The Lord of All - Chapter 6.

[Chinaren]

Velvet woke up and frowned.  Something wasn’t quite right.  She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was definitely something amiss.  She frowned and tried, unsuccessfully, to identify the source of her unease. 

Shaking her head she slipped out of bed and padded over to the washing area, where she performed her morning ablutions.  Refreshed and more awake, she dressed herself and checked the potions she’d finished yesterday once again.  She’d spent the afternoon working on more explosive ones, replenishing her supply, and thus had two pouches to hang from her belt. 

“Time for something to eat,” she muttered, smiling to herself.  She was starting to sound like Nurn!

It was then she saw it.  A small golden horseshoe on the table near the door.  Looking left and right in panic, she approached the thing.  It wasn’t a real horseshoe, just a tiny replica of one. 

Examining it closely, she reached out to pick it up, and then hesitated.  Could it be a trap?  Not very likely, but then it may be best to play it safe.  She’d heard of items with magical runes cast on them, set to explode if touched.

Scurrying to the door she opened it a crack and peered out.  No one was nearby, that she could see, and the chain was still attached to the door.  How had the thing got into her room?

Slipping out, she strode across the hallway and hammered on the door to Nurn and Lord’s room.  There was sound of movement beyond, and it opened to reveal Lord. 

“You’d better come and see this,” she said.

“What is it?” he asked, following her back across to her room. 

She pointed at the small horseshoe.  “I found this just now.  It wasn’t here when I went to sleep last night.”

“Mmm, I was expecting something like this, though not quite this quickly,” Lord said.  “It’s a message.”

“You were expecting this?” Velvet asked, confused.  “A message?  What message?”

“Someone’s telling us that they could get to you, to us, whenever they wanted to.”

“What’s happening?” Nurn poked his head around the door.

“I found this this morning,” Velvet repeated.  Nurn waddled over and peered at it.  She noted neither of her friends had made any attempt to touch it.

“We’d better get the wizard to have a look,” Nurn said.  “I’ll go and fetch him.”

Lord nodded.  “Ask him to bring some of equipment that may tell us where it came from.”

“You think he’ll be able to find out?” asked Velvet, as Nurn scurried off.

“No, not really.” Lord sighed.  “Still, it can’t hurt to try.  Sometimes people get overconfident and make a mistake.”  He made a face, as if remembering something, and Velvet wondered if he had learned that lesson the hard way in the past.

The big warrior looked around the room.  “Has anything else been disturbed?” he asked.

“I don’t think so,” Velvet replied, suddenly panicking.  What if they’d done something to her potions?  She grabbed at her pouches and voiced her concern to Lord.

“I doubt they would do anything like that,” he said.  “This is just a message, plain and simple.  Whoever sent it is a professional.  They wouldn’t mess about if they’d wanted to attack us.”

Velvet nodded, but still resolved to test a potion if she had the chance.

“Come on,” her employer said.  “We may as well go and eat.  I’m not touching this until the mage has examined it.  May as well use the time productively.”

Nodding, Velvet followed him out, locking the door securely behind her, and hanging the ‘Do not disturb’ sign on the knob.

Downstairs Rupert greeting them with his usual cold smile, though Velvet noticed his sarcastic tone was replaced with one of civility when he addressed her employer.  She didn’t blame him, the giant warrior had an air about him, one that demanded respect, without even factoring into account his large size and weapons.

They were soon seated at their new table, tucking in to a hearty breakfast.  Today Lord seemed hungry as well, and ordered a second serving.  Velvet commented on it.

Lord nodded and held up his knife whilst he finished his mouthful before answering.

“I have certain magics, genetic sequencing and other devices that help me reduce my need for basic food consumption, but I need to eat properly every know and again.”  He stabbed a sausage. “Besides, it’s nice to have solid breakfast sometimes, and they do good bacon here.”

Wide eyed, Velvet sipped her coffee and nodded, wondering if she should ask what ‘genetic sequencing’ was.  She’d just about decided to enquire when a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Here they are, eating whilst poor Nurn starves.”

Smiling, she turned to see the strange creature waddling down the aisle, Rumpold in tow. 

“Did you save anything for me?” the Grey asked, peering at the tabletop.

“I’m sure they will be happy to see their favorite customer,” Velvet said.  “Hello sir wizard.”

“Hello lass,” Rumpold nodded briskly at her.  “Lord.”

Lord wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up, nodding in return.  “Mage, you need to see something.” He looked at Velvet.  “You can stay here with Nurn whilst I show the item to the wizard.  If you’d give me your key…”

Velvet handed him her room key and watched as the two men departed.  Nurn climbed into Lord’s seat and waved a hand at a nearby waitress.  He ordered his usual enormous meal, and she added another coffee to the list. 

“So,” she said, once the waitress had gone to collect Nurn’s food.  “What did Rumpold think?” 

“About the same as us.” Nurn shrugged.  “It’s a message.  He did add one point though.”  Looking left and right, the Grey leaned forward and whispered.  “He says there’s an inn named the Golden Horseshoe in the Westwall district.”

Velvet put her hand to her mouth.  “Of course!” she gasped.  “Why didn’t I think of that.  Nurn, I’m sorry!  I should have known that.”

“It’s okay, no one’s blaming you.  You can’t be expected to know everything in the city.” 

“But I’m your guide!  It’s part of my job.”

“Don’t fret,” Nurn replied.  “Now, have you finished with that pancake?  I’m wasting away here.”

[NicTei]

NicTei spotted a pumpkin in yon story!

[Chinaren]

and another!  Nice T does a clean sweep!

[Chinaren]

Another section for you then!  I've not been writing much of this lately, but it's still going...


“I don’t see why I have to come along,” grumbled Rumpold.  “You can find the place perfectly well without my help.”

“It’s time you became more involved with this enterprise,” Lord called back sternly.  “Your actions have hindered my own path, which could have repercussions far more serious than you can imagine.  You will come with us and help.”  He paused and then added: “Besides, if it comes to a fight you might be useful.”

Velvet smiled to herself as Rumpold wilted in the saddle.  The mage was obviously not ready to challenge the warrior.  She didn’t blame him.

The horses trudged on through the snow, plodding steadily through the latest fall which, thankfully, had been a light one, merely covering the previous ones with a fresh layer of powder. 

Lord led the way, sitting upright on his giant horse as usual.  Rumpold, on a sagging tan mare, followed dejectedly behind.  Velvet and Nurn brought up the rear. Nurn eating apples which he plucked from a basket slung over his shoulder.  He ate each apple whole, core and all, Velvet noticed.

Westwall was  a good two hours ride, so they’d set off from the Duke directly after breakfast, only delaying slightly to allow Velvet to gather her supplies.  On Rumpold’s advice they’d taken the small horseshoe as well, the mage having declared it clean.

“Doesn’t this snow ever stop?” Nurn asked, flicking one of his ears. 

“It’s not likely to start easing up for another few months yet,” she replied.  “We’re in the coldest part of the year.”

“I still say it’s very inefficient,” mused the Grey.  He bit another apple and looked at the clouds, which hung low and dark in the sky, bulging with still more precipitation-to-come. 

“It’s how it is.”  Velvet shrugged.  “What’s it like where you come from?”

It was Nurn’s turn to shrug.  “There’s a daily vote,” he said. “Usually it’s clear and fresh, except for various holidays.”

“How strange, how powerful you are, to control the weather,” Velvet wondered.  “The best our mages can do is control it for a short time over a limited area, so I’m told.”

“We use technology for the weather, it’s more efficient.”

A thought occurred to Velvet.  “Nurn, what’s genetic…” she frowned, trying to remember the word.  “Genetic Section?  Sequins?”

“Sequencing,” Nurn corrected her.   “Genetic sequencing.”

“That’s it,” she replied.  “What is it?”

Nurn looked over his shoulder, and pulled his mule closer to her.  “It’s something all humans have when… where we come from.  The DNA…” he paused and rolled his eyes.  “The thing that makes people what they are, is changed slightly. They make people stronger, cleverer and so on.”   

Velvet sat in her saddle, shocked.  Perhaps Nurn mistook her expression, because he made a dismissive gesture.  “It’s nothing unusual.  Most races modify themselves at some point.”

“Are…  are you… modified too?” she stammered. 

“My species did that millennia ago,” he said, considering another fruit.  “The general feeling is that there’s nothing worth changing anymore, though some people still tinker every now and then.  I’m quite happy with me myself.”

Velvet shook her head in wonder. What sort of world must it be like? she wondered, where people could control the weather at a whim, or change themselves even.  She spent the rest of the journey in silence, contemplating a future so far away it was beyond counting.

The streets become busier as they worked their way into Westwall and the afternoon.  The people that populated the streets were of a different character to the ones around the Duke.  They were more exotic for a start.  Dark skinned toughs from the steaming jungles of the north dressed in sturdy leather with short swords at their sides, brushed shoulders with large warriors swaddled in furs from Nord.  Several of those warriors looked closely at Lord, mistaking him for a kinsmen perhaps. 

“This part of town is… different,” Nurn said.

“It’s where all the outlanders gather,” she answered.  “Most of them are swords for hire, hoping to get signed on by the city for one of the border skirmishes with Mandoon.”

“Mandoon?” Nurn watched as a strikingly tall woman with three slim swords strode by. 

“The city-state to the west, we’ve always had arguments over the land that separates us.  It’s not like full blown war or anything.  My aunt used to say they do it to keep the mercenaries occupied as much as anything else.”  She patted her horse absently as it wended it way through the crowds.  “It does bring a lot of trade in too of course.” 

The area was certainly thriving.  Smithies, weapons and armor shops, inns, eateries and taverns serving food from the known world vied for custom.  It made for a bustling and diverse environment, and Velvet’s head swiveled from side to side like a tourist. 

“You don’t come here very often do you?” asked Nurn.

“Never,” she had to shout back over the din.  “There are plenty of wizards here, battle mages mostly, but old mother Grumble wouldn’t allow me to deliver here.  Said it was too dangerous for a girl.”

“She was probably right,” Nurn said, as they detoured around a crowd of men shouting and pushing at each other.  One warrior in chainmail drew a short sword and hacked at a man in leather, who ducked aside and retaliated with his own weapon.  The crowd around them jostled the combatants, dragging them apart.  Velvet kept glancing back as they left them behind, but the mob was soon lost to view.

“Over there, down that alley.  That one.”

Rumpold’s  gesturing jerked Velvet out of her reverie.  She looked down the rather narrow, dingy alley the mage had indicated, to see a faded wooden sign painted with a golden horseshoe. 

“It doesn’t look very high rent,” Nurn commented, as they brought the horses to a stop outside. 

“I’ve seen nicer,” Rumpold agreed.

The inn had indeed seen better days.  The dark green paint was peeling, and the windows were grimy and cracked. Still, the place obviously didn’t lack for custom, even in the early afternoon.  Piano music could just about be heard over the sounds of people talking, singing and generally enjoying themselves. 

The smell of food wafted out of the establishment, and Velvet automatically looked at Nurn, who grinned.

“I know,” she said. “You’re hungry.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” he replied.  “Which, by the way, is empty.”

“Indeed,” Lord said, dismounting.  “Let us go inside and order.”

[Burningplain]

I love it, it's brilliant, I'm not gonna point out errors because the ones that I spotted have already been pointed out. I like it. Now hurry up with the next chapter.

[Chinaren]

Welcome to the Lord of All Burpy!  Glad you liked.  This one's a long term project oh yes, I'm determined to see it through to the finish, so keep an eye out of chapters.

[Chinaren]

I found it!   

[Chinaren]

It's been a while.  So, if anyone is still following this, here's another part.  I'm still working on it, just had a bit of a break.  Did another thousand or so words the other day in fact.


The other three also dismounted, the wizard with some difficulty, and left the horses in the care of the boys stationed there for just hat purpose.

Inside was a world of noise and smoke.  The walls were dark and streaked with soot from the torches that flickered in their wall sconces, the floor covered with straw that was no longer fresh, trodden underfoot by the many patrons of the place.

The patrons.  Velvet bit her lip and stood a little closer to Lord.  The men and women sitting or standing around the crude wooden tables were, to say the least, a rough bunch.  Mercenaries in leathers, furs or armor quaffed ale, shouted at one another and tore ferociously into large chunks of meat that were served up on wooden platters.  Most were men, but there were a fair share of women too.  Tough looking women, muscular and lean, armed with slim swords and daggers.  Deadly felines amongst their larger male wolf companions.

“Over there,” Nurn said, indicating a table to one side. 

Velvet shuffled into the seat nearest the wall, opposite Nurn.  Lord sat next to her, and Rumpold sat facing him.

After several minutes of gesturing, Lord managed to attract the attention of a waitress, a solid looking no nonsense type in a brown apron.

“Whatlitbe?” she snapped.

“I’ll have an ale,” Lord said.

“A wine for me, dark and dry,” Rumpold raised a finger.  “Make sure it’s not cheap swill,” he added.

The waitress gave him a strange look, but nodded. 

“Just a light wine for me,” said Velvet. 

“And for the hairy dwarf?” the woman grated, indicating Nurn.

“I am not a dwarf!” Nurn spluttered. 

“Just order,” the woman replied in a bored voice, obviously unperturbed. 

“Bah,” Nurn scowled.  “Very well, bring me two jugs of ale, a large steak, no… two large steaks, a bowl of that broth and a roast chicken.”

The waitress raised an eyebrow, but nodded and made her way off through the crowds, pushing several revelers roughly out of her way as she did so.

“So, what’s the plan?” Nurn asked, tapping the tabletop. 

“We wait,” Lord said, stoically.

“Mmm.”  Rumpold frowned, wincing slightly as several barbarians sitting at the next table suddenly broke out in what was, presumably, song.

“The message was a clear one,” Lord said.  “The Golden Horseshoe.  Something will turn up.  Keep your eyes open.”

They waited in silence until the waitress returned with their drinks and a bowl of broth, which she dumped onto the table in front of Nurn, along with a wooden spoon.

“How delightful,” the Grey said, picking up the spoon and digging in.

Velvet sipped at her wine, which was actually light and fruity and pleasant to taste.  She took another swallow before replacing it on the table.

Rumpold scowled and took a deep swig of his drink, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and slamming the goblet back down.  He belched loudly before speaking.  “Well, this is a waste of…”

Velvet looked up as a shadow fell across her.  Standing next to the mage was a tall man dressed entirely in black. His face was thin, narrow and very pale, with a long nose that was bent at the tip.

“My name,” said the man without any preamble, “is Dort.  I am a representative of a certain party, I’m sure I don’t have to mention names.”   Without looking, he hooked a foot around a nearby stool and in one smooth movement pulled it close and sat down.

“We received your message,” Lord answered evenly. 

“Here’s your…” the waitress returned, holding a large plate.  She stopped abruptly when she sort Dort and stepped backwards nervously.  “Oh, I’m… sorry.  I…” She didn’t finish, but turned and fled, taking the food with her.

“Hey!  That was my lunch!” complained Nurn, but stopped speaking at a look from Lord.

“It seems,” Dort continued, ignoring the interruption, “that it would be easier and less… bloody to work with you rather than fight against you.  Thus my employer would like to discuss terms.”

“We’re only interested in the Eye,” Lord said.  “And we only want it to locate something.  After that you can have it, we’ll have no further interest.”

Dort raised an eyebrow.  “That seems reasonable, assuming this… something won’t adversely impact my employer in any way.”

“It’s totally outside his sphere of interest, I assure you,” Lord replied.  “I’ll agree to work with you to recover the Eye, as long as you allow us to use it to find what we’re looking for with no interference.  After that it’s yours.”

“How long would you need the object in question?” Dort asked.  “My employer isn’t in any great hurry, but we don’t want to be waiting years.”

“That I can’t tell you exactly,” Lord said.  “It may be almost instantly, or it may be several months.”

“I see.”  Dort rubbed at his chin.  “Very well.  The terms seem reasonable.”  He stood up.  “You will be hearing from us soon.”  Nodding at Lord, he scanned the rest of them with cold, calculation eyes before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

“That was fun,” said Nurn.  “Now, do you think I can get my food back?”

[Burningplain]

Most excellent. Now get on with it and post the next chapter.

[Chinaren]

Most excellent. Now get on with it and post the next chapter.

Unfortunately this is just about up to where I have written to, so future posts will be limited to when I write some more!  Fortunately I know where the plot is going. 

[Saint]

[mod]Congratulations! Your story has been designated Moderator's Favourite for May 2010. Your groats will be sent to your account, and if you accept your award, then I will sticky this topic for you for a month. (Apologies for being late. I'll throw 40 extra groats in for the 4 days I'm overdue.[/mod]

[Chinaren]

...and I'll make an effort to get this moving again.

Initially I'll write a synopsis to allow people to catch up/remind old readers of what has gone before.

[Chinaren]

It's been a while...


Nurn did eventually get his order, and Velvet and Rumpold also ordered something, which they ate whilst discussing the strange meeting, though there was nothing really to do but wait for a response.  By the time they had finished it was snowing once more, so Lord decided to stay in the Inn for the night.

Velvet negotiated three rooms, one for Lord and Nurn, one for the wizard, and one small one for herself.  Lord paid and she retired to it, feeling weary for some reason.

Sitting on the edge of the narrow bunk, she looked out of the grimy window at the fading day.  Snow danced strange patterns outside, blown by gusts of icy wind.  She shivered and stood up to pull the curtains in front of it. 

As she did so she glanced down, and noticed a dark figure standing in the middle of the deserted lane, staring up at the inn.  She jerked back, but when she peered down again, the person had gone. 

Shaking her head, she closed the drapes and retired to bed for an early night.

~

Velvet woke up before dawn after an uncomfortable nights sleep in the inn’s bunk, which made her itch. 

Climbing out of it she rubbed her eyes and, feeling groggy and irritable, washed her face with the cold water in the small basin provided.

Slightly refreshed, but still in a bad mood, she dressed and went down to the main room to see what was to be had for breakfast. 

There was only one person in the dingy dining area, and that was Nurn, sitting with his back to the wall at a lone table, nibbling on some kind of meat.  She walked over to him and he wiggled his eyebrows in greeting.

“You’re up early,” she said, yawning and slumping down into the chair opposite. 

“The boss told me to keep an eye out.  I didn’t feel sleepy anyway, so I came down here for a pre-breakfast snack.”

“A snack before a meal?”  Velvet looked around for a server, and waved at a woman standing behind the bar. 

“Yes, helps build my appetite up.”

Velvet ordered a strong coffee from the waitress and covered another yawn with her hand.

“Sleep well?” Nurn asked, taking a dainty bite of his snack, which turned out to be the remains of a chicken drumstick.

“No,” she snapped back.

“Someone’s grouchy before their coffee,” Nurn smirked.

Velvet didn’t reply, merely waiting until her drink was brought.  She slurped at it as they waited in silence.  Eventually, with most of her beverage drunk, she spoke again.

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“Snapping.  I didn’t sleep well.”

Nurn shrugged.  “That’s okay.  I know you humans and your morning grouchyness.” 

“I bet Lord doesn’t do it.”  Velvet swirled the remains of the drink around the bottom of the cup and considered getting another.

“The boss is different.  He’s had years and years of training.  Besides, he doesn’t drink coffee much, if at all.”

“I find that a little sad actually.”  She finished her drink and decided that, just this once, another one would be in order.  She signaled the server for a refill.

With her cup once again full, she turned back to the Grey, who was staring mournfully at his now empty plate.  “So, what’s the plan today?”

“Wait,” he replied.  “I suspect we won’t have to hang around for very long.  Our friend seems to be keen to get the Eye.”

“I don’t understand why they would help us if they can find out where it is,” she said. 

Nurn scratched his head before replying in a low voice.  “I suspect they don’t wish to cross Streed for some reason.  Or maybe Puzzle thinks that if we upset her, she’ll attack us.  With we two fighting he can sit back and wait until one of us, weakened, wins and then move in to finish us off.  It’s a win win for him.”

“That doesn’t sound too promising,” said Velvet.

“We don’t have much choice at the moment.”  The Grey shrugged. He looked up. “Ah, the boss is awake.”

[Chinaren]

Another 1000 words or so for your enjoyment...


Velvet looked around to see the large form of Lord enter the room.  He paused slightly at the doorway, glancing left and right with hand on the sword at his waist.  She tensed, but then relaxed as he removed his hand and approached their position.

“Morning,” said Nurn, waving the remains of his chicken.

“Good morning sir.”  Velvet greeted the man in a more respectful fashion.

“Good morning to both of you.”  Lord scanned the room once more before sitting down next to Nurn, his back to the wall.

“Something the matter boss?” asked the Grey.

“I have an uneasy feeling,” Lord replied. 

“Puzzle?” Nurn asked.

The warrior shook his head slightly. “I’m not sure.  Possibly.”  He looked at his small companion.  “I assume there’s nothing to report?”

“The chicken’s old and the coffee is rather bitter,” he replied.  “Apart from that, no.”

“How about you Velvet?”

“I’m fine thank you,” she replied. 

“Good.  Order breakfast both of you.  We’ll wait a while and then head back to the Duke.”

“What about the wizard?” Nurn asked.

“If he misses breakfast, that’s his problem,” Lord replied. He gestured at the waitress, who scuttled quickly over.  “Bring me a large cup of coffee,” he said.

Velvet glanced at Nurn, who shrugged, an amused look on his face. 

She ordered a light meal of salad and salted fish, and Nurn emulated her, only adding a side dish of spicy pudding.  She forbade comment, not really in the mood to jest. 

Lord was sipping at his coffee, and Nurn’s order was being loaded up on the waitresses’ tray when the dark figure of Dort appeared in the doorway.  The waitress let out a squeak and scuttled into the kitchen, leaving the breakfast steaming on the counter. 

“Are you doing this on purpose?” the Grey demanded of Puzzle’s henchman as he approached. 

Dort ignored him and spoke directly to Lord.  “My employer has agreed to your terms, as long as the item is returned to him before the first day of summer.  You should return to your inn.  Once we have determined the location of the item, I will contact you again.”

“Very well,” Lord replied, nodding once.  He said nothing else, and Dort merely nodded in reply before turning and leaving the dining room, a dark shadow in the gloom.

“If my breakfast is cold, I’ll stab him in the knees,” scowled Nurn.

“Get your food,” Lord said.  “Velvet, please go and wake the wizard, I wish to set off within the hour.”

Velvet acknowledged his request and slipped off her seat.  She climbed the stairs and hammered on the room the mage had been assigned. 

She had to hammer on it twice more before the door opened to reveal the bleary eyed figure of Rumpold, wearing a creased nightshirt. 

“What?” the wizard asked gruffly.

“Lord wants you to get ready.  We’re going soon,” she replied, trying to keep a straight face.  Laughing at a magic user wasn’t a good idea.

“Already?  It’s barely past midnight!”

“It’s on its way to afternoon Sir Wizard,” Velvet pointed out, exaggerating slightly.

“Bah, very well then.”  He slammed the door shut in her face.

“Looks like I’m not the only one cranky in the mornings,” muttered Velvet to the door.  She turned and made her way back down to the dining room, where her breakfast was waiting for her. 

“Is he up?” asked Nurn, around a mouthful of fish.   

“He is now.”  Velvet grinned. “Better get him a coffee ready,” she added.  “If you thought I was grouchy...”

They ate in silence, joined by Rumpold ten minutes later.  He gave them all sour looks as he slumped down into the spare seat and took a deep draught of the hot beverage they’d ordered for him. 

 “Do you want anything to eat wizard?” asked Lord a little while later.

“At this time of day?” the mage answered.  “Good grief no.”

“Very well then.”  Lord looked at his companions.  “We’re going to return to the Duke and await Puzzle’s contact there.  Are we all ready?”

“Would it make any difference if I said no?” grumbled Rumpold. 

“No.  Very well, let’s be off then.”  Lord stood up and the others followed suite, Nurn stuffing the last of his breakfast into his mouth.

The weather outside was bleak, and clouds hung low in the sky. 

“It’s going to snow again,” said Velvet, wrapping her riding cloak around her body in an attempt to block the biting wind that moaned along the street.  She raised her hood and pulled the clasp tight under her chin.

They recovered their horses from the stable and mounted up.  Lord took the lead, with Rumpold behind, and Velvet and Nurn bringing up the rear. 

As they plodded out into the street, the first flakes began to float down, and she hunched herself down into the saddle.   

“What a delightful morning,” Nurn said. 

Velvet glanced at him, trying to work out if he was being sarcastic or not, but he was looking over at a weapons shop on the other side if the street.  She shrugged to herself and kicked Snow in the flanks, thinking that she’d named the horse well.

They made their way along the street in silence, the horse’s hooves muffled by the layer of white that was being refreshed by the new fall.  Velvet shivered slightly and watched her breath escape in a cloud about her head.

They proceeded along nearly deserted streets.  It seemed the populace had uniformly decided to remain inside today, warm and snug.  Velvet wished she was among their number, but comforted herself with visions of her room at the Duke.  Her mind wandered, going over the potions she had made so far, and considering what her next attempt would be.  What would be most useful to her just now?  Maybe a warmth potion!  She perked up at the thought of that, and wrinkled her brow, trying to remember if there had been a recipe for such.

Deep in thought as she was, she was taken utterly by surprise as Nurn drew alongside and leaped from his saddle, wrapping his arms around her and forcing her off her horse in one rude motion.

They landed hard, though the snow cushioned their fall slightly.  Velvet choked, gasping for the breath that had been knocked out of her by the impact.

“What…” she started to ask, but Nurn roughly rolled her to one side, pushing her into a snowdrift. 

Disorientated and bewildered, Velvet shook her head and looked up, suddenly aware of the shouting and the by now familiar clash of blade upon blade.

[Burningplain]

I bow in acknowledgement of a master of writing at work. A brilliant chapter Chinaren.

[Chinaren]

I bow in acknowledgement of a master of writing at work. A brilliant chapter Chinaren.

   Why thank you Burps!  Glad you enjoyed.  I'm trying to get this one going a bit more!  It's about two thirds, maybe a bit more, done by now I think.

[Chinaren]

Another bite of the Lord of All pie for you...


From her prone position on the floor she couldn’t make out the action clearly, but she saw Lord swing his large sword at a figure dressed from head to toe in strange green armor, striking his opponent in the shoulder.  The blade didn’t do as much damage as it should have, the protection the man wore seemed to resist the weapon.  Still, he fell back with a short shout of pain. 

With horror Velvet saw two other figures, similarly garbed, approaching the warrior from different angles.  Before she could react, a streak of blue flame struck one of them in the side.  The effect was instantaneous and dramatic.  The man exploded in a dazzling ball of light, showering the surrounding area with pieces of smoking meat.

The other assailant ignored the fate of his comrade and came at Lord with two wicked looking daggers. 

Velvet was distracted from the action by still another green clad form, this one approaching her position, a thin sword in hand. 

“Oh turds!” she swore, trying to roll away from the approaching man whilst simultaneously attempting to reach her potions.  The attacker closed in swiftly though, and Velvet moaned in fear.  She wasn’t going to make it!

A dark orange blur interrupted her imminent demise, smashing into the man at waist level and throwing him to one side.  Nurn and the enemy warrior landed in a snowdrift in a flurry of limbs, and Velvet took the chance to grab at her potion pack, pulling out a handful of the small explosive vials. 

Crawling forward on her knees she drew her hand back, a bottle ready to throw, but hesitated.  She couldn’t get a clear shot of the man, who was rolling about on the floor trying to keep an enraged Nurn at arms length.  The Grey was biting and tearing at his foe with sharp teeth.  He’d managed to tear the armor away at the chest, a testament to the jaw power of the small creature.

“Nurn!  Get clear!” she shouted.

Velvet threw her vial as the Grey leaped backwards, and then, remembering the last time she’d been attacked, threw two more. 

The first missed, but the other two struck the target, one in the chest, where armor had been damaged, and the second one directly in the face, exploding with loud retorts.  The man howled in pain and scrambled backwards, blood gushing from the chest wound.  Ironically the potion that had hit his head hadn’t done the same damage; the material over his head was merely scorched.  The strange glass covering his eyes was cracked, but otherwise intact. 

Breathing hard, Velvet prepared to throw more potions, but a bolt of blue fire lanced out and hit her opponent in the side.  The magic attack did what her potions failed to do, and the man was thrown high into the air, limbs flailing like a rag doll as he smacked into the side of a nearby building. After a timeless moment, he slid down the side of the wall and landed in the street, where he lay still, blood pooling around the body.

Shaking hard, Velvet looked around, but the attack seemed to be over.  Lord was standing in the middle of a group of corpses.  His white jacket was torn and stained with blood, but he didn’t seem to be hurt badly.  Rumpold was leaning on a staff that he hadn’t had before, and Velvet wondered where he’d suddenly conjured that from.  Nurn rose from the snowdrift like a corpse rising from the grave.  He shook himself in a very dog-like fashion, sending snow showering away.

“Is everyone alright?” Lord asked, sheathing his sword as he came over.  He bent down, picked Velvet bodily to her feet and brushed her down. 

“I’m fine,” she said shakily. 

“I have snow in my shorts,” complained Nurn.

“I am unhurt,” Rumpold reported.

Velvet went and stood over the body of the man who’d attacked her, examining him.  He was dressed in the same style as the person who’d attacked her before, on the way back from the shop.  The strange green armor resembled lizard skin, and covered the warrior from head to knee.  Black boots protected his lower legs and feet, and the goggles his eyes.  The only flesh exposed was through the rents in his protection, where blood was slowly congealing. 

Nurn came to stand by her, making a face. 

“Watchers,” he said.  “They’ve never attacked us directly before, let alone in numbers.  They must be getting desperate.”

“Who are they?” Velvet asked as Nurn bent down and removed the goggles from the body.  Behind them the man had pale skin and staring blue eyes.

“Troops from All.  Sent by Lord’s enemy to make sure he doesn’t get back.  I guess we’re on the right track.”  He bent down again and removed the sword, which glinted strangely in the dim light.  “A la-sword,” he said examining the blade carefully.  “This must have cost them a lot to send through.”

“What do you mean?” asked Velvet, but was cut off as Lord joined them.  Nurn showed the big man the recovered weapon, and Lord took it from the Grey.

“Pass me the scabbard, we can’t leave this lying about here,” the warrior said.

Nurn pulled a strange looking dark red scabbard from the body and handed it to his boss, who sheathed the blade.

“We’d better get out of here,” Nurn said, glancing about.  Several people had gathered and were standing in a cautious circle, ignoring the snow settling on their heads and shoulders. “What about their armor?”

“Don’t worry about it, with them dead it will degrade quickly enough,” Lord replied.  “Let’s go before we have that Inspector down on us again.  Mount up.”

Pulling her hood forward, Velvet gave one last glance at the man that had tried to kill her.  Even as she watched, the armor seemed to lose some of its color.  Shaking her head at these strange items, she recovered her horse, which had wandered off towards a sheltered spot near a shop, and mounted the animal, jumping with shock as the cold snow that had settled on the saddle soaked her behind.

Lord let the way down the road.  His smaller sword, held casually in one hand ensured that no one approached to ask any awkward questions.  Very quickly the scene of the brief battle was left behind; falling snow covering the red blood of dead men from after the end of time.

[Burningplain]

Well written Chinaren. I like it.

[Chinaren]

Thanks Burpy! 

[Chinaren]

Still more...


For the rest of the journey Velvet was on tenderhooks, waiting for another attack.  She jumped at any sudden movement until Lord pulled back and put a hand on her shoulder. 

“You have no need to worry, for now at least,” he said.  “Sending people back takes a lot of energy, and sending technological items like this,” he touched the weapon Nurn had referred to as a la-sword, “takes exponentially more power.  There won’t be any others assaults for some time.” 

“Unless there’s a Cold agent that held back from that attack of course,” Nurn added cheerfully. 

Lord glanced back at Rumpold, who was plodding slowly along some way behind them, muttering to himself in a strange tongue.  He gave the small Grey a warning look. 

“What’s a Cold Agent?” asked Velvet in a low voice.

“You don’t need to know,” Lord said, cutting off Nurn, who was about to reply.

“I think I do,” she pouted.

“Actually, you don’t.  There’s no point worrying about something you wouldn’t be able to stop anyway,”
 Nurn said.

“Come on, you can’t talk about something and then leave me hanging!”  Velvet protested.

Lord looked down at Velvet and rolled his eyes.  “Very well,” he said, in response to her glare.  “A Cold Agent is an elite assassin.  There are very few of them, but they have access to secret techniques, technologies and magic that are highly restricted, and beyond the reach of nearly everyone else.”

“They don’t sound very nice.”  Velvet pulled the reigns of Snow, guiding the horse past a group of people huddled around a street merchant of some kind. 

“They’re not.  If a Cold Agent is sent after a target, they don’t fail.”  He paused for a few moments and his face took on an expression that peered through time.  “Well, usually.”

“Now I wish you hadn’t told me,” Velvet said ruefully.

“Told you,” Nurn replied, grinning.

“So how will I know a Cold Assassin if I see one?” she asked.

“Oh, you probably won’t see them coming,” Nurn answered, far too jovially for Velvet’s liking.  “There may be a small prick and then it will be all over.  So I’ve heard anyway.”  He shrugged.  “There are lots of stories.”

“That’s mostly just what they are too,” Lord interjected.  “You should know better than to repeat gossip Nurn.”

“Come on boss, it’s what I do best.”  Nurn stretched his hands out imploringly. 

Lord glared at him for a moment, but then shook his head and smiled.  Velvet giggled.

The rest of the journey seemed to pass far more pleasantly.

~

“I could eat a whole cow!” Nurn declared as he climbed up on to the chair in the dining room of the Duke.   The statement elicited an alarmed expression on the face of their server, a girl about Velvet’s age.  No doubt she was aware of Nurn’s eating habits.   

“He probably doesn’t mean that,” Velvet assured her.  She looked at Nurn, again.  “Probably.”

“We shall not be eating whole farm animals,” Lord said, sitting down opposite Rumpold. 

“Well, maybe a chicken,” the wizard said.  He’d perked up a lot more once they’d arrived back at the Duke, and he’d positively beamed when Lord asked him to join them for dinner.  Velvet suspected that between the mage and the Grey, the kitchen would be tested today.

Lord flexed his arm and made a face.

“You alright boss?”  asked Nurn. 

“Yes, it’s just a little stiff.  I put some salve on it.”  The warrior picked up the food menu. 

“Would you like some drinks first?” the server asked.

Following Lord’s example, Velvet scanned the dinner selection as Rumpold examined the drinks list.  The journey back had taken a long time, and they had stopped for lunch at a small eatery along the way, which hadn’t been very warm or satisfying.  The snow had come down heavily, and they’d debated whether to carry on or stay somewhere local.  In the end they’d carried on, battling through a blizzard which made progress hard work.

When they had finally arrived back at the Duke they’d all been soaked, shivering and tired.  Velvet had retired to her room for a change of clothes and a wash. The warm room had thawed her out, and when Lord had knocked on her door she’d been more than ready to eat.

“I’ll have some of the purple wine, fifty two, not fifty four.”  Rumpold held a warning finger up to the server, who jotted the order on her pad.  “And bring along a bottle of Black ale too.”

“I’ll have some of the ale as well,” Lord said, as the server turned her attention to him.

“Two flagons of the foaming mead for me,” Nurn said.

“Just a light wine,” Velvet added.

“Very well.  Do you know what you would like to eat?”  The waitress looked at Nurn, who beamed and rubbed his hands together.

“Are you ready?” he asked. He proceeded to reel off a list of items, presumably from memory as he hadn’t glanced at the menu.  The poor server scribbled madly on her pad to keep up.

By the time he had finished, the others had made their choices too, and more food was selected. Lord was evidently needed fuel to help heal, as he asked for a large mixed grill.  Rumpold ordered nearly as much as Nurn, and though Velvet had decided to splurge for a change, her selection seemed puny by comparison.

“I think that will be all,” Lord said finally.  The flustered girl curtsied and scurried off to get their drinks and alert the kitchen to the gigantic order. 

[BlackCat]

Good story 

[Chinaren]

Thanks Cat.

Just to let everyone know I'm still working on this on and off. My laptop's been at work lately, so I've been bashing bits out here and there.

[Burningplain]

Nice chapter Chin.

[Chinaren]

I've been pounding away on this a bit this last week, so more Lord of All goodness for those few of you who are still reading this.  I've also just about reached the 60k word mark on this novel! 

WooOoOoO!

Here's the final, fairly short, part of chapter 6.


“So, how long do you think it will take our friend to locate the Eye?”  Nurn asked Rumpold.

“How should I know?” the wizard answered.  “I’m not familiar with the inner workings of organized crime.”

“Yet you were well enough informed to know about the thing in the first place,” the Grey replied, waving a fork.

“The… item in question is a powerful magical artifact, something that would naturally fall within my area of interest.”

Nurn nodded.  “It’s a shame you didn’t look after it a little better.  We wouldn’t have to go galloping around the city like this if you still had it.”

“I’ll not be questioned by… by… whatever you are!” The mage slammed a fist down upon the table, making Velvet jump.  “I am a qualified mage of this city!  Above accusations and recriminations from the likes of you!” 

“Calm down mage,” Lord said.  “You too Nurn.  What’s happened has happened.  If I had been more careful at home we wouldn’t be here at all, and we wouldn’t need to find the Eye.  I’m as much to blame as anyone.”

“Sorry boss,” Nurn replied, looking down at the table.  Velvet noticed he didn’t apologize to the wizard.

Rumpold harrumphed, but also settled back in his chair, and the four of them lapsed into an uncomfortable silence that was only broken by the arrival of the beverages.   

As the drinks were consumed and the first of the food arrived, the atmosphere relaxed slightly, and Velvet worked up enough courage to speak to Rumpold, asking about the effort it took to pronounce the spells when she was making the potions.

“Well of course girl!  If it was easy anyone could do it!”  The wizard took a bite of a chicken leg, causing juice to dribble down onto his beard.  “Incantations are basically conduits for magical power.  When you speak them you are summoning manna, magical energy, transferring it from the dread realms into our world. That takes energy.  I’m actually quite impressed you’ve managed to conjure up your potions without killing yourself. Once this whole affair is over I think I shall do further research on commoners casting spells.  There may be some interesting ramifications.”  He looked at his chicken leg thoughtfully a moment, before taking another bite.

Velvet, meanwhile, was sitting back stunned.  “You mean… making potions is dangerous?  What do you mean I could have killed myself?  Why didn’t you warn me?”

“My dear girl,” Rumpold replied.  “I thought it would have been obvious enough.  Did you feel tired after making the potions?  Did you struggle when pronouncing the incantations?”

Velvet recalled how hungry she’d been after making the potions, and the effort it had taken to read some of the words out of the book.  She’d just assumed that it was hard because she was unfamiliar with the procedure, she’d never thought it could be dangerous!

 “If you make a mistake, or stop the incantation before it’s complete,” Rumpold went on, “then the energy you’ve brought forth has to dissipate, and it will do so in an uncontrolled fashion.”

“An explosion?”  asked Nurn, who had been listening as he scoffed a plate of some kind of sliced potato in sauce.

“More than likely,” the mage answered.  “Though the magical energy released could result in anything from an explosion, to turning everything in the room yellow.”

“I see,” Velvet said, picking at her salad.  Suddenly the business of potion making seemed a lot more daunting.

“You must have a natural talent for the arcane arts,” Rumpold went on.  “Otherwise you’d never have managed to complete the spells. The power would have been too much for you, and you’d have… well, it wouldn’t have been pleasant, and the carpet would have been ruined.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this before you gave us the book?”  Lord asked.  “I’d not have been pleased if Velvet had been hurt.”

The wizard shrugged and picked up another piece of chicken.  “As I said, I assumed you knew what you were doing. Obviously not.  Magic isn’t for the untrained, I thought that was well known, even amongst non-wizards.”

The server chose that moment to deliver more dishes, and the conversation turned to other things.  Idle talk about the city and the weather. 

The rest of the giant meal passed by pleasantly enough, and by the time Velvet returned to bed she was stuffed full and weary beyond belief.  Letting her garments drop where they would, she fell onto her giant bed and was asleep in moments.

[Burningplain]

Great chapter Chin. I like it alot. No back to All. Wait no, I mean Northwind.

[Chinaren]

Thanks Burpolla.  I'm determined to make this my next complete novel.