Chapter XI
Jon has been traveling for half a day. He has passed half of the landmarks
on the scroll. He starts to get a nagging feeling, sort of in the lower part of the
back of your head, where your neck meets you head. As he travels farther, the
feeling gets stronger.
~~I must be getting closer.~~ He thinks.
As he passes over a hill, he can see a pile of boulders, on the spot the map
marks.
~~Great... Now I gotta use my powers to move those things.~~
Jon gets down from his horse and walks toward the pile. As he walks closer,
he begins to glow with his psychedelic aura. He raises his hands at the boulders,
and they begin to crumble. As the dust settles, an opening can be seen. Jon enters
the chamber, and sees a broadsword, embedded in a block of granite and
enveloped in a column of light. Jon stares in amazement. The nagging feeling is
overwhelming.
~~This thing must be powerful.~~
As Jon walks toward the sword, it seems to glow in an aura like Jon's own.
Jon grabs the hilt of the sword and pulls upward, pulling the sword from the stone.
The sword seems to burst into some kind of flames, and releases a shockwave of
energy, hitting the ceiling of the cavern and bringing it down.
~~Sh*t!~~ Jon says as he darts from the chamber, carrying the sword over
his shoulder. As the cave collapses, Jon's horse near gallops. Jon calms the horse
down, and straps the broadsword to the saddle. He gets up on the horse, and sets
the horse into a gallop, not wanting to know what would be alarmed by the
collapse of the chamber. As Jon rides, a huge creature steps onto the path. Jon's
horse screeches to a halt, terribly frightened by this beast. Jon almost flies out of
the saddle. The creature laughs a horrible, bonechilling laugh.
~~What are you??~~ Jon asks of the creature.
"Grag is troll. Grag is me. Grag kill small thing." The troll says, and pulls
a huge axe from its belt. The axe is about half as big as Jon, and there is dried
blood on the blade. Jon leaps from his horse, pulling the new broadsword from its
place. The blade cackles to life, glowing with an energy unknown. The troll
doesn't notice, or at least doesn't care, and it runs toward Jon, axe held high. As
the troll gets closer to Jon, Jon raises the broadsword to block the axe's swing. As
the blades collide, the axeblade shatters on contact with the broadsword's aura. The troll
steps back, aghast that a small thing could do that to a troll's kill-blade. As the
troll steps back, Jon brings the sword to level with the troll. There is a sudden
crash, and a blue wave of energy flies at the troll, catching it unawares. The troll
explodes into millions of tiny bits, splattering Jon and his horse in blood and body
bits.
~~Great, another explosion to alert the general population. I better get outta
`ere.~~
Jon leaps up onto the horse, and kicks it into a full run, hoping nothing else
gets in his way. Jon gazes about himself, and as the horse turns a corner, Jon sees
several goblins collecting in the way of the horse. Jon kicks the horse to go faster,
and as he passes the first goblin, connecting with its neck. The head flies forward,
splattering the horses flanks with blood. The second goblin leaps at the horse, only
to be slammed into the flat of the blade, crushing its skull it on itself. The third
goblin makes a shallow attempt to stop the horse, but is trampled underneath the
massive hooves of the steed. The few remaining goblins scurry into the woods.
Jon drives the horse on, wanting to make it back to Monitor before night falls. Jon
sees several more goblins in the road, but the scurry back into the woods. As Jon
flies over the hill before Monitor, another troll steps into the path. It holds a
jeweled axe in one hand, and the rotting carcass of a deer in the other. It growls at
Jon, dropping the deer and raising the axe.
"Little thing try pass Drak. Little thing meet Drak kill-blade." It says, and
raises the sword. Jon swings the broadsword at the troll, sending off another
shockwave. The shockwave destroys the troll, and the axe drops to the ground.
As Jon passes the axe, he psionically lifts it to his pack, thinking he can sell it to a
weapons merchant. His horse speeds, sensing nightfall.
~~Don't close the gates!!!~~ Jon calls out to the guard.
"Hurry up then! We'll keep it open fer a few minutes!!" The guard replies.
Jon's horse speeds still, and passes through the gates.
"CLOSE IT UP!!" The guard calls out. Jon turns his horse back to look at
the guard.
~~Where can I find board fer the eve?~~ Jon asks.
"Try down this road. The Slashing Sword pub and Inn."
~~Thank ye, soldier.~~ Jon says, and turns his horse to gallop down the
road.
Jon stops his horse outside the building with a image of a slashing sword on
the door. A young boy comes out of an adjacent building, taking Jon's horse.
~~`Ey. Touch anything on that saddle and I'll cut yer `and off.~~
The boy nods, and leads the horse into the stable. Jon enters the Inn. It is a
place like any pub, bustling with people, music, and dance. Jon walks over to the
man behind the bar.
~~`Ow can I get a room?~~ Jon asks.
"Rooms are twenty gold a night." The man answers.
Jon looks into his pouch, and pulls his last coins from it. There is just
enough to pay for the room. The man gives Jon a key.
"It is fer the third room on the left."
Jon nods, and walks up to his room. He unlocks the door and enters,
checking the room out. It is just like the room back at the first Inn. He unstraps
his sword, laying it on the chair near the bed. Jon crawls into the bed, ready to
sleep for a day. As Jon drifts into slumber, he hears a happy tune coming from
downstairs.
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