THE MOSIAC

the MOSIAC
EPISODE 2

He wasn't sure if it was the bouncing of his head or the vile smell that woke him up. All he knew is that it was dark, hot and hard to breathe. He felt disoriented and confused. Everything felt wrong. He managed to bite down the terror when he tried to move and found himself bound.

Then he remembered.

He was in trouble. Alot of trouble.

Sadly, he knew from experience he was across tied across the back of a horse. Once, long ago in the foolishness of his youth, when he was mostly a mouth and attitude, he had managed to piss off some very dangerous people. As a result, he had been beaten within an inch of his life.   Just to add insult to injury, after they were done abusing him, they had wrapped him up with rope, threw him on the back of a horse with the intent of tossing his barely conscious form in a nearby river.

It wasn't a sensation one soon forgets. Fate, in the form a wild haired wizard with anger issues, had intervened that day.  He thought it was too much to hope for a repeat occurrence.  He would have prayed to the Gods of Chaos for deliverance, but he knew better than to ask for their dark help.

"I know you're awake." came a muffled voice from outside the bag around his head.  Still he recognized the speaker and realized he was in more trouble than he thought.

"Dammit Pelcoz! If you know I'm awake, get this damn bag off my head!" Nynko yelled through the canvas sack.

The movement and bouncing stopped.  There was a long pause before he felt a tugging at his head.  Suddenly, the sweet taste of fresh air assaulted his senses and the bright light of day blinded him. He gasped, taking a huge, deep breath.  He twisted his neck to get a better view of his captor.

"I had to think about it for a minute." said the huge armored man riding the horse he was tied to. "normally, I would make someone promise not to try anything stupid, but with you I figured that your promises aren't worth a damn anyway and I fully expect you will try something stupid."

"Bite my ass, Pelcoz. What did the bitch queen promise you to bring me back to that hot wet hell? You know they are going to torture the shit out of me for what I did. I thought we were friends once."

"Once I thought we were." the warrior priest replied with hint of venom in his voice. "but then, you decided to betray everyone and everything that mat-"

"Screw that!" Nynko interrupted angrily, "I won't follow any faith that makes me murder a bunch of..."

"Of what?!? Monsters? Villains?" The big man angrily said behind him. "You betrayed us. You stole from us. You walk away from anyone and everything you loved...and...for...WHAT?!?" He pulled to the side of he dirt path they were on and dismounted furiously, rushing back to face Nynko.

The disgraced priest gasped at the sight of the huge man's tattered remains of a face. The beautiful silver armor that was the big man's trademark was now dented and and bore huge gashes. To the right, massive burn marks ran up and down its length. Dried blood was everywhere over the man and he looked more than a little unsteady on his feet.

"You would forsake your own, for savages like this? Do you see what that beast you travel with did to me before he went running off like a coward into the woods!?!" Pelcoz raised up a bloody mass of bandages where his left hand would have been.

"Whisper ran off into the woods..?"

"Yes! We fought after I took care of your wizard friend. The moment I had gained the upper hand, the beast couldn't bolt fast enough and ran like a dog! Coward!" he coughed, "By the time I realized what he was doing, he had scooped up the skinny mage and ran to the forest!"

"These woods?" the bound priest asked.

"Yes dammit! Why are you grinning you traitorous bastard!?!" Pelcoz demanded, slapping Nynko hard with his good hand.

"Because..." he said, spitting blood, "I just realized that you've never fought a druid before..."

Despite the blood running out of his mouth, Nynko kept grinning like a fool as 400 plus pounds of fur and claws dropped like a hunting hawk from the canopy above. Whisper landed like thunder behind the huge man. Riding the druid's back and hanging on for dear life, Gahnt was also covered in dried blood, but otherwise uninjured and looked beyond pissed.

The big man turned slowly around as Gahnt got off Whisper and cracked his knuckles. Whisper drew his crescent bladed staff and whistled.

"Round two asshole..." was the last thing Pelcoz heard the wizard say before the forest exploded on him...