Last Battle: The Lord of the Beasts

LAST BATTLE: THE LORD OF THE BEASTS

José Loma

Translated by Carlos Araque Melgar 

LAST BATTLE: THE LORD OF THE BEASTS

Written By José Loma

Copyright © 2018 José Loma

All rights reserved

Distributed by Babelcube, Inc.

www.babelcube.com

Translated by carlos araque melgar

Cover Design © 2018 Víctor Fernández

Babelcube Books and Babelcube are trademarks of Babelcube Inc.

Last Battle: The Lord of the Beasts

José Loma

Last Battle

The Lord of the Beasts

Translated by

Carlos Araque Melgar

Note from the author

I have no doubt that this story must be dedicated, because it passes its desire, illusion and also fantasy. The desire that everyone that travels through its pages opens the heart to a world that exists and that we cannot see. Where we have the illusion that everything can be changed: everything bad, everything terrible, everything nobody wants; and for that, let’s leave our imagination float in every word and every paragraph, so that it shows us the fantasy of a world in which its agents did not wait without doing nothing for everything to get better, because with a little effort and will, everyone can obtain happiness and immediately, fulfill our dreams.

Dedicated first to those who dream, because thanks to them magic endure in the world.

To Friends, because they are always they are always there when you cannot do it on your own.

To parents and brothers, because for them we are the most important.

To family, because a bond of care binds us, even though we haven’t visited them for years.

To children, because their love gives us strength and hope.

To wives, because their patience is immense; their love, irrational; and their support, unbreakable.

To those who are here no more, because their memory burns in our hearts and their dreams live along with ours.

And finally, dedicated specially to my grandparents: Antonio and Conchi. To the memory of my grandfather because of his life lessons turned him before my eyes and the world’s into a real hero; and to my grandmother because she was a symbol that left a mark for the dreams that accompanied me during my childhood.

José Loma

Chapter I

Egeo

Here is where the Last Battle occurred. It was what was written in the bottom of an old poster, worn out and rotten, that seemed to have been built by people from another era. Nevertheless it was still there, straight and upright, and it would stay there with the passing of the centuries. Its warning awakened my spirit, soon I will cross the narrow sea towards the island of Talkas, and later I will go through the few waters that separate the island of the vast lands of the north. Finally I would have arrived to get to my destination, the great kingdom of Talonia: a land of peace, harmony and good people; a land of civilization and prosperity, led by great kings who left their legacy from generation to generation. But everything all of this seems to be in danger, now that our beloved world is submitted to war. Creatures of all kinds have crossed the exterior borders of the kingdom, coming from the unexplored lands of the Far East, to answer the call of an evil being from whom we do not know anything. Because of that, the five civilized races of our world have formed an alliance to fight against a common enemy. The Lord will be defeated!

Two weeks ago when I started the trip to the north, and six that I finished with an example note the training academy of militia; note only be surpassed by the founder itself sixty years ago, a great hero really loved by the people of that small village: my grandfather. Who else could keep peace in a place so far from the civilized kingdom. My grandfather was a wise and strong man; years ago he passed away because of natural causes, and it gives me a small smile to remember because… who would be able to kill him if not passing of the years itself. If he was here, he could solve this war, he could always do everything…

My mother always placed her hope on me, on becoming someone like him and followed his steps. I know a mother always wants what is best for her son, but I will never be like my grandfather; he was a real hero. The day I graduated from school for combat they gave me his most precious possessions, his treasure, his legacy: two great dual swords forged with a strange steel, ancient and worn out, with no marks of origin, but seemed to emanate with great energy. Such swords were always witnesses of his triumphs. Orcs, goblins or beasts, all of them learned by force of defeat that this village would never be within their reach. As I have said, they were their treasures and he honored them after every victory.  I looked at them and would not dare to unsheathe them; I hang up the double sheath on my back to see if they fit me. They are only two old swords, from a material of less quality than the weapons of tempered steel forged by the alliance these days; but I know that by carrying them I will honor his memory. You look exactly like grandpa, my little brother Balonio told me, looking at me with his big melancholic yes. He was still a kid, an exact copy of who my father was, with red hair like fire; very different from me because according to my mother, I was a lot like my father in his youth, with white hair like snow —which I started to neglect, because until today it almost covered my shoulders—. I remember that I looked at my brother and smiled hiding the grief knowing that I would never see him again; y departure was imminent, the responsibility of a man towards its kingdom should be fulfilled.

I am glad to be in front of this poster, I am close, and finally I will be able to see the big cities of the kingdom: Tesarian, Seratan, Ásdeton... I am impatient and see that it is true, war is a fact.

This Goblins that just mugged me are proof that evil is within these lands. I have not found any information in their bodies, but it is curious that they carry this type of weapons: daggers and axes forged with the best Steel —including the handle and the hilt— that, despite that are weapons with no amount of mithril, still are too good to be wielded by these beings; who are used to arm themselves swords from iron or steel of a bad quality with hilts of wood. Goblins are uncivilized and hostile creatures, thin in complexion and short, between one meter and forty centimeters and one meter and fifty five centimeters, Green skin, with long ears and noses. They seem weak, but the reality is that they are ferocious and blood thirsty.

I looked at myself: my white leather armor for quick traveling in a long trip; my Neanderthal duals in my back; and covering them, my great round shield, unique and peculiar, because it is forged of pure mithril, with my name carved in the center. I love my shield; I could win battles just using it if I wanted to. Every new graduate from the schools of war was given one of this as a signal of identity courtesy of the alliance. But it was not always like this, the signal of identity of the people of the civilized world was our book of the warrior: a small book that has in it everything that we are, besides all of our achievements. But, unfortunately, since the war started three years ago, the enemy creatures stole them from the pockets of our fallen comrades, taking them as trophies, making it impossible to identify them in many occasions. Since then we started to use the shields that, besides helping in the battle, could confirm the identity of every member of the alliance of the five races, because according to the orcs and Goblins believes and other savage tribes they are forced to attack, but not to defend; that is why you can see them with two weapons in their hands, even with big weapons using both hands, but never with shields, that would be an infamous act charged with death.

I kept looking at myself, in my waist the empty sheath of my sword, now in my right hand, also a gift from the alliance when I graduated; tempered steel of good quality, that even though it was a relatively weak weapon, it is light and lethal. Still dripping from its tip to the sandy ground the blood of the mugging Goblins. I looked up, and saw some scavenger birds several meters in the sky; it was time to continue with my march. Today I will not be your food!

The sun was shining high; the contiguous trees to the road seemed to have danced with the soft breeze. Some of the birds seemed to follow me from a distance, and a fear inside me was telling me at all times that this was not the only thing following me. Even in the tranquility of the road, my body did not want to recuperate from bad experience suffered in the previous ambush of the Goblins. It had been hours, the road seemed eternal; I could not see a few meters ahead of me, because of the branches full of leafs in the trees. I was still carrying my weapon in my hand, I was not willing to stain the sheath of my sword with blood. The wind has stopped for a while, and there was almost absolute silence; the sun was still shining strong, now from the west. A whispering sound penetrated my ears; it seemed to come from the trees to my Wright, from a distance, a sound too weak to recognize it. I changed my path to investigate, with no intention of walking away too much from the road. The grass was thick, I cut a few branches until I saw the light within the vegetation at the end; the sound became unmistakable, and I was happy. Finally I passed the last trees, and I went into s small area where a small transparent river was running. Some small boars were drinking on the other side, I approached the shore, took the weapons from my back so I could refresh splashing myself with water, and got ready to review my inventory: my grandparents swords with the shield to the right; my warriors book to the left and in the center, almost submerged in the shore of the river, my sword, covered with goblin slime. I picked up some algae that were surfacing and started to rub the weapon for a while; that blood was sticky, exactly like resin, and I knew that it would give me some work for a while so I could manage to leave it shinny. I looked to the front; one of the boars was sloshing in the water, while the other seemed to be relaxing on the edge of the river. I was really close to them, barely twenty feet; however they seemed calmed and safe. I went back to my things. Ready! The sword is clean and shiny again.

I picked up my Warriors book, which opened by the middle showing the last written page: Militia Warrior licensed with honors; award that, besides having the royal seal of the academy of fight stamped. Yes, this will assure a good position in the army of the alliance. I raised my sight to the front, and observed that the boars were standing, tense, looking towards me. My heart began beating at a frenetic speed, and instinctive sensation went through my skull making me look behind my back, and that froze my blood by contemplating the horrific sight.

God! An orc came out from within the grass, screaming thunderously, throwing two throwing axes directed at great speed towards me. Now it all depended on my reflexes, to stay paralyzed or react instinctively. I jumped spinning to my right, dodging the first axe; I was able to pick up my sword and the shield when I fell, getting up on my knees just in time to reject the second axe with the shield. I stood up. Isn’t that an orc? No, it is a goblin!  How is that possible?

A goblin is taller than two meters! I thought. It unsheathed a huge axe with both hands, and jumped with the intention to cut me in half. I needed to be agile to dodge such a direct blow: I dodged, grazed  the grass, so I could slide under his reach, I turned quickly while getting up and gave it a deep cut from left to right in the back; it released the weapon and fell flat on his face after howling in pain.

Luck was on my side, everything would have been different if those boars hadn’t been there. I turned him over to see if I was still on time to get some information out of him:

―Who do you serve, Goblin? ―I asked, pointing my sword over his neck while I knelt on his chest. He tried to speak, but the deep cut had gone to his lungs going through his ribs, and coughed the blood in which he was drowning, splashing his face with it.

―Human, you are dead, your race and the other four, all of you will die begging my master for your life.

His words made me so furious that I stabbed him in the chest with the sword, making him shut. I got up. This huge goblin had been following me for hours; waiting for any distraction from my part to take me down, but it was really strange, it was too big and with a really big stature for a simple goblin. It is possible that he was goblin captain exceptional amongst its warriors, with a mission to sabotage the roads to the kingdom. There’s is no doubt that I have been lucky, my life could have ended before it even started as a soldier of the alliance. I sighed, my heart started slowing its rate; I looked at the sky, some clouds started forming, the sun stopped shining so strong. I was about to leave, when I realized that my sword was in my hand…covered in goblin blood. I looked at the river, looked at my sword, and looked at the river again and again to my sword….Whatever!!! I do not have the intention to clean it again! I sheathed the weapon and continued my path.

Chapter II

A Silent Threat

It had been hours since I restarted my march from that stream river where that unexpected attack took place, all of that was left behind; I could see my destiny in the horizon, finally a piece of humanity in this long road. I was happy to know that I would meet great men and soldiers from the kingdom, because like my grandfather used to say: Anyone that fights for a good cause ends up turning into someone worthy to admire.

My next step would be to head to the island Talkas, where I was expected to be assigned to a fighting unit. This island is located just in the center of a narrow sea that separates the hostile lands of the south that form the great kingdom Talonia. The village from where I come from was founded almost a hundred years ago in the outside of the borders, way to the south of the sea that separates us from the kingdom. And every traveler like me should use this route from the island of Talkas, so in that way could be identified as a citizen of the kingdom.

I got the end of the road of trees, a great plain opened towards the Sandy beach towards the huge sea; in the back, in the horizon, you could barely see the island of Talkas, and in front of the road a small cabin that seemed to work as a dock. The front part was touching the rocks in the shore, but the rest was suspended in the water, placed on sunken wooden columns.

A few boards of a little more than a meter served as an edge to go round the shack, and in the back of the wooden road it extended some meters to serve as a port, which showed the absence of tied boats to the pieces of timber. Two soldiers came out of the dock, and after a few steps they stopped to look at me in a meticulous way while I was getting close to the place. I stopped a few meters from them anticipating to their order to do so, waiting for a word to be said, so I didn’t take time to do so:

―I come to join the army, I need to get to the Island of Talkas to be assigned to a unit.

―Excuse us for our mistrust, boy, but we do not get many lonely men round here, and your group? What happened to them?―the soldier to the left inquired in a curious and distrustful tone, but with a peaceful voice, crossing his arms at the same time.

―No! ―Nodded with my eyes to the floor, thinking that If I did not measure my words they might not believe me and take me for a spy as a consequence of being alone. I raised my sight willing to tell them things the way they were, once again I would trust faith, it was not the first time that it rushed me out of danger―. I left alone from the village of Rastein. There danger is great and only a few volunteers march towards the kingdom in rare occasions.

―I understand, in these times happening into a comprehensible that you are alone. Rastein is the reason why we are here, and because of it we keep this shipping path to the kingdom. It’s ok, boy, come closer, show me your Warriors book―the same soldier said, with a confident tone.

I took out the book and gave it to him. He opened it in the first page and started to read it in silence, slow, with no intention of checking for details. It gave me the impression that he was an experienced soldier of approximately forty something years of age; he was wearing a hardened leather helmet, that covered from above the eyebrows to the back of his head, leaving some bangs of hair in the back and on the sides. It had a goatee that had turned gray because of the years; he was wearing light reinforced leather armor, and in the waist a sword with no degree of mithril was resting, forged nevertheless with the best Steel from the forges of the alliance. The soldier to the right was dressing the same way, with the exception that he was not wearing the helmet, showing his shaved head. He was leaning in one of the wooden pillars from the dock with his arms on his waist and a smile on his face.

―Well, Egeo, that is your name, right? I am Ririck, and this is Borb ―he said giving me back the identification book. I nodded and continued talking―: you have very interesting recommendations and also come from a good family, it is a pleasure that people like you joining our cause ―admitted Ririck while giving me a pat in the shoulder inviting me to come inside the shack.

―The pleasure is all mine, I am impatient where am I going to be assigned. But also it is true that it has been a long way for me, and I could use a rest with no worries of being mugged while I am sleeping.

―Well today is your lucky day ―said Borb with a laugh, with a voice as hoarse and deep.

―The ferry left a few hours ago, so you are going to have to wait for the one of tomorrow, boy ―replied Ririck while sitting on a chair.

The inside of the shack was pretty spacious, one rectangular bedroom with some Windows on the walls and a back door towards the dock, just infront of the main door. It turned out weird, because there were two personal shields hung on the left wall, just above the windows; they had engraved names that I could not recognize, they should have belonged to ancient retired guards from the dock.

I saw some beds set on both sides of the room; in the middle there was a round table with a couple of chairs where Ririck had already taken a sit, and to the right a bigger table next to the wall, with a stool on one side where a young man was sitting down.

―Falim the wizard, like you is just passing by―declared Ririck pointing out where he was.

―He was been showing us some curious tricks, he has even appeared a bird out of nowhere from his hand ―added Borb smiling.

Pathetic! I thought, a wizard from a circus that I would have to be watching playing stupid the whole night. Still I had to be nice, so I said hello.

―A pleasure, Falim, my name is Egeo, What brings you here?

Are you also coming from the exterior borders? ―I asked, because I was curious to find another man passing through the dock.

―To be honest I came from Dírolar. I was getting ready to go to the island of Talkas to be assigned to the army, but unfortunately I confused the ferry in the one that brought me here ―he said with a silly smile while he had his hand on the back of his head, showing that he had made a mistake. Damn it…! It resulted to be even more useless that what I had thought at the beginning.

―Falim, you the most clever in your house turned out to be you are not, real? ―said Ririck with a serious expression, making Borb burst into laughs.

―Well… it might be that I am a little distracted ―answered again with the same gesture: hand in the back of her head and silly smile.

―Come on, Falim… Show some trick to Egeo that you will see would change that mean expression on his face―demanded Borb trying to hold laughter.

―Ok… watch, Egeo, do you see this glass of rum? It has been a while on the table and it is warm. Well you will see now.

He stretched his arm towards the right to pick up his scepter, that was leaning on a side; it turned out to be curious, it was a good weapon, mithril quality grade D, like his armor with copper plates. He pointed it to the glass and pronounced something.

―It is done, the rum is cold now ―he confirmed while he had a sip of it.

It turned out to be so useless and insignificant that I could not avoid expressing my feelings:

―Pathetic ―I mumbled loudly, with the intention of being heard, while I walked to the other side of the room. Again Borb showed his joyful personality and laughed, while Ririck remained on the side, serious in appearance.

I watched outside the window, it just got dark and a great full moon lit the forest and the beach. You could see the road where I came from, the road that took me back to a home that was left behind. Many memories