The Berserker and the Pedant Read Online Free
Author: Josh Powell
howled in rage and crushed the ant with his club. "Tiny ant no spray Throkk! Throkk squish tiny ant like bug!" he bellowed, wiping the fluid from his eyes.
Pellonia and Gurken could no longer be seen; the sack had been bound up the side and over their heads. Arthur, having the greatest height, looked on as a pair of ants crawled out of the tall grass and into the clearing, scrambling towards poor Throkk. They sprayed foul smelling mist into the air as they came. Throkk smashed one ant with his club as Gimnur crushed the other.
"Gurken, what are you doing?" Gimnur demanded, the change in tension in his voice betraying his growing concern. "It's just a few measly ants!"
Arthur finished lacing the sack closed, and the trio, unable to coordinate their movements, promptly fell over. A dozen more ants scurried into the clearing, spraying mist in the air. The ants scrambled over the sack and charged past, towards the remaining combatants. Gimnur and Throkk made fast work of them. "Is that the best they can do? Spray us with a bit o' disgusting mist? We can kill thousands of these little buggers without breaking a sweat! Bring it on!"
As if in answer to his taunt, a sink hole opened in the ground, ten feet from Gimnur and Throkk. Dozens of small ants, and one ant of considerable size, streamed out of the hole. The ant of considerable size's head was as big as Throkk and its mandibles made loud "toch toch toch" sounds as they opened and closed.
Pellonia, peering out a tiny hole in the seam of the sack, saw Throkk and Gimnur charge the giant ant before being obscured by it. She heard the sound of a battle cry, followed by the sound of battle screaming, battle crying, and finally, battle silence.
"This is NOT our fault," Pellonia said.
"Still, we should return their remains to be mended," said Arthur.
The sack was scooped into the air, and pinchers compressed around them, trapping their arms at their sides. The giant ant brought them to the hole and dove inside.
Episode Three
The Berserker and the Ant
Pellonia, who to all appearances was a twelve-year-old girl with chestnut pigtails, freckles, and impish little dimples woke up in the very uncomfortable and rather unfamiliar position of being pressed between Arthur and Gurken and sewn into a leather sleep sack.
"Well, THAT happened," she said in disbelief, peeping out a hole in the hem of the sack. The darkness extended beyond the confines of the sack and into the space beyond. She listened, but could not hear anything over the sound of Gurken's thundering dwarfen snores. She floundered around in the darkness of the sack until she found his beard and followed the clay-caked mat of hair up to his nose, and - the effort requiring both of her hands - pinched his nose shut. He snorted air in through his mouth and woke.
"Wha-? Where are we?" he said, smacking his parched lips. "Are there foes about?"
"We're wherever the giant ant carried us. Now shut it, you're louder than a sickly dragon. I'm trying to listen." She listened, there was nothing to be heard but the cacophony of silence. She cut the leather binding on the sack with her knife, pulled open a hole, and crawled out. She cut the rest of the leather cord, freeing Gurken and Arthur from the sack.
"What do we do now?" Pellonia asked.
Gurken stood up, stretching his legs. He was rather thrilled that the sack had worked as advertised. Though he had slept upon the earth, it had shielded him from small rocks and lumps prone to cause discomfort and disturb one's sleep, he had remained dry - though to be honest, there was little enough moisture about - and it had protected them from insects, like ants, that were prone to bite tender and exposed skin - just ask poor Throk and Gimnur.
"Seeing as we've just awoken, a coffee wouldn't be out of order," Gurken said.
"A coffee? We don't even know where we are! We can't even see!" Pellonia gestured in the dark to indicate that they could not see.
"Well, hold on, it's a
Pellonia and Gurken could no longer be seen; the sack had been bound up the side and over their heads. Arthur, having the greatest height, looked on as a pair of ants crawled out of the tall grass and into the clearing, scrambling towards poor Throkk. They sprayed foul smelling mist into the air as they came. Throkk smashed one ant with his club as Gimnur crushed the other.
"Gurken, what are you doing?" Gimnur demanded, the change in tension in his voice betraying his growing concern. "It's just a few measly ants!"
Arthur finished lacing the sack closed, and the trio, unable to coordinate their movements, promptly fell over. A dozen more ants scurried into the clearing, spraying mist in the air. The ants scrambled over the sack and charged past, towards the remaining combatants. Gimnur and Throkk made fast work of them. "Is that the best they can do? Spray us with a bit o' disgusting mist? We can kill thousands of these little buggers without breaking a sweat! Bring it on!"
As if in answer to his taunt, a sink hole opened in the ground, ten feet from Gimnur and Throkk. Dozens of small ants, and one ant of considerable size, streamed out of the hole. The ant of considerable size's head was as big as Throkk and its mandibles made loud "toch toch toch" sounds as they opened and closed.
Pellonia, peering out a tiny hole in the seam of the sack, saw Throkk and Gimnur charge the giant ant before being obscured by it. She heard the sound of a battle cry, followed by the sound of battle screaming, battle crying, and finally, battle silence.
"This is NOT our fault," Pellonia said.
"Still, we should return their remains to be mended," said Arthur.
The sack was scooped into the air, and pinchers compressed around them, trapping their arms at their sides. The giant ant brought them to the hole and dove inside.
Episode Three
The Berserker and the Ant
Pellonia, who to all appearances was a twelve-year-old girl with chestnut pigtails, freckles, and impish little dimples woke up in the very uncomfortable and rather unfamiliar position of being pressed between Arthur and Gurken and sewn into a leather sleep sack.
"Well, THAT happened," she said in disbelief, peeping out a hole in the hem of the sack. The darkness extended beyond the confines of the sack and into the space beyond. She listened, but could not hear anything over the sound of Gurken's thundering dwarfen snores. She floundered around in the darkness of the sack until she found his beard and followed the clay-caked mat of hair up to his nose, and - the effort requiring both of her hands - pinched his nose shut. He snorted air in through his mouth and woke.
"Wha-? Where are we?" he said, smacking his parched lips. "Are there foes about?"
"We're wherever the giant ant carried us. Now shut it, you're louder than a sickly dragon. I'm trying to listen." She listened, there was nothing to be heard but the cacophony of silence. She cut the leather binding on the sack with her knife, pulled open a hole, and crawled out. She cut the rest of the leather cord, freeing Gurken and Arthur from the sack.
"What do we do now?" Pellonia asked.
Gurken stood up, stretching his legs. He was rather thrilled that the sack had worked as advertised. Though he had slept upon the earth, it had shielded him from small rocks and lumps prone to cause discomfort and disturb one's sleep, he had remained dry - though to be honest, there was little enough moisture about - and it had protected them from insects, like ants, that were prone to bite tender and exposed skin - just ask poor Throk and Gimnur.
"Seeing as we've just awoken, a coffee wouldn't be out of order," Gurken said.
"A coffee? We don't even know where we are! We can't even see!" Pellonia gestured in the dark to indicate that they could not see.
"Well, hold on, it's a
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