- Stone Eyes with a Will of Iron

The wind set apart a chill in the air, a chill that brushed against the skin of folk within Kokono, warning them of the coming winter. Morden didn't get much snow, only the far northern bits ever saw even a small flurry of the stuff. However, the land there was so muddy, boots stamping against the ground while fires raged around the land, snow never did stick for too long up there with the constant warfare.

The vast and open plains of Kokono were lush, beautiful and poised with nature, a sight that rarely was interrupted by the coming of winter. But winter was winter, and with it came the change in season, a new change in monsters.

Normally, in other parts of Morden, a new season would mean a new set of monsters would go into hibernation at times, while more durable ones preyed on the hunt. It was likely that the word of monster showing up in the outskirts of Kokono set everyone on edge with the coming of the new season, as many shopkeepers, towns folk, even the lumberjacks who hacked away at the forest's edge all came home early each day.

Times were changing around here and Lia could see the sun was already on the rise, steady and paining its way across the sky. Beside her, looking out over the vast expansive landscape of the Great Plains that Kokono inhabited, Rian watched the wind blow along the grass, waving in the wind.

"Did you speak with Cain?"

She asked, her eyes present more so on the distant city far away, so far she could only see a small bit of the black outline, the city goers still just waking up at the crack of 10am.

"I did, last night. I didn't think there was anything wrong with that?"

Rian too kept his eyes trained on the distant city, keen to not interrupt Lia's thinking process, nor the peace she seemed to be enjoying at this moment.

"There's nothing wrong with it. I just want to know if you got what you asked for?"

She turned to look at him, the first time she broke her gaze at the beautiful view of swaying grass and trees against the ground of the Great Plains. Truly the view was beautiful, but Rian found no such interest in sights like these. He more or less preferred the mountains and the rock.

He knew it better than here.

"I don't know if I did. He told me come morning I would find out. I guess I'll have to wait till this evening when it comes around."

Lia glanced away, feeling guilty now that she had taken Rian from his answer so quill in the morning to set off looking for the trail. Even now, Li could still see that smug yet cold face Arnold wore. There was no way they were going to work together. There was no way they could possibly rely on one another.

They both knew this about one another of course, but they made sure to keep it hidden, but Lia doubted the Master was so foolish.

"Sorry about taking you on this hunt. If you had asked I would have left you behind to check? You could have joined us."

"It's fine, I've waited all night, I can wait an hour or two more."

Rian turned his focus on something else, something that deserved more attention than his wish at this moment. Lukali was just beginning to hop off the cart, a cart that the master had assigned to them alone with a driver. It only served to prove to Lia that the Master knew more about her and Arnold's unspoken agreement than she thought.

"Are you sure it was here?"

Called Lukali who turned his head left and right, the morning fog just beginning to set on the high overlook they were currently placed at.

"This place doesn't seem all so inhabited."

"It is, trust me. The beast will come, and when it does I suggest we be ready."

In fact she knew this land well enough to know that the monster she was searching for was out there, watching them at this very moment.

"...otherwise it could mean life or death."

The driver of the cart silently watched Lia take out a small bundle of ropes, a large spear that barely fit within her hands, and a large iron hook. He had been assigned by the Master - and paid handsomely at that - to escort them here, as well as bring anything of value that they wanted back.

However, the driver couldn't help but feel an odd sense of fear as Lia began discussing with Rian, turning his focus instead towards the large wall of fog that surrounded them on the overlook.

"Rian, are you sure this thing will do for us? I mean I can hardly hold the thing in my hands."

In fact, the large spear's wooden pole was thick enough that Lia' own hand hardly fit around it fully, only reaching half way, sitting on the palm of her hand as if waiting to be thrown.

"Yes it will. Don't worry though because I think you'll be able to shoot it a lot easier than you think."

"How so?"

"Well, for starters if you have enough force behind the throw, you can easily send it flying…"

Rian and Lia's voice drifted off, the cart master still eyeing the slowly approaching fog that towered above them like a cloud that had fallen to the ground. It didn't seem natural, but the cart master was somehow in awe of the slowly approaching fog.

It loomed over them like a tower, taller than any building or castle that he had seen. But strangely the tower of fog seemed more awing and impressive than any of these, the cart master too focused on the fog itself to notice the figure crawling around inside of it.

It was a shadow here, jolting the man in surprise, then a shadow there, causing the man to cower in fear. He could see the long and looming shadow, larger than his cart yet faster than it all the same.

'What was that?...that was something big. Bigger than my cart - oh no…'

The shadow appeared again, this time moving swiftly form his left to his right in seconds before disappearing into the fog, masking its shadow in a cover of mist and cloud.

'Could it be a monster or could it just be another cart that got lost as it drove through the fog? Yes, it has to be a cart, how could I think it was a monster?'

The cart master chuckled to himself, finding his own mind foolish for playing tricks on his as he readied himself in his chair at the front of the cart, ready to wave and great the other cart master.

But no cart came. Seconds passed, minutes, even an hour passed by faster than the cart master could ever recall it passing by. While the Hunters continued setting up their 'trap' behind him, een on finishing quickly in the case a surprise attack came upon them, the cart master watched the shape of the shadow grow large, tan small, large again, then small.

To the cart master it was torture seeing that shadow grow larger with every second before turning around and becoming as small as a pin prick on his finger. But what feared him the most in his bones was the fact that he knew it was not cart, he knew the shadows could not have been some cart master lost in the fog.

It traveled too quickly, changed directions too sharply, and what cart master would choose to make so many turns if they did not believe they were going in circles. To the cart master it looked all too odd to be a cart.

That and the fact that there were no markings on the smooth untouched grass around the that indicated a cart had come from Kokono and the cart master knew that no city was any farther north than Kokono in its own right. There was nothing up there but an old and long forgotten garrison.

But the man knew that place was long since abandoned since the dawn of the new age and the death of the Concor age. It was all a hoax!

'I must be seeing things - that's right, a trick of the light! I bet my cart that there are some trees within that cloud of fog that the sun just happens to be catching just right, casting that odd shadow.'

And to himself the cart master kept it that way, believing the shadow's 'speed' was only due to and caused by the swift and flowing movement of the fog.

He soon regretted his decision of keeping silent, as the shadow stopped moving at once, growing larger and larger, causing the cart master much fear as he felt his bones rattle from inside him. Two fuzzy and hazy glowing yellow orbs showed themselves from within the fog.

It was too hazy for the cart master could see, but his eyes soon came under the effect of a trace, too focused on the two yellow light to notice the man calling his name until a hand fell firm on his shoulder, jolting him from his thoughts.

"Hey, are you alright? Been calling your name for a few minutes now."

"Oh, uh…"

The cart master just found himself staring at the man, eyeing him with such a haziness in his eyes that at once, he forgot the man had even spoken to him.

"I…I think I saw something."

The man got serious, his face hardening with every glance he gave towards the large and expansive wall of fog.

"Where?"

"Over there - huh?"

The cart master pointed to where he had seen the two glowing orbs of light, but oddly enough he didn't see anything. Just the large and gray wall of fog.

"I-I swear it was there. Just a moment ago…"

Lukali didn't bother to eye the man nor call him a fraud with bad eyesight. Instead Lukali kept his gaze rained on the line of fog slowly moving closer and closer until it reached the cart and slowly took it over along with him and his friends.

Rian and Lia looked up from what they were doing, entranced by how quickly the fog had consumed them within itself, turning their gaze towards Lukali who kept watching the fog, waiting for anything to jump out.

"I don't think you're wrong. Wait here."

Lukali hopped down off the driver's seat, speedily racing over towards Lia and Rian who watched the surroundings like him with a serious and hard gaze.

"I think the monster sees us. He's been watching us since we got here."

Rian scratched his head, cursing underneath his breath as he turned to Lia for advice, but stopped the moment he saw her face, his words still on the tip of his tongue.

"Lia, what should we do? If the monsters are out there…"

Lia's face was frozen, her eyes wider than her normal hard and cold gaze allowed them to be as she stared off into the fog at seemingly nothing. But Rian knew it was something, picking up on the sense just as Lukali did.

Quickly the man raised his bow, knocked an arrow against its string, training it on the impassible fog before them.

"Where is it Lia?"

Rian got into a stance, his metal gauntlets clinking against one another in a metal - ding! - each time he shifted his stance.

"Come on Lia, is it to our left, right, in front of us? Where is it?"

Rian and Lukali were growing distressed, each one turning their eyes over and over again across the fog, training their gaze for any movement that caught their eye.

But it was Lia's words that sent shivers down their spine, leaving their eyes to their useless search in the fog, as both men soon learn they would find nothing within its wide and blurry expanse.

"It's not out there. It's not to the left, right or even in front of us…."

They both turned around swiftly, anger in their voice as they could hear the sound of fear within hers. And then they stopped…

"....It's behind us."

….and laid their eyes on a large shadow looming over them, its bright yellow eyes feasting with hunger, hunger, hunger and hunger.

Hunger for flesh.

***

The townspeople crowded around, their hands reaching out with every chance they got to touch the smooth and sharp scales of the monster, loaded firmly onto the traveling cart. People whispered amongst one another, mothers turned their children away from the horrid sight, while men pondered over what to do.

Families worried, children joked but feared the creature, and life refused to go on in that moment, lingering in some stand still as the gazes of every towns person eyed the monster with an intent curiosity.

Time meant nothing to anyone at this moment, their own interest and fear getting the better of them. If at first it was only the rumors that spread with more and more Hunters like Arnold coming into town, now the people knew it as true.

Monsters were back in the lands of Kokono, and Endless was parading through the town with one on their backs.

Lia however hardly paid attention to this, only silent to herself amongst the awing gasps of the people around her. The art master was shivering at the driver's seat, far too scared and afraid of the wide open maw of the dead basilisk behind him to hold the reins, so Rian took over for him.

Their cart came to a grinding halt in front of the Grand House, Sir Bellous running out from the grand wooden doors with a look of pure shock and fear on his face while the Master rushed out exclaiming loudly in praise.

"Yes! Yes! I knew it, I knew you could do it!"

To the Hunters who hopped down off the cart, some with scars, some with bruises, but all of them nonetheless received a large hug of thanks from the Master who congratulated them, staring in awe at the sight of the large basilisk.

Lia could see the Master's wife and daughter, who could be no older than in her teen years look on at their family member with different looks. One looked on in disgust that such a monster's blood stained the front steps to her home, while the other was looking on in awe at the beast, amazed that such a monster could be taken down with human hands.

None of the Hunters said anything for their bodies and bones were sore as they silently walked up the steps, guided by a much kinder Bellous to their rooms.

It was then that Lia saw Arnold halfway down the steps, half clothed in armor and weapons, clearly ready to go out on a Hunt for clues while his many party members loitered around the Great Houses' many front pillars.

Lia paid little attention to any of them, including the shocked and awe looks from the Fire Drakes, who looked on in some new found emotion Lia could not palace. Fear? Respect? Awe or amazement?

Whatever it was, Lia could care less for it just as she cared less for the cold look she got from Arnold as he passed by silently.

Suddenly, his hand grabbed onto her arm, stopping her from moving. It wasn't in a harmful way, but nonetheless, Sir Belleous looked back with a hint of warryness in his eyes.

"You tracked this beast and brought it down?"

"What does it look like?"

She said emotionally, shaking off Arnold's grip on her arm. But before she could continue forward, Arnold spoke quickly and quietly as to not alert anyone but themselves.

"Your tracker, what's his name?"

Lia glanced back at Lukali who was still being congratulated with Rian by the Master who spoke highly of their praise and courage.

"I won't say. He wouldn't want it that way."

"He certainly is impressive if he can find and track down a basilisk like that. Such an odd set of skills though…"

"If you've come to gloat, I would advise against it."

Arnold eyed her with an intense stare and no one present could see the death behind his eyes, just as there was a chilling cold behind hers.

"You tracked this beast?"

"I knew he was there long ago. I met him when I first came to these lands and now he's dead. What does it matter much to you anyways?"

Arnold sighed, looking over the vast crowds that were now gathering around them, there he saw looks of question and contempt, confusion and amazement. But above all he saw fear.

With a steady and deep voice, he spoke in a hushed tone, his eyes never leaving the crowd of innocent people before him.

"Was it really a good idea to bring this monster though the streets of Kokono?"

"Better they come home everyday afraid and be prepared than they come home dead."

"The people will fear what they do not yet know. I only ask out of kindness."

Lia scoffed, continuing up the steps, but just as she passed Arnold's ear, she spoke again in a hushed tone.

"I find that hard to believe."

Like that she continued up the steps, a sad victory lingering in her chest.