Reath

Copyright © 2012 by Justin Jones.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2011918777

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 1

T here are words here, words of the ancients themselves. This is where my elder would speak of the ancient ones; the ones who, in all their glory, had fought against themselves, resulting in their own destruction. The Elder spoke of them as gods, the creatures whose power rivalled the very heavens. It is then the elder says that heavenly bodies and hellish minions had become jealous of the ancients, and went to their lands to wreak havoc. The gods turned the ancients against one another, in the end, no one was spared. Fire fell from the sky, burning the skin and souls of the ancients, the reath itself opened up to swallow them all. Young and old, strong and weak were all cast down into nothingness. A race which had prospered through millennia had been completely destroyed in a single day of fire and death. After the carnage had ceased the gods felt the pain of remorse after the obliteration of their most cherished creation. Knowing they could not bring the ancients back, they sought to create five new races from the remnants of the ancient’s civilization.

From the lands of fire, the Rhed Mahuns were born from pits of flames in the fire realm of the west. Always on the verge of annihilation they grew intelligent, and had found ways to survive. Born with skin as red as the fire they were created in, and minds as sharp as the stones that sprouted from the blackened soil of their land, they prospered.

From the lands to the south where the energies flowed, the Whyte Mahuns had sprung, already masters of this energy. The energies turned their bodies white as it did everything in this land. Utilizing the energies their bodies atrophied, needing not the physical strength of other races as they made do with supreme mental prowess. Anything they needed could be done by the energy that flowed throughout their veins and soul.

From the barren lands of the north, Black Mahuns came from the very stone, hard as rock and just as stubborn. Incredibly strong they became the largest of the mahun race. Their skin blackened as the reath had in this harsh northern environment. Having only strength as their ally they had become masters of weapon smithing, the only way possible to survive in the desolate lands of the north.

In the central area of Reath the Grye Mahuns had come to be, numerous and wasteful they were thought a mistake of the gods. The gryes were akin to locusts. Consuming all in their path and taking no care for the future, using all resources to fuel the numerous population of their race. They were born weak and frail, cowardly in nature and dull in mind, they had little advantage to the other races. They survive today only by the fact of their seemingly endless numbers.

And finally to the plains and rock spires of the east, our own great race came to be, born with the creatures of the plains we became like brothers. They shared with us their land and allowed us to use them for our needs, and we helped make their herds strong by picking out the weak. We are the draugs. Not of the mahun race we are unique. We are larger than any of the races and wiser than most, we are an anomaly, possessing strength and instincts of our animal ancestors. It is said that one of us is destined to unite the races against a common enemy. A daemon of untold power that can manipulate anything its black heart desires. We are all doomed if we do not end the feud between our races. Sadly, the Elders are held in lower status than our battle hungry War chiefs.

It was during the age of feuding. Each race thought themselves superior to the other. Gryes swarmed over settlements, making up for lack of strength and skill with seemingly endless numbers. Rheds took what they could with force, assimilating what they could use, burning the rest. Blacks were rather peaceful, killing only those foolish enough to enter their lands without being given safe passage. Whytes were similar, wanting no more land and fighting only to ensure their own survival. We however were expanding our area from a single settlement in the eastern plains, to the entire grasslands themselves and even encroached upon the Gryes land. Our Elder would often tell tales of the battles that took place there.

Blood and gore stained the muck unnaturally red, bodies of draug and grye lay all around, several of them no longer completely intact. The elder would tell us of him holding the barricade against thousands of grye invaders. The War chief of our tribe at that time was a giant; he stood head over shoulders to even our mightiest warriors. The gryes were all around the fortress and the walls were beginning to weaken. draug archers had exhausted their bolts and had retreated to the central tower, the war chief simply stood in the center of the fort waiting for the gryes to break through. Muscles clenched as he readied himself for the endless slew of filthy, mewling cowards that only had a chance in their numbers. The War chief had called his greatest warriors; the elder was among them, to his side. Just as the gryes broke through, he led an extremely fast and surprising counterstrike against them, taking the gryes completely by shock. The first unlucky bastard had his head crushed beneath the War chief’s heavy mace. He charged onto the field followed closely by his retinue, he was stained in blood though most was not his. The elder continued The War chief fought like a daemon, rending bodies in two with his great sword, crushing bone like twigs with his mace. The warriors fought even more like the War chief, spurred on by his valiant attack and fearless actions. A grye had tried to run for his pathetic life before being speared by his great sword. Another grye had tried to fight on his weaponless side, he had never heard that a draug can never truly be unarmed; the War chief grasped the grye by the throat until he heard a satisfying crack. He threw the lifeless body to the ground and looked for more mongrels to put to rest. He spotted a cowardly grye sprint behind a grouping of boulders; this would be a perfect demoralizer for the rest of the grye forces, as if the slaughter wasn’t enough. He slid around the other side only to be welcomed by the tip of a crudely made spear, crude but effective. The blade sunk deep into the chest of the War chief. Blood bubbled over his lips as the grye laughed in his screechy tone while an ugly, smug smile spread across his face. Convinced he had killed the draug leader he let go of the spear to finish what he had started. The War chief laughed as he grasped the spear and snapped it at the blade, leaving it embedded in his flesh. A smile now appeared on his face, quickly replaced by a visage of pure rage. The grye didn’t even think to run, for fear had petrified him in that single spot. The War chief recalls smelling urine before seizing the grye in his two great hands. He then silenced the gryes sobbing cries with a mighty pull of his arms, tearing the grye in half. The mewling’s entrails flew in either direction. The Elder says he had no knowledge of him being injured until the battle had settled with the gryes running in fear, with only a fraction of their original force.

The War chief raised his hands in victory, before collapsing to his mortal wound, blood dripping from the opening. Noticing his injuries the closest draugs dragged him into the town walls to the healer, sadly nothing could be done for our War chief. He wished for a warrior’s death as all draugs wish for when they die. He had decided to seek out the rheds, who would gladly fulfill his request. The rheds were an honorable race so would understand the War chief’s wishes. They allowed the traditional rights to be preformed on the body of the War chief. A mighty rhed soldier almost the size of a draug himself came to fight our leader. A tremendous battle ensued. The War chief struck several blows to the rhed, only to be blocked by the surprising speed of his competitor. Sparks flew from both their weapons as blow after blow was either avoided or blocked. Hours past, both warriors were drenched in sweat and blood from the few cuts that had landed. He lunged at the rhed but hit nothing but the soil in front of him, the rhed took this opening to finish this fight by eviscerating the War chief with a skilled spinning attack aimed at the belly of his foe. The War chief fell silently; his soul was pleased and entered the other side without difficulty. The Elder would wisely say that the body goes absolutely still if the soul leaves willingly but will twitch if it must be taken. The War chief lay completely still as his soul left his body. A celebration was held for the passing of our greatest warrior, a feast was prepared and the burning pyre was constructed, the War chief’s family watched in awe while silently holding back their tears. That day was a day for merriment as the soul of the passing had gone in peace, he died so that we could live on without fear."

The Elder had just finished his stories of old when my mother called me in for feasting.

Juar! Juar! Hurry in before your father eats your share

The only thing I liked better than listening to the Elder was eating and that was all I needed to get moving.

Where were you Juar? You weren’t in the field with your brothers.

They said I could go, they said I’m not strong enough yet.

Well you’ll never get strong like me or the War chief for that matter if you don’t do your work.

Yes father. I looked down at my supper, almost too ashamed to eat. Tomorrow I will work hard to help my father.

I awoke in the middle of the night to a heavenly voice, surprised I jumped and looked around, but found no one there. Then, as if by instinct I moved to my window to look at the stars like I always did. Staring up I thought I noticed something I must have always regarded as nothing, it was a mountain in the stars I was sure of it. But I couldn’t figure out the five shapes below it. Did the gods send me a sign? What did this mean? I constructed a quick sketch of the phenomenon and went back to bed; maybe the elders could make some sense of it.

I woke in a hurry, quickly drawing up my trousers and vest and rushing out the front door.

Where are you going now Juar? father inquired

I must see the Elder! I responded, not even waiting for father to respond. I believe I overheard my father say to mother He must get it from your side.

Elder! Elder! I called throughout the village, hoping for him to answer. I was running from one side of the village to the other before almost tripping over the staff of the elder. Elder! I must speak with you! I managed to gasp out, gagging for breath in between.

What is it youngling, have you come for more stories? He asked politely.

No Elder. But I believe that I’ve had a vision and I need you to help me decipher it.

A vision!? Very peculiar, especially for one as young as yourself. Tell me that you had enough sense to record it.

Yes of course Elder, here it is.

My gods . . . The Elder spoke before trailing off in thought This is the great mountain, past the fire lands of the rheds, even further than the rock and metal quarries of the blacks. But these five shapes, I have never seen this before. Are you positive you saw this exact figure youngling?

Yes elder, a voice in my dream awoke me and I looked to the heavens and saw this. I said, pointing to the paper with my claw.

If this is what I think it is, then the War chief must know. Excuse me youngling as I inform Tor of this. Got back to your father, he may be worried.

Yes Elder, but how will Tor know what to do?

Tor was one who received many visions in his life. He might be able to find the meaning of yours.

Farewell Elder, may Elor shine upon you. I said dismissing myself. Excitedly I ran home to tell my father and mother of my experience, secretly hoping that it was something special and not just a thing I shouldn’t have eaten. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.

My opponent was skilled but headstrong. My father had warned me about such beings. He charged at me with a heavy blow with his staff, I jumped out of the way tripping him with my staff and pinning him on the ground with the staff to his throat. Our master motioned me to raise and let him up. Yoor, got up fast, looked at me angrily and then lowered his head to master Tor, War chief of my father’s generation, and walked out of the arena.

He doesn’t understand. Strength is good but is useless if you cannot hit your opponent. Tor spoke prudently, almost like that of an Elder, though he definitely had enough knowledge to become one.

Yes Master, forgive me for saying but he is brutish, and in a full scale battle he would not survive long.

Yes student that is true, but I can’t get through to him, I fear he is too set in his ways to learn to exchange blows with enough skill to face a rhed. Now go to your studies. A great warrior must have skill to match his opponent, and knowledge to trap him.

Yes Master, right away. I said eagerly, placing my battle staff on the weapons rack with the rest while gathering my scrolls for the Elder’s studies. I sprinted to the Words of the Ancients, a small shrine where a relic of the ancients lays floating in the pure waters of the shrine. The Elder always meets his students here; some say he receives visions from the relic which would explain how he can know stories that happened eons before his time. Welcome younglings. I hope you are all ready for today.

Why Elder, what’s happening today? Gron asked, a small draug who had exceptional skill with a cross bow, anything else though he could hardly lift. There was a quiver of fear in his voice.

Do not be afraid youngling; we are just taking a small walk to the fields to study the yahks. And for some of you, we will be choosing your beast.

Excited whispers instantly spread through the crowd, I wasn’t excited though. There was something deep inside telling me that I would find a beast, but I would choose it, not the Elder. This was unusual as the Elders always make these decisions. Hurry younglings, let us move. The day is still young and the yahks will be resting. The Elder spoke while struggling to lift himself. Some of the other students had tried to help him up but he simply shooed them off. Alright, let’s move younglings. There is a trail to the north-east, which is where the yahks were last seen grazing. Some of the group had tried to run farther ahead but were stopped quickly by our quick eyed Elder. They were lucky that they would go undisciplined. How many are we going to see Elder?

Are there any really big ones? Yirw asked from within the group, his voice just as small as his body.

How close will we get to them? several students asked questions similar to this, I held my tongue as I already knew the answers to these questions. There will be about thirty to thirty-five yahks, with about only two or five males. Depending on which herd it is there may be some ‘big ones’, Herd superior however, is the correct term. How close will we get, depends on the herd again. If its Ulfric’s herd, we’ll get rather close to them, maybe close enough to pat their great wholly heads. Now you have to be quiet, but make enough noise so that the yahks know you are there. We do not want to surprise them. We shouldn’t have to worry however. Ulfric is out there already and will prepare the yahks for our arrival. We continued down the winding path from our village on the hill to the valley where Ulfric kept his yahk herd. The whole way I thought I heard a noise, but could not be sure and did not want to look shameful in the presence of the Elder. I could not shake the feeling, there was something following us but only I picked it up. I would have thought for sure that the Elder would have sensed something. Elder. I think there is something in the woods.

Of course there is something in the woods, living creatures are all around us and we must make peace with that. The Elder told me comfortably. It didn’t help at all.

Here we are younglings! The valley of Gothu! There is not another place like it in all of Reath.

Elder! Are these your fine looking students? My, they look big enough to rustle themselves their very own yahk. Best of the best my yahks they are, come take a look for yourselves. Ulfric kindly roared as he thundered up the slope to meet us. He was sizably large even for a draug. His gut hung out of his yahk skin vest and over his village trousers, but his arms were incredibly large, muscular and strangely long. Probably from handling yahks, these beasts are exceedingly tough and immovable when they want to. Ulfric could easily be mistaken for a bhear, a wild draug with an awful bloodlust, if it wasn’t for his trim cut and short, stubby claws. Come on children don’t be scared. Uncle Ulfric will protect ya’s. Ulfric announced as he gripped the harnesses around a massive yahks face. The yahks groaned in disapproval but a quick snap of the harness made it change its mind. I have never seen a yahk this close before, I was twelve winters old yet I was still minute when I stood by the creature. I believe I was up to its knee, if I was to guess anyway, the yahks fur nearly touched the ground beneath it. See, nothing to worry about, be this a wild one though, you’d be either crushed beneath its hooves or flung in the air with these. He said matter of factually, motioning to the mammoth horns sprouting from either side of the yahks head. Now this creature is probably the best thing we draugs have against would be invaders, can any of you name a beast capable of surviving a charging yahk. Ulfric waited for answers, receiving none. Exactly, nothing in this world could . . . . He was cut off by a horrifying screeching howl. What the hell was that!? Ulfric yelped in surprise.

I could not tell you. The Elder whispered, clearly hiding his fear. All of us looked around, scared and anxious, for the mysterious noise. Footsteps flew around us, first on the right, then to the left, in front then in behind. Was there more than one, or was it just freakishly fast. I thought I had caught a glimpse of something in the woods, but I couldn’t be sure. It moved so fast. Then, it stopped. Everything was silent as fast as it had started. I have to get to me yahks. They’ll be frightened for sure . . . . The beast rushed out of the trees right into Ulfric, knocking the massive draug off his feet. Ulfric screamed in anger and managed to throw the creature off and get back to the trail. Run younglings, Run! The beast emerged again to thrust a massive tusk through Ulfric’s gut, spilling blood all over the trail. The Elder had gathered the rest of the students but I stayed put. Juar, get here immediately! Elder called desperately. I turned my head and told him calmly to get away, save the rest. There was something in my voice that the Elder had understood. What about Juar? several of the students asked, nearly crying the whole while. He knows what he is doing. He is giving you all a chance to run and let’s make use of it. The Elder had whispered before disappearing over the hill with the other children. I turned back to the beast, just in time to see Ulfric slashed by the beast’s massive talons. It shook its head from side to side, sending blood and gore flying into the forest, before focusing on me with its savage, yellow eyes. The animal opened its maw wide to reveal long dagger-like fangs surrounded by equally sharp pointed teeth. A deafening roar had issued out of the creature’s cavernous mouth and to my surprise, I was unafraid. The creature looked puzzled then roared a second time, even louder, again accomplishing nothing. I just stood there unafraid knowing that I would not die here today. It reared up to unleash another roar but before it could I summoned my strength and issued a roar of my own. The beast jumped back, clearly surprised, it spat a little yelp back at me. So I roared at it again, it jumped back and stared into my eyes fearfully. Then to my astonishment the beast . . . spoke. What? What did you say?

I don’t know, it came to me instinctively. I said, at least I thought I did, my speech was clearly