Pissin's Big Adventure

The temperature kept dropping throughout the night. It was
becoming very cold. Sinndyn realized she was freezing.
Pissin was snoring loudly. Their fire had gone out and there
was no more firewood close by. Every nearby twig they'd
already gathered the previous evening and now all of it was
gone. With chattering teeth, Sinndyn made a grudging and
painful decision. She moved closer to Pissin. As the night
passed, the girl found herself lying virtually on top the still
snoring swordsman. With any luck he'd never know. Off in
the distance a howl broke the silence. "Did you hear that?"
Pissin asked, suddenly very awake.

"It was only a coyote or wolf, or maybe a wild dog. Go back
to sleep," Sinndyn urged...more than a little embarrassed.

"Got cold huh?" Pissin commented. "I was getting a little
chilly myself." He pulled his blanket more tightly about the
two of them and eased his arm around the girl. Sinndyn
wanted to protest but didn't. The alternative was to freeze
her ass off. "Don't get any ideas Pissin," she hissed.

"Shut up and go back to sleep...I'm to tired to fool around
tonight," the boy replied casually. The darkness hid the
daggers that Sinndyn shot him with her flashing eyes. Still,
she didn't protest when he put his hairy cheek against her
neck. Minutes later he was snoring again...albeit not nearly
so loudly.

Sinndyn didn't go back to sleep nearly as quickly as her
companion. She found herself wondering if this was the
the way married couples slept. It was something she could
get used to...except for the smell of course. She raised her
blouse ever so slightly so that the swordsman's rough hand
rested against the naked flesh of her stomach. It felt warm
and good. It was all childish and foolish she knew, but
despite many misgivings, she placed her own hand over his
and then fell fast asleep.

Brenoa did not sleep well. Several times she awakened to
glance at the boy named Gissing. He slept in a sitting
position with his hand on the hilt of his sword. In truth, the
girl was not certain whether he was asleep or not. His
mere presence made her feel better and she would go back
to sleep only to dream of Osinoe or Shud. Osinoe would
seem to stare at her with accusing eyes. This always made
Brenoa wake, her body wracked with shivering. It wasn't
only the cold that made her shiver. Gissing sat as before,
but Brenoa caught a glimpse of someone else there, a
strange hooded figure stood just beyond their little fire. She
couldn't make out his face for some strange reason. The
girl wondered if she might still be dreaming. However,
when she pinched herself it seemed real enough. "Gissing,
" she called out quietly.

"What is it?" The boy answered.

"There's someone here," the girl gasped. "Just over there
beyond the fire."

"There's no one, but I will take a look around just the same,
now go back to sleep...everything is alright."

Brenoa watched as the boy arose. As he slipped into the
shadows the girl wished he'd return soon. This he did, just
a few minutes later. "There's nothing...just a nightmare,"
the boy said. Brenoa close her eyes and tried to drift back
asleep but her thoughts were tortured by the vision of the
dark hooded figure with the blurred facial features. She
knew that she had seen...something? However, what in
the name of Otu it had been was far beyond her.

Soul was already gone, he'd found what he sought and now
it was time to watch over Pissin's camp.

Dawn had just spread its first purple light when Sinndyn
threw back her blanket and yelled, "stop that!"

Pissin sat up and looked around..."stop what?"

"You were rubbing your hardon against my ass!"

"Oh sorry, I didn't..."

"Oh sure you didn't..." the infuriated girl accused.

Pissin just yawned loudly and pointed to the huge bulge in
the crotch of his pants. "That just means I need to pee
really bad. It swells up like that when I'm asleep so that I
don't wet myself."

Sinndyn was still fuming. "That doesn't explain why you
were rubbing it against my ass."

Pissin shrugged and adjusted his glasses, which he'd failed
to take off during the night. "Hey, its not my fault your but
is so sexy and round and soft. I'm only human after all...and
its been a long dry ride, if you know what I mean. Guys do
get horny after awhile you know?"

"Well don't get any ideas, I only slept with you to keep from
freezing to death...I've never spent such a cold night out
in the weather before."

"I've got good news, and I've got bad news."

"What do you mean?" Sinndyn asked, puzzled by the odd
statement.

"I know where Gissing is, but I ain't going nowhere until we
get a fire going and I've had something to drink and eat."

Sinndyn put her fists on her shapely hips and stared at the
swordsman. "So I guess you found him in your sleep then?"

"Yep, that I did, and they're not that far away. By the way,
did you ever hear of the Irrunhu?"

"Of course I've heard of the Irrunhu, what have they got to
do with anything, and what the hell do you mean when you
say THEY'RE not far away?"

Pissin stretched and drew his sword before continuing, "it
looks like Gissing has picked up a girlfriend and the Irrunhu
are going to be on our asses in about ten seconds."

Suddenly several piercing howls cut the quite of the new
dawn. "Shit!" Sinndyn exclaimed and drew her own sword.
Seven or eight Irrunhu warriors came cursing and howling
and frothing for vengeance. They thought it was time for
an easy kill but the first Irrunhu barely had time to raise his
stone ax before Pissin sent his head skipping across the
cobbled stones near the campsite. The other dogmen took
little heed and hacked furiously at the two bounty hunters.

Sinndyn and Pissin darted and dodged skillfully. Their
counter attacks were equally effective. Sinndyn cut a very
deep slash across the leg of one Irrunhu while Pissin
severed an ax wielding arm. One suicidal dog man rushed
at pissin only to be impaled by the boy's sword. Still, the
force of the charge knocked Pissin off his feet. He
struggled to free his sword as another foe jabbed at him
with a wicked looking spear. "Go!" Pissin shouted, and
his dagger flew as if it had a mind of its own and lodged
deep in the throat of the spear carrier. The creature fell
back, choking on its on blood and bile even as Sinndyn
felled another of its companions. Suddenly the remaining
Irrunhu vanished, it was over.

"Whew," Pissin muttered. "That was almost to close."
He went to retrieve and clean his dagger. "Let's get the
fuck out of here before they come back with the entire
pack."

Sinndyn wiped sweat from her brow, "sounds like a helluva
good idea to me...by the gods, those things smell worse
than you do Pissin."

"Thanks, now move that pretty ass."

Sinndyn grimaced, "you need to get your mind off my ass."

"Fine," Pissin replied. "Maybe you should stop staring at
my crotch?"

"Fuck you."

"I'm willing."

Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*Y*

"You were right you know," Gissing said flatly. "Someone,
or perhaps something was here last night."

"I know, I saw him," Brenoa replied. "He was strange, very
strange...not quite human I believe."

"Yes, my amulet has warned me that we are being sought,
or rather I am being sought. One of those who seek me has
great magical powers. I think these old ruins have grown
far to crowded for two fugitives such as ourselves. Come,
and we shall move."

"But where can we go, the Irrunhu are still out there. Shud,
their chieftain does not give up easily. It is a matter of
pride with him. He dares not lose face lest some other,
equally ambitious Irrunhu take his place as head of the
pack."

The boy called Gissing did not seem upset in the least. His
blue eyes flashed and he fingered the amulet about his
neck. Brenoa observed that the object seemed to glow
faintly. "There is a tunnel near here, I cannot say precisely
where it leads for I have never followed it for its entire
length. Suffice to say, it goes far. With any luck it will take
us entirely beyond the City of the Dead...or at least to its
farthest outskirts. Do you feel well enough to travel."

"Yes, of course," Brenoa answered. Gissing offered her his
hand and the two slight figures hurried away. It seemed
odd to Brenoa but she trusted the boy completely. It never
even occurred to her to ask why he was being pursued. It
was enough that she had him to lean upon. After Osinoe
had died Brenoa had no one but herself. It was not a good
feeling. She was much better off with Gissing, stranger or
no.

Shud sat and stared at the hideous old Irrunhu witch. The
witch cringed inside her filthy feathered cloak. Her thin
flesh was stretched over her face like weathered leather.
Her rhumy, yellowish eyes glared back at Shud malevolent
and amused at the same time. The witch's ghastly hut
was filled with piles of bones. Shud had no idea what or
who the grisly throphies had once belonged to and he did
not care.

"I seek knowledge of the humans who have come into our
lands. Why have they come and who are they?"

The witch merely shrugged and cackled insanely. "This is
no great thing you ask of me," she finally said. "I will see
what the bones have to say about this matter." The witch
began to chant. This lasted some time until Shud began to
lose his patience. He was about to storm out and order the
witch burned inside her pathetic hut when the old Irrunhu
female tossed a handful of tiny bones onto a mat at her
feet. She sat and read the signs for several minutes whilst
her bony fingers scratched at the dried skin of her snout.

At last the witch spoke. "This was unexpected and very
interesting. There is magic about in the old ruins...strong
magic. I do not understand how our people figure into all
this but there is considerable signs of danger in the bones.
Truly, many have already died it appears...and more will
surely follow."

"I need something to help me battle this magic," Shud
grunted. "Hear me witch, give Shud a means to get close
to these humans and kill them!"

"I will do what I can, but more will die...though even I
cannot see through the mists and fortell the future. I can
only read the signs." Then the witch rummaged about
inside her featherd cloak until she found a tiny wooden box.
This she passed to Shud. He opened the box to find a large
number of tiny seed-like objects.

"Mere seeds?" Shud protested. "Bewares witch, I am in
no mood for planting crops...I wish to kill!"

The witch merely nodded and gave the fearsome Irrunhu
chieftain a toothless grin. "Swallow one of these seeds and
you will be enveloped in a cloke of invisibility for two
hours. This will allow you to creep near those you would
do away with. Only promise to bring me their bones so I
can study them and learn of the magic they once carried."

"This is good witch, you shall have the bones." Shud rose
to take his leave but the witch continued speaking. "There
is another thing...take this mighty Shud."

Shud took the strange smooth object from the female. "But
what is this strange light stone?" He asked.

The witch giggled, "it is called soap, you must bath mighty
Shud...or the seeds will not work."

Shud's eyes grew fierce and narrow. "What nonsense is
this you speak off now?"

The old female Irrunhu shrugged and grinned. "Of what use
is invisibility if your enemy can smell you a league away?"

She continued, "personally I find the stench of a grown
Irrunhu male quite...appealing. However, I doubt the effect
is the same where humans are concerned. Just a hint of
warning mighty Shud."

"I see," Shud said. Then he stomped away with his two
gifts, debating with himself about whether he might still
burn the witch alive...and whether the human girl was worth
the trouble of a dreadsome bath. However, he could not
deny a curiosity about this magic the witch claimed the
humans possessed. Perhaps he should be patient and
merely observe them for some time. In this way he might
discover the source of their magic and claim it for his own
after he killed them. Shud's thoughts never strayed far
from his own ambitions.

****please check out my other Pissin novel in the
dark fantasy section, thanks for reading!****