Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Polaris began to wake from the stiff sandy ground. He stood up and walked over to where David slept. He shook him softly. “Hey, wake up. We’re going.” he said. David slowly opened his eyes. “Aye aye, captain.” he mumbled. David began to wake up. They both ate some bread, drank some water, and began their journey once again. The desert was fairly easy to maneuver through, since most of the area was flat. It took them only 4 hours after waking up to tread the desert. 1 of 3 done. Now, they had to hike the Murderous Mountains of Tareek. This proved the most difficult part of their journey due to the weather. Some days it was upwards of 110 degrees. Other days it was 50 degrees and raining. Other days it was -10 degrees and snowing. David and Polaris had to get lucky with the weather. If the weather patterns were in their favor, then it would only take them 2 days. If not, it would take them upwards of 4 days. They had to be careful with how they proceeded. David made sure to read up on the weather patterns. This month was perfect. Only one day had low temperatures, and that day was coming in 2 weeks. They had no worries about the mountains. David and Polaris began hiking. The altitude of the mountains dipped and spiked. That was the other part of the murderous puzzle the mountains had in store for them. The mountains were supposed to tire whoever climbed them. They were supposed to ware you out. Of course, they already knew this and prepared for it. They made sure that they would only ever sleep during night as to not lose time and that they would hike even if their legs were numb and their breaths became long and heavy. Polaris and David began their hike. Each step became heavier and heavier. David was the first to become tired. His breathing was heavy, almost like a pant. Polaris felt fine. It was only walking after all. They kept on trudging through the mountains. Maybe the mountains wouldn’t be as murderous afterall. It had been 2 hours, and David already felt like giving up. They had scaled a mountain for an hour and descended a mountain for another hour. His legs were giving in. David began stumbling around. Polaris looked behind him to see David nearly falling. “Hey, you good?” he asked. “Y-yeah, I should be… fine-” he answered. David fell to the ground. He began slipping off the mountain. Polaris rushed over and grabbed him, hoisting him back onto the mountain. “Hey, wake up. We said we’d get through this!” he said. David didn’t respond. “Damnit.” he mumbled. Polaris started to pick up David from the ground. He rested him across his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it.” he said. Polaris began running through the mountain. He was no longer slowed down by David, meaning he could run through the mountain. It would take him at most the rest of the day. He ran, and ran, and ran without stop. He slipped around corners but was able to keep his balance with the claws in his feet. Polaris leapt down the mountains every time there was a decline in altitude. His strides were large and heavy. His claws dug deep into the ground with every step. The rocky parts of the mountain were scraped and scratched by the claws. He was almost halfway through the mountain range when he suddenly saw a shrine at the peak of one. He stopped to read what it had on it. It read The shrine of Tareek, the oldest and most powerful of the wolfslayer clan. In order to be initiated into the wolfslayer clan, it is said you must hike his mountains and drink the water upon arriving at his holy shrine. May this old dog Rest in Peace. Polaris was curious as to what this meant. The shrine held a dish out full of clear water. Polaris was intrigued by what the shrine had read. He knew that wolfslayer’s were the mightiest warriors and that their strength was enough to overpower 10 men at once. But Polaris sure didn’t look that strong, nor did he feel that strong. He was more of your average male pepreka. Polaris reached a hand out into the dish and cupped some water. He raised his water filled hand to his mouth and began to drink from it. Immediately a change began to occur. Polaris’ face was the first to change. His features became more wolf like. His ears pointed, his snout stuck out more. His musty brown eyes became dark and intimidating. The second change to occur was his muscles. They became larger, more defined. His legs became more dog like. His claws were sharper and protruded through his hands and feet. His fur became a dark grey and white color rather than the pure white it was previously. Polaris began to ache all over. He began to howl. The second time in his entire life. Perhaps it was due to the pain, perhaps it was the change to a true wolfslayer that made him howl. He looked around vigorously. “What just happened?” he asked himself. His voice was deeper, and his speech sounded almost like a snarl. Had he become stronger, or had he become more vicious? He looked over at David. He was still unconscious. Polaris remembered why they were atop the mountain. He grabbed David,almost throwing him. Was he, lighter? No, Polaris was stronger than before. “My god.” he said. He could pick up David like he was a piece of paper. He tested his strength, passing David from hand to hand. He threw David in the air and caught him. He lifted him with his pinky.“Alright, enough playing around.” he told himself. He picked David up and placed him on his shoulders and continued running. Though something was different. Polaris was faster, much faster. He could run from mountain to mountain in minutes. His leaps were much larger, almost taking him to the other mountain top instantly. Before he knew it, he cleared the mountain range in just 3 hours. In fact, he might be able to clear the Jungle of Azarath the same day. Of course, the only obstacle in his way of reaching that objective was defeating Azarath. He guarded the jungle and Sanitarium. Those who could defeat him were worthy of entering Sanitarium. Though, even if Azarath did not guard the place, the terrain was nothing to laugh at. Large swamps covered the place. The dirt was wet and mushy. Each step seemed to sink in further and further. Polaris had to dig his feet out of the mud the further he went. He looked up at the treeline. He saw that each tree was close to each other. He could leap up into the trees and traverse the jungle. Polaris dug his feet from the mud and jumped high up into the trees. He sunk his claws into the bark. He began leaping from tree to tree. It took him an hour to reach the gate where Azarath await him. He stopped, setting David down on a branch sticking out. He jumped from the tree and met Azarath’s eyesight. Azarath was a snakeskin. He was a humanoid snake, and one of the last snakeskins on the planet. He stood at the gate waiting for the next to challenge him. He looked at Polaris. “Sssoo, you are the wolfssslayer I’ve heard about.” he whispered. Polaris didn’t say anything. “We shall sssee if you live up to the name.” they remarked. Azarath unsheathed dual scimitars. One was made from a white metal. It had rivets dug into the blade, and was shorter than the other. The other was made from a grey metal. It had a clean blade that looked very thin, and very sharp. This one was much larger than the other. Polaris readied himself. He had no weapon to fight with, but somehow he felt his new gained powers were enough to combat the legendary warrior that stood in front of him. Azarath slithered towards Polaris. In a blink of an eye he was upon him. He swung the larger scimitar towards Polaris’ shoulder. Polaris instantly dodged. Azarath was astonished at his speed, as he was now behind him. Azarath’s eyes widened. "Looks like I'm finally strong enough, huh?" Polaris remarked. Azarath let out a loud hiss before swinging the smaller scimitar behind him. Polaris ducked under the horizontal blade. Just then, Polaris grabbed at his arm and twisted it. There was no bone to break, so it acted more of a hindrance than an injury towards Azarath. Polaris gripped his other arm and twisted it too. Azarath dropped the scimitars. Before they could reach the ground Polaris already wielded them. He took the riveted blade and slashed across his back. Azarath hissed in agony. Polaris dashed to Azarath’s front side and used the longer scimitar to drop onto his shoulder. With the other scimitar in hand, he went for a slash at Azarath’s head. Moments before it cleaved through his neck, Polaris stopped the blade. Polaris smiled. “It’s nice to spar with you and finally win.” he said. Azarath rolled his eyes as Polaris took the blade from his skin. Immediately after, Azarath’s wounds had healed fully. “It’sss alwaysss a pleasssure.” he said. Both bowed in respect of their fighting capabilities. Polaris leapt into the tree where David rest and grabbed him. Once he came down from the tree, Azarath was already opening the gate to Sanitarium. “You might want to hurry. Everyone’sss been worried sssick.” he said. Polaris raised an eyebrow. “They’ve been worried for 14 years?” he asked. Azarath nodded. He opened the gate and waved Polaris in. Once they were inside, Polaris looked around. The place had grew larger. There were more houses. A large farm grew right in the center of the town, fresh with all sorts of different crops. Polaris spotted guard towers positioned around the town. One guard atop the nearest tower looked at them. He gasped before shouting “Everyone! Polaris has returned!”. The people that crowded the streets looked over at where Polaris was. Azarath leaned close to him. “I told you.” he remarked. The people rushed towards Polaris, crowding the surrounding area. People left their homes to see what the commotion was about. The muddled talk of hundreds filled the air. Polaris looked around with a large smile on his face. This was the first time he felt as though he was wanted. “Alright everyone quiet. Quiet!” someone shouted. The crowd looked over and began shuffling out of the way as someone stepped forward. A beautiful woman appeared in front of Polaris. She had a large head of blue hair, and bright green eyes. She wore armor across her torso and legs and had a small sword sheathed at her left hip. Polaris’ jaw dropped. “M-Mary?” he muttered. The woman walked closer, eyes wide. Her walk became a dash. “Polaris!” she exclaimed. She ran up to him, jumping around his neck and giving him a hug. Polaris was surprised. She clung to him like a leech. “Oh my god. Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick! I… you… just…” she gave up talking and just continued embracing him. “I’m glad you’re back.” she whispered. She jumped down from his neck. He looked over at everyone. “Wow, this is just… wonderful.” he said. The townspeople smiled towards him. The guards climbed down from their towers to see him. “Hey, barker.” a person said from the crowd. The people shuffled out of the way again. A large, muscular man appeared in front of him. He wore leather garbs around him, and had a large sword around his back. “Long time no see.” he said. Polaris’ grin turned to a frown. “It really is, Jareg.” he said. “Everyone’s here. I’m-” Mary cut him off. “Shocked?” she asked. Jareg put his two cents in as well. “Surprised.” Polaris continued. “Astounded.” he said. Azarath stood behind him, David hanging in his hand. Mary stared at Polaris. “Man, who knew a little pup like you could grow into this.” she said. “He didn’t grow into this, he transformed into it.” Jareg remarked. Mary turned around. “What do you mean?” she asked. Jareg walked closer to Polaris. “You see, my friend here isn’t a normal pepreka. He’s a wolfslayer.” he said. Mary’s eyes widened. “He’s a wolfslayer?” she asked. Jareg nodded. She looked over at Polaris. “Oh, who would've guessed my little barker could grow up to become a wolfslayer.” she said. Polaris snorted. Mary laughed. “I know you hate that nickname.” she said. Jareg smiled. “I know too. But just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean I won’t stop calling you that.” he said. Mary looked over. “Hush you. Come now Polaris, we will have a feast in honor of your return.” she said. Polaris smiled. “Thank’s Mary.” he said. They began walking to the center of town. The crowd continued to follow them. Polaris looked behind him to see none other than the old lady who gave him the watch. Polaris looked confused. The old lady pointed down at a watch at her wrist. Polaris got the message and pulled the watch from his pocket. Instead of a normal watch, it read Remember what you came here for. Polaris realised why he had gone there and suddenly stopped. He looked up at where the old lady was, but she had disappeared. He looked around, but she was nowhere in sight. “What’s the matter Polaris?” Jareg asked. Mary looked behind her at where Polaris was. He looked around. “Uh, I have something to say really quick.” he said. Jareg shook his head. “You can tell us at the feast.” he said. “No, I can’t.” “Come on Polaris, let’s go.” Mary said. “Come on barker, let’s go.” “Polaris, come on, we’re having a big dinner in your name!” Polaris’ mind became foggy. The constant talking from Mary and Jareg was starting to get to him. He shook his head. “No, listen, I-” “Shut up barker, we need to go.” Jareg said. Polaris’ eyes became red with anger. “LISTEN!” he snarled. Mary and Jareg both recoiled. The townspeople gasped. Polaris climbed up a guard tower in the center of town. He stood atop the roof of the tower. “Everyone, listen to me! The second most powerful person in the world, Draven, is missing! Battery has started an assault on the entire world! But do not worry, we can push him back! I’ve organised an attack on Battery’s castle! It is up to us to defeat him! We need to band together, to form an army to stop Battery! He cannot rule over the world any longer! We are all brothers and sisters, if we fight together than we can win!” he shouted. The townspeople whispered to each other. Jareg looked up at Polaris. “Barker, get down fr-” he was stopped by Mary. She stepped in front of him. “Is what you’re saying true?” she asked. Polaris nodded. Mary looked down at the ground, then at the townspeople. “People of Sanitarium! You’ve heard what Polaris said! Battery is making fronts for world domination! That includes this town right here! As your ruler, I ask those who want to help to stand in the front now!” she shouted. The crowd whispered to each other. No one stood up front. It wasn’t until one individual walked through the crowd. “I’ll help! My family are proud warriors, and we’d never let that horned freak rule us!” they said. Another person stood in front. “Me too! That egotistical a*****e will never tell me what to do!” Three more people stood in front. “We’ll help as well! Battery killed our family, it’s about time we had our revenge!” Before Mary knew it, the entire crowd of hundreds of people were shouting. They would fight for Sanitarium and kill Battery, or die trying. “WHO ARE WE?” Jareg shouted. The entire crowd yelled back. “WE ARE WARRIORS!” Jareg smiled. “THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!” he shouted. The crowd of people roared. Polaris climbed down from the tower, walking over to Mary. “How long will it take to train them?” he asked. Mary laughed. “They’re already trained. It’s the new initiation into Sanitarium that I happened to come up with.” she remarked. Polaris smiled. “Well then, we leave at sunrise.” he said. Mary turned to the crowd and shouted back “WE LEAVE AT SUNRISE! GEAR YOURSELVES!”. The crowd dispersed. One last unified shout rocked the town. “WARRIORS!” Jareg turned to Polaris. “You’ve been back for 10 minutes and already got us in a war.” he said. Polaris smirked. “Hey Polarisss.” a voice came from behind him. He turned to find Azarath still holding David. “What ssshould I do with him?” he asked. “Put him in a bed, he needs rest.” he responded. He began to walk with Mary. “Oh hey, if we’re going to battle, you might want a weapon.” she said. She waved him to follow her. They walked up to a large shrine. The shrine was made of stone. Moss had grown across it. A rusty sword lay upon a dish that jutted from shrine. “Is this a joke?” he asked. Mary shook her head. “This is the shrine of my father Jacob. He was king before he died. This is his grave, and also where his sword lay. Go on, take it.” she said. Polaris rolled his eyes and went to grab the sword. Once he grabbed the grip, a pulsating energy flowed from the sword into Polaris. The rusty and broken sword became a bright steel blade. It grew in size and changed its features. The blade was razor sharp around the sides. The hilt sprouted golden wolf heads, and the grip had become laced with leather. Polaris stood there, staring at the sword he now held. “What just happened?” he asked. “The sword sensed you. It absorbed your energy, your personality, your emotions.” she explained. He stared at the sword more. He turned it around, tilted it upside down. “Well, how does it feel?” Mary asked. Polaris looked over his shoulder. “Like one hell of a weapon.” he answered. Mary smiled. “Good. Let’s go now.” she said. Polaris turned around. He instinctively went to holster the sword, but was too slow to realise that he didn’t have a sheath on his back. He let go of the grip, but instead of dropping to the floor, it hovered on his back. “Oh god.” he said. He looked around frantically. “Where’d it go?” he asked. Mary turned around. She saw the sword on his back and began to laugh. He paused. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “It’s on your back stupid.” she responded. “What?” he said. He reached over his back and there it was, hovering over his back. “Whoa, that’s… interesting.” he said. Then he looked up at Mary, raising an eyebrow. “How’d it do that?” he asked. “The sword is connected to your energy. If you drop the sword, it will stay connected to you through the energy.” she replied. “Huh” Polaris said. He dropped the sword to test it and just like she said it hovered in mid air. He grabbed the grip once more and put the sword on his back and let go. It continued to hover on his back. “We going, or are you gonna keep playing with it?” Mary asked. “Yeah, let’s go.” he responded.