Correl of Otley
Correl’s head spun. Mostly because an impromptu lesson of the elusive mystical world of magic was not very well suited to the near dead of night. And also because, well that would mean… “So… it is not a knight or magician who is killing the others, but some creature?”
Lord Brighid winced, “Unfortunately so, which at the very least means I no longer have to question my fellow knights… well at least about that subject. There is the matter of how a hole appeared in this mythical world and if it was done on purpose…”
Correl watched Lord Brighid seem to spiral into her own thoughts, muttering under her breath, most likely about possible causes and new avenues to take. For a moment, her master seemed to take on that haunted look again, and honestly she could hardly blame her. It was one thing to have to look out for a magician or some rogue knight with magic, but to keep their eyes out for some creature they’ve never even seen before? Correl honestly hoped that Sir Virgil had been wrong, or that Lord Brighid’s hypothesis was incorrect, yet she knew in her heart that neither of these were the case.
Correl was actually reminded of another question that she’d had, and with a little too much urgency to change the subject, she squeaked out, “How is it you know so much about magic?”
While her initial intention was to take her master’s mind away from the downward spiral that was restructuring an entire mission, the look on Lord Brighid’s face would almost suggest an even deeper, darker shadow. She looked startled, enough that Correl almost took back her question, but just as soon as it appeared it faded, “I…” Lord Brighid boomed, before realizing how loud she was and quieting significantly, “I-in my journeys… I have seen many things, different lands, different peoples, and while rare, magic is something that came up surprisingly often for me.”
As she spoke, it seemed she was trying to disappear, like the words in her mouth were some secret curse, and she loathed them and their weight. There was some sort of a secret there, that despite her willingness and openness, she wanted for herself. Correl considering letting the conversation linger, but was more concerned with the silence, “Had you ever seen anything like these murders before? On your journeys?”
Lord Brighid closed her eyes, and as she’d been doing for quite some time recently, Correl watched as she began t clench and unclench her fists, her arms shaking enough that Correl could see it, even from a good distance away. Which surprised her when her master’s answer was a flat an hard, “No. Nothing like this.”
The conversation unfortunately tapered off after that. Correl’s shock prevented her from thinking of anything else to say, and like before Lord Brighid had moved on from the conversation for both of them. Instead, she told Correl to go to sleep, and allowed her the bed to lay on, while Lord Brighid herself took to sleeping on the floor near their belongings.
Correl would have argued the sleeping arrangements, but she could sense that Brighid was upset for the moment. She resolved to try again when the sun was out, like what Sir Virgil had seen about brighter skies and clearer minds.
For a moment Correl stared into the darkness of the room, saying and doing nothing, before drifting off to sleep, she tried to listen for Lord Brighid, hoping that the taller woman would finally get a well-earned rest, but she was already off to the land of dreams.
And then, something large struck the window.
Correl’s eyes shot open, and she turned to the window (as it was closest to the bed). Her heart was pounding hard immediately, which after the stories of gruesome murders, and magical monsters, was not so far-fetched a belief. There was nothing at first, and as her eyes adjusted, Correl was almost ready to consider the noise something from her dreams. A nightmare, perhaps. Then it happened again. This time, Correl fully sat up and examined the room. Lord Brighid was only a few steps away from her, but the older warrior was already awake, on her feet, and her eyes were trained on the window.
“Did you-?” Correl started to say, only for a stern look from Lord Brighid to take the words right out of her. She saw one of her arms raise slightly, then quickly motion for her, a sure and clear sign: Come here. Now.
Correl rolled out of the bed, onto her shoulder and into a crouching stance. She hissed at the momentary pain. But there was still nothing there. Was she hearing things? If that were the case then both herself and Lord Brighid would be hearing things…
The noise sounded again, and with a clearer head, Correl realized it sound like something was striking under the window. But thy were too high up, and and there shouldn’t have been a way for anything to getup here without being inside the building. Correl listened again for the noise, and when it went off once more, she turned to Lord Brighid. For a still, moment, neither woman moved.
Lord Brighid stood up, quietly and carefully, and stalked over to the window, with far more grace than Correl thought her master was capable of having. She was close enough to look out of the window, and she did just that. Stuck her head out and looked around. Correl felt her jaw tightening so much that when she tried to relax it, the tension lingered. She started to call out to Brighid, but the latter pulled herself back into the window.
“That… is very strange.” Lord Brighid muttered turning back inside the room, “Correl, you heard that noise too, right-”
Before she could finish her sentence, Correl watched in horror as a large green hand pushed into the window, and grabbed the back of Lord Brighid’s neck. Lord Brighid screamed, turning to look behind her as much as this intruder’s grip would allow.
It was around this moment, that Correl remembered that she was actually a squire with the recruited training to fight whatever this was. To her left, Correl saw their belongings, and dove for the bags. Tearing away clothes, and tossing books, Correl found exactly what she’d needed. Her training sword: a short sword, with a tattered leather hilt and wood handle. This would work. At least it had to.
Correl sprang from her bags, and looked desperately over to where Lord Brighid was being pulled out of the window. Thank goodness for the knight’s size, as with the awkward angle that the intruders had chosen for their jump-scare, there was no other choice but to drag Lord Brighid backwards until they had more of a grip. Correl ran to the windowsill immediately and, sword tightly in her grip, leaned over the edge.
Correl eyes met with something she couldn’t quite put together. It was possibly the largest man she’d ever seen, just barely a head taller than Lord Brighid. But it also reminded her of the dragons from the stories she’d heard in her youth. It was large, and bulbous, covered in dirty green scales that glinted in the high moonlight. Reddish, brown eyes stared back into her own with only malicious intent, and a mouth full of long, pointed, yellow fangs, that were barely visible over the froth that collected as it roared at them. Whatever this was, it wanted to destroy them.
Correl blinked back tears of frustration and considered her options. Nothing was coming up that was relevant. She had never trained for a foe like this. Wait… Correl looked back to Lord Brighid, now leaning backwards over the windowsill beside her. A clawed, green hand digging into her neck. Correl bit her lip, and stepped back from the banister. That monster… or whatever it was was holding itself up against the side of the fort, and also holding onto Lord Brighid now. It was, for the moment not a tangible threat to Correl. The only thing about it that could reach her with what’s its crazed alien screams.
Correl hissed through thin lips and clenched teeth, and readied her sword. “I’ve got a bad idea…” she whispered, trailing off to show the sword to Lord Brighid and pray that the seasoned knight wouldn’t make a fuss. Through quick rapid breathes she saw Brighid catch sight of the sword in the light and almost immediately shake her head, which only earned another hard tug from the screaming banshee outside.
As she so often does, Correl only nodded in response, and in a quick movement, which just as quickly turned into three slashes, she moved her blade. At the end of the third slash her target, the offending hand was finally cut through. And the monster’s screams turned shrill, echoing as it seemed to fall from the side of the fort.
Lord Brighid rushed forward from the window back into the safety of the room, and Correl stepped back from the window as well, shaking like a leaf. Correl wanted to say something, ask if her mentor was alright, but she saw the blood seeping from the back of Lord Brighid’s neck so she thought better of it.
Instead, Correl began to look over the edge of the window, trying to see if she could make out the monster in the darkness.
“Correl, don’t!” cried out Lord Brighid, all too late as a large dark figured forced its way into the window, destroying much of the frame and forcing Correl onto her backside and scrambling back as far as she could to the opposite side of the room.
“Ssstupid! Stupid man-things!” roared the monster in a shrill and broken voice, filling up most of their very small room with his now bloody, slimy body. It’s bright eyes seem to spin wildly in anger, and its head turned to keep an eye on both warriors in the room. “Duhlmor will not suffer foolsss! Now prepare to die!”
Comments (0)
See all