Tales of a Traveler

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Once, Titans roamed the landscape, shaping the world on a whim. Floating mountains, shifting deserts of gold and forest trees frozen in an eternal spring were all imposed upon the continent of Adentia. However, for all of their wonders, the Titans showed little interest in them and the people living throughout the land. Now the Titans were gone and the people of Adentia have fought for their survival ever since.

Alina looked past the lush valley to the sea where the sun was setting. From her window in the castle, she could see the port city of Maraten. Memories of her climb up the mountain from the port in search of the ‘Raven of the West Wall’ began to fill her mind. The cries of different beasts echoed in her head as she continued to stare at the sunset. Her vision began to blur, and her body became numb. She knew what came next.

Her room in the castle fell away, leaving her body to free fall onto a sandy path. She was a young girl once again, reliving the worst moments of her life. The sky was choked with smoke and cinders. Screams filled the air as violent fires roared and burned away everything in their path. She crawled on her stomach to her uncle’s lifeless body, crushed beneath the beam that he had used when he built their home. The beam that almost crushed her before he pushed her out of the way. His spear and silver bracer were still in his grip, a testament to his former strength and resolve. Even against an overwhelming foe he took up arms to defend his home.

Alina managed to pry the bracer from his grip before a wild burst of fire threw her backwards. Ears ringing and bracer in hand, she turned her head towards the small body on the sandy road. She had not known him long, but she had felt more alive hearing his stories of the world beyond her home than she ever did sailing in the cove. And now Soren laid there a few meters away, eyes glazed over, and his body badly burned. She tried calling out to him but all she could manage was a raspy cough.

She crawled across the sand and rested his head on her lap, his limp body still hot from the mortal wounds he suffered. She cried over him until the culprit for this massacre stepped onto the sandy path. A man, with a head full of long, fiery red hair glared at her with eyes that burned like coals. As he lumbered towards her, his skin and muscles began to shift and twist. He fell onto his hands and continued to change as he drew closer. Alina refused to move, choosing to face the monster before her rather than leave her friend behind. The beast-man, now inches away in the form of a large lion, mane wreathed in red flames snarled a savage growl. As the fiend drew a deep breath, Alina filled her lungs with as much air as she could and screamed.

She screamed not in terror but in defiance against the onslaught of flames that erupted from the beast’s maw. Her eyes strained against the bright funnel of flames that burned hotter than the worst summer sun. Any tears from her efforts instantly dried against her cheeks. When she finally emptied her lungs, she clenched her teeth as the flames engulfed her.

Why did they have to die?

Alina opened her eyes, blinking through tears. As the room came into focus, she could see the familiar stone walls that made up her room. Raven was close beside her with a wet cloth held in his extended hand.

“Same as before?” The words were gruff like sand on stone but the look in his eyes betrayed him. He wore his heavy hauberk under his favorite plate armor with a gray cloak pinned to his pauldrons. He was getting ready for a hunt.

“Same as before. Like always.” Alina sat up and accepted the cloth, wiping the sweat from her face and neck. It was ice cold but felt soothing compared to the fire she had felt in her vision.

“These dreams of yours have gotten worse. You need to get a handle on them girl or you won’t be going on any more hunts.”

“I’m fine!” she snapped. The man put his hands up in mock surrender. Though he relented, Alina knew he was right. She had not managed a good night sleep in months and the visions only seemed to be getting worse.

“I’ll handle it Raven, I promise. I just need some more time so stop worrying.” Her guardian sighed.

“You know, the new fledglings are starting to talk. I don’t mind you needing more time, but I need you to keep those boys in line and if you can’t then--” Alina cut him off.

“I can train anyone you want, kill anything you need me to, sir. Just don’t ask me to be their mother hen.” The man was silent for a moment before breaking out into a hearty laugh. Alina huffed as he continued at her expense. Composing himself, the man stood up and ran a hand through his thick, black hair.

“Fine, then you’d better get ready if you are going to join us today. I’ve received a report about some beast that’s been prowling the Valley and I want you to lead the shield bearers while we patrol.”

“The fledgling shield bearers? Who’s leading the riders?”

“Hammond.” Alina clicked her teeth. Hammond may know how to ride a horse as well as she did, but she was the better shot and Raven knew it. She could already imagine the smug look on Hammond’s face. She didn’t blame the new recruits. They had been perfecting their formations for almost a year. However, while the riders would be taking a pivotal part of any hunt, the shield bearers were only included while hunting larger beasts. Which meant that, as their captain, Alina would not get to hunt as often.

“The folk could not identify the creature. Just snags one of the workers or field hands and then runs off towards the ravine.” The veteran’s words brought her attention back to the beast in question.

“I don’t expect much to come of it, probably some kind of wyrm but if there is something to this and it’s something we’ve never seen before then I’d rather have you behind the shields than Hammond.” Alina hated to admit it, but his reasoning was sound. Unlike the other wardens, she was able to use wild magic which made her more versatile during a hunt. But what kind of beast could the villagers have seen? It was not unusual for a magical beast to grow larger or more territorial than the rest of its ilk, but the earth had never born a creature that the locals could not recognize. The grizzled man shrugged at her inquiry.

“The witnesses are usually scared out of their minds, so we’ve only got a few details to go on. All I know is that whatever it is it’s big and travels with a small pack.” Alina pondered his words. A single beast would be one thing but a pack of them? Her face must have betrayed her uncertainty because the man dropped a reassuring, calloused hand on her shoulder.

“I sent Khali out a few hours ago to do some scouting so we should know more soon. Just worry about keeping those new recruits alive. The boys and I will bring the beast down.” Alina nodded, allowing a small smile. She then set about gathering her equipment as Raven left to rally the others.

She remembered how they used to scrape together whatever armor pieces they could find to protect themselves. Now that they were friendlier with the local villagers some of their craftsmen were willing to help craft or repair proper armor for them. When she picked up her uncle’s silver bracer she stopped. She stared into the etched surface remembering her vision. She could almost feel the flames on her skin when a shrill cry drew her attention to her window. She scanned the sky until she saw a large hawk gliding gracefully down towards the walkway that led to the great hall. Khali had returned from scouting which meant that they would soon depart for the Valley. Alina quickly pulled the bracer over her left hand and grabbed her own gray cloak before heading down to the great hall.

****

Raven was walking down the main corridor when a large hawk flew through an open window, landing on a small table. The bird turned to him and ruffled its feathers.

“Done scouting already, Khali?” Raven held out his hand for the bird to nestle. “Well, show me what you’ve learned.” The bird went rigid, staring at her master with wide, unblinking eyes. Raven braced himself as his vision blurred and was replaced with a bird’s eye view of the ravine and nearby mountainside. No words were exchanged but the message was clear. Khali could not find any sign of the missing townspeople, but the beast was definitely in the ravine. Its twisted form was unlike anything either of them had ever seen.

As the vision ended, the man thanked his companion and made an offering of dried boar meat which she ate in greedy chunks. Khali cooed as Raven scratched the bridge of her beak, before he continued down the corridor. This was worse than he had expected.

Opening the doors to the great hall, he could make out a few men sitting at one of the long tables. Margren, one of his most trusted captains, was the first to see him enter. The burly man stood up to greet his friend. Vale, another senior member followed close behind. The men exchanged glances as Raven finished his relaying his findings. Vale was next to speak, fidgeting with the end of his snow-white beard.

“What has you so concerned, son? Hammond and Alina have been on plenty of hunts and the new recruits will be safe with us on the field.” Margren nodded in agreement.

“I don’t doubt their skill but what I’ve heard from the survivors concerns me. There have been over a dozen attacks that we know of, but no one has found any trace of the victims. No blood, no limbs, no bodies. And with each attack witnesses report more of them.” He paused to let his words sink in. His companions suddenly realized what had their commander so concerned.

“Whatever this thing is; it’s not native to the region and has made a nest in the ravine. If I’m right, then we will need all the men we can gather to clear it out before the Valley is overrun.”

****

From her position on a nearby plateau, Alina had watched the campfires of five other cohorts go out. At ten men per camp that meant that around sixty wardens and fledglings were rallied. On any other hunt, twenty wardens would have been plenty. Alina had suspected that Raven was keeping details from her but now, she was sure. It was not until she saw the creatures with her own eyes that she understood his secrecy.

The Alpha beast resembled a biped crawling on all fours but was still an intimidating three meters tall while the dozen smaller ones were about the size of an average man. Beyond them was a tree line where forty veteran wardens lay in wait. Alina exchanged a curt nod to Hammond and then mounted his horse behind him.

“Fledglings, the time has come for your first hunt. Shield bearers; keep your formation and spears at the ready. Riders follow Hammond and pick your targets. Remember to focus your magic into your arrows and aim for the legs. The commander will arrive to help defend you. No heroics understood?” The recruits roared in acknowledgement.

“Hammond, take us in!”

“As you command, Captain of the Fledglings.” Hammond led the charge down the hillside toward the creatures. The smell of decay filled their nostrils. As they drew closer, they could see that their bodies were actually rotting. Grey flesh pulled tight against bone. Their forms were lanky and slow to react to the coming charge, but the Alpha responded with sharper reflexes. When it turned to face the party, Alina could hear Hammond curse. The large beast’s head resembled a charred skull with a large metal plate sealed over its eye sockets that extended upwards into a fanned headdress.

Roaring a bone-chilling cry, it bounded towards the oncoming hunting party. Alina tightened the straps of her shield and perched herself on the back of Hammond’s horse.

“Bring me close to its left side then drop the shield bearers to cut off their path to the nearest settlement.” Hammond looked back at her in bewilderment and saw Alina’s left hand start to glow.

“You’re crazy! What do you think you’re going to do against that thing?”

“I’m going to push it back in line. And you’d better keep it there. Forget about the head and keep it down on the ground. The commander will finish it off.” Hammond shook his head, but his horse began to adjust its course.

As they drew closer Alina realized that even jumping off of the warhorse, she was riding would not be enough to reach the creature’s head. Her spell needed to be bigger. The beast was only fifty meters away now, shrieking its bloodcurdling battle cry. Bigger…bigger. Her left hand began to glow with golden light. She clenched her teeth as she condensed the magic further causing the muscles in her hand to throb and twitch. More power. If she could not kill the beast before her now, then how could she stand against the monster that destroyed her home? For a moment, the carnage and destruction Alina witnessed that day flooded her mind, fueling her magic. Her hand was shaking now, shining as bright as the sun and for just a moment the beast hesitated, rearing onto its back legs. An opening.

Alina jumped off the horse and unleashed all the magic bottled in her hand in a single burst of golden flames. Thrown backwards, the beast skipped in the dirt until it settled near the rest of its pack. Alina's hand ached but she grinned, satisfied with the result. Hammond led the riders in a circle around the magic beasts letting loose a few arrows into the legs of the downed Alpha. The riders had their bows drawn as they circled around their quarry back to where Alina stood ready. The gentle hum of magic filled the air as the rookies’ own arrows found their marks. The creatures were unfazed by the arrows that peppered their rotted flesh until the runes carved into the arrowheads took effect.

One by one, the creatures were pulled to their knees, struggling against the magical forces that now bound them. As the riders circled back towards Alina, Hammond blew into his war horn signaling the seasoned wardens to enter the fray. The forty veterans charged forward brandishing their own magical weapons. Some ran straight for the beasts while others bearing shields created a half circle shield wall.

“Shield bearers, dismount!” At Alina’s signal the fledgling shield bearers landed in formation beside her, tower shields and spears raised towards the rotted creatures. Forming a makeshift arena as they joined the warden's shield wall.

They had superior numbers, magical weaponry, the enemy surrounded and grounded with ancient magic and yet Alina could not shake her feeling of unease. She could hear some of the men shouting. She could not hear them clearly, but something was wrong. Suddenly the Alpha shrieked and began to thrash its limbs, struggling to stand upright. Several of the wardens were thrown aside, Margren among them. Breaking formation, she ran to his side as he struggled to his feet. He was covered in dark blood and had a deep cut in his side.

“They won’t die!” he wheezed.

“We cut off limbs and heads, but they just keep attacking. When that thing started screamin’, the little ones started to put themselves back together. We’re fightin’ the bloody undead!” Alina had never seen the man so rattled. Some of the men had even faced down dragons but in the face of an unknown enemy leading undead they were just as scared and unprepared as the rest.

Alina looked at her fellow wardens. The men were doing their best to keep the smaller creatures pinned to the ground with their weapons, but they too were beginning to tire and soon were sustaining greater injuries. Hammond’s riders continued to hit their marks, but the effects of their magic arrows were not holding out against the beast’s incredible strength.

Break the seals.

Alina froze as a cold voice filled her head. Scanning her surroundings she saw a bone-white head peeking out from the nearby tree line.

Break the seals.

The voice sounded more impatient this time. She looked at the nearest creature pinned down with swords and could make out a small crest on the plate fused to its head.

“What’re you doin’, lass?” Margren’s words snapped the girl from her thoughts.

“Crush the skulls.” The words left her lips before she realized she said them. The bloodied warrior looked back at her confused. Alina steadied herself before stomping on the creature’s head. Its skull collapsed with a sickening crunch and the pair watched as the pitiful corpse squirmed one last time before going completely still.

Understanding the cue, the man ran to the next beast and proceeded to crush its head with a heavy metal boot. He gave the girl a nod before shouting instructions to his fellow wardens. While they finished off the smaller enemies, Alina joined the others surrounding the Alpha. They were attacking in rotations. As one wave was pushed away another would move in to deliver punishing blows against its body. An effective strategy against any other magical beast but not against the undead. Raven suddenly appeared at Alina’s side and pulled her away from the frenzied creature. She noticed one eye was forced shut by a fresh cut on his brow.

“Do you plan on helping or are you just going to stand there?” His words were harsh, but Alina could see the concerned look in his eye.

“We can win.” She stated assuredly. When he returned her words with an unconvinced grunt, she explained what happened with the creature after she broke its crest. He turned back to look at the thrashing mass with a grim look.

“I’ll knock it down with another blast and then you and the men can crush its head.” The commander shook his head, unwilling to put the girl in greater danger.

“Got another plan?” Alina watched as another wave of wardens was forced to retreat, one man being dragged away screaming with what looked like a crushed leg. She would be of no use to anyone after another blast of magic. If the backlash didn’t knock her unconscious, then she would only have one hand to fight with. This next attack was it.

“If I can get close enough to hit it with my magic then I can draw a rune and stop it long enough for us to break its crest.” The man looked his daughter in the eye, looking for any hesitation. When he found none, he gave the girl a firm nod and she ran to join the next wave.

When her wave moved in, Alina began to gather magic in her hand. There was a moment she thought the monster looked at her, but she dismissed the thought as mere nerves for the stunt she was trying to pull off. Her hand shook as the wild magic was condensed and contained in her palm. Blinking back tears from the strain, she broke into a sprint towards the rotting beast. As she drew close, she heard a familiar voice echo in her mind.

Wait. Not yet.

She pressed on. Her whole arm felt like it was on fire. She was starting to lose control of her magic. If she didn’t release the spell now, then she was sure they would die. She ducked beneath the creature’s arm as it swung at her and then jumped. She extended her hand and released her flames at its chest. Her timing was perfect…so why did it feel like she missed? A single word rang in her mind as the impact from the beast’s claw connected with the side of her head and torso.

Fool.

She was not sure how many times she hit the ground or how many bones were broken. All she could feel was the excruciating pain throughout her body. She screamed. At least, she thought she did. She could not hear anything except her own heartbeat which was becoming weaker. Thump, thump. She could not hear the cries from her fellow wardens as they fell onto the beast nor its shrill cry as it threw them aside. Thump, thump. She could not hear Raven’s cry of rage as he severed one of the creature’s arms nor could she hear the soft footsteps of fate step up to her limp body. Thump…thump…The next words she heard were as calm as a spring breeze.

This is going to hurt.

Alina’s body arched off the ground, every fiber of her being in shock from being torn apart and stitched back together with foreign magic. How was it possible to hurt this much? Her mind wandered back to the images from her vision. She remembered the lion engulfing her in its wicked flames after killing her friend and destroying her home. She remembered the smug look in his burning eyes. She could not die here! Thump…thump…She had to get up! Thump…thump…She had to stand up!

When she opened her eyes, she was looking at her uncle's bracer, standing among the wounded soldiers and dead beasts. Her body felt light and strong. She turned to face the Alpha just in time to see Raven get knocked to the ground, air pushed from his lungs. The Alpha turned to face her and barked mockingly. She took up a spear still lodged in the corpse of one of the smaller beasts and rushed the creature. It reared and swiped at her. The young warden planted her feet and skewered the beast’s claw with her weapon before using the momentum to turn it over and pin it to the ground. She jumped onto its arm and smashed its elbow joint with the edge of her shield, locking it in place. She continued up its arm until she was standing on the middle of its back.

Using blood from the wound on her face she quickly drew a rune and poured as much magic into it as she could. The beast thrashed under her causing her to lose her balance, but the spell had been cast. As Alina hit the ground, the creature’s chest exploded sending pieces of rotting flesh and bone all over the field. Fighting the backlash from exhausting her magic, she got to her feet and stumbled over to where its head lay on the ground. She took a deep breath and slammed her shield against its plate.

At first, she did not appear to dent the plate at all. She hit harder. The wardens watched in awe as Alina bashed the beast’s head over and over, eventually creating a network of fissures throughout the plate. With one last cry of effort, Alina raised her shield and drove it deep into the plate before it detonated in a violent burst of magic. Her shield shattered as she was sent flying backwards into the dirt. The creature twitched as the last of its unnatural life drained from its twisted form. With the beast dead, the young warden accepted the magical backlash and fell unconscious.

****

Raven ran to where his daughter lay. After what seemed like an eternity, he found the girl’s weak pulse. Confirming she was still alive he began to inspect her wounds. Her body was covered with bruises and her hands were cut but there were no signs of any broken bones. That shouldn’t be possible. He watched the beast swat her out of the air so hard that there was a crater left where she hit the ground. What divine being was watching over her to keep her intact after such abuse? He pulled her dark hair away from her face and grimaced. Three deep cuts on the left side of her face throbbed as they oozed a mixture of blood and some black substance. Raven shook his head. No, only a devil would let the girl live to suffer whatever this was.

“Fascinating.” Raven jerked and raised a short blade towards the source of the voice. Behind him was a crouched figure in teal robes with a curious, bone white mask. The mouth etched in an eternal smile while the eyes appeared to be made of pressed copper disks that rolled around the carved-out sockets with an audible clicking sound. It was unsettling.

“Who are you?” The commander kept his blade raised as he slowly positioned himself between Alina and this newcomer.

“No need to be so defensive, Raven of the West Wall. I’m here to bargain with you and your wardens.” The man’s voice was unexpectedly soft but his awareness of who Raven and his men were made his words sound sinister.

“I’ll ask you once more, outsider, and this time I’ll kill you if you don’t answer. Who are you?” The figure remained unfazed as the small army surrounded him with weapons drawn. He slowly stood up revealing how tall and sturdy his frame was. At two meters he easily towered over half the men around him and judging from his stance, Raven surmised that he had combat experience. A few of the men fidgeted nervously. Just this man’s eerie presence was enough to shake the will of battle-hardened warriors.

“I am Zam. A wanderer of sorts and I am offering you my services.” He gestured towards the bleeding men around him.

“I will help heal your men, and restore your lost honor. I want your order to return to its former glory.” Raven was surprised at the sudden offer of help but he knew there had to be conditions or some trick.

“And what would you take from us in exchange? You wouldn’t do all of that out of the kindness of your heart.”

“You’re right. I do have one condition.” The warden grunted in annoyance. Of course, there always is.

“I help you and your wardens and in exchange you help me clear out some pests that have nested nearby. You lot are the best in the region after all.” Raven could almost hear Zam smirk behind his mask.

“You help us, and we kill for you huh.” Raven sheathed his weapon and the rest of the men followed suit.

“So what are these ‘pests’ you need gone? How many are there?”

“Well now let’s think.” The copper eyes clicked in their sockets violently as the man pondered.

“Let’s say between fifty and one hundred…of those.” His copper disks finally settled on the remains of the magic beast that took the combined efforts of sixty warriors to defeat. Raven roared in protest.

“You would have us fight a hundred more of these creatures even after what you’ve seen here? That's suicide! What possible guarantee do we have that even one of us will survive?” He looked back at the unconscious girl on the ground behind him, her treasured bracer shining like a small star on the grim battlefield. He had done his best to raise her as his own the last twelve years to prepare her for her own battles. But it was not enough. And now she was at this thing's mercy. A series of clicks brought his attention back to Zam.

“A guarantee? A funny thing for bandits to be asking for wouldn’t you say?” Before the man could retort, Zam put up his hands in protest. Wait, were those claws?

“Now, now I didn’t say I wouldn’t provide any guarantees. I was simply amused by the request.” Zam gave an exaggerated shrug and then continued with mocking emphasis.

“Very well, agree to aid me and I will uphold the following three vows: I promise that every man that enters the nest will return alive. I promise to groom your new recruits into true wardens. And I promise you, Raven of the West Wall that no harm shall come to the girl.” The men were silent as their commander weighed the Zam’s words. Whoever or whatever this being was, he either was well informed or a demon. Or both. Either way, he knew he couldn’t refuse.

Raven looked into the eyes of his loyal followers, remembering the day each joined him on his crusade to restore his order’s honor. He gave one last look at Alina’s wounded face before extending a hand to the mysterious wanderer.

“I, Raven of the West Wall, swear to rid you of these monsters so long as you uphold your oath.” Zam chuckled and returned the gesture with a firm handshake sealing the contract. If Raven had any doubts before, he knew for sure now. There was indeed a devil watching over Alina and he just struck a deal with him.