
New in Town
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2011 7:33 pm
Fiction Sohei
“Did you hear me?” The troll said. The troll had long hair green with rotting algae and long strings of weeds caught in it. His teeth were cracked broken and Sohei could smell putrefaction on his breath.
“Yes.” Sohei said. “You say I owe you a toll. I have no money how do you wish to solve this dispute?”
“How about I kill you.” The troll snapped.
“How will that bring money? I have nothing worth selling. If you fight me you will just end up tired and empty handed.”
“Or I could just dine on your flesh.” The troll said bringing the giant axe down in a sweep. Sohei didn’t move until the very last second as the axe head the size of a dinner plater came at him with the speed and grace of a charging bull. With out moving he used his chopsticks to push the weapon slightly out of the way so it came down on the marble floor soaked in saw dust and mead. The ground shook as the weapon jammed into the stone and the troll reared back to pull it out. Sohei poked him once with the chopsticks and the troll yelped let go of the handle of his two handed axe and jumped back.
“I’m going to rip your eyes out.” The troll said struggling and trying at charge Sohei. Sohei stood and put one hand on his staff which was a long tree branch that was mostly straight and well worn.
As the troll charged he put both hands out trying to shove the monk and Sohei stood there as he put all of his might into moving him but Sohei did not move.
“The Mountain does not move.” Sohei said with a smile. “Do you yield?”
“I am going to eat your spleen!” The troll said and attacked the monk with his claws. The troll had razors on his fingers that were over six inches long and filled with rot and decaying meat.
“I will show you the breath of the Earth Dragon.” Sohei said. He held the staff in the middle and swung alternating ends of the stick at the troll. Each time the wood connected with flesh there was a horrific crack of bone inside. Sohei kept up the series of blows railing the troll with attacks along his sides. When the troll tried to block the blows broke his fingers and struck him anyway.
With out a single drop of sweat Sohei stopped as the seven blows landed and the troll stuck the ground bleeding from face and ears.
“I’m sorry. I did not want to fight.” Sohei touching the unconscious troll on the forehead. He was still breathing and Sohei could see that the creature’s wounds were knitting themselves back together as he watched. Content he stood and went back to his seat.
“Now did you have any idea how to settle this toll issue?” Sohei asked the human male with long dark hair how had stood behind the troll. Sohei sized him up as the brains and the troll was the brawn. Sohei had thin narrow features, long black hair braided together and the slender pointed ears of an elf. His skin was covered from head to toe in rich flowing tattoos. Each one had been made with a mixture of ink, the blood the sacred dragon and it’s saliva.
From under his bamboo hat Sohei watched the man with dispassionate eye.
“How would you like you work for me?” The man asked drinking from a wooden cup.
“I’m sorry I have a duty. Besides I abhor violence. I do not take lives if I can avoid it. I don’t even eat things that required death to obtain. I don’t think I would make a very good thug.” Sohei said.
“Never seen anyone quite like you.” The man said. “Hope I never do again.”
Sohei watched the man leave and turned to his cup of tea as he pushed the door open and headed out into the storm. Tea rice and vegetables that gave their yield with out death. He could not stand the touch of metal or the touch of dead flesh upon his person.