Hero's Tale

There she was our hero, our saviour, our warrior.  How she survived nobody knows.  But she’s there, Alive.  Just.

She walking into town covered in cuts and gashes still bleeding, her sword still dripping blood, from the terrors’ that she just slayed.  She can't believe her eyes, she was unaware of this surprise but it’s the least we can do, she has saved us, unknowingly but still saved us.  The town cheers upon her arrival.  People celebrating, wanting to shake hands of the woman who just free us from the evil.  She looks confused, and exhausted.  Her chest is heaving, she still trying to catch her breath; her body is still shaking from the adrenaline.  How she survived only god knows, but the fact she did is a blessing on us all.

The further she gets into town the more people rally round her, all smiling all cheering.  A little girl walks up to her and shyly states "when I'm older I want to be like you, a hero" and runs back to her daddy.

If only she know, the warrior thought, "if only she knew my pain, my anger and my anguish.  If only that little girl knew what I've been through.  No I wouldn't burden her with it.  Let her dream.  That girl deserves to grow up in peace.  At least now I know she is safe."

The story of our warrior didn't start like this.  This wasn't her life, life wasn't meant to be like this.  She was a wife, a new wife just married to a handsome man.  They wanted to start a family, settle down, and have a garden.  All the things she dreamt off.  The wedding day was spectacular, the entire village celebrated with them, food and drink flowed and no expense was spared.  It was a celebration for the masses.  But those dreams got snatched away.  Her husband disappeared.  She asked around if people seen him, went to the local law enforcement but people started acting like he didn't exist. The more she asked the more people shunned her and showed her away, she turned into a hermit.  Avoiding the village as much as she could and only going out the get supplies.  Then one day she received word, a note was pushed under her door.  She opened the door but couldn't see the sender so she picked it up to read it.

"Help....

I'm at the mountains"

There was no name just those words, but she knew the handwriting.  It was her husbands.  She quickly huddled together what she could grabbing food and clothes and anything of use and left her house.

Three day into her mission walking along a footpath, a group of outlanders see her and start taunting her.  They making quick remarks and trying to grab her, at first it was just a nuisance and she tried to carry on with her walk then it turned dark, they were still on her, they wouldn't leave her alone.  There taunts turned to threats the grabs turned to little slaps and punches.  This wasn't a game she feared for her safety.  She spun around to yell at them but was overtaken.  She was on the floor pushed down into the mud.  They have tied her up and was dragging her towards there camp.  She was at the camp for days with no food or water, morning beatings until she submits to them, they wanted to break her spirit and it was working.  The leader walked in.  You will serve us for food he said at which she bowed her head.  That was it she was now their slave.  They would beat her and throw stuff at her. 

For the first few days she does their bidding.  Not speaking unless spoken too and keeping out of sight.  She cooked she cleaned till she was sore and hurts.  She only went to sleep when told and made sure she was up before them so breakfast was ready.  She did exactly what she was told.  They worked her to the bone and then worked her some more.  She was tired but there was a fire in her.  A fire that told her to wait, to have Patience, she knew that by waiting for the right moment nature and the world would provide her with an answer.

And it did two weeks later, while working cleaning their clothes in a river she found a berry bush, one filled with poisonous berry.   She carefully took some and hid them in her pocket.  They were still holding her in there undercover camp.  She got up one morning very early, earlier than she ever woke before; she starts to make their breakfast.  She starts by crushing the berry and mixing them with water to for a drink then continues to make their breakfast ready for them to awake. 

They wake so hungry they devour the food, not noticing what they are eating and drinking, they demand her to clean up and after they March onto the next village pulling her along, a dangerous trail. Hours pass and she wonders if the berry will ever work till finally one man collapses, and then another till the strongest man drops to his knees, he looks at her right in the eye and spits blood at her feet  "you did this" he hisses with his final breath.  He head slowly falls to the floor.

Finally free she leaps into action, stealing their weapons to help defend herself if she need too.  She will not let something like this happen again.  She was no stranger to weapons she had used them in the past so she knew she could protect herself if she needed too.

She notices the supply same still short she has only basic rations, so she continues along the pass till she gets to the next town.

On the way she comes to a farm, she enquires about a job so she can buy some food but the only job available is to kill the thing that's been eating the livestock, she takes the role and does a stake out, but she's feeling weak and tired.  Through the night nothing happens and dawn is approaching so she eats her remaining supply, she needs this to work.  The next night the farmer offers her a meal before she has to stake out again.

Feeling refreshed and up for it she finds a better hiding place and waits  a few hours pass nothing, just ands she was about to give up a gigantic wolf appears at least 7 foot high, ragged look, ears chewed and fur missing, it has many scars over him, he looks like he's been in the wars.  She doesn't realise that she staring at least not him she’s standing in sheer awe of this beast has temporary shocked her.  He spots her at least not and goes to at least don't tack, she wasn't ready but manages to dodge his at attack.  She pulls her sword and waits for the wolf to pounce again, his teeth glaring and snapping at her, he leaps into the air as she swings her sword. She misses but the wolf’s claws scrap across her shoulder. Blood is pouring down her arm and chest.  She tightens her grips and ready herself again, the wolf mouth is open drool is running from his teeth, he can smell her blood and he's excited, he jumps forward going for a bite but she blocks with her sword and cuts his mouth.  The wolf howls in pain and backs off, she runs forwards and strikes again this time and the sword pushes into his chest, the wolf falls to the floor and is wounded bad, with one final blow it's over,   The wolf is dead.

In the morrow the farmer a process, he can see the beast on the floor and smiles, he's livestock is safe and rewards her plenty.  She protests over the amount and greatly just takes what she needs.  She is able to buy supplies to keep her on her journey, he offers to fix her up as she don't take all the money, that she accepts and just before she leaves they hug as she vows to return.

After leaving the farm she e sides that a short cut is needed and knows of town just beyond a cave and before the mountains.  She doesn’t know if it's true but thinks there's no harm in looking.  After an hour of walking the cave was not hard to find, there was signs leading the way so it must be a common short cut.  The signs did not show of the dangers that the cave holds. 

She walks in the further she goes in the darker it becomes. As she walks her hands are held outright the stop her from crashing into rocks.  Her shoes are cracking on what can only be small rocks.  It feels like the ground is moving as she walks.  The further in the worse the ground in it feels like her feet are sinking in rocks; it's so dark now she can't see anything.  The rocks are more clustered he hands can feel the jagged edges of the rocks in from of them.  They are becoming wet, the smell seems to become ionised, metallic, there's a sound, she can barely make it out she edges closer the sound slowly becoming louder, and it sounds like crying. She follows the wet rocks there's a light glowing in the background.  That's where she needs to go; she needs to get to the light.  Her surrounding is becoming lighter and she stops to let her eyes adjust.  The smell is stronger as she leaned on a rock her hand slips, she looks at it, that’s not water, and she looks to the floor, bones hundreds of bones and skulls and, over the floor.    Some bones still attached to other limbs some hands still, holding onto their weapons.  Some look so old they are crumbling away, she looks at her hands again covered in red blood.  The iron smell is blood.

She panicking now cause of the crying.  And rushes towards the light, there hunched in a corner a little girl, clothes ripped, sobbing into her torn dress.  She runs up to her and kneels by her side.  The girl stops crying turns to face her and leaps onto her snarling showing her teeth.  This girl is not human.  Those are not human teeth they are sharpened teeth, the girl skin is pale are and scaly.  Her eyes are huge with a red black tint, perfect for seeing in the dark, her name, s are like daggers and her hind legs are that of a werewolf.  Her feet are longer than normal and her back is hunched.  She reacts just in time and pushes her to the ground using a knife to kill her before a battle could start.  As she turns she surrounded by them. At least 10 of them, she pulls her sword tights and slays 4 of them but is trapped by the rest.  As the move closer she kicks the fire and runs. She can hear the cries and can her them running but she can see the exit.  She will survive.

Running towards the exit she spots a narrow turning. Narrow enough for just her she runs into it but it has no end, she’s trapped and they are in front of her only exit.  She draws her sword again and stabs the first on in the heart. It's pushed away by another being, she stabs this one too, from this point she's able to pick them off one by one without getting a scratch.  Then they stop coming she waits for a while before she emerges from her hole.  As she does she uses her sword to look around first, nothing there she must of got them all, she counts the bodies, theses five, plus her four from earlier that makes nine,  maybe she miss counted.  She comes out slowly, it's quite its fine, she begins to walk towards the exit and she feels a sharp pain against her back, like five knives slashing her, she spins with sword in hand and slices and being behind her.  Ten she thinks, bloody ten.

As she emerges from the cave it's late the stars and moon are shinning in the sky, four men are waiting for her, she reads her sword but she knows she too exhausted to fight, but they bag her to lower it, they tell her they are her welcome party.  Confused she says you must have somebody else but they disagree and Insist that she follows they to their village not far from the cave.  She goes only because that's where she was going anyway.  As they approach they run off in front of her, tired and with blood still dripping from her sword, and cuts and gashes, she walks into town.  She can hear us cheering and smell the food; we are celebrating her, for what she did to the cave beings.  We tell her that they eat the people from the village, and that we were in the middle of an attack when they went running back.  That must have been when she killed the girl.

We let her tidy herself up and rest in their hotel, All,  free of charge, we tried to give her money but she decides it all, and tells us everything that happened in the cave, all of which was meet with woos and gasps.  She tells us about her missing husband and we tell her about some of our missing men who also went up the mountain.  We desire that she should go alone and some of the town folk volunteer to go with her in a few days.  She must be fighting fit for that mountain it's not a easy climb so we insist she rests well and eats well the next few days while we sort out some new clothes for her.

A few days past she's well rested but fears she has been too long, she worries about the state she might find her husband in, and we as a team assure her that he will be fine, our families are up there too, we tell her that we are sure they are protecting each other, but this does not ease her worry.  Together we set off, the mountain is not far from our village at all so we get there with time to spare. The mountain had a trail that lead up a tiny way so we shall take that; from there we shall have to climb.  The trail Leads up to an herb with grows in abundance on the mountain.  It's very powerful and helps with healing so we use grab some on the way.  Just in case.   I try to reassure her.

The trail ends and we gave what herbs we can. As we start to climb the footing was better than we anticipated which made our lives so much easier, hope was growing amongst us and I even saw our hero cracking a smile.  But then things made a terrible turn. 

About half way up the mountain we found what we were looking for, our families and her husband, frozen in terror. The last look on their face looked like they was seeing apart from her husband, his face looked in pain, his leg strapped up, this is what he meant by help, his leg was defiantly broken.  Their bodies preserved in ice forever, their last emotion in an endless expression. Many their eyes always showing fear.  Some of our team turned a ghostly white, they could not take in what they were seeing, I was one of those.  But our hero, she just sat next to her husband and wept.  Wept uncontrollably non-stop for what seemed like forever.  We let her be.  When she stopped she agreed we should go back we will return for the departed a other day, not today she couldn't do today.  She asked if it would be alright to start a fresh in our town.  We smiled and said that's what we thought you were doing, which made her smile a little.

Feeling disappointed and sad we embarked on our journey back.  Our hero kept looking back and when we said we shall return tomorrow, she said she had the feeling of being followed.  We took a few steps and then I felt it too.  We both turned round and saw something I shall never forget, blue smooth skin, round flat feet with big toes, silver eyes, big round teeth and white tuft of fur on its chest.  It looked like it smiled.  The rest of our team stops and turned round.  The hero and I slowly tried to step back to whisper to run but they ran forward hoping to take it down. I looked at the hero in terror and could tell she was scared.  They hit it with their swords d they didn't even cut his skin.  This being was tough.  It opened its mouth and blew a steel of ice onto the town folk, freezing them solid.  I loved at the hero and screamed at her to run but as she turned I watched her skin freeze.  This being was fast.  I stood frozen to the spot unable to move.  I was so scared.  Eventually the being moved and I was able to get away.  While I finally made it back onto the path I cried.  I ran and I cried till I made it back to town.

I explained everything and a few more me went up the mountain to bring back our dead, much to my protest.  Our town has been waiting weeks for them to return.