Welcome to my weekly serial. This is a rough draft that I am working on, for your reading pleasure. It is a fairly grim tale, so be warned.

Here is the first post from this series.

Here is last week’s entry.

<>

Retaak felt the haft of the spear groan in his one hand as his fingers caught Ushochhushi by the collar. Suddenly the spear came loose in his grasp and Ushochhushi slipped away before Retaak could take hold of him. The ogre growled and righted himself. The seneschal made a dive toward his own weapons. Retaak reversed his grip on the spear and threw it, watching it brush past his nimble enemy who twisted and rolled, grabbing something from his bag on the ground.

The seneschal came up, rolling to his feet as Retaak bore down on him. The Ogre knew that Ushochhushi was fast and skilled, but in a contest of strength there could only be one victor. The seneschal threw three sharp projectiles, piercing Retaak in his chest and shoulder. They burned where they struck. Ushochhushi dove away, but Retaak anticipated his movements, snatching him out of the air and pulling him into a bearhug.

“Aaahhhh,” cried the Seneschal as Retaak crushed the breath from him and lifted him off the ground. Retaak grunted and squeezed, ignoring the his enemy’s squirming and kicking. He could feel the wounds where Ushochhushi’s throwing shards had pieced his skin and knew they were poisoned. He could already feel it weakening him.

“Too late, Retaak,” wheezed Ushochhushi.

Retaak growled in response, but he could feel his strength ebbing. Death was coming.

“Heh… heh… all that rage and muscle,” laughed Ushochhushi as Retaak staggered. His laughte trailed off abrubtly as he realized what Retaak was stumbling toward; the great pit at the base of the tower where the Dread Lord tossed the broken bodies of those he executed, where the corpses would eventually fall through the warrens and down to the maggot pits far below. “… What are you doing? Stop!”

With a mighty grunt Retaak heaved Ushochhushi into the pit…

<>