Author Notes
Hey, hey dear readers.
I don't have a lot to say today so I'll keep it brief, m'kay.
Spread the love for The Sacred Blacksmith, this series is so underrated it's not even funny anymore. In fact this is the very first fanfic for it since it's conception in 2009.
Anyways, I wish you all lots and lots of reading pleasure, Ta ta!
[1st Spark - Overture]
The night sky was colored in a stunning mix of dark and lighter colors, stars shone brightly in the midnight sky. The moon was full, round and pure white in tone. A single owl balanced itself meticulously on a tree branch deep inside the dark forest. Its eyes spotted its prey, seated in front of a fire sat a large hulking man absentmindedly staring into the flames of his campfire.
The owl prepped its talons, tilted its neck and dove straight towards the man, expecting to easily snag an eye or two from the human as a night-time snack.
However, the only thing it met was the rough fist of the berserker, who in fact saw the owl before it began to glide in his direction.
The clean impact knocked the snow white owl harshly to the ground, it was unable to continue its majestic flight and by extension, its great escape.
Guts stared at the unconscious owl for a single moment before turning his back to fetch.. Something. The loud cracking noises of breaking twigs echo far and wide through the darkened forest, for a occasion, no sounds were audible.
Then without a single sound, the towering berserker returned with his trusty greatsword in one hand and a long, thin stick in the other. He threw the stick on the ground on a whim and pointed the sword the sleeping owl's head.
''Sorry, bud. Rules of nature, right?'' Guts proclaimed without notable emotion in his voice, he cleft his way through the owl's head killing it instantaneously.
Blood gushed from its wound in a frantic manner at first, but it gradually died down to a steady trickle of blood after a minute or two.
Guts cleaned the owl, removing all the feathers and skin, expelling all the internal organs except for the heart, he sliced off the owl's talons before using the stick he brought with him to skewer the raw pieces of owl flesh, his mouth already began to water in anticipation.
He hovered the kebab of owl meat just above the flames of his campfire, whilst staring determinedly at the blood stained heart that stopped beating for some time now.
'You only live once, right?'
He took the heart in hand immediately inserted it in his mouth, his jaw moved in vertical motion as rancid chewing filled the air, blood leaked from the corners the berserker's mouth.
His expression soon turned sour, as his eyes shot open widely in absolute disgust, it was as if he was chewing on a wet, slimy sponge that was dipped in five day old mud.
Within a flash, Guts regurgitated the remains of the owl's heart and was coughing frantically, bits of the former heart was sprayed all over the campfire, making it burn just a tad brighter.
''That was bloody disgusting!'' He wiped the corners of his mouth with his arms, ''And Pippin told me that eating an animal heart was empowering and rich in flavor, ugh..''
Noticing that the meat on his make-shift kebab was nearing the 'overcooked' state, he wasted no time to rid his mouth of the horrible flavor the heart left behind in his mouth with some good and tasty meat owl meat.
The meat was subpar at best, he tasted better and he knew it. Guts sat slumped forwards staring at the flames before him mindlessly.
It's been hours now, and he still couldn't just fall asleep. For some reason he felt uneasy to go to sleep now, was it due to the fact that it had been so long since he slept alone in the wilderness, or was it something else that was withholding him from falling fast asleep.
The berserker's hand trailed towards his sword stationed just beside him, and looked over his shoulder, in response to the sound he caught with his ear.
A wolf with serene blue eyes stared back at the large, hulking man. The grip on his sword tightened for a moment, but as if to simply mock the berserker the wolf ran the opposite direction, leaving him alone again with his own thoughts.
He relaxed back into his sitting spot, and his mind began to wander.
'Alone, huh?'
Guts sighed before staring into the golden flames once more, 'That's right, I haven't done this for a long time.'
'Camping out by myself, that is..'
Guts eventually abandoned his seated position and laid his head down on the tree trunk his bottom was resting on just moments ago. His eyes trail upwards to the stars and the pure colored moon high above him.
It took a moment but, eventually he rose his voice at himself, ''What the hell, Guts? How come you're so scared?''
The berserker closed his eyes as his imagination began to form an image before him.
'Come to think of it.. For the past three years, I've never been alone.'
One eye creaked open gradually to look at his trusty greatsword by his side, 'I forgot that without a sword by my side, I don't feel safe or calm.'
'I also forgot how vast and deep the night was..'
He closed his eyes again to imagine himself walking solemnly on a simple dirt road, alone.
'Back then, I never thought about running away. Or even a reason to run away from the Band of the Hawk.'
Guts opened his eyes gradually and slumped forwards, staring at the branch where the white owl was spying on him before it attacked.
'The things.. The people I've left behind are irreplaceable, I'll probably never have something like that ever again.'
Guts smirked as his eyes trailed back to the golden flames in front of him, '..Maybe I could once again...'
The berserker picked up pebble besides him and threw it into the flames in a nice, graceful arc, embers spawned from the place the pebble collided with the burning wood chunks.
His eyes track the shimmering embers that fleeted into the cold night sky, 'Did I make the right choice? To leave them all behind for the sake of living a unknown future.'
Guts' hand went for one of the many twigs he piled up near him, he took two of them and snapped them in half with a loud audible 'crack'.
'Am I shaping my own destiny now..? Just like Griffith did with his own destiny, when he took up his sword, or when he asked me to join the Band of the Hawk?'
He threw the four pieces of wood into the flames and watched as it slowly blackened by the intense heat of the fire, 'I've changed haven't I?'
Then the words Corkus left him with earlier, repeated over and over in his mind.
'You! You'll never be like Griffith!'
'I guess that's never going to happen anymore, him scolding me at least. After all that is in the past now.'
Guts' eyes were about to drift shut, till he saw a shadow spreading over him. His arm shot towards his greatsword and unsheathed it in a quick and fluid motion of the hand. Before he realized what he was doing he was standing in his trademark battle pose, ready to attack the shadowy figure that hovered just near him.
But.. There was nothing there, right?
'What's this!' The berserker swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat, a single bead of sweat appeared on his forehead trickling down the outline of his nose, and he still stood tensed in his battle stance taking short, shallow breaths.
'That.. Evil presence. Is it a wild animal? No..'
His hands became clammy and moist, vibrating ever so slightly.
'I remember.. This evil aura is.. Zodd?!'
Feeling that the presence moved its way behind him, the berserker turned on his feet using all of his gathered momentum to slice at whatever was behind him.
But when his sword stopped in its tracks, there was.. Nothing. Only the campfire that was always there, Guts' breathing turns ragged as he placed a hand on his forehead to mop away the pooling sweat.
'I.. This.. I'm not imagining it.. Right?!'
When he focused his attention on where he thought the being was, he saw it. Something.. Staring right back at him from the darkness, glowing eyes as red as a blood moon.
Guts stood with his sword hefted just in front of him, watching the phantasmal being stepping out of his shadowy cloak of darkness.
'A skull..?'
A skeleton donning armor made from bones, rid forward on his steed, which was too covered in bone-like plating. The skeleton's cape billowed in the soft breeze that managed to show up at the last second, giving off a rather foreboding feeling.
Guts stood motionless, anxiously eying up the being that stood before him with a ragged breath.
'I've never misjudged my opponent's location! Is this.. Zodd?!'
After examining the being for a little longer, Guts concluded that this couldn't be Zodd but, the same question still remained, 'What does it want from me?'
''The gears have been set into motion.'' The skeleton spoke emotionless, without even moving it's jaw, odd..
'Gears?'
Guts stood poised, with sword in hand ready to strike if the being decided to pull a 180 and attack him suddenly.
The sudden deadpan voice of the ominous skeleton shook Guts from his pondering moment, ''Struggler! You must remember!''
''It begins from this moment until the eclipse occurs one year from now.. You and your friends are walking into your doom! Your wretched bodies will be buried and death will consume you all!''
'Who.. Are you?'
''But you must remember, struggler! You were born from a corpse and struggle with death every single day! Struggle, challenge and rise to struggle once more.''
The skeleton paused, as if to take a deep breath. The berserker stood motionless, waiting for the being to conclude his speech.
''That is the only sword a struggler like you can wield. Don't ever forget that!''
Feeling fed up with the the skeleton rider's cryptic nonsense, Guts finally spoke up to meet the being at equal height. Yet, all that came from his lips were only more and more desperate questions.
''Who are you?! How do you know about me?!'' Guts yelled in a distressed manner, even though he yelled, his voice was barely audible. Perhaps the crippling sensation of fear rilled the berserker.
The skeleton rider slowly turned away from the sword wielder, it treks out in the distance beyond leaving only one parting gift for Guts.
''You don't want to fall in too deep, struggler,'' The being paused dramatically as if to keep Guts in anticipation, ''Otherwise...''
Noticing that the skeleton knight was riding away in the distance, Guts empowers his legs in order to run after him.
''Wait! Wait?!''
Yet, with his speed he was unable to keep up with the skeleton knight and it disappeared in the shroud of night, leaving Guts confused and disoriented.
'Skull Knight,' He dubbed the thing in his mind.
The berserker's head sank, he lifted his sword onto his shoulder and made his way back to his camp for a good night rest.
When he turned around he glanced back to where the skull knight stood.
'Something tells me that this isn't the last time I'll see of him.'
...
"Really.. Like really? Are you sure you want to rob me?"
Guts took a quick glance to his left and quickly spotted his pride and joy, resting against a tree trunk several steps away. However it was too far away from him, just grabbing it and slicing the scarred bandit in half would be nearly impossible, not without the bandits jumping on him first. He quickly whirled his head back to the scarred robber, holding his hands above his head.
Guess he won't have a blissful stroll through the forest any longer.
''Goddammit, just hand me all ye' bloody money already.'' The scarred bandit waved his knife back and forth, perhaps to try to intimidate the muscular youth before him. Unbeknown to him, Guts stood unaffected.
'Five. Two in front, three in the back. No one with a bow or crossbow.'
''You know what?'' The berserker questioned in a mocking tone.
''What? That ye' are going to die for that stupid pouch of money that you're carrying with you.'' The bandit pointed to Guts' pouch that was bound to his belt.
''Nah, you got something on your face.'' Guts indicated his chin with his meaty index finger, while keeping his remaining arm hoisted.
The bandit's eyebrow rose in sheer confusion, for a moment he glanced away from the muscular berserker to scrub his chin in a vulgar fashion, he drenched his hand in saliva, taking his eyes off Guts. This moment was all the berserker needed.
''What are ye' blabber-!''
With a single stride Guts exploded forwards keeping his arms close to his core to emphasize his speed, within short moments he cuts the distance by a large margin, the scarred bandit's face was struck with large amounts of fear, seeing the once defenseless person bear his teeth and shouting a monstrous war cry. The bandit hoisted the knife, in Guts' direction but the trained soldier easily ducked underneath the high thrust.
Guts smirks condescendingly as he grabs the bandit's extended forearm, locking it in place. Before violently bursting skywards while placing his elbow just behind the bandit's, a sickening 'pop' echoed in the small forest clearing. The bandit screams in anguish as he fell to the ground while holding on to his dislocated arm, the elbow was grossly protruding from his skin. He was crying, snot dribbling from his nose, Guts almost felt sad, almost.
He did warn them.
With the footsteps of the man's comrades quickly closing in, Guts hurriedly scoops the fallen knife from the ground, just in time to duck underneath a high slash meant to slice at his jugular vein. The soldier lunges forwards in the direction of his stationary large blade, seemingly ignoring the rogue that attempted to slash his throat, another bandit stood on his path but the berserker kept low to the ground and levels the knife just in front of him.
With composed strength he thrusts the short knife right in the...
''AAAAAAAAIIIEEE! My Manhood!''
..Sensitive spot..
Guts tries his hardest to hold back the wave of laughter that tried to force itself from his lips, with quick motions he made his way to his sword, without too much issue.
''I've missed you, you know. That small knife just can't compare to you.'' The hulking soldier said suavely to the blade that he straddled in both hands.
The three remaining bandits circle around the towering soldier, each holding a dagger in hand, some serrated and others smooth and clean. Guts tries his hardest too keep the three of them centered in his peripheral vision, but it was a daunting task, the remaining three were swift on their feet.
''You know, you three can still back out. I don't feel like killing you sorry lot anyway.''
''Funny lad, I was about ta' say the same dang thing.'' One of three answered back, with a tone one could only describe as 'smug'.
''Suit yourselves.. It's your funeral.'' Guts spat out with notable venom in his voice, whilst poising himself in his standard battle stance.
The battlefield went silent, no word was uttered for the span of 15 seconds. No one moved as much as a muscle only staring at each other, trying to anticipate their opponent's movements. Guts could hear the faint whimpers of the two men who were clenching on their painful spots, he couldn't help but grin at the sound of it.
Two of the bandits notice the creepy grin on the swordsman's face, and slowly stepped away, while shivering heavily. One of them however, the same one who spoke earlier finally made his move. He dashed towards Guts in zig-zag like motion, twisting and turning his body with speeds that surprised the berserker. Before Guts knew it, he was already an arm length away from him. The bandit's smile widens as he thrusts the short blade, aiming at Guts's heart.
In desperation the berserker tried to swat away the pesky bandit with the blunt side of his blade, yet the motion came too late and the dagger pierced his skin.
''No one can avoid m'ah Phantom Draw, you were just too slow. You should have just handed your money to me, Jaskal the Phantom.'' Jaskal spoke with clear pride and confidence.
''Oh? Should I have done that?'' Guts stated with a clear condescending attitude.
Jaskal's eyes widen, his mouth hangs open from sheer shock. It seems like Guts cracked the overwhelming confidence of the man before him.
''You know, next time you try to penetrate someone, make sure that you insert more than just the tip.''
Jaskal's eyes slowly trail towards his knife and saw that Guts barely caught the blade barehanded, only the tip of the dagger drew blood from his skin, no matter how hard the bandit struggled to retrieve his knife, it was stuck and no amount of effort would un-stuck it.
''This gonna 'urt ain't it.'' Jaskal whimpered softly, clearly knowing how much of a pinch he's in.
''A lot.''
Within moments Guts uttered that line his massive sword cleanly clefted through most of Jaskal's front arm, blood gushed violently onto Guts' form. He remained composed as the screams of Jaskal pierce the air surrounding the berserker. Jaskal's arm landed on the soft grass with a 'thud', still grasping onto the dagger with all its might.
The two remaining unscathed bandits hightailed out of the combat zone the moment their partner fell victim to Guts' mighty strength.
A sigh rolled off the berserker's tongue as he shook the residue blood and flesh off his blade with a single swipe, and sheathed his sword on his back. A sharp sting reminded him that he had been stabbed, and while looking at his shirt he noticed a steady trickle of blood staining the dark blue fabric.
'That's gonna sting for days..'
The berserker's eyes then drooped towards the fallen bandit, Jaskal. He was out like a light, while clutching onto a ripped piece of clothing. Guts immediately puts the pieces together.
'Trying your hardest to survive, huh?'
Guts felt a tinge of nostalgia welting him, just like the fallen bandit he too landed into tough spots, but whatever happened he stood as strong as he did and survived.
Guts lowered his body and tied the piece of torn clothing around the bandit's stump and slowed down his bleeding, and without a second wasted he stepped away from the bandit.
'I'm probably gonna regret this.'
The berserker salvaged the remaining useful stuff from his make-shift campsite, such as flint, tinder and a stone he used as a make-shift sharpener for his large blade. He lifted the items into his brown leather bag and slung it over his shoulder with ease.
As Guts walked back into the forest, his trained ears caught the sound of.. Chanting.
With peak human speed Guts turned towards the origin of the sound, and spotted the defeated bandit with misaligned arm standing and sneering deliriously. An inhuman tongue escaped from his lips, the words were drenched in darkness and death.
''&^$#-&(! }\[**^&$^$''
The language wasn't like anything Guts ever experienced before, it made him shudder from where he stood. The bandit's flesh was slowly being covered in ancient.. runes of some sort. The runes began to glow fiercely and started steaming the very moment they appeared on the bandit's skin. Guts gripped his sword tighter in the instance the bandit's agonizing screams pierced the air surrounding him.
'Just what's going on! This guy was out cold just a moment ago!'
He gave the humanoid being no quarters to attack or move, Guts took a single step forwards and sliced through the air violently planning to let the awesome reach of his blade do its work for him.
Although, he found unexpected resistance when the blade collided with the bandits supple flesh yet, it was without a doubt a direct hit, since blood gushed from the impact area, It steadily moved down the length of his blade. The bandit however, showed no sign of pain at all, the bandit just kept cackling in a demented manner, as if the humanoid just went delirious within the span of moments, emitting more and more steam from the runes placed at various spots from his body.
Guts' hands quivered slightly when he started to recognize the sickening presence the thing is radiating, it definitely wasn't human anymore.
It was akin to.. Zodd or that Skull Knight!
As he now had an idea what he was up against, he doubled his efforts to not let the thing escape. Using all the force he could muster in his trained body he tried to force the blade through the being's forearm. As the the sweat on his forehead trickled down, no advantage was gained, no matter how much power Guts invested in the endeavor, he would reach the same conclusion without fail. The sword just couldn't slash further into the arm than it already has.
And the struggler soon noticed why, the place of impact that was originally an arm, twisted and morphed into a bone spike, effectively trapping the sword in it's hardened state. Now it was nearly impossible to retrieve the blade as well. The being slowly began to cloak itself into a bone like armor.
It's other arm too morphed into a similar state and he lunged for Guts' stomach. Forcing his hand, Guts lets go of the sword in order to swerve to the side, dodging the bone pike with a hair's length. Cursing under his breath Guts hastily looked for a new weapon, he spotted one but he didn't really feel like retrieving the darn thing.
After all it was firmly planted into that bandit's manhood..
'Oh.. You've got to be kidding me..!'
As the berserker slowly came to realize the dirty deed that needed to be done for survival's sake, he shuddered mentally. Sadly that moment took to long as the bone being already closed the distance that Guts created, from his blind side he was rocketed into the skies by the overwhelming force the being exerted onto him. He tried to grab the hilt of his blade as he was catapulted into the sky, the action proved to be in vain.
As he flew, he noticed the beautiful sunrise in the distance, the struggler was in trance with it's astounding colors, orange, purple, blue and red. All those colors were popping into his eyes as if they were stuffed into Guts' brain. He couldn't help but smile and chuckle at the sight of it as the wind blew past him..
'Wind?'
'Oh right.. I'm still in the air..'
Guts grimaces as realization dawns on him, he twists and turns in the skies as gravity pulls him down, with a final glance in the distance he saw the creature now completely clad in bone staring right at him. Twigs cut into Guts' exposed skin and clothing as he descended with haste to the ground. He braced himself for the harsh impact by shielding his face with his toned arms. As his arms start to slide into his vision he identified a large mop of golden blond hair closing in at an alarming rate.
''Watch out, little lady!''
Instead of running away the girl turned towards the origin of the voice, her eyes widen in shock as she yelps. The shrill sounded ended as soon as it began, and all Guts could feel was his body colliding painfully with the girl's, before everything faded to blackness.