Benmar woke up by a life threatening chill and then he felt ice cold water all over him. His first thought was that someone had thrown him into the river. In his stupor, he tried to swim but found out that his hands were tied. He was not in river at all; someone had poured a bucket of cold water on him.
Benmar grunted under his beard and started to scan around him. He found himself in a large hall with a burning fire pit before him. His vision hadn't fully returned yet, so he couldn't make out visually who his kidnappers were. However, he smelled of Tundra Ale, charbroiled meat and order of sweat said it all: he was in a Barbarian's camp.
A strand of lose hair fell off and blocked Benmar's vision. Hands tied, he below the hair out of the way with a big huff.
A young barbarian approached Benmar. "Hey little man, Wake up!"
"Shut up Rolf! Let me do the talking!" A voice boomed behind the young barbarian.
Benmar managed to stuck out his frozen neck and looked pass the young man. He saw an old and grizzled barbarian lolled in a large chair made out of horns. Benmar recognized him immediately: Kram, the chieftain of the Wolverine Tribe.
The barbarian chieftain was wrapped in layers of fur patched up together very roughly. Beside him stood two towering Blood Guards, both wearing a battered iron cap and a simple fur wrap around their torsos, exposing impressive pecks. Their bronze skins reflected the lights from two large brazens set before the barbarian lord.
"Ah, buddy! We have met again."The barbarian chieftain greeted the dwarf loudly with a smile warmer than sunshine.
"What's the meaning of this?" Benmar asked hotly with great measure of rancor.
"Well, what a question. You have stole and broke my ax and I need you to fix it." Benmar was baffled for a second and then he flung back at the Barbarian
"None sense. I was attacked on my way to Ubbin Falls. Let me go now, or else I will report your crime to Lord Ostric."
"That old fool." Bolan snorted at the name of the lord of Ubbin Falls.
"Stealing from a barbarian is a serious crime on the tundra."Kram's warm and welcoming smile evaporated in an instant and now he donned the cold mask of the murderous chieftain. "But considering the circumstances. I will let you live, if you repair what you broke." Kram's voice was firm, his decision final.
"By the gods! I am not a thief! I have to remind you that I am suppose to be back tonight with some important deliveries! If I didn't show up, Lord Ostric is going to send his troupes to look for me—"
"Bah! That idiot can't even find his own pants." Bolan cut Benmar off.
Kram shot Bolan a stern glance, willing him to be quiet. Bolan cursed under his breath and spat a wad of phlegm in his protest.
Kram pushed himself up to sit straight in his horny chair; his face wore a massive frown:"Bring me the Boil."
His words lightened up the barbarians' mood, including Bolan.
Hoder, Rolf's long time bully looped out of the tent in excitement with three other companions. After a while, they came back with a massive cauldron and set it on top of the fire pit at the center of the room.
It wasn't long before the cauldron started to bubble.
Hoder's face was lit up with excitement.
"Double double, toil and trouble!" Benmar cursed but his words was buried under the bubbling of boil water.
Hoder was only seventeen but his hulking frame was already larger than Kram. No one had seen a barbarian this big and therefore everyone called him The Ogre. His massive hand caught Benmar's tied feet and he lifted the dwarf up and hang him upside down above the cauldron. Hoder turned his head over the shoulder and looked to Kram for the order.
Benmar struggled to break free, "Let me go. This is a mistake! You have the wrong person! Ah- Let me go, thick skulked bastard. Let the cave daemon take you! I curse you all."
Kram's lips twisted into a smirk.
"Fix the ax and you will live."
Benmar swore that he was getting closer to the bubbling water. His beard had protected some of his skin from the hot stream, while the heat seared his the rest of his face. The steam forced him to squeeze his eyes shut, leaving only a slit for him to measure the distance between him and death.
"You bastards! The wolf will take you all! You will pay for this! I —" Benmar shouted but as a gush of hot steam rushed into his lungs, he was caught by fit of cough.
By then, the heat had worked its way through Benmar scalp, sending the pain equivalent of a thousand pin pricks. Benmar's curse started to turn into a painful moan. Rolf was stunned by the development, he knew Benmar was innocent. The painful cry scared him, it could and should be him being tortured right now instead of the dwarf.
"Just say yes..." Rolf screamed in his mind.
"Yes, YES! I will fix your goddamn ax!" Benmar finally gave up.
"Enough." Kram nodded at Hoder, willing him to release the dwarf. Hoder looked disappointed. None the less, he set Benmar on the floor and untied him.
"Ah- where are our manners, boys? Haha! Bring our old friend some Ale!" A broad smile finally broke over Kram's face.
"By the gods, Kram! You almost killed me! You despicable bastard! I have saved your life more than once, and this is how you treat me? You piece of shit! I spit on your mother's grave—"
Kram shoveled the side of a crudely fashioned goblet into Benmar's mouth , stopping his words cold in track. Benmar's mouth was suddenly filled with Ale that tasted worse than horse piss.
"Let's talk in private , old friend." Kram grinned.