Dragon Quest - I - Chapter 2, Parts 0 + 1

The journey north... (p 47-53)

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Chapter 2 - Garai, Who Lived

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At one time, Alefgaard was covered in highways that carried goods and information across the continent. After the disaster in 1348, anything that could have been called a highway had been wiped out, along with the once-frequented roadside inns that housed caravans and other travelers.

The Kieva Inn, which was positioned at the intersection of the Radatome, Melkid and Garai highways, suffered the same fate. Heading east from Kieva would take you to Radatome; heading south would take you to Domdora, and beyond that Melkid; north would take you to Garai by the sea, and if you headed east along the way the road would take you to eastern Alefgaard and continued eventually to the southeastern town of Rimuldar.

Aleph had headed far west on the old Radatome highway, and as he arrived at the ruins of Kieva he made a sharp turn north and continued walking.

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1 - Desert in Winter

A ferocious wind assaulted Aleph as it blew over the desert with a roar, kicking up sandstorms and drit.

If he didn’t lean forward and step carefully, he would’ve been blown away like a scrap of paper. He could only barely open his eyes.

Even worse, despite being the middle of the day, the marrows of his bones ached with the pain of cold. Sand and small pebbles carried on the wind pelted his face. His skin had already lost all feeling.

The weather had continued like this for five days now. By his first estimate, he should have arrived at the northern coast by this time, but now he was way off schedule.

Aleph, unable to bear the wind, turned around and let the gusts hit his back. He hunched his shoulders and took a deep breath.

Coming this far, Aleph had been attacked by a number of monsters. The first was a round, legless, gelatinous creature with a pointed head.

It was called a slime, and they had existed in Alefgaard for many years. It barely came up to Aleph’s waist, but was deceptively fierce.

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“Stupid onion thing!” Aleph thought he could defeat it in one blow, but it was more agile than he expected.

“Die, you overgrown chestnut!” He swiped at it again and again with his sword, but the slime deftly dodged each blow with an unsettling giggle and jumped at Aleph with its pointed head.

“Persistent for a blue radish!” Finally, Aleph’s sword struck it through its center, shooting out a spray of black blood. Its corpse bubbled into drops and seeped into the ground in moments.

He was also assaulted from the sky by vampire bat-like monsters. Like the slimes, these drackies had lived in Alefgaard for a long time. They could fly freely about in the sky and bared their fangs as they swooped in to attack.

Aleph’s sword was less useful in parrying attacks from above. He prepared his Gira spell without hesitation, bringing down his blade as the flames that erupted from his fingertips engulfed the beasts. It was the first time he had used magic to fight monsters.

Despite all of this, the desert was his fiercest foe yet. The gales and cold were a testament to nature’s fury. That there was no snow was his one comfort. In a blizzard, he would never have made it this far.

He had good reason to traverse the desert in midwinter to reach the town of Garai.

“There’s an old Alefgaardian legend.

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When disaster comes again to Alefgaard, one with the blood of Loto will open the seal on Garai’s grave. So they say,” Ralus XVI told him after the undead knight had attacked.

Garai, who loved the land of Alefgaard above all else, had perished 320 years ago after prophesying the fall of the great country. He had died during his travels, leaving his home after nobody would listen to his words. His gravesite has been sealed since his burial.

“Breaking the seal may give you a clue as to how to traverse to the Dragonlord’s island,” Ralus had said.

“Damnit!” Aleph dragged his feet forward, turning back around to face the winds and moved on. The blisters on the backs of his feet had already broke open.

He had rubbed on a poultice and covered them with a strip of cloth, but it wouldn’t have the desired effect as long as he continued to walk. It only made it worse. He should stop and rest, but he didn’t have the luxury.

A pathetic amount of water was left in his waterskin, and he had only one bite of dried jerky left.

“This sucks!”

Aleph had his regrets. He was too overconfident when he began his journey, and took the pace too quickly. Before he realized it, his soles were covered in blisters. He should have listened to his feet and not walked himself so hard. He also should have been more careful with his water and rations…

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A moment later, Aleph sunk to his knees in exasperation. As he did, he noticed the mountain range that stretched directly ahead of him.

Regathering his resolve, he headed onward, and arrived at the treacherous-looking peaks just before nightfall.  

In an attempt to avoid the bursts of wind, Aleph dove beneath an outcropping.

I can camp here for the night - or so he thought, as he reached into his leather sack, pulling out some herbs to treat his blisters. Feeling a sudden sense of dread, he looked up.

“Wagh!”

He jumped backwards, reflexively drawing his sword.

A giant scorpion, at least twice Aleph’s size and brandishing its giant pincers, crawled down from above the crag and came at Aleph. Aleph deftly jumped on top of a rock behind him just as the sharp pincers tore a hole in his cape. Giant scorpions used to be normal-sized creatures, but the Dragonlord’s dark magic made them many times larger and caused them to go berserk. The monster gave him no time to prepare his spells.

“Take that!” Aleph dodged again, jumping into the air and bringing down his blade. Unfortunately, his sword merely bounced off the hard carapace of the monster. Aleph was suddenly fighting for his life.

Aleph’s breathing was irregular and it came in hard gasps. He swallowed.

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“Damn you!” he cried, bringing his sword down with everything he could muster.

With a clatter, the scorpion grabbed his sword in its great pincer. The next moment, Aleph was flying through the sky.

“Wawawaaah!”

The scorpion waved Aleph, still clutching his sword, throughout the air and tossed him with all of its strength.

Aleph struck a rock with his back and tumbled down onto the ground. He twitched, but couldn’t move.

He looked up and tried to look brave as the scorpion approached and raised its pincer in preparation for the final blow. Just then--

“Hyah!” With a shout, a young man wielding a sword came down from nowhere with blinding speed.

His sword flashed out, and a spurt of blood erupted from the giant scorpion’s neck. The youth landed and there was another flash, and the scorpion’s carapace split in two, blood showering the rocks behind.

It all happened so quickly. The monster crumbled with a clatter.

Somehow, the young man had already made it to the top of the crag.

“T-Thank you…” Aleph stuttered out, breathing hard as he looked up at the stranger.

The youth slowly put away his sword into the sheath strapped to his back. His long hair was tied behind his head and reached down to his waist. He was tall, and looked tough. Aleph guessed he was around twenty. A crossbow was clasped behind his chest.

The wind picked up. It blew the long bangs away from his face, revealing a dark, sun-tanned complexion. Sharp eyes stared down at Aleph.