CHAPTER 7

Garrick turned just in time to deflect the blow from the charging beast. The two weapons struck with such force that Garrick fell to one knee. He could see Enrico out of the corner of his eye, hard-pressed by two of the slimy monsters. They had come upon a river and had just found a place shallow enough to cross when they were jumped by the River Trolls. Garrick fought back to a standing position, dodging the massive club as it swung around in a high arc and shattered the rocks beneath it. As the club smashed into the ground, he saw his chance. The Troll had used all of its strength to deliver the blow and thrown itself off balance. Garrick quickly took off its arm. The beast howled with rage and started swinging its club around wildly in a renewed effort to kill the thing that had hurt it, but Garrick ducked under the blows and struck it again, this time spilling the contents of its stomach onto the ground. Having finished off the Troll, he yelled in triumph and ran to help his friend.

Enrico was fighting for his life. He was ahead of Garrick and barely had enough time to draw his sword before the two Trolls were upon him. He was certainly thankful for all the time spent training with his brothers. He was dodging clubs, claws, and teeth, keeping them at bay but not able to inflict any serious damage of his own. His rapier was slashing in all directions finding flesh time after time but the Trolls kept coming. Enrico was tiring, he knew he was running out of time. Suddenly, a savage howl filled the air. One of the Trolls turned to discern the source of the noise and Enrico was upon him in an instant. The Troll turned just in time to feel cold steel plunge into his heart. Enrico pulled his rapier out of the still twitching Troll and wheeled around expecting a club to smash into him at any moment--but all he saw was Garrick standing before him. "You killed two Trolls," Garrick said in amazement. "No!" Enrico replied looking around desperately for the other Troll. "Where did it...?" He fell silent as the body of the creature Enrico had killed was slowly dragged under the water. "Guess it doesn't care who or what it eats," Garrick laughed. "It is well known that we of the dé Vangelles house serve the best meals outside of Altdorf," Enrico replied in a voice of mock humility, "but I hope he chokes on it."

The two travelled on, sticking mostly to the main roads so as to avoid a repeat of the Troll incident. "Everything changes so quickly out here," Garrick said to no one in particular. "What did you say?" Enrico yelled back. "Oh nothing," Garrick answered, "I was just thinking." Garrick watched Enrico as he rode a few yards ahead and he thought about the events that had led them here.

He had awakened after the battle with the Orcs and realized that something was different. He looked at the world in a whole new way. Oh, he still enjoyed dancing and singing, but his songs did not seem as cheerful. They did to everyone else, but not to him. It was like killing that Orc had wounded some inner beast. And that dream--was it a dream, was it real, he could not be sure. The hatred had seemed so real. "How could anything hate so much?" he thought to himself. He had had a few strange dreams since then, but none were of that intensity. Whatever they meant, he could feel they changed him forever.

It was at that time that he decided he needed to learn how to defend himself. "I would rather kill than be killed!" he had said to a shocked Jered. He laughed as he remembered the look on his face. So Jered had him train with Enrico dé Vangelles, the best swordsman of the group. Garrick was amazed at how quickly he learned not only the basics, but the advanced moves as well. If Garrick was amazed at his own progress, Jered and Enrico were absolutely stunned. He learned in weeks what it took most men years to accomplish. It was as if his sword was being guided by the divine powers of Sigmar himself. He soon realized that his sword was not suited to his type of fighting. Enrico was quick and agile, parrying and striking with the speed and agility of a cat. That was not Garrick's style. As a direct result of his weeks on the road, his body had become more powerful, bigger arms and stronger legs. He wanted a larger, more powerful weapon. He had mentioned this to Jered who quickly went into his tent and produced a large ornate battle axe. A trophy from a battle some years back. Garrick hefted the huge axe in his hands feeling the weight and the balance. It was perfectly suited to dealing a swift death in one mighty blow. "Yes, this is the weapon for me!" Garrick exclaimed, a strange excitement creeping into his voice. "None of us uses an axe so I'm afraid there is not much we can help you with," Jered told him as Garrick took a few practice swings. All of a sudden Garrick swung the axe in a giant arc as if striking some invisible foe, then as the axe finished its downward arc, he used its momentum to roll to the side and then brought it up as if parrying a blow from somewhere else. "I think I'll get the hang of it," he said dusting himself off. "You will indeed," said Enrico, "You will indeed."

For several more months, the group travelled around together as mercenaries, mostly being hired to defend against marauding Goblins. During this time, Garrick and Enrico had become good friends. Talking about life in the castles of the Empire. As they honed there skills for battle, being children of noble births, they had a lot in common. But most of all they both knew the Great Binabon Greatharp and they would dance and sing late into the night, much to the enjoyment of the other Mercenaries. Even Fenwick made an attempt to dance until he tried a complicated spin maneuver and nearly fell head first into the fire, quickly putting an end to a budding career. Then it happened. Jered told him that he was going to go back to Duke Stormfeld and collect the rest of the gold that he owed him for turning Garrick into a fighter. "I will not be going back with you Jered," Garrick stated "I cannot forgive my father for betraying me, nor my brother for not coming after me." "I understand," Jered said sadly, a feeling Garrick had never seen Jered express before. "Your father will have heard of our exploits. I shall need no proof. You can meet up with us at Weissbruck in five days. That should give us enough time." "Farewell Jered, farewell," Garrick exclaimed as he turned and rode away to the west.

Suddenly he heard another horse behind him. He turned and there was Enrico. "I couldn't let you go off and have all of the fun. Jered is going to go to your father's and sleep in a warm comfortable bed and eat meals fit for kings, when he could be out here sleeping with the stars in the cold damp air, eating whatever we can scrounge up on the way to that dingy pisshole Weissbruck--what the hell was I thinking?" Enrico laughed. "So Garrick, what's for dinner? It had better be good."

They travelled for two days before they reached Weissbruck. It was exactly as Enrico had described it. A dirty river town full of riffraff and cutthroats. It was situated on a fork where the river Bogen and the Weissbruck canal parted company. So it was a popular place for all kinds of people. "I wonder if they have a Luigi & Salvatore's," Enrico said excitedly as he ran off to one of the more affluent sections of town leaving Garrick at the Blood and Guts Tavern to pass away the time.

They stayed in town for five days and Jered still hadn't shown up. They finally decided to ride off and see what was causing the delay. Garrick had reluctantly agreed to go, not wanting to be near his father's lands. They were about a day's ride out of Weissbruck when they came across the battleground. "Dead! They're all dead!" Garrick said stunned at the grisly sight in front of him. All of Jered's men lay before him, slaughtered. "What did this?" Enrico asked but answered his own question by discovering the body of a foul Ratman. They started stacking the bodies of their fallen comrades. "I've looked all over and I cannot find Jered or Fenwick anywhere," Garrick said as he returned to the clearing. "That either means they escaped or are being held prisoner," added Enrico as he put the stack of bodies to flame and said a silent prayer. Garrick stared at the pillar of flames where his fallen comrades had been. "I vow to the Gods above that someday I will avenge the deaths of my friends if it means killing every last Skaven in the Empire." They stayed in the area for nearly a week trying to locate some sign of survivors but they had no luck and the Skaven had masterfully covered their escape route so Garrick and Enrico gave up in despair.