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(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

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small whine leaked from his maw.<br />

Quick as a whip I drew the dagger from its sheath and stuck him, right in the<br />

throat. Mantuok reeled back, confused, castrated, trying desperately <strong>to</strong><br />

staunch the flow <strong>of</strong> blood with one paw as he tried <strong>to</strong> grope for his axe.<br />

No dice.<br />

I stuck him, in the slim border <strong>be</strong>tween one plate <strong>of</strong> armor and the next. Too<br />

shocked <strong>to</strong> claw at me Mantuok could only kick a little as I grab<strong>be</strong>d him by<br />

one tall spine <strong>of</strong> his opulent helmet, driving him head-first in<strong>to</strong> the post<br />

<strong>be</strong>hind me. Flesh and bone smashed repeatedly until his face was a ruined<br />

mass and the post was painted a fresh new shade <strong>of</strong> red. I wasn't sure if he<br />

was alive or <strong>not</strong>, but I <strong>to</strong>ok some small measure <strong>of</strong> satisfaction when I<br />

booted his worm-tailed ass in<strong>to</strong> the chasm.<br />

"Everything all right?" I said as I stumbled a bit trying <strong>to</strong> stand up properly.<br />

Already Annah and Dak'kon were looking themselves over for wounds and<br />

cleaning their weapons.<br />

"Ach, jes fine yeh sod. I dinnae know if we coulda faced tha big one fully<br />

armed, but yeh egged him on right yeh did," Annah smiled.<br />

Dak'kon glanced at the bloodstained post. "A great tragedy. To <strong>be</strong>gin one<br />

moment a king, and end it as a corpse."<br />

"Mantuok can gripe about tragedy when it's <strong>not</strong> <strong>be</strong>ing stuck in him every<br />

twelve hours." My foot bumped against something, and I looked <strong>do</strong>wn. It<br />

was a thick <strong>to</strong>me, sour with the smell <strong>of</strong> decay. When I picked it up the<br />

leather seemed <strong>to</strong> crawl under my fingers, as if it were uncured human flesh<br />

left out in the sun.<br />

And yet... something whispered at the back <strong>of</strong> my mind <strong>to</strong> open it. It wasn't<br />

the familiar tingle <strong>of</strong> a nascent memory bubbling <strong>to</strong> the surface, but<br />

something more... enticing.<br />

"Are yeh all right?" Annah's nose wrinkled, "Yeh <strong>do</strong>n't look good."<br />

"I'm fine," I grunted as we walked, shaking <strong>of</strong>f the urge <strong>to</strong> open the book<br />

then and there, "All I want <strong>to</strong> <strong>do</strong> is get Morte back. The void he's left is<br />

putting me in a mood, I think."<br />

488

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