[Poor Grallus, the Rogue – 9]

“So you don’t know, where, he, is?” the boss says expressively staggering his speech.

Hoping he may now live Dreg replies, “Um no boss, but he couldn’t have gone far cause like Bexter said, he did shoot him with…”

“An, ar, rah. Yes, I heard,” the boss pauses watching the two closely. Tiny thin lightning filaments shoot between his fingers as he taps them together. “You two were in charge of the storage house… where he looted my spyglass… were you not?”

“Yes boss we were or are or yes sir,” Dreg stammers nervously.

Slowly standing the boss begins to pace in front of his throne, his hands clasped behind his back, light-pink lightning flaring around his feet as he steps. “That spyglass was located at your fine establishment for only a few minutes before Grallus took it you see, because he knew it was on its way to me. He knew you two dolts are completely incompetent, no offense,” he says with a flare of his electrified hand.

“None taken,” Dreg responds.

“And he knew he could easily take it from you two, but not so easily from me. Are you understanding the words that are coming out of my mouth?” the boss says with flamboyant but obvious disdain.

“Yes boss,” the mercenaries reply in unison.

Continuing the boss says, “So you see by this turn of events, we are now somewhat of partners you and I.”

This is starting to sound better to Dreg, “Yes sir we will do whatever it takes to…”

“YES YOU WILL!” the boss screams in a shrill cackle as two bright bolts of thick blue lightning shoot straight out the top of his head causing Dreg and Bexter to grab onto one another. Shaking his head ever-so-slightly as if that last bolt may have even surprised him, the boss thunders toward them. The two back up hard against the wooden door causing it to jostle on its hinges.

Pointing his sparking finger directly at Dreg’s eyes, who now knows without a doubt that it is a very serious weapon, the boss yells, “YOU will place that spyglass in MY hand YOURSELF, no later than FIVE days from NOW, and YOU,” his voice cracking while shifting his finger pointing to Bexter, “yes YOU, will place the HEAD of GRALLUS at my FEET at that SAME MOMENT!”

Without pause the boss jumps back several meters in an almost unassuming stance, “Oh and please, I see titles as meaningless among friends. Simply call me Zax.”

—

A few hours ride to the west, casually sitting under an apple tree with his gear off and piled next to him, Grallus chews on some fruit while watching Punkins, his little feline friend, play with an infinitesimally small bug, or something, he can’t tell. Punkins jumps back and forth stomping on the unseen something, obviously making for a fun game for the little cat. Grallus smiling at the cat’s play, reaches down and rubs his orange ears, much to Punkins’ delight.

Raising his arms, taking in a deep breath, holding it, then exhaling it hard, he happily says to the cat, “Punkins, I think we’re gonna be okay.”

Punkins looks up at Grallus with his big shiny orange eyes, and just shakes his head.

[677] Words : Directions