Of Hurofalcons and Cabagges

There are many worlds — magical and immortal, gray and sorrowful, some dazzling and lucid,
crowned with pearl-white towers and diamond peaks shining without end.
Others are drowned in total darkness, sinister and still, dead worlds long exhausted.
And yet others pulse with green pastures and golden deserts, brimming with life and noise.

But Khuarhya is unlike any of them.
It is a world that resonates with voices, echoing through the fabric of countless possibilities
one among the many rings of Sefthe, filled with forgotten relics, technology, sky, hell, and wild nature

Khuarhya gleams, ceaselessly forging new stories.
Among its many wonders lies a special place called Thar-Abbys, the City of the Abyss
home to the Adventurer's Guild, a place of beginnings
where students from distant schools are sent to test their strength and their purpose.

This is but one of the many tales that have unfolded in this world.
Though marvelous, Khuarhya is home to beings of immense power
all of them have known love and despair, peace and resentment.
Each carries dreams and desires of their own, and that is what makes this world so perilous.

This is a story of a place where the only thing one needs to possess a soul, to truly exist...
is will and decision.

—Those who yearn have a place in Khuarhya—

Of Hurofalcons and Cabbages

—GWAAAAAAAA!— A muffled scream echoed from among countless fluffy balls. A boy between 18 and 20 years old, dressed in an old military uniform, thin and pale-skinned as bone with prominent joints, short hair, and shadowed black eyes, lay buried in a sea of feathers and tails in the middle of a cabbage field. His name was Íthil.
Meanwhile, in a tree near the edges of the cabbage plantation, a slender young man with honey-colored eyes and bright, clear hair, no more than one meter forty tall, hung unconscious by his clothes from a high branch. He wore a checkered wool vest and a fine red silk cravat that hinted at his affluent family background. His name was Jacob Mahogani.
In the background, a blonde girl with a muscular physique, almost one meter ninety tall, named Mina Reebs, was buried up to her face in cabbages. She easily wore light armor with a belt that held vials of healing potions.
All this happened after the adventurers' first encounter with a malignant horde of small creatures, half-falcon, half-ferret. They let out mocking laughs, some bobbed their heads up and down menacingly, while others emitted an incessant, sharp "kek, kek, kek, kek...". The Hurofalcons, as the farmers called them, outnumbered them a hundred to one.
—ENOUGH! —Mina shouted. Red energies enveloped her, generating a small explosion where she stood. Her muscular body grew and transmuted into scales and fangs; her hands swelled into frontal scimitars, finally revealing a dragon: a Torrenta Ataradon, characterized by being explosive in temperament and incredibly strong.
Hundreds of cabbages were launched into the air, while a group of open-mouthed farmers tallied the losses caused by the Hurofalcons and the adventurers, which already exceeded their initial budget.
—Wait, Mina, wait! —Íthil yelled, watching his enraged companion chase the Hurofalcons through the garden, throwing carts, barrels, and tools alike. The Hurofalcons merely laughed as they fled, never quite being caught. Jacob, meanwhile, regained consciousness feeling the gentle thump of two-kilo cabbages being thrown onto his body. Mina destroyed everything in her path without stopping.
Seeing that one of their victims was resisting, they gathered into a solid flock and attacked with unprecedented force in that battle, which the farmers would remember as the day they went bankrupt.
Colliding in a spectacular accident of claws, scales, and feathers, the Hurofalcons flew through the air almost artistically. Defeated and with their formation broken, they regrouped and escaped into the nearby forest, mocking the adventurers and inciting them to pursue their nearly defeated enemy.
Jacob, now on the ground, extended a hand to Íthil, who only grumbled, getting up by himself. He pointed with a slight movement of his hand:
—I demand vengeance! —Íthil said, pointing towards the forest.
The villagers, seeing the adventurers prepare to go into the forest, cheered in unison, either for the imminent defeat of the invading Hurofalcons or perhaps simply relieved that the three bewildered individuals were finally leaving the garden.
With the sun setting behind them, the adventurers bravely and fearlessly ventured into the forest. Covered in snow and cold, it revealed a white landscape with scarce leaves, scattered bushes here and there, creating shadows and hiding places from which the adventurers could be attacked again by their small adversaries at any moment. After a few minutes of walking, they could feel the flock fluttering not far away.
—Over here! I see disturbed snow on this path —Íthil said. The evening cold was already setting in; clouds of vapor came out of their mouths as they discussed among themselves. The three adventurers knew they had to be quick not to be caught by night and frost. They prepared for the encounter.
—Remember, we still need to see where the missing farm animals are. I don't think the Hurofalcons ate them —Jacob chuckled, following them. The snow let out its characteristic crunch with every step.
—They just caught us by surprise! Now I won't hesitate to attack them with everything I've got, little birdies —Mina said, clenching her fist in anger. Hundreds of Hurofalcons gathered curiously on the branches. Slowly, what looked like foliage in the distant trees took flight and mobilized, surrounding the adventurers. The sounds of wings and caws combined with clicks began to intimidate them; they no longer sounded like the mocking animals they had faced on the farm. Everyone felt a real and different danger coming from them.
—I don't remember there being so many! —Nervous, Jacob armed himself with a silver metallic disc with a central handle adorned with slanted lines resembling a cutter, as if segmented. This was a chakram he had crafted and modified himself.
—You know, I think they have an advantage in the forest, and with their numbers, they might win —Íthil chuckled a little while they all stood back to back.
—That's a bit negative, don't you think, Íthil? —Mina asked.
—Negative, never. Perhaps realistic or a bit fatalistic —Íthil said triumphantly despite the situation. Mina and Jacob turned and gave Íthil a look of suspicion and doubt.
The three adventurers tried to identify the actual numbers of the flock, while a strange and disturbing gurgling sound, very different from the Hurofalcons', began to stand out from the background. Around them, several curious Hurofalcons gathered, their small, penetrating eyes staring at the warriors. They quickly lost their fighting spirit upon seeing such a quantity of small raptors.
Just when everything seemed to go from bad to worse and the adventurers decided to throw themselves into battle with tears in their eyes, facing their defeat, the Hurofalcons' attention was drawn to a pair of round, yellow objects shimmering in the hollow of an old, huge tree. From it, a loud click followed by a purring sound stopped all combatants in their tracks. Stretching their necks, the Hurofalcons collectively turned their heads to stare fixedly at the tree. From it, a pair of bright yellow eyes stared back at them. The coordinated movement of the Hurofalcons, more chilling than cute, sent a shiver down the adventurers' spines; they immediately knew something was wrong.
Roaring, those eyes trembled. The trees created an autumn of feathers and caws as the Hurofalcons scattered in all directions and disappeared into the forest. With a sigh of resignation, Íthil, Jacob, and Mina charged in the opposite direction of the enemy, tactically retreating to a place with better visibility. The pair of eyes never lost track of them and followed them incessantly through the forest.
—Quick! We need to get to a treeless area, we shouldn't fight here —Íthil pointed to a wide path that seemed to lead to a plain. Just as they took the path, the creature began to circle them while the group kept pace. Íthil, suddenly turning and pointing to the right, used a white wooden wand with a black leather-wrapped handle, reciting firmly:
—[Stella Secare]— The wand formed a sphere no larger than an orange at its tip, then shot violently away, creating a spiraling path in the snow on the ground and hitting something in the darkness, emitting a roaring click of pain. The smell of blood filled the area, while with a pained shriek, it moved away from them.
It was nearly 9 PM. Cold, damp, and scared, the group ventured into the forest in search of the Hurofalcons that had retreated; after all, without proof of their defeat, there would be no payment.
The sounds of the night forest swallowed them, while the cold grew sharper and sharper.
—I hate feathers and cabbages —Íthil shivered, repeating the phrase like a mantra. Jacob, meanwhile, trembled like a pudding, a long, crystalline green secretion proudly frozen on his nose. It was a different story for Mina; she, for her part, frantically struggled to try and get a hapless captive mottled Hurofalcon into her mouth. It trembled, wet with saliva that flowed endlessly like a shining thread from Mina's smile, and in her eyes was a terrifying gaze.
—Ufufufufu, little one, don't worry, just let it pass, it will all be over soon and you'll feel better.
—Maybe we should hurry and get out of here, I don't think that alone will fill her —Jacob said, addressing Íthil.
—In the worst case, maybe she'll eat you first —Íthil chuckled mockingly, glancing at Jacob.
—HEY! Why me? —Jacob responded, startled.
—Wait! —Mina indicated, raising her hand as she tied up the Hurofalcon and forcefully shoved it into her backpack. They had already been approximately two hours since their previous encounter, where an unidentified being had stalked them. Fortunately, Íthil had wounded it, and now they were tracking it.
But to the misfortune of this group, only a warrior, a blacksmith, and a mage were traveling; none of them had experience in hunting and tracking, so that animal was behaving like a true ninja, continually throwing off the group.
—Look! There! —Íthil said. A spot of red, shining blood emitted steam in the wintry night, mixing with the snow and dirt.
—Yes, you hurt it, Íthil! —Jacob said excitedly, lighting the area with his oil lamp.
—We still have to defeat the creature, Jacob, don't celebrate yet, it could eat you in one bite with your height —Mina said, stifling a laugh.
—It could eat you in one bite… —Jacob mimicked Mina in a low voice while Íthil laughed silently.
Out of nowhere and without making a sound, a slender, muscular silhouette lunged its claws at the group of adventurers. Jacob rolled to the side and threw the oil lamp onto an old dead tree, illuminating the area. But between the wind and the newly fallen snow, they could barely make out anything. The dense forest served the creature well, giving them little anticipation to dodge the lethal trajectory of the claws that harassed them again and again without giving them time to think, clearly demonstrating its dominion over the terrain.
—Íthil! We need to reduce its vision now! —Mina shouted.
Using his wand again, Íthil shot more spheres, raising the soft, superficial layers of newly fallen snow, creating a small snowstorm. This should give them time to plan something, but the creature charged through the fine snow curtain without any problem, as if it could see them perfectly.
—It can see us! —Mina shouted, dodging the attacks.
—Try to see what it looks like! It's at least 6 meters long! —Jacob yelled, scurrying on the ground, barely dodging an attack.
Struggling, they barely dodged the indiscriminate and increasingly precise charges. Jacob, suddenly, as if having conceived something, stopped moving while looking at Íthil and Mina. They nodded, and with a movement of Íthil's magic wand, he fired more spheres, creating a curtain of snow in the middle of the forest. The adventurers disappeared into it. This time, the creature was taken by surprise and tried to locate them by sound or movement. Unsuccessfully, it struck blindly at its surroundings and on the third attack, hit its mark.
The claws pierced through the snow, hitting someone's silhouette. This emitted a mortal scream, almost a shriek. The creature, feeling its claws pierce its target, delighted, but something wasn't right. Confirming its target, the creature brought its claw closer, and in it was only a handful of snow. Looking at the silhouettes before it, it saw three snowmen, and at the tip of the one it attacked was the mottled Hurofalcon. It emitted an incessant shriek while tied to the snowman. The attacker merely snorted and threw the tied Hurofalcon over its shoulder.
Suddenly, the creature felt two ropes whistling at its sides. These successfully trapped its limbs. Íthil and Mina pulled them strongly, spinning it onto its back and to the ground, while Jacob attacked from above, falling onto its soft exposed abdomen with his chakram in hand, delivering a direct blow. It emitted a loud, heavy roar.
—Step aside, I'm going to light the area better! —Jacob shouted. With a movement of his hand, he whispered Azurism. In that instant, a ray of light appeared over the creature, illuminating the monster which, dazzled and wounded, fiercely tried to get up.
The ray of light revealed the creature and why it could hunt so well in complete darkness. In front of them, a very battered and famished Strigiursa writhed. With a powerful twist of its body, it rose again, but still keeping the ropes tied to its front paws.
—Well, now we know where all the missing goats and horses from the village are —Jacob said, recalling the farmers' complaints.
—How are we going to kill this thing? We came to scare away Hurofalcons, not to fight this —Íthil asked the others, visibly stressed.
—We have to wear it out, that's all we can do, hunt it like any bear —Mina said while Jacob and Íthil nodded.
—Wait… have you hunted bears? —Íthil and Jacob asked. It wasn't long before the animal concentrated its attention on them again.
Jacob, using his spare oil lamp, caught the Strigiursa's attention, attracting its fury. Galloping for eternal seconds, the imposing animal chased him. Jacob, with all his effort, led it to a clearing. While Íthil and Mina surrounded the target, and now in the center of the clearing, Jacob hastened to create a perimeter of lit oil. Apparently, they were in the animal's feeding area, with carcasses and putrefied remains of various animals scattered everywhere; the smell and insects were unbearable.
The Strigiursa swung its front claws, cutting the ground in front of it and creating a shower of stones and debris. Íthil waved his wand, shouting [Ferrum Secare], cutting through the debris in front of him as if with a sharp sword with his wand, while Jacob, protected by Mina, took advantage of his position and prepared a special pair of chakrams. Leaping over her, he threw his chakrams; they separated in flight into dozens of blades that stripped the face and shoulder feathers, several scales, and an eye with a shower of metallic fragments.
Roaring and half-blind, the Strigiursa staggered, covering its face with its wings. At that instant, Mina seized the opportunity, lunging as a red flame engulfed her body, turning into a dragon with long, sword-like frontal claws, tackling the Strigiursa with all her might, piercing its shoulders and pinning it to the ground. At that moment, Íthil whispered Bone Movement, creating a group of stakes from the animal remains around that rose above the Strigiursa. It immediately felt Íthil's imminent attack.
Gathering all its strength in a desperate maneuver, it bristled its feathers and concentrated all its might in its hind legs, leaping into the air. The Strigiursa and Mina rose almost 3 meters into the air, throwing Mina onto Íthil, then charging with its front claws and delivering three blows to Mina's chest, which left her breathless and immobile from pain for a moment.
Jacob's eyes turned red and a thin line of reddish energy enveloped his body; this significantly increased his physical abilities, giving him a burst of speed for a moment. He propelled himself to grab the ropes, and leaning on a nearby tree, he yanked the Strigiursa to the ground, stopping its movements and leaving it immobilized for a moment.
—I'm still asking what this thing is doing so far down the mountains and why it's so thin —Íthil asked, trying to catch his breath.
—Maybe it's hungry, but I don't know why it didn't devour all these animals —Jacob said as he saw mutilated but undevoured animals and livestock.
Mina, still transformed, awoke at that moment and furiously ran through a large puddle, parting the waters on both sides as she ran. That beast, seeing this, inexplicably shrieked in panic as it ran and took flight in the opposite direction. Under the cover of night, the team lost sight of the Strigiursa again, but this time it was already badly wounded.
For the next few minutes, they followed the creature through the cutting snow. The soft trail of blood emitted a easily distinguishable vapor against the white snow, and illuminated by Jacob's oil lamp, they followed that red trail in the white snow.
—Hey, doesn't it seem strange? It's very thin, these animals should look like rolls of dough —Mina said as they walked.
—Yes, I noticed it several times. Besides, its behavior is very erratic; it's not hunting us, it's just attacking us —Jacob said, lighting the snow.
—Strigiursa are highly specialized in eating deer and medium-sized animals, it shouldn't be so aggressive with people —Mina told them as they reached an inclined section of the forest.
—And despite being so aggressive, it just suddenly became afraid of Mina —Jacob replied. The group was going down a path.
—It doesn't make sense —Jacob said as he lit the entrance to a cave; the trail led them there. Íthil, for his part, said in a low voice: —Black moon of Nerak, grant this little one one more night—. The remains of a small badger took shape from among the earth and snow; a soft green glow filled its body, emitting a gentle ghostly light. That little animal turned to look at Íthil as if awaiting orders. Íthil stroked its head a little and told it firmly:
—Follow the trail, friend, lead us there —It was already past 3 AM by this point, and the coldest part of the night was making itself felt. Their bones ached, and the exercise and sweat only fatigued them further. If this confrontation continued, they wouldn't last, and they knew it.
—Why didn't we do that from the beginning? —Mina asked indignantly.
—Well, resurrected animals are almost always a bit less skilled. In this case, there's a good trail to follow —Íthil said, unconcerned.
Half an hour passed. The badger was reaching its last moments. Íthil felt the fatigue of his invocation as if something of himself was leaving him, while the opaque, emerald light of black magic abandoned the badger's body like crumbs of light. Finally, after a few minutes, it found rest. This time, Íthil properly buried the little one while reciting his thanks.
Mina stared fixedly at the end of the cave; there was an exit to an unfrozen meadow, and in front of it, five cadaverous and frozen Strigiursa cubs. And next to them, defeated and dying, was their objective. Violent spasms curved and broke its back backward; a horrible, frothy vomit covered its beak while the animal's destroyed eye hung piercing and macabre.
The group held their guts; the desire to end the animal's suffering urged them to deliver the final blow. Íthil raised his wand, but Jacob stopped him in a hurry.
—WAIT, NO! —Jacob shouted, urging Íthil to stop.
—What's wrong, shorty? Don't you see how it is? It's over! —Íthil said.
—Maybe, but look at it, it's not normal. Our attacks didn't defeat it, something is destroying it...
As soon as Jacob said that, Mina tackled Íthil, pushing him out of the way. The hissing, twisted beast clumsily lunged, trying to kill them, while a loud, wet, constant gurgling coming from the animal unnerved the adventurers. Fear began to besiege them. The creature stood up menacingly and, on its two hind legs, easily reached 7 meters tall. That tower of muscles and claws froze in front of them as if awaiting the outcome.
—So, what do we do? —Íthil asked.
—Let's not mutilate it, let's burn it. I suspect something bad about this animal —Jacob said while Íthil and Mina looked at each other.
—Alright, okay —they said, throwing their last flasks of oil at it.
Jacob threw his lamp. The Strigiursa ignited with the oil like a pile of dry leaves. Erect and menacing, the creature stared fixedly at them without moving or screaming, while it was slowly consumed, as if resigned. In its last moments, its empty eye sockets turned to the remains of its cubs, watching them with eyes that were no longer there. Jacob said in a low voice: –[Tallwor]– while they all witnessed that creature being consumed. The spectacle was impactful enough to leave them sleepless for several days.