Chapter 12 of Avalon Tales is finally here!
This week has been exhausting for various reasons so please excuse me for being brief today.
The cliff notes are that I'm slowly getting my writing up and thinking of things beyond Avalon Tales. If anything will come of it, I don't know.
Before we get to the new chapter, let's check in on a certain talking rat.
The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz
Artwork is a bit shaky on this one so I must apologise but I did feel it was time again to see if Riz had collected more hobbies, and as you can see, that's a yes!
This strip is a sequel to this one, which came out two years (and a couple of months) ago! It's funny to think I've drawn 112 issues since then....
Fun fact: in the second panel, he was supposed to be wearing a full suit, but I ran out of time, so we'll just have to be pretend that he's trying to keep it real! Hopefully next time I come to do one of these, I'll be able to give it the attention it deserves.
Short Diversions: Avalon Tales Chapter 12
I'll apologise upfront (doing a lot of apologies today!) That this chapter is a short one and not one that I necessarily wanted to post like this. When it comes to editing, it's likely that this chapter will be merged with what’s coming next but I'm having thoughts about that, thoughts I'll share next time.
As for what's going on here, Robyn and Cade are getting closer to their quarry while Isabelle is closer to hers...but is left with more questions....
Avalon Tales Chapter Index
Chapter 12
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Chapter 12: Moving Pieces
“Did you feel that then?” Robyn asked Cade as she pulled back the string on her bow one more, readying another saviour metal tipped arrow. She took aim in one breath and let loose a shot, taking out a demon that had been sneaking up behind Cade, who had problems of his own. He controlled his breathing as he slashed through several demons in front of him, before turning back to his ally.
“I did. Whatever the demons are planning under our feet is making the ground unstable. We’ll need to proceed with caution,” he stated matter of factly, straightening his glasses.
“You don’t have to tell me that,” Robyn snapped back, before quickly putting another demon down. The pair had begun their search for Isabelle in earnest, scouring the industrial site for any traces of her, but had quickly discovered what she had before them, the warped dimensions of the area, which in turn led them to encounter the demons they quickly started fighting against. It was surreal when the fight started, as at first the pair was alone with no hint that they were in danger, then the next minute, six demons stood next to them. With no visible entry point, it was almost as if they had just popped into existence.
As abruptly as it began however, it was over as Cade pulled his sword free from the last demon's skull. Despite being on high alert, he scanned the surroundings again, wanting to find any clue as to where the monsters had appeared from, not wanting a repeat of that ambush. Due to his nature, he'd been looking for such things even in the midst of combat.
Robyn was more straight forward, if she saw a demon, she made sure to stick an arrow in it. The pair’s fighting styles were complimentary. Like him though, she feared that reinforcements could arrive at any moment, drowning them in a wave of bodies. Though, that paled in comparison to her worry for Isabelle, and the danger she was willingly putting herself in. This was one of those times where she didn’t know if she wanted to slap some sense into her, or hug her tightly.
An uneasy peace settled on the scene but neither Cade or Robyn wanted to take advantage of it. Cade, on a hunch, went over to the wall that the demons had positioned themselves in front of, touching it lightly with his sword. The first two places he did this, it didn't feel any different then the sword hitting off ordinary brick, but the third one, the sword's blade disappeared inside. He cast a look at Robyn, and wordlessly motioned towards it, making it clear what the intention was. In return, Robyn nodded back and readied her bow as the pair stepped through the wall, both intent on probing deeper into the nest.
Isabelle got her breath back under control as she was panting hard. She flicked her sword clean of the demon gore that covered it before sheathing it. She had started the fight in the corridor where she had encountered the Fisher King, but that wasn't where she ended it. More and more demons had turned up which meant she moved further and further away. Looking back at the dissolving corpses, Isabelle didn't actually take note over how many she'd killed there, thinking it must have been eight at least. She had taken a few hits but nothing that would impede her ability, certainly nothing she hadn’t dealt with before. Though, as long as she was on her own, she couldn't afford to take any risks
This new place she was in formed a T-junction, with the middle turn off being where she'd just fought her way through. That gave her two directions to travel in. Using the ache of her scar as a guide, she opted for the part that was on the incline heading down. The corridor itself looked no different than the last. She travelled down for a few minutes when the faint murmur of voices caught up to her ears. Even at this distance, she could tell that they were demonic in origin. They only got louder the further down she went, which suggested that whoever was talking was stationary, and there seemed to be two participants. From her experiences so far, the demons she'd encountered hadn’t spoke at all, not even giving the usual threats and promises of pain. Isabelle’s heart began to race as she thought about the implications.
The corridor opened into another large area not too dissimilar to where she had encountered the large black knight being earlier. This one though had shown more signs of activity with empty crates and a large variety of machines. She quickly crouched behind some machinery, wanting to confirm her suspicions about who was talking.
Ahead of her stood two humanoid figures, tall and broad. They looked to be wearing business suits, tailor made to fit their frames. Their skin had a reddish tinge to it with animalistic faces. They spoke in brutish tones.
“That twit that Black Knight saddled us with has screwed up big time,” the one on the left said.
“You actually expected them to be of use? They couldn't tell their arse from their elbow!” the other one laughed
Isabelle stopped in her tracks when she heard that name.
Black Knight? Do they mean that thing I fought or is there something else going on here? She thought to herself. Feeling a little emboldened, she crept a little closer to the pair.
“That idiot's stunt could have brought down the entire place on our heads! Plus the bitch escaped still!” The one on the left said as he cast his eyes about the place.
“Things are still in place. Our trap is still ready to be sprung.”
“Then we can get our revenge on that bastard, right? I'm itchin to get started!”
“Patience, Mardoc. I'm dying just as much as you to tear that man apart but we just have to wait.”
Isabelle peeped over her hiding spot to observe the demons. The way her scar was reacting told her that these two were of a completely different class than the others. While both demons shared certain facial features, common with most demons, a pair of obsidian coloured horns for instance. The one who had just been talking bore a large horn in the middle of his head that curved back. Trusting what she’d learned during her rigorous training, Isabelle knew he was the strongest of the pair. The other, now identified as Mardoc, was clearly weaker but only in comparison to his brother, something she didn’t know demons could even have.
“...And if the trap should fail? What then Maleagant? We gunna run away again with our tails between our legs?”
Maleagant turned to his brother and smiled before grabbing by the throat and lifting him violently into the air in a manner that even startled Isabelle.
“Are you doubting my leadership? As that would be very unwise, wouldn't it? You runt!” Maleagant effortlessly tossed him to the ground. “They may have got lucky once before but mark my words. We'll have our payment in blood. Wether it be his, or his precious daughters. Our ally within Black Knight promised us that much!” Maleagant stopped and sniffed the air.
Isabelle’s scar went into overdrive as even as she crouched down well out of sight, she felt the demon's eyes on her, and it was like nothing she'd experienced before.
Does he know I'm here? She wondered to herself. Avalon had long been aware how demons could track humans, like all predators hunting their prey, and had come up with several different methods to try and stop that from happening to their soldiers, using research gathered from other sources. Isabelle and all her comrades were bathed in these chemical concoctions to mask their presence from demonic senses. However, there was little said about if this worked further up the food chain.
After a few seconds, Isabelle bravely peered out from her hiding place and saw that while the atmosphere was tense, the mood between the Blood Brothers was more at ease, with Maleagant clearly asserting his position.
“As I said, the trap will soon be sprung, and well get what we deserve,” Maleagant spoke calmly as he straightened his jacket.
“Let's go, no sense waiting down here when the action is about to kick off.
“Yeah…What about the Fisher King then? Aren't you worried about him?” Mardoc asked.
“I hope he starts something, give us an excuse to kill him, he's Black Knight’s problem not ours. With any sense he'd fled back to his hidey hole, some legend eh?” Maleagant laughed so Mardoc laughed, before his brother hit him round the back of the head. “Now move it, otherwise we'll miss the fun, and we can't have that. Mardoc nodded hastily and then the pair left, leaving Isabelle with more questions and feeling very shaken. Her decision to try and take this on all by herself laying broken on the ground….
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Next Chapter (not live yet!)
Well that's all!
I'm hoping my life will calm down a bit now, giving me some time to relax...Howver looking ahead, I'm doubting that!
Till next time...
Keep on writing!
Peter James Martin
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