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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
This is a first draft of a story set in the world of Greyhawk.
It is based on a home campaign so some of the people, places and things
may be different. Any helpful comments or suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks
Jason Zavoda
"Wait!" Telenstil yelled. He called after Ghibelline and the
orcs but they did not listen or heed his call.
The young giant easily outdistanced his pursuers, though
Ghibelline was fast the giant's legs were longer than he was tall. Up the
path and over the ridge and gone, the elf stopped at the far slope, the
giant was already nowhere to be seen.
The little thief snarled, he peered into the giant's eyes
and showed him the knife, an old blade as big as a sword in the
halfling's fist.
"I curse you and all your kind." Harold told the giant, then
with a careful skill he cut the monster's throat with less regret than
a farmer had when he killed a chicken for the evening meal.
Though slowed by Ivo's spell the giant's heart still beat,
strong and steady. The blood sprayed from the massive wound, it soaked the
thief in a crimson flow, it pooled around his feet and from a severed
vein it fountained out with every dimming beat as the giant's heart
began to weaken and ceased to pulse. Its muscles were frozen stiff by
magic but its eyelids fluttered and a whoosh of air escaped in a single
gasp as it left the gaint's lungs through a gaping throat.
"That could have gone better." said Ivo to Telenstil.
The mage looked down and shook his head. "That is an
understatement. We had best find Gytha and have her see to Harald."
They watched the ranger work the blade from the giant's
chest, he gave a few hard pulls then staggered back and began to work
at the blade again.
"Where is Talberth?" asked Telenstil.
"Where is Gytha for that matter." said Ivo. "What is that thief
doing? Harold!" he called to the halfling. "We want to talk with that...
too late."
"What?" said Telenstil. He had turned back the way they'd come
but swung around when Ivo shouted to the thief. "Ah, that giant lived."
"It did," said Ivo, "I have not the craft to kill one out of hand,
but stop them, freeze them in their tracks, that I can do."
"More killing, I knew what to expect, I have killed many in my
years, but after this..." Telenstil mused aloud. "Ivo there must be a
better way."
"Not that I know of against such as them." the gnome nodded toward
the bodies of the giants. "Look up there, our new companion returns
without his prey, but with his pack in tow."
Ghibelline was coming back down the trail, much more slowly than
he had run up. The orcs had followed him as he chased the young giant,
now they followed him again, but stopped beside the burnt body of a cow.
They attacked the carcase, cutting long strips of flesh away, digging
into the cows side to pull out raw and bloody gobbets then devouring them
where they stood. The orcs began to laugh among themselves spraying
out half chewed meat. One began to choke he laughed so hard, then spit
out a huge lump of beef. He bent to pick it from the ground but
Meatstealer handed him a fresh piece he'd just cut.
The orc was right, there was plenty more, any of the giant
steers or cows could have fed them all for a week. There were at least
a score of the cattle scattered about the hill.
The smell from the raosted flesh, half-cooked by Telenstil's
spell, wafted across the hill and sent seductive tendrils out to the
entire company. They'd eaten only cold meals with rations doled out with a
misers hand to conserve supplies, but the slaughtered animals offered them
a feast.
"I must be hungry." said Ivo his stomach rumbling loud enough for
Telenstil to hear. "Watching a pack of orcs eat and I'm not sick, I
want to dig in as well."
* * *
(To Be Continued)