Within this shadowed place, I could feel it. Anticipation flooded the room, and it suffocated me. I was alone for now, the only comfort being the gentle rock of the water beneath the wood on which I was sat propped against my bed. I was home, but it offered no solace, no safety. Within the hour, I would be fighting for my life. And within the day, I would be dead.
It is true - no warrior from my small but proud village has ever returned from that smudge on the horizon known as the Great Desert, and I held no hope that I would be an exception. Yesterday the messenger bird had landed at the guilds headquarters – an invitation to the Festival of Fear for four of our best hunters. The elder deemed it rude to turn down the opportunity, having missed it himself, and wouldn't take no for an answer.
Time was up. I could hear a loud horn proclaiming Blackspear's arrival, his sturdy boat prepared for the journey. In front of me lay my trusty Great Sword, recently sharpened and cleaned especially by the blacksmith for good luck. From the red-winged devil I carved it from, I gave thanks, like I had always been taught. His death will not be forgotten, nor taken for advantage.
"Mrrow. Your boat has arrived." The friendly felyne who keeps my room in shape pushed the single curtain aside in the doorway, his small head poking inside with his whiskers twitching. I could tell he was worried. He stepped aside and held the curtain open for me to exit.
I stood, picking my sword up with one hand as I did. With the other I grabbed the string of my supply bag and slung it over my shoulder. "Thank you, Chamberlyne. You've been good to me." I went to place my hand on his head as a friendly pat, but instead of lent down and held out my hand to shake his paw. The little cat was surprised, but extended his own paw with gratitude.
"It has been an mrrronour serving you."
The burning sun was first to greet me. I held my hand to my forehead to try and see clearer, and then I realised my audience. The whole village was out here to send us off. I heard a clanking step above and looked up to see Isaac, the expert Bowgunner, in his full Barroth armour aside from his helmet, which was held between his elbow and hip as he walked confidently down the stairs. His medium-weight bowgun was strapped tightly to his back for transport, and his supply bag was tied around his waist. He stood beside me, grinning as he did. I returned the gesture with a half-hearted smile.
"The other two are on the boat already." A deep, crackling voice announced. It was the elder. He shambled towards us with his pipe in his mouth, taking one slow puff of it before continuing. "Villagers of Moga, you all know why we are here today." The whole place went quiet, even the creaking of the floorboards dulled under the authority of this tired and withered old man. "Our four, brave and courageous men have gathered to travel far away to another land to face the mighty beast that so many of us fear. We give them our praise, and we give them our trust. Carry our village's name with you in your heart."
The villagers applauded him, and gathered round us, touching our arms and our faces, as if to transfer their hope into our own bodies. Ahead I could see the sailors and the other villagers giving the same treatment to the other two. All around me I could hear their admiration as they wished us good health or luck. It all made my head swirl and my pace quickened towards the boat.
"Don't forget me, mister."
The path around me had cleared as the men and women of Moga gave way for the Guildmaster, a respected member of our tribe, and also my girlfriend. She was clad in her usual uniform – a bright red outfit adorned with creams and yellows.
"You're going to come back to this village in one piece, no questions." She silenced me before I could speak. "I've got more quests for you to do." She threw her arms around me in a strong embrace, ignoring the hard armour I wore, and I returned it. My throat was becoming dry already – what if I couldn't meet her promise?
"No kiss?" I said with an unnerved voice that cracked as I said the words.
"Not until you come back." She pulled away and moved back, her eyes diverted to the floor. My own fears were reflected in the image of this fragile girl. Were there tears in her eyes? I moved closer to her – it was time I was the strong one here.
"I'm coming back – heck, I'll even bring back some Mohran meat." I assured her with a smile taunting the edge of my mouth. I held her again, even closer than the first time.
Tears flooded from her eyes now as she began to laugh with a wavering voice "You know that meat too tough for me."
The horn called for me again on the boat as the captain became a little agitated. Isaac strode up beside me and clasped a hand on my shoulder. I ended the embrace, but kept my arm around her waist as he spoke.
"Time to go, mate. We'll be late for our own funeral." It was a joke of course, confirmed by the twinkling in his eyes, but it still caused the girl beside me to stiffen.
I looked over to Chamberlyne, who had followed me out. "Look after her, my good friend." He meowed an answer. I walked away, my hand leaving her own, and made my way towards the impatient captain. He growled something colourful, but I knew it was because he was as nervous as we were.
He sounded the horn once more when I had finally got onto the boat and found myself a comfortable seat. We began our journey with one long push from the wooden-structure that kept us in place and the boat shuddered forwards. It was hard to bring myself to look at the villagers as they all waved and cheered, with the only exception being a lone girl standing in the centre clad in red. Her eyes did not leave mine until we were well over the horizon.
I was silent for most of the journey, as was the warrior who sat across from me. His name was Rowan, and he was leaving behind someone he loved too. I had known him for many years now, but he was more recognisable to me as the only hunter in the village who wielded a huge hammer. It was on the floor of the boat beside him now, the vibrant colours of it reflecting sunlight and sparkling majestically. Rowan himself was huge – a monster in his own right. He was constantly working out, and if he wasn't, he was killing monsters for sport. He sat in his own misery, and I sat in my own.
At the front of the boat I could see Isaac joking with the Switchaxe handling Raphael, who laughed out loud at another of the gunner's jokes, his proud Lagiacrus armour clattering as he did. I had never really spoken to him before – when I was younger, he was the most popular out of the youth of our tribe, and he was always set to be a high ranking hunter.
"Not long now, boys. Ahead lies the Great Desert, a desolate place which is home to one of the biggest hunting-orientated cities in the world. Smarten up." The captain announced loudly as he walked the length of the boat passing each of us as he did. Isaac and Raphael stopped talking and jumped up to retrieve their weapons and supplies.
I knew that the city was hidden behind a huge wall of sandy stone, as if carved into the land by a god, but no books supplied by the guild HQ could have prepared me for such a sight. The huge wall of sand eroded stone was far in the distance, almost too far away to see, but its presence made a huge impact on our small band of hunters. It was so exciting – we would be there in a matter of minutes! Then we would be ready to hunt the beast with a little local knowledge.
We reached a dock crowded by many travellers and merchants, all transporting their goods onto a sand-boat. A tall, bearded man wearing simple desert clothing approached, calling out a friendly "Ahoy!" to our captain.
"Ah, good Abasi, what a pleasure to see you. I have brought four of our mightiest warriors to take part in the Festival. I am sure they will get the job done."
"Excellent news, my cousin. They look well-seasoned." He had an impatient edge to his voice, but I shrugged it off. The two continued to talk about us openly whilst we left the boat with our things. Already the sand was beginning to get into my eyes, so I placed my protective helmet on my head. We were escorted into a huge sand boat that was surrounded by smaller boats that would fend off the Gelex that would attempt to attack us. Either side of the boat stood a canon and a ballista, and a round object that would set off a gong if hit. Isaac whistled with appreciation as he looked around with round eyes.
"Set sail for the city, men." Abasi called out to the many young hands on deck as they bustled around like insects. With a jolt the sand-boat leaped into action and we were speeding along the dunes before I could gasp in surprise. I clung to the nearest wooden frame. If the monster didn't kill me, surely this boat would!
I never knew the comfort of the sea, and now that it was gone I began to feel nauseous, and as I looked around, the other warriors did too. I heard one of the men shout something. I glanced over to the man who was clutching a pair of binoculars with shaking hands. Then I realised what he had said.
"Jhen Mohran!"
The whole boat whirred into action. The smaller boats zoomed in on our own and the scrawnier looking shipmates jumped onto them – they would be of no use in the battle ahead, it seemed. Only the strongest and most valuable stayed valiantly.
"Time to shine, fellas. Let's go." Raphael commanded in a serious tone. I immediately knew what to do. I ran for the front of the sand-boat, picking up the abandoned binoculars. And there he was – huge wasn't the word. He was bigger than anything I've ever seen in all of my 20 years: gigantic, menacing, and heading straight for us. From what I knew, he was an elder dragon, an aged beast that has fought so many warriors. The only thing I didn't know was what he ate, and I hoped it wasn't hunters. I shook my head as Rowan called my name.
"Conall, status report! We can't see past that dust cloud."
"Mohran, nine 'o' clock!" I shouted, placing the binoculars back down and started for the cannonball pile. I picked one up with effort and heave it over towards Raphael, who was standing ready at the weapon. Isaac chose to man the ballista as he had the best aim, with Rowan besides him holding a strip of ammo. I heard the captain rapidly spin the wheel that controlled the ship and we began to face the huge monster side-on.
A huge roar blasted my ears, and If I wasn't standing against a railing, I would have fallen over. The boat shook as the huge beast dived over us, narrowly missing the sail. Debris fell from the ridge on his vast back and hurtled down at us as we tried to avoid it. It clanked along my armour and probably scratched the paintwork – that was the least of my concerns.
We began to fight it, hitting it hard with cannon fire until it started to come up close to the boat to get a better look at us. Isaac hit it with a binding rope while I and Raphael took our opportunity to jump onto its arm and onto its back. He ran off drawing his Switchaxe as he did. He would go around the ridge to get a better weak point. Weak rock stood in front of me, and I clamped my gloved hand around the hilt of my Great Sword and began to swipe at the rock with all of my energy. I could hear the beast call out in protest. Finally the rock broke all the way through and I cheered out with glee – but my celebrations were silenced by the cry of one of my comrades. I dived through the newly-made gap to see Raphael hanging by his fingertips off the side of the huge beasts back. Below him was intensely hot sand, which if he fell onto at this speed would surely make him a dead man.
"I've got you." I called out, clutching onto his arm and hand with all my might. Working together, we managed to heave him up back onto the ridge. The deep fright that previously clouded his eyes was replaced by reassurance as he thanked me, before scuttling off to help the attack. One of the cannonballs landed near me and exploded, which made me jump back into action.
Beneath the soles of my feet I could feel this mighty beast, whose lengthy life was now being brought to an end by a handful of hunters looking for honour and a good kill. Guilt started to swell in my throat as the monster below painfully whined, but like any good warrior I shrugged it off. I would be seen as a coward if stopped now, and probably never allowed back into the village again. Closing my eyes, I ran along the ridge of the beast's back, almost tripping over several rocks jutting out in awkward positions.
The tusks are its weak points, the guild handbook had said. I reached the head of Mohran, and as I reached for the sword that lay dormant on my back, I found myself apologising to the beast. Looking across as I jumped down onto its tusk, I could see his eye. It was like looking into a mirror. He was the same as me, he held the same fear that I did and he was scared. And so was I. Gulping down the lump in my throat, I raised my sword and kept my eyes tight shut, but I couldn't help look out at him as I heard a loud groan from his belly, as if he was begging me not to. As a hunter, all my life I had been trained to ignore that equality, and I would now.
With a loud battle cry, I raised my Great Sword high, and it glinted in the blistering sunlight as I brought it down upon the eye of the beast. Another cry, and I rammed the sword harder into its eye, and I heard a huge growl from within the beast's belly. The tusk I was standing on began to shake and rose as he roared, and I found myself thrown into the air. He was slowing down, and by the time I'd landed back on his tusk with a loud thud and a sickening crack from my back, he had almost stopped completely. I placed my hands down on the tusk I was thrown onto, and just as I tried to recover, the beast that carried me suffered one final hit from the cannon and heaved forwards. My head was pounding, and I hurt all over. The shadow of the beasts body was the last thing I saw before I was violently thrown off the beast into it's path as it rolled for one last time.
In the distance, the screams of my comrades roared above the whirr of the desert sand and the groans of the beast, but I couldn't make them out. I couldn't feel anything. My vision was blurred, and as the hot desert sand burned my face. I saw something as I lay there, broken and defeated. It was red and it was walking towards me slowly. Somehow I managed to wipe my stinging eyes with my now gloveless hand and then I saw her so clearly now. It was Evangelina, the love of my life.
The deafening final roar of the beast was muffled in my ears, and so were the sounds of frantic footsteps towards me. I couldn't move, that was for sure, but the girl in front of me bent down onto one knee, unaffected by the heat or the scorn of the sand and was beautiful as ever. She held her hand on my face, her palm cool against my cheek, caressing the short stubble on my face with her thumb. She couldn't be a mirage... she just couldn't. She was so real. I begged with my own mind to just let me have this moment, but it was spoiled.
"Conall! Conall!" My comrades had reached me, and they shook me roughly by the shoulders, but I was already slipping out of consciousness. I was falling under with the image of Evangelina still clear as a blue day in my mind.
"I'm sorry..."