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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Enk&amp;D'Shai" data-source="post: 893344" data-attributes="member: 7569">Whew! You go to try to update the story hour with an Interlude and the board crashes. Then you finally throw in the towel and post it over at Nutkinland for the truly desperate (read "Rel") and the board comes back up just minutes later.Hope this whets your appetite - look for the wrap up of Small Beginnings Part 2 sometime early next week, with Part 3 starting soon after!*****InterludeThe Shimmering Sword burst through the twig beast, breaking its slight wooden body into still twitching pieces. “How many more?” panted Worm as he wiped cold sweat from his brow.“Why? Are you tired already?” Abil said as he sidestepped a lunge by the thicket creature he fought. “Your ‘brother’s’ luck must have rubbed off on you, for these are the last of these infernal beasts. Dueca and his pet greenskin cooper must have the other attack contained.” The captain had abandoned his rapier during the first attack: now he wielded a thin but heavy truncheon that darted out and caved in what passed for his foe’s head. He wielded the club just as he did his sword: easily, gracefully, and without working up a sweat – Worm hated him for it. “If we take care of this bunch, we might get back to Lizon’s before the others.” “Good, then there’ll be more stew for us!” Good food always brightened Worm’s day, especially his mother’s recipes.“Just the kind of remark I would expect out of a tusk-faced fool. Now move your sword greenskin, not your mouth!” Abil punctuated his remark with another strike to his foe’s chest crumpling what, on a human foe, would have been ribs.Worm roared in answer, hacking through one of the beasts. In the press, the two warriors had been pushed almost back-to-back. Just one swing – I could say it was an accident. ‘No Reeve, my sword slipped while we were in the fight…’ The half-orc grunted as he swung through another of his foes. No, Lizon wouldn’t believe it for an instant, even if everyone else did.A sudden nudge unbalanced the large warrior as Abil pushed him aside to fell another knotted invader with a well-placed truncheon blow. “Watch your shield side boy! I won’t fight for the both of us.” A dozen of the small beasts remained and even though Worm wielded the Shimmering Sword with his massive strength, the half-orc warrior found he was unable to match the skill and precision of the snide sheriff. For every bramble that fell to his mighty swings Abil dropped two, his thin club moving almost unnaturally as it bashed wicker limbs. At one time, Worm was convinced he saw Abil’s weapon in two places at once.When the last of the twigs fell, Worm stood mopping his brow with the hem of his tunic until Abil interrupted him, “I told Dueca that teaching you was a waste of time - all that strength and not the brains to use it. The runt would be better suited to wield that sword.” With a slow shake of his head the Sheriff turned to leave.Worm’s blood still boiled from the fray, “Enough!” the giant roared. The young giant was surprised to hear his own voice. He had often daydreamed about confronting Abil, but had somehow always been able to rein in his temper. No, that’s not right. I’m not the one who stopped myself from tearing into that bastard, Pack was...The nobleman stopped in his tracks and slowly turned toward the young man. “What did you just say, boy?” The sheriff’s usually silky voice had grown a hard and dangerous edge. “I…” Worm was at a loss. In his daydreams he always had a curse or accusation to throw Abil’s way, but now, when he actually had the opportunity, he didn’t know where to start. “I…”“You said nothing, boy. It was only the wind on the thicket.” Abil had closed the distance to the larger youth like a cat circling prey. It made Worm uncomfortable. “You said nothing at all. Correct?” The half-orc could tell it wasn’t a question.Worm held his breath as he thought, What would you do now, little brother? Should I hit him? He deserves it… Worm squeezed his empty hand until the knuckles turned white. But if I do, it might come back on Lizon…A moment passed without a sound. “I’ll take that as a yes, boy,” Abil advanced until he was almost chest to chest with Worm “But let me tell you something. I’ll speak slowly in order to get it through your thick, green skull.” Abil’s eyes bored into the half-orc’s, even though Abil had to crane his neck skywards to make it happen. “You are a muscle-bound oaf, without sense enough to know how to speak to your betters. If it weren’t for that wench who calls herself your mother, I’d have already thrown you out of this backwater village, back when you pushed over the switching oak. But I tell you this, Lizon or no, if you give me half a reason I’ll see you strung up on the gallows I had made from the tree you wrecked.”“No Abil, you listen…”A shadow passed over both men as some nightmare of twig and brush rose from the thicket. It roared, its cries the sound of a broken tree falling to earth, and leapt at the pair. Abil retreated as the mammoth twig beast pursued him, striking ineffectually at its long arms as it closed. Worm felt the sword in his hand snake out and slash the beast, but the blade passed through the outer layers without slowing the monstrosity. Useless!As large as Worm was, the beast was larger. It was easily twice as broad as the half-orc, and a good head taller. Like all the other twig men, it had arms, legs, and a head, but no face.Suddenly, the beast pounced on Abil, grabbing the nobleman and bringing him close. Worm could almost hear the sound of ribs cracking as it crushed him as if it were Orloff himself. He hesitated for an instant, and then dropped the Shimmering Sword and leapt onto the giant thicket.The twig beasts roared again as Worm shoved a hand underneath its arm and pried loose the hold on Abil. “Hit it, damn you, hit it!” Worm saw the sheriff escape from the creatures grip, and begin swinging with his truncheon. One, two, three hits later, the beast batted Abil away, sending him flying through the air.Worm grunted, Looks like this one is up to me. Worm wrapped his arms and legs around the beast and squeezed. The wood beneath his limbs groaned as the beast toppled to the ground and the wrestling began in earnest. He had wrestled before, at festival, against the barbarians that came down from the mountains, and he had won. He had fought a dozen drunken louts at the Shimmering Sword, and won. But as the beast began to bring its power and size to bear, he began to feel what it was like to lose. The beast’s thorns pricked his skin as the raked over his bare arms, and its talons raked at his face. Worm answered by lifting the twig beast off the ground and slamming it into the hard packed earth. He felt the tearing of muscle as he did it. He had felt the tearing of muscle when he wrestled the barbarian champion, yet he had fought through the pain and used his strength. The barbarians had called him the Dragon because of it – the Wyrm. He had won that fight, I AM THE WYRM!, and he would win this one.Worm drove the beast into the ground, ignoring the barbs stuck in his skin as it thrashed to get free. Then Abil was there, hammering blow after blow into the beast’s head until it collapsed and tore away, exposing a pulpy heart beneath it. “Kill the thrice-damned thing!” Worm heard himself groan. Abil struck one last time, cracking the woody organ.Worm stood up after extricating himself from the unmoving pile of brush. He brushed himself his arms clear of thorns, and bent over to retrieve the Shimmering Sword. When he rose, Abil stood before him.The nobleman stood silently for a moment. Worm wondered if he planned on continuing their argument. “We should get back to the inn,” the sheriff said, looking first at the woody corpse and then at Worm, “yes, we should get back.” Then the smaller man wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his brow and turned quickly away.Worm watched as the smaller man walked quickly away. He’s afraid of it still. Why? It’s not like… No, that’s not it. The realization hit Worm like a warm ray of sunshine. He’s afraid of me. I could get used to this, if anyone were here to share it with. I wish Pack was here…*****</blockquote>

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