Garius, Part II

Once again, the story isn't called Garius.
2nd part, more to come later.

Chapter 2, Breaking Company

A group of knights sat around a table in an inn, the Inharmonious Harp. Mocking the darkening dreariness of outdoors, the fireplace crackled merrily. A trail of steam from a giant pot of stew tasted like it could sate hunger from only the smell of it. Other journeyers filled the room with merry chat. A bard thoughtfully strummed on a lute.

“And then the man said he forgot his toll papers!” one of the knights bellowed while he smacked the table with his fist. All the other knights laughed with him. He finished, “I assisted him through anyway, since we're supposed to help people free if it's their first time through the pass.”

Garius inquired, “Was that the fur trader that sold all those wildcat skins last winter?”

The knight answered, “Aye, I think so.”

Garius took a gulp of some hot apple cider from his mug and leaned lazily back in his chair.

Suddenly the door opened and in stepped a tall man in a dirty cloak. His boots had dried mud caked up the sides. He had slung in his belt a rapier. The man sat himself down at the table with the knights and pulled his gloves off.

One of the knights asked, “And how may we help you?”

“I heard of a great warrior with quite some capabilities. It's taken a lot of searching to make it this far.”

Garius answered, “And what would you need this warrior for?”

The man folded his hands, “Once I heard the news of the recent battle, I rode my horse as fast as I could from my village. Since then, I've been gathering all the information that I can, which led me here.”

Garius eyed him suspiciously, “That still hasn't answered my question. And I will give you another one. What is your name?”

The man lowered his voice, “My name is Jothan, my great-grand father's name was Darus. My father gave me a paper that should be read to the Invincible. The paper had been given to him from my grandfather, and I assume he got it from Durus. Which one of you is it?”

Garius waved, “Speak on.”

The man reached into a satchel and pulled out a paper, and read, “The tomb will only open when one of a strong and pure heart is ready to give his all for his brother. Inside you will have found a tool to meet the purpose of warding off any danger. Let him beware for those close to him, for his enemy will not be defeated until he has been utterly destroyed. Take the news not as a curse but as a warning.

Keep your sword sharp,

Darus, Knight of Paltros”

Garius frowned, “I will fight the goblins or any other monster that dares enter my sight. Anybody could have come up with a story warning against the danger of future war. Is there any way that I can know that this note you brought me is authentic?”

“Nay, but I do believe that it has been correct about past events,” Jothan shrugged.

“Darus did look ahead, no doubt, and I am glad for his concern. Have some coin for your troubles,” Garius pushed a small pile of sovereigns toward Jothan.

Jothan pushed away the coins, “I did not come here for reward. I came to bring the message, which I have. I really must be off, I've got much to do back at my house.” He stood up and headed out of the inn.

A knight asked Garius, “Do you think what he said was true? He was right about what happened earlier.”

Garius replied, “Yes, I do believe so. War is never over, so it could be obvious that I should be ready to defend against any enemies. If nothing else, it is a good reminder.”

The knight pressed on, “But he said 'beware for those close to you'. Is that not a good warning for your family?”
“Aye it is, but all my family is dead. Except for my younger sister. If she is in danger, then the rest of Paltros is in danger, and I will be ready to defend.”

A different knight added, “Well, then Darus must have prophesied that the goblins will return again for another assault.”

“And maybe the dragon too,” another knight added.

“Then we will be prepared for them when they return,” Garius said. He thought to himself, “Perhaps I'll visit old Mrs. Anne's house before I go to the barracks. I haven't seen my sister in over a week now.”

The sound of rain swooshed against the roof. Garius's mug of cider only had a few drops in the bottom that were impossible to get to. He felt tired from the strain of the last few days, and staying up later really made no sense. He bid his fellow knights farewell, put on a cloak, and hurried outside. Everything was blurred and dark through the rain. Water rushed down the gutters, carrying twigs and leaves at a terrifying pace. People ran through the streets as if wild beasts were chasing them from building to building. Garius pulled his cloak closer around himself and hurried down the cobblestone road.

His foot slipped and he tripped on a stone. He fell into a group of people, knocking the three closest to the ground into a puddle. They landed hard with a splash. Garius lifted himself off the ground and apologized, “I am so sorry, I put myself in a bit too much of a hurry. Shouldn't have happened.” He held out his hand to lift out the unfortunate people he bumped into. They ignored him and got themselves out of the puddle.

Never meeting his eyes, one of them grumbled at him, “Your mother raised you well to be such an inconsiderate idiot. Oh wait, maybe you didn't have a mother.” The cloaked person spat on Garius's shoe and huffed off, a bit awkwardly as if his hip was bruised from the fall.

Garius stood for a while with his fists tight together. Those words stung. He had felt bad for knocking into the man, but then the man started to mock him. There was no way a random man could have known that he lost his parents when he was six, but then his parents' friend, Anne, took him and his sister in. Then he got mad all over again when he thought of the man saying Aunt Anne, (not really his aunt, though), had raised an idiot. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and tried to concentrate on something else. But only images of men being hewn on the battlefield appeared in his mind.

“Get off the road!” someone behind him in a horse carriage shouted. Garius shook his head and hurried down the street.

When he got to Aunt Anne's house, he gave the door six sharp knocks. While he waited, he looked up at a group of seashells he had hung from the roof when he was a young boy. An answer came, “Come in, Garius! Standing out in the rain can't be good for your health.” Garius cracked the door open and slid in to keep as much rain out as he could. He hung his cloak and sword on a hook. He trudged into the kitchen where Anne was cooking something. It smelled like oyster eggplant stew, which he was not very fond of. He was not very hungry, as he had just eaten at the inn. He sat down at the table and threw his legs out across the floor.

“How is my hansom man doing?” the cheerful lady asked.

“Oh, I'm doing fine. Just a bit tired,” Garius answered.

Anne said, “Well, I hope you are hungry. I've fixed some eggplant oyster soup. I would've fixed some more if I knew you were coming. Your sister is in her bedroom getting ready for dinner. She'll be right out.”

Garius looked at the muddy trail from the door to his chair with dismay, “Sorry about the floor, Aunt. I'll clean it up.”

Aunt Anne glanced at the floor, “Don't bother with it. I'm just glad to see you again.”

Garius leaned back in his chair and watched the fire dance in the fireplace. When he began to doze off, he heard a scream from his sister's bedroom. Instantly he shot up and ran to the door and rattled the handle, which was locked. He attempted to kick the door in, which ripped the hinges from the doorway. Something heavy was blocking the door from the other side. He could not pull the door into the hall, as the stone trimming around the door was too small to fit the door through. He rushed back into the kitchen and took the wood axe before running out of the front door. He circled the house to find four cloaked figures in front of an open window, one bound and being carried by the others. The bound captive was obviously unconscious.

“Stop!” Garius ordered.

“We meet again, mortal. Don't trip on your way over,” said one of the cloaked figures before lighting a torch and throwing it into the open window.

Garius sprinted towards them and swung his axe at the cloaked figure. The figure took hold of Garius's arm and punched him in the stomach. Then he pushed him away to the ground. By the time he stood back up, the cloaked figures had already disappeared from the scene. He rounded the house to see the three dragging his sister onto a horse cart. They shoved various nearby bags of vegetables over his sister to hide her and set the horse on a run.

A man came flying out of a house screaming, “Stop! Thief! That's my wagon!”

Garius threw his axe. It caught a wheel of the wagon and splintered several spokes. The wagon flipped onto its side and sent potatoes rolling across the street. The horse halted and began to pull against the reins. The three cloaked figures jumped spryly from the wagon. One of them effortlessly slung Garius's sister over his shoulder before they all took off. Garius pursued hard and tackled the closest one. As he fell to the ground, the cloaked figure's hood fell from his face. It was a man's face, but white as snow. The skin was tight against the bones. He had on a mask covered in ancient runes, much like the runes the Gremlins painted on their bodies.

“Stop knocking me down! I'll have to stick a knife in your gut,” the man sneered as he shoved a blade into Garius's side. But the blade stopped on his skin. The man threw a fist under Garius's jaw and knocked him back enough to free himself from the knight's grip. “Wait up, goblin scum,” the man said as he dashed to join the others.

Garius chased after them as fast as he could. The rain made it difficult to keep track of where they were. They were headed straight for the city gates. The masked man threw down shop stands to cover their pathway and make following more difficult. Bystanders took no note of the chase, as nearly everybody was running around trying to get out of the rain storm.

Finally the strange man and the goblins met the city gates. The gates were shut. Suddenly the man turned to Garius and struck him with a bolt of lightning. Garius felt the force wrack his joints as he fell to the ground. The man threw away a small charred staff, which appeared to be an ancient gnomish weather tool.

The man said, “Vandrodd the dragon has a message for you,

'Let the Invincible come accept my challenge. It takes more than a blade and a skin of steel to challenge me. None have had what it takes to survive my wrath. I fear no man, nor any thrall of the Great Citadel, as your kind call it. As you have taken the city from out of my grasp, so shall I take what is dear to you into mine. I have little patience for hesitancy.'”

City guards poured in and surrounded the area. The man unsheathed a sword and the goblin that was not holding Garius's sister pulled out a gnomish Fire Spitter. Torrents of blue fire roared through the air and instantly ignited a nearby group of guards. The three villains charged up a stairway to the gatehouse on top of the wall, incinerating anybody that got in their way. They slipped inside the gatehouse and locked the door behind themselves. Garius slammed on the door, ordering for it to be opened. A quick scuffle could be heard within, and then there was silence. The gate slowly opened enough for a caravan to drive through.

“Come out peacefully, there is no other way out of the gatehouse,” Garius ordered. By this time, three hundred soldiers stood ready in front of the city gate. A battalion of crossbowmen rushed out of a near barracks and readied their arrows. Out of a side window on the guardhouse, a long rope flew out down the outside wall. The hooded figures slid quickly down the rope, and took off for the woods. Arrows whistled through the air, but the rain ruined the arrows' aim.

Garius rushed down the stone stairway and ran out of the city gate, then halted. They were too far out for him to overtake them. He then realized he had left his sword and cloak in Aunt Anne's house. He leaned against the wall with an arm to catch his breath. “Get me my horse and armor,” he said gravely.