15 Trails of the Beast

"Good medic, what's her status?"

"Lady Gael is well, my lord; only except for one broken rib and many other bruises, big and small, both of which would likely hinder her combat effectiveness on the field." He reported back to his superior, Prince Aelthred.

Gael, now back to senses, tried to raise herself up, but Aelthred then urged her not to.

"Stay where you are. You are yet to join us in our hunt, my good friend. Though without one of its limbs, the terrible beast is still an enemy to be reckoned with. I would never doubt your prowess and skills in any kind of battle, but it would prove to be imprudent for you to pursue our enemy even in such state of yours; you, too, shall well know this from your experiences."

"My liege, is it true that the monster was cut off its limb and now defeated? You have any idea on who would have ever done such impossible feat, might I ask?" Gael asked him.

"It is a solid truth that Glen-gohr, indeed, has been seriously wounded and is currently retreating to its hideout. However, we cannot, for certain, say that it is completely defeated, once and for all. At this moment, we still need to track down the abomination and finish its miserable life, for our struggle against the enemy shall never be over until we spill its marrow onto the land it was born into."

"Aye, my good lord, you say, for sure, in the tongues of both the wise and the prudent. Nevertheless, I, as one among the proud tech-maidens out of all Geats, too desire to join my brothers and sisters in pursuit of the dying beast. I implore you; heed my longings for blood and glory of the battlefield, for I, despite my such conditions, could hold my own in any of combats that lie ahead of us." Gael insisted.

"My fellow sister-in-arms, I dare command you to hold yourself still and stay in this palace; this is the direct order from your superior. Your presence is needed here as well, so that you may guide well the other warriors in carrying out their duties to ensure the VIP's safety. Should we lose Governor Rothgarr to the vile hands of our enemy, then all our feats, our promised rewards, shall be in vain. It is not solely because of your wounds that I order you such, but rather, it is out of my trust on you that I leave the Governor's life unto your hands. You must protect him whatever the cost, and shall also be expected to work with a company of the Empire's tech-knights here. Did I make myself clear to you, good friend?" So did Aelthred give the officer his instructions.

"Aye. As you may, so shall it be."

Then, the medic approached her once again, taking out a syringe containing nano-bots that would help mend her broken rib fast. The needle came in beneath her skin, and the medicine was soon injected there through its narrow passage. As she was receiving the first-aid treatment from her doctor, she could not yet completely shrug off her yearnings for the glory in battlefield. To kill the beast, Glen-gohr, was to attain one among the most honorable feats one could achieve in his or her entire life. Since from her humble beginning, Gael ceaselessly sought to carve her name into the list of glorified ones Gaia-seven had ever given birth to. She had, from the past, wanted many of good things on the earth for herself; they could encompass one's honor, glory, strength in muscles, gold, authority, and even beautiful men she would fondle with joy. Without a sense of satisfaction coming from her fame and glory, or any glittering delights gold and silver could give unto her, her life shall be meaningless.

By the end of the treatment, the good medic briefly prayed to 3-Divines for Gael's wellness, and left her to tend others. In another couple of minutes, she would be back in shape well enough to carry out her mission. Yet, the lingering sentiments within her did not seem to disappear any time soon. She had, all this time, thought herself worthy to be bestowed upon the very glory of slaying Glen-gohr. However, she had not been given a proper chance. it was true that she had got at least a short moment of confronting the demon in person; but, what if she had been able to face her enemy elsewhere, other than the narrow corridor she had fought it hours ago? Supposing so, could she ever have managed to defeat the beast all by herself? Turning back to this very present moment, she questioned herself on why her old friend should be the one, not her, honored with such opportunity to finish off Glen-gohr. Why would not the heavens above give her even a chance?

The medicine wore off, as it finished carrying out its role inside the veins of its patient. Gael, with her mind now clear of its effect, stood up from her place. She then turned on the comm-link to call out her brothers and sisters. Her mission was to protect the Governor-though he seemed like nothing more than a mere drunkard to her-at all costs, and it should not tarry any longer. Gruhngar, her trustworthy colleague, soon answered the call. She gave him a series of instructions passed down from the Prince himself, and made her way onto the panic room Rothgarr was in.

Aelthred, along with a small group of tech-warriors, was running down on the road in his war-bike, tirelessly pursuing Glen-gohr to finish the hunt. Thanks to the tracking device one of his valiant warriors had managed to put in it, following the trails of the beast had been a rather easy task so far. Paying attention to his indicator on the steed, he maintained the velocity of his bike high enough not to lose his target astray. Soon, the beast would reach its safe haven, without any recognition that such place would, eventually, become its very own tomb; the Prince thought to himself. Woe to the hideous abomination, his foe, which was now left no other futures ahead but only its certain, eternal doom approaching near! The skies above the bikers started to rain, as if the heaven itself was mourning the very fate of its hideous child. 'Nevertheless, Glen-gohr shall die, for such has been its morbid fate ever since it started to wreck havoc on the land of Gaia-seven.' So were the thoughts of its relentless pursuers. Since the road was getting slippery, they thus switched their driving modes. There was now appearing some magnetic field around each wheel of their iron steeds, making them float slightly above the ground. Their wheels, then, all at once stopped rotating. The bikes, now hovering on the road, pressed on in pursuit of their riders' foe, with spirits inside these ancient engines humming with vigor, foretelling the ultimate victory of their masters.

"So dark is my place, my bed, the haven made out of rotten woods and bones. So cold is the air around me, as if every single elements on the earth are meant to choke me into my bloated throat." Glen-gohr murmured.

He was now back in his nest, located deep inside some cave many kilo-meters distant from Rothgarr's palace. Despite the fact that his hunger had been urging him to move across a number of different land and region, he, nevertheless, had not been able to stay long afar from his old friend, the loathsome traitor. The very presence of Rothgarr, now the governor of the Holy Empire he too had once served, was his own set of fetters, from which he could not possibly run away. He wanted to free himself from it, but yet, all this time, he had failed. He knew not what he should be looking for in his long lost friend, who had betrayed him direly ages ago. He had tried to kill him, but that did not seem to be his correct answer so far. He caused havoc on the Governor's land and slaughtered hundreds of people there, and yet, nothing was left for him except for satisfying his hunger.

Then, he grabbed his wounded shoulder, now with its right arm forcefully torn apart from it. He felt fury inside him every time he touched his grievous wound. At the same time, there was a sense of unfairness, too, residing in his soul. He did not know why he should be suffering such cruel fate of his. He was terribly hungry; thus he consumed the people's flesh. In spite of not knowing what to settle with Rothgarr, he yet felt the strong urge to do so; therefore, he destroyed the land and its inhabitants. All these could not be helped, for such impulses were too much innate and powerful to simply ignore them. Ever since he had been born again as a terrible monster, such was his very fate he had to comply with. Without doing so, what, then, could he ever possibly do in his tormented life? Why was everyone on the planet trying this hard only to kill him? He was not the culprit behind all these. He was not, at all, the origin of the whole matter; it was Rothgarr, his betrayer, and the very, cruel destiny that had led him onto the path of damnation from its beginning.

Very soon, there now heard the loud footsteps of his enemies. They were here to butcher him like an animal; so thought he. He did not deserve this. These were not the prices he should be paying with his life. Another trick of fate was being played on him, and this made Glen-gohr disgusted. Glen-gohr was not willing to accept his brutal destiny without doing anything. His heart and soul, alike, were pumping with terrible anger one could ever hold in one's life. He roared horridly, and disappeared into shadows to prey on his hunters.