A Spriggan's Horn

Kram dragged Benmar into his private tent with Rolf in tow.

The thrall on the floor scrambled to a dark corner but Benmar saw her right away.

"You sick fuck!" Benmar shot Kram a searing glance. His face was awash with anger. The girl was piratically just a child,about same age as his own daughter. "I should have left you dead at the Reach and let those Stakors take your life!"

Benmar was very old. He had been old ever since the oldest human in the world was just a babe. He had met Kram when the latter was in his troublesome teenage years.

"But you didn't, old man. Thanks to you, those Stakors are dead." Kram put on a smug smile. He reached his massive hand over to the thrall's shoulder and grabbed her by the neck.

"Look at her. What a pretty face, don't you think?" Kram pressed his nose into the thrall's blond hair and sniffed hard. "Smiles even better."

The girl started trembling uncontrollably, but she kept her chin up. Tears glittered in her eyes, but she didn't allow them to pour out.

Rolf winced as he wondered why Kram always had to be such a dick. He had seen the girl last night and he knew Kram didn't lay a single finger on her. He would have if he wanted to.

"May the devil take you. You let her go now, or else you will never have your ax fixed!"

Kram get go of the thrall and then cracked a smile. "What's the matter old man, I was just messing with you. Show some spirit!" Kram slapped heavily on Benmar's should.

Benmar grumbled something and then asked:"Where the heck is the ax?"

Kram reached in to leather satchel that was hitched to his sash and produced the broken Battle Ax. When Kram handed the ax to Benmar, he saw the dwarf's eyes lit up.

Benmar was speechless for a dozen seconds, and all he could do was stare at the incredible craftsmanship of the ax.

Rolf snorted, and murmured to himself:"Pis... piece of junk." as he reflected the failure of the weapon to deliver the magic power while his life was hanging on a thread.

"Nonsense!" Benmar's voice was bursting with emotion. "This was the work of Grand master of House Steelbrew of the Blue Mountain. Ahhh, old Fili will be thrill to see this piece. Look at the meant bite, and the way it flares out. It ought be forged in the Mithril Hall during the second era about five thousands years ago." Benmar's beard was trembling and same was his hands. He carefully turned the ax over and saw the red rune stone.

"The Rune stone of Uar! Haha! Now that's a rare sight! And look at this handle! It's spriggan's horn and by the gods, Who broke it? WHO!" Benmar's asked hotly and his face was contorted by anger. He stared right into Rolf's eyes accusatory. Rolf was unnerved by the dwarf's stare, he looked to Kram and and then back at Benmar, gave him a shrug and then said :"It suppose to be you."

"Bah! Doesn't matter any more." Benmar turned to Kram and said:"Well, I got good news and bad news. Good new is that it's an easy fix, and the bad news is that you have to get another spriggan horn and those fuckers are stingy as hell. How did you get this ax anyway?"

"I won it in an ax throwing competition with a drunken dwarven vanguard."

"Bull shit, dwarven vanguards only carry spears, not battle axes. Anyways, I will need to make a trip back to the city to prepare before we set out for the Spriggan."

"For how long?"

"A month, a years, or maybe a decade."

"You have two weeks." Kram said firmly.

"Can't do!"

"It will have to. I need it in two weeks no matter what. I will keep your caravan in my camp until you have returned with my new ax.I don't want those things to slow you down, that's quiet a lot of cold silver you are carrying. Rolf will go with you as well." Kram gave Rolf a side long glance and then said with a contemptuous smirk :"Apparently, he is a Giant-slayer."

"I AM a giant-slayer." Rolf scream in his mind.

"You are a worm, did you know that, Kram? Rotten and hopeless!" Benmar cursed vehemently.

The goal of his trip to the coastal mine was not only to collect the cold silver for princess Aelia's blade, but also to gather material to make armors for the young dwarfs in the Black Hands. Their linen tunic could scarcely protect them from the nibbles of street rats, much less the sharp black steels in the hands of the religious fanatics. The non-humans had been barred from purchasing armor and weapons for three years and the price of armor had risen so high on the black market that even the richest dwarven banker couldn't afford a piece of leather shine guard at the Prancing Pony's basement.

Benmar huffed and puffed, but Kram was unfazed.

After a while, Benmar finally gathered himself and accepted the reality. He heaved a sigh of resignation and then said:"Fine, I can try to get it back to you in two weeks. I will try to take a look at the market in the city. If you are lucky, there might be parts in the mad wizard's tower that he is willing to part." Benmar was talking about the Lord Ostric's court wizard Eledalf.

"One more thing." Kram said quietly with a much soften tone.

"What is it now?"

"Take her with you, her village is half days ride east. It's on your way." Kram said as he pointed to the thrall.

Rolf was surprised by Kram's decision.

"Why?" Rolf asked.

"Because I don't want to see her ugly face." Kram answered with a disgusted look on his face. For that, the girl shot Kram an indignant stare.

After some preparation, the three were on their way toward the small village where the girl ad came from.