A World Beyond the Dark

by Andrei Navala

  Once he reached the camp and emerged from behind a tree he was met with quite the peculiar sight. While Talas clutched the little elf to his chest, Marn was wavering in the face of a rather short opponent who was with his back to Rylan. He drew his sword at once but the woman dashed to him with a single, large step and grabbed his arms in an attempt to stop him. Marn’s opponent was alerted by the sound behind him and turned around, revealing his identity. The shock on Rylan’s face upon seeing Erik was more than visible. He almost lost the grip on his sword as well. So the woman holding him could’ve been none other than-

  “Rilwen!” exclaimed Rylan all of a sudden as he let his sword drop to the ground and turned around with an overjoyed look. He grabbed her by the waist and held her close, feeling renewed now that he knew she was safe. Erik put away his weapon but Marn and Talas were still confused by what was going on.

  “Never expected to find ye so soon, Anvalth. Before ya lay another finger on ‘er I think you need to talk, and quick.” The dwarf was staring at him dead serious. He wasn’t holding his weapon but neither was Rylan.

  “Don’t tell me these guys want to kill you as well…” whispered Marn loud enough that only the dwarf who was close heard him. Erik knew the vow made that day. If anyone from the squad of the maiden were to encounter Anvalth, they had to kill him at all costs. Still, Erik couldn’t bring himself to do the deed without knowing the truth and the reason behind it.

  Rylan finally let go of her and just as he turned around and bent to pick his weapon, the child started crying again. Talas was doing his best to calm him but Marn just stood to the side, embarrassed.

  “Whose child is it?” asked the dwarf as he worriedly looked between the three men. It was now Rylan’s turn to glare at him. The wailing awakened something within Rilwen that she didn’t know she possessed. She dashed right between Rylan and Erik, passing by Marn and stopping right before Talas. She was waiting with her arms wide open while Talas stared at Rylan as if awaiting an answer. Rylan nodded and so Rilwen got to hold the elven child. A faint, weak voice whispered something.

  “What’s his name?” She gently took off her upper half while with her back to them and breastfed the child. Nobody answered for they had not thought of that. The wailing came to an end but Rylan was staring at the woman in disbelief. She had burn marks across her back and not even her voice was the same. Where was the Rilwen he knew and adored? Where was the strong, independent and courageous woman with the body as fair as that of an elven maiden? This struck him all at once and in that confusion he felt the beginning of a panic attack. All he could do was run away, like a wild beast being chased by its predator. His fear and insecurities preyed on him, driving the man to sorrow and anger. It was like that nightmare back then. He was no longer in the forest but surrounded by black walls reaching as high and far as he could see. His surroundings were damp and cold. He felt stinging pain in his heart and his body was heavy and sore. As he continued to run away, he looked down and noticed all the bruises and open scars from which flowed blood. He was missing his right arm and his sight was getting blurrier to the point he could only discern shapes and colors. Even though the warm crimson fluid dripped down his body, he felt cold and he shivered. This time he no longer had that morbid curiosity to turn around and see what was chasing him. All that he could discern was that his steps were getting heavier and he was on the brink of collapsing from exhaustion. He hardly dragged his feet forward as the chill of death was creeping behind him, taking him and his sanity away.

  “Rylan, you with us?” said Marn, rocking him back and forth by the shoulders. “You spaced out for quite a while. Your lady here was getting worried.” He pointed towards the woman in full white, wearing a mask which he could no longer discern as being Rilwen. She held the baby which was now asleep in her arms.

  “The more I look at you, the more I doubt Rilwen’s choice of searching for you. Are you even aware what despicable act you did to her before you left our party?” Rylan nodded without saying a word. Marn was looking at him with disgust but then he resigned knowing he had done his fair share of terrible acts.

  “Let us speak in private.” muttered Rylan in a half-hearted tone as he walked away from the camp. Erik had to dash to catch up to him because of his short legs, and the two went into the woods while the remaining three stood in the improvised camp.

  Marn was rather bothered by the woman named Rilwen. Just by looking at her strange attire he could tell something was off and even if only a glimpse, he saw the burn marks on her back. As much as he was off put by the thought, he was curious what happened between her and Rylan. More so he had seen a dwarf for the first time and judging by his words the relation between the two should have been anything but good and yet they hugged with as much tender passion as a married couple. Marn continued to stare at her for a while and observed her movements. She looked pretty calm and reserved but he could almost feel her uneasiness now in the absence of either of her two old friends. His gaze turned to Talas who was just as intrigued by her presence. While Marn was content with just watching, Talas silently approached her and tapped her shoulder. That was enough to startle her but she struggled to keep her composure in order to not wake up the baby. The two exchanged stares but she slowly pulled away from him, his presence bothering her. That was the moment when the words of the elf from before came back to Marn… how Rylan defiled her and slaughtered two others.

  All of a sudden, they heard a loud noise coming from the woods. Something flashed past them and was knocked into a tree, leaving a trail of blood over the thin layer of fresh snow. It was in fact the dwarf Erik who was now unconscious. A terrible growl echoed through the forest, freezing the marrow in their bones. From the bushes emerged Rylan all worked up, having restored his hand and wielding both swords. After him followed a horrific beast, felling down trees as it moved. Its fur was pitch black and it stared at them with pitiless, red smoldering eyes. The fiend had antlers which ravaged the tree crowns and a thick tail sweeping the ground. Its muscular biped legs slowly moved forward as it analyzed each and every one of them. Its back was slightly arched and it waited with razor sharp claws from which dripped the blood of the dwarf. Rylan was yet unscarred but solely because he retreated to the others, having forgot about Rilwen and the child. The clash between him and the monster was imminent and unavoidable if he wanted to protect the others.

  “We can’t fend off that thing, and the dwarf is dying!” Shouted Marn as he started to panic seeing how the nightmarish creature was creeping ever closer.

  “’Tis but a scratch, lad. Keep it busy while I get myself together!” yelled Erik through bloody coughs while he used both hands to keep his guts from spilling.

  The entire party was all over the place and nobody knew what to do, save for Rylan who steeled his resolve and charged at the beast. The fiend stretched its back and howled hauntingly, having a wide grimace from which its sharp teeth shone through. Rylan could not see the evil on its face for he gave up his normal vision once more in exchange for the strength of his right arm. With a single leap he closed the distance between him and his opponent, taking the fiend by surprise with his astounding speed. He swung his executioner sword from the left and thrust forward with his other sword but both attacks were parried as if it was child’s play. The furred monster than grabbed him by the arms with the same movement and rammed into him with the horns, hurling him high into the branches. Rylan was given no moment’s rest for the creature followed him into the air with an earth shattering jump, having its claws forward in order to slice him up. An arrow flew in the abdomen of the beast but it seemed unbothered by it, which made Marn grit his teeth. The fiend implanted its claws in the chest of its opponent and then threw him towards the ground while it grabbed onto a massive tree which could sustain its weight. Rylan hit the ground and things were looking grim for him. Had it not been for his Telaar enhancing every bit of his body, he would’ve been a goner already.

  Rilwen watched with despair w
hile the child started to cry loudly again. His cries distracted the beast for a moment, time in which Rylan was merely able to stand up and grab his swords again. To everyone’s surprise, Talas was running towards the beast unarmed. The monster jumped down from the tree leaving behind a small crater and raked the ground were Rylan stood yet he surprisingly vanished. He appeared from above, thrusting his new sword in the back of the beast but the moment he hit a bone, the sword shattered and he couldn’t grab hold of its fur so he just tumbled down. With a pained howl, the demon turned to him but noticed Talas who leapt towards it. It swung its antlers to the side in order to impale the man and something completely out of the ordinary happened. Deep stab wounds appeared on the monster’s body and blood was flowing violently. Talas fell to the ground unscarred but he was barely breathing. Marn let loose another arrow right between the eyes of the beast. His act did more than harm the beast; he drew its attention to him. The demon fell down on all fours and ignored Rylan and Talas, heading straight for its attacker. The two chased in its wake but it was of no use, for its agility far surpassed theirs.

  Marn’s heart was beating out of his chest and he felt impaired by his own fear. He knew there was no one who could save him. The two were chasing behind out of reach, the dwarf was incapacitated and the woman was preoccupied with protecting the child. What was there left for him to do? He couldn’t dodge in time nor did he have the power to retaliate. His stomach was sinking and he could already feel the tremendous pain he was about to experience. He then felt and heard something fly past his head, hitting the front legs of the beast and making it collapse right before Marn with its mouth foaming. The one who did this valiant act was Erik, who fell unconscious right after that last push. Rilwen ran up to him while also trying to comfort the child in her arms who would not stop crying. It was true that she lost her confidence but she did not lose her powers. Bent down on her knees, with one hand she held the elf while with the other soothed Erik’s pain and healed the gouging wound.

  “Stay back!” yelled Rylan to Talas who was chasing after the beast along with him but wouldn’t stop.

  When the beast got back up on its hind legs, Rylan passed beneath its feet and spun with his executioner sword, slashing its calves and forcing it to fall on its back. Talas dodged out of the way of the fall and retreated to where Erik and Rilwen were. In the spur of the moment, Marn struggled to pick up the warhammer which lied right beneath his eyes, smashing the groin of the demon. With a fiendish roar, it smacked the weapon out of his hand, shattering it with just one touch. Rylan leapt towards it with the sword above his hand but he was grabbed in mid-air with one arm while the others slashed his face. Rilwen yelled seeing the devastating blow he had sustained but she was not aware that he continued to swing down with his sword and cut off two of the large fingers holding him, thus releasing himself from the grasp. With abnormal strength of will, the demon stood up on its wounded legs and lunged forward in an attempt to eviscerate Rylan as he was still falling. He had no other choice than to put up the wide sword in between them as a shield. Sparks resulted in the clash between the two and Rylan was sent flying into a tree with his weapon ending up farther away on the ground. An arrow pierced the right cheek of the beast but Marn let out curses because he aimed for the eyes.

  “Enough Rilwen! Where’s me hammer?” shouted Erik as he stood up, pushing Rilwen away. His eyes scouted the battle field and they stopped upon seeing large pieces of shattered metal and an ornate cane with the remainder of the hammer head. “My lord…” He muttered with pain in his heart. That was the weapon entrusted to him by the high lord of the dwarves. Despite her lacking, Rilwen’s quick wittedness was present as she threw her jewel encrusted dagger to Erik who caught it with ease but he was about to throw it back to her. “I cannot! ‘Twas entrusted to ye by Élerion!” She didn’t have the strength to shout back in response but she shook her head.

  “Behind you!” yelled Marn who ducked out of the way of the attack which was now headed towards Erik. He unsheathed the dagger and retaliated, striking right in the palm of the monster but sustaining injuries all across his arm from its claws. He lost his grip on the dagger and the beast was about to ram into him with its antlers had it not been for Marn who jumped on its back and tried his best to distract it. “Do something you potato!” cried out Marn who was now grappled on the back of the beast which tried to throw him off but to no avail. Talas picked up the bow and quiver from the ground and aimed for the monster which was shaking and moving back and forth. The first arrow flew wild and into a tree, not even close to its mark. Suddenly, the demon backed away with speed, heading towards a tree. If nobody intervened, he was about to be violently squashed. He was so panicked that he forgot to let go in time and now it was too late. Rylan chased after it but he knew he wouldn’t catch up in time. Time moved slower as he looked for anything he could use to his advantage. An arrow flew by his ear and into the ground at its feet, which gave him a crazy idea. As he was running, he put up his sword forward and thrust it in the ground, using it as a support point to leap faster and further. He let go of the handle and was now flying through the sky, headed towards the hideous head of the beast. The monster put up a guard with its clawed hands but he smashed with his fist right through the guard and into the temple of the fiend, knocking it prone and having Marn tumble because of the momentum into that same tree which could’ve been his doom.

  “Play time is over.” roared the fiend in a deep, thundering voice. As the party regrouped by the fire, it menacingly stood up glaring at them with vicious hatred. The ground beneath its feet cracked as it dashed in the blink of an eye, closing the gap with just two massive steps and ramming into them with its broad antlers. Rylan intercepted the attack with the blunt of his blade, large wounds ripping across his left arm as he stood his ground. His sight was coming back the more he fought but his strength was wavering and fading away.

  “Run away with the child!” He shouted as blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth. “We cannot defeat this beast!”

  “Why do you oppose us?” Asked the fiend as it backed away from their clash for a moment. “Our Queen would welcome you with open arms. She would grant you the strength to protect those dear to you. Is that not what you wish for? How many do you want to see suffer because of your weakness? Have they not suffered enough? Have you not suffered enough?”

  “Don’t listen to its trickery!” yelled Erik who was already pushing the rest away, understanding that Rylan wanted to sacrifice himself for the others. Rilwen was the only one of the group protesting against his choice and she gave the child to Talas in order to run to Rylan but Erik grabbed her by the shoulders and stared right in her eyes with a stern, concerned look.

  “If I give in to your request, will you spare them?” asked Rylan with grave seriousness in his voice. He dared not look at them, especially Rilwen because he knew how she would despise him if he gave up. He was in quite the pickle because he no longer felt like giving up on life but neither did he want to join the ranks of those who have tortured him for so long. His only hope was that he might be able to escape some time or that he would grow strong enough to obliterate his captors. Erik was forcefully pulling Rilwen away from him and the group slowly but surely advanced deeper in the forest. The moment she could no longer see or hear him, Rilwen gave up on breaking free but she had lost all interest in everything. She was running along with the rest but her eyes had lost all light. She couldn’t even bring herself to cry for abandoning Anvalth once more.

  “Your answer is clear, now that I have let them escape.” Responded the beast as something extremely unusual happened. Smoke came out of its fur, enveloping the demon in a whirlwind filled with smoke and the snow around. Once it was over and the remainder of it dissipated into the air, it revealed a tall man with pitch black hair and eyes, standing naked in front of Rylan.

  “How come you trusted I wouldn’t run away while you did that?” Asked Rylan, puzzled by the sudden display of moral valu
es from a monster like him.

  “I observed what a trust worthy companion you were to your close friends and I doubted you would go against your word. I know you better than you think.” continued the man in the same deep voice which now felt unnatural for his appearance. He was walking with his bare feet over the cold snow, straight towards Rylan who was backing away at the same pace.

  “You don’t know anything.” He said with a bitter, annoyed tone as he readied his blade before him.

  “I know how much the thought of joining us pains your heart after all those experiences. I am well aware you do it only for power and you are looking for any way out of this with as little trouble as possible. We are quite alike, my friend.” The more he spoke, his voice turned into that of a real human which slightly freaked out Rylan. If somebody were to talk to him unknowing of his nature, they could be easily fooled.

  “I am no friend of fiends!” Shouted Rylan as he finally stopped, gripping the sword tightly with both hands and standing up to him. The man approached with the same pace as before, unbothered by his stance.

  “I admire your combat prowess and your apparent acts of selflessness but I wonder when will you stop lying to yourself?” The man stopped in the reach of Rylan’s blade which did not move a finger against him. The dark haired man immediately backed away as soon as he sensed movement from Rylan. To his surprise, he dropped his sword and put one leg forward.

  “Let’s make a deal. We will have a fist fight and whoever emerges victorious has complete control over the life of the other.” He was hesitant in his words as if he was unsure he wanted to do that. The demon thought he had to have some ace up his sleeve to challenge him to such a foolish encounter.