retreat. The monster came at him again, determined
to rip the human apart. The Esterblud struck again at the beast,
hitting it in the jawbone and opening up
another wound. However, he saw the spot where he hit the creature before was now
healed, leaving only black blood stains. He understood this was why
the monster was nearly indestructible; its’ wounds healed almost
immediately.
Feverishly considering his options, Urith continued
to use the foliage to his advantage. He ducked into another dense
area of brush and tried to catch his breath. The Esterblud knew the
monster would fight him until he made a mistake. His mind raced as
he thought of vulnerable spots of all creatures. Suddenly, instead
of pushing through the brush, the Clovel jumped high above him,
landing in the tree. Surprised, Urith ran around the tree, then
stopped, observing the monster, readying for its next move. The
Clovel suddenly leaped down, intent on landing
on the warrior. Urith raised his sword in time to impale the
creature. The monster howled in pain, as Urith stepped back,
withdrawing his sword only to follow up with a hack into the
beast’s side. The monster howled again, turning to face the
warrior. Expecting the move, Urith was ready. He shoved his sword
into the red eye of the beast. The young man ’s
aim was true, and the most deadly monster
brought forth by the Guardians died at his feet.
A wave of satisfaction swept across Urith as he
limped away from the creature. He bent over to examine his wounded
leg. The bite was minor, mostly bruised. His thick leather bindings were able to withstand the
creature’s bite. As he caught his breath, he suddenly heard the
soft sound of sobbing. The forest still remained deathly quiet as
he followed the sound through the brush until he came upon a
footpath. He followed the path, his nose picking up the smell wood
smoke as he eventually came to a clearing. Pausing, he heard the
soft chants of a death song in Esterblud. So deep in the remote
areas outside of his lands, the use of his tribal language
surprised him. As he walked to the sound, he heard the words which
struck him.
“ Your hopes and desires will be
silent understanding of the beyond. Release my spirit to the
eternal world of bliss,” said a young voice. When Urith emerged
from the forest, he saw, ahead of him in the clearing, a young girl
with her back to him. Deeper into the
clearing, he found a partially built wooden hut. The Esterblud
realized the settlers must have made the unfortunate decision to
settle near the lair of the Clovel. Taking a deep breath, he strode
toward the lone figure.
Lying on the ground in front of the girl were two
bodies. As he got closer, he could see the mangled remains of a man
and woman. Other bodies lay near the home, extended family to help
on the farm. When he reached the girl, the young warrior reached
down, then recoiled when the girl turned her head.
It was the face of an old man who looked at Urith.
With thick folds of wrinkled skin and bleach
gray hair covering parts of the face, the apparition smiled a
toothless grin.
“ Stare upon the hallowed dead,
young hero. Are the deaths of my mother and father not worthy of
eternal peace like your warriors?” The old face growled at him in a
voice that seemed strangely familiar. The warrior could think of
nothing to say. His mouth suddenly went dry when he saw the scar
from the old man’s lip to his ear. “No, the worth of such peasants
is meaningless to your world. These spirits must travel to the
underworld, honorable in life, yet still not worthy of the Sky
Realm. Spirits gathered by gods unworthy of
the title. I would ask why must we worship gods who use our souls as fodder for their games?”
The little girl with the old face rose to confront him The body grew in size, the skin now
blackened and the face transforming to become a spare, birdlike
face with large pointed ears. The foul creature floated above the
ground.
“ You placed yourself above