The sun raged down, and the day fairies danced absorbing the plentiful sunlight. They sang a light song, as they dug up burrows to burn their night brethren. It was a war of nature. At night the night fairies froze the fragile sun fairies as often as possible. It was a war of evolution. The fairies that slew the most and survived the most days had a chance to evolve into a star or comet fairy. Rarely did the fairies live so long.
It was a brutal world and Markus was made more aware of it now that he had to spend nights outside. He was too heavy to go inside now. Ten tons was a lot. Every night, he watched the wars between the fairies, rage. Sleep did not come often and when it did, he was often choked awake. His life support skill functioned best when he was awake.
When he was younger Pa would always tell him don’t interfere with the fairies. Markus was impulsive and age eight he spent a day helping the day fairies dig up the night fairies. When Pa caught him, he was so angry. Markus thought he was getting a strapping for sure, but no father took him and made him watch the aftermath. The night fairies left, and the day fairies changed. Half of them became night fairies and the war started over again. Nature had a way of balancing itself out.
The day and the night, light and the dark were more similar than most people thought. If all the dark monsters were wiped out, the light monsters would soon become corrupt. It was a law of the world the balance of magic and nature. Who or what made this law is unknown, it is what it is. Researchers of magic have journeyed to various dungeons and always there are two or more opposing types living in the dungeon.
He learned his lesson. Markus himself was a walking contradiction. A human with opposing elements. After tossing a few dozen spiders in his mouth he felt better. 360points didn’t sound like much anymore. He could increase his vitality by 3% that would be something. Though increasing his willpower would be more effective. Willpower increased the density of magic, his ability to multitask, and his resistance to mind control. He looked over at his monster companion.
Trixie was another powerful contradiction. Her presence was like a blackhole. His willpower let him resist her mind, if not for it he would have been swallowed up by her consciousness. Every day she doesn’t eat the pull from her mind grows stronger.
That’s why he stood outside Pa’s shed. His Pa was working on the tilling blades. The metal had bent on a large piece of Ironcite.
Ironcite is a chunk of iron that absorbed a ton of metal type mana in the ground. When forged ironcite can become something formidable, unforged its an annoying rock that bends tilling blades. Most crops had been harvested already but they had a few that grew year-round. Opening a new field seemed like a good idea. So, Pa bought a crop they haven’t planted before.
A Valley Pepper it was a hardy plant that grew year-round. While very popular in the south, most cooking in the north didn’t have much spice. Pa wanted to test and see if the northerner villages would jump on it. It was a gamble but they had taken them before.
Unfortunately, the tiller was bent in a U. Pa could just bend the blade back, but it would likely weaken the steel. So, he was stuck heating and cooling the blade bending it a little at a time and checking for weaknesses in the blade.
He knocked on the door and heard a mighty crash and a few curses. “Come in boy, what do you need?” Pa said.
Markus opened the door to a blast of heat. Pa was there sweating up a storm covered in Stan’s grease and bending the the metal with his bare hands ignoring the heat from the flames. Stan’s grease cut most of the heat away regardless.
“I’m going to take a trip to the woods and find some monsters for Trixie to eat.” Pa raised an eyebrow.
“Monster’s for Trixie to eat. Mind flayers eat brains, so you might want to find something that we can either feed the rest to Stan or add to our larders. Waste not want not as the wondering priests used to say before their order was eaten by ogres. Poor bastards them. Better take my hunting bow and a quiver with you.” Markus saw Pa’s green bow and a quiver of 24 ironcite broadhead tipped arrows. They were all finely made and perfectly straight. “There are 24 arrows in that quiver I expect you to bring 24 back. The broadheads alone are worth 1000points, I expect to be reimbursed for each one you lose.” Markus nodded seriously.
“I’ll be careful not to lose any. I’ll try to bring something back alive.” Markus said. Pa shrugged his shoulder and began heating the blade back up.
“Better bring back at least two somethings unless you want to take a trip every week.” Pa yelled as he ran out of the shop.
It wasn’t even midday when he saw the trees, bow slung over his back and quiver tied to his belt he jogged north towards the forest. Even with his telekinesis down to a meter in range, he had telepathy searching couldn’t be too hard. His steps kicked up a long trail of dust, as he moved up to his full speed. Reaching his stride wasn’t difficult, he had no good way of stopping ten tons moving carried a lot of momentum.
He ended up crashing through the woods. Markus’ body carried him like a bulldozer tearing small trees up by their roots and ripping chunks out of larger ones. A massive oak finally stopped his progress. In an act to stop himself, he thrust his hands out and buried them deep in the oak. Pulling his hands out the oak let out a mighty crack.
“What the hell?” He looked down to see a dryad. She came up to his chest and looked at him like he just pissed in her oats. Her skin was a light shade of green and her hair was the color of acorns.
“Sorry, I have trouble stopping when I get going.” Markus muttered.
“Oh, and that excuses you from destroying my oak. I have half a mind to infect you with every sexual disease known to man and horses.” She said with a creepy smile. Markus was past feeling apologetic at that.
“You don’t want to threaten me. I’m sorry about the tree, but if you go around spouting threats I’m going to smash you into your tree, uproot it, and give it a hard toss.” She glared at him and he gave a glare right back. After a few minutes of staring off, she snorted.
“Fine no threats but make this right on your honor as a knight.” He wasn’t a knight but ok, he had time still and who knows maybe she knew of a monster type he needed. Markus nodded his head and listened to what she had to say. “This wasn’t my only oak, I had many. Now, this one is all I have left. I need you to hunt down the creature that killed my trees. It’s a massive bug that sucks the nectar out of dryad trees. A dryad’s nectar in low doses can increase the strength of any adventurer. In high doses it can cause a massive increase in strength and mutation.” Markus nodded his head.
“Tell me how to find it and the creature dies today.” Markus said. She handed him a wooden bowl filled with water and a leaf in the center.
“This compass will take you to the creature. My nectar is still digesting in its stomach the leaf is from the last of my oaks it sucked dry. It will lead you to it. Be warned it has strength comparable to any hero. Perhaps, even the hero of might.” Markus saw his Pa lift a 5ton bolder and chunk it dozens of kilometers to kill a band of ogres that would have slowed down his trip to town. He doubted this bug could match Pa. There was strong and then there was his Pa.
“I can handle it. Can I have the nectar in the creature’s stomach?” She nodded.
“What’s your name sir knight?” The dryad asked.
“Markus Son of Philip Might or Markus of Might for short, what’s yours?”
“Delilah of Golden Oaks come back you’re my only hope son of Might.” Markus nodded and went farther west where the trees grew smaller and insects were plentiful.
His nice riding boots crushed dozens of beetles and giant ants on his way. The leaf changed directions and he herd the sounds of buzzing. The water level rose as he began entering the swamp. Using his psychic power, he increased the surface area of his steps and began walking on the black bog water. He sent feelings of danger and risk to the creatures in the bog.
Life support began leveling up, as he crossed the poisonous gasses in the bog. The rusty armor of fallen knights littered the place. This wasn’t a place for a normal human. A knight in the stories would never die in a bog. These must be the bodies of squires and commoners ill prepared for life as a knight it’s sad but true.
The leaf changed directions and so did he. His quarry was moving and so was he. If he wasn’t quick the bug might double back and then reach Delilah. Markus quickened his pace.
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Large biting insects buzzed close by him only to turn away when they entered his telekinetic range. Most didn’t escape. The corpses of a multitude of biting insects littered the water quickly snapped up by the smaller bog gators.
He knocked his bow, as one sound began to echo louder than any others. It was his quarry it had to be. A hungry presence brushed across his mind. It was strong, he could feel it in the wind from the monster’s wing beets. The poisonous gasses that naturally covered the bog grew thicker here. The rotting bodies of bog gators floated rotting maggots fell out of the bodies wiggling through the waters eaten by giant bog catfish.
Then the water began to ripple, and he dove behind a fresher corpse. What he saw was a massive mutated woman with mosquito features.
A Bog Hag, one of the rare creatures that never traveled outside the region. Her stomach was bloated with sap and her body looked sturdier than the normally frail members of her kind. They were known to feed on men and leave their eggs within women. Their bodies were said to be that of wrinkled old women mixed with a mosquito. This variant was younger than the stories portrayed. Large perky breasts covered by a carapace. Long insectoid legs and her face was positively human. The long needle that stretched and bent from how mouth stabbed down in the water spearing a catfish. She lifted the creature out of the water and it shriveled becoming little more than a sack of skin and bones.
Markus watched her drink the fish dry while pulling back an arrow. He aimed for her midriff, once it hit, he would leap at her and pop her arms and legs off. He would rip her straw off and open her up for the nectar within. That was his plan. This enemy was an unknown and it made him nervous. Chills traveled up his spine.
The string was at his cheek, he measured the distance and counted how long it would take for the arrow to hit. They were about 15 meters apart, he marveled at the serrated edge of the broadhead. It was built to do damage and do worse damage coming out, for those enemies that have fast regeneration. He let it go hearing the arrow travel and then the thunk as the arrow embedded itself in the monster.
Standing out of cover, he leapt at her. The ground left as he traveled towards her then her straw pointed at him and spat out a vast amount of bog catfish blood. The stream covered him from head to toe. His arms closed like a beartrap. He heard her shriek. As he crashed through trees and fell under the water.
He kept his eyes closed, as the monster smashed into trees and bled everywhere. The bog water washed away the blood and soaked him to the bone. Then he willed the water away from his body and leapt up.
The Bog Hag left a path of destruction in her wake. Looking at his hands he had some of her leg bent around his arm. Tossing it to the fish he ran following the path of destruction.
He followed the path of broken dried out monsters to a clearing where the monster waited for him. Her hands were wrapped around the arrow with a powerful yank she pulled the arrow free along with some of her gut. She shrieked in pain and saw him.
“You did this to me why? I never attack humans I only eat monsters. Why do the humans always attack my kind? You will pay for this.” Markus brought up the bow and shot another arrow into her throat. She brought her hands to the arrow. Tears fell down her face. “Why?” She said, “I was good why do you forsake me?” She wasn’t talking to him, she seemed to be begging god.
Markus leapt at her with his fist raised. She attacked with her straw, he grabbed it and ripped it out. She choked spitting blood everywhere. “My children I have to protect them if I’m not strong other monsters will eat them.” His hands wrapped around her head and he crushed it. This was what knights did they slew monsters that threatened to rise above an ecosystem. He jammed his hand inside her stomach and ripped her open.
Instead of golden nectar he found golden monster eggs. It seemed that the sap had merged with the eggs creating a new variant of Bog Hag. She was almost ready to lay them. Gently he placed the eggs on the ground. Never trust the words of a monster that eats humans. Marie told him that directly. There were six eggs of a rare bog Hag variant a beautiful one if he wasn’t mistaken. Letting out a sigh, he put them in his inventory. Pa could help with that decision.
He wiped down Pa’s arrows and put them back in the quiver. It was time to return to the Dryad and collect information.
“You were successful.” Markus tossed the head of the Bog Hag at the Dryad’s tree. “That will teach that bitch to feed off me. It made her beautiful can you believe that? A stupid ugly Hag beautiful disgusting.” The Dryad said. “I’m guessing she already digested all the nectar. Well you did me a favor close your eyes.” Delilah stood on her tiptoes and kissed him she pushed her tongue in his mouth and nectar fell down his throat. He felt his base strength double. “That’s all I can spare I’m afraid.”
He stumbled back blushing, that had been his first kiss. “Are knights more prudish than I remember. Most men become knights, so they can sleep with beautiful monsters. How old are you to blush like that?” Delilah asked.
“I’m twelve almost thirteen.” She crossed her legs and covered her breasts.
“I just kissed a sapling. You aren’t even ready to breed yet are you. Have you seen a pair of tits before?” Delilah said.
“I milk Minoos all the time and there was Marie.” Markus said in more of a mumble.
“Yet, you blush like a sapling at a mere kiss. So big for twelve too no wonder you came through like a tornado. Only twelve and so powerful. Must be good genes. When you’re older come back here, I’m going to rock your world. Our saplings shall be the mightiest of oaks.” Markus blinked.
“Yea, I need another favor. Could you tell me if there are any psychic type monster’s near here? I came to the woods to hunt one.” She nodded her head.
There is a breed of deer with three eyes. A three eyed stag if I recall. They have kind of precognition. Very difficult to hunt. I’m sure you could handle it if your careful. Travel deeper north and to the east. Most of them live that way.” Markus said his good bye and began making his way Northeast.
The three eyed stags were plentiful in the northeast as Delilah said. He could feel their psychic power. No snare could catch them, and no arrow would hit them. The sun was going down and he had nothing to show for his hunting trip other than a few eggs.
He was about give up when he saw a group of boars. These large pigs had an empathic presence. They were technically psychic. A few had telepathy and they worked by watching out for each other. Markus witnessed a social hierarchy of the strongest smartest pigs standing at the top the females, and then the piglets. Those boars that fail to become the biggest or smartest don’t get to mate. They are often sacrificed to larger predators.
They were perfect for what he needed. He had some robe but that wouldn’t be enough. Markus could either come back or use telepathy to alter their thinking. Something Ma was great at Markus not so much. What he needed was a niche a way in.
He entered the tangled web of their hierarchy. Markus was a foreigner with foreign values. But the problem with chaotic hierarchies like these were the females. They were the breeding power of the society, if you directed them to safety they would go and bring the other with them. He sent thoughts of the farm and sent his very real feelings of safety and food. Markus was selling a pitch and to sweeten it he guaranteed protection there. Like cancer the thoughts of making a pilgrimage to the farm spread. He summoned familiars to follow the boars and keep them safe. The sun had just sunk, and his familiars had nothing to fear.
He was here for one thing a stag. The boars could find the farm on their own. Markus went farther north. A blue eye appeared in the center of his forehead. Subskills like glamour and hypnosis were available but he chose not to use them. The point of the eye was the hide from premonition.
Markus waited on the branches of a tall tree as a large Stag with three eyes and a massive rack stepped through. It turned its massive head before going for the pond. Bow pulled back, he aimed and fired.
His arrow sunk behind the stag’s right shoulder. It legs kicked out and it fell. Markus leapt down and began field dressing the deer. Saving the head and storing the brain in his inventory he made his way out of the woods with a sack of deer meat tied in bloody deer leather hanging on his back.
It was midnight, Draccon cornered him and he was forced to defend himself. Using his fists like clubs, he fended them off with a few bites and scratches to show for it. His flowery shirt stitched itself back together as his wounds closed.
He heard the whinny of a horse and turned to see the largest creature of the equine species in the halo mountains. The horse was called a Nightbreed. The mare walked up and sniffed his pouch full of deer meat. The horse had red eyes and fangs instead of normal horse teeth. She was skinny, and her fur was ghostly phantasmal. Nightbreed were known for their power and speed. So long as they kept eating they never stopped growing. This one was under fed her lips were cracked from an over exposure to sunlight, knots filled her tail, and small wounds covered the creature. He took out a bit of his meat and fed the monster.
She scarfed it down and whinnied for more. He fed her more and continued towards the farm. The path of the boars was clear thanks to all the pig shit. He led her to a stall in the barn and took out more of the meat leaving it there for her. Putting the rest in his inventory, he laid down on the barn floor exhausted.
The Boars were pinned with the other pigs. The Haven hogs and the Boars slept on opposite sides of the pen. That was good they needed a separate pen anyway.
Markus fell on the floor feeling like he had been awake for days. His head pounded, and breathing was getting harder. He relaxed and let his telekinetic field sink back beneath his skin. This was important. If he left his field out he would wake up in a few hours gasping for air with a horrible headache. This was his price for power.
Tears fell down his face as the stress of the day washed over him. The begging Bog Hag got to him, but he couldn’t let it show then. A song of darkness calmed his mind and swept the pain away. It was in a language he held only pieces of in distant memories. A woman who sometimes shown dark and silver her song was sad but hopeful. It mixed with Ma’s songs and memories threaded with his own and training.
Tears continued to fall in the dark where no one could see him. His eyes closed and eventually he felt his mind rest. He lost himself in memories as only a psychic could. Memories of countless battles floated through a few were not of his parents or the old memories. They were Marie’s. “Markus this is how you fight a Leech. Don’t be afraid Markus you can do it.” He watched her go through the steps and he stood with her in her shoes moving through alien forms swinging axes and killing.
He awoke that morning and every morning for weeks and walked to the corral where the Nightbreed pranced around. “Today I will break you.” He said it everyday and for weeks he failed. His weight wasn’t so great to her and she threw him every time. He got up took her aside brushed her and fed her more deer meat.
A month later it was fall and he was now 13 summers old. When he got on her she didn’t buck or roll on the ground. He rode her around the corral and Pa said he was ready to leave home for the academy.