Chapter 12: Tempe
"Well...?" Cristo asked, watching Brey grimly study one of the more discernable corpses. The old tutor made no response for the moment, apparently too focused on his work to hear.
The bodyguard shrugged and walked over to Alena who was sitting on a small rock, coiling and un-coiling her whip gingerly around her hand as to make sure none of the thorns got caught on her skin. "How are you?" he gently asked her, unsure how the princess would respond given how fragile her senses could become in this sort of situation.
Alena seemed to ignore him for a moment, intent on her whip wound on her tiny hands. Cristo was nearly ready to give up and started to head back over to Brey when the princess lightly said, "You know, Cristo, I actually like my hair like this." The bodyguard turned his head and saw she was still concentrating on her whip, having not even looked up to talk to him.
"What do you mean?" he gently asked, turning around to face her.
"It's freed my mind up," she explained, finally looking up at him. "I never realized it before but all the hair that I had before seemed to weigh down on me, get in my face, distract my thoughts. I never realized it before but now I do, and I think it could grow on me if I let it."
Cristo looked at her for moment, a little stunned by her confession. It did not take him long to realize, however, she was trying to avoid the topic he had brought up. He wondered if he should let it drop at that but Brey had told him before should the Princess go through what she did today, it was better to make her confront it instead of bury it like most people would. So, again, he asked, "Are you feeling all right?"
Alena looked at her bodyguard for a moment before letting a subtle smile creep onto her lips. "I'll be fine," she assured. "It only took me by surprise, that's all." She paused, looking out into the glen where the light drizzle continued to soak the remains of the sheep. "I don't think I've ever seen anything this gruesome before," she muttered, more to herself than to her companion. "What do you think could have caused such an atrocity?"
"I really don't know," Cristo admitted, following Alena's gaze out into the glen, "although, I do have some suspicions."
"You can forget the obvious one," Brey said, walking up to the pair with a cloth to his nose. "This was by no means the work of wolves."
"How can you be so sure, old man?" Cristo asked, turning to face the old tutor. "These attacks certainly look like something a large dog would do, and there's plenty of paw tracks scattered about the glen."
"True enough," said Brey, nodding, "but, like I said, this is not the work of wolves. They do not casually hunt down several herds into a glen, only to butcher them. They will usually only pick off a few stragglers and feast on the entire sheep, not large chunks. The paw tracks are also far larger than any wolf that I know of."
"What about your troglodytes?" Alena asked. "Would they do something like this?"
Brey shook his head. "Trogs may be primitive," he replied, "but they're not stupid. They would not let so much meat go to waste."
"Then what could have caused this?" Cristo asked again, hoping Brey already knew.
"That..." Brey slowly muttered, looking out into the glen as he stroked his white whiskers, "is what I would like to know."
The three travelers left the glen with somber mood. Their inability to do anything for the mutilated sheep had darkened their overall spirit. They had failed to find the cause of the atrocity and could not do anything for the poor animals but leave them in the glen to rot until some scavenger animal like slimes, rats, or crows came across the carcasses to feed on.
In addition, the travelers had hoped with the rain lightening earlier in the day, it would let up by the time nightfall came. However, such was not the case and the drizzle continued even by the time the skies began to darken.
Another predicament arose as well when they paused near nightfall to let Brey rest. At this time of the day, the travelers would usually set up camp to eat some supper and bed down for the night. However, the thoughts of sleeping on a damp ground did not sit well with any of them and none of them knew if they could keep a fire going with the climate so moist. Besides, the notion of something so sinister to slaughter sheep out in the mountains made them all more edgy than normal and none of the travelers believed they would get much sleep with that fear etched into their minds. So, instead of bedding down for the night, the group opted to continue into the night and hopefully reach Tempe soon.
Twilight descended quickly, turning the drizzle from annoying into absolutely freezing. As well, hardly any light was provided to the travelers, their only source being a heavily obscured moon behind the overcast clouds. Quite often, Alena would stumble along the road, missing a rock or pit she would otherwise had no problem avoiding.
The princess had no idea if she was keeping to the road, so camouflaged during the day it became invisible at night. It would be very easy for her to lose sight and end up leading them off the trail. Still, Brey seemed to have enough faith in her to let her continue to lead.
The misty, cold rain continued to plunge into the night and Alena began to feel weathered, the drizzle having soaked her clothes and frozen her skin. She began to wonder if they should stop to rest, perhaps even for the night, despite the possible danger lurking in the mountains. However, after what seemed to be an eternity of walking through the darkness, the princess noticed something odd about the road she endeavored to remain on. Despite the constant bobbing the road took over the hills, she began to distinguish a general downward slope. Making a mention of it to Brey, the old tutor nodded in agreement. The road was indeed beginning to descend from the mountains.
No sooner than Alena made the discovery when the descent became steeper and became a source of mountain run-off water, carving tiny, rapid creeks into the path. This run-off also began to create massive mud slicks in the road and the travelers had to be careful not to slip.
Eventually, the road led to what appeared to be a ridge. It divided from there, one path descending into a large valley below and the other leading to the edge of the ridge. Alena wanted to take a rest before descending into the valley, however, and led them to the latter path. The travelers sat on a few damp, rocky outcrops, gathering their strength and taking the opportunity to eat a few of their rations. As they rested, Alena looked out into the valley, hoping she might be able to see some of the mountain scenery through the gloomy darkness surrounding them.
While the sodden night contained most of its secrets, one thing it did have a difficult time concealing were man-made lights. Far in the distance, hardly noticeable in the incandescent drizzle, Alena made out a definite flicker gathered in a fairly north-centralized position in the valley. The princess quickly pointed it to her companions and their spirits heightened upon seeing them. Within moments, the travelers were on their way again as they descended briskly into the valley.
By all accounts, Tempe was once a boom village.
Ages ago, when Santeem's history began to take shape and before ocean-going ships started to dominate the world's trade, merchant caravans from Endor and Bonmalmo would frequently traverse the Old Merchant Road. Tempe's position at the head of a valley at one end of the Santeem Mid-Range was an ideal place for many merchants to rest before venturing into the mountain roads to Surene in the lowland fields.
However, once ships became the standard for trade, fewer and fewer merchants would find the need to brave the Wild Lands and Mid-Range of Santeem. As a result, Tempe's population began to decrease, many people unable to hold a business with the lack of merchants traveling through.
Still, there would always be reasons for a few residents to remain. While rarely used, there were still some merchants who were too poor to reach Surene by ship and would have to traverse the Wild Lands and Mid-Range to reach their destination. Similarly, many of the shepherd hovels within the mountains would need a center of commerce so they could stock up on supplies before bringing their wool to Surene for the spring.
The expectant empty houses, sheds, barns, and other, weather worn buildings of the ancient boom village dotted the outskirts of the valley pass where the three travelers saw the flickering lights the night before. Strangely, they seemed to continue through the valley for some time.
Brey knew a boom village when he saw one. If any residents remained - which they knew did after seeing the lights - it would be logical for some of the populace to inhabit at least a few of these houses.
The old tutor noticed something odd about many of the abandoned houses, though. While many of them were as he would expect - empty with mosses and vines crawling up their rotting frames - there were also a fair amount that appeared ravaged, whole portions torn from their basic structure. It was the sort of thing he would expect to see if a town had just recently been victim to a sacking.
Yet, he knew such was not possible. There had been no reports of any armies moving anywhere near Santeem in any region. Could it be possible the troglodytes were becoming much braver and attacking human settlements? Again, Brey figured it could not be possible, as the primitive monsters were not smart enough to lead an organized army against a village as large as Tempe.
The group of travelers soon reached the center of the village, much to their displeasure. If any of them had thought tiny Weser was wretched, it hardly compared to the state of ruin Tempe had to offer.
Very few buildings remained standing in good condition, most either neglected or sunken into the ground in a swampy mess. The valley's vegetation, consisting of more trees and shrubs in the lower altitude, had already begun to retake its domain in the village, creeping between and through some of the less fortunate structures.
Yet, people still seemed to be moving about, tending to whatever business they had to in the poverty stricken settlement. All three of them stared at the miserable hamlet, none of them sure if they had the right place.
Eventually, Alena became daring enough to ask one of the peasants walking by with her child. "Excuse me," the princess asked, "would this happen to be the village of Tempe?"
The woman looked at the group, her eyes very solemn. If she knew the Princess of Santeem stood in front of her, she made no recognition of it. Normally, Alena would have been annoyed by the peasant's ignorance. However, after such a harsh journey through the mountains, the princess could care less, her body too worn to start making accusations.
Eventually, the woman replied, "Indeed, y' be in Tempe." She paused for moment, then lightly added under her breath, "...a cursed village."
"Cursed?" Alena asked, confused.
However, the woman gave no explanation and continued on her way, dragging her child with her. The child kept staring back at the three travelers, then looked up at his mother, asking in a very hopeful voice, "They came t' kill monster, mommy?" Again, she gave no reply and soon disappeared into the misty road.
The three travelers stood in the middle of the muddy road for a moment, looking at each other in bewilderment. Eventually, Cristo broke the silence and asked Brey, "What did she mean, 'a cursed village'?"
"I... really don't know," Brey helplessly replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I was never made aware of a cursed village in the Mid-Range while at Santeem Castle." He turned to Alena and asked, "Did your father ever make a mention of it, Princess?" She shook her head in response.
The old tutor started to frown, stroking his long, white whiskers as he thought about the situation. Cristo started to scratch the back of his head, uneasily looking around the desolate village as if wondering if he had suddenly become afflicted with this unknown curse.
Alena, however, was determined to take action. "I don't know about the two of you," she said adamantly, "but I have no intention of staying in a cursed village. I vote we quickly get some supplies and move on." Both Cristo and Brey nodded in agreement.
With that settled, they moved towards the center of the village, expecting to find a market of some sort. However, there was less to offer than they hoped. There were no long streets of stands like in Surene, nor a general market such as they would find at the castle or in the farming villages surrounding it.
The only thing the center of pitiful Tempe offered was an old, crumbling well, so weathered none of the travelers believed it could hold any water. From there, the road divided three ways. One was to the west, where a few, shoddy houses lied, another to the east where the only respectable building stood, and finally to the north, where a small building rested with the road seemingly going through it underneath a large arch. Etched on the arch was a weathered statue, somewhat resembling a dragon but, after years of neglect, no one could be certain. No markets or shops could be seen from where they stood.
"This is ridiculous," Alena finally grumbled. "Where can someone find a shop to buy at least food around here?"
"There's someone by the well," Brey said, pointing in its direction. "He may know where we should go." Alena nodded and the three of them walked over to the ancient well.
The man Brey had pointed out seemed to be pacing around it, his hands constantly moving around in agitation. Once they drew close enough, they could make out him mumbling many worrisome words. Unfortunately, none of them were completely coherent so they could not discover what his troubles were. It did not matter, though. Alena was quite content to leave this place once they got what they needed. The cool, misty air shrouding the village did nothing to make it a more hospitable area to remain.
Alena started to approach the man but, for some reason, found herself losing her nerve, probably because she was afraid to interrupt his thoughts. Brey quickly noticed this and interceded, doubtless because he disliked his surroundings more than his companions. "Excuse me, sir," he firmly began to get the man's attention, "but would you happen to know where a grocer lives."
The man bolted his head up, completely unaware the old tutor had approached him. "Huh?" he stammered, "Grocery? Down th' street." He pointed down the west road and quickly resumed his deep, worrisome thinking as if he had not even talked with Brey.
The old tutor tilted his head in thanks, then started to lead the way down the street. However, they had not gone more than a few steps when the man by the well suddenly snapped his head back up and hysterically said, "Wait a moment! Did y' want th' grocer?"
Brey sighed impatiently but turned around and replied, "Yes, my good man. We are travelers in desperate need of supplies, so, if you don't mind-"
"Y' won't find him at th' store," the man interrupted. "It's closed."
Brey raised a bushy eyebrow. "How do you know this?" he asked.
"I own th' store."
The old tutor frowned and sternly said, "Well, do you think you can open it up so we can-" However, Brey's voice trailed off when he noticed the grocer was now completely ignoring them, walking away with the continued shaking of the hands. The old tutor was about to shout in disgust at him but realized it would be futile, the grocer's mind too transfixed on something else.
He turned back to his companions, shaking his head. "I doubt we'll be getting any supplies here," he muttered bitterly.
"Perhaps the temple can help us, then," Cristo said, pointing to the building on the north road.
"Temple?" Alena said, looking down the road. "How did you know it was that?"
"It has a carving of Master Dragon on the arch," the bodyguard simply replied.
Brey snorted, mumbling, "It sure isn't much of a carving." Indeed, as they had noticed before, the statue in the arch was a very poor rendition of what every Zenithist considered to be a god. In fact, had Cristo not informed them, they could almost consider the carving to be nothing more than a common dragon from myth.
However, Cristo always seemed to have an excuse in defense of his fellow devotees and now was no exception. "The weather here is fairly savage, as we've found out for ourselves," he said. "I'm sure the Master will forgive the followers here for their neglect if they tried to keep it in decent shape in the past."
In the end, the three travelers found themselves entering the Zenithian Temple. It was in decent shape, given the status of the rest of the village. A few boards hung loosely off the walls, mold and moss could definitely be smelled throughout, and water seemed to be dripping from somewhere unseen. The road actually entered the temple and exited out the other side. In effect, travelers would have to come through this place of devotion whether they were a Zenithist or not (Brey mentally noted it was probably a good way to convert merchants in the past).
Since the road ran straight through the temple, mud was tracked onto the floorboards where a few benches rested. Aside from that, though, everything seemed to be in normal order...except for one thing: there were no clerics residing within the small temple.
"Hello?" Cristo called out as he looked around, his voice slightly echoing off the rotting wood that made up the basic structure.
Aside from the occasional drip of water, the temple remained quiet for several moments.
The silence was broken, though, when they all picked up the creaking sound of floorboards at the opposite end of the temple. Their attention was quickly diverted to the podium where they saw a thin, middle-aged man in the temple's standard priest clothes: traditional long, blue robes with white lining.
However, he was missing the traditional blue hat all priests and bishops were required to wear. In addition, his robes were very dirty and faded, as though he had not bothered to wash them in some time. Still, he was a priest, and Cristo found the need to properly introduce himself to the higher ranked Zenithist.
"Greetings, Father," the bodyguard said formally as he stepped forward. "I am Cristo Bendard, apprentice cleric of the Santeem Temple."
"Lieb," the priest simply replied, purposely dropping all formality. He paused for a moment, taking the opportunity to judge the three travelers as he made his way from behind the podium. "And these are...?" he asked, holding his hand up to Cristo's companions.
Cristo nodded and held up a hand to Alena. "This is Alena San-ouch!"
The bony elbow of Brey jarring him in the ribs interrupted the bodyguard. He looked down at the old man in annoyance and Brey flashed him a glare, warning the bodyguard not to reveal their identities. Cristo immediately understood, realizing if Flail was still on their backs it would be a good idea to erase as much of their trail as possible.
Luckily, Lieb did not catch onto Cristo's mistake and said, "Alena Sanouch. Strange name for a young man."
Alena's eyes widened, suddenly realizing she was still wearing the leather hat and wayfarer's clothes that made her look masculine. Not seeing any point in hiding her identity, she promptly removed the hat and firmly stated, "I'm a female."
Lieb's eyes seemed to widen with surprise and Brey was quick to explain. "She's an aspiring warrior," he hastily said.
"Yes," the priest muttered, rubbing his chin, "I've heard of their kind." He paused for a moment, then looked at Brey before asking, "And you are?"
Cristo was about to say but the old tutor was quicker, knowing the bodyguard was not a good liar. "James Sanouch," Brey said, utilizing the false last name that had worked so far. "My granddaughter here is taking me on a sojourn of our country with Cristo as our guide."
Lieb seemed satisfied and asked, "And what brings you three to this dismal place?"
Cristo's eyes widened with surprise and adamantly said, "Surely any place devoted to the Zenithians cannot be a place of despair."
"My friend," the priest said, giving the bodyguard a wry smile, "Zenithia itself would be considered a place of despair if it were centered in our village." Cristo again went wide-eyed but let the remark slide, seeing the general depression within Tempe had even affected this spiritual place.
Satisfied Cristo was not going to interrupt him again, Brey said, "We are merely passing through and needed some traveling supplies. The grocery was closed so our friend here suggested maybe your fair temple could help us with our dilemma."
Lieb sighed and said, "I'm afraid all that I can offer is what you see, save my own, few meager possessions."
"Oh," Brey muttered, dishearten. He paused for moment, then looked at his companions. "I guess we should move on, then."
They nodded and Cristo turned back to Lieb. "Thank you, anyway. May the Master always watch over you, Father Lieb."
The priest nodded in return before heading back to his place by the podium.
He halted his course upon noticing the three travelers were making their way towards the exit on his side of the temple. In a panicked motion, he leaped from the podium and stood directly in the middle of the road, his arms spread wide. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked, his eyes wide with terror.
The three travelers stopped just in front of Lieb, startled by his action. "I said we were just passing through," Brey replied, "so, if you don't mind..." He started to walk forward again but the priest was quick to intercept.
"Please!" he said with pleading eyes. "I cannot allow you to pass!"
"And why is that?" Cristo asked gently.
Lieb looked at them for a long time, his mouth faltering every time he tried to give an explanation. "I... I... I..." he managed to stutter but no further reason came forth.
After several seconds of this, Alena's patience began to tire and she steadfastly stepped forth. "Listen," she said, her voice filled with irritation, "we really don't want to waste any time here, so we're going to get by whether you like it or not." At that, she firmly grabbed the priest by his robes and threw him out of their way, sending the poor man reeling into his podium. She dusted her hands off after the task was done and nodded to her companions. Brey smiled, obviously enjoying Alena's decisive action. Cristo stared wide-eyed for a moment, then merely shrugged in Lieb's direction, offering no consolation to the priest's humiliation.
The three travelers started down the road again, ignoring Lieb's cry, "You don't understand!"
They had not even made it twenty yards down the muddy road when an ear-piercing scream was heard from the general direction of the village center. Everyone instantly turned their attention to the other side of the temple, startled by the scream.
"Now you've done it!" Lieb moaned, sinking into the ground and covering his head with his arms.
"What?" Cristo incredulously said. "What did we do?" However, the priest gave no reply, already blubbering like a little boy.
The three travelers could have continued to leave the village at that point but their sense of moral took a hold of them, wondering what their actions had done to cause such a terror in the village. Alena and Cristo dashed to the temple's front arch, Brey hobbling on his walking staff as fast as he could behind. What they discovered caught them all by surprise.
The villagers were screaming, running in a mad panic across the square. Chasing them appeared to be three wolves. However, watching the large dogs revealed they were nothing like their wild cousins. They were much larger than any form of dog they had ever seen, their shoulders easily reaching the height of a human's chest. Shaggy, brown hair hung loosely off their backs and gray foam frothed in their massive, snapping jaws as they pursued the villagers.
One of them made a massive leap at a young woman and brought her down, immediately clawing and tearing at her in an eager attempt to reach her flesh.
"Brey!" Alena cried, turning to him. Fortunately, the old tutor had already finished the spell, knowing he was the only who could help the unfortunate woman in time.
A spear of ice formed at his hands and he threw his arms out, sending the cold projectile flying at the large, shaggy wolf instantly. However, they were at least fifty feet away and his aim was less than perfect at that distance. It was enough, though, to cut through the monster's back, sending a thin spray of crimson blood and hair into the air.
The large wolf let out a howl of pain, an all too familiar, blood-curdling howl that ripped through the misty air.
Seeing the monster distracted, Alena used the opportunity to rush forward, her sense of moral unable to take the sight of the villager in danger of the large beast, especially if she was somehow the cause of it. "Princess!" Cristo called out after her, desperately reaching an arm out to stop her but failing in the process.
"Follow her," Brey quickly said, breathing a bit heavily. "It'll be a moment before I can cast another spell and she needs help against that thing." Cristo nodded and rushed forward as well, 'Upper' already coming to his mind to help the Princess.
As Alena charged forward, her hand was already on the whip at her hip. The large wolf, however, was quick to recover from Brey's spell than she had anticipated and turned in the direction of where its assailant had come from.
It saw the princess rushing at it and it snarled in abhorrence, gray saliva dripping onto its terrified, but forgotten, victim; something putting up a fight instead of giving up always was more entertaining and made the meal that much more enjoyable. Getting up from the wounded, frightened woman, the large beast turned to face Alena and began a charge.
Alena paused in mid-rush, her jaw slack. She had not stopped because the monster had begun to storm her but because she finally had a chance to glimpse into the beast's eyes. They were completely red, shining brilliantly in the daylight. There were no signs of pupils, no sign of intelligence; just a bloody slit buried deep in the monster's face.
So riveted by the beast's eyes was Alena she did not notice it was already leaping for her, its jaws wide open to take in large amounts of her flesh. The princess managed to get her hands up in an attempt to block but the wolf's massive weight crashed down on her and she fell to the ground.
The beast's claws landed heavily on her chest, knocking the wind from her. As she gasped in another breath of air, the monster's horrid breath surrounded her, its foul, gray foam dripping on her. She had another chance to look into the monster's eyes and saw beyond the eerie crimson glow a plan that foretold it would senselessly rip her flesh apart just for the thrill of the kill.
Before the large wolf had a chance to begin its grisly task though, Alena felt her skin harden and her eyes widened in horror. Was she turning to stone? She had heard of legends of ancient monsters with the power to do such things but surely not the beast on top of her!
The large wolf took a quick swipe at some of Alena's hardening skin and the claw merely scratched the surface, hardly drawing blood. Its eyes widened in surprise as well, the beast more accustomed to seeing its victim's blood freely spill out after such an attack. Realizing the monster was distracted, Alena quickly took the opportunity to scramble out from underneath the beast's claws.
The distraction lasted only for mere seconds, however, and the large wolf was ready to attack again as it leaped at the sprawling princess. This time, though, she was prepared and the princess got her whip out in front of her, stretching it taunt so when the monster's jaws came forward, the thorns would catch the beast in the mouth.
Her plan worked as, just before the beast's fetid breath reached her, the monster found it was halted by several tiny but sharp thorns on a strip of leather biting into its mouth.
She had caught the monster off guard for a second and Alena made good use of that second. She immediately wrapped the rest of her whip around the large wolf's neck and scrambled away again, pulling her weapon taunt.
The thorns bit deeply into the beast's shaggy hide, causing it to yelp in pain. It tried to shake loose from the barbed weapon but Alena had a good hold on the beast's neck as the thorns cut into its flesh mercilessly.
However, the monster was very strong and Alena did not know if she would be able to hold onto the creature for long.
"Cristo!" she called, struggling to keep the whip on all the while keeping her distance from the large wolf. "Kill it, fast!"
The bodyguard rushed forward, though hesitated when he neared the savage creature. The wild bucking and snarling made him just a little apprehensive about approaching it; plus, he had no idea where to stab the monster with his sword.
"Hurry!" Alena's apprehensive voice cried and the bodyguard automatically dove in, praying to the Master his strike would kill the thing.
Somehow, he managed to stab the beast in the wound Brey's magic had caused and it slid easily through the monster's ribcage and into its heart. It howled a horrendous death cry and savagely jerked which caused Alena to lose the grip on her weapon. Cristo hastily stepped back, unsure what the beast would do.
The large wolf started to shake violently but managed to face the bodyguard, intent to kill its attacker before it died. However, it could not find the strength in its legs and the beast buckled over, a tiny whimper of pain escaping its massive, foaming jaws before dying.
Alena was about to congratulate Cristo on their victory when he suddenly shouted a warning to her. The princess turned around and saw the other two beasts slowly circling close to her, a malicious hatred glowing in their red, pupil-less eyes. They had obviously not taken the fact their kin had been killed by them kindly and were looking to seek vengeance.
"Cristo...!" she whispered, her voice distressed.
"I know," he said, bringing his sword up defensively. "Get behind me." Alena quickly did so, letting her bodyguard push her behind him.
The large beasts slowly circled them, snarling and inching closer with each pass. Cristo patiently waited but did not know if he would be able to survive a sudden charge. He considered maybe using 'Upper' on himself as well but if he did, it might give away his secret about protecting the Princess.
Of course, he would not be that good of a protector if he was residing in Zenithia by the end of the day.
So absorbed in his thoughts was Cristo he did not notice one of the beasts leap at him. Too late the bodyguard brought his sword up to protect himself but it was not needed.
Just before the monster landed on him, a four-foot long spear of ice plunged through its shaggy hide, knocking it from its path before crashing solidly onto the muddy ground. There it lay yelping and twitching as the last remnants of its life escaped.
The last beast, seeing how its companions had fallen to these strange and aggressive villagers, decided it would be a better tactic to flee for now, despite the harsh treatment it may receive at the hands of its master. It snarled once at the three travelers, then darted towards the encroaching forest, a light rustle marking its path in the underbrush before fading in the distance. Alena and Cristo watched the large wolf disappear into the forest, hoping it would not return.
After they were satisfied it was gone for good, Cristo turned to Brey, flashing him an annoyed glare. "You certainly took long enough, old man!" he harshly accused, returning his sword to its scabbard by his hip.
"If you weren't so incompetent of a fighter," Brey shot back as he walked over to the pair, "I wouldn't have had to expend so much energy trying to cast the same spell so fast!" Apparently, both rapid spells had taxed the old tutor, as he was breathing somewhat heavily than normal.
"Who cares how it happened," Alena quickly interceded, not having the patience to listen to her companions argue again. "We won and that's what matters, right?"
Brey lightly muttered, "Barely..." but it was so low no one heard.
Alena walked over to the beast that still had her whip wrapped around its neck and kicked its heavy, shaggy hide, making sure it was dead. Satisfied it would not suddenly attack her, she proceeded to unravel her whip from its neck.
Cristo walked over to the other carcass, curious about the beast. "I think we've found our sheep mutilator," he dryly remarked, kicking the corpse as well. He turned to Brey whom had bent down to study the creature. "Any idea what it is, old man?" he asked.
The old tutor shook his head. "I've never seen or heard of such a species of canine before." He looked up and noticed that the villagers were timidly coming out of their homes and hiding places, unsure whether the threat had passed. "Apparently," he added, "these people have."
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a faint moaning from behind. He and Cristo turned around and saw the woman whom the large beast had first attacked. She had severe gashes across her dress, blood slowly oozing onto the ground she lay on. "Cristo," Brey said, motioning to the wounded woman and the bodyguard immediately went to her.
He looked over her wounds, studying their severity. Eventually, he stood up, a dire frown on his face. "I don't think there's anything I can do for her," he grimly stated. "The wounds are too severe for my healing magic to work on her."
"Then go grab your priest friend, damn it!" Brey irritably said, an annoyed glare in his eyes. Cristo nodded hastily and rushed to the temple to find Lieb, who was no doubt still quivering by the podium.
Alena walked over to her tutor, watching her bodyguard disappear in the temple. She turned to Brey, concern in her face. "You didn't have to be so harsh, Brey," she said, frowning.
The old tutor sighed but did not look up at the princess. "Alena," he gently said, "there's something strange going on here. It can't be just a coincidence that these things attacked just as we were leaving."
He stood up and looked at her, frowning. "If there's some sort of curse on this village, we've somehow also become caught in it," he grimly stated.