the Lost tale of Thulsa the Madinan
Thulsa saw the horse in the market , the auctioneer yelled out the going price, raised it and someone in the crowd bet, Thulsa took his purse and counted the coins within, raising the bag he made his bet and the auctioneer noted , after some time of intense betting the horse was won by Thulsa , a brown and white pinto... If he was not to lead an army at this time , for now he would at least ride and see the lands around Madina without walking great distances. He rode the horse towards the main palace to enquire about servants, there was one available and they loaded the horse in the stable with supplies.
"Travelling alone milord?" The servant said looking up at Thulsa, as he adjusted the saddle.
"Aye, This horse will carry me about these lands until my estate is set here, and my remaining boxes and items arrived from the other lands"
Thulsa wrapped a red cloak around himself and chain mail armor, his helmet and sword strapped to the horse. He rode out of the palace gates and went to explore the city of Madina.
"I shall call you "Appular" he patted the horse , for the sands of far Apasur"
Fatmilak tower was creepy, solemn... the feeling of a place that probably was once a bustling fortress , now shadowed and empty was disconcerting. The great tower in its ivory bricks were grime and blackened, most of the buildings around the fortress were damaged in fires. The few residents of the fortress wore rags and hurried about without anything to say. Thulsa brought his men toward the town square with the intent to see if climbing the Fatmilak was possible. He had at times tried to speak with the villagers but they waved him off or closed their doors. No one wanted speak, there were also no children here, nor livestock... In the center of the town there was an altar and upon the altar were rusted chains... Thulsa scanned the buildings and windows facing the square and saw dark figures moving in front of the windows , they would quickly move from view when spotted. A cold chill of ocean air wafted through the square , Thulsa bound his cloak tighter around him , his men looked uneasy, they had travelled far from Virovene and to arrive here in this gloomy place was doing nothing for morale. He ordered his men to fan out in groups of two and find him a peasant and bring him forcibly if need be, back to the keeps square... After some time a shrivelled old man was brought to them kicking and pulling to escape. "'Av not any Shines... AHHHH le' meh be, AHHHHHHH 'Aves not shines fer ye...Blootin Shuggers!" The old man was wailing in his Northern dialect that was barely discernible , but Thulsa made out certain words. " Aye, stop yer strugglin'! What ye on about?" Thulsa grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck. " Scally, yer boots, fer comin' o'er eer an taken or shines, blooting , jus last to the moon , yer blootin teeves , dats whot yer ar" The old man spittled forth his words.
"Aye, we be collectin for, these lands are subject to the now mine , and that be tribute you paid"
Thulsa let go of the old man and then ordered his men to unhand the man and allow him to stand on his own two feet " Now what be the reason fer this here altar an chains?" " Oh, blootin Shuggers, comin 'eer all the days, comin so finally , we star' leavin' them meats... " "Meats?" "Aye,sacrfishen" the man wobbled on his feet. "Sacrificing what?" "them childruns , sire... Them Shuggers deman'dud we be leavin ar childruns fer dem or dem keel all of us" The man looked scared his eyes flicked around the square, he was looking as if he had said to much and it seemed as if he wanted to run. Thulsa held him firm with his eyes. " Shuggers? what be this ye ramble of?" "Shuggers... Draggers...shamb'lin bludsukkers!" "You mean monsters?" "Aye..that be one namer fer dem" The man cowed and his head turned ever wich way " now 'ave enoff of me ? aye? let meh go now?" Thulsa nodded, and the man scampered away back into the dark fortress. So the people here had decided to placate the monsters, sacrificing and trying like cowards to keep the blasted devils of their backs, Thulsa spit into the dust and then ordered his men to scale the Fatmilak, he had a reckoning to see the far coast of the old Candiels lands. On the horizon far in the mist the coast of Candiels could be seen, but the view was muddied by a fog like haze, and Thulsa wondered what lay beyond it. " We will set up camp here , and Cap'n , I need you to put together a work detail ... Chop some tree's , we will be using this tower ... dont stray far... Bring the wood to the shore when done..." The night passed, with the sound of the shore crashing on the cliffs of Fatmilak, the howling of wind through empty windows...
The small barely sea worthy rafts were completed, they lay on the shore , the sun was setting , darkness would be frought with dangers , but it was the only way that Thulsa could be sure that nothing saw him leave this place nor would see him approach Fatmilak . They pushed the rafts out and waded into the murky waters. Looking back at the tower of Fatmilak , a sun ray glinted off of its spire , before the fiery orb sunk into nothingness...
Several hours pass...
The boats drifted , silently ... alone, the sea was flat like a looking glass, and peerin within it , the stars above would reflect upon its surface and the men could even see their own faces in the waves.
The boats jolted... The men awoke from their monotonous rowing and saw over the sides of their rafts, below in the blackness , the black blue scales of large schools of primitive fish reeled around in circles below the boats, saucer shaped eyes looked up at them , yellow orbs .... Ancient sea fish, like Ceolocanths , beaked faces , at times their tails would lick the air and then they would dive back down, they were feeding on glowing plankton. The nerves of the men would slowly subside and then back to rowing .
At times below the waves, men would swear that they saw mountains pass below, and then others would say that they were actually structures, long lost empty ghosts of ancient empires and ages never remembered...
And still they flowed , over still waters , their oars on the glass plain...
Thulsa sat in the prow and finally when the moon did slowly ignite the sky and pass over the raft, he lay on his back and watched it , as if he himself was floating towards its face and he wondered to himself what peoples did live upon its surface and who did sail upon its black seas...
He dipped his sword in the waters , and cut the surface of the waters skin... below the ancient fish did scatter and left a trail of glowing dust in their wake. And there it was within his mind an image , an ocean of fire did engulf the lands and from it poured molten screaming wolves...
He awoke, the boats still. There was no rowing , his men sat pointing out towards the horizon ... Thulsa turned and pulled himself up from the prow and
saw it coming ... but by then it was already to late...
The camp was silent on the plains of Agl, yet everyone was feeling edgy a smell of goat stench or some other pungent stink was wafting through the air and the men of Thulsas contingent refused to sleep , no fire was lit , the scouts had reported seeing strange things on the horizons... Thulsa ordered his men to keep their arms at their sides and to watch out...
Then it happened out of the darkness, howling and then the sound of fast thumping feet on the grass, and from out of the darkness they lunged catapulted themselves through the air like ghosts a horde of hairy bat like glowing eyed horrors crashed through the camp and the battle was joined.
A beast grabbed a man and flung him across the camp , shattering him upon the ground, Thulsa called out and then begin to wind his sword around his head chopping into the melee, blood and gore , the swinging blades of the small troop of 8 men hauled into the wet stench and flesh of the beasts.
Thulsa hacked into the side of one monster and brought it down but by then he was joined by 3 other holwing beasts , he sliced off ones arm and then watched as 3 of his men fell before his eyes the monsters tearing out their entrails before he could react, Thulsa hacked one monsters head off and managed to drag out the screaming soldier, but in the act merely tore his own man in half for another bat beast did grab the legs and gnaw through the stomach.
Now they were collected in the center 5 men , swinging their blades and firing arrows when they could, but the monsters were attacking so fast and their numbers were possible 20 or 30 , for no one had time to count. And then they were tackled and a monster did lock his jaws into Thulsas sword and break it , and another man was brought down his face smashed by a hail of large stones. pummeled from all sides Thulsa yelled the order to make a dash , he knew that now they must run , for is they stood in this spot the monsters would obliterate them , but for how long could they run?
No matter, Thulsa hauled up a soldier on his back who was merely a pile of smashed limbs and blood and the remaining 3 soldiers began a dead run across an empty plain...
Heart pounding in his chest , the blood and air screaming through his burning lungs , the man he carried was eventually so heavy , but then Thulsa saw a rift in the earth before them , a gully a dry river bed that dropped down 6 ft. into sand, Thulsa found a small hole and pushed the man inside and then Thulsa covered him with sand . That was all he could do to mask his scent.
Then Thulsa collected his remaining two men and they made it up the other side of the bank, a beast grabbed one man , and ripped his neck out before Thulsa could make it back to the straggler, keep running... dont stop , behind them the bat like beings howled and ran at full force. Thulsa tore his armor from his body and kept running , the other man behind Thulsa a few paces fell to the ground and called out, a mere few yards behind the bats had cleared the distance, no time... Thulsa drew his bow and fired a shot wide, it missed and fell away into the grass, drew his sword and brought it down on a bat beast that had tackled him, smashing the batbeasts bloody brains out with the pommel of his sword, the screams of the man could be heard in the night and Thulsa felt the bat beast in its deaththroes bury its teeth into his arm, he pulled his dagger out and begin to frantically stab , there were beasts all around and he stabbed from the ground... Now he was on his feet and slicing , he kept running , he wasnt sure how he made it out , the beasts were attacking eachother in the chaos now and one unlucky brute was being torn apart, no time...
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD... was that his heart or feet? He knew not for all that carried him now in his dead run was the adrenaline of what had happened...
He awoke the next morning , nearly falling from the limb of a sole tree , desolate , wounded and alone ... for now nothing could be seen from his perch... yet between him and the horizon there were no places to hide...
Endless plains and sun, long had the monsters receded into the nightmares of days gone. Still Thulsa walked, ahead a pall of smoke, or was it dust could be seen coming on towards Thulsa. He stood and viewed . It was a coach of some sort and as it grew closer , Thulsa could see that it was very ornate and drawn by white horses... His luck had changed...
Parched and sunburned he waved a piece of cloth towards the coach and it saw him and slowed to a halt. A man came from the coach dressed in ornate attire and his hair was covered by a white powdered wig. Onboard a man sat in dour expression and
held a crossbow over his lap.
" Ahoy! Hahahh! fancy fancy!" the man yelled out waving joyfully and walking towards Thulsa, He flitted towards him and was dabbing his face with a kerchief.
"what have we here? hahahha!, oh oh what have? who art thou?" He bowed low and then did a curtsey and then twirled around.
" I am a Noble of Madina, and a Knight of Lugugan, I request that you help me, I am in need of water and transportation out of this waste" Thulsa bowed to the man.
" HHAHHHAHHHA, oh boy, oh boy ... haw haw, A noble? , not unlike myself aye? aye?" The man skittered about.
"Aye" Thulsa felt uncomfortable something was not right with this man, his skin now in closer expression was powdered but under it was scabs , dry skin and his teeth were a mash of gums and yellow jagged stones.
" Aye, aye ... "
Behind the man , the carriage door opened and out tumbled 3 drunken and filthy men , on their heads were tiara's and gaudy crowns , they all held crossbows , and pointed them at Thulsa.
" See , let me see... AHHHAHH, let me see what you dost haveth there... mi..mi..lord" The man pointed at Thulsa's coin bag. The man did quickly slice the bag from the belt and took the coins. Thulsa stood still , his arms raised. The man tossed the bag behind him and laughed hysterically... The others also laughed.
" Ye , hahahhah have been robbed milord, and remember who it t'was , fer we are the "Celtiberian jolly Brother bandits" ! " He said with a flourish, and tossed the coin bag behind him, he bowed and moved back towards the carriage, standing on the doorway steps , he commanded the driver to move , but as the carriage passed he tossed a skin of water from the carriage.
" Good luck! Milord...HAHHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHAH"
The carriage was gone and Thulsa was left slightly lighter, the waterskin was near full and refreshing. He watched the carriage sink below the horizon and by now the sun was also low in the sky... Nothing more now to but walk...
Thulsas hidden purse of gold coins clinking inside his shirt the only sound...
Paisly... Early morning...Day unknown
The flat plain rolled away and far off could be seen the city of Paisly. Thulsa trudged in an undead like daze, his clothing in tatters, dragging his sword in the dirt , he lurched towards the city gates.
"Thats as far as ye gonna go!" A guard on the far top of the wall yelled down , then was quickly joined by several others , they peered down and drew their bows.
" Sir? Is it an undead straggler?" One of the wall guards said leaning over the wall said while spitting down.
" Hell if I know, sure looks like one" The guard captain said..
Thulsa lurched forward a few more steps and then stopped dead still and fell to his knees. He could be heard murmuring from down below and the men on the wall recoiled in fear.
" Oh lord, it is an Undead! listen to its terrible sounds!"
" Bloody well shoot it now!"
" Hold yer fire, !@#$... Its one Deadhead , go down and hack its head off, blasted greenhorns, bow ain't no use against an Undead"
A recruit grabbed an axe and as he passed by another recruit smacked him in the helmet " Duh!"
" oi piss off"
the instigating soldier danced around like a monkey while the other made his way down the stairs.
The gate swung open and the recruit came tip-toeing out holding the axe close to his self.
"be careful!THEMS HAVE FANGS AND LASHY TONGUES!" Someone yelled from above on the wall.
" Shadap, bloody hell" The guard captain rhetorted.
The recruit edged forward, now Thulsa was laying on his face, he stretched his arms out to beg , to plead.
" Oi ! tryin to grab ye, chop its bloody arms off!" a recruit yelled down
"Shadap! just get the damn head" The captain swung around and could be heard giving the recruits head a smack with his guantlet.
Bringing the blade of the axe up , the greenhorn prepared to bring it down, when
Thulsa began yelling as loud as he could. The greenhorn spooked dropped the axe and ran back towards the gate, the whole time sputtering and tripping allover himself and his outsized armor.
" Bloody hell, its human...Get back there you git and bring him inside" The guard captain yelled down to the greenhorn.
Thulsa faded into blackness...
