A steady rain was falling onto the roof of the tavern, creating a soft lulling tune on the inside.  It was mostly empty, probably from the weather, Tallon guessed.  Aside from him, the only others there were a group of four men playing cards, it was most likely a game of Darron.  In recent years it had grown popular among the country's farmers, most likely for its simplicity.  The barkeep moved slowly across the room to replace a bucket whose job was to trap the water that would escape from a bad spot in the ceiling.  This was the third time he'd seen this process done, and the young man still managed to make a mess of it.  It seemed as if he had equal finesse to the snow ox that roamed the icy planes of Tallon's homeland.  It was times like this he missed alcohol the most.  He'd been sitting here for two hours waiting for a man who seemingly wasn't coming.  A job gets done fastest when alone.  Just then the door swung open, a small frightened-looking man walked through, closing it behind him.  He scanned the room, and after finding his target started towards Tallon, leaving a trail of water behind. 

    "You're late."

    "I tried to come sooner, but I saw him outside town.  He knows you're here," the man fumbled out,  clearly struggling to make eye contact.  It was something he was used to, his eye made most people uncomfortable.

    "Who is 'he'?"

    "The monster you're here for," the man replied, taking a nervous look around the bar, "He used to live around here but now-now he's different."

    "Is he still in the village?"

    "N-no, at least I don't think so.  He never stays long, and always retreats to a cabin in the woods somewhere"

With that Tallon stood up from his seat, not wanting to spend any more time there than he had to.  

As he made his way towards the door a voice from behind made him stop,     "Please, stop that monster.  Then, maybe I can rest peacefully knowing that my son's killer has been silenced."

    "I promise you," Tallon turned his head to the man, "You will rest peacefully tonight."

        As he walked through the empty streets, he thought about why he still carried on this endless quest.  He had carried on like this for more than twenty-one years.  He could never go back to a normal life, but that didn't mean he couldn't lay down his sword.  That he couldn't live the rest of his life in quiet seclusion without any more bloodshed.  As he came to the edge of town, he decided now wasn't the time for this line of thought.  In the path he followed, memories of the past were what kept him alive, not fantasies of the future.  He stood there for a moment, waiting for the last wisps of clouds to vanish over the trees.  The moons were now shining brightly over the Tevisian landscape, it was mostly plains and farmland dotted with bits of forests.  His blond hair now made him obvious in the land of green, he didn't care.  He wanted this monster to see his death coming from a mile away.  No matter what, his prey would not escape him.  He started toward the forest knowing Taervon would lead him in the right direction.  With each step he took, the stench of blood became stronger; though he had smelt it near a hundred times, the pang of fear and guilt still plagued him as it did the first time.  Though he always trudged forward in retaliation, knowing full well that whatever was ahead could not be worse than what he had faced those twenty-one years ago.  Still, it brought the memories back like a river of shame, and the only way to rebuild the dam was to send his prey to the burning ravines of Yosqa.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    He came upon a dilapidated wooden shack.  Part of its roof was caved in, and the door's top hinge had come off from the wall.  It didn't appear lived in, but Tallon knew that this was the den that he was searching for.    

    Within the blink of an eye, the door flew open and a figure darted out.  Tallon felt his adrenaline start to pump as he dived out of the way.  He drew his sword just in time for the next charge.  Knowing how to subdue such a foe, he jumped to the side, avoiding the claws of the monster, then swung in the direction of its legs.  It went flying to the ground in a screech of pain.  As it lay on the ground holding its badly injured leg, he observed that it was barely even human.  Scales were growing over what used to be skin, claws were in the place of hands, and in its mouth were two sets of angled teeth.  Before this year, he had never seen these kinds of creatures, but now they seemed to be turning up everywhere.  He wasn't sure they were even Caderin.  Though it didn't matter what they were, the result was always the same, blood and carnage.  

    He walked over to the monster, lowered his head, and said a prayer.  As he raised his sword he looked into its eyes, as if telling the person that it used to be, that he will finally be free from the cage of his mind.  Then plunged the sword into its heart, killing it instantly.  

    Inside the shack was worse than the outside.  There were two rooms; the first was covered in stains of blood, and in the second, he found four half-eaten corpses scattered across the dirt floor.  Even though he had expected to see something like this, it still made him shudder.  While these monsters were less deadly than what he usually fought, the deeds they left behind could make a battle-hardened warrior weep.  Before leaving, Tallon dug them five shallow graves, leaving the last one for the man he killed, for he was as much of a victim as the rest.  As he took one last look at the bare patches of ground, he remembered why he had started this quest and why he could never end it.