Willam VII


The longhall was far too warm and rowdy for Willam's taste. He sat at the high table with all the other high-ranking members of both tribes, yet even still the benches were full to bursting. The food had tasted delicious, roasted goat sprinkled with mountain herbs, but Willam declined drinks from the ale barrels. He preferred to stay sober whenever possible.

The other men were deep in their cups, and even Alys had drank half her ale, despite her earlier declaration that she mistrusted the mountain folk. When they first received the invitation to attend the feast, the Head Ranger had suspected it of being another ruse. She had insisted on bringing more guards this time in case the mountain tribe tried to deceive them again. Her two argentavis riders, Lily and Deliah, sat at the high table on Alysanne's insistence. A dozen other Hotspring Hold rangers were scattered in the feasting tables below the raised dias, interspersed among a sea of Stoneglenfolk. Fortunately nothing seemed wrong this time, and the two tribes got along a bit easier after having put the past behind them. If Alys felt secure enough to accept their drinks, then Willam knew she felt their feast was a sincere extension of goodwill. Whether she had forgiven their betrayal or not remained to be seen.

Otto and Bertholdt seemed to get along easily, laughing together at some joke. Both were bandaged from their fight the previous day; Bertholdt with cloth wrapped around his shoulder and half-missing ear, Otto with bandages stretching across his chest. Yet despite their recent altercation, both leaders still seemed to uphold a mutual respect for one another. The feast was Bertholdt's way of thanking Otto for sparing his life, and a potential opportunity for the two tribes to come to some formal agreement about forming an alliance.

After realizing the Mountain Hermit had been the one orchestrating the mountain tribe's betrayal, Willam had cautiously forgiven the men of Stoneglen. From their brief interactions the previous two days, the mountain dwellers didn't seem like evil people. They had graciously lent the people of Hotspring Hold a nice plateau to set up camp, and twice now invited them to feast together. The Stoneglenfolk were just trying to scrape by in a harsh world, just like everyone else. Any perceived malice behind their actions was only because they revered the Mountain Hermit and did what she told them. If anyone were to blame, it was her.

Willam frowned down at his food. He was still uneasy since hearing her prophecy, and it must have shown. Argentum sensed his worry and tried to comfort him but Willam found it hard to be near his pet. All he could think about was how the Mountain Hermit had foreseen Argentum playing a role in Willam's death. How far down the future that was, or if it would even come to pass as she had foretold, Willam did not know.

Nothing the Mountain Hermit said was particularly reassuring. Otto and Alys had fates that seemed equally as abysmal as Willam's own, and he was unsure of how to feel about any of what the old crone had said. He knew he couldn't just ignore the seer. . . yet he didn't want to believe her either. For now, Willam just kept the possibilities at the back of his head. Argentum would never hurt me, would he? Sure, he can lose his temper at times but it's never been directed at me. I've never had reason to believe that he turn against me.

Willam sighed and swirled his cup of ale around, wondering if it might be better to forget his worries for the night after all.

He pushed his chair back, stood up, and excused himself from the table. Willam had eaten his fair share of food and taken part in the lively evening conversations already. His presence would not be missed at the table. Alys noticed he was leaving and grabbed his arm. "Willam be careful. Take Lily with you."

Willam laughed and brushed off her request. "I'll be fine Alys. I'm just going to find somewhere more quiet to spend the rest of the evening."

Alys shook her head. "At least take this then."

Willam grudgingly accepted a knife from the Head Ranger. If it makes her feel better, I'll take the weapon. Not that it'll do much good in my feeble hands. Willam smiled at Alys to reassure her, then grabbed his coat and satchel from his chair and left the long dining hall through one of the back doors.

Outside, snowflakes were gently drifting down all around the mountain village. A lot of the tribe was gathered inside the dining hall so Willam didn't see many souls out and about in the darkness. He tucked his hands inside his coat and made his way to a discreet building huddled in the corner. Stoneglen's very own library, small as it was, contained some useful information about creatures of the mountains. When Bertholdt had learned of Willam's goal to create a dossier on all the creatures of the north, the chieftain had granted him free access to their archives. Willam meant to do lots of research tonight, transcribing the information onto his Northern Dossier which he had brought from home. The book rode snugly in his satchel, eager to devour more ink and swell with newfound knowledge.

Willam used the key Bertholdt had given him to unlock the door and make his way inside. The "library" was little more than a storage shed filled with a few interesting artifacts, shelves full of scrolls, ink, and paper. Willam found a desk and cleared all the items to one corner, placed his Dossier down, and flipped to an empty page. He lit a small candle on the desk and the flame cast a soft orange glow around the room. Willam began looking through the scrolls in the library shelves, particularly interested in reading articles about creatures that were only native to the mountains. His own Dossier was sorely lacking when it came to mountain predators like sabertooth tigers.

Willam found a nice scroll about purlovia and returned to the desk. He had a long night of reading ahead of him. Otto had already expressed his intent of leaving for home the next morning, so this was likely the only chance Willam would have to do his research.

Willam was so enraptured in the article that he almost failed to notice the library door opening and closing. He stiffly shot upright when a voice called out to him.

"Not one for big parties? I don't blame you. I prefer peace and quiet myself."

Willam glanced up to see Bertholdt's right hand man sorting out the shelves. Dietrich's greying hair and warm brown eyes made him seem like the friendly sort, though Willam knew he must have been a formidable fighter if he was second in command of the mountain tribe. Dietrich was old, perhaps in his early fifties, but not so old as Willam himself.

"It's a bit too loud for my tastes, that's all." Willam smiled politely. He felt more at ease knowing it was just the soft-spoken tribesman, who must have seized the opportunity to escape from the high table after seeing Willam leave.

"Aye, much better to sit here in the gloom and dust," Dietrich smiled. He noticed the article Willam was reading. "I see you've found my work. The scroll on purlovia, eh? It's a bit outdated but you're not missing much, just some breeding habits the stablemaster learned of."

"So you're the brilliant mind the tribe tucked away. I was wondering who compiled all these notes."

Dietrich gave a hearty laugh. "You've got that right. I'm somewhat of an anomaly among the mountain folk but they put up with my nonsense."

Willam nodded. From what little he knew of the mountain tribes, they passed down knowledge through word of mouth. Willam had been surprised to learn of the library earlier that day. "So what drove you to write all these scrolls?"

"The fact that we'll all be deep down in the earth one day," Dietrich shrugged. "I know the others have faith in oral traditions but I don't. Ink and paper will far outlive any human being, I'll tell you that."

"Passing stories down has worked for your people this far though, hasn't it?"

"Stoneglen has only been around for fourteen years. But if you're referring to the other mountain folk, then yes. My birth village was the Grove, which is about a week's journey east. The tribe has used oral storytelling for hundreds of years."

That took Willam aback. "Hundreds? I thought humans were new to the Island. Forty or fifty years at most."

Dietrich laughed. "There, you've gone and proven my point for me. Ever heard of the Greywings or the Frostwolves?"

"No," Willam admitted.

"Exactly. Extinct tribes take all their knowledge with them to the grave. I've gone through the ruins of their villages, but there's only so little I can learn from the crumbled old buildings. No my friend, the truth is that oral storytelling only works for so long as there's people left alive to pass the tales down. And in this world that's never a guarantee."

Willam turned to Dietrich, completely fascinated. The article on Purlovia lay forgotten on the desk. "I always thought we were among the first wave of humans to wash ashore. . . How long have people lived on this Island?"

"Oh, you're not entirely wrong. In recent years we've experienced a large wave of new castaways, but they definitely aren't the first. As for how long we've lived here? Nobody knows. Another fault of our oral traditions. I personally think it's been close to four or five hundred years."

Willam stroked his beard. "Interesting. And yet in all that time, nobody's created a true civilization?"

"You mean our tribes aren't good enough for you?" Dietrich smiled.

"I was thinking something along a grander scale," Willam mused. "Empires large enough to tame the wilderness and make the Island safe for humans."

"Oh, there have been a few over the centuries I'm sure. They're either long dead or too far away for us to contact." Dietrich went back to straightening out his scrolls. "The north is a quiet place and we've never had any sizable nation. If you want large empires, look to the south. There's always some warlord or another trying to carve out huge chunks of the Island for himself."

"You don't think it's possible to build a lasting nation then?"

"I never said that. Just highly unlikely. It's human nature to fight and squabble. Every civilization has it's golden age, but also it's decline and death. Be it through incompetent rulers, disease, famine, or civil war, there are countless ways for an empire to crumble. It's the reason we haven't seen anyone take power and hold onto it for more than a handful of centuries."

"Call me an optimist then," Willam smiled. "My friend Otto has done a remarkable job so far uniting all the new castaways that have washed ashore this past year. I believe he'll do a fine job of building a thriving civilization in the north."

"To each his own. Me personally, I'll put faith in our tried and true system of small tribes in the mountains." Dietrich glanced over at Willam and seemed to notice his Dossier for the first time. "What's that book for anyhow?"

"This? Just my little project. I'm trying to compile information on all the plants and animals of the north. I'm hoping to make a comprehensive survival guide to give humanity a fighting chance against the Island."

"An admirable task. How close is it to complete?"

"Far. Too far," Willam sighed. "Your scrolls have been remarkably useful so far though, I might add."

"I'm glad to hear it," Dietrich finished adjusting a little artifact and turned to Willam thoughtfully. "I could lend you some to take home. Just promise to return them, eh?"

"Definitely. It would be extremely helpful if you're willing to part with them for a few weeks."

"Anything to help a fellow scholar out." Dietrich leaned over to get a better look at the Dossier. "Mind if I read what you have so far?"

"Be my guest." Willam switched places with Dietrich. While the other man was flipping through the Dossier, Willam went ahead and read some of the scrolls on the shelves. After a few minutes Dietrich called for him with a note of unease in his tone.

"Say Willam, you're the owner of the great silver titan down at the plateau aren't you?"

"Argentum? Yes, why?"

"Well, I was hoping to read your article about him but it's not here."

Willam glanced at his Dossier, puzzled. He flipped to the page on tyrannosaurus dominum. "It's not complete just yet, I know, but I'll finish it soon."

Dietrich shook his head. "That's not what I meant. . . Wait, has no one told you?"

"What do you mean?" Willam asked with dread.

"That's no tyrannosaurus. You own a giganotosaurus, one of the most dangerous creatures on the Island."

Willam was confused. "What? I've never heard of such a name before."

"They're extremely rare but we've seen a few in the mountains. Giganotosaurus are pure gods of destruction. When fully grown, their scales are harder than steel and their jaws can crush solid stone. If enraged, they'll blaze a path of death and carnage through any living creatures in their paths. Entire tribes have been wiped out by just a single adult."

Willam could only blink in surprise, lost for words.

"You really didn't know?" Dietrich shook his head in disbelief. "The only reason Bertholdt let your beast close to our village was because you seemed to have it under control and since it's not fully grown, our crossbow bolts can still pierce the thing's hide if it goes rogue."

"I. . . I didn't realize," Willam muttered. All the signs were there, Willam scolded himself. I should have known! Some poor researcher I am.

Dietrich sighed. "Look, be careful with it. I'm surprised you've survived this long without knowing about the giganotosaurus. If that monster goes out of control, it won't just go after my tribe. It'll kill yours too."

The hermit was speaking the truth. It wasn't just some vague and cryptic warning. . . it was a real foretelling of my fate. Willam swallowed a lump in his throat. Argentum would never hurt me though. . . would he? He turned back to Dietrich. "What can I do to prevent that from happening?"

Dietrich considered that for a moment and sighed. "Nobody's ever tamed one of those creatures before, so I can't say for certain. If what we've learned from tyrannosaurus are any indication, I would advise for you to keep it locked in a secure location. Preferably in a pit where it can't climb out, with thick iron gratings above."

Willam's shock must have shown on his face. Dietrich continued on. "I know it isn't pleasant, but if you want to keep a giganotosaurus responsibly you need to keep it under control. Above all else, give it no reason to be angry with you. And keep it well fed. That's all I can really offer."

Willam sighed. "I can't just do that to Argentum. . . I'll try to think of something more humane."

"Very well, but make no mistake: if anything goes amiss, it'll cost your life." Dietrich stood up, looking tired. "Be careful with that creature."

Willam nodded. "I'll try my best."

"You're a smart man, Willam. I have faith that you'll figure something out." Dietrich made for the door. "It's past time for me to get back to the feast, but feel free to stay and continue reading. You can take any scrolls you want, just return them later."

"Thank you, Dietrich," Willam called after him. "You may very well have saved my life with the information."

The mountain warrior nodded grimly and left Willam to his thoughts in the empty room. He tried to focus on his work but could not get his mind off the harsh truth he had just learned. A giganotosaurus. . . as if raising a tyrannosaurus wasn't dangerous enough. I always knew Argentum had violent tendencies but if what these mountain people say is true, then I should count myself fortunate that I haven't been torn to shreds. When we get home, I need to take precautions to prevent Argentum from going out of control. A pit and iron bars might be effective but I don't think I can bring myself to cage the poor thing. I'll just have to figure some other arrangement out.

Willam spent the next few hours transcribing information onto his Dossier, trying to keep himself focused on the task at hand. After completing four long and detailed pages, his hands were covered in ink. Willam peeked outside and saw that it was well past midnight. Time for me to rest. I'll come back the next morning to grab the scrolls I need.

Willam left his Dossier on the desk, exited the building, and locked the door behind him. The night was warm by northern standards, which meant it would only take half an hour for him to catch frostbite. Willam made haste back down to the plateau where the group was camped. A few sentries swaddled up in furs let him enter the camp after a brief inspection. Willam easily spotted his tent, since Argentum was laying beside it in a ball.. The carnivore lifted his massive silver head when Willam returned and grumbled happily. Willam gave his head a small pat, but his touch was stiff and uncomfortable. His mind could not stop conjuring up possibilities where some trivial thing angered the giganotosaurus and resulted in his own demise. I've patted him like this a thousand times, yet only now am I conscious of how even a small thing like this might end in my death. Willam shivered, and not from the cold. He managed to give Spectre a small pat on the head as well, then entered his tent. Willam laid his satchel down on the floor, then climbed into his sleeping furs and got himself comfortable. He went to sleep after a brief fit of tossing and turning. The night was filled with dreams of death and destruction.

As it turned out, they did not in fact leave the next morning. Although most of the preparations were ready for the group to leave, their departure was interrupted by another urgent message from the Mountain Hermit. Her argentavis swooped down at the crack of dawn, dropping a scroll requesting Otto's presence and his alone. The Wolf Lord begrudgingly sighed and made his way up the mountain, leaving Alys in charge of finishing preparations. Naturally, Willam used the opportunity to get some more research done. He made his way to the library and spent the next few hours scribbling away, until eventually a messenger came to get him. He was able to get three more pages transcribed during that time, but there was still much left to be done. Willam neatly packed his Dossier and a handful of scrolls into his satchel, then followed the man back to camp. He wistfully glanced back at the library with all the rest of its information, but vowed he would return oneday to continue his work.

Bertholdt, Dietrich, and a few other mountain tribesmen were there to see them off. Willam saw that Alys had done an admirable job of getting the group in formation; half of the rangers were poised to screen for danger at the very front, followed by Argentum and the wolfpack, then the three mammoths with cargo and wooden platform saddles strapped onto their backs, finally followed by a rearguard of mounted archers. Alysanne's two lieutenants were mounted on their argentavis, circling the village from far above to scan the path for danger. Alys herself sat behind the reigns of the lead mammoth, ready to depart at a moment's notice. The group was just waiting for a few stragglers to join their ranks, one of them being Willam himself. Not wanting to be a burden, the old man clutched his satchel and jogged to join the rest of the group.

Otto was also just arriving at the scene, after inspecting the plateau to make sure nothing of importance got left behind. Curiously, Willam noticed a few friends tailing behind him. Of course, it was a common sight to see the Wolf Lord followed by members of his pack. What was different this time was that a larger, sleeker feline shape stalked among the wolves' ranks. The Mountain Hermit's sabertooth, Willam realized.

He caught up to his friend and glanced at the large cat apprehensively. It was the first time Willam had gotten a close look at the thing. The cat was lean and muscular, with a glossy black coat and fiery green eyes. It was larger than most of the direwolves, probably overshadowing Winter in weight, at four or five hundred pounds minimum. The predator's long dagger-like teeth glistened when it turned its head to stare at him. Willam sidled back nervously, giving it space. He could tell that the wolves also felt uneasy with one of their natural enemies prowling amongst their ranks. They shifted around nervously, glancing at the sabertooth's back every now and again. Only a single grey wolf seemed comfortable standing right next to the huge black tiger. With another pang of curiosity, Willam realized that it was none other than the Mountain Hermit's own direwolf. It was a rare sight to see just one of her beasts out in the open, let alone two of them together. Willam did not know whether the argentavis was also nearby, or whether it was back in the mountains.

"What did the Hermit want?" Willam asked.

"She's dead," Otto replied.

That took Willam aback. The old woman had told them that her time was near, but Willam took that for another vague euphemism. After all, she had been able to guide them up the mountain to her cave just fine. The last Willam had seen of her, she had seemed perfectly healthy for a woman of her age. The old Hermit certainly hadn't given him the impression that she was on her deathbed. So was everything else just as literal? This woman must have spoken nothing but the truth, if she were so blunt and direct about her time drawing near.

"Her last wish was for me to inherit her animals," Otto sighed. "No last advice or wisdom or anything. In other words, we're lost again."

Willam shared Otto's frustration. Even if the Hermit had spoken nothing but unpleasantries, a part of Willam was glad to know of what might happen in the future. That way he could better prepare himself, and perhaps even prevent it from occurring in the first place. But now that their only real guidance was dead, they were back where they started. Lost and confused, trying to piece things out through trial and error.

"Well look on the bright side," Willam reassured with a newfound confidence. He had just made a realization: "We've had the strength and determination to make it this far on our own, haven't we? We'll be just fine without needing others to lead us."

That got through to Otto. The Wolf Lord smiled and nodded. "You're right. We're better off than ever before. We'll make this work."

They were interrupted by a shout from Alys, who impatiently pointed at the sun and back to the trail. Otto laughed and turned back to Willam. "It's time we head home. Come on, we've made the others wait long enough already."

Otto went to find Daciana, his growing menagerie of creatures trailing behind him. Willam himself went to find his own mount. Another jolt of fear coursed through his body when he caught sight of Argentum, realizing just how large and deadly the giganotosaurus truly was. Although just a few months shy of full maturity, the silver predator was already massive, easily the size of a tyrannosaurus. Argentum was just as large as the mammoths next to him, not to mention how Spectre was barely the size of his foot. Willam could easily picture what might happen if Argentum ever lost control. It would take almost everything the tribe had to defeat the apex predator. I must make sure that it never comes to that possibility, Willam vowed. I brought Argentum into this world, so it's my duty to watch over his actions.

The silver titan growled happily to see Willam, stepping side to side and lashing his tail excitedly. . . and also causing tremors in the ground, scaring some megaloceros away. I really was a fool to be so blind to the dangers right under my nose. Willam whistled a low note to calm his pet, and Argentum obligingly went still. At least he still listens to my commands.

Willam gave Argentum's leg a pat and used the ladder hanging off his saddle to climb on top. He took extra care and deliberation this time. Willam settled down in the saddle, gripping the reins uneasily. It had never really bothered him before, but now that he was fully aware of the destruction in his hands, Willam was all the more careful with his movements. Every heave and shudder of his eight-ton mount made Willam tense up nervously.

A shout went up from the front of the column and the first screen of rangers were off. Willam exhaled to calm his nerves, then gave Argentum's reins a slight tug. With that, the giant silver monster rumbled forward after the rest of the group.


Author's Note: I realized I screwed up last time and forgot to put the poll up on my page but it's there now! Go vote for your favorite side characters (pick your top three). I'm looking forward to seeing the results!

DinoNerd89, Glad to hear you enjoyed the longer chapter! Conflict is very certainly in the future.

Loremaster Endercreeper, Haha okay I agree to concede. You definitely bring up great points about how Martin's writing is the polar opposite of many fantasy stories that came before, which is both a good and bad thing. Although his work is an inspiration to my own, I'll just continue developing my own style and hope to be the best writer I can be. On the matter of the actual chapter: I know the game portrays parasaurs as some of the weakest creatures at the bottom of the food chain but I want to paint them in a different light. I mean we've seen how devastating warhorses were in our own past. Just imagine having a three-thousand pound armored warlizard instead :)

Guest, I'm glad you've decided to leave a review and I'm happy you enjoyed the chapter!

Nateman364, Likewise! I've been waiting for a while to get my hands on a fight scene where I'm allowed to kill 90% of the characters :) The structure and politics of the Protectors will continue to be revealed in the upcoming chapters, so we'll get more info soon. One thing I can guarantee is that the small scouting party we saw was the absolute smallest show of their military strength, and they have much more power waiting elsewhere. And many of you readers are right in that the friendly tribe does not have a name yet but I'll drop it next chapter since it's starting to get on my nerves too lol.

Death korps boi, I liked the new trailer but I thought it could have been done a bit better. We didn't really get all that much but it was still enjoyable. I preferred the animated short ARK released instead. You should all check that out it was pretty great.

Caleb R. Watson, Glad you'll be around to review again. Also by coincidence the Hermit died this chapter so great job predicting that. It was fun to hear about your writing style even though I might have messed up your ideas by killing off the Hermit lol.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my work, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to comment, ask questions, or criticize my story, review is always welcome! If you liked what you saw, make sure to check out the other ARK stories on this site! Have a great day!

- DaRumpyBurr