A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands

Book 2: Chapter 42: The Green Road

I believe that it is in this cradle of vulnerability, this realm of tender dependence, that the true nature of the human soul is forged. For it is the very incompleteness of our birth, the knowledge that we are unready to face the world, that grants us the strength to endure, to adapt, and ultimately to triumph over the challenges that life presents.

- The Human Question by Gideon de Salavia 378 AC.

It took a few days of solid travel, but eventually, the green of the endless grass turned to a yellow, then to brown scraggly brush, before finally disappearing altogether as we entered the domain of the white sand. This was true except for one place, the line of green that cut through the Whispering Wastes, the seasonal river that was called the Green Road by the people of this land.

I was riding ahead of the caravan, with the two friends Tomorbat and Suhkbat, Khalam’s second, Jasper, and my gambling comrade, Likam, the old guard. We were roughly two horses’ length apart from each other on the left bank of the oddest of rivers.

The Samasutum, or the Green Road, was as straight as a well-crafted spear, with neither bend nor turn, all the way to the horizon’s edge. Its waters were shallow and it was a uniform twenty or so paces wide. The river’s water was crystal clear and one could see the white sand and stone along its bottom. Small fish swam with and against the current, silvery shadows that darted to and fro.

All along the banks of this strange river were new growths of wiry grass, small flowering bushes, and large ferns twice as tall as the largest of men. Insects buzzed in the air among the rapidly-forming mist as morning turned to afternoon. I saw a purple beetle, the size of a closed fist, alight momentarily on Mouse’s head, causing my mount to snort in displeasure and shake her mane.

On our afternoon patrol, the weather had become a little warmer as we journeyed further south. The mist that had grown along the banks of the river in the morning had mostly been banished by the rising sun. I noticed that, despite it being broad daylight, the leader of our small group, Jasper, held a lit, burning torch in his hand. When I questioned Suhkbat, or it could have been Tomorbat—these people all looked the same after all—he explained to me that it was to ward off a certain type of monster that lived along the Green Road.

Sandgorgers, Likam took over explaining, were a type of monstrous amphibian that resembled a giant three-eyed frog. The creatures would lash out at the unwary from beneath the water of the river, or the wet sands of the banks, with their long prehensile tongues, before charging in and savaging them.

Suddenly, the wet sand, a score of strides ahead of me, erupted as a long line of pink wrapped around my left arm. I saw a large brown three-eye amphibian, with a crest of bone running down its back. Its skin hung loosely around its large frame in fleshy folds, and it was more akin to a toad than a frog. Its maw gaped wide, revealing rows of serrated teeth, and I grasped that the fleshy coil entwined about my limb was none other than the creature's elongated tongue. Without forewarning, the beast commenced to drag me towards itself, the force of the pull threatening to unseat me from Mouse. I struggled for mastery as Mouse reared up in fright.

The monster was about the size of a small cow, and as mount and rider, we valiantly struggled against it.

Luckily for me, Jasper charged at it, torch in hand, scaring off the creature and forcing it to withdraw its long tongue and flee to the safety of the river. There, it jumped into the shallow waters and started swimming with great speed downriver.

“These things fear the fire,” commented Jasper, “Though I did not expect them to rouse themselves so early in the season, and so close to the Grass Sea, which is worrying. No doubt they will be hungry after their long sleep, but I think we will not make for an easy meal!”

“How about the others that travel behind us? We cannot allow these creatures to live; they endanger those who travel behind us,” I added, eager for experience, and confident after seeing that I had suffered no damage from the monster.

“They are easy enough to ward away with fire, Gilgamesh, and pose no threat to us,” Jasper added a little testily.

“But what of those who do not know this? The young child or fellow unwary traveler? Sure, we cannot kill them all, but at least we can show them the error of targeting men. We are armed and strong, and they should pose no threat to us,” I stated confidently.

“Those are fine and noble words, as expected, from one that walks with the Goddess. I have a small son, no more than three years to this day. I am with Gilgamesh with this. It is for the strong and able to protect the weak, that is why we are getting paid too, yes?” opined Sukhbat.

I had to repress an irrational tick of irritation at his mention of Avaria.

His friend Tomorbat rolled his shoulders before adjusting his seat in the saddle, as he looked across at the flowing water of the river. “Surely a little exercise will let us work up a little appetite for dinner. My wife says that I am getting too fat and I feel she would be a little warmer in bed if I regained my former majesty. Come now, you know these Sandgorgers make for a good meal. It will give Chef Amgalan some variety to cook,” he chortled good-naturedly.

“Why must the pair of you always wish to create more work! Fine, we will hunt these Sandgorgers but I can not risk our mounts,” he paused momentarily, before turning on his seat, “Sukh, you will lead our horses far from the shore, but close enough that you might render us assistance. Sir Gilgamesh, since this is your idea, you will do the honors of luring these creatures out. That last one must have had the hunger with him to attack a group of four,” Jasper commanded, his voice growing stern with authority.

I took his words in, weighing them, and found them grating. It was what I wanted, but I did not enjoy being maneuvered into a decision that was not of my own making.

Nonetheless, I dismounted without a word, albeit a little awkwardly with all of my new gear, and then gave Jasper a winning smile, “Very well,” I acquiesced. “But let us make a game of it. Let us see who can kill the most of these terrors,” I added, unstrapping my shield from my shoulder.

Almost as if on cue, Sukhbat asked, “What are we wagering? Not that I care, for I am bound to lose,” he furrowed his brow for a second in thought before he found enlightenment, “Perhaps, I could wager on a winner!”

“How about a copper, just for fun? Would not wish to rob you before the evening’s games, for that would truly kill my enjoyment,” I grinned at my fellows as I patted Mouse. Smiling weakly, I handed her reins to the genial Sukhbat.

“Ha, I’ll show you lot. I’ve still got a bit of bite left in me. I’ve been killing these things when you were still soiling your small clothes. By the smell of things, you lot still do!” Likam added to the mix with a good-natured growl.

“This is a serious thing! Hah! Even as men, our hearts are as boys, or so my wife reminds me, often and loudly. Perhaps the old Likam is right. Good thing there is a river nearby where you can clean yourself up,” our leader Jasper sighed as he placed a slightly-worn nasal helm on his head.

Grinning secretly to myself, I followed suit, placed my helm on my head, and took my place at the front of our group. I began to whistle a tune from my old world as I walked ahead. A few seconds later I looked back to confirm the distance between us, not that I was worried, only to see Jasper drop a medium-sized purple stone onto the damp sands. I noted that Jasper kept his cavalry lance, even on foot, while Likam and Tomorbat held small bows at the ready.

The rascals let me walk about fifteen or twenty paces in front of them before they started to follow behind me. It seemed I really was going to be the lure and bait. However, I planned to be much more. Every single one of those creatures that I could get my hands on, I would turn to experience points. With Larynda now sharing a wagon with Cordelia, I had lost easy access to my Mana battery. I needed to get to the next level as soon as possible, in order to get to the next level in Mana Regeneration, to help make up for the deficit.

But these were thoughts for another time, I chided myself, and shook my head. Since it was my job to lure the creatures, my new Quassian crossbow would be of little use, so I drew the sword-hammer at my hip. The weapon felt solid, a comforting weight, and I moved onwards.

It was getting a little hotter now, just a touch outside the realm of uncomfortable. Already I could feel the sweat beginning to form across my skin. I was warmed from within and without as my eagerness to accumulate experience mounted.

Ten or so minutes later, feeling uncomfortable, I turned again to check on the rest of my group when I felt it. Instincts that were gifted to primal man, from when we warred with the saber-tooth and the Neanderthal flared, to life and I spun around with my shield raised.

Another sticky pink thing, a tongue from a Sandgorger, wet with saliva, had smacked against my shield before wrapping around my arm. This time, without the benefit of Mouse’s added weight and Strength I struggled against the monster’s pull. I braced myself for a moment in the sand, pulling against the creature before I saw arrows start to fly towards it.

Luckily, all but one of the missiles hit the creature. However, even the ones that hit failed to cause great damage, as its tough, warty skin absorbed most of the force.

Even as we struggled against each other, I cast Entropic Aura, almost as if by second nature. Waves of raw Entropy burst from me and washed across the creature, and I had the satisfaction of watching the creature blink in what I considered to be fear. How the hunter is hunted, I whispered to myself, in grim satisfaction. I gripped the monster’s tongue and the creature began to panic, trying furiously to extricate its wriggling, vile appendage. Not today, little one, not today, my heart sang in joy.

The guards were shouting at me, but I could hear none of it. I was so focused on this contest of man against beast, my blood was up and none would stand in my way.

Using Dash, I tried to close the distance and my Stamina fell by a negligible amount, thanks to my inordinately high Constitution. My sword arm rose high before I brought it down in a savage blow, fuelled by a Power Strike. The creature gave a high-pitched gurgle as my blow connected with the side of its ugly face and smashed out a few of its teeth. Green blood seeped from the wound, and instead of white, I saw that the bones of its exposed jaw were turquoise in color. Disgusted, I raised my sword and fell into a festival of release, this time taking out its eyes with slashes and stabs.

Behind me, the group was still shouting some indecipherable nonsense. Could they not see that I was preoccupied? I had experience to farm here, I roared in glee.

Then another alien pink tongue shot out, this time from the water’s edge, and coiled itself around the wrist of my sword arm. With a new foe, my first reaction was to let go of the first Sandgorger’s tongue.

This one seemed stronger, and I saw a large horn on the snout of the new creature. Damn bloody things, one after another. In the corner of my vision, I saw the first monster limping away, trailing blood as it wandered in circles across the new vegetation. Digging my heels in, I formed the spell incantation of Drain in the silent halls of my mind, as the dark voices lent me their guidance. Once the spell was ready, I let the magic form a different sort of connection with my foe, grinning when the hungry lines traveled up its thick pink tongue.

Impressions of sleep, thirst, and hunger over long months clouded my mind for half-a-second before I ignored them. They were irrelevant and unnecessary, so I simply prepared another Drain spell. Going through the motions of the spell, I released questing tendrils of black midnight, invisible to anyone else but me, that reached out for the other struggling amphibian, as it made strange, alien cries of pain.

Using another Dash, this time away from my foe, I pulled the larger, horned monster away from the water’s edge. Now that things were a battle of attrition, I had things well in hand, and I planted my feet and faced the creature. I pulled, pulled, and kept pulling at the horned one before me, in a contest of Strength.