[Mkguild] A lion tries his courage at writing, part(3/3)

[Marijn van de Mosselaar]

Part 3. Ahh glorious combat. This scene is a flashback to Marto's first mis=
sion. I considered writing this in I-form and let Simon get a few comments =
in the telling. I felt that it would ruin the pacing =

of the sequence and this is the result.
 =

//What happened previously. Simon has managed to persuade Marto to tell abo=
ut his first "famous" mission. I take no credit for the poorly written song=
 cause that would mean admitting I wrote it.
 =

=93Hi-Ho and we strike the final blow. We are the fi-hi-nest soldiers known=
 to all.=94 Marto sang while swinging his sword in unison with the four oth=
er imaginary soldiers next to him. =93Hi-Ho you can never bring us low. Bef=
ore us all the e-he-vil will fall.=94 A variation on a marching song he and=
 his squad mates had made up to liven up the dreary marching exercises in t=
he rain.
He paused for a moment to check the map as he=92d arrived on the second che=
ckpoint. So far there had been no unusual stuff. No lutin tracks, no recent=
ly used or abandoned campsites or anything else. Boring as hells it was. =
=93Oh well. At least there is only five more checkpoints to go.=94
According to the map he now came to a stretch of forested land called the m=
ountain=92s bones. Rocky soil torn up by tough trees with roots crawling ar=
ound looking for cracks in the bedrock. Marto daydreamed away for a moment,=
 seeing a walking mountain fighting the elements wielding clubs shaped like=
 hourglasses. The mountain fought valiantly but succumbed to erosion and th=
e march of the tree-people who buried their roots in his feet. Now here was=
 another warrior walking amongst the mighty combatants.
=91Quit daydreaming soldier!=92 Sergeant Francis yelled in the back of the =
lionmorph=92s mind. Marto snapped out his daze just in time as he almost sl=
ipped on a loose stone.
=91Sheesh even when he=92s not around he=92ll kill my fun.=92 Marto thought=
 to himself.
 =

=91You can have fun when the job is done. Not before.=92 Francis countered.
 =

=93Get out of my head miniature maniac.=94 Marto said aloud to his embarras=
sment before realising that no one had heard him.
 =

=91If a soldier=92s mind snaps in the woods and no one is around to see it =
will anyone know it snapped?=92
 =

The path twisted up passed some trees leading to the next checkpoint. A sho=
rt climb later he turned around the last tree.
Marto looked almost as surprised as the lead lutin when he bumped into him.=
 For a brief moment both sides were at a loss what to do. Then the lead lut=
in shouted a command that Marto couldn=92t understand and all the lutins dr=
ew their weapons.
Either instinct or training kicked in and Marto pulled out his sword. The f=
orce and arc with which drew his weapon beheaded the nearest lutin.
=93Ha!=94 No time for celebration though. The rocky soil and stray roots ma=
de it hard to move around. Fortunately the lutins were having just as much =
trouble as Marto was. Still they were about to outflank him so he tried ano=
ther big swing. One lutin ducked away too late and his neck was nearly comp=
letely severed. The lutin next to him stumbled on a rock and got his leathe=
r armour cut and to Marto=92s horror the swing finished with his sword embe=
dding itself in a tree.
Getting it out proved to need more strength than the lion could muster in t=
he split second he had as the lutins approached with wide grins on their ug=
ly faces.
=91Back-up weapon.=92 Marto thought as he tried remember on which side of h=
is belt he=92d put his dagger.
He took another step back, cursing himself for not practising with the dagg=
er as he was told to do. Marto swung and stabbed at his enemies a few times=
 knowing that that was not the proper way to use a dagger. He needed more s=
pace for a good lunge but as he moved his right foot it slipped in a hole i=
n and got caught under a root. Marto fell flat on his back hitting his head=
 and dropping his dagger as he landed.
=91That hurt.=92
The lutins laughed and one, wielding a heavy looking club, moved to Marto=
=92s trapped limb.
Whack! The club hit hard on the lionmorphs thigh. The lutin raised it again=
 and when it came down Marto roared in pain as he felt the bone snap.
The lutin now moved over to Marto=92s head and grinned evilly as he raised =
his club. =

Marto had dug claws in the ground and found two loose rocks. Without thinki=
ng he slammed those rocks together on the skull of the club-wielding lutin,=
 the bone cracked with a satisfying sound.
On Marto=92s other side the lutin with split armour had picked up a bigger =
rock. With a look that said =91What you can do I can do better=92 he threw =
the rock. The lionmorph twisted away just enough to prevent his head from b=
eing smashed in. The rock hit him on the shoulder and then fell on the luti=
n=92s foot.
He=92d not heard a snapping sound but his shoulder looked weird and his lef=
t arm refused to move. Luck returned to Marto as he found the dagger he=92d=
 dropped as he clawed the ground when the rock hit him. With a swift turn o=
f his torso he swung the dagger with his remaining arm into the gap of the =
lutin=92s armour. The lutin quit hopping as he felt the blade slice into hi=
s gut. The creature screamed in rage. With a firm twist Marto drove the bla=
de deeper and the lutin suddenly fell silent. =

=91Yes!=92
But by twisting the dagger he had locked the blade in the creature=92s ribs=
 and due to his prone position Marto simply didn=92t have the leverage to p=
ull it out again. The lutin fell backwards clutching the blade as it died l=
eaving the lionmorph unarmed again.
The last lutin, who had been trying to pull Marto=92s sword out of the tree=
, suddenly noticed that all his comrades were dead or dying.
The lutin quickly glanced at the bodies, drew a crooked sword and gave a fe=
ral scream. Marto  saw the green creature approach. He was out of weapons, =
out of ideas and out of luck. He=92d have prayed to any god to save him but=
 all that came to mind was sergeant Francis=92 voice screaming =91Improvise=
! Improvise! Improvise!=92 over and over. Just then Marto=92s right hand fo=
und a loose rock and with a reflex motion he threw it with all his remainin=
g strength at the approaching lutin.
The rock hit the creature square in the head. Combined with the lutin=92s s=
peed it was enough to make his neck snap back. Marto couldn=92t believe it =
and from the incredulous stare the lutin gave him, he couldn=92t believe th=
at he=92d been killed by a crippled enemy armed with a rock.
Marto slumped down to the ground. He was still alive, broken leg, sore shou=
lder, a lump growing on the back of his head and surrounded by corpses. He =
knew he should be more concerned about all of this but all he could do was =
laugh.
 =

 =

//More to come as soon as I can get myself to stop procrastinating.
-----
Well that's about all I have written so far. I would like an honest opinion=
 before continuing so I wont keep using the same mistake as reference.
 =

Submitted for the approval of the MK society,
 =

a currently untitled story
 =

by: Leo M. Panther.
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