Episode Nineteen - What's in the Sack?

 High atop a rugged canyon, our protagonist Borkum, bloodied yet undeterred, stands defiant against a pack of dire wolves and their giant masters. With only three arrows left, Borkum and his companions, including the sharpshooter Edward and the wise Hawk Tuah, strategize under immense pressure. As the wolves ascend the steep slopes, Edward's precise archery and the mystical interventions from Hawk Tuah create a tense showdown. Their battle escalates with a spectacular display of bravery and tactical prowess, utilizing the canyon's formidable geography against the overwhelming odds. This gripping narrative weaves action with strategic combat and the power of unity against formidable foes, promising listeners an exhilarating auditory journey through the challenges and triumphs of a determined band of adventurers. 

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Transcript

Borkum Season #2

Episode 7

A dozen wolves were running up the canyon at full flight. They could see me, their quarry, their antagonist, standing high above them covered in blood and mocking them. 

The giants were lumbering after their wolves, trying to get to the canyon walls so they could start their ascend and seek their vengeance on me. I would not allow it. I would not die on this day. Maybe tomorrow. Most likely next week. But not this day. 

“I am going to kill them,” I yelled back at Hawk Tuah. 

“Are you mad? There are too many of them! We need to run!” she yelled back. 

“I just might be mad,” I said to no one but myself as I turned back to stare at my attackers trying to make their way up the steep canyon slope.

“Edward, how many arrows do you have left?” I asked my new best friend who lay on the ground trying to catch his breath. 

“Three Borkum. I only have three arrows.” He answered back as he filled his air sacs with precious life sustaining oxygen.

“I need you to make each arrow count my friend,” I asked of him, reaching my hand down to help him up.  “I only want you to put one arrow in each of the wolves that you can. One arrow and One arrow only Mr. Edward. Do you understand me?"

Edward shook his head in the affirmative. He did not understand the reason of my requests, but, he understood the order of my request. Which is what was important at this moment. 

Edward took his position at the canyon wall and took a deep breath and drew back an arrow. The wolves were now halfway up the canyon walls. What took us an hour to do was only taking them minutes. We only minutes to spare before they were upon us.

“Steady Edward.” I asked my young friend. “Steady.”

Lykxnzzl, Elaria, Hawk Tuah, Brindle and the hostages stood up to watch and looked down into the canyon. 

“You can do it,” Edward’s sister said with loving devotion and encouragement. 

“Like shooting fish in a barrel,” Edward replied out loud as he loosed his first black arrow.

The arrow struck the first wolf in the chest, sending the massive dire wolf tumbling end over end. Clouds of dust rising from the felled beast’s impact with the ground.

A cheer rose up from my friends. 

“Hawk Tuah, can Skyclaw help us out here?”  I asked of my druid.

Hawk Tuah nodded and whistled. The great red hawk settled onto her arm where she spoke words of encouragement to it and rubbed its red and brown plumage. Moments later it was airborne. It flew hundreds of feet into the air, circled, and then picked a target and dive bombed the wolf. The wolf had no expectation of an aerial attack. Skyclaw struck the dire wolf in the face and gouged at his eyes with its razor like claws, scratching them, causing the great wolf to begin howling in pain as it struggled to free itself from its airborne attacker.

Edward drew back his second arrow and took aim again. Everyone held their breaths. With a quiet release the arrow was let loose whizzing through the air. 

Moments later, the arrow struck a second wolf in the haunches, and he flipped over backwards as the arrow sunk deeply into his hip. Howls of pain erupted from the great beast. The wolf could no longer run; I watched as it turned and limped its way back towards the encampment to seek help. There would be no help for it this day.

“Great job Edward!” I yelled out loud and slapped him across the back. 

Everyone cheered again for Edward. 

Skyclaw climbed the morning air yet again and dived bombed another wolf catching it also in the eyes with its razor claws. The great wolf broke off from its attack and slung back from whence it came, minus an eye.   

That was now four wounded wolves out of twelve. The other eight were slowing down. The steep climb was starting to wear on them, as it did us. I could see them sucking air as their chests heaved to and fro.

“Does anyone have a spell they might use at this moment?” I asked my three friends who embraced the mystic arts. “Because now is sure a good time as any to use them.”

“Sorry Borkum, I got nothing. I used it all up in the encampment. I need a long rest before I can cast anything again.” Brindle apologetically admitted. 

“I have one that could work!” Hawk Tuah offered up. She edged closer to the canyon walls and held her arms up high. She said her druid words, called upon her gods both the old and the new, and repeated her incantation several times. Moments later, we saw vines erupt from the Earth and encircling three of the wolves, ensnaring them in a green living trap. The great beasts fought violently to free themselves but could do nothing. They were trapped in place along the canyon wall. 

“Great work Hawk Tuah!” I yelled. 

“Edward, next arrow now!” I yelled. The remaining wolves were almost at the canyon rim now.

Edward took his aim and sunk another black arow square in the chest of the lead wolf. It crumbled to the ground in a heap of dust. There were now four wolves left struggling to get to the rim. 

It was time for me to do my barbarian thing.

“I want everyone to stand back. But get ready, just in case. I am going to fight them myself.” I stood there on the canyon wall and hoisted my new giant maul into fighting position. I was exhausted, my body screamed out and I welcomed my new best friends; pain and hurt. Long would they be my constant companions as I would wander the Arcane Isles. I had exerted too much, too fast this day. My strength was waning fast.

“Borkum, get back here with us!” Elaria yelled at me.

“Everyone just stay back!” I yelled back.

Elaria ran up to me and laid her hands on me, and I could hear her say her mystic words of hope and wisdom. She called upon her God to help me. A moment later, I could feel a warmth flowing through my body. My arms were not so tired. My legs did not ache. The burns on my body felt much better.  
“Thank you, Elaria, thank you. Now I want you to get back. I need my space.” I winked at her. She was soft on the eyes.

I looked back to my friends and our new companions. Each held out their chosen weapon; be it mace, staff, daggers, or even tree branches. We were a motley assembly. My plan had to work.

I stared at the first wolf, he was close enough I could see his yellow eyes, set deep in his black skull. I could see the froth of rage coming from his mouth. I could see his lungs heaving. He was in a rage mode also. But he was now winded from the climb up the canyon like we were. But, unlike them we had a chance to rest and catch our breaths. The wolves did not. 

We held the high ground. If these wolves had any sense of battle strategy, they would have turned back. But they were just mindless beasts doing what they were told to do, looking for their next meal and their next bout of praise and a pat on the head. These beasts were not all that different than the average man.

When the lead wolf was thirty feet away, I hoisted the maul high overhead with both hands.

When the great wolf was twenty feet away, I sucked in the cool morning air filling my lungs to capacity till they screamed.

When the great wolf was ten feet away, I brought the maul down with all my strength. 

My timing was perfect. The maul struck the wolf clean on the head, crushing it in one fell swoop sending it crashing to the ground inches from my feet. The beast was dead before it hit the ground.

I barely had enough time to step back and get the maul into swinging position, when the second wolf jumped over its companions’ body. I swung the maul as if I was playing a child’s game, catching the wolf in the rib cage, and I knocked it back over the canyon wall into the remaining two pack members. I could hear the wolf yelping loudly as it sought comfort from having its rib cage shattered.  

There had been twelve dire wolves this morning; twelve giant beasts that knew no fear, and fed on whatever they chose. Twelve of these dire wolves gave chase on this morning’s hunt; now only two stood before me snarling, foaming at the mouths, their lungs heaving in pain and discomfort from the lack of air. 

“What say you?” I yelled at these beasts with my maul resting on my shoulder as if they could understand my words. I stepped closer to them, and they stepped back. I had no fear.

“What say you?” I roared again, holding the maul before me.  

I took another step, and the wolves stepped back yet again. They were not so powerful now. Without their pack to fight alongside, they were all alone. And now my party outnumbered them and were yelling at them, threatening them with their weapons behind me. If these two wolves fought me now, they would also fight my pack of wild animals. 

The two wolves began slinking backwards along the edge of the canyon.  
They put their tails between their legs to signal no more violence. They lost all interest in the fight. They wisely chose life.  

I looked down at the hill giants and ogres trying to climb the canyon walls. I could see them struggling. Climbing was not their strong suit. I held the maul high overhead and let out a war cry. Then I set it down. The giants stopped climbing and looked up at me.

“Edward, hand me that bag,” I commanded him.

He ran over to where I had thrown the sack that I carried, and he ran it back over to me. 

“What’s in the bag. 
What’s in the bag?” he kept asking, his curiosity rising. 

I reached in and grabbed hold of my prized trophy, the giant’s leader smashed head. I stood on the edge of the canyon and lifted the severed head as high as I could for all to see.

I could hear the gasp from my party as bits and pieces of giant brain and blood dripped onto me.

“Here me giants! Here me! I am Borkum the Battler; giant slayer; wolf crusher; chaos in the night! Return to where you come from and I will hunt you no more; keep coming, and I will crush your heads, I will feed your entrails to the wolves, I will listen to the laments of your women, and I will take pleasure with them. You will know no peace while I live. If you keep coming for me and my friends, you will only know death this day. This I promise you."

The Giants and ogres stopped in their track’s midway up the canyon wall. I could see their lungs heaving. For all their size and bulk, they were not good climbers. Their weight and their size was their weakness. 

The canyon had become my weapon of opportunity, and my castle wall this morning.

As I lifted the giants’ head high above me, I could hear them gasp and scream out loud. Several threw their weapons to the ground and fell to their knees in anguish. Not all the giants knew what had happened in the log house. They just knew something terrible had happened on this horrid night; now I made it perfectly clear with my gesture. I was the root cause of all there chaos this day.

I could see the giants talking amongst themselves. They could see their precious wolf pack before them dead or maimed. The canyon walls had become a fortress they could not climb. And if they could climb these walls a demonic barbarian stood at the top waiting for them to continue.

They in turn talk to the other giants and the ogres. I could see them nodding their heads and looking up at me, and pointing, without saying anything else, they turned around without any more emotion and began climbing back down the canyon wall to what was left of their ruined and smoldering encampment. The Hill Giants also chose life this violent morning. This battle was over. 

“Borkum!”

“Borkum!“

“Borkum!” 

I turned around to see my friends yelling my name. 

Hawk Tuah and Elaira both hugged me. 

Brindle Lightfoot looked up to me and said how proud of me he was. 

Lykxnzzl walked over and took my hand and shook it wildly, “Well done old boy, well done indeed!”

“We did it..” I replied as I collapsed backward.