Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

front of him had other plans. He grabbed Samuel by the shoulders and turned him around.
    “Hold on, maggot, no need to get all ladylike with me. We’re not unreasonable men. We know you cannot fight on an empty stomach. Don’t we, boys?”
    “I bet he can’t fight, period,” answered the second troll, still standing behind the large warrior.
    Samuel remained on his guard.
    “You can have something to eat,” continued the brawny man. “You simply have to pay for it.”
    “I don’t have any money.”
    The three bullies started to laugh hysterically as soon as Samuel finished his sentence.
    “We don’t want your money, boy. It’s no good here.”
    “Then, what do you want?”
    The hulking warrior took a step toward Samuel, who immediately took a matching step back.
    “How about that nice pelt of yours for starters, along with that sword dangling from your waist. Throw in those nice leather pants, as well as that shirt. In fact, why don’t you just get naked and give us everything you have.”
    “What?”
    “You heard me, skinny rat.” The leader of the three bandits was now leaning over Samuel. “And later on, I’ll be expecting you to show me how much you appreciate my generosity. After all, I may not kill you today.”
    Samuel was so frightened that he did not notice the other two, who had moved behind him. When he tried to take a step back, one of them pushed him forward, almost directly into the arms of the behemoth.
    “Come here!” yelled the man.
    “Now would be a great time to show up, Angeline,” whispered Samuel.
    “Did you just call me angel?” asked the giant. “That’s it. Now, you’re dead, maggot!”
    With surprising speed, the colossus took the enormous hammer he was carrying on his back and lifted it, ready to bring it down on the boy’s skull. Samuel was petrified by fear. He could neither breathe nor move, paralyzed by the images of his impending demise. He wanted to close his eyes, but even this elementary movement proved to be impossible, terror having now seized his entire body.
    The war hammer came down rapidly, aiming to crush his unprotected head.
    However, instead of inflicting a gruesome death, the stone mace suddenly stopped, and a moment later, Samuel realized that the whole world surrounding him had suddenly been frozen in time by some magical spell. The men were petrified where they stood, some in grotesque and awkward positions, others displayed horrifying expressions on their faces, looking at the boy and his assailants.
    It lasted only for a heartbeat, the smallest moment between two breaths, but it was long enough for Samuel to hear Angeline’s voice whisper a few words in his ears.
    “Defend yourself, Lorekeeper Samuel,” was all she said.
    On the next heartbeat, the world came back to life, and the hammer resumed its descent toward Samuel’s head. Without thinking twice, he ducked and rolled to his right, avoiding the hit with surprising speed, and unsheathing his sword in the process. The stone hammerhead missed his skull by a hair, but found the foot of one of the giant’s acolytes. The man screamed in pain, his bones crushed under the force of the impact.
    In a single, fluid motion, Samuel was back on his feet, now holding his gladius in his right hand. The second lackey, who still had two intact feet, was already grabbing his own sword, but before he could take it out of its scabbard, Samuel put a foot on his hand to force it back inside. With one swift move, the boy jumped in the air, describing a complete arc backward, kicking the man in the jaw and slicing the leather belt holding the men’s trousers with the tip of his gladius. Samuel landed on his feet just as the trousers of his foe fell to his ankles, along with his weapon, still in its sheath.
    Samuel could hardly believe what he had just done, but he did not have much time to marvel at his new skills. The giant had picked up his hammer again and was swinging it sideways this time, hoping to sweep Samuel’s legs off the ground and crush his knees at the same time.
    The young boy had barely enough time to jump over the shaft. In the same motion, he brought his right knee up to the colossus’ jaw. The blow surprised his opponent, but did little to slow him down. Whirling around, the smelly brute lifted the hammer again to make another pass, this time aiming for Samuel’s chest.
    The young man easily avoided the strike, which hit the screaming man with the crushed foot instead, square