Onward to Adventure: Chapter 8

As Brinvok ran through the village, the people who not a few minutes before were such happy sights were now obstacles in his way as he raced through the busy streets.  The crowed blurring into what Brinvok perceived as almost a huge person, with a thousand pairs of eyes and one big inaudible voice.  Once he finally burst through the old wooden gate, he raced up the dirt trail through the forest until he got to the clearing where his house now formerly stood.

There in the clearing was the smoldering remains of his family's house, countless questions flooded Brinvok’s mind.  He wondered where his parents were and if there was anything he could have done to prevent this.  Suddenly all of his questions were answered as a giant shadow blocked out the sun and the only light he could see was the last few embers that had yet to die from the spot where his house stood.  He looked up and saw a sight that would be singed into his memory like a hot iron.  A massive Guardian, the famed Qucsceradeinos, for years its legend was passed through the lands, that it could destroy an acre of land in a heartbeat,  and yet it only targeted his house.  

The Qucsceradeinos was covered from head to claws with emerald green and black feathers that seemed to be so dark that they appeared to trap sunlight.  It had a long reptilian face with brilliant orange eyes that flickered like torches in a cave.  It had long black wings that sounded like thunder when they flapped, the trees moved with each gust, they ebbed and flowed like a big green ocean.  The Qucsceradeinos has long thick legs that end with a foot that has four clawed toes on each foot.  A long tail that ended with a thick bushel of feathers that blend from black to bright green.  These mighty beasts of the sky started massive fires by rubbing its claws together near a combustible surface, such as hay or a thatch roof of a house, the sparks that can fly from the claws would then ignite the desired object and spread.  

The legend goes that the Qucsceradeinos only harms humans for sport.  While it is told to eat meat, it is told that they resent humanity for driving their population to a few dozen.  These mighty beasts hunted mankind in their early years, until the day that humanity invented metal weapons to combat the Qucsceradeinos and other such Guardians.  

Brinvok stood motionless staring at the behemoth in the sky, the beast did not even seem to notice his presence.  The woods were silent, all that was heard was the deep sound of the monster’s wings flapping and a distant scream.  Brinvok looked up at the monster and saw his mother in the beast's clutches.

He watched in horror as the Guardian looked down, it had noticed our hero and gazed into his eyes.  Brinvok later would swear that the monster smiled as he let one claw loosen around Brinvok’s mother. Two claws loosened, then three, she was holding on for dear life to the last claw of the monster.   The beast flicked its claw, like a human flicking a louse off of its finger and Brinvok’s mother plummeted to the earth, crashing through the trees and hit the ground with a muffled thud.

Onward to Adventure: Chapter 7

Brinvok awoke in the warm familiar warmth of his childhood bed, he was now a young man and it had been several years since his brother's tragic death and he was now almost an adult.  He walked into the dining room of his father’s house, which essentially was also the kitchen and the living space.  His father was a carpenter for the village and due to the recent drought in the area, all of the trees were wilting, making it hard for his father to find enough living trees to make into pillars for the town.  

Brinvok walked up to his mother and father who were sitting at their table eating their oatmeal and drinking milk from their cow.  Brinvok asked of them,

“Mother, father? Am I able to go into the main village and visit Jarvin at the blacksmiths?”

“Oh I don’t know Brinny, I have to go really far today with my workers to find any living trees, your mother needs help around the house with fields, don’t you dear?”

“Oh yes, an extra pair of hands would be wonderful ever since…” his mother petered off, she had always been a bit off since Bjorn died, she still sometimes she still leaves an extra plate at dinner for him, both Brinvok and his father constantly would worry about her health.

“Alright, I’ll stay…” Brinvok moaned, he had no intention of staying home, his friend would be sailing away for a few months and this would be the last time he could see him for a while.

After him and his mother said goodbye to father and he was out of sight, Brinvok waited until his mother fell asleep after breakfast, she always was so tired, to run down to the village.  By now the village was vibrant with life, the people were running to and fro with baskets of breads, meats, arrows and all sorts of goods.  The blacksmith’s forge was a big stone building that had several smokestacks that billowed black smoke like a dragon.  Brinvok then knocked on the door and a scrawny man with big goggles on and an apron stained with soot answered the door.

“Ah Brinvok how have you been? Jarvin is in the back smelting more copper, we have a big shipment that needs to be sent to Valkria tomorrow night.”

“Thanks Brahmon.” replied Brinvok, Brahmon was the town’s blacksmith. For what he lacked in physical standings, he made up for in his vast knowledge of smithing.  “Hey Jarvin”, Brinvok called into the store.  There was a loud clang as several copper blades hit the floor.

“Hey man I am really swamped with work, I appreciate the visit but I promise I’ll come by your house and say goodbye to you and your parents,alright?”

“Yeah… see you around…” Brinvok said as he dragged himself out of the blacksmiths.  As soon as he exited however, he looked into the distance and saw dark smoke clouding up the horizon, in the direction of his house.