The Berserker and the Pedant (12 page)

"Intentoque lux trabem!" the wizard cried in desperation. A searing finger-sized beam cut through the trolls, their bones and flesh healing as fast as Arthur cut. Arthur said, "Oh, no, not again!" He stabbed at the orb with one finger and tossed it over his shoulder into the pit. He managed to say, "I do so hope this works," before the trolls reached him.

"It's not your battle, Pellonia," Melody said. "The chimerae will fight off the Phage; they've done it before on other worlds. They'll do it here as well… most likely."

"Most likely!"

"Well, they don't always win. The Phage adapts, and so do we. Win some, lose some." Melody shrugged.

"I can't believe you're so callous, Melody. You didn't used to be."

"That was a long time ago, Pellonia."

"It's only been seven years since I saw you."

"Time passes differently where we're going, Pel. It seemed like a few years to you, but it was a thousand years for me. I've been away for a very long time."

Pellonia's mouth dropped open. "A thousand years! Dead goblins, that's a long time! If I go, will it be that long for me?"

"No, this is your first Awakening. A century will pass for you, and just five years on this world. It'll be my third Awakening; ten thousand years will pass for me. Leon's already been through the third Awakening, so he's going to be your mentor."

Pellonia wrinkled up her face. "Can't you do it, instead?"

"I'm afraid not, I can't mentor you and go through the third Awakening at the same time."

"Shouldn't Leon be going through the fourth Awakening?" Pellonia asked hopefully.

Melody was silent for a time, and Pellonia didn't interrupt. Finally, Melody said, "One hundred thousand years. Only the All Mother has done that. She's quite mad because of it. Even we have limits."

"So, you can see," Melody continued, "why Arthur and the chimarae can't come. They would wither away and die of old age even during the first Awakening. We don't age, so we can survive."

A low hum and orange glow started emanating from a small table in the middle of the room. Pellonia had been so distracted, she hadn't noticed it before, but there it sat - a cube composed of polished elven steel. The Orb of Skzd rose, floating up and off the table. It was vibrating, and one of its sides flickered to life with the image of Leon shooting flames at Gurken.

"Oh, no," said Melody. "Wait right here, I'll be back!" Melody took off running out of the small pavilion.

Pellonia screamed as she witnessed the trolls ripping Arthur apart and Leon pressing his sword against Gurken's neck.

Episode Thirteen

The Berserker and the Orb

Arthur woke up in a pit, naked. He spent some small amount of time considering what it meant that his corpse was lying next to him, naked and human.

The last thing
, Arthur thought,
that I remember was Melody running off with Pellonia. I swore an oath to her parents to protect her, and to the best of my abilities, I have. But then I was killed by goblins. At least Pellonia is safe with her older sister. But why isn't my corpse a centaur, and why aren't we on a cliff?

Arthur saw a glint of elven steel in the mud, reached out and picked up his orb. There was a loud splut next to him, splashing his face with mud. Arthur wiped the mud from his eyes and saw his decapitated head looking back at him. 

That is decidedly odd,
Arthur thought.
I should likely be scared or repulsed by this event, but seeing as my corpse is there, and I am here, and I have at least one more corpse lazing about somewhere, it is no tremendous shock that my head should come rolling around. I should, however, prepare to defend myself, in case whatever is causing me to die over and over again decides to come back.

Arthur noted that the orb was already set to full power, so he tightened the lens until the beam was set to full intensity and pointed it up. Three trolls looked over the edge, grinning in anticipation. They jumped in the pit.

"Well, now, little dwarf," Leon said. "It appears Durstin's little creature isn't nearly as effective as Durstin bragged." Leon chuckled. "I'm quite sorry about your friend. It was not my intention for the trolls to eat him." Leon's eyes shone the color of elven steel, and his veins bulged the same color. He held his blade against Gurken's throat, pinning him to the ground. Gurken gripped the blade with both hands, blood running down his arms.

The blood rage came upon Gurken. His heart thumped louder and louder, drowning out the sounds of the mewling elf. His vision tinged with crimson as he was pulled into a berserker's trance. Gurken fought the pull harder than he'd ever fought it before, knowing that he tended not to make the best decisions while in a rage, and that good decisions needed to be made or he might never see Pellonia or Arthur again.

Pellonia was in the tent, but she was not about to wait for Melody to return. She walked over to the Orb of Skzd. It was a cube as big as her forearm on all sides and hovered just above a small table in the middle of the large tent. She stood on her toes and stretched out, touching the image of Gurken moving on its face. Her finger hit a smooth surface. It was like a painting that changed. She climbed onto the table and took the cube in both hands.

The cube stayed in place. She turned it and it spun like a top. There were raised circular bits on the top with elvish writing next to them. She didn't understand most of the writing; it was in elvish, but the words were unfamiliar. "Gee-oh-low-cate," Pellonia sounded out the word. She scratched her head. "I do so wish Arthur were here; he could figure this out. If only I knew where to find him."

Gurken roared. "I don't know who you are, elf, but I am Gurken Stonebiter, avatar of Durstin Firebeard, and I will NOT BE TRIFLED WITH." His muscles bulged, veins engorged with blood and he slowly, ever so slowly, moved the blade from his throat.

Leon's eyes opened wide, then squinted. He tried to push the blade down into Gurken's throat, but the blade still moved away. Beads of liquid metal sweat formed on his forehead, and the blade began to move back towards Gurken's throat. Gurken rolled to the side and the blade bit into the ground an inch from his neck, shattering from the force of Leon's blow.

Gurken raised a hand and Raidho, the Dwarfen rune of seeing the right move for yourself and acting upon it, pulsed with a violet light on the blade of Gurken's axe. The axe flew from the ground and landed in Gurken's hands as he leapt into the air, Leon directly below him. Leon turned and saw the axe coming down on his head and then he was gone, moving so fast he wasn't even a blur.

Leon rained blow upon blow on Gurken, faster than Gurken could see or comprehend. Gurken was struck sixteen times before he felt the first blow, and it was as if a sack of bricks crushed his face. Gurken lay on the ground, groaning, a bloody pulp. Leon stood over Gurken, a steel-colored mist coming from his eyes, face twisted in rage. 

"I rather liked that blade, dwarf." He spat the word. Gurken rolled onto his back and lifted one hand towards Leon.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Leon said, pulling back one hand into a fist and grabbing Gurken's jerkin with the other.

"Free-queen-see," read Pellonia. "Hmm… Attitude. I don't see how that can help. Power! We could certainly use some more of that!" Pellonia rubbed at the word and said, "Potestas!" Nothing happened. She rubbed the raised circular protrusion next to it; it depressed and made a clicking sound. Suddenly, the cube went dark and fell to the table.

"What kind of stupid 'power' is that?" Pellonia said.