Read Online The Berserker and the Pedant by Josh Powell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Josh Powell
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back. Moog peeked out of the bushes again, still wary for any signs of impending death. Goblin corpses still littered the landscape. Nothing moved.
Moog strode confidently out of the bushes and walked among the corpses, searching quite diligently. Near the entrance to the mines, Moog found a particularly large trail of goblin corpses. On the ground, he found Gurken's sleep sack, covered in blood. There was no other sign of the dwarf.
Moog shouldered the sleep sack and made his way up the trail to the top of the cliff. He saw Arthur's corpse, unmoving on the ground, Antic nudging gently at his hand. Moog's eyes grew wide, and he ran over to him, pressing an ear against Arthur's chest. After a moment, Moog threw his arms around him, crying. Moog stayed like that for some time before sniffling and raising his head. He spotted the orb, lying a few feet away.
"Orb!" Moog shouted, smiling.
He walked to the orb and picked it up, cradling it and giving it kisses. He walked back to Arthur and fiddled with the orb. Sections of the orb twisted and turned in Moog's hands. A bluish beam streamed out of the orb in a horizontal line. Moog ran the line back and forth across Arthur's corpse a few times. As the beam passed over his body, the area around the line became momentarily transparent down to his bones.
Moog rubbed the orb and poked at it and said, "Herleven."
A pillar of light descended from the heavens, striking the ground next to Moog and Arthur's corpse. At first, nothing happened, then a speck in the center of the light appeared and grew. It grew to the size of a pea, then a pebble, then a small ball. It looked like a tiny fetus, half-human, half-horse. It quickly grew and aged through infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, and young adulthood and finally, stopped at adulthood. It was a perfect replica of Arthur.
"Moog, dear lad," Arthur said, his voice soft and weak. "You saved me. You have my gratitude." Arthur tried to stand, noticed he was still a centaur, and fell back to the ground.
"Well, if that doesn't just beat all," he said.
Gurken woke up in a dimly lit cavern. He opened his eyes and saw ropes hanging from the ceiling, hundreds of them. Some hung down a few feet; others reached the floor. Each rope was thin and fraying, and had knots tied in them every few inches. Some ended in a large knot, others without them. The ropes swayed in a gentle, mesmerizing pattern.
Gurken sat up; he was fully armored, and his axe lay next to him. The room had roughly hewn rock walls, and the floor was a natural cave floor. Stalagmites rose from the floor towards the ceiling. A small pool of water puddled in a bowl-shaped indentation next to him.
Gurken smelled the water and took a small sip. It seemed fresh, so he availed himself of it, drinking deeply. When he finished, he saw in his reflection a small cord tied into his beard. The rope had a succession of knots tied so close together that it made the rope appear to be thicker than it was. His hair intertwined with the cord, so he left it to remove later.
Gurken stood up and picked up his axe. There seemed to be only one way out of the room. He brushed many ropes aside as he walked towards the doorway. Through the doorway, he saw another room, with someone in a wooden rocking chair facing away from him and towards a fire pit. There was a goblin on each side of the doorway, guarding it.
Gurken took his axe and made short work of the two goblins, cleaving their heads from their bodies almost before they could react. The chair in front of the fire pit started rocking, and the person in it hummed an unfamiliar tune. Unfamiliar, but unmistakably a gentle bedtime melody. Gurken crept around the side of the room to get a better look at whoever was sitting in the chair.
It was an older female goblin, gray scraggly hair combed neatly on her head. She wore a shawl and a dress with a print of flowers. In her hand was a length of cord. She hummed a tune as she spun it together
Moog strode confidently out of the bushes and walked among the corpses, searching quite diligently. Near the entrance to the mines, Moog found a particularly large trail of goblin corpses. On the ground, he found Gurken's sleep sack, covered in blood. There was no other sign of the dwarf.
Moog shouldered the sleep sack and made his way up the trail to the top of the cliff. He saw Arthur's corpse, unmoving on the ground, Antic nudging gently at his hand. Moog's eyes grew wide, and he ran over to him, pressing an ear against Arthur's chest. After a moment, Moog threw his arms around him, crying. Moog stayed like that for some time before sniffling and raising his head. He spotted the orb, lying a few feet away.
"Orb!" Moog shouted, smiling.
He walked to the orb and picked it up, cradling it and giving it kisses. He walked back to Arthur and fiddled with the orb. Sections of the orb twisted and turned in Moog's hands. A bluish beam streamed out of the orb in a horizontal line. Moog ran the line back and forth across Arthur's corpse a few times. As the beam passed over his body, the area around the line became momentarily transparent down to his bones.
Moog rubbed the orb and poked at it and said, "Herleven."
A pillar of light descended from the heavens, striking the ground next to Moog and Arthur's corpse. At first, nothing happened, then a speck in the center of the light appeared and grew. It grew to the size of a pea, then a pebble, then a small ball. It looked like a tiny fetus, half-human, half-horse. It quickly grew and aged through infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, and young adulthood and finally, stopped at adulthood. It was a perfect replica of Arthur.
"Moog, dear lad," Arthur said, his voice soft and weak. "You saved me. You have my gratitude." Arthur tried to stand, noticed he was still a centaur, and fell back to the ground.
"Well, if that doesn't just beat all," he said.
Gurken woke up in a dimly lit cavern. He opened his eyes and saw ropes hanging from the ceiling, hundreds of them. Some hung down a few feet; others reached the floor. Each rope was thin and fraying, and had knots tied in them every few inches. Some ended in a large knot, others without them. The ropes swayed in a gentle, mesmerizing pattern.
Gurken sat up; he was fully armored, and his axe lay next to him. The room had roughly hewn rock walls, and the floor was a natural cave floor. Stalagmites rose from the floor towards the ceiling. A small pool of water puddled in a bowl-shaped indentation next to him.
Gurken smelled the water and took a small sip. It seemed fresh, so he availed himself of it, drinking deeply. When he finished, he saw in his reflection a small cord tied into his beard. The rope had a succession of knots tied so close together that it made the rope appear to be thicker than it was. His hair intertwined with the cord, so he left it to remove later.
Gurken stood up and picked up his axe. There seemed to be only one way out of the room. He brushed many ropes aside as he walked towards the doorway. Through the doorway, he saw another room, with someone in a wooden rocking chair facing away from him and towards a fire pit. There was a goblin on each side of the doorway, guarding it.
Gurken took his axe and made short work of the two goblins, cleaving their heads from their bodies almost before they could react. The chair in front of the fire pit started rocking, and the person in it hummed an unfamiliar tune. Unfamiliar, but unmistakably a gentle bedtime melody. Gurken crept around the side of the room to get a better look at whoever was sitting in the chair.
It was an older female goblin, gray scraggly hair combed neatly on her head. She wore a shawl and a dress with a print of flowers. In her hand was a length of cord. She hummed a tune as she spun it together
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