Loth Winterbone breathed hard as he watched his opponent. Sweat dripped from his forehead into his eyes, stinging them. Loth kept his gaze steady, fastened to Gustav, his opponent. They had been fighting for a good while, neither giving way.

  “Getting tired, Loth?” Gustav jeered.

  Loth tightened his grip on the large double-bladed ax. The ax had cleaved many men and beasts in two. A normal man could never lift it much less wield it in combat. Then again, Loth was not a normal man. At seven feet, six inches tall, with bright blonde hair that came to his shoulders and a chest as wide as a horse cart, Loth was a living mountain. But, for an Arns?than, he was still rather small. Most of the men that came from Arns?th generally grew to a full nine feet. Gustav towered above the ground, topping out at over ten feet. His shoulders were narrower than Loth’s, so he looked lanky by comparison.

  “Too stupid to answer?” Gustav said with a mocking tone.

  “Not stupid,” stammered Loth in response.

  Gustav laughed and sneered at Loth. The afternoon sun reflected off his bald, sweaty head giving it a shine.

  “Get ready, runt,” Gustav said as he tightened a fist. “I’ll squash you like rotten fruit.”

  “Not fruit either. Not like you.”

  Gustav’s grin dropped as the crowd laughed and even applauded Loth’s comeback. He snarled and charged with a vicious roar.

  Loth set his feet, readied the shield in his right hand, and turned his weapon ever so slightly. His eyes stayed focused, his breathing slowed, and his arms and legs were taught, awaiting the command to act. Within a second-and-a-half, Gustav reached him and swung his massive battle hammer, a four-hundred-pound monstrosity that could crush a boulder with a single strike.

  As the hammer came within inches of Loth’s head, the runt Arns?than made his move. He slid his shield just under the hammer’s arc and pushed upward, shifting the hammer’s course. Simultaneously, his ax swept back for the strike and came forward at lightning speed as the hammer passed over Loth’s left shoulder. The ax connected with Gustav’s breastplate, slicing its way in. The blow sent Gustav flying backward and forced the hammer out of his hands. Now free of Gustav’s grip, the hammer sailed into the air and crashed down near surprised bystanders.

  The bald barbarian landed hard on his back, knocking the wind from his lungs. He curled up gasping for his breath. In a panic, he looked down at his abdomen, his shoulders slumping in relief as the ax had only scratched the armor.

  Loth thumped towards him, ax cocked back for another blow. Gustav covered his face and made the pitiful noises of a man about to die.

  Loth dropped his shield, grabbed one of Gustav’s arms, pulled it aside and looked straight into his opponent’s face. “I hold back and not kill you, just teach lesson. Remember this.”

  A roar from the crowd erupted. They began cheering Loth’s name as he strapped the ax and shield onto his back. He gave Gustav one last look and then turned to leave.

  Gustav’s face reddened. He staggered to his feet and rushed at Loth with one arm raised. His hand held a dagger he must have kept hidden in one of his boots. He yelled as he brought the knife down on Loth.

  But it never connected.

  Loth, moving like water, dodged the strike, grabbed his attacker’s wrist, and re-directed the direction of the blow’s force. Gustav’s face impacted the hard ground with a mushy crunch. Blood gushed from his nose and mouth. Loth then pinned his head to the ground and pressed Gustav’s knife against his neck.

  “Loth think you stupid one now,” said Loth. “I be nice two times now. Not be nice a th- a th-...other time.”

  He stuck the dagger in the ground inches from Gustav’s face and stood as the crowd applauded once again. Gustav stayed on the ground as Loth made his way to a little man who collected coins from the spectators.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Loth held out a hand and said, “Perdie. You pay. Now.”

  Perdie smiled and said, in a squeaky sort of voice, “Of course, of course, Loth. One hundred cesteres like we agreed.”

  “We say two hundred.”

  “Did we now, Loth?” said Perdie. “I don’t think you’re remembering right.”

  Loth grabbed Perdie’s collar and lifted him to eye level. “What?”

  The little man squeaked, “I-I-I-I think I’m remembering n-now. Yes, yes. T-two hundred it was.”

  Loth let Perdie go, and the little man scampered to his table. He opened the heavy lock on the box underneath and removed the chains strapped over it. Pulling out several bags, Perdie counted out the coins while Loth watched him. The barbarian made the little man count them twice more before he was satisfied and grabbed the bag of money.

  “Selfish bugger,” Perdie muttered under his breath.

  Loth gave him a look, making Perdie shrink back with a weak smile and a whimper. The barbarian then left Perdie at his little table.

  He glanced back at Gustav. The bald barbarian was standing, though not without some help from another Arns?than. Gustav caught Loth’s eye, then looked away in disgust. Loth sighed and wandered out into the streets of Leona.

  ~*~

  Satchel was smiling from ear to ear as he walked down the road.

  “What’re you so happy about?” asked Addie.

  “That was some fight,” he replied. “The bald guy looked like he was going crush the little guy, but then the little guy ducked under and got him with his ax.”

  Satchel reenacted the movements as he spoke. His spirits had been low ever since their encounter in Temna. The fight had brightened his mood.

  He continued, “And just when you thought the fight was over, the big one came at him, and Loth was so fast and smooth. Did you see how he put the bald guy on the ground.”

  “Yes,” said Addie exasperated. “I was there.”

  “But did you ever see such skill?” Satchel was still mimicking the fight as they walked. “What’d you think, Jarek?”

  Jarek looked up from counting coins and said, “Hm? Oh, the fight. Yes, quite the spectacle, wasn’t it? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone who can move as well as Loth can. And it was very profitable for us, I might add.” He jingled the sack that held the takings from their pickpocketing.

  Satchel continued to replay the fight as they moved down the street.

  “Would you stop that?” Addie snapped at Satchel.

  “Make me,” said Satchel.

  Addie kicked at Satchel’s shins.

  “Knock it off,” said Jarek. “We’re going to be here for a couple of days, and we don't need a repeat of what happened in Temna.”

  Both younger thieves stopped making noise of any kind. Satchel still played the battle out in his mind and paid no attention to where he was going. He was so distracted that he ran into someone and fell to the ground.

  He was about to apologize when he saw Gustav staring down at him. The Arns?than’s nose was deformed, and his mouth still had dried blood on his bottom lip. This made his expression even more terrifying as he glared down at Satchel.

  “Little man needs to watch his step,” growled Gustav, “he’ll get squashed like a bug.”

  Gustav stomped right next to Satchel. Satchel shrank back, the color draining from his face. Gustav bellowed out a laugh.

  “We don’t want any trouble,” said Jarek, moving between his pupil and Gustav. “The boy was lost in his own world. He’ll apologize as soon as he gets up.”

  Sneering at Jarek, Gustav said, “A sack full of gold would be a better way to apologize.”

  Gustav reached to grab the bag secured to Jarek’s waist.

  The old thief batted the Arns?than’s hand away and slid back into a defensive stance.

  “You’ve already been embarrassed today. Don’t make it twice.”

  Gustav balled both of his mighty fists, ready to pound them into Jarek. For a few tense moments, the two of them stood with locked eyes.

  “Do what old man says,” said a voice. Jarek and Gustav looked in the direction of the voice and saw Loth standing nearby. “That ‘nother fight Gustav will lose.”

  Gustav gave Loth a long look then shifted it back to Jarek. He grimaced and spat on the ground in front of the old thief and turned away.

  Jarek watched him a moment, looked down at Satchel, and said, “I hope you’ve learned a valuable lesson here about minding your surroundings.”

  “Yeah,” said Satchel as he stood and dusted himself off.

  Truthfully, he was disappointed with himself for freezing up yet again.

  “Thank you for the help,” said Jarek shaking Loth’s hand.

  “It nothing,” replied Loth. “Gustav hot head.”

  “So it would seem. Forgive me, I know your name, but you don’t know mine. It’s Jarek.”

  Loth bowed his head. “Good to meet Jarek. Loth like you.”

  Jarek bowed his head in respect.

  “Got to go now. Stuff to do.”

  “It was nice to meet you. If there’s any way I can repay you, please let me know.”

  “Loth not need pay from Jarek. Loth like to help little man.”

  He gave Satchel a nod, and a smile sprang onto the young thief’s face.

  “Bye now,” said the Arns?than.

  He turned and walked down the street.

  “He was nice, wasn’t he?” remarked Jarek.

  “I guess,” said Addie “He was kind of slow though. In the head, I mean.”

  “I thought he was great,” said Satchel, still holding a silly grin.

  Addie rolled her eyes. Jarek smirked and glanced up at the sky. It had taken on a deep orange hue as the afternoon faded into evening.

  “Let’s get going,” said Jarek. “There’s a pub we need to reach called the Drunken Hammer. We might find something out about Basco there.”

  Jarek, Satchel, and Addie were moving once again. Satchel beamed brighter than before, though he did mind his steps more closely.