Day 111

Strewn across the ground were hundreds of carcasses in various states of rot and decay; the horrid stench emanating from the vile feast almost visible in the pre-dusk light. The clearing in the forest that began just after the crest led to a large, ominous looking, cave mouth.

Kai turned to Caleb, nose still wrinkled from the smell, and asked, "So, now what?"

Caleb replied quickly, apparently he'd been thinking about this on the way, "OK, we don't know if this beast hunts at night or during the day, so we have to be careful; we certainly don't want to be surprised."

"But we have the artifact on us, so, I guess it's safe to assume that if the monster was here, he would have sensed it by now?", Kai asked.

Before Caleb could answer, the world was torn apart by a deep, bowel loosening, bone shattering roar; a growl that shook not only the earth beneath and the trees around them, but their very souls.

Day 110

Caleb thought out loud as they walked, "Hopefully the power of the artifact isn't enough to keep the monster away from his lair. It's our only hope of finding the beast."

As usual, they walked in silence for most of the day, only talking when crossing over another old wooden bridge, which clearly hadn't been maintained in decades.

Late in the day, when the sun was beginning to set, they were climbing out of a relatively shallow natural ditch, when Caleb turned to Kai and exclaimed, "Good lord man, can you smell that?"

Kai wrinkled his nose and grimaced, replying through gritted teeth, "How on earth wouldn't I notice that: It's rancid, putrid...hellish even!"

Forcing themselves to go on, they made their way over a small crest and through a thick bush and were quite suddenly faced with a hideous view.

Day 109

Caleb paused for a moment, deep in thought, then said, "Well, we know just wandering around the forest isn't gonna do us much good; since the artifact just keep the monster away."

Kai replied, "Right, so how will we be able to get close? I'm certainly not going to leave the artifact behind!"

Rolling his eyes, Caleb said, "Of course not, that's our only advantage here." After taking a moment to pull out a small twig that had gotten stuck in his hair, Caleb continued, "I say we go to the lair. All beasts have a home to which they return in order to feed or rest, we just need to find it."

Kai nodded his understanding, "So that way he comes to us, and we can lay a trap, great!"

Day 108

They walked out into the courtyard and the crisp cold air bit into their faces heightening the sense of impending danger. The nobleman from the previous night were assembled in the courtyard; apparently news of their offer had spread quickly. After a frustrating series of questions, warnings, advice and heated argument, Kai and Caleb were finally allowed to set off back into the forest.

When they stepped out through the small door in the large gate, Kai turned to Caleb and whispered, "You're sure about this, right?"

Caleb answered, "We have the artifact, we can use that to our advantage."

Kai took a deep breath, steeling himself for the grim task ahead. He looked over at Caleb, seeing determination and resolve, which somehow soothed his concerns and focused his own emotions.

As the compact dirt and open sky gave way to the softer earth and canopy of the forest Kai turned to Caleb and said, "Now what?"

Day 107

Kai nodded, feeling Caleb's sincerity. He was about to reply when he noticed the massive ax blade protruding from behind Caleb's head.

"What the hell is that?", sputtered Kai as he pointed towards the large weapon.

Caleb reached behind his back, made a small jerking motion, then brought the huge weapon around to his front. He hefted the ax in his right hand for a moment, then grabbed the large handle with his other hand and swung it in the open space to their left.

Kai's jaw hung open as Caleb reattached the weapon to the harness on his back. His training valued agility and control, and he'd watched in rapt fascination as expert duelists battled in the arena, but good lord did that thing look like it could do some serious damage.

Caleb had a large smile on his face as he said, "Gods, how I missed that feeling of weight."

Kai just shook his head as they walked back up stairs towards the courtyard.

Day 106

He was inspecting the engraved hilt when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Kai turned to see Caleb smiling back at him.

"What?" asked Kai.

Caleb continued to smile and said, "Who would have thought? Mr. Ambassador knows how to use a sword."

Kai was getting used to Caleb's sense of humor, so he explained, "I am quite familiar with the art of swordsmanship. From a very young age I received schooling in the martial discipline; countless hours were spent practicing dueling in the academy arena."

Caleb stifled a good natured laugh and said, "Well then, I guess we'll see if all that training paid off today, won't we?" His tone taking a sudden turn for the serious, Caleb continued, "This isn't practice though, we are going to be fighting a real beast, so be careful."

Day 105

As the Warmaster discussed the various armament options with Caleb, Kai's attention drifted towards a glint he saw coming from a more inconspicuous weapon rack, mostly covered with an old dirty tarp and shrouded in shadow. He strolled over, trying not to call attention to himself. He'd lost his sword just before entering the cave that led him to Caleb, so he was rather eager to get his hands on another; however he doubted he would ever find another so perfectly suited to him.

He slowly pulled the tarp off to one side, revealing the source of the glint beneath: A beautiful, albeit dusty and grime stained, sword. Kai blew the dust off the grip and grabbed the sword, gingerly pulling it from the rack. He slid his fingers along the side of the blade wiping off the dust; it was still incredibly sharp. Passing the sword from hand to hand a few times, Kai tested the weapon's balance and weight. Two quick slashes through the air made it clear he had been wrong just before: this was the weapon for him, perhaps even more perfect than his old sword.

Day 104

Caleb nodded and said, "You have a problem, we are offering you a solution. Do you want to make it difficult for us, or do you want to make it as easy as possible?"

Warmaster Gryl gulped and just stared back in silence. Kai was stunned, where was Caleb getting his confidence?

Caleb smiled and said, "Exactly. Now, tell me, what have you got?"

Back on familiar ground, Warmaster Gryl seemed to regain his composure and led them towards a weapon rack on the wall nearest them.

Kai was almost totally lost. Even though he'd trained extensively with a dueling sword in his youth, like every other young boy, he'd never been very interested in the art of war. The rack was covered in strange weapons, most of which Kai had no clue as to how they would even be used.

Day 103

Instead of the path towards the meeting chamber from the day before, Reginald turned down a flight of long stone stairs. Torches set in the walls at regular intervals provided light to what would otherwise be a very dark place indeed. The stairs opened to into a very large room filled to capacity with a dizzying array of weapons and armour; the castle's armoury.

Various men were scurrying about, presumably maintaining the many weapons, but one stood out; Warmaster Gryl. The man strode over towards them with a confidant gait, a grim expression souring his face.

Reginald spoke first, "Gryl, give these two whatever they need. They wish to challenge the monster."

Warmaster Gryl's jaw dropped momentarily, before he quickly composed himself and said, "You were lucky enough to survive the forest once. Are you sure you want to flaunt your luck in fate's face: Not only return, but with the intention of slaying the monster?"

Day 102

Caleb looked Reginald in the eyes and said once again, "We'll slay the monster for you."

Incredulous, Reginald replied, "Whilst I appreciate the offer, I'm not sure you realise what you are offering. We have sent out multiple hunting parties and no-one has ever returned alive!"

Caleb was unfazed, "And supposedly no-one ever left the forest alive, right? Trust me, we aren't just average travellers; all we ask is that you supply us with some weapons and armour, and we'll take care of the rest."

Reginald was speechless for a while, but eventually a look of resignation came over him and he said, "Alright, as you wish, I'll have Warmaster Gryl get you whatever you need, follow me."

As Reginald walked off in silence, Kai turned to Caleb and whispered, "Well that wasn't too hard was it?"

Caleb nodded and whispered back, "They're desperate. Even though he think we'll just die like everyone else, his desperation means he can't bring himself to refuse the offer."

Day 101

They finished their breakfasts in contemplative silence then Kai went to the bathroom whilst Caleb finished getting ready. Apparently, sometime during the night a servant had left fresh clothing. Caleb changed into the new clothes; he had to admit, it felt good.

Caleb walked out into the corridor where Kai was waiting for him, satchel in hand, accompanied by Reginald. The Lord smiled broadly when he saw Caleb and said, "Good morning! I trust you slept well? The breakfast was to your liking I assume?"

Slightly flustered by Reginald's early morning enthusiasm, Caleb took a moment to answer, "Yes and yes, thank you very much." Reginald turned and began to walk back towards the meeting hall where they'd been yesterday. As they walked, Caleb said, with no segue, "Kai and I would like to offer to slay the beast for you."

Reginald froze, turned slowly and asked, "What did you just say?"

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Day 100

Kai smiled and said, "A good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, what else could a man want?"

Caleb thought the attitude odd, given his companion's reaction to his plan the night before, but he was grateful for it regardless. He stood and walked towards his own platter of food. He grabbed a freshly baked bread roll, ripped off a chunk and spoke as he ate, "Well, we're certainly going to need the energy; even with the artifact, it's not going to be easy taking down the forest beast."

Kai's smile faded slightly and he paled just a bit as he asked, "And you're sure that's our only option?"

Caleb grabbed a couple grapes from the tray and before popping them into his mouth replied, "I don't see how else we can get out of this? Do you?"

Kai looked down, closed his eyes and mumbled, "No."

Day 99

A gentle knocking on the door woke Caleb from a less than pleasant dream. He forced open his eyes, the morning light streaming in through the window remarkably bright.

A serving girl gingerly pushed open the door with one hand, a food laden tray in the other. Silently, she moved over to the table and set down the tray; a quick curtsey and she scurried back out of the room without ever saying a word.

Caleb pulled the sheets to one side and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Just as he was pushing himself up, Kai burst into the room, fully dressed and with a large smile on his face, holding his tray of food in one hand, an apple in the other.

Kai beamed, "Good Morning!"

Caleb, still half-asleep, squinted at Kai and asked, "What's got you in such a good mood?"

Day 98

He opened the door to his room, smiling sadly as the door let out a small creak. Caleb closed the door behind him and strolled over to the window. As he stared out into the night, he felt a certain tranquility; a sense of peace that he hadn't felt since that fateful day. He snickered to himself, it seemed so very long ago, but, it had only been a few days since he set out on this journey with the ambassador.

Back in his cabin Caleb had been impressed and overwhelmed by Kai's title and formal way of speaking, but  in their short time together, Caleb had already found that the ambassador was anything but the confident and imposing figure he'd appeared to be that first day. He was pure of heart and well intentioned to be sure, not to mention brave, however, his inexperience showed.

Whilst apprehensive about his plan to hunt the monster, the feeling of purpose it provided and the anticipation of going into battle once again soothed him somehow. Caleb glanced up at the stars and said good night to his wife before making his way into bed, falling asleep with a smile on his face.

Day 97

Kai pursed his lips, took a deep breath and nodded. He didn't like it, not at all, but he had to admit, Caleb had a point; it was the only way.

With that, they agreed to discuss the plan further in the morning. After what seemed like an eternity traveling, a good night's sleep in an actual bed was much to enticing to put off any longer.

Caleb stood and made his way to the adjacent room, bidding Kai a good night as he closed the door behind him. With not a moment's hesitation, Kai removed his clothing and threw himself into bed. A quick turn of the knob shut off the lamp lighting the room and Kai swiftly drifted into sleep.

Caleb took his time in the hallway before opening the door to his room; enjoying the fresher air, as well as listening for any late night sounds.

Day 96

Once more, Kai was stunned. How on earth were they supposed to kill this monster that several hunting parties had not been able to? Maybe Caleb had some sort of secret plan to escape during the hunt? Desperately seeking confirmation, Kai asked, "I see, so the plan is to just escape during the hunt, since they wouldn't dare follow us into the forest, right?"

Caleb shook his head once more and said, "We can't do that either. We wouldn't know where to go, we need to gain time until we can find out where the next gate is."

In what was now becoming their usual, one of the two was rather overwhelmed during a conversation; in this case it was Kai. In an attempt to reconnect with reality Kai asked, "So, let me get this straight; you are genuinely suggesting we offer to go into the dark forest and kill the evil monster?"

Caleb replied, "Exactly."

Day 95

Caleb grimaced, then said through gritted teeth, "Well, I think the only way we're gonna get out of this, is if we hunt that monster down and kill it."

Kai's eye widened even further and he yelped, "Are you insane? How are we gonna do that? They've sent multiple hunting parties after it. Unsuccessfully!"

Caleb replied quickly, as if expecting this reaction, "Yes, but, we have something they didn't have."

Kai whispered, "The artifact."

Caleb answered, "Exactly."

Kai was silent for a moment as he digested the suggestion. He vigorously rubbed each thigh with a hand as he thought. Caleb had a point of course, they were indeed obsessed with the monster and there's no way they would be allowed to escape until their hosts found an answer. Kai asked, "Can't we just tell them about the artifact, ask for help?"

Caleb shook his head and said what they both already knew, "You know we can't do that, they'd just take your precious artifact. Our only option is to offer to slay the beast ourselves."

Day 94

Caleb closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his right hand as he thought. Suddenly opening his eyes, Caleb said, "They seemed to be bordering on obsession with the monster on the forest, right?"

Kai nodded and replied, "Yes, that's what I'm saying, they're not just going to let us leave until they're satisfied with an explanation for how we survived. Let alone if they find out we have a magical artifact that wards off the beast!"

Caleb continued, "Right, so the way I see it we have two choices: Either we somehow escape the castle, which seems like a less than ideal option, or we do something about the monster."

Kai was about to After a moment of silence, Kai asked, "What do you mean, do something?"

Day 93

This area was just as luxurious as the the way they'd come to get to the meeting hall, if not more. The servant accompanying them came to a stop, pointed to two adjacent doors and said, "These are your rooms; I'll be back in the morning to fetch you. Good Evening." He then scurried off once more before they even had a chance to thank him.

As soon as they were alone, they quickly made their way into one of the rooms, closed the door behind them, and sat down around a small wooden table. Almost at the same time, they both spurted, "The artifact!"

Kai smiled, then began thinking out loud, "So, it would seem that this monster left us alone because of the influence of the artifact. Either that or we were just incredibly lucky."

Caleb nodded, then asked, "So, I guess the question is, do we tell them?"

Kai looked at Caleb, dumbfounded, then replied, "I don't think we can do that. I mean, what do you think they would do? Just let us leave? They'd probably try and take it from us."

Day 92

The gathering went on for several hours more; arguments breaking out constantly, mostly about topics unrelated to the issue at hand. Throughout the evening, Kai and Caleb strained to steer the conversation away from the question of why they weren't attacked, fearful that someone would find out about the artifact.

During a lull in the conversation, Reginald took the opportunity to end the meeting, "Well, I think our guests have had quite enough for one evening." He pushed his chair away from the table and stood, then continued, "We can continue our conversation tomorrow morning." He nodded to Kai and Caleb and said, "For now, let me have someone take you to your rooms."

Everyone bid them a good night, even Lord Harlon, who's crankiness was apparently a constant and not at all personal. A servant scurried to the table from a hidden corner in the room and offered to lead them to their rooms. As they followed the servant towards an archway which opened into a long corridor, they saw the other people at the meeting were also disbanding; each walking off in a different direction.

Day 91

As if he were explaining a simple math problem to a child, Kai said, "Excuse my interruption Lord Harlon, but like we said before, we are simply humble travelers from a distant land who became lost and found ourselves in your dark forest. We knew nothing of a foul beast. If we did, we most certainly not have ventured into it's domain."  As Kai spoke, Reginald smiled, clearly used to Lord Harlon's outbursts, and glad he did not have to interfere yet again.

Kai's explanation was apparently enough for Harlon, as the line of question turned from their origins to exactly how they had survived; Lord Harlon asked the table, "So, why were they not attacked then? They were in the dark forest at night for God's sake!"

As Caleb listened attentively, he thought about their day in the forest. Not once throughout the day did they see any wild animal other than the mosquitoes or bats. At the time neither of them had even noticed, but in retrospect it did seem odd. Why would it be that this monster would attack any whom dare enter the forest, but leave them alone?

As assembled nobles had asked the same question out loud, a moment of silence followed. In a flash of sudden realization, Kai and Caleb made intense eye contact and silently shared the same epiphany, "The artifact!"

Day 90

Just as Reginald was about to say something else, Lord Harlon interrupted, "Why were you in the dark forest? Everyone knows it's a dangerous place! Where did you come from anyway?" At this point, the veins in his forehead looked just about ready to pop.

Obviously unsure about how to answer the question of how where they came from, and completely intimidated by the man's raging, Caleb could only stare in silent discomfort as the nobleman ranted.

Kai had been traveling the various worlds for a while now, and even though he was also quite intimidated by what was going on, he did have more experience in having to lie about where he was from. He took a deep breath, prepared his best ambassador's voice and steeled himself to interrupt.

Day 89

Caleb and Kai exchanged confused looks before Caleb turned to face Reginald and said, "We don't really know what to tell you. We had no idea the forest was such a dangerous place, we took no special precautions in crossing it." He paused, took a drink of water, thought for a second, then continued, "Except covering ourselves in swamp mud in order to fend off the mosquitoes."

The gathered nobility collectively expressed their distaste for the idea through various groans and grunts. Warmaster Gryll was the only one who recognized the ingenuity and resourcefulness involved, expressing his approval via a covert nod in their direction.

After the outburst subsided, Reginald went on, "Unfortunately, whilst they are indeed bothersome, the mosquitoes are not the foul beast we were talking about." Caleb noticed Lord Harlon was becoming rather agitated, face reddening as he began to realize he wasn't going to get his answer today.

Day 88

In answer to Kai and Caleb's confused expressions, Reginald explained, "The forest is home to an evil creature, a foul beast that preys on all who dare enter it's domain."

Lord Harlon, seated across from them, continued in dark and somber tones, "Several hunting parties have been sent over the years, but none have ever returned."

Lady Lisan added in a girlish tones, as if excited to be contributing, "At first we would send accomplished hunters or even volunteer nobleman, longing to further their reputation; of late however, hunting parties are composed of condemned men."

Warmaster Gryll interjected, "We are forced to travel around the great forest when traveling to neighboring kingdoms, making the cost of delivering merchandise very great. Our economy is suffering greatly. And that, is not great."

Reginald smiled, nodded, then took control of the conversation once more, "So, as you can imagine, we are most anxious to discover how it was that you managed to survive."

Day 87

Thankfully, Lord Reginald broke the silence, "Here are our guests!"

Jolted out of their surprise, everyone got up at the same time and made their way towards the newcomers whist exclaiming various salutations. After a lengthy five minutes of introductions, Kai and Caleb were sat at the two remaining seats around the table, expectant stares all around.

Servants brought tall pitchers filled with fresh water, whilst others brought glasses; once everyone had been served Reginald once again broke the silence, "Everyone, let me introduce you to our guests." He gestured, prompting Kai and Caleb to say their names to the table.

Reginald then continued, "You're probably asking yourselves why you've been invited to this table. The reason is quite simply this: You are the first people to ever leave the dark forest; dead or alive."

Day 86

In a rather awkward coincidence, but Kai and Caleb said at the same time, "Pleasure to meet you, Reginald." Their host laughed, and shook his head, as both of them turned red.

As they continued further in, the world became increasingly luxurious in every way; each detail they noticed was more lavish than the last. Impressed at the man's obvious wealth, they were even more impressed by Reginald's apparently down to earth and pleasant attitude.

He took them around a corner, around which was an already open doorway leading into a vast ceremonial hall. In the center of the large room, was a massive oak table, a dozen or so people already seated.

As soon as they walked in the door, all heads turned towards them, and silence dominated the air.

Day 85

When neither Kai nor Caleb said anything, the man just nodded, turned, and said, "Follow me." and proceeded to walk back through the door he had just opened. They shared a look, shrugged their shoulders, and walked through.

Inside was yet another corridor, however, it was like stepping into a different world. Lined with plush carpeting and appointed with polished wooden furniture, it was in stark contrast to the spartan stone they'd just been walking on. As they walked the man spoke, "I am Lord Reginald Fyndolf, and I'd like to welcome you to my castle."

Kai and Caleb were both unaccustomed to dealing royalty and/or nobility and so they were unsure how to act, or even what was expected of them. As they fumbled for an adequate reaction to the man's introduction, he interrupted them, "Don't worry, we don't give too much importance to formalities around here. You can call me Reginald."

Day 84

They crept along the hallway, as if they had broken into the castle. Hyper-alert, each sound frayed their nerves a little further; why were they just being allowed to wander freely? Without warning, a door just behind and to their right opened and they heard a deep voice boom, "Welcome! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Startled, they whirled around and stared at the man with wide eyes; Kai even went as far as to let out a small yelp. The man let out a jolly laugh and said, "I apologize, I didn't mean to scare you, I get a little overeager sometimes."

Caleb studied the stranger; he was tall and quite rotund, his clothes were clearly made from materials more expensive than the one's that had been offered to them. His expression was completely dominated by the large smile stretched all over his face, which was, admittedly, disarming.

Day 83

Once again left alone, Kai and Caleb continued to be stunned by how trusting these people seemed to be of them. They tentatively pushed open one of the doors and peaked inside; on the other side was a long empty stone corridor with several doors along each side.

They stepped through and closed the door behind them. Caleb lead the way, whispering as he walked, "I can't be the only one who feeling like there's something strange going on here, right?"

Kai's reply also came in whisper form, "Whilst I've always been a firm believer in the good in people, preferring to be disappointed every once in a while rather than suspect people's intentions, I'm inclined to agree with you on this one; I smell a foul plot afoot."

Caleb turned and nodded, then said, "Alright, we are agreed then, stay alert. For now though, it seems as if we don't have much choice. Let's just play along until we can handle on the situation."

Day 82

The entire situation still felt rather odd to both of them, but Kai and Caleb were soothed by the warm welcome and subconsciously decided to just go with the flow and see where all this was headed. They hadn't heard anyone following them all day, they could afford to accept these people's hospitality.

After dressing themselves in simple the simple cotton peasant clothing they been offered, they felt refreshed and rejuvenated, infused with a fresh energy. Kai's satchel was still dirty however, so he asked if perchance they might have a replacement. After covertly switching the artifact from his old satchel to the new, they were ready for whatever came next.

Dalia kept smiling and being nothing but polite to them as she led them across the massive pavilion once again. The workers weren't afforded the same courtesy however, they received shouts and admonitions aplenty.

As they reached yet another side of the large space, Dalia pointed to a pair of doors and said, "OK, this is where I have to leave you; make sure to come back later and visit!"