Marz forgot all about Khallryn going into labor and the beast that had recently raged through the tavern as he and Corum made their way toward the city. �Did Yorik get a haircut?� he asked, glancing at the staff.
Corum looked up at the bald-headed skull and frowned. �Ahhh�no. He never had any hair since Khally wouldn�t let me borrow some of hers!�
Marz knew there was something different about the skull-staff and it was driving him crazy. �Are you sure you didn�t cut the wolf braids shorter?�
�I didn�t cut nothing, Marz! Yorik likes them that length!�
The ex-gang leader stared at the ground ahead of him as he walked along then glanced at the staff again. Something wasn�t right! Marz stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Corum, who simply kept on walking. �Hey, turd face!� Marz shouted.
�Huh?� Corum looked around, surprised to see his friend several paces behind him. Casually he retraced his steps until he stood before Marz. �Whaddaya doin� back here? Did you stop to take a rock outta your boot or something?�
�The only rocks around here are the ones making up your brain!� Marz sneered. Just as Corum was about to thank his friend for the compliment, Marz interrupted him. �How the rake do you know that�s Yorik and not some imposter?�
There are Pretenders in the world��....but I am not one of them. �It�s Yorik all right! He just told me it was him and he wouldn�t lie!�
Marz narrowed his eyes at the skull-staff and rubbed his chin, trying to figure out what was bothering him. �That�s NOT the Yorik I remember� he insisted. �He looks�different somehow!�
Corum made a strange face at his friend then looked at his beloved staff. Suddenly, he understood why Marz was so upset. �I had gems put into his eyes so he could see!� he rattled on excitedly. �That�s what�s different!�
Marz gave Corum a skeptical look. �I thought you told me he could see when we were in Neromba last month.�
�Well�yeah,� Corum said, �but his vision was blurry. Now it�s a lot better!�
After mulling over the explanation for a few minutes, Marz decided that it was satisfactory. �Okay then. I just needed to make sure he wasn�t a spy sent by Donal or Tegol. Now, let�s go!�
Several minutes later the youth�s were checking out the area surrounding one of Tegol�s large warehouses. Marz had gotten his hands on a spare key to the place months ago and was itching to break in ever since. Something always came, preventing him from doing so until tonight.
�I�ll take out the two mercenaries in the rear of the building and you handle the two at the front door,� Marz instructed. �I�ll meet you there when I�m done and we can go in.�
Corum smiled and nodded. �You know what Yorik always says at a time like this.�
�It�s clobberin� time!� both youths answered together before parting; each sneaking toward the warehouse from different directions.
We must kill them. We must incinerate them. Pig after pig. Cow after cow. Village after village. Army after army. And they call me an assassin. What do you call assassins who accuse assassins?
That thought brought a smile to Corum's face as he approached the two mercs standing by the door. "Uh, scuse me, but do you know where the nearest inn is at?"
The two men standing watch at Tegol's warehouse were not threatened by a youth with a funny looking staff. It was probably their only relief of the evening to see such a dilapidated looking staff attached to such a youth. "Go down that way and you'll see it on your right," one of the men stated. "Now leave before we have to do something nasty to you."
We're on the express elevator to hell, going down. "You've got that right, Yorik," Corum announced as he swung the head of his staff into the groin of one of the men. He immediately doubled over in pain and Corum swung the other side of his staff into his gut. The other merc withdrew his sword and started to attack the youth. Corum slowly backed away, watching him while keeping a tight grip on Yorik. As the man swung, Corum used the staff to parry his swing and deal a blow to whatever exposed areas of the man remained. This continued for sometime, Corum continuing to parry the thrusts, but continuing to cause damage.
Intruder alert, intruder aIert!
Corum swung Yorik all the way around as Yorik's head connected with the merc that was sneaking up behind him. BAM! It connected with the man's head, sending him reeling and leaving him stunned. Corum didn't know that when Klaven fixed the skull, he had filled it with cement that by now had hardened to a rock like substance, which if used properly, would do more damage. It was for that reason that the staff now weighed so much more. Corum was wondering if he had become stronger or if the man was just weaker. Nonetheless, he turned to the other victim and continued to parry and hit, finally hitting him in the groin as well. "Hey, this is not too bad," Corum yelled. "All right you idiot, it's clobberin time."
With that the youth swung the staff hard as it connected with the side of the man's face, sending him staggering into the wall where he just dropped into unconsciousness. Corum then went to the other merc and swung his staff toward the man's head as well, just for good measure.
A few moments later, Marz approached. "Hey dork face."
Hello? Yes, I'm all right. Do I want to see you? Well, you know what Tolstoy said: "Regard the society of women as a necessary unpleasantness of life, and avoid it as much as possible."
Corum turned to see Marz approach and looked at Yorik at the same time. "Hey Marz, who's Tolstoy?"
"Who's what?" Marz yelled back. "How the rake should I know? Maybe it's one of the guys you knocked out. And who cares, anyway?
"Yeah, you're probably right," Corum answered. "Now what?"
"You turd," Marz answered. "We go into the building like we planned. You can be such a dork at times, you know that?"
Finally we come to my number two man. His name: Number 2. "Uh, yeah," Corum replied. "Well, you gonna do the key thing or what, Marz?"
"Hey, who's running this show, you or me?" Marz inquired.
"Beats me, but the longer we stay out here, the sooner these guys will wake up." Corum motioned to the two mercs.
"No problem, Corum," Marz stated as he walked to each man and kicked him in the head. "There, that should keep them asleep until we're out of there."
Marz went to the door and was ready to put the key in when Corum asked, "Uh, aren't you like supposed to find a trap or something?"
"You are such a moron," Marz stated. "Why have two mercs guard the door if someone' s gonna put traps on it."
"Yeah, I guess you got a point," Corum answered thinking that it made sense to him to trap the door. What if the men decided to leave or something?
Marz fidgeted with the key until the door opened. Once inside, they closed the door behind them. They didn't have to worry about bringing any torches, of which they hadn't thought about, because someone had gone to the trouble to have a permanency light spell on all the sconces. This way, no one would ever have to light and extinguish the fires within them.
"Ok, Man, what do we go after?" Corum asked as he awaited a response.
"There certainly is a lot of stuff in here," Marz said. His eyes scanned the lit warehouse, finding dozens of crates, barrels and chests crowding the area. Some had no lids while padlocks secured others. After seeing some empty pouches, sacks and flasks on a nearby table, Marz knew what to do. "Let's load all the valuable looking stuff into a couple of sacks and then get the hades out of here."
Corum nodded and both youths stepped deeper into the place. A low growl drew Marz's attention to one of the fat barrels, but he wasn't fast enough to react to the large dire wolf that leapt at him. The animal's body slammed into Marz, knocking him to the ground. Sharp canine teeth bit deeply into his arm tearing away a chunk of skin. The youth let out a yell of pain while he grappled with the strong beast.
"Eat this you creature from Hel," Corum shouted as he swung his staff in a wide arc. The cemented skull connected with the wolf's head and the cracking of bones was heard as the beast was pushed away from Marz by the force of the blow. It snarled and attempted to rise but another smack by Yorik sent it sprawling to the ground. Its body twitched a number of times before it laid still, blood seeping from its head.
"Are you all right?" Corum asked, rushing to kneel beside his friend.
"Of course I'm not all right you idiot!" Marz sneered. "I got part of my raking arm chewed off! Find some rags or something sos I can wrap it up before I bleed to death here!"
"Ahhh�yeah, right!" Corum chirped, jumping to his feet and hurrying away to check out some of the open crates. One contained fashionable clothing that only those of noble standing could possibly afford. After procuring a long, royal blue gown made of the finest satin, Corum ran back to his friend.
"You're gonna have one heck of an elegant bandage!" he said, as he began tearing the gown into strips. Marz winced and cursed profusely while Corum tied the strips securely around his gaping wound.
"Don't you dare say anything to Erlic about this, turd face," Marz warned, when Corum completed his work.
"My lips are sealed," he assured Marz while helping him to his feet.
The ex-gang leader gritted his teeth as he tested his injured left arm by raising it slightly before letting it drop to his side. Damn good thing I'm right handed! He pushed the pain away and focused his attention back to the task at hand. "All the best stuff is probably in the locked chests so let's start on those first."
"What about traps?" Corum asked.
"Didn't I tell you before that there's no need for them to have traps when they had all those mercs guarding the place?"
Corum nodded. He's probably right since he used to work for Tegol and knows how the guy operates. He musta just forgot that he uses dire wolves for guard dogs!
"Grab a sack from that table and find something strong enough to bash those padlocks open!" Marz ordered.
Both youth's hurried about until they came upon an open chest of weapons. Each took a sturdy axe in hand and went to attack different chests. Marz managed to break the lock of his chest first and his eyes went wide when he pulled open the lid. A massive amount of silver and gold coins lay before him and he quickly began scooping them into a sack. He grinned when he heard Corum bash his lock in from somewhere behind him then frowned when he saw a brilliant flash of light engulf the area briefly.
Marz turned to question his friend about it but Corum was nowhere is sight. Quickly, he finished filling his bag with as many coins as it would hold, then made his way toward his friend's staff that was lying upon the ground. "CORUM!" he shouted, "where the Hel did you go?" His query was met with silence and a twinge of anger rose within him. If he's playing games with me, I'm gonna kick his arse!
Once he reached the staff, he noticed the sack and the axe lying beside it and the lid of the previously locked chest now wide open. His eyes locked on all the gems, rings and other jewelry within the chest before a loud RIBBIT averted his attention. Marz turned to see the ugliest looking toad imaginable sitting on the skull of the staff. He glanced around quickly and shouted out his friend's name again only to be answered by another RIBBIT from the toad.
Marz stared at the ugly thing and gulped. "Corum?" he asked weakly. "RIBBIT, RIBBIT, RIBBIT" the toad answered, hoping on and off the staff.
"You stupid moron!" Marz shouted. "There musta been a magical trap on that chest that you set off when you opened it!"
"Croak!" the toad said, its bulbous eyes staring up at the youth standing before it.
"Next time you'll know to check for traps first!" Marz said, shaking a finger at the tiny creature. "Now we're gonna have to pay a raking mage to fix things!"
After shaking his head in disgust at the notion of having to hire a user of magic, Marz filled the other sack with the gems and jewelry. "Let's get out of this dump, do some shopping and see if we can find a mage before we head back to the tavern."
The toad let out another loud RIBBIT and hopped around wildly.
One of the thugs on Tegol Denair's payroll stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Marz Nightcrawler exit the warehouse he was headed for. He watched the ex-gang leader from a distance and couldn't help but wonder why he carried a skull staff with an ugly toad sitting at the top of it.
Without bothering to check on the warehouse, the thug broke into a run towards Tegol's headquarters. The crime-lord was looking for Marz since he just seemed to disappear from Bizmar and he wanted to be the first one to tell him that the youth was back within the city at this very moment. Hopefully, Tegol would reward him greatly for the information!
Mine ears have heard the croaking of the Giant Barded Frogs. They are swimming through the marshes, they are leaping over logs. They are eagerly devouring people, vampire bats, and dogs, As they go hopping on!
The world through the eyes of a toad was quite unique to say the most. But then again, how would or could he know that, considering he had never been a toad to begin with. He found it quite unique to be stationed upon Yorik�s head, which by the way, far surpassed the lily pads in comfort for which he had a sudden desire to be stationed upon. Most interesting was the fact that he didn�t have to move his head. Just the rolling of the eyes afforded him every view around him. He really thought this was kinda great. A buzzing around his head alerted him to the fact that a fly was near. For some unknown reason, he had this strange desire to stick out his tongue and chew up the fly. �What are you thinking about?� Corum thought to himself as he shrugged the thought away, thinking about the rumbling in his stomach and how tasteful that fly really would be.
�Ribbit,� Corum spoke.
�You know, you keep up this nonsense and I�m gonna beat ya up myself.� Marz stated. �How could you not check for traps? What are you stupid?�
�Ribbit,� was the only answer Corum could voice.
�I figured as much,� Marz answered as he continued down the street. �Oh yeah, so help me Corum if you give me one of those warts that toads give people and it winds up by my you know what, I�ll beat the crap outta you. So remember, no touching me, anywhere.�
The view, according to the world of Corum, was somewhat distorted, having rounded edges to almost everything he saw. Still, he could make out various buildings and their markings. All in all, it was quite pleasant riding atop of Yorik. Various people passed them by, giving quizzical looks toward Marz. One girl even laughed as she passed by.
�Ribbit,� Corum responded toward the girl.
�Hey, knock it off, Corum,� Marz remarked. �People are giving us dirty looks.�
Their hides are leather shields on which a sword has never stung. They have claws upon the forefeet; they have barbs upon the tongue. With which they torture women who are sensitive and young. As they go hopping on!
�Croak,� was all Corum could respond to Yorik�s statement.
Some moments later, they came upon a building, which read, �DeWitt�s Merchant Shop." Marz paused momentarily before venturing into the building. �This seems like a good spot Corum,� Marz stated. �Now, remember. I�ve got a lot of shopping to do and I can�t have you messing things up, got that?�
�Ribbit,� Corum answered.
�OK. Now, let�s get to work. Oh, yeah, if you see something you want, jump up and down or something.� Marz quickly entered the establishment and piled the sack of money onto the countertop. He then started to look around. He started to grab various articles within the shop. He spotted some outfits he thought would be great for his child. Not knowing if it was going to be a girl or boy, he decided to buy one or two of each item. Assorted toys he accumulated, not only for his child, but for the urchins as well. At that moment, Corum leaped off of Yorik and landed on the counter top. After landing, he jumped toward a certain area and called out to Marz.
�Ribbit, Ribbit,�
�Huh?� Marz answered. �Whatta ya got?�
Marz noticed that Corum was sitting next to a hoop like earring. Looking at it further, Marz finally realized Corum�s intent. �I got it,� He stated looking at the shopkeeper. �You want the earrings for Yorik, right?�
�Croak, Ribbit,� was Corum�s reply.
�The frog wants the earrings as well. Wrap them up with the rest of the goods.�
The shopkeeper had seen many strange people in his lifetime. But one that spoke with a toad was a bit, unusual. However, considering the large sum of gold the youth was carrying, he was not about to lose a sale. It would, however, make for very interesting conversation later on. He quickly removed the items and placed them on the already crowded countertop with the rest of the assorted merchandise.
Corum spotted a fly swirling about his head. Intently, his eyes just rolled in his head as he followed the insect around and around. Without even thinking about it, his tongue shot out a good distance. Unfortunately, his aim had been off and his dinner had flown away.
Sing out for the mud and sing out for the ooze, the life of the frog is the life you should choose, sing out for the mud and sing out for the bog it's ever so jolly just being a frog.
Corum jumped to another area of the countertop and stared as he looked at something hanging on the wall. �Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit,� he croaked as he jumped up and down. �Ribbit, Ribbit.�
�Corum,� Marz yelled. �When we get back, I�m gonna make sure you remember this day, like forever. Now, what�s your problem?�
�Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit,� Corum jumped staring at the wall.
Marz looked in Corum�s direction and spotted a cape. �Why in the world do you want a cape?� Marz simply shrugged his shoulders trying to figure out what it was Corum was trying to tell him. A flicker of light entered his mind as realization finally set in. �I GOT IT!� Marz yelled, alerting the shopkeeper to his antics. �I�ll buy the cape and put it around me. This way, Erlic will never see what happened to my arm and no one will be the wiser.�
�Bud?� Corum croaked.
�What?� Marz asked.
�Ribbit,� Corum answered.
�That�s what I thought.� With that, Marz finally went up to the shopkeeper and told him to take whatever payment out of the bag for all the merchandise and to have it delivered to the Medieval Tavern.
�As you wish, sir,� the shopkeeper answered. He then proceeded to take out of the sack the correct amount of gold needed to pay for all of the merchandise the youth had purchased, along with the small fee needed to transport all of the goods to the Medieval Tavern.
Corum jumped around the countertop until he leaped, landing on top of Yorik�s head.
They have armor-plated eyeballs and their teeth are made of brass, Their breath corrodes titanium, their voices shatter glass, They shoot snake venom from their jaws and napalm out their ass, As they go hopping on!
Marz finally addressed the shopkeeper. �Hey, you don�t by chance know any Magic users, do ya?�
They'll jump a seven-meter fence, they'll float like a balloon. They'll swim like Flipper's brothers and they're fast as a typhoon. In fact, they say that Armstrong found a couple on the Moon, As they go hopping on!
Marz awaited the shopkeeper�s response as Corum looked on, trying desperately to catch the fly buzzing around his head.
Jonathan DeWitt had encountered enough strange people and things in his life that the antics of the young man and his frog companion didn't startle him as much as they might have someone else. He just watched quietly as the young man selected the merchandise he wanted for himself and his frog companion and placed everything on the counter. When his customer was finished and told him to take the money for the merchandise out of the coins he'd dumped on the counter Jonathan did so. He took only what was due him for the merchandise and the delivery to the Medieval Tavern and left the rest. He was very curious as to how the young man had come by so much money but he didn't ask any questions as he had learned that could be a dangerous thing to do in the city of Bizmar. He just tried to accept the city as it was and make the most of it. If the money the young man carried was stolen, as he suspected it was, he didn't want to know from whom it had been stolen. There were way too many crime lords in Bizmar and he didn't relish the idea of catching the attention of any of them. Best to just conduct his business as quietly as possible.
Then the young man asked if he knew of any magic users. "Why yes I do," answered Jonathan. "And the mage is in the shop at this very moment. If you will wait here I will go fetch him for you.
"Hey, Corum, you hear that. There's a magic user in the shop. Boy are you lucky."
Corum jumped up and down "Ribbit, Ribbit, Ribbit!"
"Easy for you to say," smirked Marz.
Jonathan returned with his father-in-law. "This is Ezra."
"What can I do for you young man?"
"Well it's like this. The frog here is my friend. He used to be a lot like me and now he's this ugly toad. He got caught in a magic spell you see."
" Ahh, I understand," commented Ezra. "And you want me to break the spell."
"Ribbit Ribbit..."
All three looked at the frog. "Yes, Corum wants you to and so do I.. And I will pay you for doing so."
Ezra smiled. "All righty then. Put your frog...uhh friend on the floor there." He indicated an open space between the counter and a rack of goods. Marz lifted Corum off the counter and placed him on the floor.
"You stay there, Corum," instructed Marz. "Don't even think about hopping off. I don't want to have to hunt for you, understand."
"Ribbit." Oh you would take the fun out of this wouldn't you
Marz and Jonathan stepped back. Ezra reached into his cape and brought out a pinch of iridescent powder. He mumbled an incantation under his breath then blew on the power. The powder flew from his hands and Marz ducked involuntarily. Ezra noticed. "Not to worry boy. The powder won't even touch you. It's meant for your friend."
They all watched as the powder swirled up into the air and moved over to where Corum sat. It formed into a flat disc and began to spin giving off tiny colored sparks. Then it descended toward Corum. When it touched the frog the disc dissolved and the powder clung to the creature. There was a bright flash and when it died a young man sat where the frog had been.
"Corum, you're back! " exclaimed Marz.
"Did I go somewhere?"
"No, you idiot! " exclaimed Marz. "Oh never mind."
Corum scrambled to his feet and retrieved his staff. Marz looked at the mage. "Thanks for helping my friend. You can take your fee outta that money I dumped on the counter over there."
Ezra moved to the counter and took what he felt the spell was worth. Then he noticed the blood stained bandage covering the youth's shoulder. "You are injured. I know a healer who could take care of your wound if you like."
"Hey I'm fine. Corum and me, we got lots of things to do and we don't have time to wait for a healer right now. He scooped the remaining gold back into the sack. Then he and Corum left the shop with Jonathan and Ezra watching.
"Interesting young men," commented Jonathan.
"Yes, quite," agreed Ezra. "I'm wondering how much trouble they've gotten themselves into over the years."
"Oh quite a bit, I'm sure," responded Jonathan. "Well, I need to find my delivery boy and have him take the young man's purchases to the Medieval Tavern."
"And I want to go back to organizing my new magical items."
The two men separated each going to a different part of the shop.
The sun had sunk lower in the sky by the time Marz and Corum finally left the merchant shop. Members of the Lamplighter's Guild were already making their way through the city sparking sparsely placed street lanterns to life.
"Next time make sure you check for traps before you touch anything, Corum," Marz instructed his friend as they walked along.
"But you told me not to worry about traps since they had the mercs guarding the place!"
Marz made a nasty face. "I meant that I didn't have to worry about traps. You on the other hand need to watch out for them. In case you didn't notice, nothing happened to me when I opened my chest which only proves my point!"
"Umm�yeah, okay," Corum answered, seeing the logic in his friends words. He stopped abruptly when Marz grabbed his arm.
"The man who just rounded that corner up ahead was Swort, one of the black market dealers. He might have some interesting items for sale, so let's go after him!"
Corum nodded and they ran to catch up to the man. "Swort!" Marz called, coming to a stop a few paces behind him. The short, heavily cloaked man turned, his beady eyes running over the two youths.
"Well, if it ain't Marz Nightcrawler," he said in a raspy voice, "and a boy with a stupid looking stick. What can I do for you punks?"
The ex-gang leader ignored the derogatory term and offered the man a lopsided grin. "We were wondering if you have any unique items for sale."
The black-marketeer rolled his eyes. "I never waste my time showing my goods to those without the money to buy them, boy." Swort was well aware of Nightcrawler's reputation for always being broke and he was not about to offer him a payment plan. He believed in getting the cash up front before he made any transaction.
The jingle of coins drew his attention to the boy with the stick who was now holding a hefty sack in his free hand. "See if there's enough in there to buy us something worthwhile," the boy said before tossing him the bag. A wide smile crossed Swort's face when he untied the drawstring and peered inside at all the gold and silver coins.
"Follow me lads," he said, his demeanor suddenly changing to one of utmost friendliness. "I may have just the thing for you."
Swort led them to a small nondescript building, and once he opened the three padlocks on the door he took them inside. "Have a seat," he said pointing to a table with a lit lantern sitting in the center of it. Corum and Marz made themselves comfortable. Swort hurried into another room after seemingly staring at their feet for several minutes and returned a short time later with two pairs of leather boots.
"We already got boots, turd face," Marz quipped. "We were looking for something more�unusual, if you catch my drift."
Swort chuckled as he placed a set of boots on the floor before each of the youths. "Just humor me and put those on."
Marz and Corum looked at one another and shrugged before doing as the black-marketeer suggested. "Well, they do feel comfortable and the soles are pretty thick and all," Marz said, "but they still ain't worth all that coin we paid."
"Kick the heel against the floor, hard," Swort ordered.
Marz cocked his head and gave the man a dirty look, but he only repeated his instructions. After another shrug, both youths did as they were told and each broke out in a grin when they saw a tiny blade immediately pop out from the toe area. "Kick the heel again," Swort chirped. Again, they followed the man's orders and the blade slid back into the thick sole.
"That's awesome!" Corum said, his eyes wide with excitement. "How many of these have you sold so far?"
"Only a dozen pairs, counting those," Swort answered. "And I have a mere half dozen remaining. I hope to obtain a lot more on my next trip to Kor Toi since I think they will be a big seller here in Bizmar."
Marz rose from his chair and walked around the room a number of times, testing and re-testing the bladed boots. Not once did the mechanism fail. "We'll take them!" Swort smiled as he patted the bag of coins they handed him earlier, knowing he had just tripled his profits, judging by the amount of coins inside.
A short time later the youth's left the small building, delighted with their purchase. "What say we head back to the tavern now?" Marz asked his friend. His arm had begun to throb unmercifully and he wanted to remove the strips off cloth in the privacy of his room. Corum probably tied them so raking tight they're cutting off my circulation!
"Sounds good to me," Corum said. "I'm getting kinda hungry anyway."
A shout alerted them to a small group of men standing directing across the street from them. "Kill the one with the stick but Tegol wants Nightcrawler alive."
"I guess that dinner will have to wait," Marz mumbled, as he withdrew his sword just in time to block a blow from a large club wielded by the merc who rushed at him.
Corum simply smiled and looked at Yorik. �Did you realize that nobody, except for me that is, treats you with any kind respect?�
Good morning, gentlemen. ACME pollution inspection. We're cleaning up the world, we thought this was a suitable starting point.
�You got it,� Corum answered to Yorik as the thugs approached him. One that was wielding a chain started to swing it around and around, finally letting one end loose, thinking that Corum would be an easy mark. The youth held the staff out in front of him vertically, watching as the chain wrapped itself around it rather than around him. Corum pulled on the chain bringing his opponent toward him and off balance and smacked Yorik into his face. The thug immediately went down crying, �You broke my nose.�
Never say you're sorry, Kid. Someone may come back here and hit you in your damn nose.
�You got that right, Yorik,� Corum yelled as he thrust one end of the staff into the gut of the downed man. �Stay there!� Corum stated as he prepared himself for the next combatants. He quickly ducked as one brandished a dagger that barely missed him. However, he didn�t see his other fist hitting him in the face.
Shaking his head and trying to regain his senses, Corum yelled out, �It�s clobberin time.�
Exactly. Those very words have been my guiding light in what is, after all, a dark and often hostile world.
Corum rushed his opponent and swung hard with Yorik, connecting with the man�s skull. He heard a crack and watched the thug go down. He quickly regained his balance and swung to his left, catching the other thug off guard and in the stomach. Positioning himself carefully, he swung Yorik�s head into his opponent�s groin and being rewarded by a howl as the victim bent over. Corum grabbed the thug�s head and slammed it into his knee, sending the third opponent to the ground.
All in all that wasn�t too bad, but as he looked over at Marz, he noticed his friend had three mercs on him and they were using clubs. He would definitely have to help. He clicked on the heel of the boot, exposing the embedded knife concealed within. He approached one of the merc�s and swung hard with his staff. The merc angrily turned to find out who had bothered him when a spearing pain filled him as Corum kicked him in the groin, sending him slowly to the ground. Corum then swung with all his might several times before he convinced the merc to stay down and out of commission.
That's it man, GAME OVER MAN! Game over!
�You tell him Yorik,� Corum stated as he went to help Marz with the remaining two mercs.
Taking out the mercenaries at the warehouse had been an easy task since they were taken completely off guard by Marz's attack. The three fierce fighters who stood before him now were extremely focused on their task and Marz was having a difficult time fending them off. He managed to slice the leg of one merc only to have the club of another slam into his face. The force of the blow caused him to stagger and loose focus allowing another club to make contact with his jaw.
Anger welled up within Marz and he began moving like a whirlwind. He continued to block as many of the blows as possible until he saw an opening and plunged his sword deep into the gullet of one of the mercs. The man dropped to his knees in shock as his lifeblood poured from his body.
Suddenly, Corum was beside him, swinging the mighty Yorik into the side of another mercenary. Marz was able to breathe a little easier since he now faced only one assailant. After seeing Corum strike the merc in the groin with his booted blade, Marz kicked the heel of his own boot against the ground. As he parried another blow from the club, he swung his foot up, cutting across the merc's side. The man backed away in surprise at being injured and Marz took advantage of his sudden hesitancy, swiping his blade across his neck. The man's jugular vein was instantly severed, sending blood all over Marz before the merc fell to his death.
The youth wiped the warm liquid from his face with a sleeve before turning to his friend. "You all right?"
"Just fine!" Corum answered. He grinned as he began removing money pouches from the dead men. "Can we go get some dinner now?" he asked, once he finished his task.
"I am rather hungry now that you mention it," Marz quipped. The youths brushed themselves off before continuing on toward the Medieval Tavern.
Corum thought about the black eye and deep purple bruise on the jaw that Marz now possessed and wondered how he was going to explain that to Erlic. His blood covered cape and clothing were more things that his sensai might feel the need to question him about. Corum decided to keep quiet about his thoughts since he saw no point in possibly getting his friend upset by pointing such things out to him.
"Since we found more money, I think we should order us a couple of expensive steaks tonight!" Marz said.
"Yorik wants his well done," Corum replied, as he saw the tavern a short distance away.