Toki's Tale

The sky rippled with storm clouds and thunder, just as they did fifteen years ago. Toki pulled her cloak around her and shivered, though not from cold.
She could feel as if... as if something was watching her, and that something wanted her dead. She shivered again and steadied her steed.

She was riding on a Pitzen, one of several that had been brought for Toki's journey. It was rather like the hound that she had seen when she was six, when a band of travelling acrobats had stopped at the monastery while travelling to Toresc. The hound itself hadn't done much acrobatics, it preferred to dig up the sand gardens to bury things.
The Pitzen, though, was much larger and hairier and had a tendency to drool everywhere. It was called Pheral, for reasons best known to the owner, and kept on stopping to sniff every lizard, insect and rodent it passed, eating some of them.
Toki spurred Pheral on, stopping it from eating a grumpy-looking rat, and shivered again.

The Norn who had brought the Pitzens, Rel, rode over gently to her. "Cold?" he asked.
"No... Not really..." Toki mumbled. Rel stopped and held up a hand, a cigarette lodged between two fingers. The rest of the riders stopped and looked around. Toki pulled her Pitzen to a stop and cantered slowly back.
"What's wrong?"

Suddenly a dark shape emerged from the mountain above, leaping from rock to rock with surprising speed and ease. It wore a long coat, which flapped in the wind, and a wide brimmed hat. It landed in front of Rel and pointed at Toki with a long, thin finger.
"Give me the Gargoyle," it hissed. Two red eyes burned in the dark, staring, unblinking at Toki. Rel rode in front of Toki and shook his head.
"There are no Gargoyles here," he said.
"Do not lie to me, old Norn."
Rel's eyes blazed with anger. He dismounted silently, and drew his sword. The thing in the coat drew a crossbow.
"I must kill all that is not pure," it said.

Rel screamed and charged, deflecting a hail of bolts with his sword. He lunged forward, but the thing dodged Rel before he even made a move.
Behind Toki the other riders dismounted and shed their cloaks, revealing the black silk robes of the Laet. They bowed at Toki, and leapt into the fray.

Toki knew from her teaching at the monastery that a Laet could easily defeat twenty unskilled fighters blindfolded with both arms tied behind their back. She'd seen it done.
However, they seemed incapable to hit the creature in the coat, no matter what they did. Kick followed kick after kick, but nothing even came close to touching it.
Toki felt unable to move, held by some kind of morbid fascination in her soul, watching the fight. She did nothing when the creature in the coat burst from the fight and ran at her, aiming the crossbow with a steady hand.
She was frozen as a gloved hand gripped the trigger, and didn't hear what Rel was screaming. The world seemed to melt away, and a bright light blinded her vision.
I must be dead, Toki thought.

A roll of thunder awoke her, and before her was the creature in the coat, staring now at Rel. On the road below her was a puddle of molten iron, cooling gently.
"So... You are the famous Rel. I thought you were a myth," the creature hissed.
"I am many things. A myth is not one of them," Rel snarled.
"All fear me. None know me. I am the Spirit-Hunter, the purifier of Midgard."
A lone voice echoed quietly amidst the thunder.
"I know you."

Everyone turned, drawn by invisible strings, to see an Ettin dressed in a heavy habit. It drew back it's hood to reveal the face of Orae, a single tear rolling down his cheek.
"I know you," he said again, walking slowly forwards. He looked much older than Toki had ever know, his face heavy with the years he had lived.
"You are Tae'Pan," he said, more tears streaming down his face. "We grew up together, many years ago."
The Spirit-Hunter spoke in a trembling voice, his anger and emotion showing through.
"Be silent, old monk."
Orae shook his head.
"No, Tae'Pan. When you left, we all felt the evil you did. But I felt it the most, the dreadful atrocities you committed."
"I-I-I am purifying Midgard..."
"You are destroying Midgard! It pains me to say that, Tae'Pan."
The Spirit-Hunter pointed his crossbow at Orae with quavering hands.
"Shut up! Don't call me by that name!" he screamed, almost crying.
"It is a good name..."
Orae was drowned out by a scream from the Spirit-Hunter, who pulled the trigger of the crossbow. For a second there was silence. Even the rain seemed to quiet.
Then Orae fell backwards, a bolt through his heart.

Toki leapt off Pheral and ran to Orae, hoping against all odds he was still alive. She covered him with her wings, cradling him in her arms and crying gently. The Laet approached, quietly chanting, a stood in a circle around Orae.
Toki looked around sharply, a murderous rage in her mind, but the mysterious Tae'Pan had disappeared.

Feelings of sorrow and grief welled up inside her, and she lifted her head to the sky and wept.

Chapter 2

Chapter 4