It is difficult to be gentle when in full motion – and when trying to do something quickly. The Wanderer tries, but in the end he can only hope that this maneuver won’t yield the same result as it did the last time he tried it.

He pushes into Lahab just before the beast would have reached her, and all of his focus is on ensuring he won’t break her bones, too, like he did with Zerban. A sick feeling rears up in his stomach. He feels the rush of wind of the passing foe, feels the fur of its mane against the back of his arm as he just about makes it past the Mussena. They crash, Lahab and the Wanderer splashing into one of the starry pools of the cavern, and the Mussena into the wall of the dark, cavernous hall beyond, where the three of them had previously entered from.

Shoja is there, and the Wanderer hopes that the Mussena does not see him, but he barely has time to think of the prince or Lahab, for a striking, deep pain slices through his back. He can scarce recognize the snarl-yell of agony that it wrenches out of him, and in a flurry of desperation, he scrambles away from the Mussena, which seems to have no interest in letting its prey have even a moment’s respite. The Wanderer turns against the wall, Lahab at his side. He presses his back against the cavern wall, eyes glued to the Mussena, and hisses in pain when the newly-acquired gashes on his back meet the rough rock surface.

The Mussena, for its part, has retreated, pacing back and forth, the glint of blood on its claws.

My blood, the Wanderer thinks.

Our blood.

The thought freezes him. It is not his. Well – it is – but it isn’t.

But, as the monster before him begins to approach, all sense leaves his mind. His hands tremble and shake. The beast snarls, its teeth glowing in the dark – is it the light from the pools that makes them shine so, or are those teeth like everything else in this cavern, bestowed with a blueish radiance? The question flits through his mind in the midst of his panic and terror, a curious detail so unimportant now that he was facing an almost certain death. The Mussena takes another step forward. He has never faced something like this – certainly, he has no memory of it, and surely a memory like that would come barreling back into his brain, as strong as it would have been.

So, why… Why does he feel that this is a familiar situation? Why does he feel this urge – this strange, overpowering urge – to face this monster when all he wants to do is run away?

Our blood, the voice in his head growls again – a voice that is not his. A voice he has never heard. Stand.

His body obeys the command thoughtlessly, his heart beating against the cage that keeps it. “What--” he gasps, looking to Lahab. She watches him curiously, but her attention is stolen by the Mussena as another fierce bellow fills the echoing cavern.

Fight, the voice commands, and the Wanderer fights a sudden, terrifying wave of almost overwhelming desire to launch himself into battle with the Mussena. The beast watches him curiously, perhaps cautiously, perhaps sensing that something odd has happened to its prey.

Fight! the voice repeats, and this time, the Wanderer cannot suppress the urge that flows through his body. It reacts to the command without hesitation, and when he feels his legs push off from the ground, leading him towards the Mussena, he can feel his heart in his throat.

In that moment, many things pass through his mind. He thinks of the girl whose smile he remembers. He thinks of Lahab, and how she will be next. He thinks of Shoja, and if he has escaped. He thinks of the forest, and the dark sands of a place he no longer knows, and the calm sea as it laps against its shores, and the profound yearning he has for all of these parts of himself that have been lost to the curse he bears.

Perhaps he has lost his mind. He feels for sure that this is the end.

Completely out of his own control, his body barrels into the Mussena head-on, just as the beast’s left paw slices through his right arm. The shove is strong – the animal is pushed off-balance – but almost as soon as it falls, the Mussena is once again on its legs, a mean growl ripping out of its throat.

And the two of them fight.

It is incomprehensible to the Wanderer – why his body should move when he does not control it, or how he knows to dodge this way and that, or why he reaches out with his own fingers like claws to slice through the Mussena every now and then, only to remember that he does not have claws, and he is not an animal. He feels clumsy in his own skin, and yet – somehow – he is able to survive, meeting the monster blow for blow, occupying this creature that far outweighs him by some insane miracle.

But it does not mean that he is immune from its attacks. They come, and when they do, the pain is excruciating. The claws on its paws are each a thick, sharp blade of their own, and it pushes through his skin as if it were soft butter. He doesn’t know how much more he can take; even he can see that he does not have the weapons required to triumph over the Mussena. He is not built right.

Sooner than he expects, his limbs grow weary, the growing ache of exhaustion burning through them. Whatever his body might know to do – however it is able to move the way that it is – it’s not enough. Already his body is slowing, already it is tiring, already he can see that he is losing time.

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Weak, the voice hisses, and the word seems to echo through the cavern of his mind. Too weak.

One powerful blow to his stomach sends him flying through the air, completely winding him, and he crumples against the rocky ground, scraping his arms something awful. He gasps for breath, the unbearable ache radiating through his upper abdomen as his organs reel from the hit. The Mussena towers over him, its unfathomable icy stare latched to his own eyes. He can barely move, the pain is so strong.

This is it, he thinks. Somewhere off to the side, he thinks he hears Lahab calling his name, but it is too late. No matter what I do, I’m not strong enough to beat this monster.

The Mussena lets out a quiet snarl, as though agreeing with him, and comes another step closer, growling menacingly under its breath.

A flash of silver behind the monster – a glint in the darkness – catches the Wanderer’s eye. A sword.

With a terrible howl that transforms into a pained whine, the Mussena crumples to the floor. Behind him stands Shoja, his hands wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword. In the blue glow of the Starlight Cavern, the blood that stains his face looks black. For a moment, nobody moves. Especially not the Mussena.

Finally, the prince breaks the silence.

“Are you mad?” he cries, falling to his knees. “You are completely insane, Wanderer!” But even as he admonishes the Wanderer, the relief flows through him, and he sighs, setting the sword down as he reaches out to the Mussena and lays a hand atop its large form.

“Is it dead?” Lahab asks from across the room, still seated against the wall, her knees drawn to her chest. “Did you kill it?”

“No,” Shoja replies. “It is still breathing,” he adds, stroking the beast’s fur. “I sliced through the nape of its neck. I… do not think I went deep enough to do any permanent damage.”

The Wanderer, still in shock, half-frozen with relief and fear, stares at the animal on the ground before him. His eyes find the Mussena’s, and he sees its icy blue gaze still trained on him, though they water with tears.

* * *

Quest: A Peaceful Resolution

You have successfully completed the quest ‘A Peaceful Resolution’.

Return to Quest Owner to obtain your reward.

Quest: A Peaceful Resolution

Goal

[complete]

Retrieve 3 Glowing Cragenbacks from the Starlight Cavern in Sheffar Forest.

Reward

The return of the enchanted sack and all of its belongings to Lahab, Noble Guardian of Ildenwood Forest.

Quest Owner

The Bandit King and Noble Guardian of Sheffar Forest

The three of them trudge through the forest, exhausted but triumphant. They pause for a moment near a small stream, each of them realizing just how parched they are. The Wanderer stares back at the way they came, in the direction of the Starlight Cavern, and cannot quite place the emotion that he feels, cannot quite name it.

“The Mussena will be all right,” Lahab says, and he breaks his gaze away from the mass of trees to turn to her. She nods in the direction of the cavern. “He will heal. The prince has not injured him permanently.”

“I know,” the Wanderer replies. He realizes that it is a relief, to hear that reassurance from Lahab. “I know,” he repeats.

The Mussena will heal, but it will take a few days, and in the meantime, it will be vulnerable. For some reason, this worries him greatly.

“Come,” Shoja says. “We should make haste. The sun will soon set, and that Gunya woman did not think we would return alive. If we’re to find our way back, we cannot spare any more time.”

Hesitantly, despite the feeling within that he should turn back, the Wanderer follows Shoja and Lahab as they try to find their way through the dense forest once more.

He can’t shake the feeling that something is not at all right with him.

He can’t stop thinking of the voice.

He can’t stop thinking of the way it controlled his body.

There is already so much he cannot control. So much he has lost.

It terrifies him to think what else there is for him to lose. What else will slip out of his control.