Chapter 2:

The Guardian

Oddment


In a secluded mountain range, the Lende people have a settlement. They have lived there for several generations but, are now faced with a problem. Space is running out for the ever-growing population. The only option they have left is to expand to another mountain.

“Any word from the scout?”

“No sir, last I heard, he went to the nearest mountain to find a suitable place for another settlement. He said the trip would take a day at the most. It has been two days since then.”

“I doubt he got lost. Our mountain is the tallest around, so no one would have trouble finding their way back.”

“Maybe he was attacked by a wild animal?”

“Even if he was attacked, he could fend for himself. Besides, it’s not like these mountains have any animals big enough to take down a man anyway. Whatever’s happened to him, if we don’t hear back from him by tonight, then we’ll form a search party first thing in the morning.”

“Yes sir.”

The scout never arrived that night. Early next morning, men began to prepare their gear and weapons.

“What's all the commotion?”

The commander turned to face the owner of the unfamiliar voice. The man’s face was covered by a large hat. He also carried a box on his back and a walking stick made of gold. Everything about the man was strange. The commander addressed him with a firm voice, “none of your business, traveler.”

"I don't mean to intrude, but you wouldn't happen to be heading to that mountain, would you?" The traveler pointed to the same mountain that the scout went missing on.

"That's exactly where we're going. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to gather my men."

"If you go up that mountain, many of you will die."

The commander disregarded the traveler's ominous message and went to speak with his men. "Listen up! Once we reach the mountain, we will form groups of three. My group will search down the main path where the scout most likely went. The rest of you will fan out from there. We're not stopping until we find him. Now let's go!"

The sun rose over the mountain peaks as the men started to disperse in search of the lost scout. Densely packed with trees and underbrush, the mountainside was not easy to comb through. For a while, the only thing heard was the occasional birdsong. The first hour of looking passed uneventfully. The next hour was going the same way until the screams of men echoed throughout the forest.

The commander couldn't tell where the screams were coming from and frantically surveyed the area. He looked in vain since the trees formed a natural wall, blocking most of the forest from sight. Without knowing the exact direction of the screams, finding them in the forest was next to impossible. Instead of turning back, the commander and the two men with him hastened their pace up the mountain.

"Don't go a step further!"

The commander stopped in his tracks as the voice called out behind him. Turning to see the traveler that he had run into earlier that morning. Drawing his sword, the commander pointed it at the man and yelled, "Are you the one behind all of this!?" However, the man paid him no heed as if focused on something else. "Answer me!" This time the commander's words were drowned out by a loud crashing in the forest. The noise grew closer and louder, then it stopped.

Out of the trees emerged a massive beast cloaked in lustrous white fur. On all fours, its shoulder rose to the height of three men. They might believe it to be a spirit if not for the fresh blood dripping from its gaping maw. Large, purple eyes examined the men as if looking into their very souls. The commander's men were frozen in fear, but he steeled himself and raised his sword. The beast began to growl.

"Drop your sword." Again, the traveler spoke from behind him.

"Are you kidding? If I drop my sword, I'll be defenseless against this monster." The commander retorted, still looking forward.

"Indeed, your weapon would normally provide you with security, but not right now. Trust me, if you don't drop your sword now, all of us are going to die."


Despite his suspicions, the commander could sense the sincerity in the man's words. He was either insane, or he knew some way to get them out alive. Knowing his sword would be little help against such a beast, he decided to believe it was the latter. The commander dropped his sword. His men, no longer frozen, followed his lead and began to back away.

The beast quit growling and continued to observe them without coming closer. Laying down his walking stick, the traveler stepped in front of the beast and removed his hat. The commander was shocked to see the man's scarlet hair which was tied up in a ponytail. meeting eyes with the beast, the traveler nodded with a sort of understanding, then turned back to the commander. "We should head back to the town, if any of your men survived, they would've run back there."

Returning to the settlement, the commander found that nearly half of the sixty men in the search party had not returned home. The ones that survived weren't brave enough to face the beast and ran away. None of them realized that it had never even chased them. Tired and hungry, the commander invited the traveler back to his house so they could talk over food.

"I'm Jinar. What's your name traveler?"

"Sojou."

"I'm indebted to you Sojou. Had you not stopped me I would've surely rushed headfirst into a fight with that beast. I wouldn't even have lived to regret it."

"Had you listened to me in the beginning, none of this would've happened."

"Our grandparents used to tell us stories of a beast on the mountain. But, before seeing that thing in person, I was sure that my men and I could handle anything. We had good weapons and armor so, we should've been able to take anything on. How wrong I was."

"Why does a small mountain town like this need armed soldiers anyway?"

"Our people don't originally come from the mountains. Not too long ago our forefathers lived down in the valley. They built beautiful cities in a peaceful kingdom. However, their kingdom was not particularly large or powerful. It didn't take long for the neighboring kingdom of the Bogheirs to take advantage of this. The invasion was swift and loud, leaving destruction in its wake. The few survivors fled to the mountains and made this settlement. They raised a militia to defend it in case the Bogheirs decided to hunt them down.

An invasion never came. War became less and less of a reality, and we've only known peace on this mountain. It's our home now, but we're running out of room. Most houses now hold multiple families, and the resources from just this mountain aren't enough. We decided to expand to another mountain, but we were halted by that beast. Speaking of which, how'd you know that it wouldn't attack us if we dropped our swords?"

"We didn't enter its domain. Once it perceived that we weren't a threat, it didn't attack."

"So what? It's just territorial?"

"It's not protecting a territory, but rather an object."

"Like a pile of treasure or something?"

Sojou shrugged and replied, "Who's to say. I've only seen statues of those beasts myself. I assumed they had died out. In ancient times they safeguarded items of great importance. The identity of the item itself though is as best as anyone's guess."

"So you came here in search of this item correct?"

"Yes, I had heard rumors of the beast on that mountain so I came to see it for myself. After seeing it in person I do not doubt that it is protecting something of significance."

"That mountain is the only one that we can walk to from here. We knew that if we had to expand somewhere, it had to be there."

"It seems our interests are aligned. If I can find whatever it is protecting, then we should be able to relocate it somewhere farther away at least."

"Our problem is getting past the beast. Maybe we could just sneak by it?"

"Sneaking past it normally won't do. Our scent would still give us away. Instead, we should try to distract it."

"Even if all the men in the village fought with it, we would be wiped out in an instant."

"Not that kind of distraction," Sojou said as he pulled something out of his box. "I think the beast is tied to the object by a signal it gives off. This sphere can emit a similar signal that might be able to fool the beast for a bit."

"I think it's worth a shot. I should be able to find a good place to put your sphere."

"Once you find somewhere to put it, all you have to do is press down on the top. The sphere will begin to glow and start to emit the signal. After you've activated it, run as far away as you can."

"I can do that."

"Activate the sphere at sunrise tomorrow morning. If it draws the beast away, I will continue up the mountain to find whatever it is protecting."

The next morning, Jinar made a difficult journey to a nearby mountain. He watched the sky waiting for the sunrise. Sojou walked to the mountain of the beast. He came as close as he could to the beast without disturbing it. He sat down and waited as the beast watched him. Once sunrise came, Jinar activated the sphere and began the trek back. The beast, no longer eyeing Sojou, ran off in the sphere's direction. Sojou continued to sit quietly until he was sure it was gone.

Slowly crossing the threshold of the beast's domain, Sojou looked around to make sure he was alone. He confirmed that the beast wasn't coming for the time being. Making his way up the mountain path, he began to see more and more corpses. Some of them were Jinar's men, but others were much older. Upon reaching the peak, he saw hundreds of skeletons strewn around. They all wore the same armor and carried weapons. Sojou concluded that they must've been the remains of the Bogheirs who had come to raid the mountain settlement many years ago.

Walking past the skeletons, he came to the ruins of a building. Only pieces of the foundation were left. Among the ruins was a pedestal that remained mostly intact compared to the rest of the building. On top of the pedestal was the object that the beast was protecting. It was a mask. Sojou read the inscription on the mask and understood its power. Whoever wore the mask would be able to control the beast.

As he was inspecting the mask, Sojou heard a loud pounding getting closer. The beast ran through the trees and stood before him. It leaned down and spit out the now broken sphere from its mouth. Now lunging toward him, it was about to bite him in half. Sojou considered putting on the mask. However, instead of putting it on, he smashed it on the ground. The beast stopped suddenly and backed away, laying down.

"Now no one will control you ever again," Sojou said as he approached the beast. He slowly reached his hand to its neck to stroke its fur. "You are no longer bound to this mountain. Go, live the rest of your life in peace." After hearing this, the beast looked him in the eyes then ran off the mountain. It never returned.

Jinar, who had followed the beast after it destroyed the sphere, watched the exchange from behind a tree. After the beast was gone, he approached Sojou. "So, it's gone now?"

"I don't think it will bother your people again. When I first looked into its eyes, I saw a deep sadness. It wasn't just some loyal dog. That mask was the only thing keeping it here. After it was broken the beast had no reason to stay here anymore. Now you are free to live on this mountain."

"How can I ever repay you?"

Sojou picked up a piece of the mask, "This is all I need." He put the mask fragment into his box and began to walk down the mountain. As he left, he spotted something big and white moving through the forest. 

Glitch
icon-reaction-1
-june-
icon-reaction-1
Ataga Corliss
icon-reaction-1
Arashi Sensei
icon-reaction-1