“Hibbut, where da hell are ya?” Grunth yelled out as he swaggered into the stables.

Busy brushing down a horse in the corner, Hibbut sighed. “What the hell do ya want,

boy” he exclaimed through gritted teeth.

All the months of working in the Raftsman’s Inn dealing with unruly, drunken

dockworkers, as well as the treatment he had received from Staven (and especially

Hibbut) had left Grunth with a lot of pent up rage which he needed to vent.

“I got a bone to pick with you…” Grunth announced to the other apprentice, who had

stepped out from behind the horse. Hibbut just shook his head, Grunth had been nothing

but trouble these last few weeks, carrying a chip on his shoulder that he seemed to be

daring people to knock off. “Git yor ass back to work, ya good for nuffin...” he started to

say, but before he could finish he was suddenly pelted with chunks of still moist manure.

“Right! Now yor gunna get it!” Hibbut roared as he lumbered towards Grunth.

Waiting for the enraged boy to make the first move, Grunth readied himself, planning his

retaliation carefully, just as Zugril had shown him. A flailing swing from Hibbut missed

Grunth by a good arms length and a couple of well-placed shots by Grunth soon had the

senior apprentice thinking he may have bitten off more than he could chew. “Ah ya bum,

give up now and I won’ beat ya senseless” Grunth warned with a satisfied smirk, but

another wild swing from Hibbut was his only reply. A few more solid thumps to the body

soon had Hibbut staggered and very worried.

Once again Grunth gave him a warning, “This is ya last chance ya mug, give it up!”

Thinking he finally had Hibbut where he wanted him, Grunth stood back and waited for

Hibbuts response. Unfortunately the one thing he didn’t expect was for him to move in

for a surprise attack, at least not until he felt his nuts being driven up into his stomach

from the force of a well placed kick.

The desperate manoeuvre was all that saved Hibbut from a sound beating by his younger

companion. Staggering back, he took in a few deep breaths, and leaned forward, resting

his hands on his knees as he warily eyed the other boy. Now that he had the upper hand,

Hibbut decided not to pursue this fight any further and turned to leave the stables, only to

be hit in the back by yet another clump of horse shit.

“Where do ya think... yor going... we’re not finished yet” Grunth managed to squeak out

between painful breaths. Spinning on his heel, Hibbut stared at the approaching boy in

disbelief. “You just don’t learn, do ya!” he snarled as he swung his foot up and buried

his boot into Grunths groin yet again, sending him crumbling to the floor in a twitching,

quivering heap. Satisfied, Hibbut sniffed and then turned his back, leaving the young boy

to dwell on the beating he had received.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The months of recovery had been slow and painful for Grunth, but worse were the endless

harassments he received from Hibbut. He sat down and thought about what he was going

to do with his life, whether he was going to carry on the way he was heading or try a new

approach. Later that night, at the Raftsmans Inn, Grunth went to see Zugril and thought

to try his luck.

“Master Zugril, ya think ya could show me how to use a weapon say, maybe da cudgel?”

The big man burst out in a laugh that did little to raise Grunths hopes. “Ya really think

I’m gunna let a little madman loose in my Inn with a weapon?”, he looked Grunth in the

eye, “… ya gotta be joking, boy”. Not wanting to push the matter any further, Grunth

decided to try somewhere else. Casting his mind back across the few days he had spent

outside the stable, he recalled seeing a knight in the Town Square. Dressed in his

impressive armour and armed with his menacing weapons, this had given Grunth an idea,

and he decided to try his luck there.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Grunth approached the guard on the front gate, who watched the approaching ragamuffin

with a slight sneer. His mood didn’t lighten any when they boy actually tried to engage

him in conversation…“So, wot goes on in ‘ere then?” Grunth stood confidently,

determined not to show any nervousness in front of the man.

“Just go away boy, don’t bother me…” he replied as his eyes now followed one of the

young wenches who was moving along the street. “I want to know what’s going on!”

Grunth persisted, obviously intending to stay regardless of what he was told.

Nagos contemplated thrashing the urchin for his insolence, but changed his mind when he

saw the belligerence behind the eyes, as well as the set of the young mans jaw. Belasarus

had also been quite specific in his instructions; recruitment was always to be pursued,

providing the aspirant was…of the “appropriate” kind.

Taking a second look at the boy, the guard noticed the telltale signs of bruised flesh and

sullen anger…“All right, you come back in a couple ‘o weeks and there’ll be a

congregation then, just approach the guard and he’ll let ya in” the knight replied.

The days flew by as Grunth wandered around and made discreet enquiries about the

temple of the Order of Eight Demons, and soon found that Agrikanism was a very nasty

religion. ‘Brutal’, ‘war-like’ and ‘murderous’ were just a few of the descriptive words he

heard people tell him about “them”.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On the day of the Mass, Grunth was admitted through two gigantic doors and on into the

sanctum of the church hall. “Wow…” was all that Grunth could manage as he was lead

through the church, dumbfounded by what he saw within.

A huge pit full of burning embers filled the far end of the hall and the pillars carved in

flaming relief on the walls held him enthralled. While gazing around, Grunth was

approached by a priestess who identified herself as an Agnichari, smiling slyly as she

eyed the potential new recruit.

“What do you think of our sanctum to Agrik, Warlord of Balgashang, the Lord of

Flame!” she swept her arm out to take in the richness that surrounded them, all dedicated

to her cruel lord. “Bloody ‘ell, I never knew it was like this” Grunth replied as he took in

all the power and strength displayed around him. “Wait and see, there is much more to

come from our Lord and Master, young Laumak” the Agnichari stated.

All around people chanted and prayed to Agrik so, trying to fit in, Grunth stood and

mimicked whatever the rest did, stumbling along with the words until the end of the

sermon approached. Believing that the ceremony was over, he was surprised to find the

congregation moving in to another room of the church.

In the middle of the enclave waited an arena, surrounded on all sides by logs. Not

knowing what else to do, Grunth followed those in front of him as they circled the strange

formation, their strange chants echoing hollowly from the walls around them.

As everyone found a place, a battered looking man in shredded clothing was led into the

arena, his frightened eyes flicking from face to face as he tried to find an escape. The

guards dragged him along and, after a momentary struggle, locked him to the chains that

dangled from a huge pillar in the centre, a shortsword and small buckler pressed into his

shaking hands.

“Wot the ‘ell?” thought Grunth,”I didn’t know they ‘ad fights, this could be good!”

Through a set of doors opposite those the man had been dragged through walked one of

the Knights of the Order of the Cohorts of Gashang, his armour gleaming as though oiled,

his weapon a menacing shadow at his side. Without even a pause he casually approached

his ‘opponent’ and, with barely more than a sneer, lifted his red tipped mace and smashed

the quivering man in the head, splitting his head like a ripe melon and spraying brains and

gore across the floor without a second thought.

The crowd exploded in feverish screams, the noise of the shouts buffeting young Grunth

as he wondered what he might have got himself into. “Hurrah! All give praise to Agrik”

roared the crowd, ecstatic faces raised up in prayer, as the slave twitched and quivered

mere feet away.

Seeing a man’s head smashed to a pulp was pretty gruesome, but one that is being burnt

at the stake alive was far worse. Grunth was almost beginning to regret his return the

following month, but he had to admit that he still liked the way they approached life.

“Eat or be eaten, Kill or be killed”, a lesson he had started to learn in the last few months

or so. It certainly beat worshipping a puny ‘goddess’ like Peoni, just a dirt digger and

easy mark for those willing to take what the world had to offer

After his baptism of fire, “literally”, Grunth started to feel like he had found a place in this

world. The hooting and hollers that greeted him as he stepped from the dais bolstered his

confidence, making him feel strong; Finally the day had come for his revenge.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hibbut had shamed him one too many times, and this time Grunth was going to return the

favour. It was no contest. While Hibbut was in the stables cleaning down a horse,

Grunth casually walked up behind him and, without even giving him a chance to blink,

slammed a fist into the other boys kidneys with all his strength. Seeing his nemesis down

and out on the stable floor triggered something hidden deep inside Grunth for a long time,

and he decided to let it reign free for a while.

Even though Hibbut was defeated, Grunth didn’t feel that this was enough, and it was

with a savage glee that he pummelled the unconscious youth, leaving him battered and

senseless in a pool of his own blood. It wasn’t until after the adrenaline had subsided that

he took stock of the situation, and he realised that it didn’t look good. Sensing that he

may get in to trouble for his actions, Grunth hurriedly left the stable, trying to distance

himself from the scene as quickly as possible.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Grunth what da hell ave you done!” Staven yelled at Grunth as soon as he entered the

stables later that day. “What do ya mean?” was Grunth’s reply, attempting to look

innocent. “Don’t give me none of yor lip boy, I know it was you”, Staven stormed, “You

and Hibbut were the only ones in here today, and you two haven’t exactly gotten on at all

since ya got here, ave ya?” “Whatever it is, it wasn’t me” Grunth protested, knowing all

too well that it was.

The Ostler was having none of it, frowning at his most junior apprentice disapprovingly.

“I think we better give you a break me lad, as a matter of fact, I think we’ll send ya home

for a while, eh?” Staven said.

Although seeing his siblings again would be good, Grunth was enjoying it where he was,

after all, he knew a good thing when he was onto it. He even tried to plead with Staven,

but the man was adamant. As a last resort, he called on his newfound contacts with the

Cohorts of Gashang, hoping that they would somehow be able to influence this kink in

his plans of advancement. “Leave it to me, young Laumak”, was all the Dotelen of the

order would offer.

Anxiously the young ex-ostler paced the temple atrium, waiting for the Haragki to return

from the Apple Tankard after ‘speaking’ with Staven. Grunth was feeling very anxious,

because he wanted to know if he still had to leave, but all they would say when they had

returned was that he would have to live with the other Laumak in the dormitories for now.

Grunth went to work in the yard and stables, killing time until he got an answer one way

or the other. Thinking about the beating he had given Hibbut made him wonder if he

might be in the wrong line of work, maybe he would be better as a bodyguard, or enforcer

for one of the many gangs that crawled the shadows of the Capital?

He spent the hours between his chores chatting with the Haragki, seeing if they could

offer any other suggestions. The captain of the guard pointed out that with his natural

fighting talents he should try his luck in the Legions, hinting that they had connections

there who would look after him. “A legionnaire? Aye, that could be interesting” Grunth

thought to himself “very interesting, indeed”.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Next Story.

Written By: Gerrard Saunders (a.k.a Grunth of Callon)