Page 9 - SagaOfBarak1

stranger who must guess and be left to ponder, as to what dark misfortune is
obviously afoot here? ’

Hubert’s hairy weather-beaten face wrinkled as he fought back tears. The
troubled man bowed his head as he fumbled nervously with his ample ever
greying beard.
‘Barak my Lord, you are indeed as ever and always correct in all things,’ he
mumbled in a most distressed fashion. ‘Aye and all is not well here at the great
castle; no, no, it is not well at all my Lord.’
Hubert spoke these sad solemn words in an almost hushed and mumbled
whisper as he stood there with his bearded raggy head bowed.
Now the huge man in reply to these words grunted and scowled as he gave
off a most disconcerting growl. And this as the warrior prepared himself for the
bad tidings that he already guessed was obviously sure to come. While silently
contemplating this disaster, next the overly large warrior swayed his bucket sized
head that had atop of it a well-worn chain link helmet. A much repaired chain
link helmet at that, draped down to Barak’s broad shoulders. The huge warrior
swayed his head gently at first from side to side this way and that, and then he
gave it a sudden violent jerk. His great heavily muscled neck creaked then clicked
itself with a loud crack into place. With this done the giant, for giant the man
truly was gave out a low lion-like growl of both relief and pleasure. And this he
did before once again continuing to speak out in a low rumble.
‘Please believe me, that much I had already surmised friend Hubert,’ the man
called Barak said frankly and evenly. As said previously it was in a somewhat
stiff and painful manner by the looks of things that the giant had dismounted
from the big gelding after his long ride. Now after clicking his thick neck back
into place the ogre stretched his huge arms skyward. With this done the huge
warrior began stamping some life back into his big booted feet, and indeed so
hard that the ground it fair shook.
Standing there now towering high above the castle guards Barak was indeed
a true giant of a man. Aye indeed Barak was a colossus of a man. And a man
who in appearance was every bit as awesome and as fearsome as he had been
described and depicted to these four new sentinels in the past weeks and months
they had eagerly awaited his return. Indeed it would be true to say Barak was
without any doubt the most frightening looking warrior in the very extreme. Now
this ogre stood standing there, well he was indeed nearer seven foot than six foot
tall. From the top of his huge shaven head, aye and also over almost every part
of his massive body the famed slayer was adorned with the most elaborate of
tattoos. Vivid colourful images of scaly dragons and giant jungle serpents
intertwined in their bloody heroic death battles covering almost every inch of
this huge being. Etched all about the giant’s massive frame were the likenesses
of strange animals none there in that company had ever before set their eyes upon,
or for that matter ever would. So tattooed was the giant that only through small

13