“What are we doing out here again?” asked Dezzlin.  The other three in his group turned to look at him.  What?  They’d been walking down the same sandy road all day in the desert.  It sounded like a reasonable question to him.

            “Is he an idiot or is this sun sickness?” asked Mekov.

            “Probably both,” laughed Sakien.

            Like they had any room to talk, thought Dezzlin.  The pair of northerners were so pale he’d literally never seen their skin tone before.  “Laugh all you want.  At least I don’t need a cloak to protect me from the sun,” he said and gestured to their identical white cloaks.

            “I’ve met northerners before.  They always wear those,” said Diake.

            “Really?  Why?”

            “Because we’re smarter than you,” said Mekov.  He grinned before spitting on the sand.  He watched the moisture dissipate almost instantly.  “But your homeland does seem to have a particularly harsh sun.”

            “A good time for a break,” said Diake, unzipping his red scaled jacket.  Dragon scale covered him head to toe like a second skin.  It was probably the best armor among them, giving him flexibility while being extremely tough.  It even lent him a level of fireproofing, but that didn’t stop the sun.  The poor man was probably melting under all the scale.  It was entirely red save for the black helmet.  Pointed like a dragon’s head with spikes going down the middle, it was intimidating on a good day, terrifying at night.

            “I could use some water.”  Sakien planted his enormous axe, the Northern Lord, into the sand.  Mekov stabbed his lance into the ground, but the gigantic shield covered in dark hide always stayed in his hand. 

The pair were like a bull and a scorpion, thought Dezzlin.  Dezzlin matched Sakien’s bulk only with his armor on, and when the big man charged there was no stopping him.  Mekov by contrast, was the smallest in the group.  However like the desert scorpions, he waited for his bigger opponents to come to him, then they died.

            Dezzlin pulled his sword from his belt and squatted, using the sheathed blade as an anchor to lean on.  His armor was a series of thick brown plates that were all but invincible.  It was heavy but had been masterfully tailored to let him retain some dexterity.  When he squatted, the compression pushed the plates out, opening like vents in a forge.  It allowed air to blow across his overheated body, and it was beautiful.  Taking the offered water, Dezzlin tipped his armored skull back to drink.  The helmet was an awkward piece, made of the same thick plates with thick sharp ridges.  It made his head look like a spikey turtle, but in a business where things tried to eat your head, its design deterred sharp teeth quite effectively.

            “A caravan coming to town was wiped out,” said Mekov.  “Few survivors, they don’t know what hit them.  They only survived because they started running and never looked back.”

            “Oh yeah,” said Dezzlin, remembering the story now.  “We don’t even have a description of the monster.”

            “I love mystery hunts,” said Diake sarcastically, taking another sip of water. 

            “With any luck, it’s long gone,” said Sakien.  “We’re getting paid for an investigation and whatever we can reclaim from the caravan.  Payday and nothing tries to step on us.”

            “That’s a good day,” said Mekov, sounding more enthusiastic about the trip.

            “Yup.”  Sakien hefted his axe back over his shoulder, letting sand pour off it as he walked.  Closest Dezzlin could place it was a pole axe, but that wasn’t even close.  The blade was two feet of sharpened steel with blue and green scales melded to its sides.  Teeth of some creature were laid next to the blade as well, not quite reaching its sharp edge.  It was designed so that when the axe was dropped into a monster, the teeth literally bit in, leaving a catastrophic wound when it was pulled free.  No one would be stitching that up.  Then again, if Sakien ever hit a person with that, then there was no chance of them surviving anyways.  Because the weapon wasn’t lethal enough, the base of the pole ended in a spearpoint.

            “Let’s do this.”  Mekov pulled his lance up.  It was one solid piece of sharpened bone.  Who knew what was killed to produce such a large weapon?

            “You ready?” asked Diake as he zipped up his jacket.  He had a similar curved longsword as Dezzlin; three feet of tempered steel made for dealing with man or monster.  Dezzlin rose and slid his sword back into place.

            “Absolutely,” said Dezzlin.  Feeling refreshed, he took the lead with a strong pace.  There was a series of silent grumbles as the rest fell in line.  They could joke all day about sun sickness, but Dezzlin was the only native here.  This was his sun and sand, and he’d spent his entire life marching through both.  He’d keep going long after everyone had dropped from exhaustion.

            That being said, there was nothing to see but miles of rock and sand.  The road they were on was barely visible, just a trail of pebbles and crushed rock slowly built up over the years.  It would only take one good sandstorm to cover the path.  Dezzlin knew every year special caravans rolled along, spilling new rocks to maintain the road.  He wondered if a sandstorm could possibly remove the excess sand and reveal a wall of rocks created over the years.

            The only sight worth taking in were the four hunters, and they’d all memorized each other’s armor by now.  In town they might all look out of place, but out here they were right at home.  They were hunters, slayers of monsters.  A normal man might scare off the small pests, but the wilds had things which could crush houses and consume towns.  When something is capable of destroying a caravan by itself, the hunters get called to solve the problem.  They were the heroes of civilization.

            Dezzlin repeated that thought for the thousandth time as they walked.  It was late in the second day and boredom had set in long ago.  They’d started out swift and full of stories to let the hours just go by.  The heat had drained their excitement by noon today.  Talking took moisture away from dry mouths and they were all getting irritable.  The caravan attack site was only a few hours more away.  The sun was beginning to set, so they might be forced to make camp again.

            Diake was the most eager for something, anything to distract them.  He wanted the monster to be there so he could at least vent his frustration.  The northerners could take their boring payday, Diake wanted action.  He hadn’t come to this desolate land to just wither away under the sun.  Which is why when he first heard the faint scream his heart almost pounded in joy.

            “Did anybody else hear that?”  The group paused, hands on their weapons.  Some animals were making noise far off the path.

            “Nothing important,” answered Dezzlin.  Another faint shriek.  This one was sharp, angry, and definitely human.

            “It’s a fight!” cheered Diake, sprinting off the path.  He ditched his pack in the sand and heard the others doing the same.  He drew his blade in one swift motion, running with it at his side.  Diake looked like a warrior straight off the paintings, running headlong into the fire to battle dragons.

            The others looked less elegant.  Sakien kept the Northern Lord close to his chest with both hands as he jogged.  It was just so heavy that if he sprinted with it, then he had a hard time stopping, and tackling monsters was usually considered a last resort.  Mekov looked ridiculous, but there’s just no graceful way to run with a lance and shield.  Between bulky gear and short legs, he was getting there last.  Dezzlin again impressed them with his speed, running with armor so heavy he made imprints in the sand.  They could hear him huff and puff as he passed.  His sword remained sheathed because he needed both arms to keep his balance. 

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

            With the sun at their backs, their shadows ran ahead to the invisible battleground.  The noises were becoming clearer even if there appeared to be nothing in front of them.  Then the ground dropped away revealing a small gulley.  In the darkened ravine were holes into the rock and scavs were pouring out of like ants.

            Scavs were small creatures and fairly pathetic.  They ran on four clawed feet, had two short clawed arms, and a head on a long neck for biting.  They could’ve been more intimidating except the average scav wasn’t more than three feet tall.  They rarely attacked anything that wasn’t already dead and if they did, they planned victory by sheer numbers.  Scavs were currently running circles around their opponent and confident in their victory.

            A girl, not much younger than most of them, stood in the middle of the circle.  She had a sword, small shield, and seemed to know how to use them.  Her sword was short, curved, and incredibly thick.  The extra weight gave her the killing power she desired as she took a meaty chunk out of a nearby scav. 

            Her experience with a blade and lack of fear suggested she might be a hunter just like the rest of them, but her lack of armor was appalling.  For some reason, she wore only a normal shirt and short pants.  She was either stupid or quite the daredevil.  Her body was covered in scratches and bites and she was bleeding nicely.  Her ferocity wasn’t to be trifled with, but her wounds would slowly sap her strength.  The scavs knew this.  All they had to do was keep her contained and wait.

            “Gentlemen, I believe she is in need of assistance,” said Diake.

            “Agreed.  Hey girl!” shouted Sakien as he reached inside of his cloak.  His voice brought the attention of the entire battlefield to them.  Sakien snapped something off a small ball and threw it into the midst of the scavs.  “Cover your eyes!”

            The four hunters turned and shielded their eyes.  The girl wasn’t sure what was going on, but turned and tried to cut her way out, fearing they’d just thrown a bomb at her.  The scavs just snarled and moved to their new victims, unwittingly ignoring the falling orb.

            The flash bomb snapped open, and suddenly, the whole area was brighter than the heavens.  The scavs screamed and howled in pain as their eyes burned.  Some fell over scratching at their faces while others just shook their heads in confusion.  For the next five seconds they would all be trying to recover their wits.

            The girl looked back with burning eyes just in time to see a slaughter on her hands.  The four men dropped into the scavs like a wave of steel.  Mekov planted himself on the edge of the scavs and began to move his lance target to target.  Sakien’s giant axe swung back and forth, bashing a path through the mob.

            Dezzlin and Diake rushed through the waves of stunned scavs and only stopped once they reached the girl, taking up position on either side of her.  The girl gawked at their swords.  Hers was barely two feet long while theirs were over three.  Her blade was permanently stained, scratched, and bent slightly while theirs were kept to near perfection.  They were beautiful.

            “Save the girl,” said Dezzlin.

            “Cut the rest down,” confirmed Diake. 

The girl stood in dazed shock as they sliced the horde apart.  With every swing they took a step and slowly performed a circle around her.  Any scav willing to leap at them quickly met their maker.  The sand was growing redder in an ever-expanding circle.  She watched them in awe until she saw a much larger form step out of a cave.  None of the men noticed it so she yelled a warning.

            “Den mother!” 

The commotion stopped temporarily as a much throatier cry echoed through the ravine.  Normal scavs only stood a few feet tall and were relatively weak, but their den mother could stand up to eight feet high and was much more formidable.  Wherever there was a big scav nest one could almost always find a den mother.

            “Your flash bombs attract everything!” yelled Mekov.

            “But they work,” said Sakien mirthfully. 

The den mother barked at them and leapt for Mekov.  Mekov planted his tower shield into the ground and braced for impact.  The den mother landed in front of him and immediately tried to bowl him over.  Its claws hooked onto his shield, and it leaned over in an attempt to bite the tastier object behind the armor.

            “Get off!” snapped Mekov.  It was too close to spear, so he bashed it in the side of the head with his lance.

            “Allow me,” said Sakien as he came in swinging his axe around his side.  It bit deep into the den mother’s hide and rolled it off of Mekov’s shield.  It rolled back to its feet and tried to lunge again when a terrible pain immobilized it.  Mekov had thrust his lance forward, not aiming for its heart, but its leg.  Mekov held it as steady as he could and kept the creature from running.  Sakien brought his axe over his head onto its back.  Something cracked in the den mother’s spine, and it howled in pain.  He shifted quickly back as Dezzlin and Diake took either side.

            “Top,” said Diake.

            “Bottom,” said Dezzlin.  Their swords swept in opposite directions through the den mother’s neck.  Both of their arms shook as they met powerful resistance in the creature.  The den mother dropped to the floor without a sound as its head toppled away.  A loud clink followed the fall and they realized the resistance they’d met was each other. 

            “Any more?” asked Mekov.

            “I don’t think so,” said Sakien.  “I think we scared off any survivors.” 

Dezzlin held up his sword and cringed.  “You put a notch in my blade!” he cried to Diake.  Diake just smirked.

            “Get a better sword.”

            “Who in the seven hells are all of you?” demanded the girl.  They all looked back at her in surprise as if they’d forgotten she was even there.

            “Out of town hunters.  My name is Diake.  This is my friend Dezzlin, and the two northerners are Sakien and Mekov.”  He pointed to each of them with his blade, and they all nodded in turn.

            “What were you doing out here?” asked Sakien as he came over to her.

            “Hunting, just like you,” she said proudly.

            “Like us?” laughed Mekov as he looked around.  “Not like us.”

            “Here,” said Sakien as he passed a small flask to her.  “Ignore him.  What’s your name?”

            “Kira.”  She looked at his flask warily.  “What’s this?”

            “Firen.  You look like you need it.” 

Kira nodded but was hesitant to take it.  Firen worked as a powerful healer, but it wasn’t medicine.  It was a metabolic accelerant.  It forced the body to run faster and harder which helped close and cure wounds, but it drained the drinker.  They had to drink and eat almost twice as much just to keep the firen in check until it was out of their system.

            “I think I’m good.”

            “No, you’re not,” said Diake.  “Take a swig.”

            “There’s plenty of meat to eat,” said Dezzlin, guessing her motive for resisting.  Kira took a deep breath and took a swallow of the bright orange liquid.  It burned as it went down, like the liquid was trying to consume her back.  She passed it back to Sakien with a disturbed look.

            “What were you doing out here?” repeated Diake.

            “Hunting.  I’ve been a hunter for a bit now.”

            “And why aren’t you wearing any armor if you’ve been doing this for a while?”  Kira looked at her wounds and tattered clothes.

            “Haven’t really needed it before,” she said with a shrug.  Sakien patted her uninjured shoulder.

            “I’d invest in some.”

            “Well you’ve got lots of scav leather now,” said Dezzlin as he looked around.  “I’d get to carving.”

            “We’ll keep watch for you,” said Diake.  He checked the fading sun and sighed.  “I guess we should consider setting up camp.”

            “I don’t need your help,” said Kira angrily.  “I could’ve taken them all.”

            “And never gone home again,” said Mekov as he picked through a pile of bones.  Kira eyed him annoyed.

            “Is he always like this?”

            “Death by scavs,” continued Mekov as if he wasn’t even listening.  “How embarrassing.  What would your mother say?”  Kira took a step forward, but Sakien kept her steady with one hand.

            “I told you to ignore him.”  He pulled out his carving knife and handed it to Kira.  “How much do you know about taking what you need?”

            “Uhhh…”

            “Good time to learn,” he said with an encouraging smile.  He walked away suddenly to join Mekov in his search.  “Dezzlin can teach you.”

            “What?” cried Dezzlin.  “Why me?”

            “Because it would get my cloak dirty.”

            “I’ll get a fire going,” said Diake.  Dezzlin sighed as everyone turned on him.  He looked at the confused Kira.

            “Let’s get started then!  Den mother first.”