| Culm "Animals?" Culm thought to himself while travelling the wooded path. "Simple creatures of the wilderness, of no mind for reason?" "Were my years of training and testing spent to learn this?" Culm paused. The path had grown much more narrow and his shoulders were now brushing against the trees and foliage on either side of him. Wind rustled through the trees as his thoughts continued,"No... I refuse to believe that with our traditions and organized society that we are mere animals. Can animals speak 5 different languages, sign treaties with other governments, or even reason with an enemy?" Culm smirked at the thought. "We may draw our strength from nature and the animals that dwell within it, but that does not make us animals ourselves." "If i am to ever lead my people, I must show that Barbarians are not uncivilized animals. We are intelligent, capible of reason and learning." As Culm drifted into thought, he failed to hear the footsteps in the nearby wood. As the calm breeze faded, an arrow struck Culm in the shoulder. "Goblins!" Culm exclaimed as he shrugged off the sharp pain in his arm. "There is no reasoning with them... but then there's always..." Culm began to growl, a low throaty noise. As the goblins emerged from the woodline and advanced, his growl developed into a loud, piercing roar. Another goblin landed a sound axe blow to Culm's chest. Completely undaunted, Culm's eyes stared down on the creature as though all life had left them. With one hand, Culm threw down his axe and split the attacker in half. His roaring much louder now, and drool falling from his mouth, he raced toward another goblin. In another attack, Culm cut loose another goblin from it's mortal coil. A third goblin jumped onto Culm's back and began hacking with it's dagger. Large amounts of blood covered Culm's body. Despite his condition, Culm fought on, seemingly unaffected and growling louder then before. Culm reached to his back and ripped off the parasite. He threw the goblin down in front of him and immediately followed with his mighty axe. Upon the final blow, Culm's rage subsided. The pain and damage inflicted during the fight was now taking it's toll. As the blood flowed from his wounds, Culm could feel himself losing consciousness. Just before his mind went black, he had one final thought... "Animals...perhaps we are." |