Take that, writer's block :P
Mocha #14. Don't You Dare with Hot Fudge and Whipped Cream
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1250
Word Count : 820
Introducing another new necromancer. And a return of the apprentice from the last piece.
“Now then.” Master Hakaro paced the line of boys, each stiff at attention and struggling to hold his blade straight in front of him. “If the rest of you can proceed without causing yourselves injury.”
There was a sniff from beside him, and Kairn looked up from the growing bruise on his foot he’d been nursing. Daliver sat against the wall, a great, bloody rent up the leg of his pants, glaring down his pointy nose at the rest of the lot.
“Causing ourselves injury indeed,” he said. “Aldo tripped me.”
“I saw,” said Kairn, turning back to carefully flexing his injured foot.
“I reckon he tripped you too.”
“No, I, er… Yeah, sure.” He frowned at the mass of purple that had nearly engulfed the top of his foot. Who gives a bunch of untrained teenagers sharpened blades anyway? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?
“Someone needs to take him down a peg.”
Kairn sighed. The others were pairing off again, great lengths of sharp steel brandished between them. He found Sethan and Reida at one end, idly prodding the dirt with their blades. Aldo and Kinu were at the forefront, giddy smiles on both their faces as the master patted their oversized shoulders and praised their stances.
“Trust me, Sethan does, frequently. It only seems to encourage him.” There was a shuffling and scratching. Daliver was emptying out a pocket, scrawling something on the ground. “Wait, what do you think you’re-” He procured a vial from inside his shirt, held it up to squint at it with one eye, and measured a bit of something out into the pile of bones in front of him. Kairn swiped a hand at his wrist, but too late. The sigil ignited and a rickety little demon scampered off towards the crowd. “You can’t just send that off into the middle of class! What if it hits the wrong person?”
Daliver turned his sour stare Kairn’s way. “I have practiced this, you know. It’s not-” His jaw fell, all the color draining from his face. “Oh gods.” The demon scuttled towards Master Hakaro.
Kairn threw himself forward, half running, half crawling into the midst of the sparring boys. Pain ripped through him as his injured foot met the ground, and dust filled his eyes and lungs as he dodged his way through a forest of boots. He landed, with a thump and a cloud of dust, on his chest, at Master Hakaro’s feet, his hands cupped over Daliver’s demon.
Master Hakaro glared down at him, his dark eyes as sharp as his sword, and Kairn swallowed hard. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”
The demon scratched at his palms with its bony feet. Kairn bit his tongue and kept his hands firmly over it. “I would like to, er, beg for another chance to try the sword, Master Hakaro, sir, if I could, sir.” The master raised one silver brow, his scowl not fading in the slightest, as Kairn forced a smile into place.
“Perhaps I should find you a wooden one.”
As the man turned away, Kairn plucked the demon up by one leg and shoved it into Sethan’s hands. “Get rid of this, would you?” he whispered. Sethan eyed the squirming mass in his hands and shot the pale and shaking Daliver a grin. Reida came to peer over Sethan’s shoulder with a toothy smile of her own. Kairn continued out loud, “I would appreciate that. I…I don’t suppose they hurt as much when, er, dropped on the foot.”
“Very well,” said the master, already rummaging through his supply of weapons.
A loud pop sounded and Kairn turned to where Aldo and Kinu had continued their sparring. Thick clouds of dark smoke seeped from beneath Aldo’s collar and the ends of his sleeves and soot coated his neck and his hands.
Kairn looked to Sethan, who had reappeared behind him, arms folded and quietly grinning. “I thought I told you to get rid of it.”
“And I did,” said Sethan. “Seemed a pity to waste it.”
“You realize he’s going to kill Daliver now, don’t you?” said Kairn. Reida put a hand to her mouth, quietly sputtering with laughter as Aldo tried to wipe the grime from his neck with equally filthy hands.
Sethan shrugged. “I thought that was what he was after.”
Master Harako stepped in, a pair of wooden swords in hand. He shoved one towards Kairn. “Here you go. You are with Sethan.” He took a step towards Daliver, now on his feet, jaws fumbling at the air, and held out the second blade. “And you have-”
“Me.” Aldo took a few swift strides closer, gleaming sword shaking in his grasp, fist shaking and soot-rimmed eyes narrowed.
Hakaro looked at him for a moment in puzzlement before Daliver took the wooden blade from his hand and promptly tripped himself and smacked his head on it.
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1250
Word Count : 820
Introducing another new necromancer. And a return of the apprentice from the last piece.
“Now then.” Master Hakaro paced the line of boys, each stiff at attention and struggling to hold his blade straight in front of him. “If the rest of you can proceed without causing yourselves injury.”
There was a sniff from beside him, and Kairn looked up from the growing bruise on his foot he’d been nursing. Daliver sat against the wall, a great, bloody rent up the leg of his pants, glaring down his pointy nose at the rest of the lot.
“Causing ourselves injury indeed,” he said. “Aldo tripped me.”
“I saw,” said Kairn, turning back to carefully flexing his injured foot.
“I reckon he tripped you too.”
“No, I, er… Yeah, sure.” He frowned at the mass of purple that had nearly engulfed the top of his foot. Who gives a bunch of untrained teenagers sharpened blades anyway? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?
“Someone needs to take him down a peg.”
Kairn sighed. The others were pairing off again, great lengths of sharp steel brandished between them. He found Sethan and Reida at one end, idly prodding the dirt with their blades. Aldo and Kinu were at the forefront, giddy smiles on both their faces as the master patted their oversized shoulders and praised their stances.
“Trust me, Sethan does, frequently. It only seems to encourage him.” There was a shuffling and scratching. Daliver was emptying out a pocket, scrawling something on the ground. “Wait, what do you think you’re-” He procured a vial from inside his shirt, held it up to squint at it with one eye, and measured a bit of something out into the pile of bones in front of him. Kairn swiped a hand at his wrist, but too late. The sigil ignited and a rickety little demon scampered off towards the crowd. “You can’t just send that off into the middle of class! What if it hits the wrong person?”
Daliver turned his sour stare Kairn’s way. “I have practiced this, you know. It’s not-” His jaw fell, all the color draining from his face. “Oh gods.” The demon scuttled towards Master Hakaro.
Kairn threw himself forward, half running, half crawling into the midst of the sparring boys. Pain ripped through him as his injured foot met the ground, and dust filled his eyes and lungs as he dodged his way through a forest of boots. He landed, with a thump and a cloud of dust, on his chest, at Master Hakaro’s feet, his hands cupped over Daliver’s demon.
Master Hakaro glared down at him, his dark eyes as sharp as his sword, and Kairn swallowed hard. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”
The demon scratched at his palms with its bony feet. Kairn bit his tongue and kept his hands firmly over it. “I would like to, er, beg for another chance to try the sword, Master Hakaro, sir, if I could, sir.” The master raised one silver brow, his scowl not fading in the slightest, as Kairn forced a smile into place.
“Perhaps I should find you a wooden one.”
As the man turned away, Kairn plucked the demon up by one leg and shoved it into Sethan’s hands. “Get rid of this, would you?” he whispered. Sethan eyed the squirming mass in his hands and shot the pale and shaking Daliver a grin. Reida came to peer over Sethan’s shoulder with a toothy smile of her own. Kairn continued out loud, “I would appreciate that. I…I don’t suppose they hurt as much when, er, dropped on the foot.”
“Very well,” said the master, already rummaging through his supply of weapons.
A loud pop sounded and Kairn turned to where Aldo and Kinu had continued their sparring. Thick clouds of dark smoke seeped from beneath Aldo’s collar and the ends of his sleeves and soot coated his neck and his hands.
Kairn looked to Sethan, who had reappeared behind him, arms folded and quietly grinning. “I thought I told you to get rid of it.”
“And I did,” said Sethan. “Seemed a pity to waste it.”
“You realize he’s going to kill Daliver now, don’t you?” said Kairn. Reida put a hand to her mouth, quietly sputtering with laughter as Aldo tried to wipe the grime from his neck with equally filthy hands.
Sethan shrugged. “I thought that was what he was after.”
Master Harako stepped in, a pair of wooden swords in hand. He shoved one towards Kairn. “Here you go. You are with Sethan.” He took a step towards Daliver, now on his feet, jaws fumbling at the air, and held out the second blade. “And you have-”
“Me.” Aldo took a few swift strides closer, gleaming sword shaking in his grasp, fist shaking and soot-rimmed eyes narrowed.
Hakaro looked at him for a moment in puzzlement before Daliver took the wooden blade from his hand and promptly tripped himself and smacked his head on it.