Crawler

Suddenly, a figure appeared from a shadow behind the lake. It looked human, but it had long arms and legs. Its skin was pale white, and it seemed to be smiling with sharp teeth while looking at the two men.

The Traveler and his partner looked at each other, their weapons drawn. They were ready by this point. Andrew took the Initiative and threw his spear at the creature, but it caught the spear with one of its arms.

"That's a crawler! They have super strength, but they are very slow...! We can try to run?" Andrew suggested.

"With our backs against the lake, it would be suicide to try and make a run for it. The crawler may be slow, but its attack reach is not to be taken lightly. No, I'm afraid we'll have to fight our way out of this." The Traveler said, as he immediately threw a large rock at the head of the creature, using a kind of strength that was unlike what a regular peasant could muster.

The rock hit the crawler in the face. It screeched, but the projectile did not seem to cause much damage. The creature rushed Andrew first, lifting him up with one of its long arms.

The Traveler immediately jumped towards the creature and kicked it very hard in the face with both feet. It did not cause much damage either, but the monster lost its balance. Andrew used the opportunity to stab the creature in the chest with his spear which he had already picked up, and jump away.

The crawler let out a loud scream and fell to the ground. Its blood was black, and it smelled horrible.

The two men ran as quickly as they could away from the lake. The monster managed to remove the spear from its body and now it was following them closely.

It was bigger than the two humans by at least one feet, so it was slower. But with its long limbs, it could cover considerable distances with each step.

Andrew turned and hurled five throwing knives into the neck of the creature, it fell to the ground again. But again it was not done. The crawler managed to stand up and give chase.

The crawler jumped very high into the air, as if not wanting to give its prey any chance to flee. The two men were very surprised, the creature moved much faster than it should with its long arms and legs.

It landed behind the Traveler and kicked him with its far-reaching leg. He tried to block the fall with his staff, but it didn't help at all. He was thrown to the ground and his right arm was injured in the process.

"Watch it!" The Traveler yelled.

The crawler had changed his objective and was about to bite Andrew's head off with its sharp-as-razors fangs and a mouth that could extend itself.

The Traveler moved to attack the creature with his staff, hitting it in the head. The blow was powerful, unusually so for a wooden staff, and it caused the crawler to let go of Andrew and fall a few feet away. The monster was stunned. Andrew got up and pulled out his sword.

"It's faster than any of its cousins I've killed... At this rate, we're not going to escape. We need to strike down this creature!" Andrew shouted.

Andrew charged toward the creature with his sword in hand, the creature recovered from its daze and started backing away. It looked at Andrew's sword and knew it was dangerous for it.

Meanwhile, the Traveler got up. He could only see Andrew out of the corner of his eye. He felt his heart beating fast. He got up, but his right arm was hanging, and he felt pain in his shoulder and his back.

The creature got ready to leap once more but saw that the Traveler was getting up. It changed its mind and rushed towards the Traveler with its long arms.

The Traveler used his staff like a long spear to strike at the creature's legs.

The creature fell to the ground. Andrew took this opportunity, and jumped in the air, trying to drive his sword into the crawler's head.

Unfortunately, he missed his stroke. The creature caught him with one hand and threw him away. His chest hurt, and he couldn't breathe.

Keeping up with the assault using his staff as a blunt weapon targeting the beast's limbs, the Traveler was trying to concentrate and think of a better strategy.

Even after all of his efforts, he saw the monster trying to get up again with its long legs, unrelenting.

'Fuck... if this goes on, I'll end up dying here to this lowly creature... After so many years, I'll have to use it...' The Traveler grit his teeth. He had made a key decision.

The creature got up but stumbled back slightly. A part of its brain had suffered damage from the repeated blows. It let out a roar of anguish and anger. The Traveler could feel the ground rumbling with the monster's heavy steps approaching. Andrew got up and charged, trying once again to stab the monster through the head with his blade.

The Traveler saw this and put all his weight into the next attack with his staff. The force and shock of his blow caused the monster to fall back. Andrew used this opportunity to stab its neck, but the monster pulled him by the leg and crushed it. Blood and bone shards spurted out of Andrew's leg, and he nearly fainted from the pain.

The agonizing screams from Andrew seemed to please the creature, as it dropped him to the muddy ground like a finished opponent.

However, this moment of distraction had been a mistake on the crawler's part. The Traveler had finished whispering a series of words in a strange language. His eyes lit up with blue energy for an instant, and his hands glowed in the same color.

A bright light engulfed his staff, and it became filled with mysterious runes of different shapes, all in a majestic blue color.

The crawler could see the attack coming and started to move, but the creature was too slow. The Traveler now moved at a much faster speed than before, and his every step was measured to perfection.

A wooden staff pierced into the crawler's face as if were a holy spear crafted by a master blacksmith. It was impaled directly into its brain, which was already damaged.

The monster let out one last roar, then fell to the ground. It died instantly, its body convulsing in small bursts. A black liquid came out of the crawler's eyes and mouth, a mixture of its blood and the strange magic inside his body.

A black mist emerged from the remains, and it was seemingly afraid of the now dimming light irradiating from the Traveler's staff.

Once the mist was gone, the Traveler let out a sigh of relief. He stood there, using his staff to support himself as he was trying to catch his breath.

On the other hand, the battle took a heavy toll on Andrew. He was leaning on his sword, exhausted. The sword slid away from his grip, and he collapsed to the ground.

'He doesn't look so good. He is probably suffering from internal bleeding and more than a few broken bones, not counting his leg which was turned into a meaty paste. Furthermore, he has seen me use magic... Perhaps I should put him out of his misery?'

The Traveler seemed content with getting rid of the man now that the threat of the monster was gone. After all, he had reached the lake in record time thanks to Andrew's shortcut. In his eyes, the tall individual had no further use for him.

Andrew's eyes opened, and he saw the Traveler, who seemed to be thinking about something.

"Are you okay, Merchant?" Andrew asked, with pained breathing, but the Traveler did not answer.

Andrew crawled to his sword and got it into his hands. Then he started getting up on his good leg.

He knew what the Traveler was thinking, and wanted to try to stop him. He was getting up, ready to attack, but then froze in place.

"Nothing personal. Bad luck on your part, I guess." These were the last words the person named Andrew heard before his skull was burst open by a strong kick from the Traveler.

He walked over to Andrew's corpse and reached out to touch Andrew's sword, but then backed away.

"Now that I think about it, I have no need for a sword. And it doesn't look like it could fetch a nice price either." The Traveler said.

He took out a strange box from his bag. Then, he opened the box. He took out something from it, then, he put Andrew's hand on the sword.

The body of Andrew, as well as his weapon, started dissolving. They turned to small particles of dust, which flew away and joined the clouds.

Next, the Traveler put the bag on his back, then he started walking south. He passed the lake, and he kept walking, the sun is going down, and the moon is coming up.

He walked until his legs started getting heavy. He put down the staff and used it as a walking stick.

After walking a little more, he saw a sign. On the sign was painted the word "Inn". The Traveler got closer to the sign, brought out his map to read it, and then realized that he was near Saint Lucien Village.

He got into the inn above a small cliff and decided to rest for the night.

The place was small but cozy. The floor was made of stone bricks, and there were some chairs and a table next to the entrance. The Traveler sat on one of the chairs, and relaxed as the moonlight came through the windows.

"Don't you know it is dangerous out there? Especially at this hour... You must be one of those silly adventurers looking for easy gold. Anyway, what can I get you, stranger?" Asked the old lady in charge of the inn. She seemed to be curious as to what a man was doing here so late at night.

"No, ma'am. I'm a merchant, not an adventurer. Though I am certainly in pursuit of riches." The Traveler said charmingly, yet with a tired voice. "I was traveling to deliver a package, but I got a bit too weary from the road, so I stopped here to get a good night's rest."

"And lucky for you, that's exactly what you'll get here. But before sleep, comes a good meal. What can I get you to eat? We have lots of delicious food in this inn." The lady said, with a cheerful voice.

She immediately discerned the man was telling the truth, as a merchant had to use his silver tongue to charm sellers and buyers alike. Those adventurers that passed through her inn were always rude and brutish.

"Anything will do. Just as long as it's delicious, I'll eat it all." The Traveler replied with a smile on his face.

"What would you like to drink? We have wine, we have beer, and some mead." The lady said.

"Just water, please. I want my mind to be clear as I am about to embark on another journey tomorrow." The Traveler said blankly.

The lady left the room and returned with a pitcher of water and a glass cup. She poured some water into the glass and gave it to the Traveler.

"Here's a roast pork leg with vegetables. That will give you energy for the next day's journey." The lady said as she placed the meal in a big bowl in front of the Traveler.

The Traveler ate the meal. It was delicious and gave him a warm feeling. He finished the meal quickly, then he washed his hands.

Once she was finished cleaning his plates from the table, the old woman approached the Traveler.

"Do you know where you would like to stay tonight? We have a few rooms available. All the rooms are very comfortable, just like the food is delicious." The lady said.

"I'll take the cheapest room you have. I am on a tight budget after all. And since I am here on business, I'll take anything you give me." The Traveler said with a straight face.

"We have a room in the basement. It is cheap but still comfortable." The lady said, with a cheerful voice.

The lady led the Traveler to a room in the basement. It had the same floor as the other rooms, but the walls were made of old bricks. The room's ceiling was made of wood, and it glowed a little as the moonlight came through the small windows. There was a bed next to the window, and a small desk by the bed. The small room felt very homely as the Traveler entered it.

He sat on the bed and looked around the small room. It was simple, but it was enough for him. Now that his stomach was full, his aching body was supplicating for a night of rest.

He lay on the bed, pulled the covers over him, and tried to sleep. But his mind was racing, and depressing thoughts from the past he meant to bury were crowding him. It had been far too long since he had used magic.

Unfortunately, it was hard for the Traveler to sleep that night.