Iceclad

Continued from Disappearing in Discord…

Having gained the ability to become at least somewhat reliably invisible, Kuron found himself finally brave enough to explore the malevolent lands of Discord. He stalked through the deranged forests and angry valleys with greatly reduced fear, having proven his invisibility by way of numerous pranks. He had only been hiking for about three hours, and in that time had already started a fight among two inhabitants, tripped numerous bipedal creatures, kicked a quadruped (for lack of being able to properly trip it), burped on a sleeping guard, and nudged an unsuspecting Kyv archer off a cliff. All said, being invisible was a lot of fun!

He could no longer see the beacon to return home. This was the farthest he’d ever been in the lands of Discord. He considered continuing onward, but was so shocked by the beings he had seen on the outskirts of safety that he dared not wonder what might lie in wait further out. He could see the ruins of a great castle ahead, and beyond it enormous plumes of smoke rushed angrily into the sky. Fear of the unknown in combination with a very large thumping noise nearby told him that perhaps it was time to return home before planning the next step. Yes, he was scared, but he had proven his point. He dashed through the forest following his map carefully, though he had a general idea of where he was.

As he walked back in the direction of the beacon he continued to hear the thumping noise. It sounded like something very large taking a stroll, and Kuron had no intentions of discovering what it was. Despite his intent, the thumping footsteps continued to grow louder and closer. He thought it best to duck down among some tall grass to simply let whatever it was pass by, but scoffed at himself for forgetting he was invisible. He chuckled slightly and started to rise from the tuft, but a sudden snap of sticks and brush under a large footstep scared him right back to the ground. Sometimes feeling safe is as important as being safe!

Kuron began to sweat as the steps came closer and closer. Then he felt the thing stomp within just a few paces behind him, distinctly hearing the gravel and leaves crunch as it spun on its heels and turned to face his direction! The thumping had stopped, but now Kuron could hear it breathing. Feeling some measure of confidence from invisibility, he turned his head slowly to glance behind him. A giant Ogre stood there, a single stride away, and it was looking right at him. There was no question that it could see him. He stood up in fear, and frantically looked toward the beacon, unsure of whether or not he should flee. The Ogre reached out for him with a massive hand, scowling. In a tight grasp that dispelled his camouflaging enchantment he lifted the Dwarf right off the ground and held him in front of his face – Kuron would not be fleeing.

Ogre: “YOU!”

Kuron: “PUT ME DOWN YA BUGGER!”

Ogre: “WHAT ARE YA DOING OUT HERE?”

Kuron slugged the Ogre in the face, but he only smiled and shook him.

Ogre: “HA! I get worse wounds from shaving, ya little gnat!”

Kuron: “An’ what would a Dwarf be knowin’ about shavin’ ye ugly gorilla!”

The Ogre frowned angrily.

Ogre: “Oh I dunno, maybe today’s good ta learn how ta shave! Hahaha, not a bad idea! Loan me yer blade there and we can get started!”

Any Dwarf would rather die than lose his (or her) beard! Kuron cursed and spat, trying desperately to wriggle free of the iron clutch but the Ogre shook him viciously, it was useless. As it’s giant hand pawed at Kuron’s side reaching for his sword, the Ogre suddenly gasped. He put Kuron down carefully and pointed to the gleaming crimson sheath hanging from the Dwarf’s belt in awe.

Ogre: “Da Red Scabbard! Where’d you get dis?! Speak up!”

Kuron: “A man gave it t’ me after I help’d him witha lot o’ problems. What’s it t’ you, fatty?”

Ogre: “Redblade?!”

Kuron was intrigued now.

Kuron: “Aye…Kargek Redblade. You know him?”

Ogre: “Know him! Dat man is as much as legend as da Scabbard is! You must be da one I been looking for! Sorry for da rough up!”

Kuron: “Lookin’ fer me?! Why? And how were ya findin’ me? I been cloaked all day!”

Ogre: “I guess I got good eyes. Also, ya smell pretty bad. Was easy ta track ya. But mostly I think dis was all meant to happen for a reason.”

Kuron grinned and dusted himself off.

Kuron: “We’ll talk about what yer smellin’ like later. Yer thinkin’ an’ talkin’ pretty well fer an Ogre, but ya still stink worse than any I ever met before, who are ya?”

The Ogre introduced himself as Korbuk Brimblade. He was a direct descendant of Grivnok Brimblade, the original Ogre to be granted the Red Scabbard by Rallos Zek, the God of War. The power of the Scabbard helped secure the might of the Ogres early in their existence against many terrible forces. Centuries ago a terrible curse came over the Ogres and they began to lose their minds, turning nearly all of them into the savage and stupid race they remain today. Before losing himself completely Grivnok entrusted the Scabbard to Korbuk, who still seemed largely himself at the time, but Korbuk sensed a greater power elsewhere. Not willing to risk losing the Scabbard in his journey to seek this greater power he willed it to the patriarch of the Redblade family, Thegrek, with orders to pass it on to anyone who was able to prove themselves worthy of wielding it. As a family of reputable blacksmiths and weapon-crafters, this was the perfect lineage to trust with the task – they would speak to anyone who needed a good blade.

With a large amount of help and a tremendous amount of luck Kuron had proven himself to Kargek, the grandson of Thegrek, and became master of the Red Scabbard. Having held it himself once, Korbuk knew Kuron could probably sense the greater power he sought as well. He had tracked it to the land of Discord, and was experiencing a strange vision right around the time he happened upon the hiding Kuron. The fates were colliding at an exasperating rate. Kuron was fascinated by the tale of this “greater power” and agreed to help Korbuk in seeking it. With Korbuk’s visions as the guide, and Kuron’s invisibility breastplate eager for more mischief and exploration, the journey began.

To be continued…