Of Gods & Champions: Book I: Fate

I. The Cold and Famine Among Us

If ever there was a creature more cruel in the world than the Adalwolff, it had not drawn breath for many ages.

Its eyes burned with a glowing passion for snuffing out life, and both its menacing teeth and murderous claws provided the tools to accomplish all its goals.

It was a beast like no other, killing friend and foe alike, and it gave no regard for the devastation that existed in its wake. So when it was discovered that the Adalwolff sought the title of Champion of the Wild, all trembled before him.

All, that is, except the reigning owner of that title.

For longer than can be remembered, Agath the Redeemer was champion to the great Wilderness. His rule had been met with many achievements, the greatest of these having successfully pushed the worshippers of Order out of one of their outposts deep in the mountains.

However, despite his accomplishments, they paled in comparison to the mighty Adalwolff.

Agath was a dryad, and as such, he held a great respect for everything that grows, and this made him gentler than other creatures. But this admiration was not at all held by the Adalwolff, and he was all the more vicious for it. Where Agath had a fondness for the growing aspects of the Wild, the Adalwolff revered its chaotic nature.

It was because of this truth that, as the Adalwolff and Agath stood before each other in their duel of championship, that there was no doubt in any of the onlooker's minds that this fight would surely be the end of Agath's reign, as well as the end of his life. But Agath the Redeemer was not one to back down from a fight, regardless of his milder nature. He would fight this battle, no matter the odds.

"You come to challenge me, mightiest of all wolves, and I respect your audacity. But you will find this fight will bring a fitting end to your brutish existence." Agath stood in a clearing of an otherwise dense woods.

Several lengths ahead of him paced the great Adalwolff who, instead of responding to him, simply stared at him with his glowing eyes, fangs dripping with saliva.

"What say you, Killer of Peace?" Agath continued. "Are you so absent of mind as to be incapable of even speech?"

Again, the Adalwolff did not respond. He just looked at him, planning the death of the Champion of the Wild.

"Will you not grant me the decency of talk before this battle?" Agath tried, one last time.

At this, the Adalwolff finally broke his silence. As if talking to himself in his commanding voice,he said in a low throaty grunt, "Claws for the hunt. Teeth for the kill. Might for the murder. Passion for the death."

Not knowing how to respond to his ramblings, Agath stayed silent, his wooden feet meshed with the damp earth below, as if his roots striving to implant themselves once again within the life-giving dirt.

The Adalwolff continued, moving a little closer as wind blew over him and rippled his rough, spiky, gray-blue fur. "You ask me of decency, of which I know not. You ask me of mind, of which I am mere matter. You dare to speak of battle, of which you know nothing. You speak of a brutish existence, but cruelty never dies. Only your precious decency."

With that the Adalwolff stormed forward, ready to silence his opposition. With tremendous strength, he leaped at him, and crashed him into the ground. In response, Agath simply began to wrap vines all around the beast and lift it off of him.

Angered by this, the Adalwolff barked, "How dare you restrain me! I am the wilderness, and it cannot be tamed like you have been!" He snaps his mighty jaws at him, managing to rip off chunks of twigs and bark.