�LOOK OUT!� I cried pointing at the huge beast.
Elodee screamed as she dove away from the monster while Blaze took cover behind a conveniently placed boulder. All the while I set up a protection barrier to deflect the rocks that were flying all through the air.
The beast was like a giant worm with pincers. It towered over us at about fourteen feet high. It had three large red beady eyes on its head just above its mouth. The creature made a loud and awkward roar as it descended upon us.
I jumped out of the way and nearly got gobbled up by the worm-thing. I tumbled over to Elodee, who stood in a defensive posture. Her hands were placed over her chest where her amulet laid and began calling words for a spell. The amulet glowed from underneath her cloak and radiated bright yellow light.
Her voiced echoed, �Fireball!�
A large flaming orb short forth from her hands towards the worm. It struck it with a powerful impact and the shock wave knocked us all off our feet. The smell of charred flesh filled the air but the creature was not dead yet. It reeled about in pain as it roared furiously at Elodee.
I eventually got to my feet and stamped my staff on the ground. But as I was beginning to whisper a spell of my own Blaze had jumped from behind the boulder and, with his sword drawn, sliced at the worm-creature.
The huge creature fell causing a large cloud of dust to blow up from the ground. The dust was so thick I found myself coughing. I squinted, trying to keep the dust out of my eyes, because the dust was blocking all vision.
As soon as all the dust settled, I saw Blaze standing over the body of the worm thing. He sheathed his sword and snorted.
�A Karkikan. We better go, if this one attacked, that means many more are around this area.� He said in a low tone.
We hastily made our way away from where the body laid. I had read about the Karkikan, they were giant worms that lived, primarily, in deep underground tunnels they made for themselves. However it isn�t uncommon for them to surface and attack travelers, or anything else that passes by for food. They generally live in colonies of thirty-to-a-hundred. We were quite lucky to only run into one of them. Otherwise we would have been worm lunch.
We made our way out of Valmar�s land by the end of the day with out any other further disturbances.
I turned to Elodee, who was walking beside me, and asked, �Miss Elodee, may I ask where you come from?�
Elodee sighed and looked toward the east at the setting sun and said, �An island�� her tone was both sad and distant as she continued, �I come from an island to the east of the main continent. There I had spent all my life, until my home was destroyed.�
I lowered my head and said, �I�m sorry, I didn�t realize��
She shook her head and tried to smile as she said, �Oh, don�t you worry about it. What happened in the past is behind me. I have decided to venture out into the world and explore it. And perhaps�� but she never finished her sentence as her voice trailed off into silence.
I looked at her and saw a very concerned expression on her face, as if she was thinking real hard about something.
�What�s wrong?� I asked.
Elodee shook her head and replied, �Oh, its nothing.�
Her mood seemed to have changed all the way around from a soft somber mood to a cheerful happy one. She started laughing as she walked along.
I could only speculate why she did not wish to further that conversation. I just came to peace with myself that it was probably a very sensitive subject for her and that she just didn�t feel like talking more about it at that present time. After all, most people would feel rather uncomfortable talking about their home after it was destroyed.
There were no further encounters on the way back to the village. We traveled for three days, only stopping to eat and to rest for the night. During the trek, I got to know Elodee a bit more. I soon found she was a kind and fun loving person. Her constant high-spirited nature made the whole trip seem like a pleasant vacation. Each morning, Elodee would already be up, cooking breakfast. At times I would offer to help her with the cooking, but she shook her head and said it was easy enough for her to do it on her own. I could not help to feel a little bit guilty that she was doing all the cooking for us. I would make it up to her eventually, I kept telling myself that.
When we arrived at Blaze�s village we found something awful had happened. The village, and all of its people, was burnt to the ground. We all looked at it with sorrow in our eyes. But the sorrow felt by Elodee or I could not compare to the sorrow felt by Blaze at that time. He seemed to wander through the village like a zombie, slowly moving his head from side to side, scanning the village.
Elodee tugged on my sleeve, as she wanted to point something out to me. I looked over to where her finger was pointing and I saw, smoke. Smoke you would find after something that has been recently on fire.
I shouted out to Blaze, �Be careful! Whoever, or whatever, did this may still be around here. It seems this destruction happened fairly recently, I am afraid.�
However Blaze was not listening to my warning. I saw him pound the ground near where his hut used to be. I heard him curse who ever did such a horrible act.
�Why! Why have my village been burned to the ground!� He shouted in anger.
His explosive reaction was a side of him I had not seen before. I knew him as a cool, level headed person. But this rage was something I had not seen before. In all truth it scared me a little. Blaze was a powerful fighter, his strength made up for his lack of pure intelligence. I could feel the ground shake a bit as he kept striking the ground as I walked closer to him. The powerful man looked up at me with tears in his eyes.
�He is crying!� I thought to myself.
Elodee walked up behind Blaze and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.
I made my way towards him. Slowly approaching since I didn�t know what to say to him.
�It�s all right.� Elodee said softly. She hugged him tighter and continued to speak, �It looks like people died with out to much pain.�
I walked up next to him and stood there for a while. I was trying to formulate words for the moment.. Death, of this magnitude, this scale, something that I never had to deal with before. It amazed me how people who were once happy and dancing could be gone forever all of a sudden�
��It really isn�t fair.� I said not realizing I was thinking out loud the whole time, �I promise I will find who did this. I will make sure they don�t ever hurt another person again.�
I turned around and began to walk towards the south, where the Dragon Coast was. I could find my answers there. This was definitely a dragon attack.
�Wait up!� cried Elodee.
I turned around to see Elodee chasing after me.
�Wait for me Darkin, I want to come too!� She said with a flare in her eyes.
I shook my head and pointed my staff towards the still mourning Blaze.
�He needs someone right now. I am sure you know that too.� I replied with a soft smile on my face, �Anyway I am going off into dangerous lands, where the Great Paladin City, Valtar, will be my only safe place.�
Elodee gave me a worried look when I said that. She looked back at Blaze, his enormous body still hunched over a burned hut. She began to walk back to him before she stopped to look back at me.
�Be careful Darkin. I�ll take care of Blaze.� She said softly and waved me good-bye.
I smiled back and waved too and continued my way south.