In Search of Auria (16 page)

I knew where they were taking her, to
Vidana. There was only one great obstacle in my way, the great and
tall range of the Pegnion Mountains. I didn’t know how I was going
to overcome this natural titan, but I did know this: I was not
giving up!

Morning was near. I didn’t sleep again since
the dream. I felt it was time I left the rock formation that had
sheltered me. Even though my clothes were not completely dry yet, I
was set on continuing. After dressed, I brainstormed on how to
scale or pass the mountains. They were so tall and steep, maybe I
would not be able to hike them through. I walked to the edge of the
rock formation and peeked at the sky, admiring a celestial
half-moon. It shed a vague light on the valley. To the west were
the Pegnion Mountains and to the east were a series of verdant
hills. Since the drawbridge had been destroyed, I set out south to
find a way around.

The path was misty and I walked carefully to
not make any sounds. If there was anything around still asleep, I
wanted it to stay that way. But, soon after I left the rock
formation, I heard a wailing roar from behind. I took out my sword
and turned. It was still dark and I couldn’t see far, but I could
hear running footsteps coming my way. I clutched my sword and
prepared to confront a fiend, until I heard a girly shriek,
“Yaaa!”

I saw a man with a red tunic running down
the path. He looked backwards as if something followed.

“Halt!” I said, but it only scared him. He
threw his arms up and fell like if he had fainted. I picked him up
by the arm, but he pulled away, screaming, “Oh, please, don’t eat
me. I beg you!”

“I’m not going to eat you,” I replied,
“Stand up, tell me what’s wrong.” He stopped panicking when he
heard my voice. He finally realized I was but a man. He grabbed my
hand tightly and pleaded, “Oh, warrior, you must save us!”

“What’s the matter?”

“A demon is upon us. It smashed against my
carriage and flipped it. My friend is still inside. I wanted to
help him, but the demon’s fierceness made me a coward.”

I couldn’t believe him. A beast would be
credible, but a demon? The man must have met with an ogre. I
hesitated in providing assistance. I was ready and focused on my
journey, but this man just wouldn’t let go of my hand. He squeezed
it until it actually started to hurt.

“Please, I beg you to help us!”

“Alright, fine!” I said, finally shaking him
off, “Head for that rock formation and stay there until I
return.”

The man hid within the rocks and I dashed up
the road. Sun light was creeping from the hills to the east, and
the mist was starting to fade. I began hearing the roars of the
ogre up ahead. I took a shortcut through the trees to avoid the
curvy road. When I reemerged out the other side, I saw it. It was
taller and wider than me, with muscles the size of boulders. It had
a thick, pointed tail, and wings like that of a dragon. I still
didn’t believe it to be a demon, but it wasn’t an ogre, either. It
was wasting the flipped carriage with its curved claws.

“Help, someone help me!” I heard from within
the carriage. I silently prepared my sword and shield and snuck
behind the monster. The fiend suddenly got distracted by turning
the wheels. It mumbled with curiosity and enjoyment. I took the
chance and struck its back. It viciously wailed as black blood
spurted out. It turned around and showed me its ferocity, spreading
its hulking wings, lifting its broad arms and giving a roar that
deafened me. It really was a demon. Its size and power wavered my
spirit. I raised my shield and slowly stepped back.

Then, looking at its wings and physique, I
suddenly realized what it was. I read about it in the Book of
Beasts. This was no demon, it was a gargoyle. A wide snout with
rigid nostrils, black fur on its throat and shoulders, and thorny
horns on the tip of its wings; it was just like the book described.
And if I remembered well, direct light was its weakness. Oh, if
only I had my “sun fairy” with me.

The gargoyle made its move. It tore a wheel
off the carriage and threw it at me. I stopped it with my shield,
but the creature was quick. Instead of running to me, it flapped
its wings for a quick boost and tackled me head on. I fell back on
a puddle of water. Before I even lifted my head to get up, it
grabbed me by the legs and hurled me to a tree. It grunted a laugh
when I unorthodoxly landed. Throwing me around, the fiend felt some
amusement. I managed to stand, but the damn beast wouldn’t give me
a break. It swung its claw and blew my shield away, breaking the
arm strap. It then lifted me by the sides and pinned me against the
tree. I tried to slash its face, but it bit the blade and yanked it
off my hands. It spat the sword to the ground and growled. Stripped
of my weapons, the creature’s serrated teeth neared my head. I held
them back by pushing the monster by the throat.

Being overwhelmed by the gargoyle’s power, I
felt like battling the lamia again. That time I was weaponless,
too, but I was not going to give in. I raised my fist and punched
its nearing jaws. I continually hit on the snout until I heard the
bones around the nostrils crack. It quickly dropped me and covered
its face. I grabbed the sword and slashed it up from the stomach to
the chest. It yowled in pain and blew me back with a gust of the
wings. Distracted with its wounds, I retreated into the woods.

I couldn’t continue fighting it head on. I
was more banged up than a battered drum. The gargoyle hurt my back
by tackling me, my legs by hurling me, and my shoulder by blasting
my shield off. The creature was physically too strong for me.

As I retreated up the eastern hill, I
noticed something on my gloves. I rubbed my fingers together and
there was some kind of slimy substance. It was from the gargoyle
when I pushed it by the throat; a secretion from the skin. I didn’t
know what it was, but it was not my concern now. I looked up to see
the rays of the sun, but no direct sunlight. I had to continue
hiking up to the top of the hill and lure the gargoyle to the rays.
But, the top of the hill was still far. In my current state, the
monster would catch me halfway. It was then that I saw a horse
upfront. Its reigns were tangled on a tree branch. As I came close,
I noticed it had the shaft and trace of a carriage hanging from the
sides. This had to be the horse pulling the carriage. When the
gargoyle smashed against it, the impact must’ve broken the horse
free. I hopped on and cut off the branches trapping it. I heard the
rustling of bushes and the moaning of the beast coming our way. The
horse suddenly whined in fear.

“Come on, boy! I know you want to get rid of
this thing, too.”

We darted up to the peak of the hill. I
heard the sound of the gargoyle’s wings behind us, but I could not
see it. Reaching the lush peak, I got off the horse and slapped its
hind to make it flee. The trees at the top of the hill were layered
with vines and weeds draping from the branches, blocking the
sunlight. I went to the farthest tree and separated a thick curtain
of vines. The rays blasted through and lit up the darkness.
Suddenly, I felt a sudden stiffness on my hand. I raised it to the
light and saw how my glove turned to stone. I could not move my
fingers. It hardened as the sunrays came in contact. I got away
from the light, and immediately my hand returned to normal. I
looked closer and it was the slime. That’s why the gargoyle’s
weakness was light, the slime turned into stone!

Sunlight shone clearly in the sky now. The
gargoyle had to be hiding on the shady slope.

“Come on, beast!” I yelled out loud to lure
it, “I’m right here. One more hit and I’m done. What do you
say?”

Sure enough, I heard a growl. I knew I hurt
it enough to seek revenge. Light started to pierce through the
branches of the trees, making the remaining pockets of shadows even
darker. It had to be hiding in one of them. And like a lion jumping
for the final kill, the gargoyle leapt from behind the trees with
its claws aiming for my head. This was my only chance. I turned and
cut the vines from the top, making the morning light blast through
the shadows. The gargoyle stopped and gasped in panic as its skin
began to harden. The slime reacted to the light and became stone.
The gargoyle tried to escape, lifting its legs and wings, but in a
matter of seconds all its body had petrified. It moved no more.

With the monster finally still and harmless,
I walked near to make sure it was dead. I looked closely inside the
mouth and even the tongue had hardened. Then suddenly, a flow of
foul breath invaded my nose. The ugly beast was still breathing, it
was not dead! I clutched my sword with both hands and drove it
between its teeth. The blade stabbed through the palate, and came
out the top of the cranium. Dark blood gushed from the beast’s
mouth. I pulled back my sword and neared my ear to its face. I
heard no more breathing.

I left the verdant peak, and as I walked
down the hill, I looked back one last time. The gargoyle was still
standing, but only as a stiff cadaver.

#

The sun was already high in the sky and the
Pegnions Mountains to the west were bathing in its gentle light. I
wobbled down to the path, practically dragging my feet from
exhaustion. The man with the red tunic and his friend, a short
chubby man, were trying to repair their carriage. It was scratched
and torn, but the main frame was still intact. They had already
flipped it up right. Now, they were trying to attach one of the
wheels the gargoyle ripped off.

“Hey,” I called, but I only startled them.
The chubby one jumped and the other fell to the ground again with a
girly scream. When they realized it was me, they got overrun with
joy, “Warrior, you’re alive! Are you fine? What about the
demon?”

“The ‘demon’ has been dealt with… thank the
heavens for sunshine. I, on the other hand, could use a drink.”

The chubby man opened the back door of the
carriage. It was a mess inside. Jars were both broken or misplaced,
fabrics and carpets hanged from the walls, and a chest with an iron
lock rested tilted on the back. It would take some time to sort
everything out, but with so many items, it was clear these men were
merchants. They gave me wine, and ointment for my aches. They also
shared me their names. George was the chubby one, and Louis the one
in the tunic.

“So it was a gargoyle, not a demon,” George
said after the three of us talked about the incident, “When it
floated over and crashed onto us, I thought it was not of this
world.”

“We cannot thank you enough,” Louis told
me.

“We
can’t
thank you enough,” George
remarked, “but maybe we can show our eternal gratitude with a small
gift.” He ran back into the carriage while Louis wondered what his
colleague would fetch. George then came out with a pair of
ornamental gauntlets. They were made of thick black leather,
decorated with smooth azure crystal plates. Light reflected off
their surface with a cobalt flicker.

“I have never seen gauntlets like these,” I
said.

“You can’t give him that!” Louis shouted,
“It’s very valuable merchandise!”

“He saved our lives, Louis! Saved
my
life. You cowardly ran away like a headless chicken, while he, as a
total stranger, came and fought the monster”. Louis shunned and
looked away. I kept ogling at fine gauntlets.

“Here, take them,” George placed the
gauntlets in my hands. “Just by your expression, I can see you like
them very much. It is said that they were made by a powerful
wizard, and that they can protect you from any magical attack.”

“Really?” I replied astonished.

“…I personally don’t believe it. This is the
pitch I use when I want to sell them. But, since we haven’t found a
decent buyer for them, I think a splendid warrior like yourself
would appreciate having these in your collection.”

I would have humbly rejected the gift, but
after receiving a beating from a gargoyle and surviving the night,
I think I deserved a damn prize.

Down the path we saw the horse peacefully
pacing back to the carriage. The merchants were so happy; now they
didn’t have to push the merchandise by themselves.

#

“Well then, gentlemen, may I know where
you’re headed?” I asked before they departed.

“We’re heading south to Morloc,” George
answered, “At the beginning of autumn, many merchants gather there.
It’s like a carnival. What about yourself? Where do you plan to
go?”

“I have to go to Vidana. But, with the
bridge broken, I don’t know how. I guess I’ll also have to go south
and find a way around the mountain range.”

“You could take the Gnome Passage,” Louis
said.

“Aw, come on, Louis. Those are just rural
legends,” George laughed.

“Listen, Erik,” Louis continued, ignoring
George, “it is said that gnomes live deep within the Pegnion
Mountains. That they are more intelligent than any other being and
that they travel all over the world using secret underground
tunnels.”

“Really? Well, I don’t need ‘all over the
world’. I just need ‘the other side of the mountain’. Where is the
entrance to this passage?”

“That’s why it’s a legend,” George smirked,
“Nobody knows and nobody has seen it.”

“They say that the entrance will be shown if
you overcome its guardian; the beast of infinite appearance,” Louis
added.

“The beast of infinite appearance?” I slowly
uttered. I took a deep breath and tried to relax, for it was
ridiculous how many monsters this country had. I decided to try my
luck on this Gnome Passage, so we said our goodbyes and went our
separate ways.

Parting ways with the merchants, I commenced
my walk to the foot of the Pegnion Mountains. By noon I came about
a stream. It had to be one of many that funneled to the large river
where the bridge was. I followed it upstream until reaching a
waterfall flowing out of the mountains. The place was all muddy and
swampy. There were puddles everywhere and the air was fetid and
damp, which was unusual for this type of environment. I started
searching at the foot of the mountain for the gnome passage. I
looked for anything suspicious, like an odd rock or marking, but I
discovered nothing. Afterwards, I climbed up the mountain. I only
got so far since it was so steep. The higher I climbed, the fiercer
the wind blew and the more difficult it was to step. I saw nothing
of interest and decided to stop before a gale sent me tumbling
down. I then doubled back to where the waterfall was. I checked
under rotten logs, eyed around the water, I even checked the wall
behind the cascade. And once again, nothing. It was a whole bunch
of nothings for one day. I started to believe that the secret
passage might just be a rural legend like George said. Its guardian
was supposed to be this beast of “whatever” appearance, but after
rummaging around, I saw no trace of such creature.