The Hybrid Fateful Sorrow

Forsaken

In the darkest last room is where Cromwell resides, hoping to hide himself from what’s coming. As he sits on the chair thinking about all those people that he put in constant fear.

Living with a lifeless body with all his limbs broken. 

'Am already long gone, have you forsaken me already?' Cromwell thought as he looked at dark corners of his room.

“I’m alone, ” he said.

'Who am I kidding, you’ve never been with me. Never with me when I needed you the most. That’s right I blame you God for all that happened to me.' He thought as he looked at the ceiling hoping to talk to a God.

“You did this to me. You hear me! You wanted me to become like this. I’m just an ink into one of your damn books, ” Cromwell yelled out with a mad look in his eyes.

Rollo Longrider was standing at the front of the manor that holds less than three dozen of Lord Kristoff’s mercenaries. With ten of his men quietly preparing themselves for an assault. Arming with two crossbows to each one of them to constantly give pressure.

“It’s time, ” Rollo said as he looked at the sunset.

“We’re ready, Lieutenant Rollo, ” The Grey Hand men said.

Rollo and two of his men knock on the only door of the manor to get in and out, while the rest of his men hide away from view.

“Yeah, yeah coming!” 

“What is it?” The mercenary said as soon as he opened the door.

“I need to report to Deyter, ” Rollo calmly said.

“Yeah? What about?” 

“Possible sightings, I’ll describe it to him myself or I’ll describe it to you and pass it yourself, but damn make sure you are on point I don’t want to waste any time, ” Rollo said as he explained.

“Alright, alright, you can get inside why the two needs to come, ?” 

“Refilling our waterskins, with some ale hopefully.”

“I don’t suppose that’s a problem, I mean we all are mercenaries in here, right?”

“Hahaha, I’m just busting your balls, Deyter already informed me about it, we are having dinner. Grab some meat on your way out, ” The mercenary said.

Rollo and two of his men entered the manor with a quiet hallway in sight.

“One thing, ” Rollo said.

Before the mercenary could close the door.

“Yeah? Deyter? He’s in the dining room with the rest of the guys, ” he said.

“No, I want to ask you, ” Rollo said as the shadow grew bigger at the back of the mercenary.

“Do you remember what color we are?” he added.

“What? What are you talking about?—” the mercenary’s last word before his throat was slit from the blade of the dagger.

Grabbing his mouth to prevent any sound from breaking as he slowly laid him down on the ground.

“Only grey, Lieutenant Rollo, ” the man with a bloodied dagger said.

“Let’s continue, ” he said.

As soon as that, the rest of the team silently entered with their crossbow ready. Stopping just before the dining hall.

Rollo proceeded to the dining hall with two of his men, seeing everyone happily eating their food and drinking their ale without care.

Deyter was sitting at the far end of the table half drunk as he kept on drinking. With dozens of Lord Kristoff’s mercenaries still equipped with their steel armors.

“Now I’m stuck in here babysitting this f*cking Cromwell, did you know the guy tortures men for pleasure?” Deyter said.

“We can kill him now, and tell the boss the beast got to him, ” one of the mercenaries said as he laughs before getting a big slap in the head.

“You watch your mouth, never talk about killing one of your own, ” Deyter said as he continued to drink, seeing Rollo coming.

“The big man, I see, coming in here with your bare body, and your big sword huh. I wanted to ask. Did you drink all of mama’s milk? Because you know when I came to visit she was out of it,” Deyter said while he burst into laughter.

With all the mercenaries joining in the laugh.

“No, ” Rollo calmly said.

“So damn serious, laugh sometimes for god’s sake, why are you here? Huh?” Deyter asked as he grabbed another jug of ale on the table.

“I’m coloring the place, ” Rollo said.

“F*ck are you talking about?” Deyter said standing with ale in his hand.

Before Deyter could fully stand. Rollo grabbed his fancy clothes as he pushed his stout body back in the chair.

“What are you—”

Followed by grabbing his greatsword that he greatly lifted with both hands as he slices Deyter diagonally with astounding force.

With Deyter’s pitiful act of defense shielding himself with both of his arms, only to be ruggedly cut off along with his body and the chair.

Sending his head, right chest, shoulders, and arms flying off to the ground.

To everyone’s surprise, they stopped eating, drinking, or blinking, taking a moment to sink the horror they just witnessed.

“You killed him?”

“You bloody killed the boss!”

“You sliced him off!”

“Take Arms!”

Turning all their backs to attack Rollo and two of his men.

“Come at me!” Rollo eagerly said.

Cued from his action the rest of his men that were hiding in the hallway showed up to shoot all of their backs with crossbow bolts. Quickly exchanging their extra crossbow to take everyone down, easily penetrating their steel armor, as they fall to the floor one by one.

“What a surprise, down with one bolt, ” one of The Grey hand men.

The mercenaries crawl for their lives as they painfully grunt with every move. Followed by Rollo’s men that slowly finish the job, by piercing the back of their soft and open necks with their short swords.

“These are so much easy, ” one of The Grey Hand said, as he cut their heads.

“Yeah, can you believe that our target invited us to their home!” one of The Grey hands said, reloading their crossbow.

Leaving the dead bodies of the mercenaries Rollo continued to walk to reach the final room.

“Continue, go by two, check every room, kill every trace of them,” Rollo ordered.

With each two of his men quickly moves to each room, kicking the door open with the other ready to fire their bolts.

“F*ck, damn, damn where’s my sword, ” the mercenary in the room said panicking in the wake of Grey Hand’s men.

“Here let me help you, ” The Grey hand said as he fired his crossbow.

“F*ck I shot him in the butt. Shoot him man I need to re-arm.”

“F*ck! Spare me, leave me, please!”

With the other Grey Hand slowly walking to him, driving his shortsword to the man’s mouth, slicing it clean, making his jaw apart from his mouth.

“He’s not worth the bolts, ” he said.

Rollo walks with his bloodied greatsword aiming for the last room where Cromwell resides. Hearing his whimper, he quickly ran and charged on the door that blocked his path.

There is a shadowy man with pale skin and long black hair that reaches his shoulder, waving by the wind that blows from the damaged window. A beautiful man in the darkest black buttoned and long clothing.

It was The Raven holding the almost paralyzed Cromwell by the neck with the veins in his enlarged eyes showing that he is genuinely in terror.

“Did you miss me? I was out for how many days? A week or two?” The Raven Reave said as he moved his pitch-black eyes in front of Cromwell.

“I guess you owe me 14 bones at least, do you still have any left?” he added.

“Huugh, ” is what Cromwell can only utter from the fear that rises.

“Who are you?” Rollo Longrider asked, witnessing the two.

“I’m no concern for you, and you are no concern for me right now, ” The Raven Reave said as he faced Rollo Longrider.

“I do want to thank you for doing the menial task for me, but I suggest you stop your assault now and let me handle him,” he added.

“Are you here to kill Cromwell?” Rollo asked.

“Yes, although not for you, ” The Raven said as he sniffs in the air.

“Ahhh A beast, rest easy you can keep your hounds safe this time, they don’t seem to stand any chance anyway,” The Raven said, as he points his finger on Rollo’s heart.

'Rollo, you must learn everything about your enemy before you can kill it. Never feel cowardly from backing up in a fight.'

'Yes, Lord Ibarra.'

'The one who lives is the winner and the one who dies is the one you’ll forget.' Rollo thought as he remembered Lord Ibarra’s wisdom.

“If you are going to kill him, that’s good enough for me, ” Rollo said.

“Oh he will certainly die, that will happen, ” The Raven said.

Leaving as he attempts to close the broken door.

“Lieutenant Rollo, It’s done, ” The Grey Hand men said.

“Then we’ll leave, and report back to Lord Ibarra, ” Rollo said.

“He’s meeting the Queen tonight, ” The Grey Hand said.

“Check Deyter purse and let’s drink at the tavern tonight, and celebrate!” Rollo said.

“Celebrate what?” The man asked.

“His return, Ibarra Mide, is the Queen’s Blade, ” Rollo proudly said.

“Damn!”

“Let’s go, grab our packs and bags,” Rollo said before leaving The Manor.

Leaving Cromwell to the hands of The Shapeshifting Raven.