned and saw the boy speeding down the alley with his money. “Get back here!”

Grabbing the hilt of his sword and giving haste to the kid, Roq turned the corned and followed him down the alley. Not able to see the boy, he stopped and listened. Hearing someone stepping in a puddle of water around the corner, Roq followed the sound around the corner and found himself back next to the fruit shot and the barrel the little girl was sitting on. Looking around, the boy was out of sight. Thinking and turning his attention to the corner of his eye, Roq looked down at the barrel and placed his sword to the center.  Slowing pushing his sword into the barrel, he finally herd the boy scream.

“Wait! Okay! Okay!” The boy shouted as his voice echoed inside of the barrel.

Removing the lid as Roq pulled out his sword, the boy slowly stood up inside the barrel and handed Roq back his bag of coin. Shaking the bag of coin and noticing that it’s a little light, he quickly lifted his sword and pointed between the

eyes of the boy. Giving Roq a snotty look, the boy spat the coin out of his mouth into the palm on his right hand, and then placed it onto Roq’s left.

“Kid.” Roq said as he looked down at the wet coin in his hand.

 “Y-yeah?”

“You want to earn this one?” He asked as he lowered his sword.

“Y-yeah. Sure.” The boy said as he quickly nodded, relived to know his head wasn’t coming off anytime soon.

“Well then, get out that barrel and be my tour guide.”

 

Reviews

[Beth Holian]

This is a very nice first chapter. I like what you are starting to do with Roq and Ogbarg in terms of characterization. Keep it up! One thing that I would like to see more of (and maybe I will get to more in the next chapter), is description. In fantasy, you have a lot of opportunity to show rather than tell about where your characters are and what they are doing. In places where you are describing the town and the people, show people what they look like rather than telling; it's always cool to have the reader immersed in the story that way as well.

Keep up the good work! I look forward to reading more! :)

[Eric Savage]

Work a little on your grammar... X actioned "speech" should have a comma after the action, not a period.

He said, "its a good story idea though. I'm sorry the grammar just bugs me".

[John Parker]

Well done.....so far it is keeping my attention........still greatly pleased to be reading some fantasy stuff again......been a long time since I have......

[Bellarina]

Kudos. Very interesting!

[Marie]

Can't wait to see what happens next.