At 39 in the early morning[1], that guard escorts me near the Duanne path while the other guards are distracted during the shift change.
The guard with me hands me a small clock. It is rectangular with length 10cm and width 2cm. This is the type of clock used on planet Ox.
"Take this, so you know what time you die." He said.
I take it. Honestly, I rarely carry a clock when I travel anywhere.
I also give him the pouch of coins that I promised. He grabs it quickly and brutally like a thirsty animal.
"Thank you, Buddy. Up there you will meet elves just like you. Lost and dead." The guard puts the pouch of coins into his cloak.
"Did they give you as many coins as I did?" I raised my eyebrow
The guard shakes his head. "No. Most of them were poor. That's why they were stressed."
"Then I'm not like them," I answer calmly, lifting my chin a little, feeling proudly.
The guard laughs and pats my shoulder.
"Alright. You can go and meet your death now. I need to return to the barracks."
The guard turns around and walks away.
...
I have been walking for 17 hours without a clear direction.
Earlier, the land around me was just normal green wilderness. But the temperature slowly dropped. The air became colder, steep scary cliffs are everywhere, and sometimes I had to take a longer path around them.
And yes, the guard was right. I found dead elves here. Most of their bodies were no longer perfect. Wild animals probably ate them.
One body will stay in my memory for the rest of my life. It was a skeleton of an elf that still had long hair. I am sure it was a female elf, I do not know why, but something in my heart moved me, so I decided to bury her as best as I could before continuing my journey.
I walk along a narrow path. On both sides of me are trees with curved trunks that form a natural tunnel. A few little fireflies fly around me.
Finally I reach the end of the tunnel of trees. My breath stops when I see everything in front of me covered with white and thick snow. It feels like I am standing between two different worlds. In front of me is a snowy area, while behind me is green area. The difference is very clear.
I tighten my cloak because the air is getting colder.
I take my first step on the snow. Suddenly the ground under my feet collapses and I fall down.
Damn it. I was standing on the edge of a cliff. Luckily I fall onto thick snow.
Just as I stand up, I hear the loud roar of a bear echoing between tall pine trees. Then I hear the fast sound of footsteps running across the snow.
My first mistake. Because of my curiosity, I take my bow and move quietly from one tree to another, getting closer to sound area from
Is the bear hunting an animal, deer? Or is there another elf here besides me?
I peek from behind the tree
Suddenly my breath stops and my eyes widen when I see a huge black bear fighting a Male Centaur.
The creature has the upper body of something like an elf, but its ears are not pointed like mine. The lower body is a horse.
So it is real. Not a myth.
The Centaur holds a spear in his left hand. The bear, already angry from hunger, stands on its two legs and attacks again.
The Centaur quickly thrusts the spear into the bear's arm. The bear roars in pain and steps back a few steps.
I barely breathe as I watch the bear attack again with great aggression. With one powerful strike it throws the spear and the Centaur into the air. The Centaur's body hits the ground where the snow is thin, while the spear falls far away.
I can clearly see the difference in strength between them. Hunger and anger make the bear much stronger than the Centaur. Slowly the bear walks forward on two legs.
My second mistake. My mind is already insane since the first time that's why I decide to do something even crazier, more insane. This decision might kill me. Wait.. That would be good, right?
I quickly pull two arrows from the quiver on my back. I stand straight, my body slightly sideways, my feet shoulder width apart. My body trembles a little. Not because of fear, but because of excitement.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself. After a moment, I open my eyes with a sharp focus.
My left hand holds the bow firmly. My right hand hooks both arrows onto the bowstring and places them together on the arrow rest.
When everything is ready, I raise the bow to shoulder height. I pull the string back until it touches the tip of my nose. A soft creaking sound appears.
WHOOSH!!
Suddenly both arrows burst into strong flames. Then I release the burning arrows toward the angry bear.
This is the reason I choose arrows made of iron, it's perfect of me to use my power easily. If the arrows were made of wood, they would completely burnt before hitting the target.
THWACK... THWACK
The two blazing arrows pierce deep into the bear's back. The fire grows bigger and burns its thick fur.
The bear screams and runs wildly, It crashes into a pine tree. Snow from the pine branches falls onto its body because of the impact, putting out the fire.
And now the bear turns its head and looks straight at me.
Damn. Oh no!
[1] Time on planet Ox is different from time on Earth.