Shifting Planes- The Complete Box Set Page 4

  “Come on, human, you’s can leave your weapons in the room, no one will steal in the boss’s place. House rules, no shirt, no shoes, no weapons for fighters. Hurry up, boss don’t like waiting,” the shark man repeated.

  “What do I call you?” Heishi asked he stripped down to the prescribed uniform for the fight.

  “I’s be the one who’ll eat you if you’s don’t fight good for the boss,” the shark man stated.

  “Fair enough. Lead on, Hungry,” Heishi quipped.

  As the pair descended the stairs into the bar, Heishi noted the tables had all been moved to the edges of the room, and a ring of drunk patrons were watching two combatants slug it out in the middle. Beer was flowing, the smoke was thick, and the crowd particularly raucous as one clearly won the battle.

  “You’s up, funny guy. Fight good or the boss says I kin eat you,” the shark man said as he shoved Heishi into the circle of customers.

  Great, I was hoping to see a fight first. I didn’t even see how the last guy won.

  The blood stains on the floor spoke for themselves as to how brutal the fights could be.

  I’ll just have to win fast.

  “Eeeehhhhh, shaddap now you people!” the same bartender from that morning shouted above the crowd. “Eeeehhhh, we have a new fighter tonight, just came into Terminus this morning. What? Yeah, yup yup. He’s gonna fight or The Illustrious will have his head on the wall to pay for the room and meal. Who’s up to challenge the human?”

  “He’s too puny for a real fight, let Orra have him!” came a shout from the crowd.

  “Eeeehhhhh, yup yup, let Orra fight! Eh? What’s that? Yeah, Orra,” cackled the bartender.

  Heishi stepped into the center of the circle of onlookers, wondering who Orra was and what the joke was. His question was soon answered as another fighter stepped into the ring. This one was female, and as such was allowed a top for her fighting “uniform.” She stood around six feet tall and was of the same race of shark people that Hungry was. She was well built, although not compared to Hungry, and she had a snarl on her lips as she stepped into the ring. Scars covered her face and body and she appeared to be no stranger to the ring, although it was probable that she was not exactly a champion based on the number of scars.

  “You’s ready to die, human?” Orra asked as she flashed a mouth full of teeth.

  The bartender stepped between the two: “Eeeehhh, you know the rules, Orra: this ain’t a fight to the death. You know the Illustrious doesn’t like wasting fighters!”

  “What exactly are the rules?” Heishi asked, never taking his eyes off his opponent.

  “Eeehhh, no weapons, no killing, first fighter knocked out or can’t continue loses. Eeehh? Whassat? Oh yeah, and losers don’t get paid.”

  As he finished speaking, the bartender looked around the room a few times as if searching for something or someone. He then let out a yelp and scurried out of the ring, muttering under his breath to himself the whole way.

  As soon as he moved from between the combatants, Orra leaped into action, taking a swing at Heishi’s head. Having watched her from the second she stepped into the ring, he was not caught off guard, and easily ducked the blow. He dropped to his right knee, shifted his weight from the hip, and delivered a punch directly to Orra’s knee.

  Howling in pain, Orra took a single step back, then moved forward again, putting the bulk of her body behind a kick aimed for Heishi’s chest. He shifted to the left, allowing the kick to slide past his right shoulder, and turned into a left upper cut that caught Orra in the gut.

  That’s like punching a solid wall! I need to be more careful or I’m going to hurt myself…

  As she fell back and rolled to the side from the punch, she dragged her leg across Heishi’s shoulder and right side of his face. It was then he realized his mistake: the skin of her leg had been smooth as it slid past but pulling back the other direction it was rough and tore some of the skin from the side of his face and neck. As the blood flowed, the crowd whooped in excitement, causing Orra to spin back on him to evaluate the damage. At the sight of fresh blood, her eyes rolled back in her head a bit, and a line of spittle slid from the side of her mouth.

  Great, the shark smelled blood in the water. This is gonna hurt…

  She came on with reckless abandon, attempting to finish the job. But Heishi was no novice to battle, and as she ran toward him, he shifted back to the right and slid around her back, grabbing her small dorsal fin and pulling her off her feet. As her body slammed to the floor of the bar, he stepped out into a wide horse stance and punched her squarely in the side of her head with all the power he had left in him. A resounding crack sounded across the bar that could be heard in the street, and her head slumped to the side, unmoving.

  All sound in the bar came to a sudden halt, and Heishi stood up and stepped off to the side. As everyone looked on, two dirty vagrant-looking men ran into the ring to drag the unconscious fighter out. As the first grabbed an arm, he stopped and looked at her chest, which was not moving. He signaled to the little bartender, waved them to remove her from the ring. As the crowd watched, a man in a hooded cloak slid from a table in the corner to Orra’s side as they dragged her out. He turned his back to the crowd, and Heishi could see his arms moving as he inspected her. He turned toward the bartender and said something quietly, then moved back to his table.

  “Eeehhh, this is what happens when you break the rules! Orra tried to kill this new human, and now she’s dead. Eeeehhh, next fight!”

  As cheers broke out across the bar, Hungry approached Heishi and signaled him out of the ring. “Hey, you’s need to see the healer and get dressed. Now. Boss wants to sees you, and the Boss don’t like waiting.”

  Heishi felt the wound on his face and neck, wiped it with his hand, and replied, “I do not need a healer, it is just a scratch. Have some water and a towel sent to my room and I will clean up there as I get dressed.”

  “OK human. Don’t be late. The Boss don’t like waiting.”

  “Yeah, you mentioned that. I will be right down.”

  ◆◆◆

  Heishi returned a short time later to the bar amidst another fight, this time between a tough looking dwarf and an elf. This place is out of control, I need to get home. Hungry was waiting for him and did not appear to be doing so patiently. He was escorted to a wall on the left side of the bar and a door slid open as they approached. They stepped through the wall and into an opulent office that was very much out of place from everything else he had witnessed thus far in Terminus.

  Standing in front of a huge desk in the back of the office was the largest shark-man Heishi had seen yet. Towering over him at around eight feet tall, the shark-man was the most imposing figure he had seen in his life. He was dressed in full plate armor colored blood red, and a helmet sat on the desk beside him. His face resembled a great white shark, and his eyes were those of a predator sizing up his next meal. He held a wicked looking sword with a silver blade and a red edge in his right hand, resting easily with the tip on the floor in front of him. The sword was at least four feet long itself, which was impressive enough, except in his left hand he also had a shield that had to be at least four to five feet in diameter as well. The shield was black in color and had gold shark teeth the size of Heishi’s fist facing out around the edge. In the center of the shield was a raised relief of a shark surrounded by clouds and with two rubies as eyes. There were battle scars on the shield, showing that he was no novice to battle.

  A shark god of some type maybe? This has got to be the Illustrious one the bartender keeps mentioning. I better behave if I want to live through this meeting.

  “Kneel before the boss, human!” Hungry spat at him.

  Heishi realized he was gawking at this monster before him and was the only one in the room not bowing to the beast. Realizing his mistake, he promptly knelt to the floor, placed his sword out to his side, and bowed with his forehead to the floor. Appeased, the Boss nodded, and Hungry yanked Heishi back to
his feet.

  “Who are you, human? Why are you here with no money? Your clothes are nothing to look at, but that sword says you aren’t a peasant and you fight well. Why are you in my bar?” the Illustrious asked?

  Heishi bowed from his waist and stood up straight again before replying, “Sir, may I ask how to properly address you? I can tell that you are a man whose reputation precedes him wherever he goes, but I am not from anywhere near here and must admit I am at a loss.”

  The Boss stared intently for several intense seconds before grinning, showing off a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. “I am called by a lot of names. The Illustrious is my favorite, but only that worm at the bar calls me that. My men call me Boss. If you come to work for me, that is what you will call me. For now, as you have shown to be a man worth dealing with, you can call me Jim.”

  Heishi did well to not show his surprise at the simple name given. “Well, Jim, to be truthful, I was with some companions when we were caught up in a storm of red lightning. We were lifted into the air, then hurtled toward the ground again. I blacked out before hitting the ground, but when I awoke, I was on the other side of this mountain, but where I started there are no mountains. The guard at the gate mentioned ‘planes of existence,’ but I don’t know what he is referring to. I am forever in your debt for allowing me food and shelter before I worked to earn it, and if you could assist me further in discovering what brought me here to your ‘plane of existence’ I would do whatever work necessary to pay for that help.”

  What’s the worst he can do for telling the truth? Kill me and eat me? Well, yeah, I guess he could do that…

  Jim paused and stared at him for a full minute before continuing. “I have heard of these different ‘planes,’ but I have never met anyone from one. Interesting. I made up my mind about you, human. I will give you everything you need to complete a task for me, and if you can do it, you will have all the gold you need to get your answers.”

  He looked at Hungry next. “You, go get this human some companions to go with him to get my Orb.”

  Hungry bowed again, and quietly left the room, leaving Heishi alone with Jim.

  This guy clearly isn’t afraid of me or anyone else.

  “Sir, what is this Orb you need me to acquire for you?” Heishi asked.

  “My men will give you a map. Follow it to the caves in the mountain, and there you will find a tribe of orcs who have stolen from me. Their chieftain holds an Orb of great power that I want back. If you can retrieve it for me, I will pay you and tell you where you can find your answers. If you cannot, then I will assume you are dead like the rest and find someone else to get it. This is your one chance, human. If you run, I will find you and use your bones to pick your flesh from my teeth.”

  Chapter 5 – The Companions

  As Heishi reentered the bar, Hungry waived him to the back table where the man in the cloak had been sitting. There were now others at the table, although through the smoke-filled bar, he could not make them out. He headed around the edge of the crowd, who were cheering for the next fight in progress, and came to stand before the table. As he approached, Hungry snarled at him and walked away, back to whatever duties he was being kept from.

  Taking a seat, Heishi recognized Shenroc across the table grinning at him. To his left was the oversized dwarf he had seen on the street, and to his right sat the cloaked figure.

  “Heishi, good to see you. It appears you are a fighter after all. Orra was not given the credit she was due as a fighter because she was a female, but for a human to kill her with a punch has started rumors across town. I heard the rumors and came to see how you fared; apparently better than Orra, and with nothing but a scratch to show for it. Impressive.” Shenroc was smiling as he spoke, and the dwarf was as well. The cloaked man remained in shadows.

  “May I introduce my associate Yutri, of the clan Wetree,” Shenroc continued, gesturing toward the dwarf.

  “You-tree?” Heishi asked.

  “No, I’m a dwarf, not a tree, human,” the over-sized dwarf responded. “My name is Yutri, of the clan Wetree.”

  “Forgive my ignorance, good dwarf,” Heishi responded. “I have never met a dwarf before today, and then to meet one of your, uh, stature, put me off a bit. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Stature?” asked Yutri.

  “He means he expected you to be smaller, you oaf,” answered Shenroc, whose smile turned into a full belly laugh. “I am sorry, Heishi, Yutri is not the sharpest blade in the armory, but he is a great warrior and a better friend. Just do not ask him to solve any puzzles for you.”

  “Is the clan Wetree a large clan?” Heishi inquired.

  “Just me. I am my own clan. Dad was a dwarf, mom was a short giant, neither of them wanted me when I grew, so I started my own clan. Someday the clan Wetree will be the biggest clan ever.” Yutri beamed, impressed with his ability to start his own clan.

  Stifling a smile, the others at the table nodded, secretly taking joy in his choice of words.

  Biggest clan ever. I’ll say. He’s an idiot but seems trustworthy.

  All eyes turned toward the final member of the group, the cloaked man. An audible sigh came from under the hood, and the shadow spoke: “I will remove my hood for but a moment. It is important to look a man in his eyes to understand him, and of this I am aware. However, my presence in Terminus may not be taken well by some, as I am a shadow elf. My people are unnecessarily brutal and xenophobic, killing all who are not of our race in service to a dark deity. I have left my home underground for that reason but am not well received on the surface world. Big Jim allows me to work as a healer for his fights when I am in town if I remain hidden. You did not come see me after your fight with Orra...”

  Heishi flinched but did not pull away as the cloaked man reached out a gloved hand and placed it on the side of his shredded neck. Warmth flowed through his neck, and when the stranger removed his hand, he reached up to touch the spot and was shocked to discover the skin no longer was torn from the shark skin.

  Remarkable. Aki would be jealous.

  As the cloaked man peeled back his hood, the three at the table barely stifled a gasp. A head full of white hair was pulled back from his coal black face into a braid that fell over his left shoulder. Crimson eyes stared back not unkindly at Heishi, but with a hint of wariness. His features were that of a surface elf, with attractive, chiseled bone structure and clear complexion: with the single exception of the black skin. Shadows curled around his exposed skin as light from the lanterns in the room fell upon it, attempting to conceal him in shadow. After making eye contact with all at the table, he promptly returned his hood, reverting his face to obscurity.

  “The name given me at birth does not matter, as I have left the evil of my people. Those who have looked past my heritage and known me on the surface have given me the name Di’eslo, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I will not allow death to take you, as it took your opponent in the ring this evening. She was an evil creature and unworthy of my efforts to revive her.”

  “Well met, Di’eslo, Yutri, and Shenroc. I am Heishi. Shenroc met me at the gate and is aware of my plight, but I feel it necessary to inform the rest of you before you agree to this journey. I have been ripped from my world, my plane of existence, and thrust into this one. I had four companions with me and have yet to find them upon entering this plane. Jim has promised to give me gold enough to find answers if I retrieve an Orb of unknown power that was stolen from him by the orcs living in the mountain. We are supposed to receive a map from his men that will lead us to the cave entrance. If anyone is uncomfortable with this, now is your time to walk away.”

  Shenroc chuckled as Heishi finished speaking. “Do you think any of us were given a choice in accompanying you? Big Jim runs all of Terminus, and if we do not assist you, he will kill us as well as our families. The speech was excellent but let us go and attempt to cheat death by the people of my father and discover riches untold.”

  As they were c
hatting, Hungry returned to the table. “Boss says you’s need to go to the map shop. Tell the guy the Boss says give you the map. It opens in the morning, and you’s need to be there early. The Boss don’t like waiting.”

  “I believe you have mentioned that. Where do I find this map shop?” Heishi inquired.

  “Not here. Find it yousself, I ain’t got time to babysit no humans.” Hungry grinned and promptly walked away.

  “Well, you heard him. We can meet here again early in the morning, grab some food from the bar, and head out. Jim said he would outfit me with proper travelling gear since I have been caught somewhat unprepared for this journey. Is there somewhere I can purchase some gear and armor...on credit?” Heishi looked sheepish at the last statement.

  “I know a place just around the corner. The shop keeper loves me,” Yutri said, then smiled, blushed a little, and immediately stopped talking.

  “Ok, we will meet here in the morning, stock up on supplies, then see what this world has to offer.” Heishi looked at each man at the table in turn. “Do not worry, I have some experience in battle, and I do not plan on losing anyone on this team. Get some sleep, tomorrow could get interesting.”

  ◆◆◆

  Before the sun rose, Heishi was sitting at a table eating a breakfast of bread and fish soup and wondering if that was all there was to eat in this town. By mentioning Big Jim to the bartender, he was able to acquire some extra loaves of bread and a backpack to put them in.

  Same bartender. Does this weird little guy ever sleep? Or are there more of them back there just taking turns? Nah, that guy is an individual...