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    The Savage Lands 2
    The Savage Lands 2
    The Savage Lands 2
    Ebook441 pages7 hours

    The Savage Lands 2

    By Raymond Towers

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    About this ebook

    Dobrynia the Valkyrie, hurled into an ancient and mysterious world, struggles to find her companions, who are trapped in a land of evil magic that shifts its reality without warning. Follow Dobrynia’s daring steps, and those of her friends, as they venture into this hostile land that refuses to give up its dark secrets. The greatest test of all is only beginning. Rating: HIGH controversy.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRaymond Towers
    Release dateJan 15, 2019
    ISBN9780463178409
    The Savage Lands 2
    Author

    Raymond Towers

    Raymond Towers is an author of fantasy, horror and science fiction that strays away from the mainstream, plus a little in the way of true paranormal and other genres. He has written and independently published over forty titles, most of them full-length novels and collections, with several more on the way. The author has been a lifelong resident of warm and sunny southern California, a location that pops up frequently in his writing. At the moment, the author is looking for ways to reach new readers all over the world, in addition to pursuing his great love of writing and taking it to the next level.

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      Book preview

      The Savage Lands 2 - Raymond Towers

      Similar Titles And Series:

      The Savage Lands Series

      When the gods bicker, the world of Grond trembles. More and more, the barriers of this world are shaken, affecting reality, time and space. In this cosmic battlefield, gods will seek to walk the earth, while their rivals will seek to prevent it. Throughout the ages, this great war will persist. Only the greatest heroes of this world, and those drawn from other worlds, can hope to bring order out of chaos.

      The Savage Lands 1

      A land tainted by ancient sorcery, full of corruption and evil that spreads and infects whatever it grasps. What can be done when the very trees watch with sinister eyes, when all is not it seems? A sorcerer will cast his spells, while a scoundrel hunts for treasure and a knight holds his head high with honor. The greatest test of all is here, here in the Savage Lands. Rating: HIGH controversy.

      Dobrynia’s Path Series

      My name is Dobrynia. I was hand chosen by the All-Father Odin as a warrior maiden, as a Valkyrie of legend. My universe is no more, and so I am displaced. See my path there, and follow my adventures as I forge new alliances and traverse worlds as if they were stepping stones in a brook. I stand for Truth and Justice, and in following my oath to Odin, I vow to dispel evil and darkness wherever I might find it. Let those who lurk in darkness and those who prey on innocents learn to fear my name. I am the Raven and I am the Wolf, and I will stand strong against corruption and bring light to the shadows, on this world and in worlds to follow. My path is the path of heroes.

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      There are many characters and many stories in the Chaos Rift Universe. Among the characters are heroes who strive to become great champions, reluctant sorts who are sucked into turmoil and must brave through great challenges, and anti-heroes that wreak as much havoc in their furies as the villains can. Each of these heroes and anti-heroes has a story to tell. These stories will be found in the Before The Seven books. When the many characters come together as a united force, sometimes cohesive, sometimes not so much, their adventures take place in The Zombie Seven. Explore their back stories, to see how these characters first came about, and then see how they will interact when thrown together into places that are beyond Time, beyond Space, and in some instances, even beyond Reason.

      The Savage Lands 2

      Raymond Towers

      Copyright 2019 Raymond Towers

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Content Rating: All of the characters in this e-book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, whether living or dead, is purely coincidental. All characters depicted in sexual acts in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older. This e-book contains a HIGH amount of controversial subject matter.

      About the cover: The image was produced by Melisa Launay. It is titled ‘knight facing right, face covered, holding spear.’ This image was acquired through Flickr and is being used under a Creative Commons BY - ND License. Font: Lucida Blackletter.

      About this title: Dobrynia the Valkyrie, hurled into an ancient and mysterious world, struggles to find her companions, who are trapped in a land of evil magic that shifts its reality without warning. Follow Dobrynia’s daring steps, and those of her friends, as they venture into this hostile land that refuses to give up its dark secrets. The greatest test of all is only beginning. Rating: HIGH controversy.

      #####

      Table Of Contents

      The Backstory

      The Devil’s Vagina, Part 1

      The Devil’s Vagina, Part 2

      The Devil’s Vagina, Part 3

      Ben Finds The In Between Place, Part 1

      Maven’s New Kingdom, Part 1

      Eva’s Premonition

      The Wrong Inn

      Ben Finds The In Between Place, Part 2

      Maven’s New Kingdom, Part 2

      An Eagle, Two Girlfriends And A Horse

      A Narrow Escape

      The Eye Of Mithras

      The Fall Of Hardfort

      The Cruel Gods

      Finding The Pieces, Part 1

      Finding The Pieces, Part 2

      Finding The Pieces, Part 3

      Maven’s New Kingdom, Part 3

      Maven’s New Kingdom, Part 4

      Maven’s New Kingdom, Part 5

      About The Author

      #####

      The Backstory

      Sometimes, Eva thought, even the best laid plans went to shit.

      Archers, aim left by twenty degrees. She called out. Prepare to fire!

      The world was Loam. The region was an unclaimed pocket of land on the western edge of the continent known as the Great Mother. The enemy on this occasion was a particularly tricky necromancer named Akanah, hiding out in a dank and dark cave. He was a holdout from the armies of the now captured and deposed Queen Toraga, with the ability to draw angry corpses from the very earth he stood on. Already, the Valkyrie Dobrynia and the rest of her small platoon had taken out a bevy of minor sorcerers. Little by little, in a hard fight that was costing them too many lives, Doby’s primary team had cornered the mage.

      Fire left! Eva commanded.

      Eva was short at five-two, formerly an unassuming homemaker who worked lowly part-time jobs on her home planet of Earth. It was mainly because of Doby’s confidence in Eva that she’d been appointed at the head of the two lines of archers. Now, the pretty and auburn-haired Hispanic woman watched as ten arrows were loosened at a short wall of creeping dead men with axes and swords. The arrows felled a few, but most of the combatants kept right on coming.

      Archers B, fall back by ten paces. Eva called out, retreating swiftly as she spoke. Archers A, fall back by five! See, I need an update from you!

      The strong and stocky Asian woman, from planet Akina, was instructed to keep an eye on Doby’s main battle group, which consisted of the hard hitters: Dobrynia the Valkyrie, Victor the Lion, Tekkin the Dwarf, and the female barbarian from the Sky People, Garra.

      Tekkin is distracting the mage! See reported. He’s keeping the mage from calling forth more corpses. The others are hacking their way through.

      Archers, reload! Eva called out, knowing they probably had already. Aim twenty degrees left again.

      That would keep the missiles from striking any of her friends, who were fighting on the right. With any good luck on their side, Tekkin wouldn’t decide to teleport in harm’s way in the next few seconds.

      The mage is creating another whirlpool! See warned.

      Son of a bitch! Eva rumbled. Those whirlpools of magic were summoning the corpses out of the ground. Archers, fire!

      This wave of arrows was more effective than the last, as they’d displaced enough of the dead bodies that most of the corpses were falling apart. Good, she thought. She would not have to retreat any further.

      Eva, this whirlpool is different! See yelled.

      What? The short woman asked, switching her attention to where the main battle was taking place. The center of the magic spiral was the same; a bright white glow that emanated from the necromancer’s hands. The arms of the spiral, however, were going in one direction before, counter-clockwise, but now they were circling in the other. Also, the spiral was shining in a swirl of colors, when it had been a decadent brown and yellow before. What the hell is he doing?

      I don’t know! See answered.

      Their four strongest fighters were in the middle of that tumult. Eva could not risk having her archers aim in that direction.

      Eva, Eva, Tekkin has vanished! See screamed. He was struck by the whirlpool!

      Sudden panic began flooding through Eva’s petite frame. She worried because the dwarf was the most powerful sorcerer they had on their side. Are you sure?

      Before the Asian could answer, Eva saw the agile Doby leap out of the way of a large spiral arm, only to get struck by a second, faster one. She too vanished in the blink of an eye.

      Doby! Victor cried out, watching his lover disappear. Doby!

      Victor was as bullheaded as could be. Instead of retreating, he made a charge at the necromancer. Having gotten rid of his closest attackers already, Akanah merely spun his arms around, causing the whirlpool to move faster and taking Victor in the same way it had taken the others.

      It’s some kind of portal! Eva shouted. Garra, move back!

      Unlike Victor, the barbarian woman had the common sense to move away from the threat instead of toward it. What Garra did not expect was for Orissi, another Asian from a world called Beyond, to suddenly break away from their group of minor sorcerers and run toward the whirlpool. It was well known that Orissi loved Victor, despite that he was already hooked up with Doby. Garra was quick enough to snatch the Asian girl, and to avoid the tentacles of the spiral, which were no longer swinging but lashing out. The ice mage Alery cast a small wall of ice, halting the arms temporarily. Garra nearly had the time to get Orissi to safety, except the Asian mage kept trying to get loose and the big barbarian was also holding a two-handed battle weapon. Alery moved in closer, trying to create a second ice wall, but the short delay resulted in those wicked arms coming over to snatch away all three of them.

      No, no! Eva shouted. The secondary battle group was already running, and so were the other mages. Archers B, full retreat! Archers A, one last volley! See, get over here!

      The big Asian woman hurried over, with several magic arms coming after her. Thanks to most of the torchbearers running off in panic, See tripped in the dark and fell over. Moving on instinct, Eva jumped on her, a split second before the magic arm took them both.

      The primary archers hadn’t seen this, as they were focused and waiting for their orders to fire. When the orders took too long, several looked to where Eva should have been, finding her gone. The archers scattered back, except for two, Oghold, also known as Oggie, and his woman Garadie, both from Loam. Having been through a fair share of portals already, Oggie suspected it would be better if he held on to Garadie when the magic arms came and spirited them away.

      Seeing that he’d stolen or scared off all of the threats, the necromancer Akanah raised his head and laughed. He challenged, Who is stronger than I?

      Off in a corner of the cave were two fellow necromancers, Ormo and his wife Rilda, also from Loam. They had bravely stayed when the rest of the mages had run away.

      They’re all gone! Ormo cried out. All of our friends are gone!

      Standing just behind them were the two thieves, Pane and Wikim, who were very short and skinny men.

      Husband, we can still do something! Rilda pushed her spouse.

      What can we do?

      Look, that fool is a braggart! Rilda pointed. He still has his magic flowing all around him!

      And so?

      Don’t be a toad, husband! The woman shook Ormo. We will distract him and push him into that very portal he has created there! Do you see how he is avoiding it by keeping it just out of his body’s reach? He has to turn his entire body to wield the magic! That is his undoing! He cannot touch that magic or it will take him away as well!

      Yes, yes! Ormo saw. It can be done! But it will take two of us to create enough of an illusion. We cannot distract him and push him at the same time!

      The two mages glanced at the little thieves standing behind them.

      Wikim, it is our time to be brave! Pane grabbed his buddy’s arm.

      By nature, the two little men were cowards, but they were capable of the occasional bravery, and plus they were skilled in the art of theft and fleeing like lightning from the scene of the crime. In this case, the braver Pane induced the less brave Wikim into going along with it, as they were such close friends that they dared not part, not even in the face of a magic portal that could suck them away to who knows where.

      The necromancer, the bad one, mind you, and not the two good ones who were pooling their magic together already, but the bad one was skulking around the sides of the cave and peering into the many crevices and tunnels while seeking out further heroes to dispatch to some other realm. This made it more or less easy for the speedy thieves to avoid the now slow-moving spiral and get the drop on him.

      Ormo and Rilda created a strong illusion, but also one that palpitated magic. It was in the shape of a giant raven, over six feet tall and with extended wings. On Loam, this was the dreaded symbol of Dobrynia’s Raven Knights.

      Akanah whirled around to face the false image, sensing the power within it and assuming it to be a real threat to him. He caused his spiral of magic to spin over toward the raven, just as Pane pulled an empty loot bag out of his magic hiding place. Pane jumped, covering the mage’s head with the bag, while Wikim crouched down and bit Akanah through his dark robe and in the hamstring.

      The end result was the necromancer teetering forward, and again a second time, and then he tumbled and was swept into the very magic of his own making, along with the two thieves that had not let go of him yet. Without a magician around to wield it, the magic whirlpool completed a few more complimentary turns before it finally dissipated.

      Well. Ormo frowned. At least we got rid of the necromancer.

      Beside him, his wife Rilda simply muttered and shook her head. Idiot.

      #####

      The Devil’s Vagina Part 1

      It was a typical night at the Brouhaha Tavern in Wantonbury. People were fighting everywhere. It was bad enough that some of the more rough and tumble sorts were buying injury insurance at the door, so they wouldn’t have to pay the full price to the quartet of magic healers employed by the house.

      The capable Tihmere, formerly of the Red Fold, sat with his sidekick Andre, a man who had once been employed by the Church but who’d abandoned his post as a soldier and run off. Actually, Tim had his own troubles with the clergy, but after a successful recovery of many sacred relics and a goodly amount of wealth, both men had paid their hefty fines and were forgiven by the holy men of the red cloth. Tim and Andre were now free of legal obligation and debt, and still held enough wealth to carouse at a fairly lavish place such as the Brouhaha.

      The next round of trouble started quickly, in the corner most heavily populated by wenches and their clients. Three buffoons had thought it wise to grope a woman and to sex her there on a table, wanting to avoid the room fee the tavern charged for having the service upstairs. The prostitute raised up a clamor, as they always do thanks to their guild rules, and the security staff dressed in blue came to quell the matter.

      She’s coming, she’s coming! Andre said excitedly.

      Indeed, Tim was also looking forward to seeing Dobrynia the Valkyrie in action. The two mercenaries had adventured with that woman once already, and found her as good at fighting and using weaponry as any man, and better than most. Tim’s pride refused to allow that she was his equal with the sword, but she was also a master with the bow and spear as well. Very, very few men could lay claim to the fighting skills that brave woman possessed.

      One bouncer in royal blue halted before the three toughs. You haven’t broken the rules yet, ye dumb bastards. Let the wench go and return to yer drinking. We’ve no need to have this go any further.

      The ruffians weren’t small men, and they might have rushed at the one bouncer all at once, if only to cause a disturbance they could brag about later. When they saw Doby at the bouncer’s side, however, their tough bollocks were no longer as bloated. It was one thing to take on a strong bouncer, for that was a rough bloke and would heighten their reputations. It was a whole other story to be trounced by a woman considered to be among the most dangerous in a town half-full of scoundrels. The tavern’s bouncers merely cracked heads open, while this Doby was said to chew on demon bones.

      Quietly, calmly, the three men backed away from the half-undressed, messy-haired wench and returned to their chairs.

      Oh, come now! Another patron balked. She’s only one woman! Does any one truly believe the rumors about her?

      Perhaps that patron had not been around to watch Doby take on the entire mass of prostitutes once, and win. Those closest to the dark-haired beauty, the guilty as well as the innocent, leaned away from her, for another tale was that she’d lash out a fist or leg at random victims, if her mood was foul enough. Her hair was pulled back, and her eyes pierced souls like daggers.

      Are you all cowards before this one woman? The same patron asked, not believing his eyes. I see many of the best fighters in town here, all turned to jelly because of her. Is there any man here brave enough to fight her? Will a good wager bring a man to raise his fists against this woman?

      The tavern could be a noisy place; it usually was that. Those close enough to hear the challenge were suddenly quiet. This caused the next group over to grow silent, and the trend continued until it reached the far end of the bar. The dead silence was only heard for a brief moment, as a new murmur stirred up like a flock of pigeons to spread the announcement of a wager for fighting Doby. A runner was seen running upstairs to tell Sai, the vicious enforcer for the wenches’ guild.

      Tavern owner Malkum heard the gossip as well. He stood up on the crowded bar and held his hands up for silence. What’s this about a wager?

      You heard right! The patron confirmed. I’ll put good coin up for one of the better fighters here to take on your woman bouncer!

      A wager in what amount? The bartender asked.

      After sizing Doby up again, the patron figured he could not lose by putting her up against a man a third or more bigger than she was. I’ll bet a pound of silver!

      That was a small fortune, Malkum knew, as his clientele was suddenly in an uproar over the matter. The barkeep looked about, seeing everyone suddenly excited. The Asian woman Sai was standing at the head of the stairs, also watching. Many in the crowd were already calling out names of men they thought could beat her. Malkum had seen Doby fight, and she was an exceptional brawler, but some of those men had fists the size of her head.

      Choose a strong man! Some were shouting.

      And also an agile man! A singular voice added. You’d best believe this bitch can catch a streak of lightning!

      That’s right, Malkum! The wealthy patron called out, now barely heard against the noise from the crowd."

      Corren! Corren! The crowd began chanting.

      Is that who you want? The patron called out. Is that the man you want?

      Malkum looked around his tavern. Doby looked unconcerned but ready, as always. Sai had a look of shock taking her face over. The crowd continued to shout one man’s name. Corren was a big, fast brute that could fight two big men at once. The barkeep would be reluctant to let all three of his bouncers fight that monster, let alone one pretty woman. He thought he should give Doby the chance to step away from the challenge, while saving face. Malkum held his arms up to quiet the crowd, but this took several moments since they were in frenzy now.

      A pound of silver, you say? He tried to turn the matter into a joke. That would be half a pound for me and half a pound for her!

      That would be enough, Malkum thought. Doby would think his condition absurd and refuse to fight. If the woman was smart, and she certainly was that, Doby could make a disgruntled face at him and resume her duties.

      Instead, she stood firm. I will fight.

      The roar of the crowd increased by a hundred-fold. People were standing and calling out for the servers to start taking coin. Frequently, fighters would square off in the center of the tavern, in the area normally set aside for singing and dancing. These could be professional fighters or simply rivals with grudges. Already, the people were clearing the area.

      Doby was in a foul mood, Malkum saw, because she still had no word from her friends that were lost out there in the dreaded Savage Lands. He didn’t know if she could last very long against a beast like Corren, but the crowd was riled up and expecting a good battle. They would not like it at all if he tried to call it off now. The man nodded at his servers, who were familiar at remembering bettors and bets, and they began circulating among the crowd. Malkum also waved at his magic healers. He wanted them near the edge of the fight, as one good punch from Corren might take his pretty bouncer’s head off.

      Doby walked toward the square, pausing when some imbecile touched her bottom. Malkum thought she might retaliate, as she usually did when that happened, but instead he saw the raven-locked woman lean over and say something to the man. Upon looking closer, the barkeep saw it was one of the two mercenaries she’d been keeping company with recently. The rumor was that Doby, those mercenaries, Sai and a few others had gone into the Savage Lands to battle a kingdom full of devils. Several of their party had not come back.

      Another uproar took place when Sai sent her errand-boy to place her bet. The crowd, and especially the prostitutes, expected her to wager that Corren would win. When it was revealed that the Asian warrior had put a pound of silver on Doby, it caused a furor that hadn’t been witnessed in the Brouhaha in some time. Not only that, but Sai trotted down the stairs and walked onto the square with Doby.

      Malkum knew the two used similar fighting styles, and he heard they often sparred together, but he’d never seen them trading blows. Sai was now holding her hand up, moving it rapidly as Doby threw punches at it to loosen up. When Doby began using her legs, Sai moved her hand around from chest to thigh level. In her final warm-up strikes, Sai held her hand up just above her head. No one expected Doby to kick that high, but she did. The fast woman did it once with a straight kick, and a second time with a bizarre move where her entire body swung around. Certainly, Malkum had never seen a woman, and hardly any men, able to kick that high. Doby looked like a whirlwind.

      Stuck in the crowd, Tim began pulling his companion up. Andre, come with me! We can say we are also Doby’s trainers and see the fight up close!

      Other maneuvers that Doby showed were hopping about briefly, and even tying thin strips of cloth around her hands. Not many had ever seen the like of it.

      Corren is large and very muscular, but he is very fast. Sai warned. His arms are as thick at the legs of most fighters. I recommend not letting his fists get near you.

      Does he use his legs in kicks? Doby asked.

      No, he only pushes with his legs, to bring his opponents down to the floor.

      Can he wrestle?

      No. Sai revealed. He can only punch, really, but he is very fast at that.

      Doby nodded. I will be ready for him.

      I would hate to see your angelic face becoming bruised. Andre worried.

      It is possible. She replied. But I have fought legions of strong men before and beaten them. This one will be no different. Bet on him if you like.

      Should we put a bet in? Andre asked Tim.

      After they’d paid off the Church, the pair of mercenaries still had a comfortable amount of coin left. Prostitutes and frequent drinking had winnowed that down to only a decent amount.

      Yes. Tim nodded. Whatever you bet, make my bet equal to yours.

      Oh, I’ll wager everything I have left! Andre laughed, making his way to the nearest server.

      Tim turned when the crowd began to cheer. As Doby and Sai went on with their practicing, Corren walked into the square. The big brawler had seen Doby’s strikes, and was not too impressed by them. He raised his arms to show off how massive they were, causing the roars to erupt even louder. Corren was the sort of man Tim would choose to face with a spear, if at all, and he was not one to scare easily.

      Doby did not use an Eastern fighting style, as Tim assumed she would. Instead, she pulled her neck in like a turtle and fought with her fists up close to her head. Even her back was hunched like an old man’s.

      Corren would usually fight men as big as himself, straight on and trading blows back and forth until his oaken fists weakened his opponent. This woman that was a third smaller than him, he could have hammered her into the ground like a nail, except she kept moving to his left constantly. It looked like Doby was going to throw a punch, and the fast brawler would let one fly right away, but she moved, always moved and left him striking only air.

      Many in the crowd wanted to see Doby smashed and put into her place. They were irritated to see her weaving around like a bee, not hitting and not getting hit. The men and women of the Brouhaha began to boo the beautiful bouncer, when others who knew a bit more about strategy and cunning began calling out to silence them.

      And how would you fight a giant brute like Corren, you idiots? They said. Aye, if we were facing him, we would be dancing around him just the same!

      One fourth of the crowd began to cheer Doby and urge her on, while the rest still wanted to see her massacred and bloody.

      Can you not catch that pretty hare, Corren? They teased him.

      I paid to see a fight, not a dance!

      Smash the bitch! One prostitute demanded. Smash her to pieces!

      Come now, Corren! The patron who had started it all encouraged. Land one good punch, man, and you’ll have free drink for the rest of the night!

      The brawler grew impatient, as he too thought it would be over quickly. Foregoing his usual, precise strikes, Corren started swinging further out in arcs, hoping to catch this elusive woman who kept evading him. His long, sinewy arms stretched out to strike at her head or shoulders. He was coming close to nailing her. The near misses became wilder, at times nearly throwing the big man off balance.

      Corren gave an effort so powerful it would have sent Doby flying, if only he had connected. He missed because she ducked and darted aside. The big man’s side was left open for an instant. If Doby had punched his ribs or belly, she would have done nothing to him except find out how thick Corren’s muscles were. She used her leg, the strongest limb she had, and slapped her shin on his thigh so hard it sounded like a strong man’s clap. The kick had been loud enough that it was heard above the din of the crowd.

      Corren was stung. Doby’s legs were as strong as his arms, he’d just found out. He lunged at her, hoping to catch her with his hands. All night she’d been moving left, but this time she ducked and unexpectedly went to the right. Corren had gone too far after her and now she was behind him. She let fly another kick, catching him on that same part of the thigh, with that same sharp smack.

      He saw that Doby was close, and launched a hard, straight right. It took both of her arms to parry the blow, before she turned like the whirlwind he’d seen before and drove her elbow into the side of Corren’s face. For the first time during that fight, the big man had shut his eyes and flinched, giving his fans pause. Perhaps even this powerful brute could not bring the hated bouncer to the floor.

      Even worse, Doby had measured out the length of his swings and the time it took for him to reach and retract his fists. Corren swung too hard because he was getting careless. When he brought his arms back, Doby would come in close. She slapped a kick across his stomach, and another on the red welt that was taking over his thigh. That thigh was throbbing now, filling Corren with pain, but he hid that away with his determination, as he did not want this foe to see how badly she’d hurt him.

      Her eyes, however, were like a hawk’s. Doby saw how Corren favored one leg, and must have known she’d caused him some damage. She jumped at him, before jumping back. Corren swung, putting weight on the pained leg, not moving out of her way when he would have done so earlier. Doby lashed out her shin, missing because she’d been too low, or maybe that was her intention. She caught Corren behind the knee, buckling his leg. He went down, only briefly because he summoned his great strength to get him back on his feet. Doby landed another leg on his thigh, and this time Corren could not hide the wince and grunt of pain that arrived with it. A second kick caught his stomach, so that now he had an obvious welt there too.

      The mighty Corren looked as hobbled as a man with a cane. He went down, hiding his pulsating leg with his arm to avoid another kick there. Doby could have jumped on him, but she stayed back, still in her fighter’s pose and still spry. If she made a mistake in miscalculating her foe, she might have run into a hard fist, and against one as big as Corren, she could not afford to make such a mistake.

      She kept her distance as Corren slowly got to his feet. The man only stood for a few seconds, before the palpitating hurt caused his leg to tremble. He buckled again, calling out that he could not continue because he was unable to stand.

      Get the healers! The few who had bet on Doby cried out. This fight is done! The bouncer has bested the brawler! Healers!

      There were few cheers for the Valkyrie, as few had thought she could win. The larger part of the crowd was stunned at the outcome, or hating her even more than they had before.

      As Tim and Andre congratulated her and offered her drinks, Sai went to stand in the square and make her own challenge. The Asian woman could not have Doby take her title as the best woman fighter in Wantonbury. She had her hard-earned reputation to uphold. Sai challenged any woman or any man her size or less to fight her. A handful walked to the square, where she had the crowd choose her opponent. Because no man wanted to see another of his kind humbled, this time they chose a woman.

      Sai used her remarkable martial arts skills to finish the fight quickly. Afterward she was showy and arrogant, so the people would mention her in the same breath as they had the beautiful bouncer who’d fought before her.

      Later, Doby was found in Sai’s private room on the tavern’s second floor. Tim and Andre would have been generous in buying her ale, as the Valkyrie had won them a good amount of coin. They didn’t need to spend a penny of their fortune, however, as Sai made a motion to her errand boy. The servant would leave right away and come back shortly with a full pitcher of ale. Not the most expensive, mind you, but the most savory and popular drink the tavern had to offer.

      Grateful bettors came by, giving Doby gifts of appreciation. Most she set aside, as they were showy and gaudy, and she was not the sort to flaunt her wealth. The woman did like a black, leather belt, three fingers wide with a polished silver buckle. It was a better item than the one she wore.

      She’d had some drink, Tim saw, but Doby was not drunk. He saw her falling into that same pit of despair she always did when she thought of her missing lover and of her friends that she hadn’t seen.

      For weeks now, Andre had been trying to bed her, unsuccessfully. Doby had first let the man get close to her because she claimed that he reminded her of her lover Victor. It seemed that the time had come for Andre to have his way. The room was empty of all except for the two men and two women. When Doby went to a mirror to remove her belt and try on the new one, Andre was at her side to make sure either belt would stay off.

      Tim did not think his friend would get very far, but Andre did manage to remove Doby’s tunic, leaving her dressed only in two cloth wraps, one around her breasts and the other on her hips. Andre would give her kisses on occasion, but this is the first time Tim had ever seen Doby kiss back.

      Sai was jealous, as she also had it in her mind to bed the Valkyrie. She went to Andre and tried to push him away. This romantic strife allowed Doby to walk away from them both. She went to sit on

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