Call of the Pharaoh
A story from INZENTIA.
Call of the pharaoh was a community design event, that I did back in 2021. It was focused around the theme of Egypt deities and designs that I wanted to draw in my own style. I implemented my community in the process, by giving them stories to read, questionnaires and eventually implemented their own ideas for characters into the story. So they became part of it. At the end, I gave away all the designs among the "hunters" with the most enjoyable, inspirational and engaging questioner answers.
01
Royal Nightshade Flowki
[...] It had been months since the attack of the black creatures and the chaos they brought into the headquarters of the BlackBestia-Hunting Guild, yet Nero still hadn't found back to his calm and relaxed mind. He had been searching for all kinds of information that could maybe, just maybe, give him an idea of what these creatures were made of, or where they came from. He took a deep breath, leaning back in the chair of the library, that he was nearly inhabiting more than his own room. His wounds and scars still put him in front of challenges every day, but it became better with every week. And with each session Nero had taken at the hospital corridor, together with doctor Uruben. The doc was another souvenir that came together with Tahorn and the other knights of the guilds crown. Seth had ordered assistance, but ever since they arrived, the entire HQ had fallen into a really grumpy mood. Everyone was on the edge, especially the higher ranked people. The closer you would come to Seth, leader of the BBHQ, the worse it got. Nero was neither old enough, nor long enough part of the guild, as that he would understand the chemistry between Seth and Tahorn. But whenever he tried to get into the office of Seth and Tahorn was already there, his assistance lady shoo'ed him away quickly. More of a worried look on her face than anything else. The young man had accepted his fate and started to dig deeper into all kinds of books and talked to all kinds of people, trying to collect useable information. Nearly laying in the chair, rather than sitting, his view was fixated on the glassy roof of the library. The stars and the two moons shared a place on the gigantic dark tent, watching down on him. If they could, would they laugh at him? About his attempts to help out in his own way? He was not as experienced as the others and his wounds and scars made a lot of problems during the training times. Vaas, who came back from the last hunt at the night of the invasion, was already back in shape and seemed even more amused about the current events than before. Amusement and sarcastic comments were a facade Nero knew all too well. It was his way to compensate the stress and somehow deal with the feelings inside him. But Nero was a different type of person. The only thing that could ease the tension in his mind and lift his heart, was pure and logic progress. He needed results. Grumbling, Nero nearly jumped of the chair, took his notebook and stomped in the direction of the gardens. He needed to speak to Seth, right now. There was no option like 'hiding everything from everyone' and 'playing save for no matter of cost'. So many of his friends were scared, traumatized, most of the day anxious. It could not continue like this. Anger arose in his chest and Nero felt the spiking pain in his forehead. A well known pain, since the day of the invasion. He couldn't tell if he had been hit too hard on the head, or what might be the true reason behind the needles that tortured him, but whenever he faced the accumulated anger and frustration in his mind, the pain followed swiftly. Nero opened the glass door and took the path between a field of blooming flowers, heading into the direction of Seths building. The night was cold, but no wind was singing and no animal made a noise. The young men looked around, his gaze finding the habitat of Gemini. The poor hydra. Poor and brave hydra. Would Lauriel be there? Should he go and pay her a visit before he would stomp in Seths door, probably kicking it out of its angles, according to the feeling in his chest? He sighted. Probably he should do so. Slowly changing his direction, Nero followed a path between white, yellow and purple flowers and blooming shrubs. The air was filled with their scent and somehow Nero felt an ease, while walking between them, making sure to not step onto those, which grew up on the stone plates. He reached the fence of Geminis Habitat and looked around. A door swung open and a woman with blonde hair, tied to a wonderful herringbone-braid, stepped outside. She saw Nero, waved into his direction and said something like 'give me a minute'. As Nero could see, she pushed a wheelbarrow across the area. Probably the late night dinner of Gemini. Nero remembered that she had said something about Hydras preferring to eat in the night, when everything was calm and less distracting. He just could try to imagine what sleeping schedule Lauriel would have now. But he wasn't any better, he had to admit. And so he waited patiently, until the Hydra was munching with relish, and the young woman walked over to his place. "You can come in, you know that, right?" Despite the late hour Lauriel seemed awake and happy. The contrary picture of himself. "Yes, yes, I know. I was on the way to Seth. Just wanted to come over and say hello before." The young lady leaned her head to the side, a knowing and teasing smile on her lips. "You seem incredibly angry, Mister I-am-always-relaxed." Nero rose his eyebrows, the hands holding on the poles of the fences, his face leaned against them. "Is it that obvious?" Lauriel snorted and laughed, while Nero couldn't hide his frustration about him being an open book to her. "I would say, you are neither alone with your feelings, nor is it the case that I wouldn't understand you. Anything you found that might be useful?" Now it was his time to snort and sigh. "Nothing after all. No matter where I search or who I a-" Nero turned around, being convinced that something had touched his back, but when his view scanned the surrounding area, there was nothing. "Everything alright?" "Y-yes, I guess so." The young huntress stepped aside and tried to see for herself what had caused his abrupt reaction, but the only thing she could see, was the field of flowers, trees, stone ways, the fountain and far behind the other buildings of the HQ. "What did you want to say, Nero?" she asked, her view not letting go of the area behind him. Nero opened the mouth to talk, but a piercing feeling stroke into his back, forcing him to turn around faster and with pulled sword. "What the hell..." Nero could hear how Lauriel picked up something behind him, pressing her body against the fence. "I assume you are not seeing anything, do you?" "Nothing, no." He felt how her hand stroke his back, searching for something that might cause the sudden touch and pain. "Look at us. We are so much on the edge, that we assume something might be here, and arm up, before we even check if it could be something in my jacket." He laughed, a bit too nervous. Nero could feel the vibration, as something from behind was coming closer. Gemini, without a sound, stood up and approached the scenery. Lauriel greeted him silently, but the fact that Gemini came to see for himself what happened, was sign enough for Nero, that he was not turning insane - and there truly was something behind him! Now that the giant hydra was close to them, Nero could feel the massive, powerful aura this majestic creature was surrounded by. It felt as if it was so dense, that it pushed away everything that couldn't stand him. Smaller animals always made space when Gemini walked around, and now he could feel why. "What do you think, what shall we do? Shall we call out an emergenc-" Lauriels eyes were wide open when she placed her hand on his mouth, staring into the darkness, which was only enlighten by flame bowls and torches in the garden. "By the gods..."Nero freed his face from her hand and watched to the point she was staring at. Gemini behind him growled deeply and threatening. A creature, half the body made out of mass, half the body vanishing in darkness, stood as close as ten meters. It had a horn, glowing in a reddish purple and its body was covered in flowers, white and shining like the moon. But the most intimidating thing was its skeleton, which they could see shimmering under its skin. It tilted its fox-like face and Nero was not sure which emotion he should see or sense, coming from the creature. It came closer, but Gemini was waiting, positioning his body shortly behind Lauriel, while she took the chance to calm the smallest of the heads, which was still growing back. The small head was the result of the invasion-fight and ever since Lauriel had griefed over the loss of Ertije - the small pea, and cared even more for the new head arising on his place. Gemini bend his heads over the fence, sniffing the air, while the unknown creature stepped closer. It seemed curious. His body was now fully visible, revealing a bunch of flower pettals, forming something similar to a kitsune tail Nero knew from books. The two creatures investigated each other, without touching, but the closer the fox-thing came, the dizzier Nero felt. His heart started to jump irregular and he felt, as if his mind got wrapped in clouds. "Nero?" He felt her hand touching his shoulder, but her voice seemed too far away. More than just the poles of the fence was dividing them now. "NERO!" He heard her call, but his body didn't react. Everything was in slow motion, while the two golden eyes of the creature in front of him, stared right into his own. Geminis main head started to growl louder and deeper, before the other heads joined in. Their roar arose and the flower-creature broke its gaze on Nero, relieving him from its chains. Nero gasped for air, the moment a door got kicked open and Vaas stormed into the garden. "By the gods, what's happening here? What is-?!" His view found the intruder and another few men reached the place. Gemini released a mighty roar, nearly sounding like a "GO!" and the flower-thingy turned for good, vanishing completely in the midst of nothing. What got left behind, was a young huntress, with a racing heart, a young hunter still gasping for air, while holding his chest in confusion and serveral other hunters - in their pajamas, armed up with weapons and fighting boots.
02
Grave Guardian Grimwolf
A few days were spent into the eager tries of finally finding some peace, after Nero had encountered this weird flower-fox-thing. He felt the warmth of the midday sun on his skin, while the wind stroke his blonde hair and a smell of sweet flowers tickled his nose. Every day since the event Nero came back to the garden, sat down on a bench and tried to remember what he had seen in this night. Or felt. Unexpectedly his memories had gone blurry, with each hour passing after the creature had left the place again. Sighing from exhaustion and frustration Nero laid his face in his hands, trying to slow down the storm of thoughts in his head. What happened to him? A rarely heard voice appeared next to the young hunter and a shadow covered him, squeezing between him and the sun. He lifted his face and found himself fixated by the gaze of Avon. The greatest medic of the guild was standing beside him, despite the fact that he hated the burning sun, the dazzling light and the heat. A chamber-crawler far away from his very chamber. "Master Avon, wha-" "Are you the hunter who got touched by the Flowki?" "Y-yeah, I guess, what exactly is a Flow-" "Follow me." Without further explanations the oldtimer turned around and left with flying steps into the direction of the medic quarters. It took Nero a moment, but finally he jumped up of the bench and tried to catch up with Avon. This old man was really fast, contrary to his age and his appearance. Together they walked through the corridors, passed by different nurses and young medics who cared for whomever was in need of help. Nero always had a fascination for people who joined the medics, but he would never switch the place with one of them. Invisible enemies, bringing pain and death, no chance to either catch them or destroy them easily. Tons of elixirs, potions and poisons, which can cure, but also kill. The line between those attributes is just a milligram of the dose. A whiff between wonder and failure. Deadly failure. Until this very day Nero had not made up his mind on the question of who had the more thrilling and more dangerous job. The medics, or the nurses... Caught in his own thoughts, Nero nearly ran into Avon, who stopped in front of a giant door. Nero had passed this door several times, but never had anyone entered or left the room behind it. Somehow the feeling of a giant rock in his stomach, dragging down his curiosity and his hope, appeared as Avon opened the gigantic door with a heavy key, slipped through the gab and ordered Nero to follow him. The door made a deep, scratching sound when Avon closed it behind the young hunter. "Follow me. Fast." The old man took a lantern, inflamed it and walked down a spiral staircase. If Nero wouldn't know it any better, he would have said Avon was running. Was this some kind of weird panic attack of his? From all the sun and the outside climate? Nero had heard plenty of rumours about the greatest medic of the BlackBestia-Guild, but never had a chance to build an opinion of his own about Avon. After they reached the end of the stairs, a long - really damn long - corridor lead them through the darkness. It was more like a tunnel, but Nero had no time to think about his fear of narrow paths, slippery stones under his shoes and the smell of rotting material swimming in ancient water. At least it was what it smelled like. Without any word they followed the tunnel, turned right once, and left it behind shortly after. Nero saw many other tunnels splitting away and vanishing in the deepest darkness he had ever seen. His heart raced and at one point he nearly passed Avon. But trying not to be rude, he stayed behind the old man - but as close to his lantern, as Nero could. Eventually they reached the beginning of another spiral staircase, leading upwards. Avon suddenly stopped. Nero could hear his rapid breathing as the old man smoothed out his clothings and walked upwards. Slowly. As if there had been no rush or pressure before, Avon took the stairs one after the other. It felt likes ages, before the stairs finally found an end and Avon stopped in front of a door. This time the door made no noise, and Nero saw Avon turning to him, meaningful laying a finger on his lips, before he passed the threshold. Nero felt a dumpling hanging in his throat, but didn't dare to clear it. Together they entered a room, broad walls, filled with hanging fabric. Nero touched one of them, it was made from the softest silk he had ever felt between his fingers. The room was litten up by huge windows with thin paper glued onto them. It gave the place a calm atmosphere. Somewhere in the room Nero could hear the lapping of water and the discreet scent of flowers filled the air. The young hunter welt the soft touch of a slowly flowing wind, but there was no open window anywhere. "Avon. It has been a long time." "Lady Eyrie." Nero saw how Avon bowed down, so he did the same - more out of reflex than anything else - even though he didn't see the person Avon talked to. After they rose again, Nero followed Avon through the labyrinth of flowing fabrics. One moment he saw nothing, the other, one of the fabrics turned to the side, and his eyes found a woman sitting on a big pillow in the middle of...well everything. "What brings you to me, Avon?" "Lady Eyrie, you know I would never invade your space or steal your precious time, if it was not for a very important reason." Neros brain was still digesting what he encountered here, so the talk between the two nearly passed him entirely. The woman in front of them had dark hair with a soft blue shimmer. "I know, Avon. I have felt it." "What have you felt, Lady Eyrie?" The woman arose from her pillow, soft feathers forming a dress, shining in the reflection of the warm light. She walked down the stairs in front of her, and two long, entirely black wings, formed in front of Nero. As if they had been hidden in nowhere. Exactly like the creature in the garden. Neros heart raced. His throat was dry and his legs felt incredibly weak. Now the woman turned her ice-blue eyes to him. "He has been touched." "Y-yes, Mylady." She walked towards him and a strong grasp around Neros heart nearly made him jump off and leave, but Avon formed a sign with his hands. Everything is okay. The woman came closer and Nero could sense the same kind of aura that Gemini had. Pushing him away, strongly, but not as strict as Geminis. More like flowing water, capturing him kindly in the middle, but also showing strength and straining him a little. She layed her hand on Neros chest and the poor young hunter nearly lost his breath, his eyes fixating the wide wings this woman had. Just now he realized that her hands were covered in scales, with long talons on the end of each finger. Avon came close and layed one hand on Neros back. "Excuse me, Lady Eyrie, the young hunter has never made an encounter with a Theres-Harpy." "Oh, I don't blame him, Avon. My species is hiding for a purpose. I would have been more perplex if he had known me...or my kind." "Young man, Lady Eyrie is not only a Harpy, she is a weaver." A weaver. A WEAVER?! Neros eyes jumped between the two figures who seemed to fixate him. He felt a little betrayed by Avon, but also felt a bit of ease, to know that he was here. "Why am I here?" It was his first sentence, since they had started their journey from the garden. "You are here, so Lady Eyrie can see if she finds the reason for your unstable health, since you have been touched by the Flowki." "This again, what is a Flowki?" Lady Eyrie rose her eyebrows, giggling a bit into Avons direction. "So Seth is still not teaching the hunters about the Kahoré realm?" Avon seemed to turn red on his cheeks, turning his eyes down. "No, Mylady." "I haven't expected anything else. Now, Nero-" How did she know his name?! He hadn't told her. "A Flowki is a creature of the spirit dimension, Kahoré. The fact that is was able to touch you, as well as the fact that you and the others could see it, tells us a lot about the current situation." "Does it?" Avon was in thoughts, leaving his guard down for a moment. "Eh, Mylady, I apologise. What exactly does it tell us?" The harpy smiled but her eyes felt like piercing needles of ice. "The barrier between the dimensions got manipulated. I assume the dark creatures are the reason for it." "But how can that be? They were made out of mass - they got hurt and they have hurt people by contact." "You can touch me too, young Nero." The careless way Nero had talked got scolded with silent words by Avon, but the Harpy just smiled, when she took his hand and guided it onto the middle of her chest. Nero turned as red as a tomato, feeling her heartbeat. But there was more to it. A sparkling feeling. Like electric voltage. The moment felt like an eternity, yet like a fracture of a second. "Flowkis are known to be shy, and they don't interact with your realm. Normally they don't even pay attention to your kind. Something seems to happen in the dimensions layers...and I am not sure whether if its good or bad." "Are there more creatures in the Kahoré,...Mylady?" "Yes. A lot more. Some shy and peaceful. Some far more dangerous." She let go of the hand, which was grasping Neros the entire time, and turned to leave. "Do you know what a Grimwolf is?" "N-no, I-I am sorry Lady Eyrie." The fascination was drawn all over Neros face and somehow he followed her a few steps, until Avon caught his arm, softly pulling him back. "They are harbingers of plentiful deaths as a consequence of a contract someone made with them." "A contract?" "Yes. In Padunay there is a story which got told through the centuries: The tale of Shamki the merchant. He sold humans, which he had caught before, to people with a lot of money and prestigue. But not only poor people from the streets fell into his arms. He robbed babies from their parents, children from their families. Leaving nothing behind but agony and despair. Some day, one of his "sells" got lifted out of his social standing and became the student of a magician. And how the fate plays, he found the book of summonings, which his master believed, was very well hidden." The harpy took place on her pillow, stretched the wings back and folded her hands in her lap. "What happened then?" She just smiled. "The young men was full of hate and rage. He searched for the most powerful spirit he could summon, together with a piece of clothing he had ripped off of Shamki and kept hidden for all the long years. The appearing Grimwolf was a monster among the beasts. His eyes, holding three pupils on each side, the tail with the head of a snake on the end, holding a lantern with screeching souls inside. Only those who are really eager to make a contract, survive the first encounter. If the Grimwolf decides that you are weak,...well, he will devour your soul without further questions. But the young men was strong willed. So the Grimwolf took the piece of fabric and left to find its rightful owner. The story goes that Shamki the torturer suffered a horrible death." Nero was pale and even Avon seemed to be sucked into the story Eyrie was telling. "What did the grimwolf do to him?" "You know...there is the weaver who can weave things into your soul and the one who can unweave things from your soul. And then there are creatures like the Grimwolf. Ripping your soul into parts before they mingle them together and start all over. At the end, your soul, your precious, shining, wonderful soul, is nothing more than a chunk of chewed up material. And you are awake and alife the entire time. Until they rip off the chunk of the last strain that holds it to your real body and vanishes. Depending in which culture you are living, people say you will have no chance to find a peaceful end, nor the chance to find your beloved ones in the afterlife." "There is an afterlife?" Again she smiled. Knowing, teasing, but silent. She shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows, young hunter. Well....but, at the end even the Grimwolf is no monster." "H-how can it not be?" "It is a scavanger, eating up the contaminated souls of lost creatures, before it will die one day and releasenothing but cleansed energy to the Ao, so the great Ao can form new life again." "We will leave you now, lady Eyrie." Avon grabbed Neros arm again. Nero was thrilled. Confused. Angry. Sad. Overexcited. He was everything but calm, nor ready to leave already. "So will it be, Avon, old friend." The old man nodded, turned with Nero, who wanted to stay so desperately. "And Avon..." He stopped. "...the Flowki caused no harm to our young hunter Nero. The symptoms will fade soon. But it might be...that your youngster will see the world differntly now. And you should talk to Seth, about my thesis. If the layers are damaged, we can only hope there won't be other Atmas roaming and leaving their home dimension. None of you...would be ready." Avon clenched his fist and Nero could see how hard he was pushing his jaws together. Without any further word they left the place, left Lady Eyrie behind. But what would stay, were all the questions. So many questions. No answers. For now.
Horus - Vazemi King
03
[...] Lauriel had passed the middle part of the HQ and rushed towards Seths meeting rooms. Between her arms, the weight of an ancient book. And the weight of the unknown. How would they react? Would they believe her? The young huntress had been abroad for a few days, leaving the HQ behind her and paying her grandma a visit. She was kind of a rather spiritual person. At least more spiritual than everyone else she had met until today. As fast as her legs carried her, she run up the stairs, focusing on the things she could tell Seth to convince him. Would she need to convince him? Absolutely. Would it be easy? Absolutely not. Seth had this vibe around him, blocking away everything that could even lead into the direction of spirituality or "ghosts". But Lauriels Nana had known it better for so many years and the fact that everyone in the village came to her, asking for advice, remedy and absolution, was enough for the young huntress. She needed it to be enough. Working with creatures like Gemini or Capricorn had taught her more about the world she lived in and the rules that held it together, than any teacher or schoolbook ever could. Geminis aura and power were something astonishing for sure, but when you took the time to sit back and just watch him interact with the world around, you could see what made this big creature so different. Smaller animals backed off, as you would expect it, but even big creatures, other monster-class-sized beasts withdrew, or left their place when Gemini was around. For a long time they held Gemini and the Aquarius close to each other, and it would be really polite to say "they didn't like each other". Aquarius was a real-life nightmare. Feeding him was still nerve wrecking and many of the other caretakers decided to just throw the food over the fence and leave it be. But Lauriel wasn't like them. She believed in balance and the creatures' intelligence. Aquarius - the Butcher. Not that his name would leave space for much positivity anyway. After months of just standing at the fence to watch him, standing at the entrance and sharing his area with him, opening the door without walking in, Aquarius had let down the tension in his body when she was close to him. At this time she could feed him, clean his area. But everything with a proper distance to the beast. She could sense his glare, staring at her and how she moved around. Aquarius must have made terrible experiences - at least Lauriel was convinced so - and that it just needed time and "a long-lasting feeling of safety and kindness". At the end the discipline and her eager will of not letting go of the naive idea a beast could become a friend, was the magic ingredient in the question of why Aquarius had joined the fight alongside Gemini, to save her and the other hunters. Every person she knew, believed the first moment a chance would appear to push the king off of his throne, the Butcher would take it. None of this happened and at the end Lauriel was the one to throw a shining smile at the other caretakers when they passed Aquarius' habitat, and she was standing there brushing off the Algae and the mud from his back, while the butcher was laying in the snd, enjoying a hot sunbath. Nonetheless, there were creatures even bigger than Aquarius, and so she believed, even mightier than Gemini. One of the stories her grandma had told her, was about Horus, the Vazemi-King of the Sandlands. A creature risen by the pharaohs' family since he was a little hatchling. Trained for combat, trained for being a friend. But there would always be a wild and untamable aspect to this creature. When the pharaohs' son Tifnut took his place on the throne, he already had trained several creatures to accompany him - and protect him from all the envy and jealous traitors around him. Despite the warnings of his right hand, general Hip'Nahng, Tifnut rose the blade of the kings against an old enemy one day. The Zarukai. After a ceremony - originally to strengthen their friendly bondings - the pharaoh declared war over a simple nullity. One of the sons of the zarukai-clans king Jar'Varal, didn't appreciate the - let's say unfriendly and vigorous - flirt attempts of Tifnuts daughter Shezni. He apologized in a polite manner, telling her his heart belonged to another person. Yet Shezni was enraged. She stormed through the pharaohs' palace for three days, leaving servants and maidens in fear of her arbitrarily punishments. She threatened everyone and everything. Leaving her father no choice but to take revenge after the entire kingdom learned about her failed approaches. "They despise me, father! Because of this son of a lizzard! The entire kingdom is making a joke out of me!" Tifnut, already old in terms of a pharaoh, had never fought a war. Yet to lead an army into battle, was one of the biggest achievements someone could earn, to placate the gods who would wait in the underworld for his arrival. So Tifnut, without the calming voice of his already deceased wife beside him, followed the rage of his daughter. In more than 120 years, nothing had shaken the ground of the empire Azramud as intense as this very war. Tifnut ordered his commandants and generals to attack the caravans of the Zarukai empire and kidnap any fathers' son they could find. The war should last for many years and became crueller and crueller with every attack and every stroke of revenge. The moment pharaoh Tifnut died, his daughter Shezni took over and nearly squashed the kingdom in her merciless hands. But the table turned with her attempt to ride into battle herself, on the back of Horus. The Vazemi carried her onto the battlefield, the army of Azramud behind them, but as they flew to face the Zarukai, Horus took the straps himself. Hovering over the army, he out of a sudden rolled over mid-air, shaking off the pharaohs' daughter. She fell, deeper and deeper and everyone was in shock, still thinking Horus would reach her soon enough to catch her. That it was an accident. But Horus had nothing similar in mind. He built up speed, grabbed the princesses torso and slammed her into the stony ground. The battlefield remained silent. No voice, no order, no drums. Horus' scream echoed over the field, causing a rampage between the other creatures of the Azramud empire. One after the other threw of their rider, tore loose from their leashes and left. Horus glared at the new Zarukai king, who stood in front of his army. He was the son of the old king. The one son, that politely dismissed the offer of Shezni. Grieving, raging, full of despair over the losses he had to count on his side. There was no place for mercy in his heart. Now, hundreds of years after, people could argue about the decision the young king fell on this day. Purging the people of Azramud from the planets surface. But Lauriel could understand him, a bit. It was told he had seen the face of Shezni and the face of his lost bride, wherever he went and in whomever he met. Nothing should touch his heart softly ever since. And so Shezni not only threw her own kingdom into misery, but also rang in one of the darkest periods of the Zarukai empire. Led by a king who was thorn in pieces by grief, hate and agony. But Horus... Horus had led the creatures into a wild land. Nobody knew where they were and how they did. If they survived and how they could make a living in peace possible. They had left their human friends behind to die on the battlefield, just as they had left their creature companions to die. For nothing. Legends tell the soul of Horus was still out there, wandering through the mist of Kahoré, guiding creatures who suffered a painful death into a better life, under his wings and protection. Bond to the idea, that almost only creatures and beings who had to encounter horrible, drastic events, would roam the Kahoré, there was no question if they would make a use of the fading barriers between the dimension. Just where and when.
04
Hash'Vanuun - The Sanddancer
[...] The door swung open, a noticeably rushed young huntress entered. Seth was in the middle of a talk with Avon, when the intruder broke the peace of the conversation. "We need to go to the desert lands!" "Not exactly what I was dreaming about for my next holiday." Vaas, sitting in the left corner of the room, rose his eyebrows, but smiled when he noticed Lauriels' confusion. The young huntress entered the room, closed the door and walked up right to Seth, who was rising his hands in hopeless defence. She noticed how tired the leader looked and how exhausted he must be. But she took the last bit of courage in her body and threw it right onto him, together with the information she had found about the Flowki and the Grimwolf, followed by nearly two hours of back and forth discussions. "So you want to tell me, that I shall arm up every person who is walking on this area, to tell them, that they are fighting against things that come from a different dimension - while their weapons will probably be useless anyway - so you and the others can take a trip to the warm south?" "Ehm....yes. Technically." The guild leader was standing behind his wooden desk, the hands pushed onto the surface, glaring at different maps, beast sheets and old legends written in ancient languages. "This is hilarious." "It is our only chance." "It could be a chance. But for sure not the only one." "You don't know that! We never had a situation like this before!" Lauriel felt how her frustration was taking over. "RIGHT! EXACTLY!" Seth was slamming his hands at the desk and his voice stroke the air like a thunder. "We never encountered any of those creatures, and I am still not even sure that they exist." Now Avon was rising both eyebrows, crossing the arms in front of his chest. "Seth, you know that th-" "I know what I have seen! And what I have seen is on my plate, and nothing else! I won't call in everyone from their trips, leave the borders unguarded because of a simple fairytale!" "You are accusing your very own - not to mention some of your best hunters - of lying? How pitiful." Another voice entered the room and nobody had heard him coming. Accompanied by two of his hunters, Tahorn stepped forth until he was standing in front of Seths' desk. Vaas could feel how the air was getting colder, throwing a seeking view to Avon, who - discreetly ensured to get more space between him and the two leaders. "Since when are you a professional in fields of extra-dimensional creatures?" Seths voice was only a wisp in the wind now, but the level of imminent danger was exploding. "Well,-" Tahorn relaxed his body language and nearly unimpressed shifted some papers on the desk from side to side, taking up an old information paper about bird habits and their foreshadowing of upcoming trouble. "- since I have worked for my queen and went out onto field trips, seeing a lot of things with my own eyes and talking to people who have seen very,...disturbing and bizarre things. I have expanded my horizon, maybe this would be an option for yours too, before you grow old behind your desk, brother." Brother? Now it was Lauriels turn to step back. Only whispers and rumours had filled the empty corridors when nobody seems to listen. Seth and Tahorn and the dignity of the family Vohran. Some rumours say a young lady was involved, a few beasts and a mischievous lady of high rank. But nobody knew for sure and it probably should be the last thing Lauriel should ask now. "You know, mother has asked about you a few times. Not that she would really care for, eh... what you are doing here and the fact that you are keeping some of those monsters, but even in her age she is still polite. Even towards you." Tahorn turned around and walked over to one of the walls which held several maps of Saigon. The paper was old and many notes were placed all over them. He placed his finger on a statue, which was placed on a sideboard under the maps and showed his disgust about the dust which had covered it. Seth was loaded up until the roof and already the slightest movement of Tahorns face, trying to start another degrading monologue for sure, let his blood boil - but before Seth would do anything stupid and also lose his remaining eye, Vaas stepped in. "Alright, can we all calm down now, ya? I know we should 'appreciate your existence 'Tahorn, but I didn't get the memo about that - or I burned it - so I will simply ignore that for now. This is neither the place nor the time for your prepuberty behaviour - and no, the fact that ya' fancy ass is covered in the queens armour and patched up with badges of honour, is also not helping ya here. If you don't have something useful to say, we all would be quite delighted, to see ya' backside, leaving through this door. Yes, the one right behind you." Vaas made a "shush-like" movement with his hands, and Lauriel found herself in real trouble to not laugh out loud. Avon, fading from already pale, to chalk white, harrumphed and tried to form a sentence, but Tahorn waved over one of his soldiers. The young man pointed on the map and counted a handful of places. "Everywhere in those areas creatures appear and disappear, which have never been seen here before. Last month we also got a message from the desert lands under Peara, calling for help." "What did they encounter?" Lauriel stepped close to the young men and watched down at the map." "A Sanddancer." "A Sanddancer? I thought they are extinct for...like, ever?" "They are neither extinct nor are they a fairytale. A really gigantic exemplar has attacked different small villages, causing the people to leave their home and flee to the capital." Lauriel crossed her arms. "But when they have stayed hidden for such a long time, what could make them leave their habitat now? And become aggressive towards normal people? Character changes like those are not pure accidents. There must be a reason behind that." "That is what we tried to find out, but our seekers were not able to track the sanddancer down after the attacks. That is why we are here. Partly, at least." Vaas laughed so loud that the group watched the small man in real confusion. "THEY COULDN'T TRACK IT. THE CROWNS HUNTERS COULD NOT TRACK A GIGANTIC BEAST AND NOW THEY ASK US!" he said and slapped Avons back, who nearly lost his glasses. "It's more like an exchange of power." Tahorn glared at the young soldier, already giving him an idea of the things he would tell him the second they would have left this office. Or make him feel. Seth sunk down into his chair. A crown order. He was looking too tired to even be angry or to say anything, so he nodded shortly. "As the crown wishes. Vaas....." The old man looked up to Seth. "...eh...you know what you need to do. 15 people. Not more." Vaas laughed, grabbed his Axe and walked out of the room. "WE ARE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE - AND YOU DOOHOOOOON'T!" - you could hear him yell somewhere on the corridor.
05
Bastet - Weaver of black Sand
[...] Life filled the rooms within the BlackBestia-Headquarter, when Nero ran from one corridor to the next one. Finally, something would happen! Just a few minutes ago, while he was enjoying another great breakfast by Ma'Myra, Nero had been told to pack his belongings and weapons for an adventure. With a slight delay, he began to understand what Vaas was telling him and the young hunter nearly chocked on his cup of tea. His irritated brain was not capable of processing and drinking - but he was already used to that. Yet, the moment of the realization kicked in, Nero cheered, jumped off the bench and raced up and away. A hunt. Finally! It was his first hunt since the incident with Pisces in the northern iced sea. Every time when the medic was happy with his progress, another unexpected event smashed in the door, but now he finally would get another chance to roam the world, gain more experience, fight alongside his comrades and bring home a precious amount of gold to support his family. He hadn't heard from them for a while now, but regarding the actual time of the year, his dad and mother would probably be busy with the farm, while his sister - at least should - be stuck heads deep in her study books. His shoes made squeaky sounds as Nero took a curve, heading to the blacksmiths and the weapon masters. Beside the gold he was sending home all the time, Nero also had put aside a bit to buy a new weapon, together with the material Vaas had saved for him from their encounter with Pisces. The day this gigantic beast had slammed him into the iced sea, the feeling of deaths ice-cold hand holding his in a merciless grasp,...yes, this was the worst day of his life. But Nero survived, thanks to his stubborn head and thanks to Vaas, who jumped into the water after him, not leaving him behind as the codex suggested, in case the beast was still a danger at this particular moment. But Nero was not here to fall into anger or disappointment or shame again, no, no, no. He was here to check for something really special. "Rino!" The old blacksmith looked up from his anvil, putting off his face cover. "Ah, the shock frosted youngster! Good to see ya, good to see ya!" Rino slammed his hand on Neros shoulder, in a friendly manner, but with enough power to nearly throw him off his feet. "I have been waiting for ya!" This colossus of a smith was nearly 2,3m high, probably weighting as much as a horse and built only by muscles. As if this was not enough, he had horns on his head, and a draconic tail, making it easy to identify him as a Zarukai. But despite the latest rumours of freed Zarukais, he was from the old legion, still wearing the power-blocking necklace his king had forced every small child to wear. Nero could remember the first times they met and how Rino told him, that one day he would be powerful and skilled enough to free himself from this necklace, and every other Zarukai who was still bound to it. Those who had never seen his or her own dragon form. Many of them went insane during their lifetime, not being able to morph into their other 'self'. So each time Nero came over, he hoped to find Rino slamming his hammer on some metal, yelling about how bad the quality of the metal was, and laughing about some kind of bad word joke someone made. "Really? I thought you have so much to do, so I didn't want to bother." "Sure I had much to do, but I am not as slow as ya think. Or do ya greenhorn want to call me ol' and rustey?! HE?! Oh, ya want to fight he?!" The blacksmith swung his hammer and the pliers, imitating some fighting technics. "Now ya looking he? Old Rino has learned some new moves! Whaataaa!" Rino was probably the loudest, biggest, most muscular - but also the most hilarious person in this entire organization. He always had a joke on hand, or at least a very head-turning-comment on his lips, but every hunter Nero knew, had deep respect for Rino. Well, they all came here to bring him material, gold and fresh groceries for weapons, shields and armours they wanted him to craft. You should clearly not joke with a person who is creating your tools of survival, that was a fact. "So, are you going to show me your masterpieces now or do I need to pick up a hammer too to end this misery??" Nero put a grin on his face. "If ya DARE to touch one of me ladies, I swear I will hammer ya into the ground, so you can count the radish' from below." The cold, calculating face Nero was looking at, could for sure be intimidating, but he knew Rino long enough. "Oh PLEASE. Is he again showing off his new 'combat moves'?!" Nero lifted his head and watched over his shoulder, seeing Junka entering the place. Junka, another blacksmith and also dedicated fisherman, threw his recent catch over his shoulder, the eyes behind his glasses showing a tired expression. "As if ya fancy rune smith would have the slightest idea of combat moves!" "Excuse me?! My runes are ASTONISHING. ALWAYS." Rino, with rolling eyes, turned the back to Junka and opened a chest. He pointed inside, while Nero was walking over. "Have you seen the great work I did with the sword of Plurna? She loved it. She said it worked fantastic and looks m-a-r-v-e-l-l-o-u-s!" "Marvallas?! Did ya fall on ya head again? The last time ya krafted a rune-infused amour, ya nearly blew us up!" "OH COM'ON - that was just because of the darn firecracker-feng-flower!" Rino placed his hands on his hips, bowing forward and tapped with his foot on the ground. "Ahh sure, it was just tha flower! Next time ya tell me ya fish was fresh, just the wind un-freshed it!" "D-did you really just say, my fish is not fresh!?" Oh-oh. Nero felt the temperature rising fast - too fast. He grabbed his ordered items, closed the chest and tried to leave the place as stealthy as possible. "As old as me darn shoe sole! And as stinkey!" "MY FISH IS FRESH! - !ALWAYS!"
06
Pharaoh Holrun
[...] It was the sound of a violent crack, which caught Vaas’ attention, while he was screening the surrounding area carefully. His view focused on Nero, who was riding on an ostrich-like creature. "By the gods, ya shoulder sounds terrible." Nero, actually trying to do some stretching exercises, just gave him a dull smile. "Is this still from the accident with Pisces?" "I guess so. Since the invasion I can't sleep for long or deep any more and often wake up with sore joints and muscles. But it gets better during the day, most of the time at least." Vaas lowered his eyebrows, in grim recollection of the day when they encountered the Pisces in the iced sea of the north. And every event that followed until the very day. Being the old hunter he was, Vaas straightened his back and lifted his chin. This was not the time to fall back into this deep hole he climbed out so laborious over the past weeks. But he had to admit that he could only hope for calm winds during their expedition to the borderlands of Padunay. The group which was following him and Nero was formed by "anyone they could spare" and unlike other expeditions, those were not the glorious heroes, the old hunters or the veteran seekers. It was a small group of 15 people, most of them were young blooded and without any experience in combating creatures. Vaas rubbed his temporal muscle. Concerns sprouted deep inside him. It was the first time in all those years he was part of the BlackBestia-HuntingGuild, that he was unsure about which place would be safer. Inside the HQ, or on an expedition. Whatever they would find out here, it better be useful for the problems they had to fix. And Seth should get his hands on a solution to prepare for another invasion. The retired knight was sure there would follow another attack. It was just a question of time. Behind Vaas a chattering talk became louder and louder, so the old man tilted his head in interest. "No way! Are you telling me there were books in our own library about this dimensional thing?!" "E-eh, yes?" Lauriel raised her arms in disbelief and the poor young man next to her lifted his hands in defence. "How can it be we never talked about that in the tutorials? Or during the preparation meetings?" "Nobody of you guys ever came to the lib and asked for one of those books...I guess." The young huntress was filled with so much anger, it really surprised Vaas seeing her in this condition. "Seth excluded those things...sometimes." "Sometimes? How about we never had this topic on the table?!" Vaas sighed and a few of the other new hunters joined the talk. Clara, a huntress from a small village, checked on her dual blades, while a hunter with a double bladed axe made a grim impression. "Maybe they did not want to make it more complicated?" "Or they are scared." Clara raised her right eyebrow and Vaas felt as if everyone's eyes were resting on him, waiting for an answer. The old man let his view roam the landscape they were passing through. Sand. Sand everywhere. Rock formations, huge and spiky violet-blue crystals and the burning sun above them. His ostrich-companion walked relaxed, saving energy for the upcoming part of their journey. "I don't know what ya guys want to hear from me, really..." "The reason." For sure, the reason. He knew that. But speaking about this made it hard to even breath. "Please Master Vaas, tell us what happened, so we can understand and maybe help in making things better." The axe hunter caught up to Vaas and Nero, while most of the group was coming closer, so everyone could hear the retired knight. "You must promise to me, that you won't storm Seth's office and pinpoint him after what I will tell you now." Agreeing mumbling was heard. "It happened many, many years ago. Seth, Tahorn and I were ordered to work together. I was still a kings guard at this time, but a gigantic beast was causing a lot of trouble in the kingsland and many people lost their lives due to it. The crown of Camulada ordered us to work with the hunters, and also Tahorn, part of the crown of Peara, joined in. It was a huge squad with over fifty hunters, swordsmen, knights and every person you could imagine that was dumb enough to confront this beast. We searched for weeks, following one track after another, but we were always behind. It took us two months to catch the monster in the act.” Monster? No word Nero was used to hear from Vaas very often. It was a preposterous creature, sitting on the roof of a house, which belonged to some farmers, munching on a cow between its skull-like jaws. It was a chilling sound, you could already hear from afar. We moved closer and I spotted that another cow was caught between his right wing claws, and one under his left foot. It was still in the middle of its lunch, not noticing us getting closer and closer, through a forest part. Seth and Tahorn were in disagreement about the further steps, but I told them, that we needed to act now, before it would finish its meal and fly off again.” Nero could see how Vaas mimik was freezing. His mind was there, back at this place all the years ago. When another hunter wanted to raise his voice and tell Vaas to continue, Nero threw a hell of an angry view to the guy. He silenced immediately. "What...happened then, Vaas?" “Since our two leading stubborn kids couldn’t figure out a better plan in time, we went with a simple surrounding tactic. We spread in a circle, ready to attack from all sides at once. The basilisks (hunters with huge crossbows and shrouds) tried to fixate the monster, pinning it down and dragging it off the roof. It worked for the first part, and we could land some painful strikes. I cut both hamstrings of the creature deeply, believing it would make it hard for it to stand and fight in this condition, but… The very moment when everyone gathered around the beast and Tahorn was ready to land a fatal blow on the head,...well, I should have listened to my guts. It hadn’t fought back at all. And I asked myself why.” "Was it waiting for help?" Clara asked carefully from the side. "Pff, no. This monster would not need help, even if we would be more than those fifty lost souls we were at that time. We were just so blind. But this was the moment Seth broke with everything that contains weavers and magic potential. The creature lifted its head, and you could see how its body was breaking the light, as if the dimensions were scattering right in front of us. There were other heads, screaming in anger and pain, yet the ‘real head’ remained in silence. The heads appeared and disappeared as if it was made from aetheric fog. The legs, the back, the wings, everything transformed back and forth, back and forth, and green gas was flowing out of its jaws and its entire body, crawling over the grass. I tried to walk away, but it felt as if someone was grabbing my heart, holding me close to the scenery. One of the hunters right next to me said one word. One atrocious word….yperite. I felt as if a lightning struck my spine. I swiftly ran towards Seth and Tahorn, grabbing the back of their coats and dragging them away as far as possible, but it was too late. I saw this….I saw this ugly grin on the face of this monster, before I heard whispering words rushing through my mind.” Vaas fell into silence, and Nero straightened his back just realizing how silent and tense the group was right now. “What...what did it say?” "Burn." "...It opened its jaws and released a giant fireball hitting the ground right in front of Tahorn and Seth, luckily its force thrust us away. Seth and Tahorn both lost their eyesight on one eye, caused by the gas they landed in with their faces. I grabbed them yet again and dragged them deeper into the woods. I..I couldn’t watch back. I couldn’t take care of those poor souls I left behind. I did as my order had been. I protected the brothers. The next thing I remembered was the moment I heard the scream of the creature while it was flying away, high above us. Trying to ease the burns I threw both of the brothers into a small creek. Ripping off my own leg pieces I kneeled beside them. We had more luck than anything else this day. Just the sheer pressure of the fireblast was the reason why we were not burned by all the gas around us. The first explosion rapidly threw us far away, so that the exploding gas on the ground only touched us shortly. I still don’t know how we managed to survive and find a way home. I…..I should have done more. I should have gone back to the others. I heard their screams every night, for years. Melting and burning in their of armours, unable to rip them off fast enough.” Neros heart was sinking, heavy like a shipwreck. He placed his hand on Vaas shoulder, seeing this good friend of him as old and weak as never before. "Vass, we are with you. You are not alone. And you have done everything that was in your power at this moment." Lauriel caught up and placed her hand on Vaas hands. "Without you, they would have been dead. And none of us would be on this trip." Vaas remained silent, his view empty, laying on the sand in front of them. "We never caught this monster. But it got a name." he snorted. The group listened up. "Rangakai, the Artefact." The young archivist behind them gasped, but Nero shook his head and signalled them to back off and remain silent for now. Vaas was drained and deep in his thoughts. Nero wouldn’t be surprised if this was the first time he ever had talked about this. ~ The group followed the lead and by the end of the day they reached a stone formation and Nero decided to stay here for the night. Vaas was still in his thoughts, but at least he tried to organize everything and everyone. Work seemed to bring him down into reality again, yet Nero could see how the shadow of grief, despair and anger was hovering above him. A while later the group had fed the ostrich, built up sleeping places and over a fire several small animals were cooked. Lauriel left the ostriches after checking for any wounds or problems they might have after this long trip, but there was no way she could go to sleep or eat now. Questions were racing in her mind and there was only one person she believed could have an answer. The young man, son of a tea merchant and now keeper of the archives, had made his place on top of the stone formation, the view fixated on the stars above them. "May I take a seat?" the young man nearly jumped off the stone plate, before he nodded fast. "You...the moment Vaas called us the name of the beast. Ranga…." "Rangakai." "Yes. You seemed as if you would know more about this creature. Can you share your knowledge with me?" The young man seemed to hesitate, but she used her best smile on him. "I just want to understand what made this creature so special." "Creatures." "Pardon?" "Rangakai is not only one creature." He sighed and closed his notebook, causing Lauriel to feel a bit bad about asking for his time, now that he was right into crafting a new star map. "The old,...the forbidden books,...tell that were weavers back in the old days, the days of the mad fireking, who were so eager to rise from their unpopular social standing, that they started to experiment. In this time golemantic magicians were the top tier of arcane masters, but weavers were frown upon. Y-you see, the work of a golemantic can be seen by everyone. Some of our best weapons are a masterpiece between blacksmiths, rune smiths and golemantics. But the work of a weaver can only be seen by people who can see into the Kahoré or have a weaver potential themselves. Both nothing you would want to tell someone back in that time. The results are intensive and often blew up the horizon of many people, leaving them in fear and despair for the works of the weaver." The young man started to nibble on a part of his scarf. Lauriel remained silent. "Rangakai is the product of many,...dozens of failed experiments before. They robbed children who had a beast-potential and ripped them apart, just in hope to try and combine their ‘beast souls’ with the ‘soul of a human’." "A chimera, you mean?" "Y-yes, basically. Or more like an abomination, conjoined with parts of other living beings who needed to die for these cruel experiments.” "What made them fail in the first place?" "According to a book with a title I cannot tell you - or else I might lose my own head - they failed because the emotional parts of all creatures AND the one living, which they tried to weave them onto, collapsed. Causing outbursts of anger, uncontrollable behaviour and sudden deaths." "Unstable…" "Exactly. Like a glass of whine, with the thinnest layer of glass you can imagine. And Gemini standing on it." "So there was no chance this could work, and still they...made it work?" "Sadly, yes. Many centuries later the crown of Camulada found a hidden village in the middle of the mountains, during their patrols. The village was filled with children, but not a single one was able to speak, nor did they express any feelings. The notes I found describe them as puppets. Hollow inside. To the shame of the crown, one of their own great weavers had become schismatic, joined the cult and planned to attack Camulada with this army of...beasts." "They all were already...manipulated?" Lauriel felt a stone in her chest, her throat was dry and her hands shaky. Those things were humans? Her mind couldn’t process this. "What did they do with the children?" The young man kept silent for a while. "There were...rehabilitation programs, in different kinds and manners. Some tried to unweave the beasts, some tried to teach them normal human behaviour. But nothing worked. Sometimes, all out of a sudden, the kids turned into their beast-forms and went on a rampage. At the end the crown ordered to execute all of them.” Lauriel had tears in her eyes. How could someone be so cruel? The weavers in first place. Both hunters fell into silence, before Lauriel decided to leave and see for Vaas. "Before I go. Tell me, how did they first find out about the chimera aspects. The dimension cracking also could be a hallucination.” "The yperite gas. This attribute belongs to only one known creature. A Methabran-Dragon, who can only be found at the very last spot of the world. No other creature can use it, and we would know if a creature would use it anywhere on Saigon, because of its disastrous impact on the environment and people." Lauriel nodded, before she left in silence. The young hunter stayed at his place for a little longer, watching and studying the stars. // Holrun, the Pharaoh of the black sand. What a wonderful star formation… What a tragic story. // Now that he came to think about the pharaoh, who was killed by his own right hand, at a very young age, a very bad feeling invaded his heart. He remembered.... //… And so I - Kladan the magician - imprison you, Holrun, son of the pharaoh Nuftep -thief of the throne - into this statue. As that no god of the underworld will ever be able to welcome your soul to the afterlife, as long as you are captured inside the beast, which I have mummified, as your grave…. A soul, weaved into the body of a creature you shall be. Mummified for eternity. Garnished with gold, and in the colours of the kingdom, so every mortal soul can prey to you, but nobody will ever know your real fate. The cruel fate I have chosen for you. Chosen for the son of a throne thief. May your suffer last eternally. // The young man gulped, closed his notebook and laid down on the stone. The stars remained silent.
08
Awoken Holrun
[...] “... and that is why Seth decided to keep Gemini, despite its large size and all the other problems that come with this type of creature.” Astonished mumbling filled the air, and Lauriel caught herself smiling about the beast's description Vaas delivered to the young hunters. Sometimes he made things a lot more funny and sometimes he became dramatic, like when he was telling old legends in the tavern of the headquarters. It felt good to see him cheerful again, knowing that he was awake most of the night, staring into the night sky, as if the stars would know a remedy for his pain. “For real, how can it be, that people are still allowed to hold wild creatures like Gemini as their pets?! This is not the only story of horrible treatment and torture and it always ends the same way!” Clara surely had made up her mind when it came to this topic, and she wasn’t entirely wrong on this. “Sometimes we give creatures with a bad past and a better perspective to owners of our choice, in the hope to grant them a peaceful rest of their lifetime. Often enough it worked out well. One of our biggest supporters, a lady from the northern mountains, pays us a visit once a year to see if we have any nestlings in need of help. Especially those who are sick to a point that we can’t help them any more.” “Why would someone buy those creatures in the first place?” “Well, it is hard to describe, if ya haven’t seen it yarself….” Lauriel smiled and chimed into the conversation. “In her view of the world, every creature needs to have a peaceful end of life. That means she cares for them, as good as she can, stays by their side when they die and in her culture they say ‘she cleanses the energy of the fallen, before it touches the Ao again.’ Only this can help to bring and keep the energy of the Ao in balance, and give it a base to build healthy life on again.” None of the young hunters said something, but Lauriel could see how they all immigrated into their own mind. She knew from her own journey, that some parts of Saigon lived extremely connected to tradition and beliefs, while other parts seemed to lose their connection to any form of roots. Neither of both options was healthy and could end in a well thriving society, but as long as there was no bigger threat -big enough as that every folk from east to west and north to south would be in serious danger - nothing would manage to bring them onto one table. “We could maybe open smaller enclosures with less dangerous creatures and invite people to information days.” The hunter with the double bladed axe, entirely sunken in his own mind, hadn’t spoken for long. So everyone turned their head and curiously looked into his face, awaiting more information. “U-uh, I mean, we need people to get along with the creatures, ay? And knowing them would maybe help to prevent misinformation circulating around and people accidentally getting in conflict with them. I think…” He stopped talking, visibly uncomfortable with everyone staring, but the other young fellows nodded. “That's probably the best idea I have heard in a long time. Why are we not having something like this, Master Vaas?” Vaas raised his eyebrows, as if he would have never thought about an idea similar to this. In fact the hunting guild was mostly old-fashioned and many are obsessed with the pure hate people share for the creatures. “Might be working, but knowing the creature's attributes could also end up in people trying to hunt them even more, because they would lose their fear to some extent. So, sometimes letting something stay mysterious and dangerous can be helpful too.” Lauriel could see how some hunters wanted to argue, but found themselves trapped in a small room with the fact that he might be true. Human nature was cruel and egoistic. And egos needed prestige and gold. And both were easy to achieve with the right creatures to catch and the right materials to sell. “People could even gather them and open up parks with small cages, just for the entertainment of the visitors. Imagine all the creatures which we get called to catch because people don’t dare to, just because they are scared - when in fact they are not dangerous at all. Just imag-” “Alright, alright. Forget about that! We got the message!” Clara snorted and straightened her back in pain of the hours of riding they already had behind them. Lauriel looked to the axe-wielding hunter and smiled. “I would still like to tell Seth about your idea. Your way of thinking is exactly what might help us, but Vaas is right too. We would need to prepare for certain kinds of people. And I believe we could achieve that.” The young hunter nodded, visibly empowered by her words. “I mean, we could start with small creatures, that can cause no-” A terrifying scream cut up the air and rolled over the sandy landscape like a thunder in the middle of a silent night. “- harm.” “I guess you are talking about something smaller than this one.” Vaas straightened his back and commanded the group to dismount, pair up and spread. Knowing from what they had been told, Sanddancers were able to break through the ground's surface, wriggling themselves through the dunes of the desert. The group split up, forming two-party squads to spread out, all while following Vaas’ lead. The old knight knew that a mighty sound like this could also be corrupted by distance, echo and different stone formations like the ones that covered all their way since the very beginning of this fallow kingdom. So, only based upon the sound of the scream, there was no way to know where the creature would await them. Carefully walking over the sand, he felt how the air got tighter and tighter. There was this sizzling feeling as if electricity was all around him. His own axe in one, and the shield in the other hand, the retired knight walked forward. He only could hope for the others to be ready. None of them were ready to take the lead, so he had to make the first move, while Nero covered the back end of the group. Lauriel, her bow ready in hands, watched the sand under her feet, when suddenly the grains started to shiver visibly. She used a whistling noise, which the group had to learn during the long journey. Rule number one, if the creature is not visible, don’t use shouts for communication. The group spread wider, some climbing on smaller stones. From above, they could see how the entire sandy surface was in motion. Just like the sea. Everything was tense and everyone was on edge already, before one of the youngsters lost his grip on a stone he wanted to climb and fell down into the dusty ocean. The clattering noise of his armour was shortly followed by the explosive sound of the gigantic creature vaulting into the air. Golden scales, a massive snake-like head with a green wreath of gem-like texture surrounding it, gleamed in the light of the burning desert sun. The sanddancer snapped at the young hunter, catching his left leg. The creature flung the poor youngster through the air, throwing him into the empty sky just to catch him again and finally swallow the entire man in one big bite. Panic caught the others, causing them to stand perfectly still in the middle of the action. “MOVE YA DARN ASSES! Use ya weapons, when it lifts! Aim for the eyes!” Vaas' voice echoed over the place. The sanddancer turned around to pick up speed and broke several of the smaller stone pillars, which the hunters used to stay above the ground. Soon they tried to run away and find a new stone pillar to crawl onto, but not everyone made it up in time. The creature vanished into the sand, just to burst out of it under their feet shortly after. Nero had loaded his ballister again and again, aiming for weak points of the sanddancer. There was no coming through. This beast was a moving fortress. He already wanted to jump off from his stone, when Vaas’ voice nearly scared him more than the beast itself. “Don’t you dare to move from your stone! The sand is its habitat!” Nero growled, but Vaas was right. Feeling helpless to stay where he was, the hunter reloaded another bolt, combined with an explosive crystal. The moment he armed the ballister, aiming for the head of the beast, Nero felt his heart cramping. The sanddancer had stopped his movement, its eyes wide open, staring into a specific direction. Lauriels head felt as if someone had swung a hammer on it. She was caught by the glare of the beast, her hands shaking, her knees weak. As fast as an arrow, the snake-like beast truly danced over the sand, aiming just for her. Despite her combat with the black creatures, Lauriel was still not an experienced fighter outside the headquarters. And on top of all the piling stress, memories crawled back into her thoughts. Memories she had thought would be of no matter any more. Her mind buzzed like a storm, leaving her in awe of the giant storm that was approaching. The last thing Lauriel saw, was the black mass that had spread over the left side of the creature's head, crawling deeply into its flesh and infesting it. The same dark matter she had seen before. The same scent she had smelled before, in the night of the invasion. What came next happened so fast, that the young huntress stood no chance to react. She heard someone scream her name, turned her head into the direction, right before a giant blast would kick her off the ground, smashing her onto another stone pillar. Her body remained lifeless on the sandy stone. Not noticing a single word Vaas was throwing at Nero, he started running. As fast as possible, Nero jumped off the stone pillar and ran. Ran faster then he knew he ever could. The beast was screaming, the right side of its face was burned to the bone. It flinched from one side to the other, giving Nero a short timeframe to reach Lauriel. Somewhere behind him, Nero could hear Vaas yelling even more orders, and the song of flying bolts, followed by explosions. The scream became louder, more fiercely. But Nero had no chance to watch back, nor to care for the monster that would probably attack another hunter. He only could hope that the others would make it out of its way fast enough. Nero swung Lauriels lifeless body over his remaining healthy shoulder and sprinted away, seeking for cover. The place was surrounded by sand dunes, only the stone pillars could spend cover - in the middle of the battlefield. Nero actively decided against his instinct and ran up one of the dunes. Vaas - in pure disbelief - saw his youngster climbing a sandy mountain and the sanddancer turning his head yet again to chase the fleeing hunter. Vaas grabbed his axe and jumped off the stone ledge. Bundling all his might he started to yell at the sanddancer, slamming his axe onto his shield and causing enough noise to get its attention. The other hunters either joined Vaas, when not equipped with distance weapons, or used the time to reload. Nero reached the sand dune and threw his view back to the others. Lauriel was still unconscious. Carefully laying her down beside a dried out tree, Nero's heart was racing as fast as never before. He was torn apart between staying beside her in case the creature would move here, and joining the others trying to beat it. It was Vaas' terrified gaze that suddenly alerted him, as he realized his friend was not looking at the sanddancer but at him. Nero felt how the surrounding air cooled down and a shadow crawled over him. In shock, he did not try to move a muscle, even as the devastating smell of rotten flesh pushed into his nose. A deep growl arose from something huge standing right behind him. The young hunter saw how enormous claws appeared beside him. Not a single sound was to be heard, as if the sand obeyed its movement. Nero felt his heart collapsing, Lauriel still half in his arms, when his view turned up and found this colossal dragon standing right above him. Fabric hang down from his body, the skin textured like badly aged paper. Thin, revealing some pulsating veins full of ...magic? The dragon opened its mouth and a slowly rising roar overrode the active battlefield. The sanddancer, burned on several pieces of its body, tilted its head, growling. A few heartbeats passed and nothing happened, when all out of a sudden the dragon unfolded its wings, leaping with surprising power directly into the sandpit. What followed now would probably enter the history books of the hunting guild as the first documented apex territory fight between two myths. Nero's ears hurt, as the snake and the dragon clustered in their fight, crawling and hissing, smashing each other onto the ground. Vaas nearly screamed his lungs out, trying to bring the oothers to safety. More and more of the hunters fled to Neros position or arrived at the top of other sand dunes. The young hunter was still unable to losen his eyes from the scenery, when suddenly a voice beneath him called his name. “Lauriel...you are awake, by the gods.” “Nero,..the sanddancer. The sanddancer is infected.” Nero frowned, but still tried to see what Lauriel could mean. But the two giants were clustered up so tightly, that it took him some time to find the spot. "What will we do now?” Clara, out of breath appeared close to Vaas who was walking to Nero and Lauriel. “We can’t do shit. Look at them! Look at this fucking monstrous critters!” The knight, pale as a sheet of paper taped onto Lauriels shoulder. “Are ya alright?!” She nodded, but Vaas was already up on his feet again, diving between the different hunters, checking on them, while never letting go of the battlefield with one eye. Suddenly a sound echoed up to the sand dunes, which crawled through bone and marrow. The dragon had pinned the head of the sanddancer while his mighty jaws bite right into the denuded throat. It took only a few moments until the sanddancer went limp. “What is it doing now?” another hunter asked, in terror of what he saw. “It drains the Sanddancer.” “W-what do you mean, bookworm?” “It drains the energy from the body,...to nourish itself.” Unable to process what the archivist was telling them, Nero stared at the sand dancer. Its colours were fading, while its body dried out and crumbled apart. Just moments later the winner of the fight raised his view, looking up to the hunters and released another mighty roar, before he took off and flew away. “W-what have I seen?” “I-I am not sure.” “I thought Zarukais are the only draconic things walking over Saigon.” “I thought they were faking it for the sake of the impression…”Nero heard the mumbling voices, but his head was still spinning. Leaving Lauriel for a short moment to Clara, he arose and threw a view over the group. They had been fifteen hunters, but according to what he could see now, only eight were left. Somewhere in his heart Nero felt the anger rising. The sanddancer was only a myth, yes, but so were many creatures until hunters found them and acknowledged their existence. And here they were, decimated by nearly half. A group of a few new hunters, together with a retired knight and a hunter that was still not entirely back on track. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to scream, cry or punch his fists into someone's face, but the moment he wanted to say something to Clara, she nodded into the direction behind him. “Oh, not again...what kind of monster is it this time. Give me a damn break, I already had a...dragon...today?!” Nero turned, his mimic shifting from exhausted and pissed to surprised and alerted. He stared into the faces of three hands full of soldiers.According to their skin colour and their clothings, probably residents of the desert kingdom. Nero felt how the others behind him grouped together, some weapons reflected in the sunlight. But the opposition remained calm. “You will follow.”
Special Community Design GiveAway
After the event was completed, I drew another design in honor of the immense work one of my community members had put into their questionnaires and the comments below the original postings on deviantArt.
And with this the community story/art event came to an end, but until this day all the characters, comments, and the involvement of my community stayed dear to me and I hope I can do this kind of event again in the near future.