Curse

Cuchulainn · Apr 23, 2008, 12:37 AM // 00:37

“Breath”, as the young girls diaphragm involuntarily convulsed one thought occupied her mind, “do not breath”. Panicked glances continued to reveal hulking shapes shimmering through the surface of the water above her. With each sighting raw terror would pierce the girl’s soul and panic would threaten to overwhelm her. Dancing flashes of light began consuming her vision as she continued to move away from the place that had moments ago been her home.
*******
Oba placed the last bits of earth onto his newly constructed lean-to. Before going to collect the evening’s firewood he squatted and peered at the frail figure sleeping under the makeshift shelter. Earlier in the day while tracking a lone heket of rare size Oba had found a child floating by the shore, it was the same child that he now gazed upon.
“Who are you? Where are your people? What am I to do with you?” were just some of the questions dominating Oba’s mind. “Well there is still much to be done and the sun is nearing its rest. There will be time later to ponder your future,” he said to the sleeping girl and then silently disappeared into the surrounding forest.
As evening approached the land became covered in an impenetrable gloom, without a star to be found the night’s sky was as dark as Oba’s mood. The day had been long and the work hard yet he had finished preparing a camp where he could nurse his newly acquired companion back to health. As Oba sat by the fire attending to a generous cut of roasting mandrill he listened to the hoarse breathing of the sleeping child. He had attended to the girl earlier and found her physically to be fine aside from a strained airway; it seemed a miracle as he had found her face down in the water with the appearance of being dead.
Oba checked some roots hanging on the newly constructed drying rack and found them ready for his final task of the day. He removed the roots and began chewing them, mixing the extract with mganga leaf oil; he then placed the mixture by the fire where it would congeal into a salve that could be used to ease the child’s breathing. While resting from his days efforts Oba was suddenly startled by the sound of shrill screams, the girl had awakened and was scrambling in a feral manner with her eyes darting like a vipers tongue. He quickly approached but stopped several feet away motioning his hands in a calming gesture.
“It is alright child, you are safe,” Oba said several times in a hushed voice, as the girl’s struggles eased he knelt in front of her. After several moments of silence he said, “I am Oba, you have been sleeping here since I pulled you from the water.”
At the mention of water the girl hugged her knees and began sobbing. Oba attempted to hug the child but she quickly pulled away, so he sat and helplessly watched her cry. It was some time before the girl began to calm, she eventually looked at Oba but it was with a degree of fear in her eyes.
“Would you like something to eat or drink?” Oba asked gently.
A nod of the head was the girl’s sole response. Oba gave her a bowl of mandrill meat and a flask of water. She took a tentative bite and then began voraciously consuming the meal.
“Slow, it will hurt if you eat too fast,” Oba said.
She nodded with pain evident in her eyes. Oba cut some mandrill for his own meal and they ate in silence while sharing the water flask between them. When the meal was done Oba asked, “What is your name little one?”
“Jin,” said the girl in a barely a whisper.
“Jin, that’s a fine name, one to be proud of for sure. Can you tell me what happened to you Jin?” asked Oba.
Tears began welling in Jin’s eyes but with effort she began to speak. “Monsters killed my Ma and Da,” she said between sobs.
“How did you escape?”
“My Da put me in our canoe and pushed it away from shore. I fell from the canoe and swam away underwater hoping the monsters wouldn’t see,” she said with tears running freely down her face.
“Oh little one, there was nothing you could do. You were very clever to escape like you did. Are you sure that your parents are dead?” Oba asked.
“I saw the monsters eating my Ma and Da before I fell,” said Jin.
She could no longer contain her sorrow and began sobbing uncontrollably. Oba held her to his chest and tried to control the tears appearing in his own eyes. He continued to hold and rock Jin until she fell asleep. After laying her under the shelter he rubbed the salve onto her neck and then sat staring into the fire for the remainder of the night.
When Jin awoke in the morning she did not move, rather she lay still and looked at the man she had met only the night before. He was tall and rangy with a body that was covered in a knot-work of muscles suggesting impressive strength, for clothing he wore only a green kilt and sandals. She watched as he laid thorns around the camp to form a small boma. Watching Oba she decided that she should help him make the thorn fence, as soon as she shifted to get up Oba turned and asked how she had slept. He offered her a simple gruel for breakfast that she ate heartily.
“Tell me Jin, what were the other villagers doing when the monsters attacked?” asked Oba.
“I am not from a village, we lived alone,” answered Jin.
“Almost no one lives alone out here, why would your parents do such a thing?”
“When I was very small we lived in a village but my Ma had a fight with the chieftain and then we moved.”
For a moment Oba simply looked at the thin little girl before him, his expression unreadable. It seemed that there was even more sadness to this child then he originally thought; it also presented him with an increasingly difficult problem.
“Do you think you could take me to your home?” asked Oba.
“No I don’t think so, do you think that the monsters are still there?” she asked.
“It is doubtful, we should find out what happened to your parents. I believe what you saw but you should not give up hope. If you can describe your home I may be able to find it, I know these lands well.”
“All I know is that we lived on the western coast, there is a delta nearby where my Da would often fish. To the north is a large cliff where there is an ancient temple, my Ma said it was a holy place,” Jin uneasily replied. Though visibly upset she had already become much stronger in controlling her sorrow.
“Aman-Arc, I know this location, it is less than a day’s walk from here. Would you like me to take you back to your home to see what we can find?” asked Oba.
“What if the monsters are still there?” asked Jin.
“Then I will protect you little one.”
Jin stared at Oba for a moment and then said, “Okay, I will go.”
Oba moved through the forest with the ease of a cat, unconsciously setting a pace that would quickly punish most men. On his waist he wore an exceptionally large bladed knife balanced by a quiver on the other side, over his shoulder a pack was slung and he carried a longbow the length of which almost equaled his height. Jin rode on Oba’s shoulders, still recovering from the previous day’s ordeal. When the sun was at its peak Oba stopped and they sat for a quick midday meal of dried mandrill meat. While eating Jin noticed claw-like tattoos on Oba’s forearms and matching designs on his chest.
“Why do you have those markings,” Jin asked.
“My Da tattooed them on me when I was growing up.”
“Why’d he do that?”
“They symbolize stages of my life; I received the claws on my arms when my Da said that I had mastered the weapons of a hunter, the claws on my chest were done when I mastered the ways of the forest and animals,” Oba responded.
“Where is your Da now?”
“He died hunting the kubwa (Great) heket, it is a very old and dangerous heket responsible for many deaths. I was tracking this beast when I found you.”
“Why do you and your Da hunt monsters? Where is your home, your Ma?” Jin asked.
“I never knew my Ma, my Da said that she was a wondrous woman but would say nothing more of her. It is the way of our order, the Windaji Order, we are hunters of the great killer beasts. Our lives are spent maintaining the division between the world of monsters and that of man. I have no home aside from the Windaji temple, the wilderness is my only true home. It is our belief that the path of the Windaji will grant us a role in the supreme battle between the worlds of man and shetani. We know the shetani to be the true devils that spawn the monsters of this world,” replied Oba.
“I have never heard of the Windaji order,” said Jin.
“We are insular by nature; common folk appreciate our work but not always our company. We can talk more of the Windaji and shetani later, are you ready to go little one?” asked Oba.
“Ready,” said Jin as she stood and held out her arms to be picked up.
By mid afternoon they reached Jin’s home; the house was intact however the boma, livestock pen and garden were demolished. There was an unusually dark patch of earth near the garden; Oba did not have to check to know that it was blood. At first there were no signs of Jin’s parents but a brief search revealed several body parts strewn about. Oba performed a quick check of the house and then instructed Jin to stay inside while he prepared her parents burial. He collected as much of her parents as he could find and began piling stones to keep animals from what was left of their remains. After the initial layer of stones had been placed Oba called Jin to help assist in finishing the burial. When the final stones were placed Oba said a short prayer while Jin begged her parents not to leave her.
“It is late and we will not be able to return to our camp by nightfall. Will you be alright if we sleep here tonight Jin?” asked Oba.
“Yes, if you stay then I think I will be okay,” she replied.
While they ate a cold meal of dried meat and gruel Jin asked, “Can you teach me to kill monsters Oba?”
Oba looked at her with a raised eyebrow but did not immediately respond. Considering all that Jin had been through it seemed a natural enough request; however the thought of this mere wisp of a girl becoming a monster hunter still startled Oba. After some time he replied, “Yes Jin, I will teach you to kill monsters.”
*******
As was the norm each morning Oba found Jin practicing with her bow before breakfast. It had been ten years and she had grown into a young woman, yet her eyes looked far older. Jin was now an attractive girl although her features had a predatory look to them and one could search for hours and not find a hint of compassion in her face. She rarely spent time in the company of others except Oba; it was the hunt that drove her, companionship meant little to Jin.
Jin was developing into one of the finest monster hunters Oba had ever seen; it was unfortunate that she had no interest in the Windaji Order. None the less he felt a great swelling of pride each time he looked upon his prodigy and Oba had grown fond of her taciturn company. For many years he had been thankful that he hadn’t dropped Jin at the nearest village as was his original plan.
“Jin,” Oba called.
“Yes Oba, what is it?”
“We will be staying here for several days, please see to the camp,” he responded as he walked towards the forest.
“Sure, where are you going?”
“Enough questions just see to the camp,” was all Oba said as he vanished into the underbrush.
Oba wandered through the forest relying on instinct to guide him, after an unknown period of wandering he found his goal. He gazed admiringly upon the great kunja tree that stood before him; it was the symbol of his order, though only members of the hunters circle truly understood its significance. Oba began climbing the tree until he found a branch that suited his needs. He then returned to the camp with a piece of kunja wood in hand.
“What is the branch for Oba?” asked Jin.
“This is the wood of a kunja tree; it is used by the Windaji to make the finest of bows. As rare as kunja bows are even more so are the archers who are skilled enough to deserve them. It is time Jin for you to make yourself a kunja bow,” said Oba.
Astonished, Jin stood speechless. As the gravity of the moment settled upon her she responded, “Tell me what to do.”
“You must prepare the wood with ugumu extract and then place it overnight in the stream. Once the wood is saturated you can begin to shape it in the manner I taught you. When this work is done return to me,” said Oba as he sat cross-legged by the fire.
Jin followed Oba’s instructions with all the reverence that a high priest would possess while conducting the solstice rituals. After the preparations were done and the wood was cut to sufficient length she began to shape her bow. Jin was careful to form the belly of the bow completely from sapwood while heartwood was used for one third of the flexible sections. Once the shaping was done she presented her work to her master.
Oba carefully examined the timber that would soon be Jin’s bow. “Hmm, it appears that you have been paying attention during your lessons after all. Now it is time to treat the wood so that its true power can be unleashed. Prepare a bath made of water, ugumu extract and Drake’s blood. At the onset of twilight bring the bath to a boil and use a piece of coal to submerge your bow. The bow must then be removed from the bath after exactly ten thousand heartbeats,” Oba instructed.
Once again Jin unwaveringly followed her master’s instructions. She hunted the drake and collected its vitae, foraged the ugumu and collected the coal. Immediately following sunset Jin heated the bath and when it bubbled she submerged her bow. While Jin counted her heartbeats she was struck with an awareness of the transformation taking place within the wood and she could feel her spirit being altered with the ritual. The moment Jin’s heart reached its ten thousandth beat she immediately plunged her hand into the boiling bath and removed the kunja bow. Somewhere in her mind there was a thought suggesting pain however Jin recognized this as an unimportant thing.
Oba was applying a whetstone to his great knife when Jin returned with the newly strengthened bow. He could see the change that had taken place within her and his pride was immeasurable. As Jin sat Oba extended his left hand into which Jin placed her bow. Rather than inspect her work Oba simply placed his right hand into a bowl of flax seed oil and proceeded to lacquer the bow and tipped the ends with horn. Once the lacquering was complete he returned the bow and they sat in silence for the remainder of the night careful to not let emotionally frivolity tarnish the significance of the day.
As dawn approached Oba said, “Your life as a student has past, I no longer have knowledge that you need to know. You have been a fine pupil and it pleases me greatly to see the woman you have become.”
“Thank you Oba, there is not a day that passes where I do not thank Balthazar for sending me into your care. I will strive to never disappoint you, my master and my friend.”
Suddenly both Oba and Jin caught an unusual scent in the air. “I do not recognize this animal smell, what is it?” asked Jin.
“It is the kubwa heket! Follow me,” cried Oba as he jumped to his feet and grabbed his bow.
As fleet as gazelles they raced through the forest with Oba in the lead. Ever careful of the wind and the heket’s scent he pressed forward planning his ambush. Suddenly he found what he sought, a large pile of animal dung.
“Quickly, this excrement will severe well to mask our scent. Leave little to no skin exposed,” said Oba and Jin followed his instructions without pause. Once the application of dung was complete Oba briefly backtracked to a small valley that was sheltered within a copse of trees.
“This day is truly fortuitous, the great beast approaches us from the west and the wind is from the east. I need you to climb that mahogany tree,” said Oba pointing to his right.
“When the heket comes it should not see you as the rising sun will be in its eyes. The beast will follow this bushbuck path; the heket is like water, it follows the natural course before it. I will wait just off the path and strike as it passes. If I falter your aim must be true. Now go, time is short,” instructed Oba.
Jin did as Oba had said, once up the tree she strung her new bow. Testing its pull she was astonished at the strength that was required. She then checked Oba’s location glimpsing him as he vanished into the foliage. No sooner did Oba disappear then the heket arrived on the western edge of the valley. Jin readied an arrow and waited as the beast continued its journey passing Oba precisely as he had foretold. As Oba sprang from the undergrowth and prepared to swing Jin drew her bow; it was then that disaster struck with the snapping of her bowstring.
The moment of distraction caused by the failing bowstring was all that was needed for the heket. Before Jin could draw her next breath Oba’s life was spilling from a massive wound that spanned the width of his abdomen. An unearthly scream erupted from Jin’s mouth. The intensity of her cry was such that the heket was startled into flight.
Jin launched herself from the tree and chased the beast, intent that she was the predator and it the prey. As she passed Oba’s corpse she scooped up his great knife. In less than a score of strides Jin caught the heket and jumped onto its back. The knife struck twice in succession and the beast was blind. With a roar the heket hurled its body furiously and Jin was tossed to the ground, her left arm bleeding profusely. The heket smelled the scent of blood in the air and whirled on her.
An enormous mouth of razor like teeth raced towards Jin. At the last possible moment she stabbed a handful of arrows into the soft tissue within the beast’s mouth. With a twisting roll Jin brought the knife down onto a foreleg tendon with an audible snap as the cut was made. With a second quick roll she delivered a similar blow to a hind leg. With the heket crippled she jumped onto its back and delivered the killing blow. The knife struck true severing the spine at the base of the skull and the kubwa heket died instantly.
Though Jin had conquered the great beast the thrill of victory was not to be had. She sat holding Oba’s lifeless body in her lap begging him not to be dead. Jin beseeched the gods to spare her master life, though as is often the case with gods they gave a deaf ear to her pleas. Rendered helpless by her sorrow Jin sat holding Oba’s lifeless corpse.
Eventually Jin summoned the strength to bury Oba in the same manner as she had done for her parents. Once the grave was complete and prayers were said she picked up the Oba’s knife and approached the heket. Jin began hacking at its neck eventually decapitating the beast; she then flayed the flesh from the skull. Once the heket’s skull was reduced to bone she placed it at the foot of Oba’s grave.
*******
The hours passed uncounted as Jin sat by Oba’s grave holding her kunja bow and the great knife. Her mind was filled with visions of her parents and Oba; Jin’s feeling of loss was absolute. Between Jin’s mourning, anger, reflection and sorrow she made a solemn vowed to dedicate her entire life to the pursuit of becoming the most fearsome monster hunter that had ever been known. The course of Jin’s life had been set for better or worse and it was this path that she followed for the remainder of her days.

NathanMurray · Apr 23, 2008, 12:51 AM // 00:51

Ok first of all I loved it. Second of all did you write this or did you find it somewhere. Third of all if you wrote this than you’re a fantastic writer and I encourage you to write more. I loved it and it explains a lot about Jin although I decided to take Acolyte Sousuke because he seemed to be a happy little Elementalist I always wondered why Jin was sooooo mysterious.

. POOOOR OBA

Red Apple · Apr 23, 2008, 04:58 AM // 04:58

I liked it a lot, the way you defined the places was ... charming,though you only did for the beginning of the story, the voice you used to narrate the actions was the best as it fits with the story of GW. IMO awesome.

I hope you get inspired and write a bit more for the sake of literary hungriness.

Cuchulainn · Apr 23, 2008, 03:19 PM // 15:19

Nathan - Yes I wrote this short story. I'm happy to hear that people like it.