Pissin's Big Adventure

It had been a long hard ride but at last the two riders
halted their weary mounts just outside the high walls of
the ancient city called Monsk. It was an imposing sight,
uninviting and foreboding. The girl called Sinndyn wiped
the sweat away from her forehead and wondered if this
job was going to be worth all the trouble after all.

"They must be very paranoid to live behind such great
walls...with no sign of life without," offered the girl's
companion. Despite his drab, dark clothing, the man did
not seem to be sweating at all as the merciless sun beat
down upon the arid desert environment. The girl turned
and studied him for a moment.

"There are vast silver and copper mines nearby, this is
a very rich city. Naturally, where there is great wealth
there will be great enemies."

The man shrugged and adjusted the strange spectacles
that sat upon his nose. "I have lots of enemies but most
of the time I'm flat broke." Then he shoved a handful of
pecans into his mouth and chewed loudly. This action
seemed to annoy Sinndyn.

"I fail to see how a man can live on nothing save nuts
and wine...little wonder you are such a slender thing
then," the girl felt agitated...no doubt the heat had
pushed her to the limit of her tolerance for anyone. She
was tired of smelling her own sweat and Pissin's odor was
decidedly worse.

Pissin nearly smiled, "I'm big where it counts, you've
failed to speak all day...why so talkative suddenly? Is
it because you're beginning to smell that big bounty
we've been promised?"

"I'm beginning to smell a lot of things," the girl replied.
"But I suggest we seek entrance to the city and attempt
to find our man...and a place to wash ourselves."

"And more wine," Pissin added before urging his big
black stallion onward. His long sword banged against
his spurs as the two riders prodded their mounts to a
trot. The animals didn't seem to mind, they could smell
water and feed.

"Who goes there!" Shouted a man on the wall. "State
your business and be damned quick about it. Beware,
spies are tortured to death and the royal torturers have
the blackest hearts in all the world."

Sinndyn did not have an especially commanding voice
but she did her best. "My servant and I have come on
important business...we seek a Lord Arodes. We have
been summoned by his command. I am Sinndyn the
bounty hunter and this one is called Pissin." There was
a barely muffled chuckle when the girl mentioned the name
of her fellow rider.

Pissin remained quiet and expressionless beneath his
dark glasses. Sinndyn was disappointed because she'd
hoped the little barb about him being her servant would
have at the very least extracted a grimace from the
weird swordsman, not to mention the light made of his
nickname.

"Wait there," the guardsman shouted. "We'll have to
send a runner to question Lord Arodes. "This will most
likely take some time for our city is large and the Lord
could be most anywheres this time of day. I would
advise you to relax and enjoy the shade of our wall until
then. Besides, if you try to leave, we shall naturally
assume you are spies and pursue you." With his little
speech quite finished the man disappeared from view.

Sinndyn and Pissin dismounted and moved into the
shade. The boy dropped heavily onto the sandy ground
and was snoring loudly within minutes. Sinndyn shook
her head and found a semi-cool spot to rest her own
weary body. In many ways she was like any other
seventeen year old girl. She was pretty, with short
cropped, dark auburn hair and large dark eyes. Unlike
other girls she'd been a bounty hunter since the age of
thirteen. Her grandfather had raised and trained her.
The training had been hard and she'd hated the man but
now she had a way to feed herself and have plenty more
besides. It was a hard life but what woman's struggle
was not? Even a pampered princess lived in dread. A
change of the head beneath the crown was ever a very
real possiblity in these times. The preceeding royalty
was then executed in some horrible fashion, or at best,
sold as slaves. Sinndyn preferred working for her meals.

It was nearly two hours later when the guardsman's
bearded face appeared atop the wall. "You may enter,"
he shouted. The huge gate opened ponderously, just
enough for horse and rider to enter single file.

The girl passed through followed by the yawning Pissin.
Both ignored the curious stares of the guards and the
citizens they encountered just inside the walls. For her
part, although she pretended to remain aloof and stoic,
Sinndyn was near startled by the apparent wealth of
everyone she saw. Every man, woman, and child was
dressed in brightly colored, expensive fabrics and many
wore jewelry and large earrings or bracelets made of
silver and gold. The homes were large with thick walls
and roofs to turn away the hot sun. There were irrigation
trenches everywhere and Sinndyn caught glimpses of
lush, well tended gardens just beyond iron gates. In the
distance she saw towers and tall buildings painted white
and topped with golden spired minarets. Large palm
trees were plentiful and she saw sycamores and willows.
It was more than she had expected, much more. Why
was it she wondered, that cities in the farthest reaches
of the kingdom flourished while those closest to the royal
palaces of the emperor stagnated or declined?

She noticed a building somewhat larger than the others
with a vividly painted sign overhead. The sign featured
three owls, each with a tankard grasped within one
claw. Pissin noticed as well. "Sinndyn, over there," he
near shouted. "A place to rest...and perhaps drive away
this hellish thirst the desert has burned into my throat."

Sinndyn's first reaction was to remind him that he'd just
slept nearly three hours. However, her own lips were
quite parched and the animals could wait to be stabled.
"Very well, if you insist," she half grumbled as they
dismounted and bound their horses to the hitching post.

It was a fairly crowded establishment. Several soldiers
sat talking and downing wine between gnawing some
savory smelling meat. This was to be expected so near
the gate. Most of the bar's patrons were not soldiers
however. Nearly all turned to inspect the pair of new-
comers. It was easy to assume that not a lot of travelers
made it into these arid parts....unless they came with
a merchant caravan or collecting taxes. Sinndyn simply
shrugged off their curiosity and found a clean table
where she eased her slender bottom into a well made
wooden chair...not a crude bench like she was used to
in other cities. Pissin sat beside her and immediately
signalled the waitress who was already heading their
way. "I suppose you have coin?" Sinndyn inquired of
her companion.

"Actually no," Pissin replied. "Of course we'll both soon
be rich so I thought you might loosen the strings of that
fat purse your brought along...knowing I'll have more
than enough cash to repay you later. At least YOU said
I'd have plenty of cash later if I came along for the ride
to this strange land."

Sinndyn cursed under her breath. It was a good thing
her smelly "friend" had a reputation as the best sword
wielder in the kingdom. She hadn't counted on him
being clever enough to be a smart ass though. The girl
decided that she liked him better when he was silent or
munching on his pecans. Their conversations always
tended to be a bit strained. Then again, all her contact
with men tended to be a bit strained. Sinndyn often
wondered if she wasn't a born lesbian. However, it was
a fact that her attraction to women was rather mild. She
liked men...and hated them. Perhaps it was her hard
childhood and constant battle for survival that lay at the
heart of her distrust for all things male?

Likely it was the result of four days hard riding but the
food and wine at the Three Owls was excellent. The
two bounty hunters ate their fill and drank quite a bit
more than their fill. Sinndyn was normally not a heavy
drinker but she was tired and the wine seemed to send
fire through her tired limbs. Time passed and she had
to willingly force herself to stop smiling so much at the
idiot Pissin. Although he hadn't said a lot it seemed to
the girl that he made a rather splendid cups mate. Of
course he had drank twice as much as the girl. The
waitress had broken a sweat keeping his cup filled. He
winked at her with each fill up which had annoyed the
slender auburn haired bounty hunter at first. However,
it soon became a bit of a game and that was when
Sinndyn realized she was actually very drunk. It was past
time to go and find a bed somewhere. The waitress had
informed them that there were none at the Three Owls
but perhaps they'd have better luck just down the street
at the Barfing Moose. Sinndyn saw that as a good sign
because the barfing moose would likely soon describe
her.

Pissin left to visit the water closet. He had been gone
a very long time and Sinndyn realized that probably the
slim but broad shouldered swordsman had surely fallen
asleep in the john. It gave her pleasure to think that
he'd finally drank more than he could handle. She could
forgive him for that due to the fact that they'd both been
dead tired before the first cup had been raised. "The gent
over there wants to buy you a drink," Sinndyn heard the
waitress say...the voice seeming to come from deep
within a cloudy haze.

Sinndyn glanced across the room to a table where three
big brawny men sat drinking and laughing. The largest
of the three, a brute with a thick black beard and a long
scar above his left eye, raised his cup and leered at the
bounty hunter. Despite her state, Sinndyn quickly
looked away. A nasty bastard for sure. Pissin smelled
of horsesweat and stale wine but he was at least a very
good looking dude. She didn't need any time to decide
that she was well satisfied with her present drinking
partner...albeit where the fuck had he gone?

Suddenly the big bearded guy had helped himself to
the chair right beside Sinndyn. This was bad enough
but his two companions had swiftly taken the next
nearest chairs. "Fuck", the girl groaned under her breath.
Normally she could handle drunken assholes like these
with the minimum effort. However, she was so wasted
that just raising her head was becoming an effort. The
big bearded man put his arm around the girl's slender
shoulders and gave her a hairy squeeze.

"Hi sweetheart, my name's Luke. Those two are my
pals Zarny and Tiker. I haven't noticed you around her
before...looks like you could use some help getting back
home tonight." Zarny and Tiker grinned through mostly
toothless mouths and one of them farted loudly. The
girl scanned the room through bleery eyes and found
that all the soldiers had gone...save for one who had
passed out and lay with his head back against the wall.
Help was never around when you actually needed it.

Sinndyn tried to stand and just managed to do so when
Luke pulled her back down. "Leave me alone you big
hairy bastard," the girl grunted as her hand went to the
sword she wore by her side. She found to her chagrin
that Tiker's big mitt had beat her to the blade's hilt. He
jerked it from the sheath and waved it in the air, all the
while laughing like a demented fool. "What's a nice girl
like you doing with a nasty old toothpick like this?"
The overgrown asshole asked. Luke and Zarny jeered
him on while Luke's arm tightened its embrace very
substantially. "Leave me be or I'll kill you all!" Sinndyn
grunted as she struggled with the three brutes who
were all taking liberties by that time.

"There's an old empty shed out back," Zarny informed
his companions. "Let's pour a little more wine into her
and drag her back there. It'll be nice getting pussy we
don't have to pay for. She's a hot little bitch too."

"Good idea Zarny," Luke said. "Help me with the little
hole, she's stronger than she looks and I don't want to
get bit again. Tiker, go swap that sword for a couple of
bottles."

The two big thugs quickly lifted and carried the girl
out the back of the Three Owls. The waitress watched
the entire thing and merely shrugged. It was none of
her business as long they took their fun elsewhere. Her
husband was out anyhow, and she couldn't deal with
any conflict by herself with only her semi-retarted half
brother who passed as bartender for the night. Sinndyn
put up the best fight she could but she was just to
damned fucked up on strong wine. As the two big
brutes quickly transported her to the crumbling old
shed the girl kicked and spat to little avail. Being raped
was something she'd endured a few times before. The
thought that, when sober, she could have diced all three
of the filthy jerks into venison was the thing that fed her
rage. Luke crammed a filthy rag into the girl's mouth
to prevent any more noise than was necessary.

The shed was dark inside. However, Sinndyn could see
Luke shed his trousers while Tiker kept her pinned to
the dank earthen floor. Luke grinned proudly as a full
erection, all four inches of it, stood proud and ready for
action. "Now hold the little red haired hellion good and
I'll prize those sexy legs apart in no time at all."

"Make it fast," Tiker replied. "I'm next, at least you ain't
gonna hurt this pussy none with that little dick of yours."

"Shut the fuck up before I knock your fool head off!"
Luke growled as he yanked on Sinndyn's soft leather
leggings. "Just give me a second now..."

"Hey what's that?" Tiker asked.

"What's what?" Luke answered as he continued to work
the leggings off the girl's thrashing legs.

"Somebody's outside...might be soldiers."

Luke spat, "don't worry about them, I've got enough
golddust in my purse to pay those greedy fools off for
any offense save murdering the King and Queen."

Then, the door opened just a bit and some large round
object was tossed into the room. It hit the ground and
raised a cloud of dust as it rolled around. "Oh fuck!"
Tiker exclaimed. "Shit, its Zarny...or his head at least!"

Luke jumped to his feet and yanked his trousers up just
as a dark figure entered the shed. The razor keen edge
of a long sword pressed just barely against Luke's
throat. "Hmmm, appears somebody done went and cut
most of your manly part off," Pissin hissed. "The lady is
tired and the party's over. You got one second to get
the fuck out of here before they have to rename this
place the Three Severed Heads instead of The Three
Owls. Now you got half a second. The two big men
wore daggers but they opted to take their leave. Zarny's
sightless eyes glared accusingly as they rushed out
the delapidated door. Tiker stumbled and fell but clawed
back up on his feet. The dirty duo disappeared into
the freshly fallen darkness scant moments later.

Sinndyn sat up and fought back the idiotic urge to cry.
"Shit, I'm drunk as twelve thousand sailors," she groaned.

"Don't worry, old Pissin is here. Sure as fuck am glad
I ran into that pecan seller just now in The Three Owls'
pisser." Obviously well pleased with himself, the hooded
swordsman held up a rather large burlap bag. This will
hold us for awhile...a few days anyhow," Pissin beamed.
"I told him you would pay...had a helluva time findin' you
out here with your new friends."

"Oh fuck," Sinndyn grunted just before passing out.

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

"I want to express my profound appreciation Lord Arodes.
No doubt your influence went a long way towards clearing
up the unfortunate demise of one of your citizens last
night at The Three Owls." Sinndyn's voice was subdued
as she spoke to the white haired man who sat reclining
in a large comfortable chair. She continued, "the offense
was regrettable and a lapse in judgement. Certainly we
should have come to you at once instead of sampling the
wine at The Three Owls. I assure you that there will be
no further incidents in your great city."

Arodes looked bored but leaned forward slightly, "yes, well
that was not a very good way for you to introduce your
selves but I suppose violent people have a way of finding
trouble wherever they go. I didn't have to do much, there
was a witness...a waitress I believe, that admitted they
tried to rape you. Of course the fine you paid for public
drunkeness did much to soothe the captain of the guard.
Nevermind all that now, do you wish to hear my proposal?"

"Of course," Sinndyn replied. "We have traveled far for
precisely that purpose."

Arodes nodded and rubbed the stubble on his jaw. "I had
a nephew...a fool but still a nephew. He was killed a few
weeks ago by a rogue know only as Gissing. Gissing fled
the city but I have solid information that he is hiding in the
ruins of an old ruin called The City of the Death. I want him
returned to stand trial but if you bring me his head...that
will also suffice quite nicely. Only I must have proof for
I will pay well...twenty royal gold pieces for each of you."

"Shit," Pissin grunted. That was a fucking lot of money
to be sure. His thougts turned to huge barrels of rich
wine and a warehouse of tasty imported pecans. Maybe
even some new boots? He was becoming weary of
looking down to see his big toe protruding through that
ragged hole. Still, the boots could wait for awhile.

"There must be a reason why you pay so well, the task
seems simple enough if this Gissing is indeed where you
say he is. I needs ask why the local authorties didn't send
a few soldiers to bring this murderer back?" Sinndyn
found it difficult to conceal her pessimism despite the
promise of so much gold.

"There is an overwhelming dread of The City of Death. Of
course it's probably just superstitious nonsense but no
local bounty hunter would take the job and the garrison's
soldiers couldn't find their own cocks in the dark. There
is little more to it than that. I need your decision quickly
because I am a very busy man. Gissing is where I've told
you he would be. A former friend indicated that the rogue
had a fondness for losing himself in those ancient ruins
whenever his deeds caught up with him. It took several
hours of torture by one of the best to extract that little
bit of information. Whatever else this Gissing is, his friends
are certainly loyal."

"I suppose the informant is of course deceased...I would
have liked to question him myself," Sinndyn said.

"Yes the woman did not survive her interrogation I'm
afraid," Arodes replied, his face taking on a cruel aspect.

"Big surprise there," Pissin grunted to no one in particular.

"Your decision then?" Arodes was clearly growing weary
of the interview. He had risen from the chair and paced
impatiently.

"We'll take the job of course," Sinndyn interjected quickly.
"Directions to this so called City of Death and a description
of Mr Gessing would be appreciated."

"The ruins lie one day's hard ride due south. Ride in
a direct line towards the Great Peak of Gardmor and you
cannot lose your way. Gissing is a short fellow, quite
young, with blue eyes and a rather bad temper. Don't let
his slight build fool you though...he's quite the expert with
sword or knife. My nephew found out that much far to late
as have other victims of the rogue. My advice is take him
from the back or ambush if you can."

"Now, that will be all, I have other appointments," Lord
Arodes informed the two. A heavily armed man appeared
from seemingly nowhere and escorted the two bounty
hunters out the front gate of the large mansion. Arodes
was very wealthy...that much was obvious.

Sinndyn had very little money left after having paid the
heavy fine but what she did have was quickly spent on
some supplies. An hour after departing the Lord Arodes'
estate the pair of hunters left the city and took dead aim
for the vast Great Peak of Gardmor which beckoned them
in the distance. Sinndyn had vague, nagging misgivings
about the job, but thoughts of twenty pieces of royal gold
more than spurred her onward. With that much money
she could retire from the business for a year...maybe even
purchase a little house of her own.

For his part Pissin munched on pecans and remained very
silent. The girl somehow had the impression that he didn't
much care what happened as long as he could sip from
the healthy wine flask she'd bought and devour handfuls
of nuts. That wasn't entirely true of course because he'd
expressed excitement about the big payday as well. No
doubt he'd gamble it all away in one glorious night. That
was the way with men like Pissin, always living in the
moment because they were one slip from dying a violent
death.

She knew she could trust his sword though, having seen
it in action a time or two. If this Gissing was better with
the blade than both herself and Pissin...then he was
receiving help from the gods themselves reckoned the
pretty bounty hunter. And maybe there was another trump
she had working for her. It was only rumors of course but
many believed Pissin to be linked with dark magic. It was
whispered he couldn't be killed because he had the ability
to summons forces that ordinary men could only speak
of in hushed tones. It was just crazy talk by drunks most
likely but even Sinndyn had to wonder. For damned sure
she'd never known anyone half as fearless as Pissin...or
half the pain in her ass. Exactly why he annoyed her was
another mystery. Certainly she'd met men much more
obnoxious. It was his attitude, his don't give a fuck state
of mind that irritated the girl. Sinndyn liked order and
a reason behind things and actions. Everything about
Pissin was shrouded behind a weird dark mist and those
damned black glasses he never took off...even when he
went to sleep!

More absorbed in her thoughts than usual, the hard eyed
girl rode on with her darkly hooded partner in tow.

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

Despite the utter darkness, there being no moon, the near
naked girl named Brenoa raced through the night with
all the urgency her thin legs could muster. At the point
of near collapse, she paused and sat on a large rock for
a few moments. The burning in her strained lugs subsided
just a bit and the girl took a sip of the vile wine contained
in the little gord she carried...her only possession. The
watered down drink warmed her little and she wished that
there had been some way to steal some real clothing prior
to striking out for a chance, albeit scant, at freedom.

Brenoa had been a captive of the Irrunhu for only two
months but she couldn't have lasted much longer. They
had fed her nearly nothing and fucked her often every
day. Thankfully, the Irrunhu, a half man-half dog tribe,
had thin cocks like regular canines. Still, her older sister
Osinoe had already died. The girl, driven mad and near
starved, had simply given up and flug herself off a bluff.
It was a horrible scene. Brenoa knew that she would soon
die as well. Yet she preferred death whilst attempting
to escape as opposed to being beaten to death by Shud,
her Irrunhu captor.

Brenoa shuddered uncontrollably when her mind drifted
involuntarily back to the aftermath of her sister's death.
The Irrunhu had simply eaten most of the girl's corpse...
raw. In their view, fresh meat, especially human female,
needed no cooking. Mostly out of pure hate they'd offered
the starving Brenoa a large chunk of bloody meat. The
girl had been horrified of course but eventually she came to
realize that perhaps her sister's demise could perhaps be
the very instrument of her escape. So weak she could
barely walk, consuming the large hunk of meat would
give her the strength she needed to run. It took every drop
of willpower she had to keep the vile feast down, Brenoa
soon consumed every last shred of meat available...albeit
she had certainly cooked it first. It was awful but there
was no other way. Soon, with Osinoe's flesh providing
the energy she so desperately needed, Brenoa had quietly
slipped away from her captors in the dead of night, cloaked
by complete darkness. She knew that they'd take up her
scent by morning when she'd be missed. Still, a few
hours head start gave her a chance.

Brenoa did not tarry long by the big rock. If necessity
called for it, the Irrunhu could simply fall down on all
fours and race across the terrain very nearly as fast as
a full bloodied canine. Their backward turned legs made
this entirely possible though it gave them an ungainly
gait when walking erect. This knowledge spurred the
terrified girl onward. She walked for a long while amidst
the waters of a little stream, hoping that this would throw
her scent off the trail for awhile. She quickly splashed
cold water over her face and body. After a long drink
which revived her greatly, the terrified teenager trotted
away...doing her best to keep her pace steady if not
especially swift.

A new dawn bled tentatively across the land spreading
the gift of light to Brenoa. She was near complete and
total exhaustion at that point. The weary girl stared into
the thin light and found something there. There were
houses, buildings...a city! She gathered her last vestiges
of strength and raced towards civilization as she knew it.

As the girl drew nearer the landscape that she'd glimpsed
from a distance, it became painfully obvious that somehow
things were not as they should be. Where were the people,
the animals, and...?

A disheartening realization swept over the tired girl's brain
when it became apparent that the city was abandoned,
nothing more than a windswept old ruin...its only citizens
buried somewhere in a forgotten graveyard. This harsh
reality was immediately forgotte when Brenoa heard, or
thought she heard the distant howl of an angy canine.
The Irrunhu! They'd picked up her trail. Her heart
pounded insanely, and as much a product of blind reflex
as anything rational, the child fled down a long cobbled
street that probably hadn't known the tred of a human
foot in decades if not longer. She heard another howl, it
was closer now and there could be no mistake. Shud and
his pack were on the hunt.

Tears broke impulsively from the hungry girl's dirty face
and she staggered onwards, deeper into the deserted old
town. If only she could find a good place to hide, or some
weapon...anything at all to provide a glimmer of the most
valuable commodity of all. Hope. What had once been
an impressive estate loomed suddenly to her left, and for
no practical reason the girl swerved in that direction. In
her brain she knew that the Irrunhu could sniff her out
no matter where she went but her wildly beating little
heart urged her to try anyway. She ran past a fallen old
iron gate and into a strange construction of alien design.

Several minutes of frantic twisting and turning gave birth
to the hopeless conclusion that Brenoa had lost herself
in the depths of some weird, vast maze. Dusty old walls
greeted her at every turn but she half ran-half staggered
deeper into she knew not what? Another howl, this one
apparently just outside the city, gave the girl one last
frightened burst of adrenalin and she continued the totally
pointless flight yet farther. After nearly crashing headlong
into a blank wall she veered right and sprinted forward
only to trip and fall heavily to the cobblestone foundation
of the maze.

Brenoa's little hand swiped blood away from her nose and
the tears began flowing in earnest. She barely struggled
to her feet before noticing that she had not tripped over
a thing but rather a man...or actually a boy. The utter shock
of seeing someone froze the girl for a moment. The boy
was smooth faced, perhaps sixteen or seventeen. Most
of his head was covered by an odd skullcap with long
flaps that draped over most of his neck and face. His eyes
were a bright and rather shocking pale blue. He was only
inches taller than Brenoa but a long, very lethal looking
blade was sheathed by his side. In his thick belt was an
equally deadly dagger which the boy gripped after a truly
menacing fashion. His blouse, legging, and cape were all
dark blue, and a crimson colored amulet lay against his
breast.

"Who the hell are you?" The boy barked in decidedly less
than friendly tone. "I do not take lightly having my sleep
disturbed by children playing foolish games. Where is the
rest of your family?"

"I'm all alone, and I'm so sorry that I woke you. I was only
looking for some place to hide. You see, I just recently
managed to escape from those horrid animals the Irrunhu.
I'm afraid that they're on my trail even as we speak. Did
you hear their awful howls...or were you already asleep
when I tripped over you?"

"The Irrunhu huh? Your words ring with truth, their domain
used to lie far east of here but there were rumors that
they've moved closer in order to kidnap humans for food
and other horrible depravities. You have been through hell
poor child. Come with me and be quick!" The boy took
Brenoa's hand and tugged. She followed him without
hesitation. Whatever this boy was, he was without a
doubt better than those monsters that would kill and eat
her. In fact, they'd likely hack off some of her extremities
and eat them while she was still alive to watch. That was
the way of the demonic Irruhu and their chiefs like Shud.

"The Irrunhu can follow our scent no matter where we go,"
Brenoa gasped to her new found companion.

"Ha, I am prepared for that," the boy replied. He took a
vial from somewhere on his person and opened it. As he
pulled her along, he spread a dark powder behind them.

"When this makes contact with their doggie noses their
entire heads will fill with fire. That substance consists of
ground hot peppers. In fact, the hottest peppers known to
man. I carry it with me always because I prefer my meat
spicey. It also works wonders at throwing bloodhouds off
one's trail, not to mention dog men." Brenoa nodded and
offered a prayer to Otu that he was right.

The boy dragged her through the twists and turns of the
maze for what seemed like an eternity before they burst
upon an ancient courtyard. He spread a generous amount
of the dark powder around the area before removing some
brush. There was revealed an iron grating. "Help me!"
He commanded.

With much effort they moved the grating sufficently to allow
their slender bodies to slide beneath the rusted bars. To
her amazement there was a series of steps awaiting the
fleeing couple. Quickly the boy used a match to ignite a
large candle and the duo descended into the blackness
below.

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

The Irrunhu warrior known as Athat used his dirty paw
to wipe the tears from his eyes. He shook his head
violently and sneezed loudly. He was young and Shud
considered him the best tracker in the pack. The smell
of human female had filled his nostrils with blood hunger
and ambition until some hellish demon spirit had attacked
him with invisible but potent witchcraft. His head was
afire with a searing sting that no amount of tears, choking,
or spitting seemed to help a damned bit. Even worse,
Shud would be incredibly angry and might even use Athat's
flesh as the pack's evening meal. Curse Shud and his
insane fondness for human pussy. One day the entire
pack would meet disaster if their leader didn't soon get
his fill of the sweet smelling human female's sex. Athat
was smarter than that, he'd captured a coyote only a few
days earlier. He'd rather fuck coyote any day than a dirty
human. He wished he was fucking the coyote right now.

Through reddened eyes Athat spotted some rainwater
that had pooled in the remains of an old broken fountain.
The water had been there for a very long time, and it was
foul and brackish but Athat paid no heed. He splashed
his eyes and nose several times until the agony subsided
to a limited degree. Then thoughts feturned to the lie he'd
have to tell Shud when Athat sensed he wasn't quite alone.

Nearby a human leaned against a section of half fallen
wall. He was a weird looking creature to be sure with
huge black eyes protruding from beneath a black hood.
Athat could not understand why he hadn't caught the
human's scent but then he remembered the invisible
demonic force that had assaulted his normally razor keen
senses.

"Hello dogfart, have you seen another human anywhere
in these parts?" The human did not seem the least bit
intimidated by Athat's near seven feet of height or the
long fangs which he'd bared. Snarling, the dog man spat
back. "I am Irrunhu, we eat or fuck humans. If I'd already
known where one was I wouldn't have to feast on your
flesh...fool."

With no further fanfare Athat hurled his stone tipped spear
with all the strength he could muster. To his utter shock,
the human stepped aside with a display of decidedly un-
human like swiftness. The spear clattered noisily but
harmlessly against he crumbling stone wall, but no matter;
Athat had already launched a secondary assault with
the deadly stone axe he'd snatched from his rope belt,
the only item of clothing the Irrunhu warrior wore.

Growling like the animal he was, Athat stalked the human,
all the while swinging wildly with the axe. He almost had
the fool, but swung his weapon with so much force he
temporarily flung himself off balance. Athat barely caught
a glimpse of the flashing steel blade before it split him
from collarbone to doggie cods. He collapsed but Irrunhu
are tough to kill. "Fuck you filthy human scum...," the
dog man grunted as his innards spilled out.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Pissin asked.

Athat uttered a quick prayer to his god, Old Yellar, before
choking on his own bile, shuddering, and lying still.

Pissin shook his head, "he weren't nuthin' but a houd dog,
and a fucking unfriendly one at that." Then the swordsman
took his dick out and pissed on Athat's remains. Legend
had it that Old Yellar would turn away any dog man who
tried to enter the big dog pound in the sky with human
scent on him. Pissin wasn't all that superstitious but to
him it seemed the right thing to do anyhow. No reason to
not take a bit of a break and snack on some pecans he
reckoned. Let Sinndyn hunt for that outlaw on her own
for a little while. He was tired and needed some liquid
refreshment. Killing a man dog could do that to a guy.


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

Brenoa was thankful for the blanket, thin though it was.
She also greatly appreciated the stranger giving her his
extra shirt. It was nice to not be naked for a change. The
fire he'd started also felt good. The Irrunhu wouldn't stop
looking for her but she felt a hundred times better about
her chances now. She gnawed on a mouthful of dried
fruit and studied the face of her benefactor. He looked so
young, maybe younger than she was. What was he doing
way out here all by himself. And what was his....?

"My name is Brenoa," the girl said. "Would you mind if I
asked for yours. I owe you more than I can ever repay but
maybe someday, after I get home there may be a way for
me to thank you...somehow?"

The boy looked up and seemed to be interested in some
object high up on the cavern wall. To be sure, the candle
cast some interesting shadows there. "I am known by
the name of Gissing, Tin Gissing."

"That's a nice name, Tin," Brenoa said, wishing she had
some way to clean herself up. She blushed at her own
foolishness, she had been away from her own kind for far
to long.


Shud was in a foul mood, they'd lost the scent of the
human bitch and that didn't set well at all with the Irrunhu
chief. What in fuck had happened to that young fool
Athat anyhow? He was half a mind to rip the usually very
reliable scout to shreds with bare claws. Shud sat and
festered until he smelled someone. Soon, a shadowy
figure appeared.

"So Bog, how goes the hunting?"

The Irrunhu warrior grunted and growled, "this place is
cursed. Some foul powder has been spread throughout
the grounds. It makes our warriors breath fire and leaves
our senses less than useless. We found Athat however,
or what's left of him. He's been split in half...poor piece
of dogshit."

Shud snarled his disapproval and would have bitten Bog
had not the veteran known to keep his distance. "So, we
have enemies hereabouts. The human female could not
have killed Athat. I suggest you be more cautious until
we find that cursed bitch. I can't wait much longer to
taste her flesh, I trust she'll be even more tasty than that
stinking sister of hers."

Bog merely nodded and waited for more instructions. It
was best to remain silent when Shud was pissed off.

"You'd better tell me that you have brought Athat's body
back with you? His family will want it." Shud half spoke,
half spat the words.

"Yes," Bog replied. "The others will bring it in a few
moments. I will order them to take it back to the village
at once My Chief."

Shud shrugged his hairy shoulders, "no sense in giving
it all to them, hack off a leg for us. We got to eat too you
know."

"Of course Shud, consider it done..." Bog's voiced trailed
off strangely.

"Something on your mind?" Shud asked in more subdued
tones.

"I was wondering why true dogs don't eat their own
like we do, or at least not as eagerly as we do?" Bog
seemed to be genuinely curious as to what Shud would
say. After all, Shud was also their spiritual mentor, and
not just their warlord.

"That's a stupid question Bog, I'm surprised at you. We
eat our dead because we're hungry and because we're
half human...duh!"

Bog nodded. Thus satisfied with Shud's answer, he
turned and looped away.

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

Sinndyn leaned closer to the fire and shuddered. "Damn,
it sure gets cold around her at night."

Pissin nearly smiled, "that's how it works in the desert
lands. Do you really think we'll find that Gissing character
around here. This is a big fucking place, gonna take a
helluva lot of looking if you ask me."

Sinndyn grimaced at the sound of Pissin's plain spoken
logic. Sometimes she wished he wouldn't say a fucking
thing. "Nobody is gonna give up forty pieces of prime
royal gold for something that doesn't take a little bit of
doing. You are just a lazy, whining piece of shit used to
easy living in the city. You can't get rich, drinking like
a fish, whoring, and gambling all day and night. Gissing
is here alright, I can sense him. My instincts have never
been wrong before. You just need to show a tiny bit of
patience. Yeah, this is a huge fucking chunk of dirty old
ruins but the rabbit will pop out of his hole sooner or
later and that's when you better be ready if you expect to
collect your half of the reward. If I do all the work then
I may just leave you high and dry without squat, and I
might even steal your nuts as well."

"You know what Sinndyn old girl?"

"What?"

"Sometimes you can be a real bitch."

Sinndyn stifled the urge to giggle like a foolish girl. Maybe
at last she was getting to him like he'd been getting to
her. The bounty hunter mused as to whether marriage
was this fucked up. She decided it most likely was.

"Did you see anything out there today?" The girl asked.

"Not really, I killed a dog though," Pissin said.

Sinndyn pretended interest, for the sake of conversation
if nothing else.

"Maybe you should have brought the carcass back here
so we could have dried the meat in case we're here for
a long while and run out of food."

"That's the most fucked idea you've had yet...I think it
had rabies...wanna eat a rabid dog. If so, go and find your
own varmit." Pissin actually sounded a bit disgusted
which Sinndyn found quite refreshing for some insane
reason or other.

"I was only joking, you dumb shit," she said and
elicited a snicker. "Your humor is shit," Pissin half
growled, obviously not impressed. "Besides, maybe I
would eat wild dog to keep from starving, but right now
I'd prefer to snack on some hot pussy, and wash it down
with an ocean of wine...oh yeah baby!"

Somewhere, off in the distance a dog howled. It didn't
bother Pissin; he was already snoring, and loudly.