GREEN AS DEATH – AN EPIC STORY
“Blood”, the elves said as they hunted one of their own. He was a renowned legend and a cold blooded killer whose deeds spoke through the bones of women and children.
“Kygon couldn’t have gone far”, Advyr tasted the claw prints on the thick mud. He was a previous monster hunter only that this time he sought to avenge his wife, the latest victim of the green elf’s torture.
“You will get sour with time”, Rivegann patted his shoulder walking into a cave that read nothing but death.
They were five but their shadows casted six. A hunt of wits and guts!
Japhinx was the youngest and his face more gorgeous than the rest of them. Some said his family had lived in luxury a thousand years before the coming of the new era.
“Hunters don’t walk too fast”, Mardwen stepped on his right foot. He had been watching the lad for quite some time seeing as this was his first rodeo hunting his kind.
“I’m sorry”, Japhinx readjusted. “I’ve listened to the tale of the green elf as a kid…..he’s more or less un-kill-able.”
“A shapeshifter! Yes! but nothing in this world that breathes air is un-kill-able”, Mardwen growls.
He is the most experienced with monsters having hunted and killed mercenaries ten times his size.
“Silence”, Kotah the only female among them flicked her ears. She crawled ahead of Advyr hoping to pick the footsteps that so softly camouflaged itself.
“In the trees”, she pointed to nothingness. “I see him.”
Mardwen smirked pointing his axe in that direction. Like a boomerang, it always came back to him but as he aimed it towards Kotah’s sure point, Rivegann’s intuition held it back.
“Deception”, he muttered to himself. “Do not be fooled! There are creatures that crave elven meat in these parts.”
“Meat”?, Japhinx panicked immediately.
“Get a hold of that fear and cripple it kid”, Advyr looked over his shoulder with rage. “We are not hunting a gazelle, we’re hunting your father.”
These words jolted Mardwen and with an instinct to push back, he brazed Advyr’s shoulder.
“You shouldn’t scare the lad” he let in a cold snarl. “Up till now the boy knows nothing of Kygon’s deeds.”
“Like father like son”, Advyr healed almost immediately.
Rivegann who was sure of Mardwen’s hardened heart pushed Advyr back before a claw tore off a part of his leather belt.
“Calm Mardwen”, he went on his knees as the blade like talons were willing to cut deeper than just leather.
“Children”, Kotah sighed as she pulled Japhinx into the cave with her.
Their footsteps still sounded like there was a sixth person but at that moment all they paid attention to was the dim candles that shone variantly in the multiple corners of the cave.
“Rotten meat”, Kotah coughed.
The gasp came from Japhinx whose eyeballs shook steadily on seeing his father tied like a bush game. His hands had only two fingers left on each side and his head was bowed with brute force.
“Father”, the former called dropping his sword to his feet. “What did they do to you?”
“Vengeance”, a coarse reply baffled all five of them.
“I didn’t do it”, he fell to his knees despite the chains burning him with each turn. “Son I didn’t.”
“Get away from him you murderer”, Advyr pushed the crawler whose hands were almost at the reach of his flesh and blood.
“Stop”, Kotah yelled but the death of a loved one deafened him to any sign of compassion. He stepped on the so-called king of the forest till all Kygon’s bones loosened the grip on his maggot infested skin.
“The chains!”, Mardwen leaned in the darkness. “Advyr you are more than blind.”
Japhinx staggered a little on hearing this statement. He never noticed it at first but Rivegann’s attention was undivided and voracious.
“Unbelievable”, he leaned close to the markings on it. “I’ll be damned.”
Advyr stood in doubt faltered by his initial behaviour towards Kygon. “What is it”?, he looked at each and every one of them.
“I’m sorry son”, the half dead elf pleaded. “Let your mother know I love her dearly.”
His dust filled scarlet eyes caused Japhinx to cover his entire face with one of his palm. This was of course followed by screaming tears, one that could easily draw the attention of any thing who smelt the rotten flesh.
“Silence”, Kotah whispered but the elven boy won’t listen. It’s not everyday one gets to meet a long lost father even at that, Advyr still had his doubts.
“Jesters!”, a dark drum like voice resounded in the cave. “I asked the king for food and he sends dry meat.”
Rivegann without hesitation fine-tuned that voice as that of a sorcerer commanding his hands to do the needful.
“Dis ept no gah dum”, he said as a blue circle of runes enveloped each and every one of his crew.
“Smart choice”, the grey wolf walked in transforming with patience into a being the exact carbon copy of Kygon.
“Rivegann”, he smiled. “Nice to finally meet another challenger.”
Mardwen’s predatory look was activated as the horns gradually tore through his skull bringing forth an ostrich sized talons for legs and a jaguar claws for hands.
“I don’t know you”, Advyr spoke with deadly calm. “But you’ll be dead soon.”
“A straight mocker”, the elf watched as all it’s furs retracted into its green skin.
“I became your father”, he stood before the circled rune that enveloped Japhinx. “Not for guts or glory but to teach him a lesson.”
“And what is that”?, the lad asked placing his hands to the glass like surface.
“That I am a doppelganger of anything that walks on the Earth”, he responded with authenticity in his lips.
Rivegann giggled at this raising the blue cloak over his left hand.
“You’re another sorcerer” Kotah became an embodiment of stones.
“Sure! A member of the royal family”, he displayed a raw set on nine fangs.
“Does this ring any bells”?, he showed off to Advyr.
The gooey saliva that flowed with grace across his tongue vividly came alive to the commander.
“You bloody murderer”, he snarled.
“Of course, she was a meal to remember…..just as you all are”, he sneered.
Rivegann tried to double the runes with his magical speed but he was way too slow as a dark water creature pierced through the runes pulling Japhinx’s liver in a heartbeat.
“Forever slow”, he guffawed but Mardwen did the same breaking through his rune and spitting out raw volcano on the sorcerer.
“He has no name”, Kotah recalled in horror as she took a trip down memory lane to the creature of harvest her father spoke about.
“Mardwen”, she cried. “Be careful.”
The god-like elf fought harder tearing apart each weakness of the continually shapeshifting villain.
“Your strength amuses me”, he cackled transforming to a red dragon in seconds.
“Come get some”, he roared bringing to reality the cause of Mardwen’s face scar.
“Do not give in”, Rivegann whispered empowering the monster hunter to look more of a blue dragon.
“Japhinx”, Advyr watched the boy’s eyes stare at him. His waist seemed to be disjointed as the deep hole brought a tear to the warrior’s eye.
“No”, Advyr sneered exercising the scorch in him which made his blood more or less steams.
Mardwen was still battling with rage but then the sorcerer has had enough.
“Die”, he said as the elf fell to the floor devoid of life.
“The wordspell”, Rivegann drawed in sudden breath.
He recanted how disastrous that power could be especially when used by a master of his calibre.
“Who’s next”?, He groaned in derision.
“Kotah”, he roared dragging her out by the hair.
“Either way you’re going to have to come out Rivegann”, he placed his hands on her head crushing her skull right before the cold fisted master of runes.
“You’re beneath me”, Rivegann sized it with a scoff turning his sight to Advyr.
“Then prove it”, Advyr slammed the circle he was in. “For the sake of our fallen brothers, end this nightmare.”
Rivegann blinked slowly nodding to his comrade in arms who couldn’t stop trying to fight his way out of the runes.
“For two thousand years”, he exhaled deeply “I have trained your kind but yet you monsters seem to think you know how to shed blood.”
His voice sounded like the forest wind as Advyr and the sorcerer fell to their knees in awe.
“I am the nightmare that have existed in the oldest of jungles”, he exhaled again.
“But you Gradfeth”, he transitioned to a boy, “Have no idea how limitless I am.”
“I’m so sorry”, the sorcerer managed to utter slowly with his lips.
“No!”, a strange roar countered tearing every bit of the alleged Kygon.
“No remorse”, the soft tone echoed as Advyr looked with immense fear at the horror that stood in front of him.
“Rivegann”, his nose bled continuously. “You are the evil.”
“Yes!”, He replied. “And I need a new form.”
READ RELATED STORY (SERIES) : MONARCHY OF BLOOD
