The Elementals: The Legend of Sword Erzethel

Chapter VI Monster within

After the fight between us and the guardian, we found out that he was a shape-shifter. Because of the lightning strike he was too weak. He was asleep for 3 days. When he woke up, we ask him his name."I am Tarkus." He said. "You're Tarkus, the hero of Mt. Tarak?" we exclaimed. "Yes. I am Tarkus. I guarded the staff for a long time." He said. He was a bit shaky, so we doubt him if he really was Tarkus, the hero of Mt. Tarak. We stayed on the mountain to gather up supplies and so I can train myself to use the medallion and also to figure out how to merge the medallion to the staff.

One night, Zureke went hunting for our food. "Hey! Zureke, could you catch a better food this time!" Shalma said. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Geez, you're too picky. Why don't you just eat anything I give you?!" Zureke murmured.

Then we heard a shout coming from the place where Zureke went. We hurriedly went there and saw Zureke on the ground unconscious. When he woke up, we asked him what happened to him. He said that a giant monster attacked him and knocked him unconscious. I asked him what the monster looked-like. He said that it's a Murcrow but the body is of a Minotaur. Then Shalma called me. She said, "There's something wrong here. If there is such a monster here, why didn't it attack us the first time we came here?" "I don't know. Maybe we should ask Tarkus. He should know about that monster." I answered.

So we asked Tarkus about the monster that attacked Zureke. He said, "I don't know (trembling). I never heard of a monster like that! Maybe your friend has just mistaken it for a Kiri --- a wild deer." "Something isn't right." Shalma thought. "James, if it was a Kiri, Zureke would catch it for dinner and how could a Kiri knock him down just like that?" she said. "What are you trying to pull here?" I asked. "I have a feeling that the monster that did that is just close by." She said. "What should we do then?" I asked. "We will make a trap for him." She replied.

So, Shalma and I made a trap for the monster. We waited until sundown. Moments later, we heard something behind the bushes but it was just a rabbit. But suddenly something jumped over me, it was the monster. Hurriedly, Shalma used her elemental power to trap the beast. Unable to move, the beast was imprisoned on thorny vines Shalma created. We waited until sunrise. When we woke up, the beast was gone. When we looked at the cage, we found Tarkus lying there. "Tarkus, what are you doing in there?" I asked. "I knew it! You are the beast." Shalma exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us about this?" Zureke asked. He said, "I can't tell you. You have to find it out yourself. It is part of the curse." "What curse are you talking about?" I asked.

He said that before he was given the mission to guard the staff, he was already cursed by an elemental. He will turn to beast on the night when the moon is full. Although he was a shape shifter, he can't control the transformation at full moon. "Who is this elemental who cursed you? Maybe Shalma can talk to her, she's an elemental too." I said. "The elemental that cursed me was Gertha. She is in Thors Kingdom." He said. "Gertha,the water elemental?" Shalma said. "Yes." Tarkus said. "If she's the one that cursed you, I'm afraid I won't be of any help. She's one of the supreme elementals. I'm just a mid-level elemental." Shalma said. 

"We should at least try to talk to her. She might listen and change her mind and lift the curse." I said. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go then to Thors." Zureke said. "Ride on my back; it would be easier if we fly to there." Tarkus suggested. So he shape-shifted into a dragon and we rode his back and went straight to Thors. We forgot that it is full moon that night. "Ah! I forgot its full moon!" Tarkus exclaimed. "Oh! No!" we all shouted. Then Tarkus turned back to his human form and we fell down, good thing Shalma created a bundle of bushes. Tarkus transformed into the beast, unluckily, the beast had bit me, and flee. "James! Are you alright?" Shalma worriedly asked. "I'm fine... (Dizzy) it's just a scratch." Then I lost consciousness. We wear near Thors when the accident happened, so they brought me immediately to the kingdom and looked for help. When I woke up, I was already in the infirmary. "Ah! What happened? How long was I unconscious?" I asked. "You were asleep for a whole week." Shalma said. Then, suddenly, I felt something weird. My whole body felt so itchy and not a moment later, hairs started to grow on every edge of my body. "What... what's happening to me?" I asked.

The doctor who treated me said that it was something he haven't seen before, and that it would be better if we seek help from the supreme elemental of their kingdom. So, they brought me to the Hall of Spirits and there we seek aid from the supreme elemental. "Supreme elemental, Gertha, this man was bitten by the beast whom you cursed, and we think that this condition was caused by it. If you may, please cure him and please lift the curse from Tarkus." Shalma pleaded. "Young elemental, I can cure your friend but I can't lift the curse I gave to Tarkus." Gertha said. Gertha cured me from the infection. "Gertha, tell me, can you lift the curse from Tarkus or you just won't?" I asked. "I won't." she said. Then, a supreme fire elemental came and talked to us. "Hello, james, I am Geero, I'm sorry about how Gertha reacted. She's not as cold hearted as what you thought of her. It's just that her heart was broken." He said. "What do you mean? Is Tarkus her lover?" I asked. "Yes." He replied.

The reason why Gertha won't lift the curse was because her heart was broken by Tarkus. Tarkus was the lover of Gertha and their love bore a son, but unfortunately, their son died in an accident. Tarkus brought their child to Mt. Tarak to train but accidentally, his son fell from his back when they were flying, according to Geero's story. "It was just an accident, it wasn't Tarkus' fault!" I said. I went to talk to Gertha. I plead her to forgive Tarkus from what happened long time ago, but unfortunately, I failed. "The only way now to make her uplift the course is to bring Tarkus here and ask for forgiveness." I said. "Yeah, like it's a very easy thing to do. And we don't know where Tarkus is now." Zureke said. We spent the day looking for Tarkus, and finally we found him on the river. We talked to him and told him that we know the truth about his curse, and that he need to come with us if he wants to be free from the curse. So, we brought him to Thors and in front of Gertha. "Tarkus, how dare you come here?" Gertha angrily said. "Wait, Gertha, if you don't want to hear him as your ex-lover at least hear him out as the one of the supreme elemental." I said. "Gertha, I know you're furious and I'm sorry. You know how much I love you and our son. It was an accident, Gertha, I didn't want that to happen." Tarkus said to Gertha. "Please Gertha, for the sake of your love and for your son, forgive him." Geero said to Gertha. After the long talk, Gertha finally forgave Tarkus and lifted the curse.