Chapter 21.2: Waljad
9 Years ago
Jane
The village of lanterns, as it was called to outsiders, but to them it was home. Far to the east of Elden lay a deep cave. One that was harmless but was filled with many rumors from the locals. Some false and some true. After reaching the end of the caverns, you would be led to the exit, and the home of the lanterns, or the Waljad as they referred to themselves. A race of lanterns with human-like appendages like legs and arms that were far more lanky than a regular human. Though they had arms and legs, the lantern that comprised their main body had no eyes or mouth to speak of. Only a flame would burn deep within the lantern. It was a sign to each other that they were healthy. Jane was on the larger side of the Waljad. Her legs and large lantern body made her stand at about ten feet. This wasn't unusual, Age did not influence height and many of the Waljad were different sizes. Jane passed through her small little village. Tending to the plants she so often liked to take care of. Originally she had been taught how to be a surgeon. A way of integrating the Waljad with humans so they could earn income for supplies they would need to keep their village stable. Though, they didn't need much. The village was only comprised of about six wooden huts and situated amongst some trees on the edge of a cliff face. The huts had the influence of human houses but were built with more primitive techniques and accommodated each Waljad. Food wasnt necessary for the Waljad either. Really they lived their sedentary lives in solitude. Only Jane would venture out to far-off villages to tend to ill townsfolk. That, and her botany kept her busy enough. That was until the poacher came. Not everyone tolerated Jane and some humans outright despised her, simply because she wasn't the most approachable of beings, nor was any of her race.
“I told you! Do not put pressure on it!” Jane told the young man firmly as she crouched down in the villager's home. “If you put pressure on that wound it can open again, you might even be stuck with a limp for the rest of your life!” She said as her high voice reverberated through the glass of her body.
“How long should I stay in bed?” The man said as he climbed back into bed with a visible twitch of pain in his face.
“About three weeks. Make sure to drink plenty of water as well.” She said as she slowly crawled out of the house. She squeezed through the doorway that was only just big enough to fit her through, she slowly stood up to her full height which dwarfed the rest of the villagers. “He’s going to be okay.” She told the family of the patient “Just make sure he rests and does not put pressure on his leg.” The flame inside her burned gently as she spoke.
“Oh thank you, Jane,” said the woman - most likely his wife - “This village doesn't deserve someone like you,” She said with overwhelming affection.
“Oh, it's okay,” Jane said with a bubbly and embarrassed tone. The woman handed her the gold, reaching it up to place it in her fleshy hands. “This means more than you know to our little village”
“Please do come visit again. Not everyone here agrees with your kind but you are always welcome with us. As agrees my husband.” she said as if Jane were her own daughter.
“I wish I could but I need to keep the safety of my people a priority. Being out of our village too much will only bring attention.”
“I understand,” She said solemnly “Mind how you go,”
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“I will!” She shouted back. Placing the gold earned in her leather satchel. She wore it hung around her main body. Custom-made with the shape of the lantern in mind. To her, it was just a small little satchel but for a human it was the size of a travelling pack. As she left the small village, she turned back to look quickly. She felt slightly uneasy but decided just to hurry back to her own village to avoid unwanted attention. She rushed through the cavern that led to her village. It helped that her own body would light the way for her, though she still had to be careful as her size would prove a hindrance within the areas that had low ceilings. Eventually, she made it to the end of the cavern and was greeted with the sun that beamed through the exit…and shattered glass. Jane stood there horrified, clutching her leather satchel as the flame inside her flickered to show her fear. As she stepped over the shards of glass, the patches of what were once Waljad got thicker. Torn fleshy arms lay around, and the glass became more difficult to avoid stepping on as it got denser. Jane was so scared to push forward, but she kept convincing herself she needed to find out what happened and whether there were any survivors. As she turned the corner that led to the village, their was nothing left. The structures they once called homes had been smashed to pieces, and what stood at the center was the culprit. A bear, the poacher of what was once her home and her people. The bear was occupied with its last victim, tearing its limbs off and splattering the fluid that sat in the limbs. The bear was larger than even Jane was. It was covered in scars and its hide looked leathery and tough. Jane stood there petrified, she had never seen as horrible a creature as it was. No animals ever ventured through the caverns or into their village, aside from birds that lived on the shore. How…how did it even…g…get here? The bear ripped off another appendage as it grunted and roared before stopping suddenly and turning slowly to face Jane. Almost as if the smell of the little flesh she had entered its sense. She yelped in fear. She wanted to run away as soon as she so those predator's eyes but she couldn't, her body wouldn't let her. She stood there unable to do anything but clutch her satchel and wait for the moment her flame would be extinguished. The slamming of the beast's paws got louder and louder and Jane began to close her vision and wait for death…the roars and slamming stopped. Stopped by the inclusion of a much larger slam and squelching, until the sounds disappeared. Jane stood there whimpering, too afraid to look at what happened. She knew she wasn't dead but she was too afraid to see the beast stand before her.
“You're ok, it’s deed nue,” Said an unknown man’s voice. Jane regained her vision slowly. To her horror, the beast was directly in front of her. She squealed and jumped back. Only to find the beast was in fact dead. It laid there like a pelt used for a carpet. It lay there dead with a massive silver sword skewered through its back. Pinning it to the ground and destroying its heart. Jane stood breathless looking at the beast. Blood pooled from underneath its gigantic body as Jane stood there scared and confused as to what just happened.
“You aright?” Jane turned to where the voice echoed from. She turned up to find a man stood on a perch of the cliff face. He wore a red cloak that billowed in the seaside wind. Jane stood there stammering. Still clutching her satchel. The man jumped off the perch and slowly began to descend down to her. As he got closer, she noticed he descended upon a platform of silver swords, similar to the one impaled upon the beast. The man landed next to her. He stood there and looked amongst the corpse, including the members of Jane’s race.
“I’m sorry I couldnae come sooner.” He said calmly “I only just got word that some bastard set wan of these things in yer village” Jane stood petrified listening to the man. She looked and saw the shattered glass of her race, it had hit her like a sledgehammer that she was now the last of her race. She knelt down and picked the glass up. It fell through her brown fleshy hands.
“I trained to be a surgeon…and there's nothing I can do.” Though her eyes and mouth weren't visible. The sorrow in her voice could be felt. “I never learned how to fix our own people” She was barely understandable at this point from her voice breaking so much. The man raised his arm up and placed his hand on her lanky arm. “Aye, You cannae do anything mare for them. Their gone nue…but that dosnae mean you cannae dae some good for the folk still around.” The man was difficult to understand. She hadn’t heard his accent before but she understood enough of what he was trying to say. “You've had a lang day. Come on lass. You cannae bide here. I’ll tack you somewhere safe.” Jane let the man take her hand and guide her out of the village, though she was still sobbing. She felt comfort in the man, perhaps because she had been saved by him.