《Melio》
A Stormy Beginning
The world was as wild and vast as it was beautiful. Birds of all feathers navigated the winds, fish large and small swam the channels of the oceans, and animals both fierce and cunning roamed its great open lands. But there was discord in the world, beast fought beast for territory and food while flying behemoths cleared great swathes of ocean life in need to sustain their own. During this period of chaos, great amounts of energy were released in titanic clashes of the unrestrained creatures, and began to congeal into formless masses of emotions and energy, each bearing a disposition relevant to that which birthed them. These ¡°spirit¡± beings gave in to the overpowering nature of the energy that created them, clashing with each other in horrifying displays of pure destructive power and emotion. Each time a spirit would falter, it would be devoured by a stronger entity, merging the essences of the spirits, gaining in strength and also, awareness. All the while, fragments of spirits lost in combat scattered and absorbed into the soils of the world.
This period lasted for over one thousand years, reshaping the land into its current state and reducing the population of beasts to near extinction levels. The few remaining spirits had at this point gained rational thought and personalities and began to notice the world around them. A few of the more intelligent spirits saw the scarred earth, barren seas and heard only the sound of anguish and rage carried in the winds and knew if the battles continued, there would hardly be anything left in the aftermath. Gathering together, these intelligent spirits realized that while they had put a hold on their hostile nature, other spirits had embraced the inherited rage and now used their intellect to manipulate the creatures of the world into visions of their own.
These malevolent spirits spread aggression and hate wherever they chose, caring only about what cruel entertainment could be garnered from their instigated conflicts. The rational spirits saw a number of their own devoured during attempts at peaceful interaction with the aggressors, and abandoned the hope for a peaceful end. Determined, the gathered spirits then went on the attack, assaulting the remaining hostile entities, defeating those that would have the world arrive at an abrupt and cataclysmic end. The conclusion of the onslaught gave the few remaining spirits greater power, having devoured the hostile forces and subduing the malicious tendencies that they harbored. Very quickly, the victorious spirits noticed they had gained the ability to converse directly with creatures that closely resembled their nature, as well as being able to grant some of their own power to creatures of their choosing.
The remaining six spirits once again convened to decide as to how they would use these new found abilities, and produced The Contract. Under this contract each spirit took the title of Aspect, and was charged with choosing an Advocate to bless with power and assist in creating a balance amongst the remaining species of the world. The Contract also enabled The Aspects a measure of control over some of the development and growth of their contracted species. Under the guidance of the Aspects and their chosen, the seas slowly began to flourish anew with life, the winds filled with bird song rather than sounds of battle, and the land regained the luster lost from countless battles. The surge of returned life also rekindled the spirit fragments that had fallen to the earth during the great battles, and as such, many centuries passed during which the world erupted with life. New forms of creatures arose from the land soaked in spirit essence, each one taking its place under the Aspects¡¯ Contract. One such creature that arrived toward the end of this period was the Human.
This new race puzzled the Aspects, as most of the creatures in the world had limited range of thought and emotions, humans had a wide variety of complex emotions and the capability for higher intellect, each differing from the next. This range of variation made the Aspects unable to interact or interfere with humans, and at a loss as to how and where this species could fit in the contract that they so painstakingly preserved. Even worse, the Aspects began to notice that the new species quarreled amongst themselves, much like the beasts of old. New energy was released upon the world, exuded from all manner of human emotion and with no Contract to channel it, began to eat away at the Aspects¡¯ control.
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The Aspects, frantic to find some way to bring the new race into the Contract, began to lose control of their charges as man¡¯s reach spread. As the weakening of the Contract worsened, the creatures subdued by the power of the Aspects turned once again feral and aggressive. Faced with the onslaught of creatures no longer passive to the newcomers and far more powerful than themselves, humans began to gather together and learn. Some created tools to help defend each other, and others used tools to create the first Walls. Innovation lead to prosperity. They built great Walls around themselves, encompassing areas large and small, to keep out the creatures of the world and allowing the people to continue to build knowledge of the primal yet beautiful world beyond.
This stalemate also had its own unique effect on the world. Human essence mixes and congeals with the energy once strictly controlled via The Contract. This began to happen across the world as each individual settlement grew and flourished, hidden safely behind their Walls.
Each community began to grow unique cultures, customs, and technology fit for their needs. In the cooler areas of the north, humans learned to use the lands own heat to keep their homes warm and the streets alight. In the arid southern lands of a large continent, humans learned to search for water deep underground, some even finding these oasis as a fit place to live. In the gargantuan forests just off the coast of a small continent, humans built expansive caged walkways beyond their Wall, hidden amongst the thick canopy, making trade and travel safe for all in the area. In the plains lands most prominent across the world, humans harvest the steady winds to assist in various ways, some to ease the burden of farm labor, others use large mills to generate their own energy, easing many aspects of their daily lives.
Having developed a sense of security within the Walls, humans began to look beyond their own borders and into The Wild. While some ventured out in search of new or strange materials to aid in tool synthesis, Hunters began to find sport amongst the beasts, hunting and harvesting the creatures for whatever could prove to be valuable. Hunters became a symbol of strength for each community as they carved paths through The Wild in search for rare prey.
During the time humans lived, died, quarreled and loved within their Walls, the ever increasing amounts of human essence interacted with The Contract, already hulking creatures to grow once more to massive proportions, and other smaller creatures began to develop awareness and build tools of their own, as well as rudimentary to surprisingly advanced societies scattered throughout ¡°The Wild.¡± While the control over the contracted species weakened, the Aspects discovered that certain members of the human populace had begun to hear their voices. Rare specimens such as these where discovered to be incredibly effective vessels for the power of the Aspects and once more, the six convened.
An argument arose as to how the Aspects would respond to possible human Advocates. Some seeing the ability to interact directly with the humans as a perfect opportunity to try to communicate and guide the humans safely into The Contract. Conversely, the other Aspects thought that giving their power to a race unregulated by The Contract would only hasten the degradation of their influence.
A deal was struck that each Aspect would go to an area of human influence and begin to interact with the humans as they saw fit. Every human generation they agreed to meet and discuss the differences between each territory and its overall effect on the Contract. An island located in the central sea was chosen as their meeting place and the northern areas of the world would become an area of no influence for the Aspects, allowing them to use the humans there to judge the impact of each Aspects impact.
150 years and six generations pass, the Aspects influence continually forced primal essence produced by humans out their territory and it had begun to converge and have a dramatic effect on the northern region of the world.
A Stormy Beginning: Humans Perspective. part 1
When the first Walls were constructed, humans of the region flocked to the new settlements. Excited and relieved that they now had a place they could call home that was protected from the behemoth creatures that had harassed and killed them for so long in The Wild. Each region in which a Wall was raised learned their own methods for agriculture and industry, and humanity flourished. This also led to a degree of isolation, as the newfound safety of the Wall was too tempting to give up in order to keep in contact with other settlements. Hunters, once protectors of their tribe, now had to find a new way of life in this safety. They did this by doing what most humans now would never consider, they left the Walls and wandered The Wild in search of useful materials and information to assist in the bettering of their settlement.
Hunters began to bring back new plants to aid in feeding the growing populace and improve agriculture. New materials found in the bodies of defeated creatures, such as hardened bones, leather, and gem like stones found in all creatures, were used to construct unique and useful items. New ore was mined and utilized in the fortification of the Walls and buildings, as well as the creation of more durable tools and weapons.
This system lead to the founding of the Hunter Order, a place where the Hunters could bring their discoveries and barter them for items to make their own families lives easier. Each human settlement had its own Order and the Hunters earned a margin of respect and prestige from the towns they helped. Soon, Hunters began to compare their achievements with one another, boasting particular kills of especially difficult creatures or the knowledge of ore veins that had granted them wealth. This competitive nature spurred the Hunters to wander further from the safety of the Walls and deeper into the savage lands of The Wild.
Years pass and the Hunters have become a focal point for their settlements. The gathering of rare and precious materials takes precedence over the bettering of their settlement as the humans had become self-sustained within their Walls. Hunter Order buildings grow large and extravagant as the focus shifts from survival to comfort, and Hunters are forced to travel even farther from their settlements in order to satiate the peoples demand for new and better goods. This desire for the new sparks a change in the way the people of the Wall will live, as Hunters, now forced to travel enormous distances to find new creatures and material come into contact with Hunters from other human settlements.
News of the rediscovery of other settlements spurs the Hunters once more, though this time not for materials or goods, but the relocation of their isolated brethren from other settlements. Hunter Orders make contact with one another after years of separation and diversification, and the creation of a new Order was made, The Traders Guild. Heavily reliant upon the Hunters Order, the Traders Guilds begin to hire Hunters in order to map out easily traversed paths through The Wild that would connect them to other settlements, and the creation of the first trails was under way.
On the Western continent, the southern desert dwelling Hunters of Egni made contact with Hunters from the central settlements, Raivaust in the East Prairie and Limll from the Western marshes. These settlements had been constructed in close proximity and had already begun trading. Both Raivaust and Limll had also made contact with a settlement further north in the vast grasslands named Gaile. This meeting created a boom in trading on the continent, in which all four settlements regularly had merchants of their Traders Guild in each town, sharing and trading in local resources as well as information on some of the more dangerous creatures that lurked in the nearby Wild.
As the Western continent began constructing more reliable trails to keep contact with their newly rediscovered brethren, so too did the Eastern part of the world begin to stretch out and make contact.
On the Southeastern Island continent the settlements of Bravima, Velraeth, Karisyll, and Virere began trading in earnest. Bravima gathered the bounty of the sea, which they acquired at the base of the cliffs at which there settlement was located, and traded them for fruits and other foods from Velraeth¡¯s vast farmlands in the grasslands. They received livestock and medicinal herbs that were staple items in Karisyll¡¯s prairies, and also traded for lumber, leather and spices that Virere gathered in abundance in the forested lands it called home. Bravima also had another valuable commodity the others lacked, which was easy access to the main continent and the trade routes connecting to even more settlements.
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The closest settlement to the southern shores of the Eastern continent was Mystes. Mystes held control over a vast portion of the grasslands it resided and benefited greatly from the trade brought from the Bravima merchants. Mystes formed trading routes throughout the Eastern Continent, connecting Cohrson directly to the North with Androf, Pelivahl, and even Dreg located far to the Northwest. With these settlements all using Mystes as a trading hub, Dreg could barter its plentiful ore for spices from the South, Androf could showcase its unique tool production and merchants from Cohrson sold items and information to the Hunter Orders from the material rich creatures that roamed about the tundra. Pelivahl was the only settlement that didn¡¯t have much in the way of materials, information, or goods to barter in Mystes, but the Hunters hailing from the cloud forest settlement boasted the most strength, even going past Dreg into the rough terrain of the Northern mountains to hunt the hulking behemoths in the area. The techniques the Hunters brought from Pelivahl garnered enormous attention as they were highly detailed and diverse methods of tackling even the most daunting of creatures.
This system of travel and commerce had its share of faults though, as in good years 40% of the goods meant to be bartered or sold never made it to their destination, and in bad years nearly 80% was lost. ¡°The Wild always takes its cut,¡± became a common statement when caravans never returned or were so badly set upon they were forced to return to their Wall without even breaking the midway point.
Hunter Orders flourished and grew as trade increased, as strong and trusted guides through The Wild were a must for anyone braving the trails.
This era of trade continued for a century before another human settlement, this one located nearly directly in the middle of the mountain range connecting the East and West continents made contact with the Hunters. This new group of Hunters seemed to appear to both the East and West simultaneously, effectively bridging the two routes and becoming the newest trade center for the entire world. Traders Guilds from both ends of Melio immediately converged on this settlement in hopes of being the first to bring home new and exciting goods from the other side of the world. Naerhelm, as the new settlement was called, also introduced a new method for tool production. Utilizing the small gems that could be found in most creatures in The Wild, gem powered tools flooded the trade routes. These items, such as a box that kept fruits from Velraeth cold and unspoiled during the long trek from Mystes to Egni, caused a huge sensation and even larger industrial development boom to the settlements.
Soon Hunter Orders were overrun with requests from crafters and synthesizers for the creatures ¡°Spirit Cores,¡± as the traders from Naerhelm had called them. All manner of strange and wonderful creations began to appear as these cores were as diverse as the humans who sought to utilize them. As each settlement began experimenting with the cores they found locally and from afar, Naerhelm sent representatives from a unique group of scholars that resided in the Northern mountains. These scholars quickly began to gather all crafters and synthesizers in the settlements to form the Crafters Guild. The Crafters Guilds main purpose was to seek new and innovating methods of utilizing Spirit Cores, as well as cooperate with the Traders Guild to trade not only the creations, but spirit cores from around the world.
A Stormy Beginning: Humans Perspective. part 2 (end)
Not long after experimentation on the uses of spirit cores began taking place around the world, the scholars who helped with the creation of the Crafters Guild returned to Naerhelm, but not before assisting in a final breakthrough in spirit core research. Gathering notes and theories from researchers across the world, the Naerhelm scholars found that fusing spirit cores with metals or wooden materials they could create weapons that hold characteristics of the creature cores used in the creation.
After the discovery of spirit weapon forging and the departure of the Naerhelm scholars, Crafters Guilds across Melio began to forge these new weapons in earnest. Marvelous weapons that gave seemingly magical abilities to those who wield them became a hot commodity in every Hunters Order hall. Daggers forged with the spirit core of agile creatures gave the wielder increased agility and speed, a great sword with the core of a Minotaur would give a Hunter immense strength.
These weapons greatly increased the Hunters capability to protect the traveling merchants of the Traders Guild, improving the rate of which supplies and valuables would reach their intended destination. The Hunters Order halls and Crafters Guilds across Melio began to work together to arm each member with these new weapons, adapting a sort of rite of passage for trainees. Those that prove themselves to be capable of fulfilling the role of a Hunter were given a spirit weapon at their indoctrination. While these gifted weapons were lacking in potency as some of the incredibly powerful arms that highly rated Hunters wield, as those who could would kill a rare or particularly strong creature for their spirit core and gather special ores for the weapon itself, they were well above the performance of mundane weaponry.
While the Order and Guilds relished in this newfound strength and security, some were left wondering why the Naerhelm scholars had left directly after such a momentous discovery. The answer came roughly two years after when Naerhelm introduced a new Order to the trails. The Vanguard Order came equipped with spirit weapons that could rival an entire team of high rated Hunters weapons and took control of a majority of the trails, claiming only they were capable of securing safety and order in The Wilds. The Vanguards were antagonistic towards any Hunters they encountered and would drive the Hunters away from their merchant and citizen charges while claiming they were simply too weak to stand against the creatures that were a constant threat to humanity. Antagonism lead to open conflict between the Hunters Order and the Vanguards, often leading to the deaths of entire Hunter teams at the hands of a single Vanguard.
One such occasion lead to the death of a relative to the current Potentate of Gaile, sparking an outrage within the settlement. Gailian merchants began to refuse the protection of the Vanguards outright, prompting the now openly hostile Order to seize the entirety of the caravan and kill any who raised a complaint or opposed them. This went on for over a year, causing the Hunters Order in Gaile to lose well over half of their members to conflict with the Vanguards and immeasurable losses for the Traders and Crafters Guilds as well. Enraged and desperate, Potentate Raskin of Gaile sent envoys to all the other settlements on the Western continent, calling for immediate assistance in subjugating this Northern hostility. Word of the crisis also reached Mystes, who had taken to the Vanguards as a more reliable source of protection against the threats of The Wild. Magistrate Galfton, current leader of Mystes, sent an inquiry to Naerhelm, asking for information regarding the issue and if there was some way the hostilities could be ended as it had effected trade across the Northern mountain range. Naerhelm quickly sent a response to Galfton¡¯s missive, in the form of the messengers head and the broken remnants of his spirit weapon.
With this act of open aggression, Galfton began to send Hunters proficient in stealth and information gathering into the areas around Naerhelm were Vanguard activity was strongest, as well as enlisting a vessel from Bravima with a crew of highly rated and heavily armed Hunters to travel the Central Sea, bypassing the Naerhelm trail strangle hold and contact Gaile, stating the intent to lay siege to the northern settlement. The ship carrying the message and the armed to the teeth Hunters were battered and tossed about in the violent storms that raged across the Central Sea and were forced to stop for repairs on what they assumed to be a large uninhabited island just past making the halfway point in their journey.
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Tired and hungry as the storm had claimed a fair amount of their supplies and robbed them of any rest, the Hunters began to venture inland from their ship, pressing in towards the center of the forested island. It wasn¡¯t long before they realized this Island was far from uninhabited. As they gazed upwards to the tops of the massive trees that seemed to greedily absorb all open ground with roots wide enough two grown men could have no trouble walking in side by side, they noticed strange structures spanning the boughs of the behemoth plant life.
That first night spent amongst the roots the Hunters were surprised by humans careening down the trunks of the trees aided by strange contraptions that allowed a controlled decent from the ridiculous height of the boughs. The Hunters at first armed themselves as they believed they were being set upon by tree dwelling creatures, but seeing humans they became confused, and no small portion relieved as they had expected not to find any sort of hospitality on this strange island.
The strange people and contraptions soon had the weary Hunter party amongst the branches of the massive trees and inspecting up close the structures they had trouble seeing from the forest floor. Wide and sturdy feeling caged walkways seemed to twist and turn and branch out in endless junctures high above the root floor of the forest. Talking with their newfound companions, the party was told they were indeed Hunters themselves from a settlement they called Sanvar, and that they had built these expansive walkways as a safe way to traverse the forest as the trees were not the only things that had gargantuan statures. Led seemingly for hours amidst the foliage ranging from the size of a large person to that which would dwarf the great gates that allowed entry and exit from the Walls, they arrived at the settlement Sanvar. The Wall that surrounded this settlement was neither stone nor metal as the party had come to expect, but a weaving of the enormous tree trunks and branches using an odd frame work that seemed to snake in and out of the weave with no apparent pattern.
What confounded the Hunters more was the strange appearance of the settlement itself. What appeared to be houses carved from the trunks of the trees had strange metal workings jutting here and there from within, spouting steam either randomly or steadily. Pulley systems that allowed quick travel up and down the towering trunks could be seen working their way quite quickly up and down, some carrying boxes and baskets, while others had people ascending to their houses among the upper levels of the settlement. Nowhere could they see stone roads or brick buildings that had brought comfort and a feeling of security whenever they reached a mainland settlement. Pathways made of shaped roots and branches twist and turn where ever they set their eyes, and lining these paths were strange staves that emitted a weak but steady light to aid in travel at night.
One odd sight after another assaulted the exhausted Hunters senses as they were guided towards a particularly large tree home located in the middle of the exotic homestead. By the time they entered the home and were instructed they could seat themselves and had food and drink presented to them, the party felt as though they had stepped into an entirely different world. After some time a few of the Hunters began to dose while the more cautious of the group sat weary but alert, the bark door that had been closed during this stretch opened and a very short, very disgruntled looking old man made his way to the center of the room. ¡°Welcome to Sanvar,¡± the old man stated in a not too welcoming manor, ¡°You may call me Oos.¡± The old man snorted as he surveyed the battered and bruised men and women. ¡°Rest here tonight, and in the morning we will talk about how the hell you got here, why you are here, and what it will take to get you the hell off this island.¡± And with that the decidedly unpleasant Oos took his leave, slamming the bark door closed with a grumble.
Chapter 1 - Rael Maridyne
AN: Well here it is! The beginning of Rael''s adventure through the world of Melio! I hope you will forgive the massive amount of backstory from the previous chapters, but I felt it was important to introduce you as well as I could to the world before tossing you to the behemoths. I''m excited to be posting my first novel, and while I have read a good portion of the stories here on RR, I wasn''t comfortable with the LN format most authors use. Whenever I try to emulate it, some of the details that play a large part in the story end up lost.
Well I hope you enjoy this chapter and the ones that follow! I will try to update as often as possible, which shouldn''t be hard as about 80% of the story is simply awaiting PR''ing.
Excitement. The only word Rael could describe how he felt at the moment, rushing through the canopy pathway towards the home he shared with his father. He had visited Sanvar this day on a routine maintenance check on the systems of steam pipes he and his father installed throughout the town that heated the majority of homes in the settlement.
As he finished up his checks and entered the large central tree home that housed Sanvar¡¯s Elder to give his report, he was greeted by a group of strangers. Strangers never appeared here in Sanvar, and the only reason the people knew there was land beyond their shores was the stories told by old man Oos, the current Elder. Most of these stories had been labeled as fairy tale nonsense. Settlements were the people built their Wall from the earth and stone? Great swathes of land where the largest plants would be the grasses that reached barely chest level? Impossible. Nevertheless, these stories had enamored Rael during the times his father would allow him to attend lessons at the Elders home.
Having turned 20 just this past season turn, he was no longer able to attend the lessons. Shaking off the feeling of regret at not being able to attend more of Oos¡¯ lessons, Rael continued his rushed trip back to his secluded home. The distance never seemed longer than it did today. While in reality it was a twenty minute walk from Sanvar to the tree home, Rael¡¯s anxiousness caused the distance to stretch in his mind.
Turning down the final junction, Rael saw the home he currently shared with his father and paused. Chances are the old man was still in the work room toiling away at his cluttered mess of a work bench. Letting out a sigh, he began to walk the last few meters to the door and racked his brain for ideas as to how he could break the news to his easily excitable father.
Opening the front door, he flinched as the top hinge screamed in protest to the motion. He knew that his father wouldn¡¯t notice even that much, though he made a mental note that it was past due to replace the old door. Making his way through what was once a living room when his mother was alive, he scanned for any changes that would indicate his father had left his seclusion. The prototype steam pulley engine still on the table in the middle of the room, dust from the past years still undisturbed. He couldn¡¯t count how many pipes there were strewn around the room, all varying in size and purpose, though the fact they remained in the general area that he had stacked them was also a sign his father had not left the work room located at the far end of the home.
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Another sigh escaped Rael as he made his way past the threshold separating the living room to the wood walled hallway leading to the rest of the home. he thought as he continued through, Even living in this state for over a decade, Rael still managed to injure himself once in a while on errant tubes or pipes that had rolled into the narrow walkway that was the only place the floor of the home could be seen.
As he neared the work room door Rael¡¯s excitement once again took hold. Forcefully restraining himself from bursting through the door and blurting out the news that had made him this way, he took a few deep calming breathes.
As quietly as possible, which was not very as this door suffered the same affliction as the one for the homes entrance, he scanned the slumped and shaggy silhouette of his father. Bax Maridyne, greatest inventor of Sanvar, sat silent and focused on his work. The only light in the room was another of his own creation that used the spirit core of a large glowing insect to produce a rather weak, but steady light. A sphere of metal with a large opening in the middle where light could be focused and a smaller hole at the bottom that could be used to attach the light to a rod. The Stafflight as he named it, had made quite a sensation in Sanvar and was quickly adapted to light the pathways that twisted and careened through the settlement.
Most of the inventions that named Bax the greatest were created while Rael¡¯s mother was still with them. After her death Bax became withdrawn and began to focus on teaching young Rael everything he could about invention and spirit cores, when he wasn¡¯t lost in his own little crafters world.
Returning his thoughts to the silhouette at the table, he sighed inwardly and approached. ¡°Hello father,¡± he greets the weathered man as he nears the table. ¡°Good morning, Rael.¡± His father slurs his response with obvious fatigue. ¡°It¡¯s midday father,¡± Rael corrects, ¡°and you promised you would be getting some sleep.¡± ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯ll get some rest once I finished up here and eat something.¡± Bax replied grudgingly. Rael hesitates a moment, still unsure as to the reaction he would get for sharing the news that had excited him so much today.
¡°Dad,¡± he began, ¡°something happened in Sanvar the day before yesterday.¡±
¡°Oh? Another busted pipe?¡± Came the uninterested response. Rael studied his father briefly, searching for some indication of what he could expect as a reaction.
¡°No, all of your steam systems are working perfectly,¡± pressing on before he received the usual dismissive reply that would follow, ¡°a group of mainland Hunters have landed a ship off the Eastern shore and have requested assistance in the repair work!¡± Rael¡¯s excitement returned as he told his father the news.
The disheveled mess of hair that had just been poised over another pile of seemingly random gears and tubes shifted and turned towards Rael. A spark lit the eyes of his father, something he had not seen in a very long time and the hands that hovered above the table now pressed down on it, assisting Bax to his feet. ¡°Well then, I may need some tools from storage.¡±
Chapter 2 - Smiles and Warnings
Rael sighs as he returns to the living room turned storage space to gather his father¡¯s tools. He had been sighing quite often, more so when around his father.
Rael grumbles a bit while sifting through the bin of tools located in the area that was once his mother¡¯s favorite spot to read. The window Rael used to gaze through while listening to his mother¡¯s soothing voice was now covered with blueprints and schematics for inventions that never reached completion. The books that once lined the shelves are now replaced with half completed contraptions and spare parts.
Rael had saved his mother¡¯s modest library from the mess of his father¡¯s disregard and safely stowed them away in his own room, the only place in the home were the majority of the wood floor could still be seen.
Shrugging off the unpleasantness he felt every time he came to this area, he turns back towards the hallway and his father¡¯s work room and notices his figure in the threshold. His father was looking alert but confused, scanning the room with his baggy, dark eyes. ¡°Rael, where did my tool bin get moved to?¡± he asked confused. ¡°It¡¯s in the corner by your schematics father,¡± Rael calming pointed out, ¡°I¡¯ve already gathered what you may need though.¡±
Rael hands him the pack he had filled with a few hammers of differing weights and sizes, nails of assorted lengths and thickness, and measuring tools among other general items. ¡°Well,¡± Bax began after examining the packs contents, ¡°this should do to get things started, anyway.¡± Closing the pack, Bax motions for Rael to follow and heads towards the front door of their home. Excitement creeps back into Rael¡¯s pace as he and his father begin the trek to Sanvar.
Rael exclaims in his thoughts, Seeing the places that old man Oos described in the tales of his youth was something he fantasized about in those rare times he was allowed to attend the lessons. When his father wasn¡¯t drilling him in material composition and implementation, Rael would be reading his mother¡¯s books and dreaming of adventure.
A few years after his mother¡¯s death, Bax stopped visiting Sanvar. He had become more reclusive with time, and had left most of the repair work to Rael. It¡¯s not as though Rael minded too much though, he could take his time in town once all the steam systems had been checked and Rael often found his way to the Hunters Hall. Everyone in Sanvar knew Rael and his father and quite a few Hunters were more than happy to give some pointers to the eager son of the great inventor. Rael learned how to wield a sword a shoot a bow with reasonable accuracy due to these Hunter¡¯s kindness.
This, of course, only fueled Rael¡¯s desire for adventure. The excitement of scoring a hit on a distant target, the methodic and tiring practice of sword forms, and the stories the Hunters told while relaxing in the courtyard of the Hunters Hall often kept Rael from returning home until well past sundown. Those days Rael would stay awake in his room, recounting the Hunter stories while giving himself active roles in the events. Playing and replaying the tales, choosing different actions in each and playing out the scenario to the inevitable end of Rael conquering adversity and saving Sanvar from what often ended up as a much more serious issue than what the original story detailed.
Lost in thought, Rael was surprised to look up and see that they were now in front of the central home. Bax was looking at him through his still obviously fatigued eyes with curiosity and a bit of worry. Rael shook off the residual fantasies and gave his father an embarrassed smile. ¡°Are you ready Rael?¡± his father asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Rael answered, ¡°I will introduce you to the mainlanders and they can tell you the rest.¡± Bax grunts in response and reaches for the bark door. Just as his hand reaches the lever, the door burst open from the inside.
¡°That rotten old man is going to get slapped!¡± A deep voiced shout was accompanied by one rather large figure and a smaller more lithe form moving through the doorway. ¡°Easy there Varith,¡± came an amused baritone from the slim figure, ¡°I¡¯m sure he meant calling you a ¡°hairless bear¡± as a compliment.¡± The large bald man named Varith gave the smiling man at his side a glare and stomped off without even a glance at the bewildered father and son. ¡°Ah, Rael!¡± exclaimed the still smiling man, ¡°Good to see you didn¡¯t have trouble bringing your father as you feared!¡± Bax cast a sidelong look at Rael at the comment and Rael returned another nervous smile before replying. ¡°Kremmr, this is my father, Bax.¡±
¡°Good to meet you, good sir!¡± Kremmr stated as he extended his hand in greeting. ¡°Indeed.¡± Bax replied while still eyeing his fidgeting son. ¡°It seems you have already met with my son, and it seems that rather large man won¡¯t return for a moment, should we go inside and discuss the repair work or wait for his return?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Kremmr began, ¡°Varith is a bit¡sensitive, about the state of his hair, or lack thereof so he may not be back at all.¡± Laughing at his own comment, Kremmr stepped to the side to allow the father and son to pass by and enter the home. ¡°Rael!¡± came a shout from the table located in the middle of the room. The origin of the voice was from an attractive looking woman, about the age of Rael with blonde hair cut shoulder length, who was currently waving at the pair. Another nearly identical women sat next to her, the only difference being that the second women had her hair long and gathered in a tail style at the base of her neck.
¡°Hello Marsyn,¡± Rael replied to the women who greeted him, ¡°Marsyn, Corryn, this is my father, Bax Maridyne.¡± Rael motioned with his right hand towards his still sour looking father. The twins stood and shook hands with Bax, giving the normal greetings and seated themselves once more at the table. ¡°Oh good,¡± came a gruff voice from the end of the room opposite the door, ¡°now that you¡¯ve introduced each other, can we discuss how we are going to get these people out of my home?¡± This response, of course, came from old man Oos, who was leaning against the door that lead deeper into his home looking rather displeased.
thought Rael. Rael smiled at that. ¡°Hello Oos,¡± Rael greeted the perpetually sour old man. ¡°I brought father just for that reason.¡± Oos glances at Rael and his father and grunts. ¡°Good, that bear you saw trudge out of here doesn¡¯t have the manners of a five year old. These twins here, while both are pleasant to the eyes, only the one with short hair can hold a conversation, and that twig man there thinks everything I say is a damned joke!¡± Kremmr began to laugh at this and Oos sent him a withering glare. ¡°My apologies good man,¡± Kremmr says through his laughter, ¡°but most of your observations of my companions are things I¡¯ve mentioned in one way or another to them, and got the same response!¡± Kremmr continued to laugh as he made his way to the seat next to Marsyn.
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Giving another glare in Kremmr¡¯s direction, Oos moved his way to the opposite end of the table and took his seat. Rael and Bax took the remaining empty chairs across from the twins. ¡°So,¡± Bax began, ¡°I need some information about your vessel if I¡¯m going to be of any help to you mainlanders.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Kremmr agreed as he adopted a more serious tone and folded his hands on the table.
And so the conversation went, Bax asking questions about materials and measurements of the stranded ship while Kremmr and Marsyn gave as detailed answers as they could. After an hour of this Q&A, Rael began to lose interest and his attention wandered across the gear and equipment the Hunter party had stored in a corner of the room. There was an assortment of spirit weapons, on a shelf there lay a pair of daggers with serrated edges and a green core signifying a speed type. He saw Marsyn practicing forms with the cruel looking weapons the day they met.
A pair of enormous gauntlets lay on a shelf that seemed to radiate violence. Small red cores embedded on the knuckles would provide an enormous boost to strength for the wielder, though the size of the gauntlets would make most people unable to use them, but fit Varith¡¯s massive hands perfectly. A bow was leaning against the wall, the grip was slim and wrapped with well-worn leather and the limbs connected to the grip started thick with a high gloss and tapered into a curved tip where the string would be attached. Both of the limbs had intricate designs etched into them, depicting creatures that Rael could only wonder at. The detailed creatures had small green and yellow cores for eyes, indicating a speed and dexterity enhancing weapon.
The most impressive to Rael though was a thin sword that Kremmr had told him was a rapier. The blade was just under a meter in length and had a silvery sheen, the guard was connected to the pummel and encrusted with numerous green, red, and yellow cores, allowing whoever possessed it to gain an immense boost to mobility, strength, and dexterity. The amount of cores on this one weapon made the Sanvar Hunters who saw it look at their own weapons in shame and regret. Most had only one or two cores used in their forging, and had been handed down from a parent or relative that had retired from the Hall.
As Rael was staring longingly at the marvelous weapons, the conversation taking place at the table seemed to be wrapping up. ¡°Well I won¡¯t know exactly what more is needed until I speak with the captain of the vessel then.¡± Bax said and began to rise. ¡°I apologize that we could not be of greater assistance in your preparation, Mr. Maridyne.¡± Kremmr shrugged after his statement and also rose from his seat while stretching. ¡°No, no,¡± Bax dismissed with a wave, ¡°you gave me enough to know what sort of tools are going to be needed, now all I need is to speak with that captain of yours about what sort of materials will be sufficient.¡±
Rael freed himself from his reverent gaze and stood next to his father. ¡°Rael, I¡¯m going to go home and get the rest of the tools I need and head towards that ship.¡± After nodding to the gathered hunters Bax made his way out. ¡°So Rael,¡± Kremmr said while giving another of his smiles, ¡°I noticed that your attention wandered during our conversation with your father.¡± Rael¡¯s face turned a shade of pink and he gave a bashful smile. ¡°No need to be embarrassed,¡± Marsyn laughed, ¡°I could hardly follow it either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you are too hyper, sister.¡± The group turned to look at Corryn, surprised as she had not spoken until now, even during the discussion. Marsyn recovered first. ¡°And you are too serious. I am going back to the ship first.¡± She makes a face at Corryn and leaves the home.
Old man Oos rose from his seat with a groan and looked towards Kremmr. ¡°If you are done here, please leave my house before I take a stick to that stupid looking face of yours.¡± Oos reached for a walking stick he kept leaning on the wall as if to make good with his promise right then and there. ¡°No need for the stick, my less than amiable host!¡± Kremmr said with a laugh. ¡°I will head towards the ship as well, I assume you will accompany me, Corryn?¡± Corryn gave a nod, collected all but Varith¡¯s massive gauntlets and followed Kremmr towards the door. Stopping there and turning towards Oos, Kremmr gave another mischievous grin and said, ¡°If you see the hairless bear again, do tell him where we¡¯ve gone.¡± With another laugh and a grumble from Oos, The door closed and Rael was left alone in the home with the disgruntled Elder. ¡°Rael my boy,¡± Oos said, seemingly to have improved his mood greatly with Kremmr gone, ¡°I know you fancy yourself a Hunter, but please refrain from being influenced by that man.¡± Oos set aside the walking stick he had threatened the impish Hunter with. ¡°Now, are you hungry? I¡¯m sure I could have something ready shortly.¡±
Rael sighed inwardly. ¡°I¡¯m fine Elder, thank you for the offer though.¡± Oos nodded and began to walk over to the gauntlets still taking a good portion of space on the shelf. ¡°Well then, if you don¡¯t mind, please locate that overgrown shit pile and give him back his mittens.¡± Oos¡¯ face regained its sour look as he hoist the large weapons and shuffled his way to Rael. ¡°No problem Elder, I would be happy to help!¡± Rael couldn¡¯t help but become excited while holding the weapons. Oos turned his sharp gave to Rael¡¯s face, sending a chill up the youths back an erasing the happy look on his face and said, ¡°Take heed to be even less like the fool owner of those things. A man like that will often find himself at the mercy of his own moronic ideals.¡± Satisfied his message had been received, Oos followed Rael to the door and saw him out.
CHapter 3 - Purple Tainted Laughter
Warning: This chapter contains depictions of violence and gore.
Leaving old man Oos¡¯ home, Rael began to look around, hoping to see some indication of where Varith had gone. Seeing none, he decided to start at the most likely area, the Hunters Hall. Rael sweat as he carried the massive gauntlets down the root path, quickly losing his breath as the weapons seemed to weigh far more than they should, even with their size. Turning the last curve to reach the Hunters Hall, he saw that the doors of the massive tree stump, turned building, were left ajar.
Rael thought. Despite his fatigue, Rael¡¯s steps began to quicken once more as he approached the 3 meter tall double doors.
Using a foot to guide the door open enough for him to slip inside, Rael heard a familiar deep voice booming within. ¡°I don¡¯t CARE if YOU think I need more people with me, give me a guide or I will simply go out and kill anything I can find MYSELF!¡± Rael saw the well over 2 meter tall hulking figure of Varith shouting at the Hall manager.
¡°S-sir, even on the m-mainland you must have h-had rules such as ours,¡± the visibly trembling manager said, ¡°we c-c-cannot simply GIVE you a guide for a subjugation venture without a-at least a t-three person team present!¡± Rael watched as the top of Variths head began to darken into a deep red with rage.
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¡°Varith?¡± Rael interrupted, hoping to save the unfortunate manager from what would most definitely be the beating of his life ¡°I have your core weapons.¡± At the sound of Rael¡¯s voice, Varith whirled around looking very much like an enraged bear, but seeing the speaker and the gauntlets, his face turned to a rather cruel looking smile.
¡°Ah, I was hoping I wouldn¡¯t have to go back to that rotten old farts house for these.¡± Varith said through his smile. ¡°Now, what was your name again, boy?¡±
¡°Rael, and if you truly want to go hunt in the woods here I could guide you.¡± He answered. Varith looked Rael head to toe, assessing him and his statement at the same time. Both ignored the shocked and fearful interjection from the still trembling manager.
¡°You seem like you may be a bit scrawny to be of use, boy.¡± Varith said, ignoring the fact Rael had just given his name.
¡°I¡¯m one of the best with a bow in Sanvar, and proficient with a sword as well,¡± Rael replied, attempting to swell his chest to seem more substantial, ¡°and I know these woods just as well as any of the Hunter guides.¡± It was true, Rael had spent many of his days wandering the canopy trails, much to the Hall¡¯s chagrin.
¡°Hmmm¡¡± Varith looked Rael up and down again before continuing. ¡°I¡¯ve no doubt you know the woods, boy, but in a fight with creatures, normal weapons like those you¡¯ve used in training will do little good.¡±
Varith began to turn back to the manager and Rael desperate to prove himself to this mainlander, and blurted out, ¡°I have my mother¡¯s core bow at home!¡±
Varith halted in his turn and eyed Rael once more. ¡°A bow, eh?¡± Varith said. ¡°Never been one for long range weaponry¡ but, if you can get that bow and meet me here within an hour, I will take you up on your offer as guide.¡±
To Rael, the distance from Sanvar to his home vanished. Filled with thoughts about the venture, his mind became clouded and scattered the time. Bursting through the front door of his tree home, Rael was struck by a sudden thought. Rael thought of the confrontation taking the bow would bring between himself and his inventor father. Rael thought. At that moment, his father¡¯s figure appeared in the work room doorway.
¡°Oh, Rael,¡± his father stated mildly surprised, ¡°I did not expect you to leave Sanvar, what with all those mainlanders wandering about.¡± His father knew that he had wanted to become a Hunter on the mainland ever since he was small.
¡°I came back to retrieve a book to show them and see how much of it was truth.¡± Rael lied. He had never lied to his father before so the fact it came out so naturally shocked him inwardly.
¡°Ah,¡± Bax said as he made his way to the door, ¡°Just make sure that you don¡¯t harass them too much. From what you and Oos have told me, they are most likely still a bit battered from their trip here.¡±
¡°I won¡¯t father.¡± Rael assured his father and saw him out the door and down the canopy trail leading to Sanvar.
Guilt weighed down Rael¡¯s steps as he turned and made his way towards the work room. Opening the door, Rael¡¯s eyes immediately locked on to the bow. Compared to the bow that Corryn uses, this bow was plain. The grip was a polished wood that widened out to the limbs of the bow, and the limbs had small yellow cores at the tip. Reaching up, Rael took the bow off its mount on the wall and felt the surge that came with wielding a core weapon. The cores of the weapon gave him better control over his movements, making each small motion feel smooth and fluid. Turning on his heel, he then rushed out of the home, nimbly dodging some of the tubes and papers his father had disturbed in his search for tools.
Rael felt exhilarated performing maneuvers at full speed that he would normally not attempt at a walking pace. The enhanced dexterity did nothing for his speed, but the effect allowed him to run the length of the cage walls of the canopy trail. Rael became lost during his trip back to Sanvar once again, attempting to test the limits of the core improvements. After completing a rather impressive number of flips in succession, Rael finally noticed that he had entered Sanvar, and was the recipient of quite a few curious and amused looks.
Turning red with embarrassment, Rael lowered his head and continued on to Hunter¡¯s Hall. It didn¡¯t take long to find the enormous figure of Varith. He had sat himself down on one of the many couches in the main hall and was currently giving the manager, that he had almost beat senseless, a look that promised unimaginable pain. ¡°I¡¯m back, Varith.¡± Rael said as he drew closer to the glowering behemoth of a man. Varith turned and greeted him with a grunt and rose from his seat, making the incredibly nervous Hall manager twitch involuntarily.
¡°Well good,¡± Varith rumbled, ¡°If I had sat here much longer I may have had another¡friendly discussion with that miserable pile of nerves.¡± Rael felt sorry for the manager again, though he knew the poor fellow had only been following the guidelines of the hall. Varith was the type of man that would sooner slap your teeth down your throat then allow you to stand in the way of his goals. Rael grabbed a pack of survival tools that the hall keeps ready to use, and they made their way towards the Northern canopy trail.
¡°So,¡± Rael began nervously, ¡°where would you like to visit?¡±
¡°Anywhere that has big angry things that try to kill me.¡± Varith curtly replied.
Rael kept this thought to himself as they passed above Sanvars Northern Wall. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s big and angry you want, we do have a tribe of Trolls living in the North. The older ones are easily three meters tall.¡±
¡°That will be a good warm up, take me there¡Rael.¡± Varith paused and seemed to work hard at remembering Rael¡¯s name.
Rael thought wryly. ¡°No problem, it¡¯s about an hour from here walking.¡±
¡°Then run.¡± Varith replied as his bulky body suddenly shot forward. Surprised at the sudden burst, Rael trailed behind struggling to keep the man in sight. After about twenty minutes of sprinting Varith stopped. ¡°This should be about the right area, right?¡± He looked as though he had just been on a leisurely walk while Rael, sputtering and gasping, looked as though he may collapse. Catching his breath Rael looked around and nodded.
¡°We will¡have to descend¡to the ground to¡get there from here.¡± Rael said still trying to fill his lungs with lifesaving air.
¡°Hmm.¡± Varith began to look around for the maintenance hatches that were spaced evenly along the sides of the canopy trail. Locating one another ten meters down the trail, he motioned for Rael and attempted to open the latch.
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¡°There¡¯s a trick to it.¡± Rael said as he moved forward. Reaching up, he grasped the handle on the edge of the hatch and pulled it into the center, then he twisted it counter clockwise, and pushed it open.
¡°Good, good¡now how do we get down from this height?¡± Varith asked as he leaned his head out of the caged walkway. Rael knelt down and took the pack from his shoulder, rummaging through the contents and brought out two machines with spools of thread that had clasps attached at the ends.
Varith looked rather dubious as he examined the thin rope material on the machine Rael handed him. ¡°I¡¯m¡not sure if you¡¯ve noticed, but I am not exactly small of stature.¡± Varith stated as he continued turning the machine this way and that way.
¡°The Repeller thread is strong enough to hold three men,¡± Rael stated as he worked the clasp of his Repeller into a ring on the outside of the cage, ¡°Though you may be large, I don¡¯t think you are quite that big.¡± Varith continued grumbling as he shrugged on the straps of the Repeller and handed his clasp to Rael. Satisfied that the machines had been secured onto the rings, Rael turned and gave Varith a sly look. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for the easily scared, Mr. Bear.¡± With a laugh, Rael flung himself from the opening and hurtled towards the forest floor.
Had the rushing air not blocked his hearing, Rael would have heard the enraged shout that came from Varith just before he hurled his bulk from the caged walkway. After the first hundred meters the mechanisms in the Repellers began to slow their descent. Rael was use to the feeling of falling as he had used Repellers many times during routine maintenance work in and around Sanvar. However, Varith seemed for a moment, as if his heart was assaulting his tonsils before a look of absolute glee lit up his face.
¡°THAT¡¯S A RUSH!¡± He shouted as they neared the ground, nearly three hundred meters below where they began the mad descent. Touching down, Rael began to unhook the clasps of his Repeller straps and watched as Varith bounced around on his thread shouting and pumping his fist in the air. ¡°That was almost as great as landing a solid jab on a beasties soft spot!¡±
Leaving the main section of the machine hanging, Rael walked over to the still exuberant Varith and gave him a hand at disentangling his huge frame from the straps. ¡°Well I¡¯m glad you found it thrilling, the return trip can be rather tedious.¡± Rael said after extracting Varith from his Repeller.
¡°So,¡± Varith said as he stepped away from the hanging contraption, ¡°we just leave them here like this?¡±
¡°Yes, the creatures around here are either too big for them or not intelligent enough to use them.¡±
Varith grunted and began to survey the surroundings. Seeing him look about, Rael pointed north and said, ¡°The trolls usually stay in an area a bit further by a grouping of trees.¡± Rael began to pick his way around the large roots in the direction he had indicated after stringing his mothers bow and settling the quiver on the back of his right shoulder. With increased dexterity, the usually draining trudge through the roots, was annoying at the worst for Rael. Varith finally calmed down from his adrenaline rush and flexed the fingers of his massive red gauntlets. ¡°We should be there in no ti-,¡± Rael began after a while of walking but stopped short as he heard guttural voices echoing from just ahead.
Rael was hit with a sudden realization. This thought sent a chill down his spine and a sweat broke out over almost his entire body. The knowledge that he could in fact die very shortly, hit Rael hard, and he froze in place. Varith though, let out his own guttural noise and rushed around the roots and towards the voices. Shortly following Variths departure, Rael heard the voices let out shouts of surprise and rage accompanied by Variths own shouts.
¡°Business is GOOD!¡± came Variths voice, followed by the sickening sound of metal impacting, and breaking, bones. The sound shook Rael from his paralysis and notching an arrow in the bow he also passed the bend in the roots.
The sight that greeted Rael froze him in place again. There was a pair of massive grey skinned legs jutting from a hole in one of the large roots; each leg was as big around as Raels torso. The fact the legs were twitching at odd intervals said that this unfortunate troll had already been pummeled into oblivion, and the faintly purple blood splattered around the jagged edges of the hole solidified that reasoning. Further ahead, Varith himself has in the middle of a mad leap into the midst of a group of three trolls, each at least three meters in height. The trolls had enraged looks on their large angular faces. Their long matted hair sticking up in random areas and their greyish skin was covered in mud and other less appealing things. Around their waists, each wore what could only be called rags, as they hardly covered anything, and they were armed with knotted wooden clubs.
The trolls, while disturbing in appearance and smell, were not the cause of Raels shocked reaction. The sight of Variths already blood spattered clothing and grinning visage seemed entirely out of place in the scene of carnage that was occurring. A flying right punch split open the nearest of the three trolls¡¯ face, sending purple blood and rotting teeth flying away. ¡°HahahaHAHAHA!¡± Varith laughed as he landed and turned to the troll on his left. In what seemed a fraction of a second, Varith landed three devastating blows on the troll¡¯s abdomen. The sound of breaking ribs and ruptured innards surrounded him, and his grin grew.
The troll Varith pummeled began to fall forward, and Varith launched another punch. This time, an uppercut aimed at the creatures jaw. Again, the sound of metal shattering bones rang out and the now dead troll was flung away. The remaining troll recovered from the shock and struck out at Varith. Dodging the clumsy swing of the trolls club by ducking, Varith straightened and began another three punch combo as he returned upright. The first punch hit the soft portion of the troll¡¯s abdomen, sounding like a sack of meat being struck with a metal club, the second hit was a right cross that shattered the troll¡¯s ribs, and the third was a particularly devastating left straight that impacted the sternum of the creature. The force of the last punch left a fist sized impression in the troll¡¯s chest and thoroughly killed the unfortunate beast, also sending it a good meter backwards where it collided with a root and slowly slid to the ground.
Stupefied at the utter devastation caused by the laughing man, Rael nearly dropped the arrow that had slid from its notch at some point during the brutal display of power. Recovering just in time and returning the arrow to the quiver, Rael forced his unsteady legs to move forward through the roots toward Varith.
¡°Ah, Rael!¡± Varith called out, still smiling through the gore dripping from his clothes and face, ¡°Sorry about that, it¡¯s been a long trek on that damned boat and the opportunity for a fight made my excitement blind me. Next time I¡¯ll be sure to leave at least one for you and your bow!¡± Varith gave another resounding laugh and wiped some of the troll blood from his face with his forearm.
¡°N-no worries.¡± Rael stuttered. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you didn¡¯t get that excited in Hunter¡¯s Hall.¡±
Varith laughed again at that and continued to make futile swipes at his gore tainted clothes. ¡°Those beasties smell better than they fight though, and that¡¯s saying quite a bit.¡± Rael had to agree, now that the shock had subsided his senses began to recover, and the smell coming from the extremely dead creatures was foul at best.
Rael thought as he picked his way around the pummeled corpses. ¡°This seemed to be a foraging group. We can expect much larger numbers as we go further into troll territory.¡± Rael stated as he maneuvered around the brain matter spilling from the recipient of Variths flying punch.
¡°Well then, what are we waiting for?¡± Varith said with another of his disturbing grins. ¡°We need to find a few for you too. I can¡¯t be the only one having fun on this venture!¡± Another laugh, and Varith moved off towards the north.
Rael shuddered as images of purple blood and laughter flashed in his minds eye.
Chapter 4 - Violet Blossoms
Warning: Even more depictions of blood and gore.
Setting off north once more, Rael walked while Varith practically skipped along. The semi-solid blood and gore on Varith flew off in chunks with every wild gyration. ¡°Too weak! Too weak!¡± Varith repeated this phrase more times than Rael cared to count.
¡°Too weak?¡± Rael finally broke down and asked.
¡°Those trolls! They didn¡¯t have an ounce of decent fight in them!¡± Varith declared, still flinging purple foulness. ¡°How am I supposed to get into the fight when the fight isn¡¯t in them?!?¡±
¡°Those trolls are likely the bottom of the bunch, they had almost no clothing and only had clubs which means they weren¡¯t very influential or important to the tribe.¡±
¡°Oh? The beasties have a hierarchy? They seemed a little dim witted to have a social structure at all.¡± Varith said while glancing back at Rael.
¡°Another reason for them to be at the bottom. The more powerful trolls are a bit more intelligent and usually come armored and armed much better.¡± Rael assured him.
¡°Well then!¡± Varith said, perking up a bit. ¡°I suppose I may have to actually try if when we meet the bigwig trolls!¡±
Rael thought incredulously. ¡°We should be reaching their territory right about now. It won¡¯t take them long to notice us and send out a group of warriors.¡± Rael informed Varith as he readied his mother¡¯s bow once more.
Varith replied by cracking his knuckles loudly and giving another sadistic grin. The two walked for another five minutes before the sounds of more trolls reached their ears. Rael was hit with nervousness again as he listened to the group draw closer. Varith crouched behind a root and began working the fingers of his gauntlets.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rael,¡± Varith whispered, ¡°I remember my promise. I¡¯ll save you at least one so you can get some fun in.¡±
Rael thought to himself as he positioned himself on top of another root located about eight meters from Varith¡¯s position.
The party did not wait long before the trolls made their appearance. This time the group had ten of the three meter tall creatures. While their hair was still matted and disarrayed, these trolls wore poorly cured leather armor. Each had a pair of dingy thick shorts, sleeveless vests, and carried a spear. One of the trolls in the group was a head taller than the already massive brutes. He had adornments on his armor, teeth and semiprecious stones hung from leather straps hanging from the bottom of his vest, and he had a necklace with one massive tooth around his neck that swayed with each step.
¡°Gorluk tus-kar!¡± The presumably lead troll shouted as he took notice of Rael. The rest of the troll group brandished their spears and began to advance toward Rael. As they passed the root which hid Varith from their sight, the mammoth man let out a roar and made a mad leap into the group once more.
Surprised but not stunned, the troll group showed remarkably more experience than the group Varith had decimated. With a quick shout from the lead troll the group of ten turned and met Varith¡¯s leap head on.
Smashing into two of the closer trolls, Varith quickly had to take the defensive as seven spears thrust his direction. Swatting aside a spear from a troll on his left, he turned while bringing his right hand close to his side as he moved to face the offending troll. Using the motion of his turn, he then shot his right fist into the side of the trolls face, instantly smashing the creature¡¯s cheekbone and jaw, which removed it from the fight but didn¡¯t kill it. Before he could finish it, Varith was halted by a flurry of spear thrusts from four of the creatures as they began their offense. Twisting his torso rapidly, Varith managed to gain some distance from the group and Rael noticed he had another grin on his face.
¡°That¡¯s more like it! Make me sweat, beasties!¡± Varith said with a laugh as he continued to twist and deflect the barrage of spears.
Rael thought as he shook off his nerves again and took aim at one of the trolls currently focused on Varith. Rael hadn¡¯t lied when he said he was one of the better archers in Sanvar, but this is first time he was aiming an arrow at a living breathing creature. Rael hesitated a moment. Then, he let his arrow fly. It made a faint whistling noise as it closed the distance to the unsuspecting troll.
Thwip! The arrow lodged itself into the neck of a troll who was in the middle of a savage series of jabs. For a moment the troll simply paused and looked confused, as if the sound was something it had not been anticipating. The creature started to reach for the shaft, still quivering in his flesh, before sinking to the ground. Purple blood flowed from the wound, and a gurgling noise erupting from its mouth.
¡°Nice assist!¡± Came Varith¡¯s booming shout. The remaining eight trolls backed away for a moment, glancing back at their leader as if looking for guidance. They still had their spears pointed at Varith ready to defend or attack. Varith, however, moved much more quickly than they could react. Using his gauntleted right hand, he smashed through the shafts of the two nearest troll spears, bringing the groups attention back fully unto him.
¡°Gatrik mekt rasab! Hadjar mekt tus-kar!¡± The leader shouted. Hearing what the two men could only assume was attack orders, Rael tensed and Varith grinned wider. The two trolls, now wielding broken spear shafts, hurled them at Varith who had to twist to the right and duck to avoid. Not even bothering to see the results of their attack, the two split from the group and began to charge at Rael.
Rael noticed the charge, quickly set another arrow, and fired it at the closer of the two. It lodged into its abdomen and caused the beast to stumble. He began to notch the second arrow as the troll closed the gap at a terrifying speed, but he wasn¡¯t quite fast enough. The troll leaped up on to the root where Rael was fumbling and took a lumbering swing at him. The dexterity enhancing effect of the bow saved Rael¡¯s life as he deftly bent backwards, dodged the swing, and placed his hands on the ground. He then kicked his legs up and used a back spring to gain a bit of distance on the troll.
Rael struggled to maintain distance from the troll while leaping from root to root with the beastie was never far behind. The troll, while fast, was not as agile as the current Rael. Running up a length of tree trunk and kicked off, Rael flew over the head of the pursuing troll and landed six meters away on another root. Using that time, he notched his arrow and aimed at the trolls enraged face.
Thwip! The arrow flew from the bow and near instantly lodged into the left eye of the troll. The troll let out a blood curdling scream as it desperately grasped the arrow shaft and sunk to its knees. The troll attempted to yank the arrow out, but it¡¯s usually impressive strength was failing. It collapsed on the forest floor, still clutching the arrow with a look of horror and pain on its face, as it died.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.Rael let out the breath he hadn¡¯t noticed he was holding and looked around. With one troll dead and in a pool of blood, he noticed that the troll he had hit in the abdomen was already on its feet. The beast had seen its comrade fall and was clutching the arrow that Rael had shot in its massive fist. It charged at Rael again.
Rael thought thankfully to himself. He calmly sighted another arrow on the charging troll and let it fly. Thwip! The arrow pierced the side of the troll¡¯s neck, just above the collar bone and sent a stream of blood down the still rushing troll¡¯s chest. Rael notched another arrow as the troll began to lose speed from blood loss. Thwip! Another arrow shaft appeared lodged in the troll, this time in its chest. The troll hit the ground without a sound as the arrow had pierced the heart and killed the beast.
Rael felt relief as he hopped down from the root and looked around. He could hear Varith still laughing a bit away and knew his desperate fight hadn¡¯t led him too far from the man. Reaching down, he retrieved the arrow from the last troll¡¯s fist and neck, but the one that had killed the beast was too firmly entrenched in the chest cavity. Leaving the other arrows as a lost cause, Rael began to sprint in the direction of Varith¡¯s laughter.
Turning the bend of a root, Rael was greeted with a stunning sight. It seemed as if a field of violet blossoms had sprouted all across the area. Rael quickly shook off his reverie and returned to reality. Blood was splattered everywhere, though most of it had seemed to be attracted to Varith who dripped and slung gore with every movement. Three troll corpses were scattered about the man, and the remaining trolls had backed off from the deranged battle enthusiast.
¡°Haha¡haHA¡.HAHAHAHA!¡± Varith was still laughing as he swung his gauntlets down and behind him sending another wave of blood onto the ground. The corpses told Rael why the last of the trolls had given Varith space. One was hanging about four meters off the ground on a tree trunk, its head had been caved inwards and beaten into the trunk. The only thing holding the creature aloft was the fact its spine was still attached, though Rael doubted how long that would last with the jerking twitches running through its body. Rael didn¡¯t even want to know how the creature had made it that far up the trunk.
A second corpse was laying on a root a few meters away from where Rael was observing. The head was hanging off the side facing Rael with its arms dangling. Rael looked down and saw what couldn¡¯t be called anything less than the drying remains of a fountain of blood, covering a cone shape space about a meter across at the widest. What was most disturbing to Rael was the condition of the chest portion of the beast. It was laying across the top of the root in a way the legs could not be seen from Rael¡¯s position but that was not important. The fact it was lying flat on the root was. It seemed the unfortunate creature had had its bones beaten into a powder and the bulk of the chest was simply splayed out like a burst sack of meat on the root.
The remaining corpse was lying behind a trunk and Rael could only see its feet. He was sure that it was in about the same condition as the other two.
Dragging his attention back to Varith and the remaining four trolls. One was nursing its face where Varith had hit it, while the two other lackey trolls were looking at the huge man nervously. The leader of the group was still about a meter behind the others and had a grim expression on its face.
¡°MEKT!¡± The lead troll shouted, and the lackeys began to advance on Varith once more.
¡°Come get some, beasties.¡± Varith said as he set himself, placing his left foot forward, he pulled both his elbows level to his shoulders. His left arm extended in front of him and his right hand was beside his head. He had opened both hands with the palms facing the trolls.
Rael thought to himself.
He wasn¡¯t quite correct with his guess. As the troll with a dark black bruised lump where his cheek bone once was began to charge, Varith used his left hand to deflect the reckless thrust upward and stepped into the charge. He grabbed the troll¡¯s right arm with his own right hand above his head. He stepped under the arm and brought his right hand down, twisting the troll¡¯s arm behind it. Varith clenched his left fist and drew back, readying for a massive blow. He rotated his feet, hip, then leaned into the punch in one fluid movement. He used the combined motions to enhance both his punch and the jerk on the troll¡¯s arm he still had ahold of.
The resulting impact was tremendous. The punch disintegrated the troll¡¯s shoulder blade and socket while the pull on the arm separated it from the mangled joint. The force of the blow sent the troll spiraling to the left, without its arm, and it hit the ground screaming in pain. Varith didn¡¯t stop there. He swept his right foot behind him, and he rotated again bringing his right arm, as well as the trolls, crashing into the next trolls face. Varith began wielding the troll arm as a sort of flexible club to deflect spear thrusts from the remaining two lackey trolls with his gauntleted left hand and swinging repeatedly with their companion¡¯s appendage.
Rael watched as Varith continued his brutal assault on the remaining trolls. Blood was flying about, as he used the wrist as his grip and swinging the arm at the remaining trolls. Rael readied another arrow but could not fire as Varith¡¯s wild gyrations kept blocking his view of the other trolls.
Varith hadn¡¯t stopped moving or laughing the entire time. He giggled as he dodged a spear thrust aimed at his throat while laughing uproariously when he landed a bone crushing blow. The remaining two lackey trolls were quickly dispatched with Varith¡¯s impromptu club. One took a series of rapid blows to the head and crumped, while the other received a rather vicious uppercut that forced its lower jaw into the roof of its mouth.
Varith wasn¡¯t even breathing hard as he eyed the last troll, the leader and presumably the more powerful of the bunch. The troll being scrutinized was calm as he surveyed the corpses of its now dead party and donned a look of disgust and disinterest. Tossing the makeshift club aside, Varith brought his fists together in front of his chest, causing a metallic clang and drawing the remaining troll¡¯s attention back to him.
¡°Now¡¡± Varith began as he advanced on the troll, ¡°time for the final show.¡±
¡°Tus¡¯kar mofil deran e trolus.¡± The lead troll spoke and also began to approach the gore soaked man.
Rael thought and brought his mother¡¯s bow to bear, arrow notched.
¡°Stay your bow!¡± Varith practically roared. ¡°This one is all mine!¡±
¡°If you say so, but this one is probably an elder and much stronger than the others.¡± Rael warned.
¡°That¡¯s what I hope.¡± Varith responded without looking back.
Chapter 5 - Distress Call
Authors Note: Well, real life happened and my daughter caught a cold so I wasn''t able to work on Melio too much over the week. She''s better now though, so I hope to make up some lost time and push out a few chapters over the next week or so. Rate and review if you like the story, opinions are welcome and questions answered!
Varith made the first move. Darting forward with his right arm drawn back, he swung at the troll¡¯s chest, using the momentum of his forward movement to enhance the blow. The strike fell short though, as the troll perfectly timed a quick step backwards. The troll brought his spear horizontal and chest level and used the foot he had just stepped back with to spring forward and strike Varith¡¯s chest with the wooden weapon grip.
Surprised, Varith took the blow with a grunt as he slid back a meter. Rael watched as Varith regained his posture and grinned at the scowling troll.
¡°Now THIS is a fight I can get into!¡± Varith shouted. Varith brought his gauntleted fists together with a booming sound. The troll growled and brandished its spear, bringing its right arm and hand back and above the shoulder, shifting the opposite low and forward.
Rael watched nervously as the two sized each other up in silence. he thought,
Rael scrambled some distance up a trunk and sat himself in a small recess. Just as he had ensured that he had a solid position the two combatants moved.
Varith and the troll closed the distance between each other in an instant. The troll¡¯s spear gave it an advantage at distance and Varith was eager to take that from it. Just as he has nearing striking range the troll buried the tip of the spear into the ground and pressed down on the back end of the weapon, causing a shower of bark and dirt to shoot up and into Varith¡¯s grinning face.
Blinded momentarily, Varith had no choice but to stop his advance and clear his eyesight of debris. Using the pause, the troll launched a vicious thrust at Varith¡¯s right leg, hoping to hinder the big man¡¯s movement.
Countless do or die situations had honed Varith¡¯s instincts and he had guessed what the wily creature was after. Shifting his leg behind him he managed to avoid being wounded, but the troll¡¯s attack didn¡¯t end.
Seeing the strike miss the troll reversed the grip of his left hand, taking advantage of stronger muscles to slash the spear head at Varith¡¯s other leg.
Still clearing dirt from his eye¡¯s, Varith had no choice but to hop backwards to avoid being sliced. The troll reset his grip on the spear and began to use the length of the weapon to its full potential, sending a barrage of quick jabs aimed at Varith¡¯s chest, head, and arms.
Varith protected his head from serious injury, but was forced to take several of the thrusts, suffering several stab wounds to his upper arms and one nasty wound to his left shoulder. Red blood began to mix with the nearly dry troll¡¯s blood on the forest floor.
Rael thought, watching as Varith finally cleared his sight and began a dizzying display of twists and swaying motions, dodging another onslaught of spear thrusts. Rael thought, but couldn¡¯t seem to bring his hands to act as another frightening display unfolded before his eyes.
Varith had just dodged a powerful spear thrust aimed at his throat, leaving the troll over extended and off balance. Reaching up with his left hand, he caught the spear shaft not far from the troll¡¯s upper grip on the weapon and gave a quick tug. The move caused the already off balance troll to fall forward, right into Varith¡¯s right cross.
The cross struck the troll directly in the jaw, sending the creature careening off to Varith¡¯s left. The large man showed his surprising speed again, quickly following the dazed troll as it attempted to recover its posture. Closing in, Varith launched his own vicious barrage. Another right cross connected on the troll¡¯s ribcage, followed shortly by a one two combo that landed in the center of the creatures chest. A left cross smashed into the opposite side of the trolls jaw, keeping the creature dazed and Varith drew both fists back to his hips and launched a powerful double fisted battering ram strike into the trolls gut.
The troll let out a winded grunt, digging a trench with its feet as the blows force pushed it back several meters. The troll staggered back upright and Rael saw the damage Varith had inflicted. Blood oozed from the creatures mouth and its jaw had already swelled into a misshapen and bruised mess. The creature spat out a few teeth and massaged the new bruises blossoming across its abdomen.
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Varith used the lapse in combat to examine his own wounds. The bleeding on his arms had already slowed and the gash on his shoulder looked far worse than it felt, though it did hinder movement slightly. He grunted as he rotated the injured shoulder and returned his attention to the troll.
The troll was already staring daggers at the man, and had stiffly took its stance. While both parties had suffered wounds, it was clear that the troll had been effected more than Varith. The troll flinched each time it had to shift ab muscles, and even drawing too deep a breath had the creature suppressing a groan. Nevertheless, the stubborn troll once more readied its spear.
¡°Heh, haha, hahAHAH!¡± Varith laughed loudly and brought his fists together in front of his chest. ¡°THIS is how it is supposed to be! Blood! Sweat! Pain!¡± Varith shouted. ¡°So much time on a blasted boat, I¡¯ve not had this much fun in far too long!¡± He laughed again and suddenly shot forward.
The troll noticed the movement and barely brought his spear up in time to parry the flurry jabs and crosses that Varith unleashed. The troll began to breathe heavily as the barrage continued, and Varith¡¯s attack quickened. The shock of the punches caused the troll to groan under the growing pressure, and it was slowly being pushed back.
Rael thought as he watched the troll continue to twist and turn the spear shaft in front of itself in a desperate attempt to ward off Varith¡¯s punches. The pain radiating from the broken and bruised body of the troll was apparent, yet still the creature stood.
Varith finished a brutal combination of straight punches, pushing the troll back once more and causing a violent tremor to rack the creature¡¯s body. Not one to waste an opportunity, the huge man stepped forward, placing his left foot in front and pointed inward. He shifted his weight to his heels and rotated counter clockwise until his toes faced the troll and using the centrifugal force, launched a right straight at the troll¡¯s battered form.
The wily creature recovered just in time to bring its spear up to guard once more. *CRACK!* Varith¡¯s fist shattered the spear shaft, splintered shards ricocheted off and a few lodged into the unprotected portion of the trolls chest. The fist continued on, slamming into the trolls windpipe. The force of the blow sent the creature backwards two meters where it crumpled unto the ground and began to writhe, emitting horrifying gurgling sounds as it thrashed about clasping its crushed throat.
Rael thought as he hoisted himself from his perch and clambered down the tree trunk. Reaching the root below, he dusted himself off and turned back towards Varith and the dying troll.
Varith had turned away from the downed troll and was surveying the carnage of his battle when Rael noticed the dying brute grasp its necklace and tear it loose from its neck. Curious, Rael watched as a smile appeared on its face and it raised the necklace above its beaten form and began to move its arm in a circular pattern.
The troll had a hold on the strings of the ornament, with the garish baubles adorning it swinging about as the circular motion continued. A strange high pitched noise began as the speed of the motion increased. Horror and dread instantly crowded Rael¡¯s mind as he realized what the creature was attempting. The noise was a distress call, one that would bounce off the wood of the trees and carry on for quite a distance. Varith had also noticed the commotion and had a scowl on his face as he turned back towards the flailing troll.
The troll, having exhausted what little breath it had and unable to draw more had turned a deep grey blue and dropped its arm. Varith approached and with a grimace, brought his massive right foot down on the creature¡¯s chest, making a sickening part squelching part crunching noise as his boot caved in its chest cavity.
¡°We need to go, NOW.¡± Varith stated, turning back to face Rael. The high pitched noise had returned, only from multiple sources and directions. Distant shouts and grunts could be heard as the distress call had alerted every troll in the territory to their presence.
¡°Back to the Repellers!¡± Rael yelled, turning back the direction, sprinting towards safety in the canopy. The sounds of the pursuers crashing through the roots chased the duo as they fled the scene of Varith¡¯s brutality.
Rael desperately pleaded as he pushed his muscles into overdrive.