《The Legend of the North》chapter 73
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Ezer approaches in panic and disgust noticing the little maggots crawling inside Lyaria's flesh, he didn't know how they got there or if maybe it was a stress-induced dream, but he resists the urge to stick his fingers and remove them immediately from Lyaria's leg, knowing he had to control himself and do it carefully.
As he removes the first of hundreds of worms, someone comes through the room's only door, interrupting him.
“They are worms that feed on rotten flesh and not on live flesh, they can reach places that a knife would never reach. They are extremely difficult to keep alive, especially in this season.” The old man walks around the room bringing a pot whose contents Ezer is not able to see, his mind at that time was focused on processing the information that the old man told him.
"Will this help her?" Ezer can do nothing but ask seeking confirmation of what he had heard.
"Exactly, that's why I hope you don’t touch them and let them do their job." Ezer leaves the worm where he got it from, still unable to believe the usefulness of these creatures, since he left his home, he could see thousands of new and strange things for him, although this was surely the most bizarre so far.
The old man begins to bandage the wound with a white cloth made up of thick filaments and a lot of space between them.
“They just need air and time to finish their work, in a few days the wound should be clean.” He stops, having partially finished bandaging. "I have things to do... I'll leave the rest to you."
"Of course, if it's a simple bandage I can do it." Ezer accepts relieved since at least he can be of use.
Before leaving, the old man gathers various things scattered around the room and issues a warning to Ezer.
"Boy, take care of her and don't go out." With those words closes the door and his hurried footsteps can be heard as he walks away.
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Ezer immediately picks up the job midway and begins lightly wrapping Lyaria's leg. He can't help but be amazed again at the strange healing method and takes another quick look at the worms that were continually wriggling.
Only when Ezer finishes his work does he take the time to sigh and carefully observe the place where was. From the previous words and the furniture in the room it was clear that it was the old man's bedroom, even in this place there were shelves with books and the occasional forgotten herb.
The darkness was only mitigated by a lamp and a few half-burned candles, so Ezer goes to the only window and moves the heavy curtains that covered it. When the shutters open, the moonlight penetrates the room as well as the cold, but this didn't bother Ezer. Perhaps it was because he had been living in the forest for so long, now the cold comforted him in a certain way, although decides to close them for Lyaria's well-being. Before he does, however, a wail can be heard on the wind above the casual cries of men giving orders who still had work to do despite the lack of light.
It was a very slight sound, so much so that many would believe it was his imagination, but the winds would never give false information to Ezer who interprets them immediately deciphering what they meant.
The crying was shortened at intervals repeating the same word over and over again... Mama, mama, mama... always accompanied by a sob.
Ezer does not hesitate and goes to the exit of the house. Before leaving, he sees an object that makes him smile forcing him to take it, when his fingers touch the smooth wood a feeling of security surrounds him and the adrenaline from the need for action begins to circulate through his veins. He was sure this would be another long night.
Time had not advanced much since Ezer left the house behind the hospital. The town was empty, but it was not because people were hiding in their houses closing doors and windows, but most were surely putting out the remnants of the fire that hit the homes near the entrance of the town.
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“It seems I never have more than twenty arrows.” Ezer places the new arrows he got in the same place where he found the bow in his hands.
The wood had a very faint reddish color as well as small details carved into it. The curvature of the bow was much greater than before, as well as its quality being clear to the eye, for the first time Ezer holds a true bow in his hands.
"I'm getting closer to the source of the noise. Keeps repeating the same things in the same place, I'm afraid I already know what could have happened.” On the way he meets a woman who was carrying food in both arms running hurriedly, the two look at each other for a moment and then each one goes their own way.
After a few minutes, Ezer finds himself in front of the house from which the crying came. He walks reaching the backyard feeling a slight smell of blood and soon discovers the origin, the red liquid was draining out of the small pen that now only enclosed parts of what were once pigs. Those that still retained their form served to give Ezer a notion of what attacked them, with the claws that penetrated the flesh being the most visible followed by casual bite marks.
The beast that assaulted them lost interest as fast as it finished killing them, its bloody tracks leading away from the place and heading to the same place where a child was kneeling crying over his mother's corpse.
The boy was covered in blood, but it wasn't his, instead it was his mother's or what was left of her. Her legs vanished as well as half of his torso leaving a pool of blood and guts alike, the boy was in the middle of it crying almost without a voice, freezing without noticing it, because of the cold and the blood that covered him.
Ezer freezes in place at the sight, he could imagine the events leading up to this. Somehow a beast managed to get into the center of the town without anyone noticing it waiting for the perfect opportunity, an opportunity that came when everyone focused on putting out the flames, neglecting their backs.
The woman was unlucky enough to go out to see why the pigs were screeching uncontrollably and then ended up losing half of her body, and instead, the boy was lucky enough to find his mother's body when the beast had left. The boy cried with all his might petrified at the sight without anyone listening, his tears refused to stop as he lost his voice little by little until his sadness became almost inaudible.
Ezer intends to take a step forward thinking about what words to say to someone in that situation, when his skin bristles and his body reacts instinctively by turning and holding the bow with one hand while with the other, he tightened the string with the arrow just removed from the quiver. His movements were smooth as well as fast, his experience was gradually building up allowing him to respond to impromptu situations like these.
His instinct suggested that he aim high above the roof of the house, since surely something was hiding taking advantage of the momentary darkness produced by a light cloud covering the full moon.
The wind hit Ezer's face directly, bringing with it a strange smell in addition to the characteristic one of blood, a smell of earth and water, a damp smell that is very common in the woods. Although Ezer doesn´t have to try and guess what beast produced this scent as the sounds of the wood creaking indicated that it was moving at the same time that the moonlight is no longer blocked and allows for a clearer view of what lies ahead and of what was stalking him on the high.
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