Persistence
With a sudden roar of pain, the grizzly bear toppled to one side, and
the clearing fell silent.
Kub-Kuko held his crouch for several moments longer, breathing heavily,
and slowly lowered his buckler. The kryss was covered with gore, dripping
in the air where the grizzly had slid off of it, and the buckler was scored
with countless claw marks.
Kub-Kuko had been surprised at the ferocity of the attack - he had assumed
this species was similar to the weaker black bears he had fought all week
as he improved his fencing and parrying skills. The creature laying upon
the ground before him had nearly finished him several times, but his quick
thinking, combined with the skilful application of bandages and deft kryss-work
(which was improving daily) had finally overcome his foe. It had been
a fierce battle, but Kub-Kuko felt stronger for it, and he bowed to his
dead foe, thanking it for its sacrifice, and showing proper deference,
that the ami spirit of the bear would not be offended, and it would willingly
be reincarnated as a new bear without reservation. Kub-Kuko was often
aghast as he witnessed the rude hans of this land joking and carousing
as they stumbled through the forest, killing indiscriminately without
proper homage to the spirits of the dead. They ran the risk of the animal
spirits warning others of their kind to stay away from these forests,
and not for the first time, Kub-Kuko despaired of ever returning to the
sane world of his homeland.
He was in the process of skinning the bear when he heard the noisy crunching
of twigs behind him. From the sound, it was bipedal - not another animal,
most likely a han hunter this time, perhaps out to take advantage
of his hard work. He turned, grabbing up his kryss and shouting a challenge
to the newcomer as he or she came into the clearing.
Kub-Kuko stopped in mid-sentence, slowly moving his gaze upwards. He had
never seen a Troll, but had heard of the beasts from his blood brother,
Dexeron. One of the many species of demi-human upon this world, they wandered
the forests searching for food. Being omnivorous, they would just as soon
gnaw on a human jawbone as a branch from a gorsebush. They usually fed
on the rich game of the forest, but Kub-Kuko had heard enough tales of
the trollish fondness for human flesh to be wary of the lumbering giant
before him.
The troll stood for several moments, blinking at the sudden appearance
of a human in its path. Kub-Kuko could almost see the thought processes
at work as a long stream of drool slowly worked its way down the chin
of the grey-skinned creature. Then, with hunger evident in its eyes, it
hefted the large club in its hands, and lumbered forward towards the Monggol.
Kub-Kuko didn't even consider running away: to flee from a challenge would
be dishonourable, though perhaps understandable in certain circumstances
back on Earth. Here, where death was often little more than an inconvenience,
it was unforgivable. He could never face his ancestors if he backed away
from this challenge, so with a sudden lunge and a battle cry, he leapt
forward, driving his kryss into the skin of the creature and raising his
buckler to take the force of the club.
He felt the blow all the way to his shoulders, and thought his arm had
come loose for a moment. The kryss dug in slightly, but it was like trying
to pierce solid rock. Kub-Kuko stepped back, barely dodging another swing
from the giant's club as he dug in again with his kryss. He took a glancing
blow on the shoulder, lessened as he rolled behind the creature, and he
dug the kryss into the back of the creature's knee.
The troll roared in pain, and turned, backhanding Kub-Kuko with its massive
fist, and sending him sprawling into a tree. He lay, dazed for several
moments as the troll stood, confused, trying in vain to turn and see the
back of its own leg. He scrambled to his feet as the troll turned its
attention upon him again, and he circled, trying to find an opening.
He lunged again, ducked and lunged, ducked, rolled, lunged, over and over
again, managing again and again to score on the thick scaly hide of the
beast, but seemingly doing little real damage. The troll, on the other
hand, had managed to connect once, and Kub-Kuko was certain he had bruised
a rib on the left side. It was agony to hold the buckler in place, and
he dropped it, choosing mobility over better protection.
A good ten minutes passed of this cat and mouse game, Kub-Kuko managing
to poke the beast into a murderous rage, and learning to time his leaps
and ducks fairly well. The troll connected one more time, but Kub-Kuko
was already leaping away, and the blow was glancing and did little real
harm, but sent Kub-Kuko sprawling. He leapt to his feet again, only to
see the back of the creature, as it lumbered away.
He stood for a moment, breathing heavily, wondering if the troll was fleeing.
He slowly began to apply a bandage as the troll passed into the shadows
of the trees, then stopped. The beast stood, watching him. Kub-Kuko finished
applying the bandage, and, watching the troll, began to walk into the
forest, towards the LFE tower.
The troll shadowed him, keeping him in sight.
The beast was slow, and Kub-Kuko knew he could outrun the creature to
the tower. Once there he would be safe. He could say, in truth, that the
creature had called off the fight. To continue fighting the creature seemed
pointless, when the kryss was so ineffective.
It would be a lie just the same. The Troll was still watching him, waiting
for a moment of weakness. This was a life or death struggle, and he could
not simply walk away from such a challenge and still call himself a tsereg.
He stepped forward towards the Troll, and noted that the creature retreated
an equal number of steps. Kub-Kuko nodded. It was regrouping, waiting
for its wounds to heal, before it advanced again. He sat down upon the
ground of the forest, and began applying more bandages, occasionally looking
over towards the massive shadow in the distance which seemed to be watching
him as well.
He finally finished his bandaging, and stood, only to notice the shadow
was gone.
He ran over to the spot where he had last seen the troll. The clear trail
of crushed leaves and bent branches left a inviting pathway. He gripped
his kryss tightly, boldly stepping out onto the trail, knowing that in
all probability, the troll was waiting for him.
Within minutes, he could smell the beast again. The forest grew thicker
here, the trees giving way somewhat to thick bushes that obscured visibility.
The path was still clear, but Kub-Kuko wondered if the troll might use
the cover of the bushes to strike from an unexpected quarter. He stepped
quietly, listening for any change in the wind.
With a sudden roar, the beast leapt from the bushes on the left, but Kub-Kuko
was already rolling in that direction. The troll landed beyond him, bringing
its club crashing down on empty ground, and turned just as Kub-Kuko rose,
bringing his kryss up and forward with a nasty swipe.
The troll grabbed at its face, blood running between its hands. It staggered
back, grabbing the club in one hand, and crashed through the bushes. Kub-Kuko
leapt after it, leaping off the trail, and hoping he could get ahead of
the creature which was running far faster than he would have thought possible.
He knew that standing toe to toe with the creature, he could not hope
to prevail - there were simple matters of physical height and weight to
account for here. It was no cowardice to admit this. His skill, however,
could give him the victory - he could outwit the creature, and wound it
so that over time it tired. Over time, often days, a single wolf could
inflict numerous small wounds upon its prey, chasing the quarry until
it finally succumbed to blood loss and exhaustion. This was the technique
of the great wolves of the northern plains, which could allow a single
wolf to overcome a gigantic moose, which normally could crush the hunter
with a single blow.
Kub-Kuko judged the sounds around him, and the smells, and adjusted his
course to the left, running faster. He leapt over a small bush, lunging
with his kryss...
The troll was just where he had expected it to be, and the point scored
home, opening another small gash in the creature's side. Kub-Kuko leapt
aside as the beast swung its club, and scored another hit, then leapt
into the bushes again, turning as the beast lumbered through them after
him, and coming around behind the creature as it thrashed through the
thorns.
For well over an hour, he battled the beast, keeping it on the run, wounding
it when he could, but mostly avoiding its surprisingly accurate swings.
After an eternity, the beast finally seemed to slow, and it let out a
great howl of frustration, as Kub-Kuko watched from behind the beast where
he had just emerged from the bushes again.
He scored three hits on the beast before it could turn around, and he
ducked as its club flew overhead, a blow meant to take his head from his
shoulders. He lunged underneath the blow and scored a hit directly on
the knee of the creature.
The troll howled and went down on its knees, snarling. Kub-Kuko circled,
approaching from an oblique angle, trying to stay clear of the club.
The troll tried to rise, and fell flat on its face. It managed to raise
itself to its knees again, and snarled at Kub-Kuko, brandishing its club.
Hours before, he would have not believed he could take down a creature
of this strength and size. Strategy, and most importantly persistence,
had brought him to this place. He did not view his tactics as dishonourable,
for he viewed the creature as nothing more than any other game that he
might hunt, no more sentient than the bear he had fought before. He would
pay it due respect, and not belittle it by gloating over his victory,
but he felt no reason to face it openly as he might a han on the battlefield.
The creature levelled a malevolent glare at him and growled: "Hoowkuume
yuu dun't finnissssh dis? Yuu pugdung!"
Kub-Kuko stepped back. It had never occurred to him that the Troll might
possess intelligence, no less the power of speech. This was no game animal,
it was a foe, a fellow warrior he was battling, and his foe was now powerless
before him. It was dishonourable to them both to leave it in this condition,
to continue this prolonged butchery.
He walked forward, uncertainly for a moment, then bolder. "What do
yeh want from meh?"
The troll snarled. "Huuurtss. Finnisssh it!"
Kub-Kuko nodded. The beast was unafraid, knowing it had been beaten, it
asked only for a clean death. During the fight, it had fought in the only
manner its limited brain could allow - but never dishonourably. "Meh
pray that yeh soul find sain place on wheel."
The Troll spat.
Kub-Kuko wasted no more words, and drove the kryss home into the creatures
neck. The troll roared, and swung out with the club, knocking Kub-Kuko
into the air, and sending him sprawling, unconscious, before it fell over
with a soft thud.
Kub-Kuko opened his eyes, and winced, but gritted his teeth and forced
himself to rise. He was sure he had some broken ribs, and he did not look
forward to the trip back to the tower on foot.
He turned towards the troll. It lay, sprawled, both legs bent under it,
his kryss still embedded in its neck. He grabbed the hilt, slippery with
blood, and managed to draw it clear. He struggled with the massive body
of the troll, but managed to lay it out relatively straight, and he folded
the massive fists above the creatures chest, leaving it like a statue
of a sleeping giant... albeit a sleeping giant with multiple puncture
wounds and a gaping hole in its neck.
It was growing dark, and he would be many hours upon the trail, wincing
every step of the way, before he could return to his friends, but he had
a duty to perform first, and so he knelt, stiffly and wincing silently,
before the body of the fallen troll, and bowed low to the ground. Then
he gave many thanks to the ami spirit of this marvellous creature, neither
beast nor human, who had fought with such power, and asked that it return
without offence to this land, to fight again someday. Then he rose and
walked into the forest, leaving the body uncovered that its spirit might
roam free and find its new home soon. He would fight many trolls in the
years to come, of that he was certain, but he knew he would never forget
the first time he had overcome one of the massive giants single-handedly.
He sang a battle march as he walked, hoping that the spirit of the creature
might find rest. It had fought well, in its own way it had fought with
honour.
Kub-Kuko smiled. The wheel of life would continue to turn. Perhaps one
day it would be reborn a monggol.
© 2001 Daniel Lustig
