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"This is it," said Sterner, coming to a halt.
"Aye," agreed Raner with narrowed eyes. He looked up and down the castle laggardly and gave a low sigh. "Awfully high."
"Awfully well guarded," noticed the man excitedly, his wide, shaking eyes stuck to the strolling knights that protected the castle.
"Aye."
"You ready?" wondered Sterner, placing two fingers on the hilt of his slender, hooked blade that was crudely hung on his thigh. Raner had warned him that he'd never find a good scabbard for that blade, but Sterner didn't listen. Sterner never listened, and he had no intention of beginning now. Without waiting for Raner's response, he charged out from behind the tree and drew his sword as he ran.
"Aye," sighed Raner, lazily stepping out of the forest and walking after his partner. He watched every knight fall before Sterner while their heads flew off in all directions. Blood soaked Sterner's blade and followed it like a crimson tail.
"Haha! That all? Is that all?" boasted the crazed man, sinking the hooked tooth of his sword into a knight's neck. "Weren't you trained for this? Eh? Feeling quiet?" laughed Sterner, leaning over and picking up the bloody, decapitated head. "I may be an enemy, but you can talk to me!" He made the head nod. "So talk!"
"Hello," whispered Sterner, covering his mouth. His words were high and mocking.
"Why, hello! That's better!" greeted Sterner, roaring with laughter. He spotted Raner from the corner of his eye and shrugged. "Sorry, I have to go." He grinned and tossed the head into the castle wall. Raner cringed when he heard the low splat. "You missed out."
"Aye." Raner looked around the blood soaked field and ran his eyes up the castle. "She's at the top?"
"Yep! A real beauty, they say. Cap'n says she'll be a nice ********, ha ha!" He jabbed his blade into the leather loop sewn into his chaps, and jerked the hilt several times to make sure it was secure. "Shall we begin the siege?"
"Aye." Raner gave a curt nod and pointed to the thick, castle doors. His finger began to crack as it curled upwards. The door exploded and wooden splinters rained down on the two men.
"Great!" Sterner laughed, glancing at Raner's twisted finger. "Does it hurt?"
"It stopped hurting years ago." answered the man, shaking his head slowly. The finger cracked once more and returned to its normal position.
"Well, let's go!" Sterner raced ahead. "Kill everyone, but the princess, right?"
"Spare the queen if she looks young." said Raner, recalling his captain's orders. A shiver ran up his spine when he remembered his grin. A grin more twisted than my finger.
"Ho ho! Hello!" laughed his partner from within the castle walls. He heard a loud bang. "Sorry for tripping you, haha!"
Raner entered the castle and stepped over the fallen knight. He could see thin snakes of blood sliver out from the cracks in his armor. He looked away and ascended the stairway, occasionally stepping to the left or right, depending on which way the bodies fell. He loves to make them fall. noticed the man silently, dodging the rolling corpse of a battered knight.
"Did I ever tell you how good it felt to stand at the top of the stairs?" asked Sterner, a deranged smile stretched across his lips. Raner glanced up at him and kept walking. "It feels great! Ho ho, I love it! Makes me feel like a king- No, a god!" laughed the man, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Captain is the only god, remember that." advised Raner, his voice low and cold.
"Don't get all spooky on me," snapped Sterner, his grin still on his mouth. "Oh, I'll settle for king!" pouted the man, whipping around and walking towards the throne doors.
"Did you check the rooms on the way up?" asked Raner.
"I looked in 'em. Just a bunch of kids and women. No fun, if you ask me. They don't fight, just cry. Cry and cry, oh, we'd never go thirsty if we kept a few of 'em at the base!" jested Sterner, kicking down the towering doors that led the king and queen's chamber. "Greetings, my royal subjects!"
Did he show the children mercy? Or is he saving them for once we finish the mission? He trailed behind Raner and entered the throne room.
"Please, do not touch them!" pleaded the king, dropping to his knees. He fell so quickly that his crown toppled from his head and rolled into the wall.
The high ringing noise made Sterner frown. "Hate that noise! I hate that noise!" roared the man, stomping his foot upon to floor. "Oh, I hate it! It sounds so high, so light! Needs to sound more like this!" He grinned and lunged towards the king with a gross cackle. He grabbed hold of the man's arm and twisted it. The king and his bones both cried out in pain. "Now that's a good sound!" hooted Sterner, kicking the king onto his back. "Eh," he grunted, looking over the ruler. "Can you kill him? I wanna see the power again."
Raner glanced at Sterner and then at the king. He nodded. "Aye." He stretched out his hand and two fingers wrenched back.
The king's body trembled and his bloody bones tore through his flesh and rolled lifelessly onto the ground. He didn't even have time to scream as his face peeled away to make away for his emerging skull.
"Gruesome!" complimented Sterner, grinning madly at the pile of meat and flesh. His beaming eyes went to the small mound of crimson bones. "So you can control bones?"
"Sort of."
"Scary!" giggled Sterner. He looked over at the queen and cocked his head to the side. "Young or old? What do you think?"
Raner approached the shaking, sobbing queen and examined her with disinterest. He traced her wrinkles wit his eyes. "Too old."
"Lemme do this one," volunteered Sterner, skipping over to frightened woman. "Hello, my name is Sterner. I'm thirty-one, and I love quiet walks in the woods and suffering. I think I like suffering more though." He inspected her as if she were a piece of equipment that he wanted to purchase. "Yes, I think you'll be fun. Raner, would you be a friend and get the princess for me?"
"I don't see her." said the man, turning his head to the side.
"Hm, I don't think I see her either. Hey, lady. Want to live? Tell me where your daughter is and I'll leave you and all the servants alone!"
The queen's pale, wet facing looked down. She muttered something, but Raner couldn't hear it.
"What is that? My friend and I are a bit hard of hearing, I suppose. I bet we're not as bad as you though!" laughed Sterner. "So could you repeat that please?"
"I will not tell you."
"What a shame." Sterner drew his hooked blade and brought it down onto her shoulder. She cried out as her arm dropped to the ground. Sterner picked it up with his free hand and slapped her with it. "Where is she?"
The queen only cried.
Sterner slapped her again. "Where is she?" asked the lunatic politely, an innocent smile dancing across his lips.
The queen screamed.
Sterner struck her again. "Where is she....please?"
"I'm getting a headache." groaned Raner.
"Not a fan of screams?" Sterner seemed disappointed. "Pity. You can step out if you want. Maybe look through the group of women hiding out in the room on the third floor?" Raner saw something flash in the queen's eyes. He knew where she was. Why is he playing this game with her and me?
"Aye," He left and closed the chamber doors to block out the queen's screams. He and the captain are too similar for my tastes. observed Raner, descending the steps. When he came to the third floor, he saw a women in fine clothing sitting in the center of a crowd of ragged crones and maids. "Princess." She looked away. "Do not be difficult." She refused to face him. Raner sighed and weaved through the hoard of women, swatting away their weak, shaking hands away. "Princess, my captain has great interest in you."
"I have no interest in that beast!" screeched the woman, tossing a golden ring at Raner. His finger crunched and the band turned to dust before it touched him. "If you do not listen, I can have you explode. I can have your bones sliver out from your flesh. I can shatter your mind and turn you into the finest doll in all the land." he threatened calmly. But only when our eyes meet. He could only use his powers on humans when his and their eyes were linked. If you were a mere object like that captain and Sterner believe, I wouldn't need your eyes. he complained silently, glaring at her. "Your mother and father are dead." He saw her body jerk weakly. "Your knights are dead, and my partner will give you and your maids the same fate if you stay. Come with me and all those living within these walls will be spared." It was a lie. He could ask Sterner to show mercy, but he already knew Sterner would never do it. He wants to bathe this castle in blood. He held out his hand. "Grab my hand and save your subjects."
The princess looked to him helplessly. She was more beautiful than the marble statues that littered the captain's courtyard. "Do you swear it?"
"I swear." He gave her a stiff bow.
"They will be untouched?"
"Aye." He wouldn't dirty his hands with women and children. He'll feed you all to his blade. He nodded.
"Then...for my people...I will leave."
"Your people number lower than a hundred. You're a princess in name, nothing more. Don't act like a regal hero." snickered Sterner from the doorway. His sword rested on his shoulder, its blade dripping with blood.
"I am Princess Brilel Quelk Titine the Third!" raged the woman violently.
"You're a b***h with a pretty face and a fancy crown." growled Sterner.
"Enough," moaned Raner, glancing towards his partner with impatient eyes. He grabbed Brilel's arm and tore her away from her maids. "Do not touch them," warned Raner as he passed Sterner.
"What? Can't touch 'em? Can I cut 'em then?"
"No, we're leaving."
"Leaving? So soon? And I can't even kill them?"
"It's the only way the princess will come with us."
Sterner squinted his eyes. "I see. But we can easily overpower her, what does it matter if she comes willingly or not?"
"We are leaving." repeated Raner sternly.
"Giving orders, are we?"
"Just keeping a promise."
"A promise to a dog!" laughed Sterner. "What? Has her pretty face ensnared you, Raner? Don't let it fool you, beneath that mask of cosmetics and flesh is a cold beast."
"I'd hate to see what was under your mask of insanity."
"You're letting a woman tear us about!" whined Sterner, giggling. It was a joke to him, Raner knew that Sterner wouldn't take him seriously.
"Let's go." barked Raner. I'm growing sick of you, Sterner. Sick of your words and that laugh.
"Such a bad mood! Ooooh, the shivers I'm getting!" chuckled Sterner.
"We're going." Raner climbed down the stairs with Princess Brilel's hand still in his. He listened and sighed with relief when he heard Sterner follow.
"You're lucky that I like you." griped the man.
And you're lucky that I must follow the captain's orders, or you'd be dead. Raner pulled the princess along and refused to look back.

To be continued