The next morning they carried on with their journey. This time, in addition to Kael’s own cart, there was the three brothers carts. These were much bigger than the small cart driven by old Rache. It was merchant wagons, sturdy and well maintained, covered by a canvas tarp.

These wagons were filled to the brim with fur, salts and other common trade goods. They were also well-equipped to deal with highwaymen. At the wagon sides, were heavy oak boards on hinges. These could be pulled up to create solid walls for the wagons. Each of the boards had archery hatches that could be opened for an easily defended spot for a crossbow or bow.

They travelled for many days, once in a while, they would stop a new location to make camp, or in a village. Here the brothers would make their trades. The brothers also found the time to tell Kael about the things a trader would usually need to know, even going so far as to teach him how to handle fur and hides. The brothers were surprised when they realized the terrifying ability Kael had at obtaining new knowledge.

Soon they had taught him all they knew, in just a matter of days. In the end, Kael worked on the dire bear fur by himself. He was a bit clumsy at first, but soon he was at the same level as the three brothers. This somewhat put the brothers to shame, but at least it was a kid who did it. He would not gloat nor stop asking their advice after only a little success.

The journey continued like this for four days. They had until now been fortunate with the weather, but their luck was not made too last. Soon, a horrible storm came upon them. Rain pouring down in droves. Their pace soon came close to a crawl, wagons and carriage stuck in the mud which now had become ankle deep. In the end they were forced to abandon the road, seeking shelter beneath some large trees. They all knew the danger of camping beneath trees during a thunderstorm, but they decided any risk would be worth getting away from the worst of the downpour.

Late that night, while the wind was howling, they all sat in one of the two wagons owned by the brothers. Water dripped through the canvas, but fortunately, the brothers had a small brazier which they placed in the open space in the middle of the wagon. In the end it became quite comfortable. They packed themselves in furs whilst roasting some of the leftover bear meat. The animals were tied to the nearby trees, while the dogs stood watch over them.

Kaaaw Kaaw!

It was Kael's raven. It sat in its cage in the corner, clearly dissatisfied with its current situation. There was nothing for it though, because the water dripped everywhere. The raven had to deal with the occasional drop of water, startling it awake, as it failed to fall asleep.

Kael tried to placate the raven by feeding it a piece of bear meat, all the while trying to pay attention the story the three brothers were currently telling. It was a story about the great white wolf, a monstrous mutation of the ordinary dire wolf. It was said to be the size of a small house, and lead a pack of nearly three hundred. No man could stand against the beast, as its hide was thicker than the strongest leather armour. It claws were like swords, and its fangs like spears.

The wolf had dominated the neighbouring Pale region for decades. This was until one day a great hunter arrived. His name was Sir Walder Iron Bane. He had travelled the world, with his small entourage of elite hunters. There were even rumours he had slayed a great wyrm. His greatest achievement however was slaying a great whale at sea. It was named Iron, due to its extremely tough skin. It had hunted fishermen and whalers alike.

They said that the great whale had once been a peaceful creature, but after experiencing countless losses in his herd, the great whale finally went mad. It first began with a whaler ship hunting him and his pack, but after learning how easily he could break them. He started actively seeking these out. He soon became the scourge of the northern sea.

Not long after word had spread of this menacing whale, Sir Walder arrived. It took him many months of observation to finally come up with a plan to defeat the great whale. He had discovered a small island, merely a stretch of rock. The plan he hatched was one he had used before against large beasts roaming the land. He figured that if he could lure the beast here, and anger it sufficiently, it would fail to realize that it had stranded itself. He would then launch a surprise attack from land using ballistas armed with harpoons.

This plan would take weeks to accomplish, and the hard part was getting the whale there, but sir Walder also found a solution for this. He hired the fastest vessel on the northern sea, a small brig named the Sea Lion. He then filled this ship with oil and put up torches everywhere on the ship. Walder would have the ship sail towards the whales, it was a risky plan, because it might not work, and being the fastest ship on the sea, it would certainly be no way of getting it back.

Sir Walder followed the ship from afar in another brig, not that much slower than the first one. Once the ship was directly aligned in front of the herd of whales. The crew jumped ship, and were picked up by Walder and his crew. They watched as the ship got closer and closer. They were starting to get worried, but then, Iron attacked.

The ship exploded into a great blazing ball of flames, several dozens of meter high. The oil soon covered a large area, flames running rampant across the water surface. Many members of the herd, panicked and fled, others cried in misery and pain, but the one who was hurting the most, was Iron. He was badly burned from his attack, he had lifted his massive body and smashed it down onto the ship… The result was predictable.

After a brief period of panic, he started thrashing about, in anger and pain. Soon, spotting the ship not far off in the distance, he swam towards them at high speed. Sir walder, already having turned his ship about in preparation, set off as fast as the wind could carry them. The hunt was long, but at long last, the hunter became the hunted. Walder let his ship ram onto the shores of the small island. His crew and himself leaping out as fast as was humanly possible.

Not long after, an angered Iron smashed onto the ship. He then realized that he was stuck, stranded on this small strip of rocks. Sir Walder and his crew, were swift into action. They started firing heavy harpoons at the beast, chaining it until it was barely able to move. Then walder climbed atop the beast, and stuck it with his spear, the legendary talon, made from the claw of a giant eagle. It took many hours for the beast to finally die.

Walder and his crew became heroes to the fishermen and sailors of the region. They made it rich on the giant beast, but Sir Walder did not lack wealth, no, what he wanted, was the hunt of a lifetime. A beast worthy of his dedication and full set of skills. Something that he felt would be the death of him. The search carried on, until one day, they heard tale of the great white wolf. It was said that nobody has ever seen Sir Walder after he set out after the great white wolf, but the men in the area had reported finding dead wolves and hunters in droves.

This was the last the three brothers knew of the matter. By now, it had been six months since they last heard any news of Sir Walder, but people still hoped. After finishing the tale, they all sat in silence. Kael was just about to speak, when they heard a dreadful scream not a long distance away. The screaming was soon joined by other voices, eventually, one by one, the screams fell silent.

The people gathered in the wagon tensed, finally, they decided to have a look. One of the brothers picked up a lantern nearby, lighting it with a piece of glowing coal from the brazier. They then armed themselves with crossbows and some woodcutting axes they had stored away in the corner.

As they all filed out of the wagon, they could smell the stench of blood in the air. They neared the direction the screaming had come from. Finally, they saw drag marks in the mud, filled with blood. They found the first body, not three meters away. It had been a fat man, but other than that, nothing much was gained from looking at him. He had been torn to shreds, his throat was missing, and some of his body parts as well. Bone and flesh lay scattered about like splinters of wood.

It would turn out, not to be the last of them. As they proceeded onwards, they found three more bodies. They were all armed, and looked to have been highwaymen of sorts, one of the men still had his face intact, he matched the description put up in the last village they passed. As they were wondering what kind of beast would be capable of doing this, Kael turned around looking into the darkness. Unlike the others, he could clearly make out his two hounds. They were both covered in blood.

He decided to keep this a secret, and signalled them to go away for the time being. Hoping they would get rid of the blood on them after staying in the rain for a while. The party soon returned to their wagon, but nobody except Kael and Rache could sleep properly that night.

The next morning, the sun shone on them, the bad weather had passed. Upon seeing the horror in daylight, nobody felt the need for breakfast. They also gave up on identifying the killer of these bandits. The rain had washed away any trace. Kael’s two hounds were sleeping by the horses, looking a bit worse for wear after the night in the rain, but nobody had the time to think about that.

After burying the bandits, considering only one could be used for bounty, they carried on with their journey. It was slow going at first, but eventually the baking autumn sun dried even the mud. After travelling with only the occasional stop at an inn or village for selling their wares, they arrived at Fallgara.

It was a city of stone, with a sixteen-foot wall surrounding the settlement. It was a medium-sized town, by continental standards, but it was huge compared to anything Kael had ever seen before. The city stretched on for at least three kilometres. From a distance they could see tall towers, grand estates and even a great cathedral. What caught Kael’s eye the most however, was the massive tower in the middle of the town. It towered far above the city walls, and was clearly the largest building in the city. Slowly, a grin spread across his face as he spoke, “Fallgara, I have arrived.”