Chapter 16: Land unknown
"A reliable means of discovering something out of place is to listen to the birds in the trees, for they serve as accurate scouts of danger. If a bird, for instance, felt threatened, it would make it's situation known, by means of expressive, erratic song. Birds convey much emotion in their sweet voices, therefore in order to understand them, we must simply understand music," Aragorn explained to Casca, who was much too busy inspecting a shiny rock she found.
"By their song, I can see that there is something unwelcome in the forests surrounding us. If we are lucky, it will just be a feral animal, perhaps a fox, posing a threat to the nearby avian populous, but I fear that is not the case."
The chirping of the birds was loud, fast, and told a simple message: flee. It was nothing unlike Aragorn had heard before, but that was the part that worried him most. The last time he had heard birds in such a panic was when he was stalking a band of orcs, as they ravaged the land they walked on. Despicable creatures, as always.
The road upon which the two followed had delved into a valley, disallowing Aragorn from seeing anything about the path ahead. Nonetheless, it was still a road, and all roads lead to civilization, one way or another. He just hoped they would find somewhere to stay soon, before the night shrouded them.
Casca touched the bow on Aragorn's back inquisitively, or as inquisitively as she could manage.
"Pretty, is it not?" Aragorn asked, expecting no response. "A young girl gave it to me, in a land long behind us. It has an incredible range, and an impressive draw-weight. The more I thought about it, the more I understood why she wanted me to have it so badly: she herself knew she would not likely ever be strong enough to wield it properly. Of course, that is far from the truth. Anyone can do anything, through effort, dedication and practice. I promised I'd return the bow when our quest was complete, but I am unsure if that is possible now. I will try to the best of my ability, of course, as I believe she will one day learn to wield a bow of such power."
Casca's gaze failed to stay in one spot for more than a moment, her attention constantly shooting elsewhere.
"I heard you defied your own nature, Casca. From what your friend Guts told me, you're an impressive swordsman. One who does not yield to the limits of themself is one who truly possess power. I hope to spar with you one day."
His words fell on deaf ears, but this he knew. He spoke mainly to himself, and his own doubts, and to make a promise that he would one day test the strength of the warrior Casca.
...
A pair of eyes spotted the two wanderers from atop a side of the valley. Though they were far away, he knew who he saw. He grabbed his combat gear and sprinted down the hill.
Aragorn heard movement in the grass beside him, several yards up the hill. He saw a young man running at him, carrying a sword at his waist and a contraption on his arm. The lad couldn't have been older than 18.
Aragorn turned to face the the oncoming boy, but as he drew near, Aragorn could see that the contraption upon his arm was some form of bow, with an arrow loaded inside. The boy held it forward, aimed and prepared to fire, a look of deep focus on his face. Aragorn gripped his sword handle and watched the boy run to him. In his head, he tried to form a plan that accounted for every possibility, but the presence of Casca complicated everything he could think of. There was no course of action that could protect them both without fail, so he had to make a decision. He pulled two inches of his blade from it's sheathe, grabbed Casca and pulled her behind him, and waited. If the boy shot, he would have to rely on his chainmail.
"Hold!" the boy commanded as he came to a stop. He was close enough for a clear shot, a fact that Aragorn disliked much. "Take your hand off the sword. Now!"
Aragorn didn't reply, nor did he remove his hand from Narsil. His face remained unchanged, but he understood how bad the situation was. Somehow, he could tell the boy would not miss a shot.
"I won't ask again," the young man reinforced, taking a step forward. "I promise you this isn't my first time using this thing."
Casca tried to see what was happening behind Aragorn, but he held her firm.
"Hand her over, and I'll let you be on your way," the boy bargained. "You have my word."
The discipline in his voice told Aragorn much. This boy was not a common thug. Perhaps a state guard in training. Aragorn felt inclined to reply.
"I will not part with this woman. I have sworn to return her to a friend, and I shall see it through. Now, will you aide me, or thwart me?"
The boy was clearly taken back by Aragorn's verbal elegance, but it wasn't enough to sway him from his stance. "Yeah, I can imagine who your "friend" would be. He probably promised you a lot of gold in exchange for a woman who can't defend herself. I can see why he would want her."
"You are mistaken. Now, decide your course of action quickly. Shall you engage me, or will you stand down?" Aragorn stated.
"My apologies, but I too must deliver that woman to a friend, and I won't back down."
What? This boy knew Casca?
Aragorn straightened slightly. "Your friend, what is he called?"
The lad unknowingly lowered his arm-weapon slightly in thought. A rookie mistake on the battlefield, and one Aragorn knew well.
"You wouldn't know him. Hardly anyone does these days." he trailed off, his eyes leaving Aragorn.
Seizing the opportunity, Aragorn extended his right arm forward, hurling an item he had been concealing: Casca's shiny rock. The boy, startled, looked back to Aragorn and attempted to raise the weapon back up, but the stone struck his hand, causing him to pull it back in pain. Confused, he looked down to see the rock, but then realizing that his opponent was already almost to him. The boy ripped his sword from it's sheathe and held it forward, prepared to engage, but with a single strike from Aragorn's blade, the much smaller sword was sent flying. Aragorn kicked the boy hard in the chest, knocking him off his feet and sending him to his back, it all happening in mere seconds. Aragorn's cloak fluttered to a stop as the situation went silent. Narsil's tip waited an inch from the boy's throat, waiting for it's master's force.
"The girl is coming with me, lad." Aragorn announced.
The boy knew he was defeated, yet he refused to let them go.
"You can't take her! She has to come with me! You don't understand the danger shes in!"
Aragorn was stricken with a memory. He remembered back to when Guts was explaining about Casca, and the Eclipse. She was branded that day, just as Guts was. Then that means...
"Boy, tell me if you know. On our path earlier, the birds were in an uproar, as if something was encroaching on their space. Could this have been... demons?" Aragorn asked, expecting the boy to look at him like he was forgone in the head.
"You know about the brand, don't you?" the boy asked. "You know what comes at night."
They both stared at each other for a moment, then the boy asked," Your friend... is his name... Guts?"
...
Aragorn and the boy ran up the hills of the valley with great speed, under a setting sun. Upon his shoulder Aragorn carried Casca, who didn't weigh him down much.
"How is it possible that this cave you speak of can ward off demons?" Aragorn yelled as they ran. The boy was much too out of breath to respond in a normal fashion, instead spitting out: "Elves... Magic... smothers the... brand..."
A house came into view atop the hill they were ascending. The boy said that the cave was behind it. All they had to do was make it just a bit further...
The sun blazed it's farewell and disappeared behind the horizon, ushering in the night. As if on queue, Aragorn could hear loud stomps behind them, something approaching fast. He turned his head for just a moment and saw a massive four-legged beast, like a wolf that crawled from the mouth of Hell. It was going to reach them before they could get to the cave.
Aragorn placed Casca down and took his bow into his hands.
"Take her! Get to the cave!" he commanded the young man.
"OkaAHHHHHH!" the boy screamed when he saw what was behind them. He grabbed Casca's arm and lead her for the cave.
Aragorn notched an arrow and fired it just as quickly. It met the beast's face, but, to Aragorn's surprise, it didn't even slow it down, instead enraging the monster. It charged forward.
Aragorn rolled out of it's reach just as it neared him. It slowed to a stop, then beginning to circle him slowly. Aragorn could see it clearly now: it lacked eyes, instead there were two jagged lines replacing them. It's mouth was enormous, housing a long, dripping tongue and a hundred razor-sharp teeth. The strangest thing of all was how it seemed to exist in a state of pure shadow, as if the darkness had manifested itself with a pool of black hatred. Looking at this beast of darkness reminded Aragorn of his first encounter with Guts, though he couldn't understand why.
The beast of darkness lunged for it's second attack, narrowly missing Aragorn, who pulled out his longsword, knowing it would be of no use here. He would have to run. He just needed to distract the beast long enough for him to make it to the cave. Before he could come up with a plan, the beast attacked again, though this time there was no time to dodge. Aragorn leapt just over the beast's bite, landing on it's back and sending it into a rampage. It twisted and flailed wildly, but Aragorn held onto it's black fur firmly, though it burned his hands, as if the beast was filled with such hatred that it became physical and took the form of heat. In it's wild rampage, the beast of darkness failed to realize it had gone over a steep edge of the hill. Aragorn hopped off as it tumbled down the slope for a few seconds before regaining it's footing. Aragorn took this chance to make a dash for the cave with all his remaining might. He saw the narrow cave entrance ahead, but also heard the beast behind him. With great speed and power, he dove into the cave just as the devilish monster bit down at him, tearing a large shred out of his cloak, but leaving him unharmed. The beast pawed at him, but the effort was wasted. It angrily turned and walked down the hill, morphing into the darkness.
Aragorn, lying facedown on the stone, looked up to see the cave. There was a gate, a flowing waterfall, and three people, two of them he knew. He got up and dusted himself off, then headed down into the beautiful cave before him.