Chapter 4: STRENGTH
Silvanus Longspear
Year of our Lord: 700 A.D.
The world was in turmoil, and at such a young age, civilization was endlessly searching for a hero to purge the land of the monstrous beasts preying on its inhabitants. They searched everywhere for someone with the strength and courage to fight against this evil, but were unable to find anyone.
The “Elders”, seeing that a hero was needed, sent a vision to a young man from across the sea. His name was Silvanus Longspear. Having grown up defending his own land from various threats, Silvanus was granted the strength equal to that of a demigod. Some even thought that he was a demigod, but at this point in time, he had not yet earned that stance nor title.
“Silvanus,” the Elders, told the king of the land, “is the name of the man who can save your people. He is currently traveling from a distant land, but will arrive in time to be of aid to you.”
Through many toils and tribulations, Silvanus made his way to the land shown to him in the vision. However, when he arrived on their shores, the land was almost void of all life. Vegetation, wildlife, even the human inhabitants, were so scarce, that he had to search five long days before anyone was to be found.
The hero was brought before the king of the land, who exploded in a fury at the sight of him. The rage was directed more at the Elders rather than Silvanus. For, from the time that the Elders had told about the arrival of Silvanus, and the time he was brought before the king, the land had received such large losses, that it was nearly uninhabitable.
The people had been nearly destroyed, the livestock hunted and eaten, all due to the beast that roamed the land, eradicating everything in sight. The remaining lifeforms were only able to escape through the devices of the magicians in the king’s service. They had been able to conjure border spells to repel the beast from the hall, but not from the surrounding land.
All that was left, were the starving, nearly dead inhabitants of the Mead Hall itself.
“I have received a vision of a land in need of a hero, overrun by monsters, and desolate.” Silvanus declared.
“This is that land.” replied the king. “Are you the demigod Silvanus, whose coming was foretold to us by the Elders?”
“I am he.” the hero said. “What is it that haunts this land, my king?”
“It’s name is one that we do not speak, unless relating our unfortunate tale. It is called Goatnal. A monstrous beast of extraordinary power and cunning. I’m afraid that you have arrived all too late to assist however.” the king said.
“I have arrived as fast as the Elders would allow me, my king.” said Silvanus. “Therefore, there is still time to save and revive this land.”
“You have much faith in the Elders, young man, I am all but through with my faith. If you are able to complete what you declare, my faith will be replenished as the land replenishes.” said the king wearily, unable to keep his eyes from drifting to the floor in despair.
Silvanus answered, “As I have said it, it shall be done, my king.” He stepped forward to the step just below the throne, knelt down on one knee, and with head bowed requested, “Humbly I ask that my king tell me where I can find this ‘Goatnal’, that I may confront him.”
The king’s eyes lifted from the floor to assess the hero kneeling before him. He saw power, courage, and strength perhaps equal to that of the beast he was to hunt. Never had he seen such power in any other human.
“Three days, you must travel East.” he said, finishing his assessment, “There, in a luscious portion of land, sided with mountains on one side and a forest on the other, there you will find Goatnal. No one has returned from a journey to this land besides one, and he passed shortly after telling us the tale.” He stood up, and turned to walk away when he added, “If you are able to return in victory, Hero, you shall be rewarded beyond measure.” Then, with a wave of his hand, signifying that Silvanus was dismissed, he departed.
The three days of travel gave Silvanus plenty of time to rest and store up his strength for the impending battle. It was, however, sort of a disappointment to the hero. From the stories that had been related to him, he had expected a constant state of battle, trying to reach his destination. But no more than three or four beasts had tried intersecting him. Having easily dispatching these foes, he constantly noticed many others, running and hiding in fear at his approach.
As he reached the top of the mountain that was said to border one side of his destination, he surveyed the area carefully before descending to the valley below. The land was truly luscious, like nothing he had seen before or even imagined. The evening sun shown through the trees in the forest, giving off a scene that he had only read about in poems, but hadn’t thought such visions were real. He set his spear and shield down against one of the trees, and sat down for while to enjoy this time of peace.
As the sun reached the tip of the mountain, the hero retrieved his weapons and, sensing a disturbance in the air around him, took his battle stance, ready for anything.
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He wasn’t quite ready enough, however. In an instant, his shield was torn from his hand and shattered against a rock several yards away. He was barely able to keep a hold of his spear as he was suddenly lifted into the air. He had never even heard a sound, not so much as a twig snapping on the ground. Where had the creature come from? How was it that he, an experienced warrior and proclaimed hero, had been taken by surprise? For the first time in his life, a spark of fear sprang into his heart.
Then he saw the beast for the first time as a full Harvest Moon rose above the forest. Goatnal didn’t live in the luscious valley that he was told about by the king, he was a part of it. Goatnal was a Gollum. He must have been quite ancient one to have achieved such a size.
Goatnal pulled himself up from under the ground where he had been sleeping, lifting Silvanus higher into the air. Holding Silvanus up by one of his arms, he surveyed him, and with a toss, threw him against a rock. The hero hit the rock with such force that it cracked from one side to the other, causing him to crumble to the ground, and dropping his spear.
Seeing the intruder fall, and lose his weapon, Goatnal turned and picked up a large tree, in order to finish off the human. He turned back, swinging the tree as if it were a light-weight sword.
Before he made contact with his victim however, Silvanus caught Goatnals’ arm, stopping it in mid swing.
Surprised, for he had never seen a human with such strength, he tried to wrench his arm free.
The hero, tightening his grip, picked up his spear, and thrust it through the beast’s wrist and into a tree, pinning his enemy down.
Seeing that this man was no normal human, the beast attempted to swat at him with his free arm and both of his feet in turn. The Hero dodged with such skill, it seemed like child’s play. Self-pride is a dangerous thing though, as the hero soon found out.
Suddenly, Goatnal planted a foot into the ground and lifted with all his strength. Lifting a large piece of ground, roots snapping and rocks flying, he succeeded in toppling the human.
Silvanus tried catching himself but was too late. As he fell, he struck his head against a sharp stone, putting out an eye. Blood pouring from his wound, he slowly pick himself back up. Stumbling as he turned around, he saw in horror as his own spear was thrust through his stomach, nailing him to the ground.
Rage filling every facet of his monstrous earthly being, Goatnal continued viciously pounding his opponent in to the ground. As his rage grew, he lost track of where the human was. Soon, all he was hitting was the ground.
Having been pretty well mortally wounded with his own weapon, Silvanus was only able to come up with enough strength for one last attempt to defeat his foe and purify the land. With a vicious battle cry, he threw his arms around the beast, and latching his fingers together, squoze as hard he could, refusing to let go regardless of the struggling beast.
Goatnal, using his natural abilities, pulled himself to his feet. However, the human held his grip, resulting that he was lifted off the ground, running the long shaft of his spear the rest of the way through his body.
Regaining is footing and using all the strength he had remaining, he dragged Goatnal to the edge of a lake that he had noticed when he surveyed out the land from atop the mountain. Understanding that even though Goatnal was an elemental gollum, this particular type couldn’t swim.
Goatnal, seeing where the human was taking him, struggled as hard as he could, but to no avail. With one last thrust, Silvanus and Goatnal plunged into the water. The beast, with a look of fear on his face, started to slowly dissolve. The mossy ties that held the parts of his stone and dirt body together, started dissolving and floating away as the water made contact. Soon, piece by piece, the stones began to sink, as one at a time, they came dislodged. As Silvanus watched his enemy dissolve, his body was lifted out of the water under non of his own power and placed on the shore. Almost immediately, he lost consciousness.
He awoke three days later, his spear by his side. He was being carried back to the land that he had fought for. He noticed that the land had already begun to mend. The trees started to bud, the other vegetation had already begun sprouting from the ground, and a river began to flow from the mountain.
It wasn’t the King or any of his men that had pulled him from the lake and saved his life, it looked to be one of the old women that he had seen in the Mead Hall. The old woman took the hero to the throne room, where the king was sitting, waiting anxiously for his return.
“Our Hero,” the king declared to his subjects as they entered, “arise and show him the honor he deserves.” All the people, including the king, arrose in honor of the warrior who had saved their land. “You have succeeded in ridding our land of the menace that nearly destroyed us. What is it that you require as a reward for your services, young man?”
“I require nothing, my king.” Silvanus answered, lifting himself to a sitting position. “All I ask is the piece of land on which my greatest battle was fought.”
The king’s eyes filled with rage at this response. It was the greatest respect to receive a gift for services rendered. This young hero had requested something that would separate him from the kingdom he had risked so much for. “Then you shall receive nothing. All reward shall remain with the people of this kingdom.”
“I mean you no disrespect my king,” Silvanus said, “the people of this kingdom will need the reward that was to be mine, in order to rebuild, and return to the life of times past.”
The king’s rage subsided at these words, realizing that the hero was not yet done saving the kingdom. He was, in fact willing to relinquish all riches to provide for the people. “Very well, hero.” he said. “The land you asked for is yours, may you live the rest of your life in peace.” Then returning his eyes to the people, he called out, “Hail to the Hero, Silvanus Longspear! Hail, hail, hail!”
As Silvanus returned to the land that he had chosen as his prize, the old woman followed after him.
“Why do you follow me Old Woman? What is it that you want?”
“I have a simple question for you, sir.” she said, in a quiet tone. “Are you ready to begin your true test of Strength?”
“True test?” Silvanus asked, not quite understanding.
“I grant you a reward in exchange for what you’ve given up, you have truly proven your worth to become a demigod.” As she said this, the body of the old woman seemed to melt away before his eyes, and revealed a woman of astounding beauty. She was in fact one of the Elders. She said, “I have one last quest for you Hero.” She waved her hand and a young man appeared, standing before them. “This young man will be in need of your services, many ages from now. Your body will no longer be a part of this world, but if you consent, the strength of your soul will remain.”
As his strength returned, pride filled the heart of the young hero, his body quickly healed, and his wounds disappeared. He felt exhilarated at having a new quest to look forward to. “I give my consent, my Lady.” he said, without hesitation. “My strength is his.”