Invincible
Night had fallen upon the village as the hunters shambled up to the guardsmen. They were badly hurt. Gashes along their bodies and each of their limbs bruised and bloodied. They practically fell down in front of the guards
After the injured were taken to the healer the guards walked into the Chieftains hut to report. Unfortunately for them they were intruding and the chief was in the middle of something, or well someone. The chief threw himself up in a fit of rage and pulled a fur blanket over him, and escorted the woman out.
“If this isn’t important I’ll leave you to the Nettles!” the chief growled
“Forgive us Chief Whin,” one guard asked. “Hunters from the eagle clan arrived at our feet. They were on the brink of death.”
“Bah, some beast probably got em!”
“That's what we thought, but when the healer questioned them they told us something different. They were attacked by the Dark One.”
Chief Whin’s face grew long, “I thought he was dead.”
“Sorry, the new Dark One. I guess there is another one now.”
“By the gods, another one. We finally got rid of the last one.
Whin got dressed and the guards led him through the dimly lit dirt pathway to the healer’s tent. When they entered the hunters were writhing in pain. The wrinkled healer gave him a stern look.
“I am here to ask them some questions,” Whin declared, sitting down. “You were attacked by the Dark One?”
The men only nodded.
“Tell me how it happened.”
One of the hunters grit their teeth and spoke, “We were hunting..ahh..along the Pass. We were approaching a doe when it burst..fuck..into pieces. He appeared out of thin air behind us and sent us flying into some rocks. We threw ourselves at him but the ground gave out beneath us and we were stuck. He took an..ahh..axe to our bodies and left us for dead. He brought down one of the pass walls to block off our path home. We could only come to you.”
Whin grunted as he stood up. “I’m done with this. First the war now this, its time the Dark One dies--for good this time.” He stomped out of the tent with a fire in his eyes.
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It had taken over a fortnight but finally all of the reinforcements had arrived. Eighty men from each clan. The village could hardly hold so many people--it was practically bursting. Whin blew his horn and called the warriors to attention. He was decked out with the best hide armor west of the small river. His axe was clean and sharpened and his golden hair slicked back. Yellow war paint covered half of his face.
“Men,” he yelled. “Today is a day of history! For years now Dark Ones have raped our lands, our homes, no more! The Dark One thinks it’s better than us! It thinks it's a god! Well today we make god bleed!
The war party trekked across the golden grasslands for hours but their search came to a stop at a run down hut. The wood was grey and splintered. It was the only thing around for miles.
“I think we have found him,” Whin whispered. “I know these lands and that isn’t supposed to be here.”
Three men approached slowly, clubs raised. As one put his hand on the door handle the door burst into pieces! The shrapnel impaled the three men! A hideous, monstrous boar with grey fur ran out squealing! Its tusks were like spears and its hooves like hammers. The men yelled and charged the monster, but when they struck the boar their axes broke, their spears folded and their knives dulled.
The boar charged forward, running two men through with its tusks! It reared back onto its hind legs and let out a furry of fire from its mouth! Men were lit a fire, running and screaming like chickens! Whin rushed forward and swung for the beast but it got the axe in its jaws and snapped it. The boar roasted Whin where he stood and soon the rest followed. The golden field turned to black and ash and embers flew into the sky.
Whin,burned black, was holding out of pure rage. The boar turned and approached. Slowly it shrunk, twisted and morphed into a man. He was large, bald and covered in scars.
“Dark…One,” Whin whimpered.
The man smiled and wrapped his hand around Whin’s neck. “Gorgan,” is all he said before snapping the Chieftain's neck
Whin’s life would not be the last that the Dark One took in his reign. After that day that field was renamed The Field of Fire and whenever he struck Gorgan would then take the form of a fire breathing boar. Luckily his reign as Dark One would only last a few more years. Unfortunately someone else would take his place.