Regor looked different now. It could have been that I was armed and looking for Grengor to murder him, but it wasn't so scary anymore. I mean it hadn't been really scary since I was younger, but now I felt above this group of lessers. Like killing the bull creature and hunting my former boss with murderous intent had changed me. It could have also been the corruption that I wasn't aware was affecting me (it doesn't always drive you mad at first, sometimes it just takes away empathy, I read about a person partially under its effects that wiped out a whole village for past transgressions, when he was asked prior to his execution he just shrugged and said he always wanted to do that).
All the same I hit the town shortly after dark. The crash bars were the only real lights on what qualified as "main" street. I had aquired some of Grengor's lost armor to augment my crappily constructed clothing, I'm sure with the partial armor and huge sword I looked like something out of a bad dream (at least at the time I hoped I did, I wanted Grengor to suffer before he died). As if the gods themselves embraced my rage it was raining like it hadn't ever rained before. My entry caused some murmurs from the local drunks, but no one really took notice of me (Regor is a rough town, and the locals are very very drunk). I spotted Grengor in the corner trying to chat up an overweight barmaid. He was mostly armorless, his pale acne marked skin was almost laughable. I couldn't say I'd ever seen him without his armor and now I could see why. His face was a mishmash of ugly parts, too fat lips, too small nose, eyes partially buggy, hair what little of it he had was all stringy. It was almost insulting how long I'd followed him.
"Grengor!!!!" I called out from the entrance, the words stopped him in his tracks, he tried to put the barmaid between myself and him, but she quickly fled. He wasn't armed (of course not I'd seen his swords discarded on the trail) and so I walked right up to him and picked his scrawny ass up with one arm (not off the ground I'm not a super man) and pitched him to the sawdust covered floor, he hit with a thump and I ran up and gave him a nice kick with his own boots (a nice greeting for a complete jerk). I was surprised no one stood forward, but I wrote that off to the scare factor/Regor is full of cowardly drunks. He crawled his way into the street and started begging for his life.
"Please Trezlan, I got scared, haven't you ever gotten scared?" He was on his back, I could see some blood running over his crusty lips, apparently he had hit that ground pretty hard.
"All the time Grengor LIKE WHEN YOU KEPT USING ME FOR BAIT YOU GODS DAMNED COWARD!!!!" I had the sword gripped on my back, my hands ached to use it, I could feel a warmth from my finger tips. I was about to bring the blade down and split the man in two when I heard horses behind me.
"Put it down son this is over." The local law a drunk I'd only seen hustling people for small change was there now, I didn't turn around, but I'm sure his overly tight shirt was soaked and showing everyone way too much gut.
"Not over till this coward is dead, not your fight lawman, step away or become a part of the carnage." I'll admit I had my hackles up. There were others there now, I heard them hop down off their horses as well.
"Its over, put it down or be destroyed." The hum of magic was in the air, this new participant was not the usual rif raff, again I wasn't taken my eyes off Grengor, but I could guess he was one of the Red Hand's Judges, a particularly nasty group I'd only seen once since making land fall. They were there own authority and normally only came out for magical stuff, killing rogue users or just for the fun of it (The Red Hand was known for a lot of things, compassion was never one of them). I weighed getting my revenge versus getting destroyed off the face of the world and decided living was the best revenge. I plunged the huge sword in the ground between Grengor's legs (I'm sure that little move almost got me burned down) and submitted myself to the authorites. I didn't see the blow that knocked me out, just felt the crunch and when I awoke shortly thereafter I was in the local cell stripped of my stolen armor. The "cell" was a cage set in a shakey wooden room with a desk for the local law, there was a single bench in the middle bolted to the ground, it seemed strange accomodations but long term stays were not expected in Regor. This was my first of what would become a career of sitting in cells (yeah I'd say I lived a hard life of mistaken imprisonment, but honestly I've earned every stay and probably more). The overly stick thin clerk of Regor was waiting for me outside the cell at the crappy desk, the law was not around guess they didn't figure me dangerous. I figure he was one of the few people who could read and write in this town, and thats how he got the job of city clerk, god knows it wasn't his people skills.
"What's your name kid?" I hate hate hate when people talked down to me, but judging on where I was anger directed at him could only make my situation worse.
"Trezlan." I rubbed my face the bruise just below my cheek hurt just breathing.
"Last name?"
"Don't have one." I heard him scoff.
"Oh sure you don't, look farm boy these are serious charges, tell me your last name or I get the law to beat it out of you." Prisoners rights were a concept not yet heard of, still haven't honestly. One day society will come to the idea that beating people is not the best information technique. I mulled it over in my head, I couldn't recall my fathers last name, and I never knew my mothers, in the end I just settled on something I thought sounded cool.
"Lorentino."
"How do you spell that?"
"Correctly." I smirked as he looked on with impatience and scribbled something down, and then left. Years later I would track down that piece of paper for posterity, he had spell my name as such "Tresslon Loranteeno". At the time it caused me to laugh enough I was asked if I was ok. At the time I was terrified, obviously I came through all right, and tomorrow I'll tell you all about my first time in front of "Judge". But today be happy with the sight of a young man fresh off his first triumph, locked up in a cell awaiting his execution. Happy story so far right?
No comments:
Post a Comment