A Slayer's Tales

The Long Road

The snow fell gracefully. As if each snowflake was a dancer performing their swan song in the most perfect way they possibly could. On a larger scale, it didn't matter a great deal as once they finished that final performance, their only performance, they joined the rest to form a crisp blanket that lay upon grass. The air blew cold: harsh. It was, thought Nicholas, as if millions of razor sharp knives were being blown at his young face.

"We're nearly there, Nick. Just a couple hours more." Nicholas looked on, towards his teacher: Robert Lothar. You wouldn't be able to tell much about him in his current condition as, like Nicholas, he was wrapped up in an ample amount of layers and armour to keep him warm in the vicious winter conditions, and safe from what lurked along the road between the kingdoms of Winterria and Welthereon. "What exactly are we doing at Welthereon? I thought they already had their léfmann problems sorted?" Nicholas called out to his teacher but got no response. The howl of the bitter winter winds was deafening with their hoods up. You could hear your thoughts and your own spoken words, and that was all. It made the ride quite lonesome but that was the life of a Slayer. Their dealings with léfmann, or what they're more commonly referred to as - daemons, makes them undesirable to be around as they may carry evil on them. It's all nonsense, of course, but once an idea is out there, and being spread, the lines between fact and fiction blur.

    Robert's horse soon came to a halt, and Nicholas followed suit. The winds were dying down a bit now. Nicholas watched as his teacher dismounted, and waited a moment before doing so himself. "Nick," Robert snapped as his student inched closer, "stay there." Nicholas nodded and remained in place. It fell quiet. Robert took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. He listened. He fought through the unnecessary information, the wind's whispers and Nicholas' almost silent breaths, and found what he was searching for. His eyes opened and he turned his head, sharply, to the left. Nicholas tried to follow what his teacher was doing, looking to the left as well, but all he could see was a vast emptiness: a wall of pure white. Robert stared into the icy nothingness, and past the curtains the snow were providing. There he saw them. They were rushing. They were running and tripping over one another. Robert couldn't help but let a little smirk show on his face. His arm rose, and his hand grasped his sword's hilt with intention. Nicholas turned his attention to Robert. "3..." Robert muttered. "2..." he continued. "1..." his hand rose up, with the sword attached, and in the same amount of time came swinging back down. The blade that followed his swift motion sliced through a pale-skinned, bloodied, abomination of a creature. Upon seeing this, Nicholas' eyes lit up and he followed his teacher's lead. He grabbed his longsword from its sheath and readied himself. "Ready yourself!" Robert cried out to his student, "There's more coming!"

    Their footsteps were thunderous. It was a very sudden change from the silence that lingered in the air just seconds before. "I thought King Brom dealt with the léfmann problem!" Nicholas cried out as, just past the horizon, the snowy veils that once hid the monsters vanished - revealing them all. "Clearly not." Robert replied. There was spite in his voice. He'd trusted the King, and his word, but he'd been lied to: betrayed. The Léfmenn sprinted towards Robert and Nicholas.

    Ten. That's all there were.

    As the first wave got within range, Nicholas and Robert began to swing and slash. Combat in these conditions was less than ideal, Nicholas thought to himself as he thrusted his blade through the chests of two of the creatures. He swiftly withdrew his blade and the léfmenn dropped dead. Another charged at him, then threw itself several feet trying to get him. As it was coming towards him - gliding through the air - Nicholas brought his sword from one side of his body to the other, and in doing so decapitated the lunging monster. Robert inhaled deeply, gathering all the breath he could, then paused. One of the creatures swung at him, trying to scratch him, and he took its hand off nonchalantly. He then, in a matter of moments, removed the creature's head. It all happened so fast. The creature's lifeless body didn't even have time to drop. He exhaled, and the steamy vapour of his breath created a delightful, miniature cloud from his lips. Nicholas watched his teacher's actions and was in awe at his skill and speed. "How many more, master?" Nicholas asked, unable to see them through the reformed shield of snowflakes. Robert, without giving his apprentice a second's notice, replied, "Four. Two each." Nicholas nodded.