Episode 9 : The Valley of White Death - Part 1

 Nosferus--

 It has always been a source of illusion and awe to them in this age.

 It is a synonym for the outer world. People lived there, and their lives continued, but they were either dwarfed by the pre-human Semites, with their ape-like body hair and tails, or by the phantom giants, the barbarian Lagoons, who were over two meters tall, covered all over with body hair, and whose intelligence was said to be even lower than that of the Semites, despite their gigantic stature. Despite their enormous size, their intelligence is even lower than Shem's. They are either barbarians or ragons.

 The climate and ecology of Nosferus are far removed from the warmer regions outside the human map. People call it the territory of Demon Doll, which is understandable, considering that no one has ever ventured there alone and returned safely.

 In Nosferus there was hardly any change of season, and therefore no lush young leaves or flowers of any colour to decorate it. It was a desolate desert area, covered with gray and grayish-brown all year round.

 To the east lies the massif of Canaan, and to the north the ever-snowing mountains of Asgarun form the boundary with the northern countries of ice and snow. The dark river Kes, flowing to the southwest, separates this forsaken and desolate land from the frontier regions of man.

 Separated by such natural boundaries, the unique ecosystem of Nosferus was established. Barbarians, sandhills, sandworms, gluttonous bitgutters, scorpions, angel hair, and id--id!

 What kind of madness could have possessed Grand Duke Vlad of Mongol to add such a cursed land to his territory? Such a suspicion crossed the mind of Istvan of Valakia in a moment of stupefaction.

 But, in any case, there was no time to ponder the idea or to ask their allies for their opinion. The valley of the Id lay before them, an astonishing scene, never before described in any of the tremendous tales of bardic adventure.

 Guin, the leopard-headed warrior, his friend Istvan, the Red Mercenary, and the forty or so Rakh warriors who followed them to the banks of the Kes, in pursuit of Astorias of Mongol's defeated army. What they saw was the main force of the fearsome invasion army, consisting of the main force of Alvon Castle and reinforcements from the city of Torus, commanded by Amneris, Princess of Mongol. Mongol finally decided to invade Nosferus.

 Faced with the threat to the survival of the entire Semitic race, Guin and his men, pale as death, raced to the village of Rak to warn the people... but old Yarn, the God of Heavenly Fate, seemed to think that their ordeal was not yet enough, As if he thought their trials were not enough.

 A party of them, overwhelmed by the urgency of the moment, rushed north to beat off the pursuers of Mongol, and then turned east.

 They were hurrying along the road to the village of Rak, where Linda and Remus, the Paro twins, their faithful friend Suni, and the great chief Roto, who had welcomed them, were waiting. They were hurrying along the road to the village of Rak, where their faithful friend Suni and the great chief Roto, who had welcomed them, were waiting for them, when they suddenly noticed a strange change in the scenery around them and looked about them. ...

 They found that they had plunged too deeply into the horrible valley of the Ids, where the great settlements of the primitive Ids filled their vision as far as the eye could see, until it was too late.

"What the--this,..."

 It was not surprising that Istvan's voice was hoarse and throaty.

"Shh-- don't shout."

 Guin was sharp and low. In the leopard's head the yellowish eyes were narrowed and shone with a tremendous light.

"If they find out about us now, it's over."

 His voice was low but calm. Perhaps no one knew better than he that the lives of these men - the forty-seven brave young men of Istvan and Rak who had been drawn to him - depended on his own calmness and accurate judgment.

 By no one's choice but his own, Guin had been their leader from the very beginning, taking charge of their lives and guiding them. Perhaps he himself had not yet realized it, but that was the main characteristic of this warrior of a different form - that he was the one who, whenever and whatever the situation, always made sure that the people, if he was there, would not object to him in the slightest. There is a rare kind of person who, if there is a person, will automatically follow his orders, feeling that he is their guide, their leader, and their protector.

 And such a man also feels that he is their protector, and that he must treat them with responsibility and affection, even if they do not promise him loyalty in return. Undoubtedly, Guin held the lives of Rakhs - and Istvan - in her hands and in her decisions.

 Guin glanced quickly behind him. The Lak lads were calm - or at least they seemed to be. Perhaps it was because Guin was standing there supporting them, or perhaps it was because of the hand of Shiva, who, like the head of the young men, was organizing them, that they did not lose their self-control in the face of the valley of death that had suddenly opened up before them. The Id, though fearsomely carnivorous, is not necessarily as aggressive as the gluttonous bitwig eater or the sandworm, and so it knows that for the time being the best course is to lie low, remain motionless, and remain unnoticed.

"Good--"

 Guin whispered behind him in a grave voice.

"Back up. It's not safe to turn and run all at once. Back away quietly, step by step, keeping your eyes on us. turn around and run as fast as you can to the entrance of the valley. Wait there for the others to follow. Now, don't get upset and don't scream."

"Yes, Liard."

 Raku and the others whispered back.

 All the while, his eyes never strayed an inch from the id that filled the valley. The horrible primitive creatures were infesting the whole valley floor, resembling a huge container filled with soggy white jelly.

 The id is a very primitive life form. It has no eyes, no mouth, no limbs, and even the distinction between what is one individual and what is another is almost indistinct.

 But that did not make it any less frightening, horrifying, or dangerous. It was, in a word, a white, sore amoeba grown to the utmost size, and instead of having any sensory organs, all of them were sensory and digestive organs. It was a white, translucent, life-giving pond at the bottom of the valley, rippling and buzzing, and to the disgust of those who gazed at it, it was constantly digesting each other, and at the same time, it was constantly dividing and increasing.

"Wow, what a nasty piece of work."

 Istvan muttered to himself as he stepped back after Rak and the others. Guin said without a smile.

"Don't spit on me again. When I do it now, instead of having eyes and ears, they have a very sensitive sense of touch. They sense when something is coming into the valley and they buzz with excitement. If you spit on it or touch it even a little, the whole thing will come flying at you."

"Kuwabara, Kuwabara."

 Recalling the time when he had been terrorized by one of these creatures in the middle of the desert, Istvan muttered meekly and continued to move backward. It seemed an immense distance to the bend where the red rocks emerged, and in the meantime his stomach clenched at the fear that the gooey, mutually digestive monster would find its food even more delicious than its alter ego and scurry through the air.

 As soon as he reached the red rock, he turned around and ran like a runner in a big race. Much later, Guin came running calmly on his horse.

 The Sheba had gathered together and were waiting for Guin and Istvan at the foot of the valley. Their round eyes glittered anxiously, and they huddled together as if frightened.

"Liard."

 Sheba's coming for Guin.

"You're all right.

"Yes."

"Didn't know the Valley of the Id was here, did you?"

"Yes, that's--"

 Shiva looked disgusted. He felt that his honor as a guide had been compromised.

"I'm sure it wasn't there, Liard."

 He pleaded his case.

"Id, move. Move, we're in the valley."

"Yes, shiva. Id's move pretty far at night to find food. There's nothing left after they've passed. It's not your fault. It was bad luck."

"Oh."

 Shiva said only, his hairy face twisted with relief and regret.

"Hey, what are you talking about, monkey?"

 Istvan sounded uninteresting.

 Don't worry about it,

"It's inevitable, we'll make a detour-- it's a shame at times, but it's a bigger shame to be stuck here."

 Guin said. Sheba looked at his companions nearby and shook his head in confusion.

"We can't go around, Liard.

"What?"

"Beyond this valley and the next lies the village of Rak. Leard told me we must go quickly, so I took a shortcut known only to Rak. It's a straight road."

 Guin fell silent.

"Yo, what'd you say, Guin?"

 Istvan said in an irritated tone. Guin briefly explained what Shiva had said.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

 Istvan said simply.

"Ghouls of the Forest of Ludes, I've had enough of the id. Let's go back, Guin. That mountain road was probably the way to the village. Let's go back there and make the big turn to the east.

"No--"

 Guin thought for a moment.

"I can't do that."

"What? Why?"

"If I were Gora's captain, I'd keep a company at the very top of that mountain."

"Oh, yeah... hey, we're being chased, aren't we?"

 Istvan uttered a curse.

"Besides, we don't have that much time anyway--look, it's nightfall."

 Guin shrugs his shoulders. Istvan looks up and sees that the frontier sun has already set over the edge of the mountains. They had been too busy to notice, but once again the night of the frontier - the night of the frontier, full of danger and mystery - was about to haunt them.

 Shem and the others huddled together, anxiously watching Guin. In their eyes, there was a mixture of trust, fear, and loyalty.

"It's just like a picture - it's brilliant."

The Red Mercenary said with a grin, showing that he wasn't just a rat.

"Onward to the valley of the Id, backward to the hordes of Gora-- no way around, night is coming, and if we keep going, the Rak will catch us off guard and kill us all. What are you going to do, you Leopard-headed chieftain?"

"Um..."

"I don't like it. I don't want to be eaten by an Id."

"..."

 As if he did not need to hear it, Guin raised his hand lightly, palm up. Istvan looked up at the remote sky, which was fading to blue and purple.

"What the hell is going on here? Angel hair all over the place."

 Indeed, as they had already noticed when they came to the road leading down to the valley, there were an inordinate number of white, fluffy Angel Hair floating around in the air. Though they were known to be harmless, the sight did little to soothe their already frightened nerves.

"Oh, my God, what a place."

 Istvan was about to curse him, when suddenly his dark eyes flashed and he grabbed Guin by the shoulders.

"Yes! I don't know why I didn't notice something so simple. Fire, fire! With Miguel's sulfur breath, when you saved me, you said the only thing that would save the id was fire-- burn them down, and--"

"and send a signal for Mongol's army."

 Guin had considered the idea long ago, so he said soothingly. The mercenary threw a tantrum. His obsidian eyes glittered in the dimness and stared piercingly at his Leopard-headed companion.

"So, what are we gonna do-- stay here and get stuck? Thank God--they might start moving at night!"

"I know."

"Then--"

 Guin held up a hand to restrain him from saying more.

"Shiva."

 Calling out in a sharp voice.

"Yes, Liard!"

 Immediately, there was tension among the warriors of Raak. They knew that Guin had made up his mind about something.

"Istvan."

 Again, he said.

"Yeah."

 Reluctantly, the mercenary nodded his head towards Guin. Guin looks over at him and opens his mouth calmly.

"We have no choice. The lives of all Shem depend on our every second. Let's go straight through the valley of the id."