The Village

The lush green jungle loomed before us as we left the caves behind. Vines as thick as tree trunks wound through the undergrowth, and we hacked through them with effort, our blades barely making a dent. The deafening cries of unseen beasts echoed in the distance, sending chills through us even in the sweltering humidity. We couldn't afford a confrontation in our current state, we were going to be lucky if we made it out alive carrying both the beast and Gen. 

We trekked for what felt like endless days and nights through the unrelenting jungle. The canopy above was so thick it plunged us into darkness, with only occasional shafts of light penetrating through. Our bodies ached from the grueling hike up and down muddy slopes and across rivers teeming with strange creatures. We had not been able to find anything to eat since our fight and we were coming up on four days since then.

Exhaustion plagued our minds, but we dared not rest for more than a few hours at a time, fearing what lurked in the shadows. Once, we awoke to find a giant serpent as wide around as a barrel tree coiled nearby, tasting the air with its forked tongue before receding into the brush from whence it came.

When we weren't cutting through stubborn vines or avoiding camouflaged predators, we were battling against swarms of insects that threatened to choke us or trying to find clean enough water to survive. Still, we pressed on, desperation and determination fueling our weary bodies.

...

Just as we were about to give up hope, an unnatural amount of light poked through the dense trees. It looked like another clearing. We all looked at each other, the thought of sleep on an almost flat ground would be heavenly- it was worth the risk. Trudging through the underbrush we pushed through to find that the jungle opened up to what used to be a settlement. We almost missed it entirely, there was nothing that signified the entrance to this place- and there was no hustle and bustle about the town either. As we grew closer the lack of noise became more profound as it wasn't just quiet, it was dead silent.

We made our way silently through the ghost town, senses on high alert. The first structure we passed was barely more than a pile of decaying wood melting back into the earth with nothing but the stone chimney still standing tall. Looking around all the buildings appeared to be in a similar state of decomposition. Burn marks lay heavily scattered amongst the ground, and what looked like gashes carved upon the earth covered the central path. Further in, we found signs of a previous life- more intact buildings that held remnants of those who once dwelled here: clay pots, a rusted knife, a moth-eaten linen curtain swaying gently in the breeze.

We all looked at each other with concern covering our collective faces, we all made the same realization. Keel half muttered to himself in disbelief, "This must be the town that the family was fleeing from before we ran into those soldiers." I nodded in agreement, "It has to be, they had said our troops set it on fire but why? This appears to be in the middle of nowhere, what harm could they have possibly done?"

We continued our trek and found what may have been the town hall long ago, we discovered bundles of drying herbs, ragged clothes too small to fit most adults, and cooking tools strewn around a long cold fire pit - signs of more recent occupation by fellow refugees or perhaps the kings army. The front doors hung precariously from broken hinges, splintered in multiple places as if smashed open by brute force with singed gashes along their frames. Something about these markings feels so familiar, but I can't quite place where I've seen this level of destruction before. Inside, the destruction was even more evident. Scorch marks blackened the walls in places, and broken furniture lay scattered across the earthen floor. Loose pages torn from books swirled around our feet as we stepped over shattered glass and pottery. This place had seen violence...perhaps from the same soldiers who drove the townspeople from their homes in the first place. Anything of value had been pilfered long ago. There was another small entrance in the back of the building, as we made our way across the hall I couldn't help but feel drawn to that door. Keel set down the beast and began looking around the room while Gen took the opportunity to rest after walking so much, but I kept on crossing the room until I reached the door.

Upon closer look, the inside was ornately decorated with marble and stained glass depicting some sort of scene. The glass showed a bird descending from the heavens and becoming one with a man knelt upon the ground. The next frame had the duo fighting hoards of soldiers with fire and ice spreading out from them. This appeared to be a man with his chosen back when that was how we fought alongside beasts before the fall. This last image didn't make much sense though, it showed the man having the bird's wings and claws soaring over an even larger army while raining hellfire onto them. I've never heard of such a thing this must be a myth among the Eshlunian people. In the center of the room stood large wooden pedestal covered in shattered glass- it looks like something used to be here but what? Why cover it in glass, no one could use whatever it was then. There was a small bookcase behind the pedestal, but its books were thrown around the room with pages burned and shredded. There wasn't enough left of them to understand what they held, but it seemed like they were all about being chosen and their bonds. I need to see if there is more on the other side of the bookshelf, clearly something in here once held value- holy shit, there are burned corpses back here. I can't even figure out if they were men or women they are so badly burned. I feel like the more I look the more questions than answers I find, and there is nothing else for me here anyway. "HEY L GET OUT HERE," Keel yells, "THERE'S FOOD!" I have never moved faster in my life.

After eating some bread and roasting meat Keel found, it felt like we all came back to life a little bit. With renewed fire, we scoured for any other abandoned supplies - a small cookpot here, scattered medical herbs there - anything that may aid in our survival. We dared not linger though as each room echoed with ghosts of happier times and held an overbearing ominous feeling. We worked as fast as we could since soldiers may yet return to raid the settlement again on their way home, and we were in no shape to fight. As we left, I spotted a charred, face-down portrait of a family embraced in joyful laughter. Another relic of brighter days turned to ash in this place that already saw so much sadness. We took only what was needed, we couldn't afford to have much in case we had to leave in a hurry.

...

We continued exploring and as dusk settled over the abandoned village, we were blessed with Freya's grace- in the back end of the village lay a derelict blacksmith's shop. This is exactly what we needed, I looked straight at Keel, "If we're lucky, it's time to make you a weapon." Keel beamed back at me, "Let's fucking hope so, it would be nice to finally have some sort of advantage out here." We barricaded ourselves in the shop to create a makeshift camp since we would need to stay a few days to regain all our strength and make Keel his ritual weapon. I went straight to work looking for the necessary tools. This place has been stripped of its former glory, looking around it was easy to tell this had been a forge of much greater standing than Pa's. Most of the time tools are kept in the back rooms to avoid rusting and any catastrophes that might happen when crafting. Heading to the back I was able to find a bone saw, a few barrels of oil, an assortment of hammers, tongs, a vice, and surprisingly an anvil. I must be the luckiest bastard alive.

After bringing all the necessary supplies to the front room, I placed them alongside the scarred wooden workbenches and the cold remnants of the forge. Shadows danced across the soot-stained walls in the fading light as me and Keel started up the fire. After instructing him on how to stoke the fire properly, I cleared a space on one workbench under a small grated window to tend to Gen. I had learned rudimentary healing arts from Lira back home, never imagining I may one day rely on those skills for our survival. As Keel worked, I cleaned and dressed Gen's wounds as best I could. Though the giant tried not to show his pain, I could tell from his tense expressions and quickened breathing that his injuries were graver than we had thought, he wasn't going to be able to fight for about a week.

Binding the last of the gashes across his broad chest and shoulders, I desperately hoped I had done enough for the night. Gen deserved rest. We all did after the hellish days behind us and whatever more lay ahead in this ghost of a town. Unfortunately, we needed this weapon done as soon as possible to stand a fighting chance in the future. As the last hints of light disappeared outside, plunging us into darkness, the demonic dancing lights from the fire cast wild and raging shadows upon the wall- almost as if they knew what was being forged went against all this place once stood for.

...