Chapter 2 – In Awe of the Power
A sheer cliff was looming before the plain, and the light of the sword shone directly into it.
Wanderer estimated that with his steed, he could reach the cliff in even less than an hour. Finding a clear watering hole under the shade of a big tree on the way, he decided to take a short rest before continue onward. As he looked up to the tree's spreading branches, the boy saw that they were heavy with several strange-looking brown fruits. Having never seen such a kind of fruits before, he was not sure if they were edible. He did not worry much about food though. If this land were timeless, he probably would neither feel hungry nor need to eat anything. So he merely drank from the pool and washed his face with its water, while Agro lowered its head, drinking beside him.
When he finished washing his face, his eyes met those of his own reflection on the rippling water surface. The sight of his leaner face and darkened eyelids reminded him of a memory once in the past.
And of course, the girl named Mono was an important part of it.
The refreshed Arslan youth woke up early. He had not slept under a roof without having to keep an eye out for dangers in the wilderness for a long time. Although the late hunter's cabin was left in a virtually deserted state – with dust and cobwebs everywhere and a musty odor that lingered on even though the boy had left every window open all night long – it was more comfortable than he had expected. Also, the late hunter probably kept a horse or two when he was alive, as there was a horse stable larger than enough for the boy's steed.
When he had fed Agro grains and fodder given to him by the shrine, he washed a wooden bucket found in the cabin and filled it with water from the side well. Then he washed his face and sat down on a tree stump, beginning to shave with the reflection on the water surface in place of a mirror. It was during the process that he heard sounds of footsteps drawing near.
"Wanderer!" the familiar sweet voice that rang up before the figure in white appeared told the young man of his visitor's identity. "I brought you some–"
The voice suddenly trailed off, and he turned to see its owner startled, staring at him in surprise.
"Is there anything on my face?"
"N-no," Mono lowered her face shyly. "I was just…surprised. You look so different from yesterday. With that…beard…I thought you were much older than me, even older than Yaheem. I almost forgot that you were on your coming-of-age journey, so you should be about my age."
"I see," he responded, trying to hide his smile. "I don't have time to shave regularly during the journey, so that wasn't strange."
The girl finally brought herself to glance at him and the wooden bucket for a brief moment.
"Why do you look at your reflection in the bucket, not a mirror?"
"I don't have one with me. A man doesn't normally keep a mirror with him, you know."
"I guess so," answered Mono, before she remarked curiously. "But, seriously, I think men do need mirrors more than women. I can comb my hair without one because it won't hurt at all if my hand slips. But if I were a man and I had to shave without a mirror, I guess my hand would shake so badly that I couldn't do it at all."
Wanderer chuckled in his throat, even when his hand continued to move the knife, and the girl cried louder.
"Be careful! You might cut yourself!"
"It's all right. Even if I do cut myself, it'll be just a scratch and get healed in no time."
"Even so," she sighed. "I think I'd better find you a mirror next time."
"No, thank you. I'm used to doing it this way."
At this, the girl shrugged and gave up.
"Anyway, I brought you your breakfast. Please have it when you finish."
"Thank you, but actually you needn't bother. I can hunt for myself."
"Oh, it's not a bother at all," she laughed softly, sitting down on another tree stump next to the one he was sitting on. "It is Lord Emon's wish, as there are always more than enough to eat at the shrine."
"I see," Wanderer answered, then remarked thoughtfully. "But I thought he'd order one of the guardians to do so."
Mono smiled sheepishly.
"Actually he was about to call Yaheem, but I offered to come here before he could."
The boy shook his head, but his eyes could barely hide the gleam that resembled in hers.
"Or you'd rather see Yaheem than me?" she asked playfully.
"Not at all. I'm just worried about your safety if you come alone. Though I have to admit I feel more comfortable around you than him."
Mono giggled.
"A nice answer," she said. "Thank you for your concern, but it's all right. In my free time, I take a walk around the village alone so often that everyone's used to it. I came to Grandfather Yorei's cabin on my own several times. Only after he passed away that they didn't allow me to. They said some poisonous creatures or culprits might seek hiding in the house and harm me."
"I see." Wanderer nodded. Finishing shaving, he washed his knife, shook the drops of water from the blade, and splashed the bucket on the grass. It was then that he remembered. "Oh, yesterday I was going to ask you –"
"Why I am living in the shrine?" Mono knowingly finished the question for him. "I'm an orphan. Lord Emon adopted me and let me help around there."
"Is that so?" the youth replied. "Then why did Yaheem call you 'Lady Mono?' He seemed to respect you so much."
The girl was silent for a moment.
"Here in the shrine I'm in…a higher position than the guardians. Because there's a duty I'm assigned to do alone."
"What is it?"
"Fetching water for the sacred rites."
Wanderer nodded. "Like when I first saw you?"
"That's right," Mono replied, giving him the basket as if she had just realized. "Oh, I almost forgot. You should have your breakfast before it gets cold."
He put the basket on his lap. When he revealed the cloth, he saw a bun and a bowl of red soup. The aroma suddenly aroused his appetite. He turned to the girl again.
"Thank you so much. But don't you have to return quickly? I'm afraid they'll be worried about you at the shrine."
"I will, in a moment. But I'll come again in the afternoon," Mono answered. Then she continued hesitantly. "I hope you wouldn't mind if I tell you this; I'm here to see you because there're a lot of questions I want to ask you."
"Ask me? About what?" he asked, puzzled.
"About the Arslan people." Mono stood up, brushing the dust from the back of her dress. "I want to know about your tribe. If you don't mind and have some free time to share, would you please satisfy my curiosity?"
"Why would you want to know about people like us?" he couldn't help but ask. She was silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful as she was finding a sound reason.
"Because I can't leave this place. I've been here all my life. But I know this world's larger than this. That's why I want to know how other peoples live, and there are not many books about your tribe in the shrine."
"Hmm…"
"Or you don't feel comfortable talking to me?" she said worriedly.
He gave her a sincere smile.
"Not at all. I'll be more than welcome if you'd like to listen. Not that I know a lot about the tales and stuff, though."
She gave him a wide smile, showing the rows of her pearly teeth.
"Thank you so much!" The girl almost jumped with joy, but then realized about manner. She lowered her face and clasped her hands together more meekly. "I must go now. I'll come here again in the afternoon after I deliver the water to the shrine."
"Wait," Wanderer called her. "You're going to the pond again today?"
"Yes. Actually, everyday."
"Can I go with you, then?" he offered. "This way we'll have more time to talk."
"That's very nice of you," answered Mono. "I'll bring you lunch. Then we'll go to the pond together."
The girl waved her hand and smiled to him before she left, but at least this wasn't the only time they met on that day.
Wanderer shook his head. This was no time for recollection. Now and here was the present where he had to accomplish his task as soon as possible, even though time stayed still in this land.
Having rested from his tiredness, he rode on and soon reached a high cliff shadowing the earth. Like the gate to this land, it did not seem a totally natural cliff, but combined with manmade structures; there were stone stairs leading to the alcove surrounded by the bluff, and a pair of broken columns flanked them. Some part of the cliff looked as there had been a flight of stairs leading upward, but time had completely destroyed that. There was no way he could walk up, let alone Agro. The cliff face rose up almost vertically.
The youth thought he had gone the wrong way, or perhaps he had to circle around the cliff, but holding the sword up he saw that the light pointed up above the precipice. The colossus was there and he had to find a way up.
He examined the surface of the cliff and found some vines covering a part of it. Jerking some vines forcefully, he found that they were strong enough to bear his weigh. So he climbed.
The steed neighed and walked around the small alcove, waiting for his master. Wanderer went along the way, jumping across some gaps and climbing some ledges until he got to a clearing above the cliff. It was covered with short grass and a few shrubs. Close to him were a leafless tree and a big rock that obscured his view.
He approached it, thinking of circling around the boulder to get a clearer look of his surrounding, but then the ground trembled. It first seemed like a mild earthquake, before he heard another rumble.
From behind the rock, Wanderer saw an enormous leg, thicker than the biggest tree trunk he could ever remember in his own life. It ended with an iron hoof. Then there was another leg that moved its body forward. He looked up and saw a sloping, ape-like back. At some parts it was covered with light brown hair, while the other parts were bluish gray skin that seemed as rough as the surface of a rock. Some ivory-colored stones, or perhaps bones, protruded the skin from where the backbone should be.
The creature had broad shoulders and arms that looked almost as big as its legs. Its hands were similar to those of a human's, but so large that the boy felt sure that it could squeeze the life out of him like an insect, probably without the help of the stone club in its right hand.
It glanced to the left for a moment, and he saw that its face was covered with a stone mask. Its glaring eyes were like those of the statues in the deserted shrine, but larger and flaring with a living blue light.
It was as tall as the cliff that surrounded the clearing. Its only one step sent tremor to the earth and a smoke of dust in the air. When it went past the trees, flocks of birds hurriedly flew away.
The hunter could only stare at it from behind the rock. Fortunately it did not see him yet. He had to think hard of how he could handle it. While listening to Dormin, he had not thought that those creatures would be this 'colossal'. For one man with only a bow and arrows, a sword, and small daggers, even approaching it safely was a grave question, let alone killing it.
The beast with club went past the rock Wanderer was hiding and walked on until he faced its back. The boy concentrated, thinking of what his older brother had taught him.
Back then, his brother managed to kill a wild bull so large that it took three men to carry the game back to the tribe. Such a bull would normally took two or three hunters on horsebacks to circle around it and attack it with arrows and javelins until it died, but his brother could killed it even though he was just a new hunter.
Back then he was eleven. His only brother was eighteen and had recently passed the naming ritual. Wanderer was so proud of him and admired him, hoping that one day he could become such a skilled hunter.
"You're so great, brother! You must be very strong to kill that big bull."
After seeing the dead bull, he told his brother with awe, while the young man was washing the bloodstained dagger in a creek.
The tall boy, who looked similar to him with the same auburn hair and green eyes, laughed and ruffled his hair.
"I'm not stronger than anyone, really. It's a matter of concentration, planning, and chance."
"How?" the boy asked curiously.
"Well, if you concentrate well, you'll be able to think of a good plan and find the right chance to strike. Then you can win against any foe, no matter how much stronger than you."
Yes, concentration, planning, and chance… Wanderer mulled over the words in his mind, telling himself that the colossus was no different from a game he had to hunt. Although it was many times larger than those he had hunted, or even himself, the weapons he had could probably kill it if he struck at vital organs such as brain or heart.
But did colossi have internal organs like ordinary animals? He could not help but ask. They did have body hair indeed, but their flesh looked like stone. Could an arrow or a sword penetrate it? Or if they could, still could they reach those organs?
What he could do now was to take a risk anyway. The youth slipped out of his hiding. The beast still had its back to him and was walking slowly. Its gigantic body must enable it unimaginable strength, but it was much slower than him. If things went wrong, he could probably hide or get away from it in time.
Wanderer took out his bow and arrow, and shot at its flat head.
The target was struck. The colossus winced, but it did not seem in pain more than a human bitten by an ant. To make matter worse, it looked back toward him with the eyes that had turned bright crimson as if to show its temper.
The boy rolled back to behind the boulder, but its footstep – now somewhat quickened – still approached him and brought with it more violent tremor. He realized that with its eyes looking down from such a height, it must have seen him even from behind the rock.
But now he was reminded of its eyes.
He lunged to the side of the rock and shot another arrow at one of its eyes. The first one missed, hitting the stone mask and falling to the ground. The following arrow met its mark, but he was awarded only with a surprise.
His arrow could not do anything to its eye. There was no chance to blind it.
He ran back to the path he had taken up the cliff. It was much narrower there and the colossus could not follow him. At least it would help buy him some time to think of other ways.
Hold up thy sword to reflect the light onto the colossus. Its vitals shall be revealed...
Dormin's voice rang in his mind as he was crouching. Wanderer sprang up and raised the sword to the sunlight as told. He almost dropped it in despair when the gathered light pointed to the head of the approaching colossus.
But how can I ever get there? He questioned desperately. The gigantic being was much closer to him now. For a moment it stood still, unable to reach the source of its disturbance. But then it swung its club at the cliff face, sending stones raining down. The impact almost sent the boy tumbling from the path. Fortunately he could grab the ledge and climb up before scrambling for a new hiding.
As he sought hiding behind the same boulder, Dormin answered him.
With the same way thou came up this cliff…
Climb, then? So he had to climb all the way up to its head? Wanderer looked around. There were no vines on the surrounding cliff, and even if there were, he could be smashed to death by that colossus while making his way up. The only thing he could climb would be its own body!
It was trekking back to the rock where he was. The boy thought of the hair on its body. Perhaps he could grab the hair and climb up slowly like he did with the vines, given that its hair was strong enough to support his weight and he could hold onto it so that he was not shaken down by the colossus.
He put down his bow and quiver for dexterity. Then he ran from his hiding to the back of the beast. It saw him, but could not hit him with the club at this close range. It slowly turned back to face him. Now what he had to keep in mind was to not get to close to its feet.
After circling around it for a while, he saw a patch of fur behind its left leg. Waiting until that leg stayed still, Wanderer sprang and grabbed two handfuls of its hair.
It worked. The hair was strong enough to climb. Like sinew, it was tougher than the vines he had climbed.
But the vines could not shake themselves from him; the colossus could. It swung the leg as violently as it could while balancing its enormous bulk.
Wanderer could only hold on for his dear life, until his enemy got tired and placed its left foot on the ground. He used that chance to continue his way until he reached the stone leg guard.
His arms were so tired that he had to let go and drop himself down to the ground. It was then that he glimpsed something beneath the hair on its leg.
Strike where its vein glows…
With Dormin's advice, the youth circled around it again until his arms regained their strength. Then he jumped up onto its leg, sweeping some hair away to see a glowing green trail on its skin. He took out the sword and thrust it deeply into the trail.
The beast's flesh was hard, but not impenetrable. With half of the sword buried in its leg, the colossus fell down on its knees. The boy pulled the blade out, and its black blood sprayed like a fountain.
No, it was not totally like blood, but similar to those shadows composed of black smoke he had seen in the deserted shrine. He had no time to think whether it were blood or smoke, though, having to run from its shin to jump to grab the edge of the leg guard and going on to its thigh.
Upon reaching its belt, Wanderer saw a peculiar platform behind it. There he rested his arms and climbed up the fur on its back to its shoulder. The colossus tried to shake him off more than a few times, but he managed to hold on. He could not help but thank the gods that its shoulder and neck lied almost parallel to the ground, enabling him to run all the way to its head.
There he saw glowing blue lines composed in a large mystical pattern beneath its hair. So this was the vital point Dormin spoke of. He crept to the pattern, and stabbed it with all his might.
The colossus let out a painful roar. When the sword was removed from the wound, a black spray spread into the air, giving a queasy burnt smell. The black fog surrounded Wanderer, blinding and stinging his eyes. He could only close them and held onto his opponent until it stopped shaking and he could feel that the strange smoke had dissipated.
Then he struck it again, harder and deeper than before.
And again, the black liquid spurted from its wound. The colossus struggled, but it seem much weakened from the injuries. Its response encouraged the youth to deal the third blow, even when the black mist was surrounding him.
There was not a cry this time. The gigantic body slumped forward. Then it crashed into the earth like a crumbling mountain. Wanderer still held on tight for fear he would fall from it and hurt himself.
Even then, the impact stunned him for a moment. When he was able to move, he found that it body was surrounded in a shroud of the same dark mist. He quickly made his way down to the ground, and stared at the dead body with the size of a small hill, his heart pounding so hard as if it would explode.
He did it.
The first colossus was slain.
However, he could not remain surprised or pleased for long. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw black tendrils shooting up from the mist covering the beast's corpse. For a moment they meandered slowly like seaweed in water, but then they slithered faster, like snakes seeing their prey – which was none other than him.
The boy instinctively turned around and ran as fast as he could, but soon the tendrils reached him, as fast as snakes struck.
As they touched his body, he felt as if he was being torn by a thousand knives. Then fright and fear came in his heart, as he sensed something uninvited seeping into every part of his being.
Wanderer fell to his knees. In a blur, he saw himself coughing black liquid onto the grass. Then his head hit the ground and he lost his consciousness.