So here I am...sitting alone in this run down pub drinking ale from a flithy mug, glanceing at all the shady characters that filled the dark and smoky atmosphere. I'm still no closer to finding out the person responsible for the death of my parents and still my only clue is the dagger with the Solem crest. Even though the odds are highly unlikely that the murderer could be somewhere in this very tavern I can't let no one go unnoticed.
I was sitting at a nice dark table in the back of the tavern away from most of the noise cause by the local drunks. I took out the dagger and began to fidle with it for the thousandth time. It's been a little more then a year since I discovered this dagger and though the blood has faded away the scent still lengared strong.
I put the dagger away next to my father's sword scabbed out of sight from these smelly locals. I was about to leave my seat untill this hulk of a man came staggering towards my table. I stayed put and waited to see what exactly the beastly man wanted from me. After all it's not like me to just walk away when someone wants to chat...that would be rude.
"Hey you!" The hulk appeared from the darkness of the pub into the light of my table. In all hairy jowls and heaving gut he stood over top of me like a mountain staring at me with his bloodshot wild eyes. He had a smile only a mother could love and the smell of cider flowed from his gapping mouth like smoke. An ugly man for an ugly tavern, a perfect fit.
"You seems a lil outta place here laddy! Ha Ha! Are you lost lil man?!" He was right you know...I didn't exactly fit into their little community. I was the only seventeen year old in the entire village with snow white hair. I couldn't help what kind of hair color I have...my dad had white hair when he was young too. It's hereditary.
"Well...?!" said the lummbering hulk with his sinister smile,"Arn't ya gonna answer me lil man?!" I wanted to chuckle at how stupid the hulk talked but I stayed calm and politely answered his question. "Frankly you oversized ogre..." I said bravely with a smirk,"It's none of your buisness weither I'm lost of not. Now... why don't you return to your drinking before you really start to piss me off."
With a mighty roar the hulk picked up my table and slung it across the pub spilling drinks as it flew passed the drunks heads. All the by standers in the tavern were at high alert as they watched the hulk stand over my body clenching his fists. The ogre grabbed me by the next and threw me over his shoulder sending me flying towards the bar counter. The bar tender ducked in cover as my body collided with bottles and booze that filled the shelves spilling them everywhere behind the counter.
As I laid on the tavern floor covered in wasted rum I could hear the crowd laughing and cheering for the hulk. I staggered back to my feet wiping the blood from my eyes I could see the hulk rushing towards me like a great ox; ready to strike a blow to my already swore body. Just before the broke through the bar counter I mannaged to jump out of harms way right infront of a crowd of by standers and the local drunks.
I got back on my feet as quickly as I could and drew out my father's sword as I waited for the worst. The hulk brushed off what remained of the bar counter off his garments and regained his composure. He turned his attention towards me and suddenly he began to laugh. "Ha Ha Ha! Awww....he drew out his sword everyone! Ha Ha! What do you expect to do with that?! Kill me?! Ha Ha Ha!" Everyone in the tavern bursted out laughting at the thought of someone like me slaying someone as big and rough as the ogre.
I held my father's sword at mid-waist and waited for my chance to strike back at the stupid beasty. "You'll be surprised what I can do with this sword." I said trying to catch my breath from my last attempt to dodge the hulk. With that the ogre charge with full force snarling and growling like a mad dog. I mannaged to quickly side-step out of his path at the last second and in the process I gave the beasty a nasty gash across his back. Like a mighty oak he fell flat on his stomach crushing some of the by standers as they we're comsumed by the hulk's belly.
Still holding my ground I stood ready for the lummbering hulk's next move. The tide was turned as the crowd cheered for me instead of the damn ogre and i got to say...it felt pretty good. The hulk raised up from the pile of bodies he had crushed with his girth holding his back in pain. "ARRUGH!!" screamed the hulk as he tried to deal with pain caused by my father's sword,"You filthy, no good, white haired b*****d!. I'LL KILL YA!!"
The hulk grabbed a broken bottle from the floor near by and began charging at me ready to stab my deligate throat. I watched the ogre's feet and waited for my opportunity to counter. Once he was close enough i preformed a backwards summersalt kicking the broken bottle right out of his hand sending it flying straight towards the ceiling, breaking on impact.
Like a cat I landed on my feet with the hulk at the mercy of my father's sword. The ogre was shocked and speechless as he wimpered in fear. The point of my father's blade now touched his Adam's Apple. "Well my ugly friend..." I said as I stared into his scared little puppy dog eyes, "I think I'll spare your life. But just remember..."
Just as I said that one of the by standers kick's me in the face making me drop my father's sword and sending my falling on the rum soaked floor. The crowd roared as the hulk picked me up off the ground by my hair and begins punching me in the stomach. With each blow i twitched and spat out blood all over myself. I knew at that moment I was in real trouble but I also know that I couldn't die here...I needed to live to cast my revenge on the murderer who ruined my life and send the person straight to hell with the very dagger used to kill my parents.
The hulk stood me back on my feet one last time and poped me right on the jaw. He hit me so hard my feet left the ground and I slammed against the tavern walls. My entire body was covered in blood and bruises and I felt acks and pains that I never thought were possible to get on the human body. Yet I still mannaged to barely get back on my feet with the hulk looking surprised that i was still able to stand.
"Your a tough lil t**d arn't ya?! Well...I guess I'm gonna have ta soften ya up s'more don't I!" Barely standing I watched as the hulk lumbering from leg to leg in a slow battle-jig towards me. With my eyes I searched the floor franticly trying to find ly father's sword but it was lost in a sea of drunks. There was only one way to get me out of this mess now...and I fear it may cost me my life in the process.
"I really hate to do this..." I said coughing up blood as Ispoke, "But you left me with no other choice but to kill you." The hulk and everyone else in the tavern began to laugh at what they thought was an empty threat. The crowd moved closer all willing to get a piece of the action that hulk was feasting on. I needed to do something and the only thing I could think of was to use the witches curse.
I stretched my arm to the side and spread my fingers apart. The heat inside the tavern beagn to raise rapidly as my arm scorthed like the heat of the sun. Suddenly my sleeve caught a blaze and the crowd (including the hulk) stummbled back surprised as they watched the flames go up my arm. The sleeve burnt completely away to reveal my entire arm ingulfed in flames from down to my fingertips up to my shoulder. Some of the drunks ran out of the pub in terror screaming "Warlock! He's a Warlock!" But just to be clear on the whole 'Warlock' thing...I'm not a warlock...I'm just cursed. There's a differents.
The once dark and shaddy tavern was now lit by the flames of my unholy curse. Finally all the flesh melted away from my arm and a sinister,demonic looking claw appeared. My transformation was complete. The only ones left in pub was the hulk and a couple of drunks watching and waiting to see what I was going to do.
I held out my demonic plam at the now frightened hulk and began to circulate the flames around my hand ready to strike. the ogre tried to run away but he could not escape my rath. He never but five feet away untill I unleashed my hellish flames of fury. A blazing stream of fire shot from my palm like a missle and made contact with the hulk's back as he tried to run away. The force of the strike sent him flying right through the tavern walls and landed him out on the dirty street of the village.
Everyone else who was left in the pub ran for their life leaving me alone in the depressing tavern. I could hear people screaming and curseing outside as they saw the hulk appear before them from the busted up wall. the flames from my arm began to disappear and flesh took it's place as if nothing happened. Of course when my arm returned to normal the ackes and pains that were once numb by the flames were back and they were so bad that it evern hurts to breath.
As I feel to my knees trying to breath without coughing up more blood I saw the sword's hilt sticking out underneath a broken chair. I crawled towards it and tried to raise myself back on my feet useing my father's sword as leverage while still trying to fight past the pain. I made my way towards the crater in the wall made by the girth of the hulk useing my father's sword as a cane. It was like the entire vilage came out to watch the hulk lie in agony as he tried to sit himself back up off the ground.
I limp towards the edge of the crater and the first thing I checked was to see if Maybel was still tied to the horse troth near the tavern. Maybel looked a little spooked by all the commotion but she'll be alright. I stood on the edge of the creater and held on to the rim trying to support myself up right. I watched and listened to what seemed like the entire village all pointing and shouting at me "Warlock! Warlock!" The hulk finally raised up and the crowd fell silent. Rubbing his thick skull he sat spitting up blood trying to find the right words to say to me.
He finally looked me straight in the eye and spoke. "Never in all my years have I been bested by such a lil man like ya!" Just who the hell are ya anyway!" Feeling half dead I stood with my legs wobbleing beneath me trying to gather all my strengh just to stand. "My name is Alex Nobell!" I yelled as I put my father's sword back in his scabbed, "Son to Robert Nobell and Mary Nobell! I've come to Solem to seek..." I couldn't finish speaking for I felt extremely dizzy and extremely sick.
I fell on my hands and knees and began to vomit. When I finished my eye sight stared to get hazzy and my hearing was fading away. I could barely make out the sound of horse hoves and clinging metal as it made it's way rushing towards me. I finally collapes toppleing over the edge of the crater and falling onto the dirt covered streets. I tried to held my eyes open as I saw a pair of armor plated boots walking towards me. I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer so I just let myself slip away into darkness...I blacked out.
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