RuneScape Forum Archive | Short Stories

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Okies, here goes.
----

Tyven ducked and spun, franticly jerking his sword out of its sheath. Knowing that no fighter should leave their back exposed, he leaned against a tree, watching for any signs of an enemy. The bushes opposite him rustled quietly, and a face he knew very well stuck its head out.

"Hello," it said, grinning. "Next time I show up, don't try to skewer me. If you do, then I'll be forced to kill you."

Tyven relaxed, giving an embarrassed smile. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, Kelara. This adventuring is getting to dangerous for an old man like me. Plus, may I say, if we ever fought, then I would win."

The face, evidently named Kelara, pushed through the bushes, holding a freshly-killed rabbit. Upon closer inspection, she proved to be a Wood Elf, tall and beautiful, with nut-brown hair and a merry twinkle in her green eyes. "Oh come on," she said jokingly, "I'd win. After all, I have many things on my side, speed of attack, sharper weapon, age, intelligence, and last but not least, this rabbit."

Tyven chose not to continue the arguement, instead saying, "Well, it doesn't matter to me, my dear girl. All that matters to me right now is filling my belly, something I can't do with you holding the dinner. Give it here, and I'll perpare it while you get wood."

Kelara sighed, and with mock annoyance she tossed the rabbit to Tyven, then disppered through the bushes, elf fashion, with no sound.

When she returned with firewood, Tyven had the rabbit skinned, cleaned, and ready, the entrails chucked rather un-neatly into the trees behind him. Kelara made the fire, setting it ablaze with a single word, and soon the clearing smelled of roasting rabbit and the grumblings of hungry stomachs.

Whittling at a twig that he'd picked up earlier, Tyven spoke, "See any signs of them while in your little period of exile from my charming company?"

12-Nov-2006 18:58:58

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"Some," she replied, "they're headed that way." She jerked her thumb at the trees on the west side of the clearing before continuing, "They left a bunch of signs. We can find 'em today, if we keep going."

"Ah good, let's. I know we could pretend that they were horribly hard to find and demand extra pay from the agency, but let's just do this one quick. Oh, and do you know how hard they'll be to whack? I've not got any experince is this area."

Kelara poked the meat, decided that it wasn't ready, then replied. "I don't know much either. All I know about Fairies and Gnomes is that they're both short. And there's only one of each... should be a picnic."
Tyven snorted. "They've got to be good."

"Why?"

"If they were not, then the agency would never have sent us after them. We're their best, they wouldn't have sent us out unless these shorties had SOMETHING good."

"Yeah I guess. Maybe we could.... Ooo look, the rabbit's ready!"

After a refined supper----which COULD have been seen as greedy guzzling, but I perfer to call it a refined supper----Tyven and Kelara stomped out the fire, threw the rabbit-bones into the woods, made sure that their swords were loose in their scabberds, and started off.

Kelara slid through the trees and bushes like a summer breeze, barely rustling the leaves. Tyven on the other hand, being only a human(and an old one at that), did his best, but sounded like a bear next to Kelara's elven woodcraft.

After maybe an hour, Kelara stopped, raising a hand to her companion. Turning her head, she grinned in triumph, then pointed at the clearing just ahead. As Tyven peered through the bushes he smiled, seeing their quarry in a tree, sound asleep.

Kelara laughed under her breath. "The little creeps think that we won't see them in a tree? God, if I didn't see all the idiots who hide in trees, I'd lose my job."

She eased her way into the clearing, pulling a length of sturdy brown rope from her leather belt.

12-Nov-2006 19:00:06

[#O4EM1GWQQ]

Posts: 11,172 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Ooooooooooo

Nice one

12-Nov-2006 19:01:16

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"Should we do this the easy way," she whispered to Tyven, "or should we wake 'em up and see how they fight?"

"Keep it safe," Tyven advised, "we just need to do this quick, get the info, and leave. No fooling around, we might not like their fight."

"Yeah sure. Whatever you say, big man."

She threw the rope to Tyven, then drew a small, brownish, club-like instrument from the large pouch she carried about with her. "Wish me luck," she whispered, before whisking up the tree where their victims still slept.

Crawling across the branch, she reached the fairy. Kelara lifted the club, and hit the fairy on the head, knocking her out and causing her to fall to the ground below, where Tyven quickly bound her wrists and ankles with rope. Soon the gnome fell as well, stunned in the same way as the fairy had been.

Kelara dropped too, speaking quickly, "Hurry up! They're gonna come back to this world in only ten minutes!"

"I know! Help with the rope!"

Soon they had the gnome and fairy bound securely to trees, and Kelara began to unpack her pouch. Out of it came three slightly stained knives in cracking leather sheaths, twenty nails bound with twine, a solid rod of iron, and a hammer with a spike on the end. Halfway through the fairy woke up. She stared stupidly at the instruments, then at Kelara, who kept at her work.

Meanwhile, Tyven had made a pile of twigs and sticks. One word from Kelara made the pile burst into crackling life, bright red and gold flames hunger** devouring the wood.

Then the gnome woke up, and the two could get about their business.

Calmly, Kelara turned to the victims. "Will you tell me now," she asked, "or do I have to make you?"

"What.. what are you talking about?" The fairy quavered, darting glances at the knives.

"You don't? Now that IS a pity," Kelara smiled, picking up the hammer and nails. Over the fairy's hurried screams of 'I'll tell you everything! You don't need to do that!'

12-Nov-2006 19:01:40

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Kelara took her time untying the laces of the fairy's shoes, exposing her toes. Slowly, with small taps of the non-spiked end of the hammer, she drove the nails, one by one, through each of the fairy's toes. Blood dribbled from the wounds, turning the spongy green moss red, and atracting multitudes of ants. Once the fairy's frenzied screams died to sobs, Tyven came over. "Now, my dear lady," he said softly, "will you tell us a few things?"

"Yes," she sobbed, knowing that she had fallen into hands that held no mercy.

"First of all, I would like to know your name."

"Imaia."

"And yours as well, gentle sir?" Tyven adressed the gnome.

"Kenel."

"Ah good. Now I would like to know something else. Who was it who killed General Nator Reafe?"

The fear which flickered in both their eyes showed that they knew.

"We don't know," said the fairy stubbornly.

"Oh dear. I hoped we could be honest with each other. Kelara?" He inclined his head toward Kelara, who sighed and picked up the iron bar. Working calmly amid the screams and yells and pleas for mercy, she held the bar over the leaping flames of the fire. Soon it was glowing, and she held it up, seeming to examine it. Satisfied, she touched it to the gnome, drawing a fanciful pattern of burns on his chest.

More screams came.

Tyven looked at the gnome. He was plainly going into shock, and would be no more use to them. The only help he could provide was to frighten the fairy into speech. Tyven picked up a knife and, with one quick slice, the gnome's pointy ear lay on the earth. The fairy was scared... that was plain to the meanest mind.... but was she scared enough?
Soon the other ear was off, then the nose. Tyven was now satisfied, and drew the blade across his neck, putting him out of his misery.

With his gentle, lined, face, and his soft voice, Tyven looked like a grandfather visiting his favorite grandchild.

12-Nov-2006 19:02:58

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He would never lose that look, and it mde him all the more terror-inspiring now, as he spoke to the fairy. "Now will you tell, my sweet?"

She shuddered, plainly thinking of what would happen to her if she said no. Then she spoke. "It was Kenel."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Kelara peered into her face, then turned to Tyven. "She's telling the truth."

"Alright." He turned to the fairy. "Many thanks, my dear."

With a flick of his knife he slashed her throat, cutting off whatever she was about to say.

Tyven put out the fire, as Kelara packed her tools.

"Let's go," he said, "back to the agency. Complain, complain, complain, that's all they ever do. Wonder what they'll find wrong with this one. What the heck, let's go find out."

And Kelara and he left the clearing.

12-Nov-2006 19:03:31 - Last edited on 12-Nov-2006 19:03:47 by Anne Lauten