The Beast of Begmire

by Duane Gundrum

mission.

  Baron Darius accepted Helm's offer to fight the beast, but he refused to allow him to do it without assistance. After a long negotiation, Helm agreed to go out with one of the baron's Guardians. To Helm's amusement, the Guardian turned out to be the man who had originally let him in through the main gate of Begmire. As the two of them were escorted by the baron's elite guard to the main gate, the Guardian did not appear too pleased with his assigned mission.

  On the main road, the Guardian halted his horse and looked back at the city of Begmire. "I never thought I would have to leave the city for such a worthless task," he said.

  "What makes you think this mission is worthless?" said Helm. "We're trying to save your city."

  "The last knight sent out returned with the intelligence of a fruit plant. Is that what's in store for us."

  "We're going to destroy the beast," said Helm.

  "How come the woman is not with us? She could destroy it with a wave of her hand."

  "She is resting."

  "Resting? I could be resting right now! What makes her so special?"

  "She is a sorcerer," he said.

  "And we're dead." A thought came to him. "We never did get our chance to clash swords."

  "We will after we defeat the beast," said Helm.

  A smile came to his face. "Then we will never cross swords. We will die once we meet with the beast. You know that as well as I do."

  Helm said nothing as the two of them continued down the road. After a couple of miles, Helm turned back to the Guardian who was following close behind him. "Where are we to meet this beast?"

  "It will find us. It always does."

  Helm sighed. Whipping the reigns, his horse moved forward again, but stopped a second later as a loud wail could be heard through the trees. The wail continued for several seconds before rustling could be heard in the bushes, and something started moving towards them.

  "The beast!" said the Guardian. "It is coming for us!"

  Helm pulled the sword from his sheath and hopped off his horse. Looking forward in the direction of the moving bushes, he readied his sword and motioned for the Guardian to join him at his side.

  "No way, swordsman. I'm staying on my horse. If that thing's going to attack me, it's going to get a mobile warrior to fight."

  "As you wish," said Helm as he moved forward.

  He only made it a couple of meters before the trees before him ripped aside to reveal a scaly, black creature that stood the height of five men. As it breathed, steam came from its mouth, its teeth revealing dried blood of creatures it had devoured while still alive. "Mortal!" screamed the creature. "Prepare to die!"

  "It speaks," said the Guardian as he aimed his horse in the direction of the beast.

  "Two knights?" said the beast with a cackling laugh. "So much the better. I could use a real meal before I devour your city."

  Before Helm could say anything, the Guardian charged at the beast with his horse. Halfway to the creature's position, the eyes of the creature erupted in flame and the Guardian's horse exploded. The Guardian fell to the ground and hit his head against a tree. Trying to get up, he went woozy and then lost consciousness.

  Now, it was one on one.

  "So, mortal, it is just you and me!" said the beast.

  "What are you?" said Helm as he shifted the sword from hand to hand, keeping his fingers nimble and ready to strike.

  "I am the Beast of the Dark One," it said. "I was created to destroy your cities."

  "Then prepare to die," said Helm.

  The beast started to laugh again. "Because of anything you might do? If your friend couldn't do anything, what makes you think you'll be able to?"

  Helm rushed at the beast with his sword raised. Halfway to the beast, he saw the beast's eyes start to glow again before the erupted in flame. Willing a shield of power around him, the explosion appeared around his shield and then dissipated.

  The beast stared at him with eyes opened wide. "You have the power!"

  Helm continued forward, closing the distance to the beast. Once within striking distance, he swung his sword and cut into the beast's stomach, making a deep cut as he did. The beast roared in pain, but moved back from him.

  As Helm moved forward again, the beast swung its large arms and hit him in the head, knocking him on his back. However, as the beast moved forward at him, he leaped back up to his feet and brought his sword up again. The beast reached him as he stabbed forward, placing a jab into the beast's chest. The beast fell back again in pain, but moved forward at the same instant. Helm leaped to his side as the beast charged at him. Before the beast could turn on him, he swung and chopped the beast at the neck.

  The beast, bleeding from three serious wounds, turned back to Helm and started to draw in his power. He was going to give everything he had to the mortal who dared to attack him.

  As the beast drew in his power, Helm willed in his own power, continuing to draw in more even after he reached the point that he usually felt safe to stop at. He realized that he was risking his own survival if his willed power got out of control, but he knew that he would need more than he usually used. He just didn't know how much he could hold.

  As the beast finished willing in his power, he realized that Helm was still willing in more power. "You are not mortal, are you?" the beast said. The beast continued to stare as Helm continued to draw in more and more.

  After a couple of more seconds, the beast realized that his little show of force was going to be dissipated once it made contact with Helm's will. To show his belief in his own demise, he turned and ran from Helm, convinced that Helm's own will was going to collapse on him. However, he only made it a couple of feet before the full brunt of Helm's force came rushing at him. The beast turned around to see the red light of force, and then he exploded upon impact.

  The explosion knocked Helm to the ground, but it was strong enough to kill the beast. As he stood up, he examined the damage, realizing that the creature was not going to get up again. Walking over to the Guardian, he brought him up to a seated position and rested him up against the side of a tree. "Are you all right?" he said to the Guardian.

  The Guardian looked up at him. "The beast?"

  "Dead," he said.

  The Guardian's eyes opened wide. "You killed it?"

  "I guess we can clash swords now if you like," said Helm.

  The man looked at him and shook his head no quickly. "Not with you. You've proved your point."

  As Helm pulled the Guardian to his feet, he felt a hot wind at his back. Turning around, the trees of the woods parted again to reveal a bright red light. Once the light disappeared, there was a man standing in the illumination, the trees still parted away from him as if in homage.

  "Who is that?" said the Guardian as he backed up to the tree.

  "I think I know," said Helm as the man walked forward, drawing in his will as he did. "It's the Dark One."

  The Guardian stepped aside. "The beast you could handle, but not the Dark One."

  "You!" screamed the Dark One as he pointed his hand at Helm, fire shooting from the finger as he tried to hold in his anger. "You have the will. What did you do to my child!"

  Helm walked towards the Dark One, keeping himself in front of the Guardian so the Guardian would not be involved in the fight. "I destroyed it," said Helm. "It was endangering the city."

  "So," said the Dark One, "your path has already been chosen. You have chosen good."

  "Yes," said Helm.

  "And your master," he said. "Who has taught you the will?"

  Helm took a deep breath. "I am a student of Evina."

  The man's eyes opened wide as fire erupted all around him. "Evina the Bitch? How dare you follow her! She is but a petulant child!"

  "She defeated you," said Helm, even though he had a good feeling that that was not the wise thing to say.

  More fire erupted from the man. "I did not expect such a fig
ht from a woman. I will never make that mistake again."

  Helm drew in his will and started to move forward. "Well, Dark One, I am not a woman."

  "No," he said as his will continued to draw in at an amazing rate, a rate that Helm had never experienced, even when around Evina. "You are no woman. You are but a child."

  Placing a shield around himself, he moved forward still, hoping to reach the sorceror before the man began the fight. Once close enough, he knew he could use his sword, a true weapon to a warrior.

  When he was only a couple of meters away, the Dark One released a full charge at him that ripped into his shield and knocked him back to the ground. Standing up quickly, he rushed at the sorceror and swung his sword at him. As his sword connected, he slashed through a make-shift shield and into the shoulder of the man. He drew blood from the wound.

  The Dark One reached back and felt his wound, realizing that the sword had connected. "What blaspemy is this? You are a sorceror! You cannot use a weapon!"

  "I am only an apprentice," said Helm as he charged at the Dark One again. Before the Dark One could defend himself, Helm crashed the blade against the sorceror's right arm, disabling the limb as he did. Before he could raise the blade again, he felt the will of the sorceror charge and rip into him, tearing his personal shield into shreds. He fell back to the ground and felt another force rip into him, keeping him from standing back up.

  "No, not again," said the Dark One. "You will die now. No one has ever injured me like this. No one!"

  He moved forward and aimed the hand of his uninjured limb at Helm's head. "Draw in any will