The Border City Ord 3

Win and Calliope depart from the city of Ord and see the plains stretching out before them. Win walks with confidence, but Calliope stops to write something, then hurries forward to show Win.

“What job are you doing?” Win stops walking to explain.

“There have been reports of Coronal Mane Lizards attacking passerby on the road. I have to put a stop to it.”

“Couldn’t you just form walls around the road?”

“If that would work they would have done so themselves, not leave it in the hands of some random adventurer. Coronal Mane Lizards are surprisingly mobile, and would likely be able to simply clear a wall that’s too short. Moreover, they burrow in the mountains, so it’s likely they could just break through when it comes down to it. And beyond just the lizards, there are more creatures, and people too, who cross the road peacefully, and walls would just stop them entirely.” Calliope seems disheartened that her plan had so many holes in it.

Win returns to walking down the road. He keeps looking around as he walks, observing the state of the nearby plains. Eventually he spots something and shoots off towards the mountains. Calliope chases after him, but struggles to keep up on clear ground.

Win finds a lone Coronal Mane Lizard. Its large body, longer than a person is tall, is covered in red scales. The large frills around its neck flare with bright orange and red, the base bulging strangely. It hasn’t spotted Win. Win hides to observe it, and Calliope soon joins him.

“Is that the lizard?”

“That’s right. It looks like it’s alone, which is good for the job.”

“Why?”

“Coronal Mane Lizards live in large dens and often hunt in packs, but they’ll collect vegetation on their own. If one gets injured it will often flee back to the den so it can regroup.”

Win fires off a strong bolt of lightning at the lizard’s front leg. It gouges a hole in the lizard, and it begins to run. It’s shockingly quick for being injured, but Win can still follow it with ease. It starts to ascend the mountain. Soon enough, the lizard begins to walk into a cave carved into the face of the mountain. The mouth of the cave is only a small opening, only slightly big enough for a person to enter.

Win places his hand on his sword and dashes forward with the power of the wind. He flies into the cave and empties his mind of everything but combat. As the cave opens up to the den holding the lizards, Win quickly surveils his surroundings. There are around a dozen lizards just in the den, already making the group slightly bigger than the average recorded. With a burst of wind, Win slams down into the stone and cuts off one lizard’s head.

As the head flies into the air, the other lizards turn towards their attacker. The base of their frills begin to bulge out more, then quickly empty out. All of the remaining lizards breathe fire at Win. The fire splashes against a veil of water and a wall of ice. As the fire dies down, Win lunges out of the steam and pierces another lizard through the head. The lizard closest to him jumps up and tries to bite down on Win’s extended arm. However, with a deft movement, he drapes his cloak over it. The lizard bites into the metal cloak and is unable to penetrate it to reach Win’s flesh. Stuck on his arm, the lizard is cut apart by a sharp stone guillotine Win rose out of the earth.

The lizards start to flee their den when they realize they cannot defeat Win. If they were to escape their panic may be a greater threat. Win raises an arm towards the entrance and creates a hard wall of wind. As the lizards bounce back, their escape attempt thwarted, Win reaches them. With a series of precise thrusts, Win quickly kills the remaining lizards. After making sure that his attacks had not failed, Win lowers the wall of wind and walks outside. He sits down, reclining against the slope beside the entrance to the den. Win looks up to the sky, intending to watch the clouds float on for a while. However, soon enough he is looking at a sheet of paper in the notebook.

“What are you doing?”

“The den has been dealt with, but there may be stragglers still wandering around outside, so I need to wait for them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to watch the sky.” Win looks at the sky with distant eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not really, no. I feel a little guilty, but that’s nothing to worry about.”

“Guilty?”

“Yes. It’s likely that as the den grew, they began to see the road as part of their territory, and that’s why they began to attack. And yet I killed them all without a second thought to sate my own rage. And even if the request was posted for the sake of protecting lives, I cannot help but feel that all we know how to do is go against the proper order of nature. At the very least I was able to kill them quickly.” Calliope takes a moment to think of what to write in response.

“You’re kind.”

“That’s not it at all. I just hate humanity. It’s not kindness at all, so don’t be mistaken.” Win rises to his feet and begins to walk towards the den once more. Calliope writes quickly so she can show him before he begins.

“If you truly hate humanity so badly, why did you wait for me? And why did you bring me along?”

“I…” Win can’t face her. “Just needed another pair of hands. Come help me carry the bodies back to Ord.”

They gather up the bodies and begin to descend the mountains so they can return to the city and rest. Calliope carries only the first, cleanly cut head, as Win carries everything else with the use of magic. They walk in silence as Win watches the sky.