The Skull of Suntos

It was the first day of Summer's Ceasing, and it was also a week since Davius had left. During that time, the village had experienced a lot of change. Most everyone was either hired to dry and cure the meat from the dungeon, getting wood from the nearby safe areas of the forest or making leather from the giant rat pelts. Anyone who had extra time outside of their normal occupations was working on these things, except for the few were doing little errands that Jon had come up with. Such as inspecting the village wall and figuring out how extensive the repairs would need to be, or finding out information that Jon needed.

There was also a group of men Jon had hired that were constantly digging a new town cellar to store the meat in. It would be communally used eventually, but for now it was just for Jon's stuff. The cool air underground would prevent the meat from spoiling too quickly, but they were quickly running out of wood planks and sand. Without those, they couldn't keep the goods dry, so the cellar would have to be halted then. Jon had already sent for some more materials from Goodwood Village, but he heard they were already struggling to fulfill his last order. Even though everyone who was old enough was hard at work, it was still a joyous time for the village. They were experiencing a kind of sudden wealth, where meat was plentiful and no one had to worry about going hungry.

But there was only so much that could be done by such a small population of villagers. Rykos wasn't built in a day after all. So ironically, Jon found himself with some free time to relax, since none of the other villagers would stand for him doing menial work. But he couldn't relax, because his mind wouldn't rest. In his whole life, it had never rested, and with his restored youth it only raced faster. And so he sat in on a bench facing the village circle, thinking.

One thing that was boggling Jon these days was how he could kill so many giant rats and still not be able to step into the first cavern. Was there something important there? Why were there so many giant rats? He had killed hundreds at this point, but it seemed negligible to them.

In his years of dungeoneering, he had come across creatures like this before. Monsters that would suicide over and over with no fear or care. They often had a hive mind, with one central figure to control them. A Giant Rat King or a Nest Mother, he supposed. These ones were tricky to deal with, since they often considered the whole territory of the dungeon and guarded it zealously.

There were plenty of monsters that were the same if they thought you were weaker than them, but if you could prove you were stronger, most of them would just avoid you and expect you to leave. It was the best opportunity to gain traction and setup permanent defenses in the dungeon. But a Giant Rat King wouldn't give you that chance. It would be a bitter struggle until the end, and this was just trying to get into the first floor of the dungeon!

Faced with this conundrum, he arrived at the conclusion that he would definitely need a contingent of soldiers to make any sort of headway. That would require an outpost at the dungeon, provisioning, equipment, training… Patience would be the most necessary thing, Jon decided. Patience. Unfortunately, that didn't bode well for his plans.

"I'm Terry, the Knight of Lightning!" A kid shouted nearby. The playful disturbance jolted Jon out of his contemplation. As he sat on the bench by the tavern, children skipped and shouted as they entered the wide open space.

"I'm Tabatha, the forest ranger!" Another kid chimed in. One by one, the group of kids identified their roles for their next bout of make-believe. Except for one shy girl in the back, who just quietly followed the group, watching.

In their excitement, the group drifted over to Jon. As they were passing by, one of the youngest kids pointed at him, and seeing him sitting about doing nothing, he shouted "And he's the monster!" All the kids seemed on board with this plan to conscript Jon to be their villain. Honestly, Jon's current body looked so young, he could very easily be mistaken as a kid.

Chuckling to himself, he stood up and looked faux-menacing. "Rawr! That's right! I'm a Cyclops! As strong as a hundred men and nimbler as well!" Jon decided he could have a little fun in this moment.

"Get him!" The group of kids charged him, trying to tackle and wrestle him to the ground. It was cute, and Jon deftly dodged them. He'd nudge them slightly this way or that, making sure he stayed in the middle of the grassy area. The children might fall over or run into each other, but none of them were seriously hurt in any way. Jon would even take a hit now and then to make sure their momentum wasn't too great, and that they'd stay interested.

"The Knight of Lightning seems slow as a snail to me!" Jon teased. It wasn't long before the kids tired out and were slowing down. Still, they hadn't given up yet. The way Jon moved made a lot of their attempts into 'near misses', that kept them getting up to charge at him again. He envied the endless energy of their youth, before he caught himself and realized he had regained much of that himself.

"Silly creatures! Only a human with great magics could defeat me!" He looked over at the quiet girl watching, giving her a significant look to join in. One other quick girl noticed the look, and shouted, "Julie the Saintess, save us!"

Julie tensed up suddenly, with all eyes on her. She squirmed in place at the attention. An awkward moment passed before she ran out of the square out of nervousness.

"Oh… oops…" Jon mumbled to himself. Perhaps that wasn't the right thing to do....

"Tabatha, go after her." Terry said. Tabatha groaned, but picked herself up and went after Julie anyway.

"Don't feel bad about that. Julie's my little sister, and she's just shy. And she dreams about being a sorceress all the time." Terry said. "She wants it to be a secret, but we all know about it already."

"Why does she want that to be a secret?" Jon wondered aloud.

"Well… cause it'll never happen I guess." Terry said, a little bit of sadness creeping into his voice.

"Why not? There are mage guilds somewhere. It's not impossible for her to join one."

"But she doesn't know her letters. None of us do. There's no mage guild that'll take us in if we don't even know that…" Terry was well and truly depressed now. Jon had a growing feeling that he was handling this situation very badly…

It had been a long time since Jon had spent time among common folk. Ever since his first achievements in the Rykan Army, he had been treated like a celebrity. Spending time with high ranking officers or politicians. Even when he had retired and had commoners living on his land, he had left those matters rest in the hand of the steward the kingdom had given him. He desired deeply for the world to be a better place for the common man, but become greatly distanced from lives. He really wondered how he could have been so stupid.

"You know what? I'll see what I can do about that. Do you all want to learn your letters?" Jon asked.

"Really?! You can do that?" All the kids became alive with excitement, crowding around him.

"Of course! I'm your king!"

In a moment of realization, all the kids froze. Clearly in their excitement, they had forgotten about the new king. Jon was commonly talking to everyone, and in town so much, his status was not something they thought about. Not to mention that this whole 'King' thing was new to all the people of the Outlands.

All the kids looked at Terry for guidance in this moment, and Terry responded.

"RUN!"

They all fled before their parents saw them and chided them for bothering the King. Jon was left in the middle of the village circle, scratching his head at this weird development…

------

A young boy, with an armful of branches and tinder, sighed with exhaustion as he dropped his load onto the ground beside a fire. They had stopped late in the day, and the sky was already turning into night. He couldn't look for more fuel for the fire if he wanted to.

"Thanks, Toby. I think that'll last us through the night." thanked a woman with a kindly expression on her face.

"No problem, Mom. We got anything to eat?" The boy rubbed his stomach as he talked. They'd walked a long way, and had taken few breaks during the day.

"Here, eat the last of the dried jerky. We'll be in Suntos tomorrow, and we'll be able to eat our fill. Jenna, you eat some too." Taking out some dried jerky, she ripped it in half her two children.

"Tomorrow? Was Suntos that close?" The boy said, taking the offered strip of meat.

"Yes. Mr. Carver returned with some city guards from Suntos a little while ago. They're talking with the chief now. Suntos has always been very kind to our village, and it seems they'll take us in as refugees, no problem."

"So what are we going to do when we get to Suntos?" Asked Jenna. She had been sitting with her hands wrapped around her knees, quietly staring into the fire this whole time. It was a little surprising to the other two to hear little Jenna's voice.

"Well… I was thinking of becoming a storyteller, at a tavern! People always say I'm pretty good at telling stories, don't they?" The mother asked, with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Oh, that's a great idea, Mom! People will love the voices you do, and the stories you tell! Oh, Oh! Tell us a story now!" Toby chimed.

"Hmm… how about the tale of the Skull of Suntos?" Seeing Toby's enthusiastic nodding, the mother laughed and began the story.

"Once, a rumbling was heard throughout the forest. Flocks of birds were constantly jumping up into the sky above, while all manner of animals fled. The people were puzzled, a constant murmur on their lips. Something was coming. Something that struck fear in the heart of beasts!

The guards that stood atop the strong stone walls were silent though. They knew what was coming. Grim faces looked toward a hulking, monstrous figure standing above the treeline. It was a Giant Ogre! A huge ogre that was a hundred feet tall! Ten times bigger than a normal ogre, it was just as vicious and its hunger even more voracious!

And it was walking toward Suntos. As it came closer, everyone in Suntos huddled inside. They were prepared to flee the city if the Ogre didn't stop, many without roots already leaving. Thousands of people quaked in fear! There was only one hope left!

Word had passed that the Mithril Knight was coming. Whether it was merely a rumour or it was truth, no one knew. Even if he did come, how could a mere human defeat a Giant Ogre? It didn't make sense to say that the Mithril Knight could save them. But, as the guards passed news of the Rykan Army marching toward Suntos, people cheered! The noise was unbearable and incomprehensible as the as the army set up around Suntos.

Even as the Giant Ogre left the forest, and was a few massive paces away from Suntos, people were still in great spirits! Such was how much faith they had in the miracles of the Mithril Knight! Jon Everheart the Invincible was here, to save them!

As the Giant Ogre trudged toward Suntos, the Mithril Knight blew his horn. In front of the tall city walls, barrels and barrels of oil began to roll down the hill Suntos was built on. Many broke, coating the ground with black tar and slick oil. The Giant Ogre, unaccustomed to anything challenging its might, simply ignored the actions of the humans. It's heavy steps nearing Suntos, it was almost within arm's reach!

A horn sounded again, and lit torches and fire arrows flew out from the city walls! Soon, the Ogre was immersed in a sea of flame! However, an Ogre's skin is thick and durable. It barely felt the heat. Instead, it was more confused by the smoke than anything. It was at this moment that the Mithril Knight leapt out!

Flying on his famous winged boots, he gripped Sun's Dawn, his Mithril Blade that had been with him through thick and thin. Charging forward with his trusty sword gifted to him by the King of Ryka, he slammed into the Giant Ogre's face! The attack was barely a pinprick to the Ogre, but the sudden attack disoriented it more. It slapped at the Mithril Knight, but he had already moved out of the way! Striking at the Ogre, over and over, he distracted it from attacking Suntos and gave time for the Rykan Army to encircle the monster!

Rykan War Elephants began to drag heavy chains, as the Mithril Knight moved down the body of the Ogre to attack at joints and vulnerable spots. Eventually, the Ogre swung too hard at the Mithril Knight, and became unbalanced as the chains tightened around his feet. The War Elephants were dragged off their feet, failing to hold the chains steady! Still, the Giant Ogre fell and the city cheered!

More barrels of oil were thrown down from the city walls. Fire was thrown out from the army. The smoke became heavier, and heavier, until the Giant Ogre couldn't be seen! No one could tell how the battle went, but eventually the Mithril Knight flew out from the floating ashes victorious!! The Ogre was slain! As the fire died down, it was apparent the fire had done little to hurt the monster, but its neck had a huge gash!

From then on, the Skull of Suntos was known far and wide as a great trophy of the Mithril Knight's deeds! Never again have monsters approached, fearful of the great power that destroyed a Giant Ogre! And so peace will forever remain in the City of Suntos."

"WOO HOO!" Cheered Toby, "That was great, Mom!"

"It's not true." Jenna said quietly. She had been silent and sulky through the story, and even now looked hurt. "Monsters used to stay away from our village too. But now Dad is… Dad is…"

Jenna was quickly wrapped up in her mother's arms. Their recent loss still weighed heavily on all their minds, try as they might to ignore it.

Toby hugged them too, looking up into the deepening night.

"Will Suntos really be safe?"