The Beast

By Megan Hall

Yllandra sat by the fire quietly eating her catch and listening to the forest noises; the breeze moving through the branches of the nearby trees, the breath of her horse as it slept, and the cries of the night birds. Suddenly she caught a smell, a terrific stench, growing heavier with each new breath. It smelled like the creature she was hunting, but that was not possible for she had made sure to stay up wind of the beast.

Yllandra stood slowly, letting her half eaten meal fall to the ground. She placed her hands on the hilts of her twin defenders and quickly kicked a pile of dirt into the fire. She pulled her swords free of their sheaths and allowed her vision to slip into nightsight, a gift all her people possessed. She thought about how many times this birthright had saved her life, and this time it would be no different. She then fell into a well rehearsed fighting stance and waited for the attack.

Her mount awoke with nervous steps, its eyes growing white with panic, it bolted off into the nearby trees. The beast was getting closer.

Just then she spotted movement to her left breaking the silence. She waited with practiced patience and slowed herself into deliberate breaths. The breeze and the noxious odor increased rapidly just to her left side. Without betraying that she knew of the beasts presence, Yllandra slipped right lifting her sword and catching the creature in its wing. Dragging her weapon across its batlike skin she drew a thin line across it's flesh. Her body moved with pure instinct to cover for another attack. This time she felt movement to her right. She hoped to keep up this pace of testing, it was a banter she reveled in, as a dancers revels in his moves, and a spellcaster revels in his incantations.

She moved left quickly raising her second sword and slicing only deep enough to wound. The beast let out a horrific cry. Deafened, Yllandra stumbled using her sword to catch her balance just as a wave of sickening odor slammed into her. It was as if she had been punched in her mid section. Trying to regain her balance she noticed a slice of flesh from the beast lay at her feet. She moved quickly behind a tree and regained her composure.

Carefully she reentered the clearing and took up her fighting stance; scanning the trees for the beast. She felt movement again and turned to see two of them; a mated pair. How could she not have noticed? Quickly she cleared her mind and focused on the battle at hand. The beast she had just wounded came at her full force its eyes glaring and talon like claws reaching for her left shoulder. Yllandra fell quickly backwards lifting her sword to peirce deep into its heart. She found her mark and the creature died in mid air. The life blood of the creature poured out on to her arm. The poison burned her flesh.

She rolled left and let go her sword standing again in fighting posture she scanned the forest trees and skyline for the second beast. Sylune was in her full glory and played against the landscape as if the goddess herself was kissing the earth. Time seemed to stand still as Yllandra gasped for a clean breath of air. Suddenly she fell forward as razor sharp talons ripped into the flesh of her back. Yllandra screamed and dropped her weapon. Her mind raced through her options. She feigned death for two breaths while she searched through her memory for the spell. She hoped the spell would work. Rolling on to her feet she made the intricate movements lacing her thumbs together. Pointing at the creature she let lose the command word.

The flames shot from her hands and hit the beast on its wing, felling it quickly. Yllandra quickly reached for a healing potion that she kept in her belt pouch. Pulling it free and drinking it whole, she knew that the potion would not cure the poison, but at least stop the bleeding. Carefully she went to her weapon and took up her stance. Where was the beast? She needed to finish it quickly, the poison would take effect soon.

It lurked just behind a tree, its heavy wings dragging on the ground. Yllandra approached silently behind it, and lifted her sword to stab. The creature turned just as she plunged her sword deep into its neck. It lay dead at her feet, and she took her sword out from its steaming flesh. Stumbling she made her way to the first and retrieved her sword from it as well. She laid her weapons gently before her and took out the elixir that would cure her of the poisons. Picking up her weapons she walked toward the stream where she had caught her meal. She plunged in weapons and all to clean herself. Finally both the healing potion and the elixir were taking affect. The Lagg Beasts were dead.

From Yllandra, An Adventure to remember

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