This story is being rewritten! The new version, A Price in Memory, can be found here.

I highly suggest you read the new version as this one won't be completed. Also, there has been a lot of changes so you won't be able to continue with the other where this one left off.

Y’rid breathed in… and out, focusing on the air as it passed over his parched tongue and settled into his burning lungs before being expelled, taking with it a small part of his frustration. The light breeze, barely detectable from sight alone, weaved through his open collar and sleeves, cooling down his sweat-stained body. But not enough to truly make a difference.

He narrowed his eyes, staring down the predator in front of him. With each clash he had become more certain that this thing wasn’t a man. It wasn’t human at all. It was a ghost wearing the flesh of the living for its own twisted amusement.

Just one cut.

That was all he wanted. A line of red to counterbalance the ache of the bruises covering his body. A single scratch to allow him to hold onto what remained of his pride and provide visible proof that his opponent was, in fact, not untouchable. With a focused mind raised his sword parallel to the ground, the tip pointing at its target.

In contrast, his opponent didn’t seem to take his challenge seriously at all. In fact, if anything, the man seemed a little bored.

Holin was standing in a relaxed manner. Seemingly oblivious of Y’rid as he held his sword in one hand while the other slowly traced its edge, searching for any chips that might have sprung into being over the few hours they had been at it.

Y’rid launched himself forward, closing the distance between them as his sword thrust forward in a silver line aimed at centre mass. Holin twisted past the blade, his own sword swinging out as he batted Y’rid’s to the side before stepping passed him like a shadow.

A blow to the back of the knee sought to force Y’rid to the ground, but he refused. With a shout of effort, he spun around upon his other heel, swinging his sword in a monstrous arch meant to cleave through all in its path.

His eyes widened as Holin came into view, already standing outside of his sword’s intended path. Their eyes locked for a moment and he saw the edges of the man’s lips curl upwards as he sprung towards him.

The moment Holin’s feet touched the ground he leaned back, his momentum carrying him as Y’rid’s blade passed harmlessly a few centimetres above him. Pushing up from his back foot the man regained his balance just as Y’rid was struggling to keep his. Holin’s arm was a blur as he drew the dagger strapped to his thigh and held it up in front of Y’rid’s face with a smile on his own.

Eyes wide, Y’rid felt the weight of his own swing pull him towards the blade. Unable to salvage the situation, he let go of his sword and threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding impaling himself on the dagger.

A dull pain shot through his shoulder it met the ground alongside the clattering sound of the sword a few feet away.

Snapping his eyes open he found the dagger repositioned in front of them, a short distance from robbing his sight.

Holin shook his head as he looked down at Y’rid.

“You’re letting your feelings get in the way. That last swing of yours was horrible. Keeping to the offensive was the correct decision, but you wagered everything on your last attack, the moment I stepped out of your reach, you had already lost.

And your natural style of fighting is not suited for a long sword like that. You have a habit of utilising quick strikes and thrusts. Something I approve of, I might add, but that turns your sword’s weight and reach into a hindrance rather than an advantage.”

Holin sheathed his dagger and extending an arm to him which Y’rid grabbed and used to pull himself to his feet.

“Yeah,” Y’rid replied. “I’ve got used to the weight of the sword but it still feels… clumsy. But it is also the only the weapon I have.”

Holin nodded.

“We'll get you a suitable blade when we reach Lok,” the man said. “That one you’ve got there is a fine sword, you should be able the get a fair price for it, at least enough to purchase something more to your liking.”

Y’rid retrieved his sword and looked it over. While he was sparring with Holin he had felt as if something was missing. It wasn’t until he had instinctively raised an arm to block one of the man’s strikes, which he would have lost if Holin didn’t pull back at the last moment, that he realised what it was. A shield.

He could remember fighting with a sword and a shield in his previous life. The memories were vague but sparring with Holin had shown him that something remained, drilled into his mind by who knows how many hours of training. It was simple things, like the difference in where to place his feet when thrusting or slashing, or how to react to a sudden strike.

That said, right now he needed every advantage he could get, and if these memories could be one then he intended to make full use of them.

“How do you move so fast?” Y’rid asked the question that had been on his mind for a while now. “Ritter was the same, I could barely follow his movements.”

“Training… amongst other things,” the man replied.

“Other things?”

“You’ll see,” he said, a grin spreading across his face, one that didn’t look friendly in the least. “If you live long enough that is.”

Y’rid was about to ask more when a voice interrupted them.

“You two finished playing?”

Y’rid looked over to see Kali standing nearby alongside Hadi.

“The food is just about ready, I thought I’d come warn you before Red laid claim to your share,” she continued.

Y’rid felt a stab of hunger in his gut at the words, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in almost a day.

“I have a good grasp on your abilities now, we might as well call it day,” Holin said, looking up at the sky that was just beginning to darken as the last of the day’s light started fading.

Y’rid barely suppressed a sigh of relief at the words. He had been slowing down over the course of their ‘training’. The breaks between clashes had also increased but he couldn’t leave a bad impression after he had told Rhone he wanted to join despite the man’s warning, so he had forced himself to continue.

Kali gave Y’rid a knowing look before she turned around with Hadi, Holin and himself following. It only took them a few minutes to reach the edge of the camp. He and Holin had been training some distance down the road to avoid distractions or at least so the man had claimed.

They quickly passed the perimeter and headed towards the warm glow of a fire at the edge of the camp. Two people were sitting around the few flames still flickering above a bed of glowing coals over which some skinned animal the size of his leg was being roasted. It had an elongated shape with four short libs and a tail, giving the impression of a lizard, but at that size and without any skin, Y’rid couldn’t be sure.

Facing them sat Rhone quietly sipping from a wineskin he had produced from somewhere. Across from him was a huge man whose back was turned towards them his hands extended out towards the heat.

Kali walked over and sat down next to Rhone with Y’rid and Hadi joining her.

“You are Y’rid,” The big man said as Y’rid sat down between him and Hadi. “Good to have new companions.”

The man clapped Y’rid on the back with a smile, the force of the blow driving him forward almost sending him into the fire.

“I’m Redna’kheer,” the man said.

“Just call him Red, we all do,” Holin said as he took a place on the opposite side of the fire.

“Good to meet you Red,” Y’rid said.

“Hmm,” the man nodded before turning to Holin. “What does he look like?”

“Slow, predictable, a bit emotional, but he has talent,” Holin replied grinning at Y’rid.

“Passion claims all young warriors,” Red said laughing. “Skill comes later. If the price is met.”

The man’s hand reached out to touch a pendant hanging around his neck. It was a simple square of a white metal that Y’rid didn’t recognise, bound by a brown rope. What drew his attention was the symbol carved into the square, it a combination of two loops divided by three straight lines. It looked oddly reminiscent of the magic symbols he had seen.

“Is that a magic charm of some kind?” He asked, curiosity driving him to find out more of this power that was capable of defying death.

Red smiled

“Not magic. Something much greater. It is the name of Uldar.”

“Uldar is the god of Balance,” Kali supplied. “The name is written in the same language that the magic runes come from.”

“The god of Balance?”

“He watches all things,” Red said. “Keeps the world from falling. What is taken is given.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t heard of Him,” Kali said. “Though perhaps I shouldn’t be. Not a lot of people worship Him these days. He keeps the Balance. By definition, He will never tip the odds in your favour even if you devote your life to him.”

Red shook his head, “You should not seek to gain without offering the same. What is taken is given and what is given is taken. As it should be.”

“That is-“

A yell interrupted Kali. They turned towards the sound, seeing a commotion forming around a distraught and bloody man that and one of the Blackguard that was questioning him. Rhone turned to Holin.

“Well?” He asked.

“The man and one of his friends were attacked when one had to take a shit,” Holin replied. “He didn’t get a clear look, but from the description, I’d say it was a steelwolf.”

Y’rid looked at Holin in surprise, he tried to listen to the shouting but they were too far away to make out anything specific.

He actually heard them from here?

Rhone sighed, “Well that’s the end of the peace. It seems the beasts are returning.”

“At least we caught up with this group,” Holin added. “Would have been hard to protect two hundred people by ourselves with a handful of guards and hunters.”

“Hm,” Rhone nodded before turning back to the fire and turning the roasting creature. “Just about done.”

“Don’t you have to do something?” Y’rid asked, a bit taken aback by their relaxed attitudes.

“Like what?” Holin asked. “The beasts won’t likely attack the camp, not with this many people here. But going out in the dark to kill a steelwolf doesn’t make sense. It will take a long time to track it down, and one less won’t make any difference.

The best we can do is to help guard the camp in the off chance that something’s brave enough to take a chance. Losing people between cities is common. With this many civilians, if we make it to Lok with less than thirty casualties, then I’d call that a win.”

Kali sighed and shook her head sadly. Looking around at the camp, Y’rid could see the fear on the faces of the people.

“If you want to relieve yourself, I’d suggest you do it during the day and don’t stray too far from the rest of the group,” Rhone said in a stiff tone.

The man had been oddly distant ever since Y’rid had expressed his desire to join them. Perhaps he thought Y’rid would be a burden. In that case, he would just have to prove him wrong.

Rhone reached out and lifted the roasting creature from the fire by its skewer. The aroma of the cooked meat made Y’rid stomach growl, casting aside any hesitations he might have had eating the strange creature.

“Finally,” Holin said as Rhone drew a knife and cut into the flesh. He quickly divided it into six pieces, which he gave out. Y’rid took his and Hadi’s, tumbling it from one hand to the other in a feeble attempt to keep his hands getting burned. Before reaching for his sword and skewering the pieces again, setting the blade across his knees and waiting for it to cool.

Holin snorted as he watched the scene, his own piece hanging on the dagger in his hand. The other’s all did the same except Red. The big man didn’t seem to notice the heat as he bit off almost a third of the tail he was given, silently chewing as the remaining piece sizzled in his hand.

Y’rid stared at the man.

“What?” Red asked still chewing on the meat.

Y’rid looked to the others, though they seemed used to the sight.

“Doesn’t it burn? It just came off the coals.”

The big man laughed.

“I’m from Anuneer,” he said. “You leave your food outside there and it’ll be charred in hours.”

“He should know, the same happened to him,” Holin said with a smile nodding at the man’s dark skin.

Kali chuckled though Rhone only shook his head. Red grinned.

“Children wait for their food to cool, paleskin,” he said, his hand shooting towards Holin’s portion on his dagger with surprising speed. Holin saw the move coming though, and snatched his dagger away before the man’s hand could close onto it.

Red merely smiled and went back to eating.

“How did you end up here?” Y’rid asked. He remembered the mercenary he met in the tavern talking about the Anuneri desert at the tip of the world. He didn’t know where the tip was but seeing as his surroundings consisted of an overgrown forest, he assumed it wasn’t close by.

“I came with a group. Left the desert when I was young. Wandered a while and ended up in a fight with a warrior of the order,” Red paused as a big smile threatened to split his face in two. “I lost. Badly. Ended up joining them after.”

Y’rid began to enjoy the man’s way of speech, definitely not one to mince words.

He turned back to the meat on his sword and pulled off a piece before popping it into his mouth. It was a bit bland and chewy but it was good. Especially on his empty stomach. He pulled off another piece and handed it to Hadi who hadn’t taken his eyes off of the meat since Y’rid took it.

The boy quickly stuffed the meat into his mouth. Y’rid smiled and began disassembling the pieces, alternating between himself and the boy.

An hour later found Y’rid busy wiping down the blade of his sword with the shirt he wore. Probably not the best idea since he only had the one, but seeing as it was torn and caked with dried sweat and dirt, he doubted it would make much of a difference.

“You should get some sleep,” Holin said lying on his back with his eyes closed. “Tomorrow you will need your energy.”

Y’rid felt his mood drop a little, suddenly all the bruises he gained that day seemed to scream out in unison. He sighed. This was the path he had chosen, if this is what it took to gain the strength he wanted then he would see it through.

Only Kali was still up, throwing a few pieces of wood onto the coals for warmth as she was on first-watch for the night. The perimeter was constantly being patrolled by the Blackguard but they didn’t seem to put much faith in the knights, something Y’rid wholeheartedly agreed with.

He finished cleaning the sword and laid down next to Hadi. The hard ground was uncomfortable but he was worn out enough to ignore it.

Less than thirty huh?

The thought crossing his mind as he felt sleep closing in on him like a predator hiding in the dark. How many would they lose tonight?

***

Y’rid stumbled through the undergrowth, following Holin as the man swerved around bushes and jumped over roots with a practised ease.

“I thought we were scouting the area for beasts,” Y’rid said as he yanked his leg free from the thorny vines that had latched onto it, tearing a new hole in his trousers.

“Aren’t we a straying a bit too far from the group?” He continued with a grimace.

Holin had woken him early in the morning, dragging him off to the woods as the rest of the group were beginning to stir. They had already been walking for an hour and the sun was just beginning to show itself.

“Hmm?” Holin turned to look back at him amusement flickering in his eyes as he watched Y’rid pulling leaves and twigs from his hair.

“No,” He replied. “We are here to hunt, the best way to learn is by experience.”

“Hunt? Last time I checked neither of us brought a bow” Y’rid said.

Holin paused, looking at Y’rid in confusion.

“Why would I want a bow? I use blades.”

Realisation crossed the man’s eyes a moment later and he gave a derisive laugh.

“It seems you have mistaken the nature of our targets,” Holin said. “Out here, the creatures don’t run away from you. Out here, humans are the prey.”

He grinned as Y’rid stared at him.

Turning around, he walked a few metres before kneeling down.

“Come here.”

Y’rid made his way over and looked towards what the man was pointing at. On the dirt, there was an impression that looked like a partial footprint. It was about the size of his head with two deep grooves towards the front.

“This is the footprint of an ald, an omnivorous creature that frequents these parts. We have been following it for the past thirty minutes.”

Y’rid looked back the way they came, he hadn’t seen any traces of such a thing, not that he had been looking but if its footprint was any indication of its size, then surely he should have noticed signs of its passing?

He mentioned this to Holin to which the man snorted.

“There were many signs, though not as many as you left, that’s for sure,” Holin said. “These things were born to navigate the forest. You, on the other hand, have spent the last hour making sure that any hungry predator would know exactly where to find you. Though given the amount of destruction you left, you might get lucky and trick them into thinking you’re a behemoth.”

Y’rid paled a bit at the thought.

“How do I avoid leaving tracks in this?” He asked looking around at the bushes surrounding them.

“Well look at you, you finally did the first thing right, asking your betters for advice,” Holin said. “Focus on what you are doing. Avoid going through bushes even if you think it’ll be easier, step on rocks and roots, try to avoid sticks and the ground, especially if its wet. Just watch what I do and try to do the same. It won’t happen overnight but eventually, you’ll get better at it.”

Y’rid nodded. He was a bit annoyed at the man’s tone, but the thought of being tracked through the woods was far more disturbing.

“Good. Now let’s get moving. We’re getting close.”

They started up again, this time with Y’rid trying to follow in the man’s footsteps which slowed him down even more. It was uncomfortable and the roots were more slippery than he thought causing him to frequently lose his balance, slowing them down even more, but this time Holin seemed willing to wait for him as they made their way between the trees.

Y’rid was just stepping onto a rock when a twig hit him in the face, swatting it away he looked at Holin who stared at him in annoyance.

“Look at what I’m doing,” The man spoke in a low tone while holding up a fist. “This means stop, How do you expect to see what’s going on around you if all you look at is the ground?

No, don’t answer that. Follow me and move as quietly as you can, I can hear the beast.”

Holin bent down low and began creeping forward, slipping from tree to tree. Y’rid tried to copy him and did so with partial success albeit without the silence.

After a few minutes’ worth of sneaking, Holin held up a fist. Seeing it this time, Y’rid froze. A few seconds passed before Holin looked towards him and slowly gestured for him to move forward. Y’rid did so in agonizingly slow motion, taking a few seconds to plant each step.

Finally reaching him, Holin pointed to a small clearing about thirty metres away and barely visible through the trees and bushes.

There, standing in the clearing, was a strange creature. It was about twice the size of Red, with two powerful front limbs each ending in a three-fingered hand. Its narrow waist tapered down to a single hind leg that was riddled with strong muscle which almost seemed like lumps at this distance. It had a thick neck ending in a surprisingly small and elongated head with four massive branching horns extending outward.

Y’rid watched in fascination as it moved, stepping with its front limbs before swinging its hind leg forward. He watched as it reached down, one of its hands grasping onto a tree root as thick as his leg. Its muscles bunched as it started to pull, the root giving way with a loud crack. Slowly it raised its prize to its mouth, its head nearly splitting in two to accommodate the size of the root. With a crunch, it ripped off the edge of the root and started chewing it.

Y’rid’s heart began to speed up at the sight as he imagined the power contained in those arms and jaws.

Holin leaned over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It may be a young one,” Holin whispered, “but you still shouldn’t underestimate it, they are faster than they look.”

Y’rid looked at the man in disbelief.

A young one?

And what did he mean you shouldn’t underestimate it. Who would underestimate that?

Holin chuckled silently at his expression. “The trick to taking one down is to wound or preferably disable one of its legs before it can close the distance. Stay back and observe what I do.”

Holin started moving forward once more, his footsteps soundless as he slipped from tree to bush keeping himself out of the creature’s sight. He slowly approached until he was about ten metres away while the creature was still chewing on its root.

Y’rid watched as Holin drew the dagger at his thigh, spinning it around so that he was holding the blade in his hand. He slowly peeked over the top of the bush setting his sight on the beast before he sprang up. His arm drew an arc over his head as he threw the dagger at the ald.

The beast barely had time to look up before the blade thudded home into the joint on one of its front limbs. The ald roared in pain as it crouched down before its hind leg launched it through the air at blinding speed straight at Holin. The man quickly dove to the side narrowly avoiding the swipe the beast aimed in his direction.

As the ald landed, its wounded arm gave way causing it to smack its jaw into the ground before it could right its self but by then Holin was already back on his feet and charging towards it, blade drawn. With a jerk of its head, it tried to impale the small creature that dared wound it but failed to do so as Holin dodged to the side, his sword flashing across the beast’s exposed neck in a pray of blood that painted the ground red.

Holin jumped backwards to avoid the arm that shot towards him in a final effort to drag its killer down with it. The ald tried to get to its feet but its limbs were already being drained of the power they once held as its lifeblood spilt onto the ground.

It gave a few more jerks as its eyes stared at Holin, filled with fear and hatred before it finally stilled.

Holin walked forward and thrust his blade forward through the beast’s eye and into its skull, ending any life it may have still had. The man straightened and breathed deeply before motioning for Y’rid to join him.

With his eyes locked onto the creature, Y’rid slowly walked forward. A part of him was still unconvinced that the thing was truly dead.

“Quite skittish aren’t you?” Holin asked with a grin.

“It ended so quickly,” Y’rid said. “I thought the fight would last longer.”

Holin shook his head.

“You always want to end a fight as quickly as possible,” he said in uncharacteristic seriousness.

“Especially against beasts and extra especially against beasts as large as this. An ald has immense endurance and strength. Luckily, few things can survive having their throat slit. If the fight had dragged on for even a minute or two it might have ended very differently.

Always remember that we are horribly outmatched by the things we ‘hunt’. A single blow from one of these and you’re life is at an end. That’s why you have to learn how to use its weaknesses to your advantage and not hesitate to strike when the opportunity presents itself.”

Y’rid nodded. It was the same with the kahtri. On some level, he still thought of humans as superior even after the things he saw during the monster wave. It was a belief so ingrained in him that he found it hard to shake, but every time he saw one of these monsters it showed him how false the thought really was.

Perhaps less thirty really is all we can hope for.

“Now comes the fun part,” Holin said, his grin returning to its rightful place. “Now I get to watch as you drag this thing back to the road.”

Y’rid looked at him for a moment, then at the corpse, then back at Holin.

Surely the man was joking.