A shadow in the dark
#1 of A shadow in the dark
The shadow in the dark
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Rong Yo Han ran down the street with his crossbow in hand and his sword rattling in it's scabbard as fast as his hooves could carry him. He could hear the voices and sounds of battle just up ahead and the cries of the whistle alerting other city guards to the melee.
It was a fairly bright night illuminated by the twin moons but the noise from the action was causing a few lamps to be lit in the houses and shops that he passed. Absently he wished the towns folk would go back to bed, their lights made it more difficult to see in the night.
When Rong rounded the corner he slid to a stop surprised at what he saw. At least ten men were bearing their swords against half the number of guardsman. Rong raised his crossbow and steadied his aim. When a break came he let fly a bolt and reduced the attackers number to nine while three more guardsman streaked into the battle with their swords raised.
Rong considered quickly. He could join the melee, but his swordsman skills were not as good as the taller guards. His prowess with the crossbow was far superior, but with the number of men in the battle it was difficult to find a place to let a bolt slip in without risking injury to his fellows. He kept the crossbow raised, the lower bolt still notched and his finger on the second trigger and found the wall searching for a better angle.
His ears flicked, dancing around gathering as much information as his eyes. When he heard a sound to his side he turned quickly, the crossbow between him and unknown shadows.
They were on him in an instant and the last bolt found it's mark at the instant he found himself falling backwards. Weather it was the impart or his intentions he didn't know but Rong found himself on his back rolling a groaning body off him.
Rong was not a weakling by any means, but the body was heavy and when he saw the flash of steal he barely had time to move his head. He took the strike in his arm and a jolt of fire exploded as he cried out. In an instant the sword was withdrawn and Rong struggled to reach for his sword as his attacker raised it sword high over it's head.
The crack was subtle. It sounding a little like someone slapping a pigs carcass with a wooden plank and Rong blinked as the hooded figures above him suddenly wrenched to one side.
It was as if time froze for a moment. The hood slid to the side and the shadow of a roo could be seen in the moonlight. The sword it was holding suddenly began to fall and the figure crumpled away to the ground only to be replaced by the outline of the hooded figure behind it.
This figure tossed the staff it was holding to his other hand and held both up over it's head. A strange light began to form around the staff head and illuminated a scaled covered snout that seemed to be speaking yet Rong could hear no words.
The light became brighter and brighter then burst forth in small spheres that rocketed away from the scaled figure, then the sounds of the battle simply stopped. The robed figure slowly lowed it's staff until it mad a dull thunk on the cobblestone road. A word and the staff softly began to glow and then reached out a clawed hand to the elk. "Are you alright my good guardsman?" the dracine asked, his blue face placid under it's robes.
Rong blinked. He knew of magic users and dracine of course, although neither were seen often. He knew the dragon like creatures came in a myriad of colors but their was only one that he had ever heard of in the city that was blue and was a spell caster. The elk gulped a little of the night air and reached up his good arm to be clasped by the adviser to the Duke, the wizard Riverdance.
The dracine helped the elk to his feet with apparent ease and Rong was surprised that the creature was not nearly as tall as he had imagined him to be. If course Rong had only seen the wizard from a distance once, and only heard of the reclusive creature from the rumors that were spun of missing children over campfires on cold nights.
The dracine seemed to hold his claw for a moment longer than was necessary and Rong dropped his gaze just as the claws let him go. He didn't know if he expected rings, but he saw none, only the glint of gold bracers and looked dumbfounded as the dracine called to the others. "You men there, take your wounded back to the guard tower with haste. The rest of you guard over the fallen. I'm sure your captain will want to know what evil these rogues are associated with."
Rong stood there for a moment as some of his fellow guardsmen came closer. He could hear whispers being exchanged and he watched small crooked smile form on the dracine's face. It's strange diamond shaped eyes focused on the elk and his voice lowered. "You better get that arm looked at." then to the rest, "As I assume you all know who I am I will forgo introductions. I will see your captain and this man in three days time, not before." he said nodding to Rong.
The creatures eye-ridge raised slightly and again quietly he said. "Acceptable?"
All the elk could do was to say "Yes my lord." and watch as the dracine walked casually back into the night.
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The three days passed both slowly and quickly for Rong. The pain had begun as a dull throb on his way back to the guard tower and by the time his armor and shirt were removed it was like a hot poker being jabbed into this bicep.
The wound itself was deep, but had fortunately missed any major arteries. Rong would have to take light duty for some time while he healed but would regain the use of his arm; or so the healers told him. He was given strong meed and allowed so spend the next days in his bunk relaxing.
The guard house was abuzz with talk of the incident of course. The fallen were honored or burred at sea. No one knew what events had started the clash, those involved were thought to be among the decided. It seemed to be a uprising of the local thieves guild, but no one was sure.
Of the dracine many rumors abounded. Few had ever seen him away from his old mysterious keep in the older section of town. Originally it had been build when the city was young as the baron's home, but as the city grew and prospered it's grandeur diminished and it fell into abandonment and disrepair. The rumors said that the dracine had suddenly appeared before the duke's father and he had purchased the keep sight unseen. It's exterior had changed little from then, and it's sole occupant was rarely seen, but when the dukes rivals came to the gates threatening to sack the city the mysterious dracine had suddenly sought audience with the older man. Whatever had transpired in that meeting was a closely guarded secret, but the results were not. The advancing army retreated without so much as a single arrow being fired and the dracine was announced as an adviser to the crown. At the time it was the first that many had learned the name of the enigmatic creature; Falcres Riverdance, counsel to the crown of Jervillion and compatriot of the kingdom of Landover. Rong had always thought that was a name longer than most had ever even seen the person behind it and for the most part he was right.
With the rumors flying only the captain himself seemed silent. At one point he had only asked the young elk if he had somehow known the mage, and refused to speak anymore of the mater until the night before the meeting.
The captain had appeared at his bunk and given Rong a new uniform. A monstrous hulk of a canine, the captain had only told the elk of the time of the audience, but Rong knew the captain well enough to know his superior was not at all comfortable with the impending visit. Rong had never known his captain to show fear on the battlefield nor in-front of others, yet he had stood there obviously anxious over the impending meet. It certainly didn't bode well for the young elk's confidence and that night he slept fitfully with dreams of unmentionable horrors lurking within the walls of the old keep.
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