A Cimmerian Hymn, Chapter 2.

Aurvandil

A land often referred as the land of the living, the land of light - Aurvandil was the region always facing the sun.

In its epicentre was an continuous hypercane forever swirling - a side effect caused by the tidally locked orbit. Even without the ongoing storm, it would still not be habitable due to the extremly high tempatures, gradually rising as you got closer to the center.

In the old tomes describing the land before the end of the great war, the place where the now raging hypercane existed was where the old kingdom once stood.

Now the land was divided and ruled mainly by men, dwarfs and elves by the borders that had been drawn thousands of years ago after the great war. 

Apart from the three large nations there were smaller factions living on the outskirts and out in the sea.

The most well known were the ogres, goblins, merfolk, dryads and trolls.

Once they were all a band of brothers together in an alliance to vanquish the dark forces. Incredible sacrifices were made to ensure a victory. 

Times will always change, alliances will fall, friends of the past will be the enemies of the future. Was it greed for power or was there a desire within us to wage war?

The inked pen stopped moving.

"Only the Gods know.." the man whispered to himself.

The old frail man, clothed in a grey robe, leaned closer to the parchment to inspect his work. On a wooden chair surrounded by large shelves, numerous meters in height filled with books, he sat in absolute silence.

"Pehle!" He suddenly shouted out.

Footsteps could be heard closing in and a young boy not more than 15 years of age came running towards the desk of the robed man.

"Yes master Derec!"

 the boy squeaked out almost out of breath. 

The old robed man turned to the boy who was gasping for air.

"Come closer boy," he said in a low voice.

The boy took a few careful steps forward. As he got in arms reach of the robed man, Derec got a hold of him and pulled him down on his knees, bringing the boys face next to his.

"You've been sleeping."

- "No mast.."

"Silence! Your eyes are red! Did you hope my sight would be gone by now boy?!" Derec furiously shouted in the boys face and slapped him.

The old man pushed him back and turned himself back towards the desk.

"Don't weep and don't ask for my forgiveness, just do what I ask you to do, understood boy?"  

"Yes master Derec," the boy replied as he got up and started to brush off the dust on his robes.

"Now then..." Derec began to say as he rolled the parchment together. "Take this and make me 10 copies, when you're done, place them here at my desk."

Derec passed on the parchment to Pehle and made a flimsy wiff with his hand to discard him.

Once the sounds of Pehle's footsteps had faded away he leaned back in a comfortable position and brought his legs on top of the table, letting out a long yawn.

"A generation of heroes and a generation of intellectuals now nothing more than stories told in old books forgotten by most... And here I ended up in a generation full of fools and warmongers..." Derec muttered to himself while looking up on the ceiling.

Derec Lorhan was a renowned man for his vast knowledge of the worlds history, and used to be summoned to advise the kings that had come and gone during his long lifespan. 

Many years ago he was once eager to assist his royal highness with his insights and knowledge as an advisor.

But as time passed, a hatred grew inside of him as the kings he served neglected his concerns. They only sought ways to gain more power. Kings fueled by greed.

He was ashamed of what his people had become. The kingdom of men had stretched itself outside the realms border that had been drawn long ago, conquering land that was not theirs to take. 

Making the dwarfs, elves and all other manner of beings despise them.

'And to think we once united the living against the dark to a precise victory... As the wave shifts from its peak to its bottom so have we as well sunk to our lowest through time.'

'Perhaps one day the tides will turn and the wave will rise again... I hope I will yet live to see it,' Derec thought to himself.

While the thoughts went on his eyelids started to weigh heavy and slowly went down to seal his eyes shut.

"Derec?!"

"Wake up!" The man said in a heightened tone while shaking Derec to life.

Derec awoke with his sight blurry, his body all numb and his neck in an incredible awful discomfort.

"Finally... Get your legs off that table and plant them on the floor." 

Derec looked at the man whilst waiting for his eyes to adjust.

"Merkhan? What brings you here?" Derec finally said.

Merkhan Yylos - one of the generals in the Kings army stood before him. An unsuspected visit to say the least. Last time Derec heard of his whereabouts he was told he'd been stationed far away from the Kingdom.

"I'm here to fetch you to a meeting of great importance, there is no room for delay... You will come with me at once." Merkhan replied with a stern look on his face.

'Is it really Merkhan standing in front of me? Did his new placement change him this drastically?' Derec thought to himself while bringing his numb legs off the table.

The Merkhan he knew had been a long time friend, a funny one at that. Somehow that part of him was nowhere to be seen now.

Derec got himself up and stood toe to toe with Merkhan and gave him displeased look.

"This wasn't the greeting I would expect from an old friend"

Merkhan looked at him briefly and then turned and took a step towards the door out. 

"Now is not the time for old friends to rejoice. Soon it will become clear to you as to why... Now come with me."

Derec struggled to keep up with Merkhans fast pace down the stairs, through the hall out the main entrance then crossing the courtyard entering the royal palace.

"WAIT!" Derec shouted out as he collapsed to his knees at the palace entrance. 

As Derec looked like he was about to suffer a heartattack Merkhan called upon two of the sentry guards standing nearby.

"Take turns to carry him and follow me!"

The two royal guards looked at Merkhan, then at Derec, then back at Merkhan as if they misheard him.

"NOW FOR GODSAKE!" Merkhan shouted at the startled guards.

With the guards carrying Derec they continued up the massive staircase with its handles all covered in gold.

The Kings palace was an enormous place, large enough to house a village. On the walls, there were beautiful patterns all made of gold, and large banners hanging with the Kings coat of arms in blood red color.

They passed the throne room and finally stopped outside the great conference room.

Loud voices and laughter could be heard coming from within.

"That will be all, put him down on his feet and return to your duties."

The guards helped each other to carefully bring Derec down on his feet and then gave a deep bow before they marched away.

Unscaved and almost back to his old self, Derec straightened himself and nodded to Merkhan.

"Lets go inside." 

Merkhan opened the doors and the chattering from the people inside came to an abrupt end.

Looking inside Derec could see the large round table with its seats filled with the kingdoms most valued individuals. From the nobles to the highest ranking generals and then finally at the middle in the opposite side he could see the King with his advisors and strategists sitting close beside him.

King Berian Al'Dor III, a King not much different from his father, the predecessor. All Derec saw was a man in his 20's who thought himself as more of a God than a King. 

Could he blame him for it though? With a father like his... This outcome was to be expected. Derec thought to himself while standing there with everyone looking at him in silence.

"Derec! You must excuse us for the sudden silence, you see none of us knew there was a ghost wandering inside of my palace... But now I can tell it's no ghost, it's just a decrepit old man by the name of Derec the uhm.. book... ehh hehe... Errh!" Berian who was at a loss for words looked around at the others present with annoyance for not being able to finish his punchline.

Immediately the rest of the members around the table gave out their most credible forced laughter they could manage.

"Alright, enough," Berian said as he raised his hand to silence the crowd.

"Derec be seated."

Derec bowed briefly and sat down at the last remaining empty seat.

"Now then... You all must be wondering why you have been summoned here at such a short notice!" 

"You see... Something has occurred at one of our keeps near the edge, in the Duskregion. The raven that was sent to me from keep was lacking in detail. So as I'm as eager as everyone else here to hear the full story!"

Berian paused and looked over at Merkhan and continued.

"General Merkhan here has travelled a long way under the sun to tell us what he has witnessed... Of course we would have begun this meeting sooner but Merk' here insisted on bringing the ghost before commencing the meeting."

Berian shifted his eyes to Derec.

"And now that he is here. Let us begin."

Merkhan swept his eyes across the room seeing as everyone were looking at him in anticipation he lowered his head down towards the wooden table. 

Gathering his resolve he let out a deep breath and then filled his lungs with new air and brought his head up with a adament look on his face.

"As some of you here already know I've been stationed at Guardian Keep for the last 240 cycles."

Time was recorded and tracked in Aurvandil, much like a giant clock tower each city had one. An hour was called a stroke, 20 strokes later and you had a cycle. There were no terms for weeks, months or years... every cycle passing just added to the total amount. 

So far 482,530 cycles had passed since the system had been put in service.

"I left Guardian Keep 6 cycles ago, I've barely slept during my way here..." He paused and held his palm out, it was shaking violently. "From the horrors I've witnessed the shock hasn't weared off as of yet."

He brought his hand down on the table and continued.

"I was in my chambers when I got notified that the scouts had spotted something in the sky coming in our direction. When I came out there was no doubt, something was coming our way. I ordered for the bells to be rung and the soldiers took their battle positions with me on the wall, the rest forming lines on the courtyard."

"I stood on top of the wall facing the horizon where the edge to the abyss becomes visible. As the flying object drew closer I could see it came gliding towards us on two great wings several meters in width."

"It landed directly in the middle of the courtyard with its sights fixed on the Keep. We stood frozen for the first few moments, in awe and complete shock."

"It was a monster not of this world. Apart from its wings it had dark blue skin and curled horns spreading out from its head as well as several bone spikes piercing out all over its body ranging in different sizes and a long tail stretching 3-4 meters with a large fang at its tip... It looked to be more than 5 meters in height. Also it was carrying a large cloth sack strapped around its waist."

Merkhan paused and leaned over to poor himself a cup of wine whilst his resolve was visibly deteriorating. 

At the same time Derec recalled a time many years ago, when he had been obsessed in reading about the various kinds of monsters, that once plagued mankind, one of these monsters fitted Merkhans description very accurately so far. If this was the same monster as described in the old tome this was indeed very bad news.

After Merkhan had finished his cup in just one gulp he continued.

"From its waist down it looked somewhat like its legs belonged..."

!-"To that of a goat, with hooves as feet, but much more muscular, and with thick black hair. Although they may vary from one and other, they're called Satyrs." Derec added before Merkhan could finish his sentence.

"Or am I mistaken?" Derec said while looking at Merkhans surprised reaction.

- "Precisely!" Merkhan burst out.

"I knew your invaluable knowledge would come in handy!" Merkhan said showing some hints of his joyous true self that Derec could recognize.

"Yes yes, although I must tell you this much Derec, interrupt Merkhan again and I will have you whipped for your lacking manners. You will speak when spoken to old man." Berian looked away from Derec back to Merkhan.

"Now if you please could, I'd like to hear the rest."

"Ahem! Yes of course your highness... Well it didn't take long before chaos errupted... The men panicked, most of them could be heard screaming at the ehh.. Satyr in fear, some of them coward out and ran back into the keep."

"The situation for me was uncontrollable, I shouted from the top of my lungs for the men to stand down and get a grip, but my words could barely be heard with the loud screaming and yelling emitted from the men."

"The Satyr however, just stood there as if it was analyzing my men and their behaviour. Not reacting to the footsoldiers, it glanced around even taking a notice of me and the men on the wall."

"It was then I saw the actions of a few men who would turn this chaos into something, I will never forget... On the opposite side, on the keeps watchtower, I could see three archers having their bows pulled and aimed at the Satyr. I tried to shout and wave to them not to release. Although the situation was chaotic the Satyr hadn't shown any aggression thus far..."

Merkhan paused briefly, it was clear to everyone that this next part wasn't easy for him to utter.

"Yes and then what?!" Berian shouted across the table while slamming his hand down.

"We're not gathered here for some theatrical show Merk'!"

- "My apologizes... Your highness..." Merkhan muttered in a low voice with his cheeks red and his eyes on the brink of slipping a tear. 

"The archers did not take notice of me. Time felt like it slowed down as the arrows came flying towards the Satyr... Moments later they struck him. The Satyr let out an incredible deafening roar filled with pain and bloodlust, it was so powerful it had us all pushed off our feets."

"THEN AS I AROSE TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED..." Merkhan stood up, no longer able to control his feelings, he described the carnage he had witness with tears crawling down his battered cheeks.

"Bodies, cut in half, flying in every direction... In a matter of seconds two hundred of my men had been decimated. Many of whom I've considered as close friends - was now lying there unrecognizable chopped up in small pieces in front of my eyes."

"The rest of us stood there on the walls and watchtowers, spectating in horror and in silence, fearing we would draw any attention."

"This satyr - this spawn of evil - then took some of the dismembered limbs lying on the ground and swallowed them. It seemed pleased with the taste of our flesh."

"After having feasted on our dead, it collected some of our weapons and armour as well as a couple of limbs which he wrapped around in cloth. As he had gathered these items and stored them in his sack he flapped his wings, flying back from whence he came."

"Alot of children lost their fathers that day..."

Merkhan turned around and walked over to the window, outside he could see the whole captial before his eyes, it was a sight to behold. It reminded him what the stakes were, the reason he'd become a soldier in the first place - to protect his people. 

What if this monster would have descended down in front of my eyes at this very moment?

Would I be able to?... No, I don't even want to think what would have happened. Merkhan thought to himself.

"Merkhan, we have questions that needs answers." 

Merkhan recognized the voice, it belonged to the kings most trusted adviser - Vizher Ol'darion. 

"Yes Merk', be a good boy and get back here." Berian added.

Merkhan turned back at them, looking at them all with determination in his eyes.

"Have anyone here, EVER tasted a defeat SO GREAT, it have left you feeling like nothing more than a powerless ant, twitching after being trampled by a boot?!"

Merkhans gaze had changed from being determined to being one filled with rage, piercing the eyes of the crowd like beams of lightning.

"DON'T ANSWER THAT! FOR I KNOW YOU HAVEN'T!"

With the crowd stunned, Merkhan quickly returned to his chair and sat down, taking a moment to calm himself.

Berian quickly whispered a few words into Vizhers ear, and not more than a second later, Vizher got up on his feet, and gave Merkhan a cold gaze.

"Merkhan, since we know your current condition and your lack of rest, we will overlook your scene of impudence. Do not forget you are in the presence of your King!" 

Vizher sat down and continued in a calm voice, "Now is there something you'd like to add?"

Merkhan sat there with not a care in the world for the warnings given to him, his cheeks that had previously been flooded with tears were now all dried up. His sight were set on a spot on the table with - the energy once seen in his eyes had now faded away - as he continued in a broken voice.

"I will tell you this much... For it is something I can tell you with certainty. That thing alone can slay an army of thousands, and if it turns out there is more than one - this nation could be brought down to its knees."

"And now that it has grown a liking to the taste of our flesh, I would anticipate it to soon return for more."

Merkhan leaned back in his chair, looking like he was about to fall into a deep sleep.

The nobles quickly stood up and formed a circle of their own, intensely chattering with each other.

The king, with his pupils leaned towards him on each side did the same.

The rest of the generals had also left their seats, and stood together and traded their thoughts - one of them waving for Merkhan to come join them.

"You seriously want all these people to believe that this one creature could slay an entire army Merkhan?" one of the generals said when Merkhan had joined thier small circle.

- "You said the arrows had pierced it, if three arrows caused it to crumble than a thousand should surely suffice." another one pointed out.

Merkhan looked at them as they looked convinced that would solve the problem.

"I see now that I've left out one little detail from before... You see the arrows did cause it pain, however I wouldn't say it caused it an actual injury."

The generals looked at him with confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" one of them asked.

"I mean that the spots on its body, where the arrows had pierced it, had already healed up in a matter of seconds."

"I'm therefore confident that our weaponry won't do more than to cause it some temporary pain. Steel will not destroy it, it will instead make it more angry."

"Our best chances on learning how to defeat a creature like this, is sitting right there" Merkhan said whilst pointing his finger at Derec who hadn't left his seat.

Derec sat there leaning on his elbow and drumming with his other hand on the table, pondering over what would happen next. 

"They'll probably want me to tell them everything I know about this fiend and their kind... Strenghts, weaknesses and so on... They're going to want to know how one can defeat it." Derec whispered to himself.

"With a trap perhaps? Hmm, no... Satyrs are known to be very cunning. This one also seems a bit strange, not even throwing the first punch whilst carrying a sack, and collecting items. No a trap won't be of much use."

Then it hit him, Derec stopped playing with his fingers on the table and took a glance around him, everyone were still discussing in different groups.

He leaned back and started to rub his chin with his fingers.

"This could be the oppertunity I've been waiting for. It's a bit of a risk... but if I play my cards right, I could in the long run get rid of this disgusting brat we refer as our king."

"The wave will rise again" Derec said to himself while trying to hide the smile that emerged on his face.

"As soon as this meeting is over I've got plenty to do... I'll have Pehle fetch me that grimoire for communicating with demons, but right now I've got to ensure these people that there's nothing to worry about." Derec concluded as everyone were seeming to be finishing up their internal conversations.

Vizher stood up and called everyone to return to their seats.

"Now then..." Berian said and took a closer look at Derec.

"I must say I can't bare myself to listen any further to Merk's sniveling stories... So Derec, you who obviously know a thing or two on the subject - should we really be so frightened as Merk here suggests?" Berian asked with a smug look on his face.

Here goes my vows, to hell with them. Derec thought to himself while seeing as everyone now were looking directly at him.

"I have no doubts that what Merkhan have shared with us is true, Satyrs were once our greatest foes during the great war."

"However the reason it didn't stick around to completely annihilate everyone at the keep is simple - Satyrs true weakness is sunlight."

It was a lie. Although they preferred darkness, light didn't do much more to them, than causing a slight blurr to their vision.

"If the Satyr would have stayed any longer, it would have eventually collapsed and died. Thus fearing it would come flying into our kingdom and slaughter us all, would be absurd. It would come crashing down from the sky, long before it even got close."

"So no, we have nothing to fear from this creature. I will however gladly accompany Merkhan back to Guardian Keep to help him improve its fortification incase there would be any attacks in the future."

Berian smiled.

"You see Merk? All that crying for nothing and you almost had us all worried hahaha!" 

The rest of the crowd joined him in laughter, except for Derec. He couldn't wait to get back to his chambers and start hammering the nails into Berians coffin.

"Haha well, I guess we wasted enough time here listning to the two of you. Derec proceed with your propsal, you shall go with Merk' back to Guardian Keep along with 400 soldiers, and supplies to fortify. The arrangements shouldn't take more than 2 or 3 cycles, meanwhile Merk', if you're reconsidering a change in occupation, I'm quite sure the Theatrical Guild will take you in, after seeing your performance here, we will all vouch for you!"

Merkhan didn't even react, his eyes were fixed on some spot on the ceiling, almost as if he had left his body, leaving it like a empty lifeless shell.

Vizher stood up again.

"That will be all, this meeting is now adjourned... And what has been said here will be kept here."

Derec glanced at Merkhan while leaving the room.

Should I let him in on this? No, that Satyr slaughtered his men... And Merkhan would probably not even understand the reason why I must do this. Oh well. 

A Cimmerian Hymn, Chapter 1

A world much unlike our own, locked in a tidal orbit circling its star leaving one side in complete darkness and the opposite side in ever brightness.

Imagine a world with a day length of ten thousand years.

Written by Jens F. Isaksson

---------------------------------------------------------- 

Nightfall.

Darkness stretched as far as the eye could tell. The night sky was filled with brilliant stars.  Each of them had been named long ago by the creatures of the past. One could lie on one’s back and marvel at the scene for hours, even days on end, and forget about sleep, hunger and thirst ‘till eventually the body ceased to function, and the eyelids froze in time. 

They were known as stargazers, and there were many of them. Thousands of them were lying around on the plains, lifeless and in the process of returning to dust. 

The old myths spoke of their transcendence. It was said that if you gazed at the marvels of the night sky until your last breath, you would - at the bitter end - eject your soul from your body, and take on a new form among the stars.
If you looked closely at the night sky, you could see the stars flicker from time to time.  This was said to be the proof of the transcendence of a gazer...

However, on this particular night, a light was visible on the otherwise completely darkened surface.. A large bonfire, flaring in a blue fashion. Its light distinguished five different silhouettes sitting in a circle around the blaze of fire. 

Each of them varied in sizes. Two of them with tails rattling behind their backs. One of them had a pair of large wings neatly folded. All of them seemed to belong to a different kind of kin.

The world of Nightfall could best be described as dark, unchanging and mysterious. There were no actual borders, no kingdoms, just the creatures of the night... They kept to themselves in small groups, like the group of five now sitting side by side in front of the sparkling flames.

The blue flamed crackling sounds finally got interrupted.

"You've outdone yourself, Mero," one of them muttered.

"Haha, Mero the trickster! Tell me... Why is it blue? The old one spoke of flames in bright yellow," another one of them quickly pointed out.

Mero, who - unlike his comrades - did not satisfy himself to stay put in their territory, had returned from a long journey. Perhaps his desire to explore was because he was the only one among them with developed wings, letting him travel with much greater ease than the rest of his comrades? It had been months since he had last seen his brethren. 

"It is I who am impressed." Mero outed while tilting his head back in a dominating manner.

"I'd never expect that old stone to able to explain the differences in color... He must have used the brightness of the stars as an example. Correct, Ceol?" 

Or did he just fall asleep next to that stone figure and dreamt it up altogether?

Ceol's monstrous face, filled with fangs sprouting out of his insect-like mouth, gave out a joyous hiss.

"While you've been busy trying to become something more through your travels, you've missed out on the one you call the old stone. He did not have to direct my sight to the stars, nor did he have to play with words. The old one spoke to me. Not in words, but in visions in my mind. Colors are just one of many things he has shown me."

The one known as the old one was a stone figure located in an underground cave not far from their territory, its chambers were somehow lit by small magnifying holes in the ceiling that let the starlight in. Its walls were neatly decorated with unknown symbols, their meaning long forgotten in time. 

The stone figure was two meters in height, resembling a man seated on a throne also made of fine stone. The face was covered in a mask filled with runes. Only the eyes were visible from behind the mask, they were made of a black stone and gave the impression that they were gazing at one, when in their presence. Its stone body was shaped to look like it was clothed in a robe with its arms resting on the throne handles.

It was said that the old ones would tell the stories of the past and the ritual of transcendence. Some revered them as avatars of the Gods, some saw them as nothing more than stone figures. Mero was one of the latter ones... 

However, when faced with the stone figure, even Mero felt something odd was trying to pierce his mind.

He had encountered numerous stone figures in his travels. By eavesdropping on other packs, he had heard tales similar as the ones from back at home.

To his disappointed though... Every time he had tried to communicate with these stone figures, his response had been nothing more than silence. And because it was said that the Old ones would not preach before more than one at a time, he could never verify the truth by witnessing someone else communicate with them.

Mero sighed and looked away from Ceol back into the blue sparkling flames.

"Merooo, don't look so miserable, even though the truth is sad... You're obviously not worthy the old ones audience."

The rest of the group heckled Mero in small mocking laughter.

With a raged expression on his face, Mero looked upon each and every one of them. Fearing Mero's unstable temper, they all quieted down.

"I give little thought to those stone figures! I would not be surprised if these visions came in accordance with Ceols habit of sometimes eating the corpses of the rotten stargazers and then falling asleep in the cavern of the old stone... However what I will tell you next will surely come to you as a surprise."

Mero smiled as the rest of the group started to drag themselves closer to hear what he had to say.

Even Ceol, who had been in a bragging mood just seconds ago, had a new light sparking in his eyes, and put all of his focus on Mero.

Everytime Mero had been off traveling they would gather up in his return and listen to what he had uncovered. Sometimes he had brought home items which Mero claimed to be treasures of the past.  Sometimes knowledge of power in the form of magical spells that he shared. 

His returns had become a tradition of suspense, and were the highlight of their otherwise boring lives.

This time he had been able to conjure a great blue bonfire for them to gather around, but now it seemed this was just one of the discoveries he had brought back.

With everyone around focusing on Mero, he opened his mouth.

"I've seen the edge of our world, the edge where the dark ends and shimmers of light can be seen on the horizon. As I got closer the light got so bright it almost rendered me blind. That brightness… If there ever was a realm of the Gods, I think I’ve found it..."

Demeus, a female fiend with an incredibly luscious appearance, glanced at Mero with a disdained look on her face.

"Everyone knows that the realm of the Gods is above us. Feast your eyes on the sky and tell me otherwise. Its beauty can not be refuted!"

Before, Demeus had been one of the stargazers, lying on the ground gazing upon the stars. She had been waiting till the moment of her death, waiting for her transcendence. The only problem was, she had chosen to lie down on a field - not just any field, but one that belonged to Meros. It wasn’t long before she was interrupted by Ceol and Oralec, thus ruining the transcendence ritual. Once interrupted it was said you could never re-attempt transcendence. 

She had instead joined the group, although - in the beginning - she was often frustrated and blameful of Ceol and Oralec, claiming they had denied her the passage to the stars. 

Nowadays her hatred and frustration had faded away. She considered herself one of them, one of the pack.

Oralec, who sat beside Demeus, poked the top of her head.

"We're not here to listen to the same old sayings of the Gods! Keep your preaching to yourself and do not interrupt Mero again!"

Oralec shifted his eyes to Mero, and nodded for him to continue.

Mero leaned towards them and opened his mouth once more.

"I was not alone when I came down from my flight near the edge. Once I landed I was surrounded by beings. Beings I had never encountered before. They were puny in size, their fangs we're not a part of them. Instead, they held their fangs, each one of them carrying one in one of their small hands. Their fangs were shiny, some of them had the same shine on their bodies and some on their heads."

Mero turned around and dragged out his large sack he had behind him. 

He opened it up before them, inside they could see the items reflecting light from the blue flame in shining glamour.

"Behind them I could see a large structure made of stone. It wasn't a cave. It was like a mountain, yet, not a mountain. I can’t describe it any better. The puny beings were running around inside this mountain-like place."

Oralec and Ceol took out some of the swords and helmets from the sack, and handed them on to the others while listening to Mero.

"While I was looking around at my surroundings the small beings started making desperate sounds and screams. Some yelled directly at me while pointing in my direction. I couldn't understand a word of what they were saying, but the stench of fear was incredible. Their voices carried the stench. Their bodies were trembling. Some had run off back into the big mountain. Others had fallen to the ground, shaking without me even touching them."

Darkol, who had been silent the whole time, straightened his back. He was known to rarely voice his opinion, but when he did, he usually did so after making a psychical gesture.

"Even I can sometimes shudder when your in a bad mood Mero. Now, if I try to imagine myself as a small being, without fangs of my own, and only these shiny sticks to compensate it with, I would probably react similar to seeing you descend from the sky upon my land.  
I assume they didn't hand over these sticks to you out of gratitude. You slew them, did you not?"

Meros and Darkols’ eyes interlocked. Staring at each other intensely, Mero continued.

"I was defending myself... Darkol. Do not take me for some savage brute. Just as they were screaming at me, the ones further back threw sharp flying fangs at me in an incredible speed."

Mero pointed to parts of his body where scars could clearly be seen.

"They pierced me. The pain was staggering. Luckily it was only temporary. Once I pulled the fangs out, the leaking stopped. Now these scars are what remain. At the same time, the men with the shiny sticks ran towards me. They charged me and tried to slash me! My mind went blank and with my tail and fangs and teeth I pierced and slashed and strode from the next to the other and the soil went wet of their leaking, decapitated bodies."

While Mero described the events by swinging in the air, his fury and bloodlust could be felt by the others. Making them feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Mero noticed the expression on his comrades’ faces, and abrubtly stopped slicing through the air.

"Sorry... I was getting carried away. The battle however was, nothing I’d experienced before. It felt good, almost too good. Scary good."

Mero looked around as if someone uninvited might be watching them. Not seeing anyone else present, he turned his focus back to his comrades. 

"The best part is too good to be described with just words. Just hold on for a moment."

Mero started fumbling with his arms in the sack like a madman.

"Here..."

Mero handed out chunks of something covered with cloth that was dripping, not with water but something thicker and with a different smell to it.

"Take off the cloth around it and take a bite."

‘It did smell delicious to say the least,’ Demeus and the rest of them thought while unravelling the cloth.

Ceol was the first to taste. He first took a shy little bite out of the chunk of meat that looked like it once belonged to a human leg.

Everyone looked at him, trying to analyze his reaction. Mero had fooled them before. If this was one of his evil jokes Ceols reaction would certainly reveal it.

Ceol chewed on the small piece he had in his mouth. He let out small moaning sounds as if he was having a demonic orgasm.

"IT IS SO GOOD!" he frantically burst out and took a huge bite off the leg.

The rest of them looked at each other for a second, and then instantly started to devour the chunks of meat.

Mero leaned back and watched as all of them were furiously eating, while at the same time trying to tell one and other how delicious it was.

"MmMMm SoO Gorrd"
- "Yer..sh ajjrr noohh!!"

"WHY DID YOU GIVE CEOL THE BIGGEST CHUNK?!" Demeus roared when she had swallowed her last piece of meat.

"Hush you imbecile! I was expecting your thanks, not your complains, Demeus!" Mero furiously replied.

She brought her arms together and leaned forward towards Mero.
"Forgive me... I was just. Well.. Do you have some more to give? I'd really like some more.. Please?" Demeus said with the most innocent and lovable tone she could muster.

"If you have, she is the last one you should give it to... Do not be fooled by her, she's obviously just an ungrateful brat with good looks." Oralec stated, finishing up his meal.

Mero didn't respond. Instead, he waited for Darkol to finish up his chunk of meat.

"That was truly a nice surprise! Thank you for the treat, Mero," Darkol said, licking his lips clean.

"Thanks."

"It was sooo good! Thanks youu!"

"Forget the blue flame, this is was better than everything you've ever shared combined!" Ceol added.

Numerous thankful and cheering remarks came flying simultaneously like storm towards Mero.

Mero waved with his spiked arms for everyone to settle down.

"I'm glad it wasn't just me who had a taste for their flesh." Mero said in a delightful tone.

"You should have told us Mero! You know this isn't our way!" Demeus burst out in anger.

In Nightfall the creatures who had decided to live and not take the path to transcendence lived off of the big worms crawling underneath the soil, they were clumsy and slow, ranging from 30cm to the fully grown ones that could get up to 2m in length and 40cm in width. They don't taste much different from the mud they crawl in, however.

Devouring a single full sized worm would leave you satisfied for more than a week. They, in turn, would eat the remains of the rotten stargazers laying around everywhere. As a result the worms were quite numerous.

Because of this the inhabitants of Nightfall never had to fight for their food. Fights occurred due to territorial disputes instead. These fights could hardly be called more than sparring matches, death was a seldom occurrence. 

Most of the time one of the combatants would admit defeat, thus deciding the victor before any serious injuries were inflicted.

Hence killing and eating other inhabitants with the exception of mud worms was unheard of.

Mero saw that it wasn't just Demeus who had been taken back by this.

"Think for once, all of you. Ceol you've.. Ehm, accidently eaten one or two corpses of dead stargazers have you not?"

- "Yes? So what?"

"And how did it taste?"

- "Not much different from a mud worm to be honest. Afterwards I would feel sickly, moments later what I ate would come back up from my stomach, flushing out of my mouth. I believe the Gods have made it so, to teach me this lesson. We shan't eat our own."

"Exactly," Mero replied instantly.

Everyone looked at him with confused expressions.

"What do you mean by that?" Oralec asked as if he had missed the whole point.

"If I'm right, what we've just eaten shall remain in our bellies. However, if it comes pouring out of our mouths as Ceol has experienced, then it would be clear that the Gods do not approve of this," he paused momentarily before continuing, "But I've already eaten their flesh before and what I ate remained in my stomach as it will now. Is this not proof enough for you to know that this is meant to be?" 

Everyone glanced at Mero with awe in their eyes. Demeus was the first to admit the logic to this point, and the superior reason that led to it.

"Yes.. Surely the Gods would have taken this out of us by now if they did not approve of it.. And the taste, it must have been made as a gift from the Gods for us to enjoy. A reward of some sort. Could it be a sign for us? Did they plan this all to happen? Are we being watched by the Gods? We are. We must be! Hesalio!" Demeus chanted like she was in some sort of trance-like state.

Hesalio was a phrase to praise the Gods.

"Yes.. Ehm. The Gods approve as you can tell." Mero muttered in a dull voice.

Mero didn't really care much of the so called Gods, he had never seen one, never spoken to one. Therefore, he barely believed there to be any. 

But at times like these he gladly used the concept of a God to prove his point.

Darkol looked to be in deep thought while staring into the flames.

"There is, however, something I'd like to ask of you Mero..." he said while shifting his gazesight to Mero.

"Yes, Darkol?"

"These puny and weak beings you've fed us with, tell me, what exactly, what did they look like?"

Mero leaned back a bit, using his wings to form some support forto his neck while trying to figure out why Darkol would be so curious of their appearance. 

‘Darkol doesn't just ask questions without an ulterior motive, whatever that would be... We'll just have to wait and see,’, he thought to himself.

"Well, like I said. tThey were puny,.. weak. Their strength might be equal to that of a newborn mud worm, I'd say."

- "Yes yes. Y, you've told us this much already. Give me their appearance in details, please."

Mero frowned a little and continued.

"They are around 1,5 to 2m in height. They carry themselves with two legs and they use their two arms with five fingers on each end to grab onto things. Their heads are simple, a small mouth and their teeth are dull, n... Not sharp at all. They have eEyes that for some reason leak water, although with an unusual special taste to it. Uhm... Short hair on the top of their heads. Their skin is soft and tender as you can tell, they use these shiny things and cloth to cover it. They have similar looks to Demeus to be honest, but without the tail, horns and fangs... and irresistiblye attractive (?)attraction that is,." Mero finished while taking a glance at Demeus whom suddenly blushed at his last remarks.

- "Interesting, most interesting. Thank you, my curiosity has been satisfied."

Mero's gazed at Darkol with contempt.

"What's so interesting?! If it is, then I bet everyone here would like to hear it!"

- "Right now it would be too early for me to share with all of you why I find this so interesting... Once I know more. I'll lend you all my thoughts on this."

"You and your thoughts., I've changed my mind. Darkol, you may keep your insights to yourself! I liked you better when you refrained from opening your mouth in vain."

- "Fine,." Darkol responded, not showing any form of emotion.

The atmosphere had changed forto the worse. Demeus hated it when the very air was boiling with ill will.

"Please, my beloved comrades... Let us not turn this celebration to a needless arguement between you two. We cannot act like this while the Gods have taken notice of us,." Demeus said while stroking them both gently with her hands and tail.

Demeus was a succubus, one of her many talents was the power to dominate and charm others. However, in situations such as this she would only calmed her comrades senses, ridding them of their anger.

"You're right... Darkol, forgive my rudeness. I will look forward to hearing your insights onof this when the time comes."

- "Thank you, Mero... Ahem. I have a suggestion on what we shall do next if you care to hear of it."

"Please share with us."

Darkol was visibly filled with excitement.

"I propose you return to the land of these beings, and you bring me with you. As you know I can mold myself to my environment, making me practically invisible. I will lay there hidden and observe these beings. I will try to learn as much as I can. And when the time comes to go back I wish for you to take one of the beings with you, one of my choosing, alive. Then return to me and bring me back as well."

‘What is really going on in that mind of his?’ Mero wondered.

"Darkol, I never expected you to take such an interest in this... Of course, we can go ahead with this plan of yours. May I inquire as to why you want one of them brought back, alive?"

"You said they yelled and screamed at you? That tells me they speak a different tongue, one I wish to learn. If they can construct monuments as large as mountains, that means they must compensate for their weak bodies with creativity and intellect. If I could learn their language I.. no, we, could learn to build mountains ourselves."

Mero looked at Darkol and sucked in some of the enthusiasm that was radiating from him.

There was a special feeling looming around in the air at the moment, the feeling of something big, something exciting. 

Something great was about to unfold.

They all sat and looked at each other in silence, the blue flames’ crackling ruled the night once again.