Sworded Tales

At the flaming burst of fire on the field of battle, Thorum got a bit skittish.  “Right.  Well, no sense in keeping you folks,” he said, backing away from Erellia’s blaze, “I’ll just be heading back to check on the morale of the troops and all.  There’re some matters that, uh, need attending.”

The armored man then turned and made quick work of the distance between the camp and the settlement as best he was able with his limp.

Kurn held his place as Zulian approached, coldly confident in the face of her supposed ire and bravado.  Had to admire her spunk, though.  He didn’t hide his appraising glance of her as she approached but experience kept him tactically aware of her shoulders and her hips — he noted she was not tensing to attack. Continue reading

The launch pulled the horror from Jorey’s face.  She turned her attention skyward and reveled in the rush of air.  Sputter shrieked in delight next to her, but she heard none of it.  She was a flier at heart, a soarer, and when she was aloft, the entirety of the world was hers.

She released Sputter and the youngster flapped open his sails and spiraled into lazy loops.  Jorey rode higher on the cannon’s push and opened her own sails at the apex of her ascent.  She drifted in that moment of perfection, her eyes finding Sputter and picking out Gorm’s big frame further ahead on the drift. Continue reading

The tension between the two women crossed the barrier between physical and spiritual.  Words boiled between them and an eruption was imminent.

Gerard’s contented whistling brought both women up short.  They turned and watched the ranger performing his routine camp ritual, adding fuel to the fire and shaving a few root vegetables he had procured along the way into a small pot.  His smile as he went about his work was laced with a simple purity that diffused the arrogant spike of conflict hanging between them.

Both women saw it and felt it. Continue reading

Farrin pulled himself up with one hand, yanked the other free and slapped Horil.  Her head rocked back and a face of rage returned in its place.

“Have you lost your mind?” she said, spittle flying in addition to the blood, “I ought to just drop y–”  The thought died on her lips.

Farrin’s gaze dared her to find a flaw in his action.  She could not. Continue reading

Borlak replied to the man, “Well met, I am sure.  But as for the invitation, I must decline.”  The barbarian looked around at the muddy field, and the camp, taking in the would-be adventurers before continuing on, “I cannot speak for the others, but I have signed on with this group.”

Rôhn finished wrapping proper dressing around his battle wounds and looked up when he heard Thorum’s greeting.  He hastily moved out from under the tarp, leaving his weapons and armor there, and approached the circle of conversation, taking up position next to Borlak, as if by his very proximity, he registered his accordance with Borlak’s declination.

“How fares the bridge?” the Dwarf interrupted with some urgency, wiping blood — precisely whose was undetermined — from his hands to his shirt.  He tucked his thumbs in his broad leather girdle as his eyes darted to the hillock, which obscured the bridge from view, and, gritting his teeth, mentally warded off any ill news in Thorum’s response.

“Well, can’t say as the bridge ‘as suffered any trouble,” Thorum replied.

Rôhn nodded and, either rudely or seemingly oblivious to common civility, turned and walked away as Thorum was answering his question. Continue reading

The mageíamatic cannon was pretty standard fare.  Most chose to launch singly, but the platform could easily fit two.  Three if they were wee folk.  The navigator assured them of the stable history of the transport, but Grom took the lead as precautionary custom.  He was thrown into the emptiness well above their target and caught a draft with powerful ease, the webbing of his sailsuit rippling taught with his progress.

Jorey launched next with Sputter.  Her angst was lessened knowing she could keep an eye on him.   After the incident near Singer’s Crossing, she wouldn’t let him sail alone.  Her mind dipped into that painful eddy of memory with ease. Continue reading

Merinde was poised with her new daggers leveled at the apparition before the logic processed.  The women locked gazes and Gerard blathered on, unaware.

“Are you alright?  I mean, I know you’re not…alright, but the last time I saw you.  Something attacked.  It was after you.”

“Friend of yours?” Merinde asked. Continue reading

They both screamed, though Farrin’s was the more womanish.  Horil’s arms had flown up into the air, barely juggling her tools in the rush of gravity.  So it was his practiced hands that worked the catch mechanism, and it was he who prayed.  Had they fallen too far?  Was this the breaking point for bones or muscles?  Farrin cried out to anyone who would listen.

The catch held and so did Farrin.  Horil’s weight had shifted to one side and she slid with jarring force, her knee joints screaming as they hooked onto the rod.  Her momentum swung her with graceful potency and her head collided with Farrin’s more delicate man parts.  He lost his grip with a grunt and tumbled. Continue reading

Katarina watched with undisguised interest when Erellia made the arrow materialize in her palm. She got a closer look, then looked at the Elven woman. “Was that Elven magic, or perhaps arcane magic put to clever use? I need to pray to Trymeya for something like that, could come in very useful.”

Erellia smiled as Katarina posed her questions. “Just a bit of Metherin’s Weave, dear, nothing more. I’m sure Trymeya will share such mysteries with you when she deems you ready.” Continue reading

“Mind your heads,” Grom said.  The warrior had been gauging the approach of a ragged chunk of island which now drifted close.  Several menacing stalactites promised to just clear the top lines of the anchor.  Everyone repositioned to accommodate the imperious satellite.  All save Sputter.

Blades slurped from sheathes as the wiry boy took a running start and leapt toward a healthy outcropping of rock.  “Heee-yah!” Sputter embedded his two blades in the unforgiving mantle and wrapped his legs around the base of a stalactite.  Holding on with one embedded blade, he jackhammered at the rock with the other.  “Unf, unf, unf, unf, unf.” Continue reading