Continued from Preparing for War.
Ulagret, Innap, another satyr, a couple of felite, and a centaur all sat around a large tree stump –well the centaur stood- laughing as the morning hour approached. The waxing moon was still in the sky, and with so many trees cleared away it was easy to see the many stars. A gentle night breeze swept through the clearing, keeping everyone nice and cool.
It was rare to get time to relax, but scouts reported that there were still no demons for kilometers around, so they had some time to actually sit back and enjoy themselves. Fortunately, Innap always had a method of ensuring that real relaxation was possible.
“So, you call this drink wine?” asked the centaur. Ulagret hadn’t caught his name.
“Yes,” answered Innap with a smile. “My father taught me how to make it.”
“From grapes, it is made, you said?” asked one of the felite, a young female with striped, brown and black fur.
“Yes, ma’am,” replied the fun-loving satyr. “It’s really not that complex. Once this is all said and done, I’ll show everyone here how to make it.”
“I think we would all appreciate that,” said the other satyr, clapping Innap gently on the shoulder.
“About the slaying of the arch demon, tell us the tale again.” Added in the other felite, this one a male with orange fur and black spots.
“Oh, I think I’ve spoken enough about my tales,” said Innap with a laugh. “You all always insist I sing a song or tell a tale. Does no one else have a story of gallantry?”
“There are not many tales of heroism today. Most of us have known only death and defeat at the hands of demons,” said the centaur.
“True, that is,” added the male felite, his voice full of gloom.
“Nonsense,” proclaimed Innap with enthusiasm. His voice was always so light and cheery. “I know Ulagret here has a great story. He is just too modest to share it. Tell them Ulagret, about that little girl you rescued from your village.”
Everyone turned towards Ulagret. He felt the anticipation in their gazes, the attention something that made him quite uncomfortable. It was a palpable sensation, and he had never enjoyed people expecting much from him.
“No, I really shouldn’t,” said Ulagret after a long pause. “It really wasn’t much. It was a failure more than anything. I only saved one among dozens.” He cast his gaze towards the ground, focusing on some patchy grass in hopes that by averting everyone else’s stare he could avoid the subject.
“Heroism, that still is. The best you can hope for, with demons around that sometimes is.” This comment came from the female felite, her feline voice filled with empathy and full of compassion.
“Yes, please tell the story,” insisted the other satyr. His voice was refined, and distinguished.
“Now, you wouldn’t want to leave all of these people disappointed, would you Ulagret?” Innap asked this question with an annoying smugness –at least it would have seemed annoying from anyone else. Actually, somehow it sounded endearing.
“Fine,” began Ulagret, looking back up and trying to hide his dread. “I’ll tell the story, but it brings me no joy. I shall do it in the name of merry-making. First, pour me more wine!” he insisted holding out his almost empty mug.
Innap laughed and lifted up the clay decanter that held his magical tunic. Pouring it into Ulagret’s misshapen excuse for a mug, he winked. “Go ahead then.”
Ulagret took a big gulp of his wine, a few stray drops dripping down his chin before he wiped them away. Taking a deep sigh, he began.
“Well, it happened about ten years ago, back in my home village not five kilometers from this very spot. We were growing pretty steadily, and there were dozens of us elves gathered around in one spot. We camped out by the big lake and constructed huts from fallen tree limbs, using leaves to create a roof and block out the sun. Things were really starting to look good.
“As you all know, this couldn’t last, because just as we were starting to settle in and establishing a real village, the demons arrived. Tales of their destruction quickly arrived in our village, but no one knew what to do. Unfortunately, before anyone could devise a plan to defend our village from these demons, they showed up.
“An entire legion of their most dangerous demons arrived. Some of them were winged, others ran on four legs, and still others were small and imp-like. They converged on the village and we had little chance of survival. Though the hunters fought, everyone knew that no one would survive. Our only chance was to flee.
“I was a craftsman at the time, with no practical experience in combat at all. I made simple trinkets, bracelets, amulets and the like. I had an open air hut set up, really just a simple tabletop and a canopy to block out the sun; our village was in a clearing. I’ll never forget what I was doing when the first scream was heard.
“A young mother and her ten year old daughter were browsing my wares. Since it was such a small village, the first scream was followed instantly by an influx of demons. There were dozens of them.”
Ulagret paused and looked at his listeners before taking another sip of wine. Everyone was still paying attention.
“As I said, I was no fighter. I froze, and didn’t know what to do. The demons charged through the town, killing people left and right. I watched as some of the town hunters engaged the demons in battle. Everything happened so quickly, but as the demons neared my hut I finally was able to act. The little girl was crying in fear, and her mother picked her up to run.
“The next few minutes were a bit hazy. I tried to stop the mother, because she was running towards the demons. I think her husband was back towards the front of the village or something. A hell hound pounced upon her though, knocking the child from her grasp. There was blood everywhere, and I barely was able to hold in my lunch. Still, I knew I had to do something. Otherwise, this little girl would end up dead as well.
“Coming out from behind my hut, I looked for something I could use as a weapon. Unfortunately, the only thing I could find was a rock about the size of my fist. Figuring it was the best I had, I ran towards the beast, who was now eying the little girl. Before he could make a move, I threw the rock and it hit him in the back of his skull.
“The dog whimpered and turned towards me. Something otherworldly must have possessed me, because as I came upon the dog I followed up with a swift kick to his head. Truth be told, it hurt. I didn’t have time to care though, and swept up the girl in my arms.
“I ran as quickly as I could, ignoring the cries of my fellow villagers and the horror that the demons brought. And that was really it. As I said, I was more of a coward than a hero.”
“Nonsense,” insisted Innap. “Finish the story. You may accept it, but saving even one life makes you a hero. Tell us what happened next.”
“Alright,” replied Ulagret with a sigh. “The last sight I saw of my village was a winged demon swooping down and setting fire to my hut. After that, I just kept running for what seemed like hours. Finally, I reached the Jyrimoore Mountains and found a small, uninhabited cave to hide in.
“I’ll never forget though, when we arrived. The girl looked at me with dread in her eyes, the kind of dread that a child that age should never experience. She asked me what we were going to do next, with the demons having destroyed…”
Ulagret trailed off, something catching his attention off in the distance. Clearing so many trees was more than just to use the lumber for defense; it was also to ensure that they could have an open battlefield to better see any approaching enemies. In this case, there were no enemies approaching, but there was an elvish scout. The scout ran quickly towards the dugouts.
“The demons are coming!” he shouted as he got closer. “There are over a hundred of them, maybe even two hundred. An arch demon leads the charge! The demons are coming!”
Everyone in the small gathering looked to one another in turn. The air instantly filled with tension until Innap broke it.
“Well, it looks like we’ll have to delay the rest of story time.”
