Morgus, E018 part one, Gargoyle-gray Two-headed Lizard

Morgus

Written by Kenneth Shumaker

Episode 018, ‘Gargoyle-gray Two-headed Lizard’

Written on May 19, 1018.

Part one published on June 14, 2018.

We continue now with Morgus episode E018, ‘Gargoyle-gray Two-headed Lizard,’ on …

Winter 40 Unicorn

Flicking away the scat-beetle as they sit in the lush garden, Morgus grins as he addresses Halda. “Well, you knew this time would come … I’m leaving tomorrow, so your time here with us ends my friend. Square and I are headed north for a few days. It was my pleasure having your company here, and Square seemed to enjoy herself with you too! Elmar claims you enlightened him a wee bit as well.”

They clasp arms as they rise to stand together.

Halda winks, and says, “don’t forget to build me a tome!”

Laughing mischievously, Morgus nods a couple short bobs, and then he says, “yes, I already have the first five parchment pages for the tome made … you don’t forget to send me the seven-thousand coins.”

With a groan from her abdomen, Halda nods one short bob. Then she turns to leave. “I’ll pack up and be out in an hour.”

“Fair enough!” Morgus replies.

…..

Sitting in Larap’s office with Ada and Larap, Morgus watches the baron eyeing him back, the mage/chamberlain says, “you know to do work for you I must travel out and away from the manor to attend to matters, so I’ll be going away now to the trades’ guild hall to register our tradesmen and apprentices which we currently have.”

Baron Hessan snuffles, then he replies, “why? Why not scribe the documents! … send them with messengers!”

Shaking his head, Morgus replies emphatically, “no, I’ll take care of items personally as I want them taken care of properly and to make sure that they’re done.”

Fluttering his hand at Morgus, Larap mutters, “yeah, okay! Do what you need too. How much will you need?”

Already having deeply considered this, so he is prepared, Morgus quickly replies, “Five-hundred!”

Scribing a hasty five-hundred-coin usury note, wax sealing the note, he hands the finished parchment to Morgus with a slight hesitation. “Don’t disappoint me!”

…..

Taking a sip of wine as he and Hez sit in Morgus’ office, the mage asks, “so you’re sure that with the last burial ceremony yesterday, which you completed at the regional cemetery we should see the last wight is down permanently? There’ll be no more of these wretched beasts roaming about to bother us?”

Shrugging, Hez replies, “no! … there is no certainty of that! But these eight are done bothering folks.”

 With a single nod, Morgus responds, “that’s good enough for me!”

Winter 41 Unicorn 

Mounted on Rex, with Square running beside them, Morgus rides northwest with the estate guard, Elmar riding along beside him on one of the baron’s war-horses.

They’re headed northwest on Drescol Street, they’ve set out with enough supplies for ten days away from the estate.

…..

Stopping for the night at the Dorlets Inn next to the Hexagon, Mogus rents rooms for him and Elmar before they continue their journey tomorrow.

Winter 42 Unicorn

With a sudden burst of movement, a streak of Gargoyle-gray scales attacks Square, biting the hound twice before any of the travellers can move to react.

Then again, the beast’s two heads rip onto Square shaking the hound like a ragdoll.

Morgus reacts first to the lizard with its two-heads, by raising his hands, touching his thumbs together and fanning out his fingers pointed toward the ten-foot-long beast with its ten-foot tail.

He hastily utters, ‘fire.’

The brilliant fan of mere inches thick mixed streaks of amber-yellow flames screams out at the creature, enveloping part of its body in the intense heat of scorching star fire.

The beast doesn’t even react to the flames.

But Rex, Morgus’ riding horse, does. The horse rears up on his hind-legs, as Morgus struggles to retain his saddle seating. Then the horse turns and bolts back the way they had just come from.

Elmar is slower to react, but when he does, he draws his longsword while still on horseback and engages the creature. Slicing through the twisting moving beast’s exposed abdomen, dropping its entrails widely across the road.

Elmar’s warhorse though isn’t ready for this action, and it too bolts off. Running away as it follows Rex and Morgus.

Caught in a desperate battle with the lizard, Square gathers herself in a frantic attempt to attack the giant lizard as it flails about as the gargantuan reptile drops to the roadway.

Rapidly bleeding out its lifeblood onto the gravel of the roadway, from its abdominal wound, the lizard loses conscience.

Far down the road, Elmar manages to stop his timid warhorse, and the warrior starts to turn it about, while Rex is still wildly racing away uncontrolled as Morgus is madly trying to gain command.

Elmar turns his horse and returns toward the lizard as he is intent on slaying the beast, he glances westward as he observes Morgus continue to race away.

In a last mad frenzy, Square takes another bite from the lizard to ensure it has deceased.

As Elmar arrives back to join Square, Morgus finally manages to halt Rex’s mad dash and regain control of the panicked riding horse. Whispering out to no one as he gathers his breath. “No more flames from Rex’s back … right, Morg!”

Turning his distraught horse around, Morgus continues to calm the critter, and then they head back to help Elmar and Square with almost a half-a-kilometre to ride back.

A full six minutes after the lizard initiated its attack on Square, Morgus returns to find Elmar sitting on the ground with his back against the side of the deceased giant gargoyle-gray two-headed lizard.

Mopping with a few pitiful moans of pain, Square has her head in Elmar’s lap as she lays wounded next to him. The concerned Elfmal is stroking her golden-yellow back, which is now matted with blood.

Dismounting Rex, Morgus examines the yellow hound for the severity of her wounds.

Finding generally flesh wounds and determining she is travel worthy they are set to continue after drinks and a snack.

 Square feeds from the carcass of the lizard.

Several minutes later as they’re nearly three kilometres east of the Hexagon, the group is travelling again through this desolate area of unpopulated woods known as the Kalaster Woods along Lornst Avenue.

The woods start about a kilometre east of the Hexagon, as they’re on their way toward the Trade Hall.

This ends Morgus E018, part one, ‘Gargoyle-gray Two-headed Lizard,’ …

Written by, Kenneth Shumaker.

 

May the words stay with you!

 

©2018 by Kenneth Shumaker with Inevitable Unicorn Press

www.inupress.ca inupress@inupress.ca  

 To be continued in the next Morgus episode E018, part two, ‘Gargoyle-gray Two-headed Lizard,’ …