The Guards of Verilidan

He turned back towards the remaining beast, and raised his blade to end the first battle of his life. The shock travelled through him, and he felt as if half the mountain side fell on him. He went flying.

He tied his horse to a tree, and set about making his camp. He sparked flint against steel, as the fire crackled up. Not on his first try. Never that, but the end result was what mattered. He ate up what he rationed out for himself that day, and laid down his head for sleep.

He was not down for long, as he jumped up from the ground. He quickly re-shaped his being, speed, agility and strength all coming from his soul. He ran towards the beast with renewed vigour. Speeding up to an incredible speed, gaining momentum, he jumped, and kicked the Xoc with both feet in the chest. It reeled back slightly, and grunted. Its fist moved back to retaliate, but the youth was already behind it, leaving surprise at the toughness of the creature for later. He slashed, with all his might, at the back of the massive beast.

The xoc grunted in pain again, and turned to avenge the cut. As it turned, a black ball of energy erupted around its opponent’s fist. It raised its fist to crush the puny being beneath it, but the punch took it by surprise. It sent it flying, with a massive hole gaping in its chest. It landed with a thud, the surprised look glazing in its eyes.

Not for the first time, Loman cursed himself for being unaware. He looked out across the large boulder, to see the four creatures sniffing around his camp. He was caught sleeping. There was only one thing to do, he thought. He concentrated, and then…

The burning slash across his back came by surprise. How could he forget about the last remaining fiend. He cursed himself, as he jumped forward, out of harms way. He tuned, swinging his blade in the same movement. Extending his arm, the cut took off the last opponents head. As it rolled off down the hill, the youth sank down on the ground with a relieved sigh. His cuts ached, and he felt blood trickling down his back.

"Loman my friend, they always said the world was a harsh place." He said to himself, with a relieved smile. "Tomorrow is another day. Let’s see if we can conquer it."