the defenceless. My fights were wholly unnecessary, breaking noses and blacking eyes over the smallest of grievances. I am ashamed now looking back but I was young and didn’t know better. Trust me, Ash, if the time comes when you need to fight - your natural instincts will come through. You will fight, kick, bite, spit and do whatever it takes to survive. Fight dirty, there are no rules when men are rolling in the ground with their hands grasping at each other’s necks.”
“Thanks for the advice, I’ll bear that in mind. So, have you…” Ash paused and thought about the question before asking. “Have you killed anyone with your bare hands before?”
“It’s fine to ask. Yes, sadly, and believe me, it feels a lot more raw than killing someone with your sword. You know, it’s not the bandits’ faces that I remember as my sword sliced through their bodies like butter. It’s the fifteen year old boy I strangled in a back alley when I was fourteen after he tried to mug me and then kill me with a knife.”
Ash was taken aback by Ugg’s frank admittance.
“You did what you had to.”
“I know, and if I didn’t I’d be long dead. Have you killed anyone?”
“Once, when a deranged man broke into the citadel and entered the Throne Room with a knife. I had no choice, but that was a long time ago, nearly fifteen years and I haven’t see any action since.”
The two men sat in silence for a good deal of time before Ugg woke Janna for her watch and thanked her repeatedly for saving his life. The rotation continued until dawn when all three were up and ready to go.
“Ugg, you take my knife. It is better you have it than I. Then that just leaves you unarmed Ash but at least you can swing both fists!” said Janna.
“Don’t worry about me, Ugg taught me some tricks last night while you were sleeping. I’ll be fine. From what Ugg told me he isn’t exactly defenceless with only his left arm.”
“I don’t doubt it, but I think this a good arrangement for all of us.”
The three knights proceeded onwards. The route led them right, left and right again, without any end in sight to the maze. They continued marking arrows in the ground and suppressed their frustration.
“I could have sworn that scream came from close by but clearly it didn’t,” said Ash.
“This maze loves to play tricks on its captives. The acoustics are all over the place. There is another junction ahead, whose turn is it to choose?” asked Janna.
“Mine,” replied Ugg. “No change for me, as usual.”
“Right it is then,” muttered Janna.
The three of them turned right and straight away Janna notched an arrow to her bow. On the ground ahead of them was a body, face down and with green blood oozing out of its slender legs and mid-rift. It was not human.
“What is that?” asked Ugg. “Don’t get too close, Janna, it may be a trap. Fire an arrow into its head just to make sure.”
Janna pulled back the string, ready to release the arrow but she didn’t.
“I can hear more metallic noises again, you two go ahead. I will stay with the body. Check what is around the corner, quickly.”
Ash and Ugg ran ahead and turned the corner. What greeted them shocked them to their core.
“Well, what is it?” shouted Janna.
“It’s a…I can hardly believe it. It’s a gauntlet like we passed through. Exactly the same in layout, an axe at the front, then swords and spinning blades and all with the same timings,” shouted back Ash.
“There is blood on the last blade,” said Ugg. “Yes, look, there is a trail leading to the body. Whatever it is didn’t make it through and bled out. What is going on here?”
Ash and Ugg dashed back to Janna and the unidentified body.
“Whatever this thing is it’s definitely dead, I’m going to turn it over,” said Janna.
Janna flipped the body over. It had pale green skin with two arms and two legs but its facial features were radically different. The three knights were taken aback
“Thanks for the advice, I’ll bear that in mind. So, have you…” Ash paused and thought about the question before asking. “Have you killed anyone with your bare hands before?”
“It’s fine to ask. Yes, sadly, and believe me, it feels a lot more raw than killing someone with your sword. You know, it’s not the bandits’ faces that I remember as my sword sliced through their bodies like butter. It’s the fifteen year old boy I strangled in a back alley when I was fourteen after he tried to mug me and then kill me with a knife.”
Ash was taken aback by Ugg’s frank admittance.
“You did what you had to.”
“I know, and if I didn’t I’d be long dead. Have you killed anyone?”
“Once, when a deranged man broke into the citadel and entered the Throne Room with a knife. I had no choice, but that was a long time ago, nearly fifteen years and I haven’t see any action since.”
The two men sat in silence for a good deal of time before Ugg woke Janna for her watch and thanked her repeatedly for saving his life. The rotation continued until dawn when all three were up and ready to go.
“Ugg, you take my knife. It is better you have it than I. Then that just leaves you unarmed Ash but at least you can swing both fists!” said Janna.
“Don’t worry about me, Ugg taught me some tricks last night while you were sleeping. I’ll be fine. From what Ugg told me he isn’t exactly defenceless with only his left arm.”
“I don’t doubt it, but I think this a good arrangement for all of us.”
The three knights proceeded onwards. The route led them right, left and right again, without any end in sight to the maze. They continued marking arrows in the ground and suppressed their frustration.
“I could have sworn that scream came from close by but clearly it didn’t,” said Ash.
“This maze loves to play tricks on its captives. The acoustics are all over the place. There is another junction ahead, whose turn is it to choose?” asked Janna.
“Mine,” replied Ugg. “No change for me, as usual.”
“Right it is then,” muttered Janna.
The three of them turned right and straight away Janna notched an arrow to her bow. On the ground ahead of them was a body, face down and with green blood oozing out of its slender legs and mid-rift. It was not human.
“What is that?” asked Ugg. “Don’t get too close, Janna, it may be a trap. Fire an arrow into its head just to make sure.”
Janna pulled back the string, ready to release the arrow but she didn’t.
“I can hear more metallic noises again, you two go ahead. I will stay with the body. Check what is around the corner, quickly.”
Ash and Ugg ran ahead and turned the corner. What greeted them shocked them to their core.
“Well, what is it?” shouted Janna.
“It’s a…I can hardly believe it. It’s a gauntlet like we passed through. Exactly the same in layout, an axe at the front, then swords and spinning blades and all with the same timings,” shouted back Ash.
“There is blood on the last blade,” said Ugg. “Yes, look, there is a trail leading to the body. Whatever it is didn’t make it through and bled out. What is going on here?”
Ash and Ugg dashed back to Janna and the unidentified body.
“Whatever this thing is it’s definitely dead, I’m going to turn it over,” said Janna.
Janna flipped the body over. It had pale green skin with two arms and two legs but its facial features were radically different. The three knights were taken aback
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