How Gods Bleed

by Shane Porteous

  Chapter 16

  Thankfully there was no sign of the masked figure during the night, who or what he was would remain a mystery that the group did not dwell on. They had far more important matters to deal with. For the next three days they moved through simple fields and other such places before the landscape changed completely. Gone were the leafy forests and strange twisted bushes replaced by miles upon miles of flat muddy ground.

  They had reached what was known as the Mukinia Mudflats. The only thing that grew out of these mudflats were short black trees that possessed many branches but not a single leaf. The sun ruled the sky of this landscape without a single cloud for company. The ground was wet as if it had been raining recently although there seemed no sign of it. It was also strong and sturdy, barely sinking under the weight of the group’s feet. There was a very hostile feeling in the air, a feeling the group had gotten used to being so far away from home.

  As the group walked across the flats each of them looked in every direction. They saw only more flats and leafless black trees. They did not have to worry about coming under attack or being discovered by any werewolf enemy here. The Helluvans had gathered a lot of information about the Mukinia flats but it wasn’t necessary to come to such a conclusion. The flats offered nothing more than what the group could see around them, there was nothing of value in such a place. Any werewolf, who wanted to call this place home, they were entilted to it; nobody would fight them for such a horrid place.

  The elements would return as the group’s biggest nemesis here. They had possibly been walking for perhaps an hour or so before Cada Varl realized just how isolated of a place this was. He looked in all directions including the direction from which they had came, not so much as a single mountain could be seen anywhere in the distance. It would take far more than a day or a week before they were out of the flats.

  The terrain however offered something of value, Imbaka with a cutting blade in her hand easily cut the end off one of the many branches of a short black tree. Water as clean as any of them had ever seen poured out of it like it was the end of some kind of kettle. Imbaka drank deeply from the opened branch, even filling her water skin fully. When she had finished her fill the other Helluvans drank as well. Even when Gokkus drank at least two skins full the water continued to pour out, like the stream was endless. As Cada Varl past the broken branch he noticed that the water shone very strongly in the light of the sun, an indication of its purity. He didn’t bother drinking it himself; he saw no reason for such a thing and followed the others onward.

  The water may have been tasty but it could do nothing to solve a problem that eventually showed itself. When the day turned into dusk as it always did the air, which had remained thick with heat during the day became only slightly less cold than ice. Helluvans were used to the cold and in fact had been bred to deal with it if they had to. But if a fire could be born than it would be most welcomed. The branches of these black trees, which Zova told Cada Varl, were called Usterax Trees, were useless to start a fire with. Having so much water constantly running through them had made them almost immune to the powers of flames, at least any kind of flame the group could get started.

  The ground also remained wet and the group knew if the mighty sun couldn’t dry up the earth then they didn’t have a chance either. But the Helluvans had come prepared for such a thing and worked with items they had brought in their own packs to soon start a fire. They placed a strange hide down onto the ground before adding several potions and other things the Immortal did not recognize, it was not before long when a fire began to roar powerfully. Not only was its warmth welcome so was its light, neither the moon nor the stars had bothered to show themselves over the flats. It was as if they knew how boring such a place was and had no desire to look over it anymore.

  The group chose a quick dinner of Juiasede over cooking anything. Gokkus explained to Cada Varl that the fire they had forged was not ideal for cooking. Cada Varl didn’t know why exactly but he didn’t push the matter further. When it came time for the Helluvans to fall asleep Imbaka pulled out a long and wide piece of hide large enough for seven or eight people to sleep upon. This hide seemed to be of the same type as the small hide that had kept the fire off of the ground. A rectangle of embers was placed upon the hide, seemingly there was no threat of the embers burning through it.

  The flames on the main fire still burned strong as the Helluvans said goodnight to the Immortal. This was perhaps the first night that Cada Varl did not stand guard, there was no reason to. More importantly it was the first night in a long time that he missed the ability to slumber. He had always missed the ability to dream, but now he was all alone with his thoughts with no vision to distract himself with. When the fire eventually burnt out, Cada Varl was left alone in a darkness that was as silent as it was cold.

  When the sun rose the following morning Cada Varl was grateful for its presence for it brought the Helluvans back from the world of slumber. They ate a breakfast of more Juiasede before packing up and starting their journey once again. This is how the days played out, with almost nothing to differentiate one day from the next. Weeks turned into months and the entire venture became almost a race. Each night when they bore a fire they were burning through more and more of their resources. Until they left the flats there was no way of gathering any kind of supplies. Even the werewolf meat Zova and Gokkus had taken had to be abandoned for its rotten smell was starting to become overbearing. They had known all along this path would stretch them to their limits, it was the price they had to be pay to stay away from large werewolf populations. As tough and boring as things were there was not a single complaint from any of the Helluvans. Even such harsh circumstance would not break them. The Mukinia Mudflats may have been enormous, anyway they were measured but they were not endless.

  Proof of which could be soon roughly midday through yet another day. In the distance they could be seen, a gathering of mountains that were no illusion. Their presence meant that an end to this terrain was attainable yet the group made no such indication they were happy to see them. It would take a day and a half before the group had reached the mountains but at least the mudflats were now behind them.

  Better still was the fact Imbaka knew what the mountains and their surrounding terrain were, the Esigo Highlands. A place of lush dark grass and crisp mountain air that was a very welcomed change from what they had endured for the past several months. There was still a handful of daylight hours left so the group did not make camp straight away. The air may have been cold but it was nothing that the Helluvans couldn’t deal with as they descended and then ascended through the landscape looking for the best place to camp. The Eisgo Highlands like the flats before them were part of the wilderness, which hadn’t been well explored by werewolf kind. Though with all of the turmoil in the west these highlands would not have been forbidden for an escaping army or exiled ruler to call a temporary home.

  The first other living thing the group came across was not a werewolf but a four legged creature, roughly the size of a deer. Its four legs were thick like stone as its shoulders and torso were brimming with muscle covered by a dark blue fur. It possessed a total of four very long and very straight horns that rested not on top of its head but closer to the nape of its neck. A pair of large black eyes dominated its short flat face as it opened its mouth to reveal a set of flat teeth. The group watched silently from a distance as the creature feasted upon the lush dark grass the highlands were covered with. The creature hadn’t spotted them and seemed consumed by the need to fill its stomach with food. It was far from a spectacular sight to behold but the group watched the creature intently for one very good reason.

  Never had they seen a creature like this before, nor had they even heard of it. In their eyes this was a brand new beast and its existence only solidified the fact there was much about the west the group did not know. Even Cada Varl had no idea what kind of creature it was, either he had seen it back when he was a normal man and h
ad forgotten it or he had never come across it before. Zova may not have known what the creature was but she knew what use it could be to the group.

  Silently she took out her bow and arrow, aiming carefully to kill the beast with a single arrow. It was not a hard shot to make and someone with a quarter of her skill would be able to do it. The wind was still and the creature remained oblivious to their presence. Zova struck the creature with her arrow through both lungs and its heart, killing the animal instantly.

  The group had only taken a handful of steps towards it before the silence of the air was broken. A powerful roar boomed into the air, one that was completely different to anything a werewolf could produce. They did not have to search for long or far to see the source of the sound as only 30 foot or so away from them a Moelekke bear stood. It matched the description of its kind near perfectly, standing at least 15 feet perhaps even taller, covered in blackish gray fur and claws even larger than a werewolf’s were. Its mouth was opened wide as it growled continuously. Zova quickly placed another arrow in her bow but did not fire it. As terrifying as the bear was the group were brought to silence more for the fact that they had never seen one before. There were plenty of records and other evidence to prove its existence, so it was not a mythical creature. Nevertheless it was an impressive sight to behold. It was much bigger than any werewolf (except Aneeku) the group had ever seen before. They could now see for themselves how this breed of bear could fight off a werewolf attack.