Dragon's Curse

Chapter 10: Glare

With the door pressed on the backside of his palms and back, Marcus took a step from the door.

I have no idea where I’m going....and.... Taking a step forward, It all looks the same!

Looking left he saw a dark hallway, nothing similar to what he had once come down. Turning to attempt to walk the other way, his foot nearly tripped on a small bundled object. Stealing a glance downward he found Kent curled up, laying to the side of the wall with this legged pulled up to his chin. His eyes were closed and unseeing, he didn't move when Marcus nearly ran into him. Kent stayed unmoving, deep in thought. Bending down to get eye level with Kent, Marcus stared at his unmoving figure.

How do I comfort someone I barely know? Let alone comfort someone when I have no experience doing so....

"Hey.... Um....Kent? Anything I can do for you?"

"......"

"Yeah.... Your father is kind of a clopholflagin... You really shouldn't take it to heart?"

"......wait...what?" Kents head snapped up, and his eyes met Marcus's. The side of his cheek was swollen and bruised. The lump forming on his face was red, and was raised so it affected his eye.

“You...shouldn’t take it to heart...?” Macus said tilting his head.

“No, no, not that. The clolachagin?”

“Clopholflagin?”

“Yeah....”

“Oh... you must not use that term here.”

“Clearly.”

“Its like... -”His voice was interrupted by the sound of crushing feet thudding through the stone hall.

Soon a figure caught up with the sound, around the corner came a mass of curly brown hair. Jiple came to a halting spot after noticing the two figures  crouched at the floor.

“Oh hey there, almost ran right over you! What are you doing down there lads?”

At what angle Jiple was at Kent’s body was still out of view. Marcus shifter his body to turn to look at Jiple. With the shift, Kent finally came within view.

“Aw man, you too Kent?”

“Me too what?”

“You got into a fight too.”

“I didn’t get into a fight, Jiple. And-wait, what? What fight?”

“There’s a fight going on in the training yard.”

Kent shook his head with a roll of his eyes and started to stand up.

“Yes, Jiple, that’s usually a common occurrence in the training yard.”

“Not like this!” As if trying to make a point, he threw his hands in the air.

Finally on their feet, Kent and Marcus looked back at Jiple, willing him to go on with their stares.

“I don’t quite know where to start.  Or hmm...”

Jiple started walking down the hallways with both men trailing behind him.

“Maybe at the beginning?” Marcus chimed in, continuing behind them.

“Well, I don’t know the beginning. I came across it later, after it had already started. What got my attention first was the fact there was a woman fighting.”

Huffing out a breath of air, Kent rolled his eyes once more.

“Yes, Jiple, that happens, there are in fact a few women that have practiced there.”