CHAPTER FIVE- IDENTITIES

Monster woke up in a tent, someone was calling out from outside. For a moment Monster studies himself, noting how fair his skin looked and how thin his fingers had become, this was a memory of yet another past life, that much he was sure of. He got up and was in my armour in less than a minute, Monster walked out of my tent, sword and shield in hand,

“We’re under attack” some man screamed. Monster walked towards the commotion, peering through the crowd and dust to try and make out the threat. What faced him was a large mountain troll. Watching it fight the other troops was like watching a toddler wrestle its dolls. It's huge, bulging red eyes zeroed in on Monster. A grin spread out across its face. This creature thought it had found a new toy. It lashed out, reaching to grab Monster but he sprang to attack just as quickly, he cut into its wrists of the troll and blood oozed out, it squealed and monstrous cry that shook my very bones. With its other hand the troll swung a dead soldier at Monster, despicable, to use men as mere tools.

“Know your place monster,” Monster shrieked, and he proceeded to threw his shield at its face, it struck true and dazed the beast, before it could retaliate Monster had plunged my sword into its thigh and rolled away to cover. Then he saw the real threat, behind the troll was a harpy, a subtype of beastman, and the creature wielded some kind of amulet, the magical device irradiated a green aura, was the harpy controlling the troll? Monster picked up the spear of a fallen comrade, and stalked the harpy, allowing other soldiers to occupy the Troll. However before he could do anything the troll had been killed and the harpy fled. Monsters king had joined the fray. I kneeled to my king, Gilgamesh.

“Rise soldier, for a commoner, you have gone well.” His voice boomed,

“Thank you my lord, you are too kind,” I stood up, though my eyes never left his feet,

“Tell me your name and rank,”

“Sibri, my lord, I am but a humble foot soldier in your army,” I spoke in a uniform tone,

“No more, you are wasted as a simple soldier,” Then he raised his voice and spoke to everyone in the area, “Behold, Sibri, the latest Captain of my army against Monsters of the world.” The men cheered, more for our lord and saviour than for me.

The memory faded.

Monster woke up in a cold sweat, he lay in a damp, shallow, cave, one that formed on the side of a low-laying cliff that overlooked a flowing river. Next to him was a warm fire with a wooden frame built where some kind of meat was cooking. On the other side of the fire was the person he had saved.

She had removed the hood and scarf that previously covered her head, quickly took note of the troll waking up. She was curled up into a ball by the fire, but otherwise seemed content in watching the river gently pass them by.

“You should rest,” She said, “I’m guessing you expended too much magic,” She looked at him for some kind of conformation but Monsters face showed no signs of understanding what she was talking about, “We can talk later, rest.”

At the same time, Monster saw Cosmo standing amongst them, “I apologise, I am accustomed to a much larger store of magic. This won’t happen again.” Monster couldn’t muster the strength to talk.

Monster fell to sleep again, quickly becoming dead to the world. Sibri returned. The winter day chilled me to the bone. As Sibri, Monster wandered through the camp walking towards its centre. The war tent was large, the floor covered in the furs of bears and wolves. A semi-circle of chairs took up the centre, thirteen chairs in all with only one being occupied for the moment. Gilgamesh sat on his improvised throne. The man’s head was framed by his hair and beard; both boasted a thick, rich brown colouration despite his age. His eyes glared through the thicket, a steel blue that threatened to tame any flame with its icy gaze. The between his eyes, protruded a strong bridge, leading into an equally strong rigid nose. He wore thick garments despite the blistering heat, leaving much of himself concealed. And for good measure, some would say that anything less would cause lesser men to grow bitter while others claimed that under those robes was a frail body that would dishearten his men.

I dared to take three paces then retreated by one, and kneeled, it would not do to disrespect him by drawing too close. “You summoned me, Lord of Lords.” Monster announced, not allowing my eyes to leave the floor.

A voice answered him, “How long would you have persisted with this falsehood?” I glanced up to find my accuser. A short man stood between me and my king. Monster began to defend himself, and then he saw Gilgamesh again. Monster could not lie here, “You do not deny it.” The short man looked down at me, his chin held high, triumphant. “Now,” the short man said, “Wake up, wake up,”

Monster was roused out of his sleep by the woman. “You need to eat.” She said, handing him meat skewed by a stick. Monster sat up and, only after watching the proper way to consume the meal, started inhaling the cooked rabbit. “Since you saved me I decided to return the favour, there’s more rabbit if you want it.” The woman sat down at her spot on the other side of the fire, “Thank you.” Her words voice was plain and uncaring a monotone of indifference.

Monster didn’t really know how to respond, so he kept on eating as if it never happened. After several minutes of silence the woman tried again, “Just who are you?” That was a question that struck Monster as odd. He had so rarely interacted with other people, that the concept of a name was far from fully fleshed out in his own mind. Though, the woman saw his confusion to the question and decided to make an effort, “I’m Sarah,” She said, pointing to herself, then she started getting impatient, “You can talk right, I heard you.”

Monster thought about talking when Cosmo appeared again. He touched the demi-trolls forehead simply saying, “You’re welcome,” as he did so.

“I was-” Monster seemed surprise with how neatly the sounds erupted from his throat, “I have always been called monster.” He said, “My mother had always called me monster.”

“That’s not really going to work.” Sarah said, brows furrowed, “Didn’t you call yourself Cosmo earlier?”

“Cosmo is my teacher,” Monster responded.

“So the half troll has a sorcerer for a tutor? More importantly, if you don’t have a name then you should give yourself one.” Sarah said.

“Do people normally name themselves?” Monster asked.

“Well, no.”

“Then maybe,” Monster hesitated, “you should name me.”

“Fine then,” Sarah got up, “Goodbye Jacobs, its been a pleasure.” With that she got up and started to leave.

“Wait,” Jacobs called out, “Don’t go.”

“Quiet frankly, Jacobs,” Sarah looked at his nude form again, “You’re disgusting.”

Jacob considered that for a moment. At first he considered his lack of clothing, something that had grown increasingly apparent. Then he considered the look she had given him, it wasn’t like the look his mother had given him, it wasn’t the angry of the man who demanded his death. He didn’t understand it but he knew she wasn’t telling the truth. So, he got up, and he followed.

Sarah had shot up into the trees, heading in a particular direction and Jacobs decidedly went the same way, abandoning the dying fire as he did so.

Jacob considered his name, “Jacob,” he repeated to himself with a smile.

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Robert had grown bored of the woods, with the compass in hand he headed south were eventually he’d reach the mountains and then the wastelands and finally pass down into the unknown.

But the mountains never seemed to come, and thanks to the trees, he had no way of telling how close he was. Not that it mattered, Robert had consumed the last of his bread by that point and was depending entirely on the small animals he managed to catch. A smoked rabbit had been strapped to his back and he was currently looking for a place to rest and eat.

In this quest for a dark cosy spot, Robert succeeded in finding a dear, a graceful creature that grazed the grass below it. It grazed in one of the deeper parts of the woods. To Robert, it seemed strange that a creature like that would be so helplessly alone. He took out his knife and considered trying for it. The brown nosed mammoth of a mammal would feed Robert for several days.

Though, before he went for the kill, something else beat him to it. A boar, a wild beast covered in a layer of thin fur making its bulging muscles even more prevalent. It charged from a set of bushes not fair from where the deer was standing. Its huge, curved and yellowed, tusks rose up into the dears side as the boar continued to drive its prey into a tree. The force alone shook the branches that hung above the two animals as skewed its prey again and again. That’s when something unexpected happened. The neck of the dear twisted around, its mouth gapped unnaturally open, and it clamped down onto the bridge of the boars stout. The dears slips sealed around the bloody wound and it seemed to such at it.

In moments the boar was reduced to little more then skin and bones, so that when all was said and done, the dear pushed its way past the lifeless body, its wounds seemed to deject the tusks that had been logged in them, and prance into a deeper, darker, part of the woods.

What Robert had just witnessed, was a vampire beast in action. A monster that would have been his demise. He lowered himself out of the tree and inspected the boar. The blood of the dear was still present on its dusty tusks. From what he understood about the vampire curse, a single drop of vampiric blood would be enough to transmit the curse. With that curse, comes all the power that dear had flaunted.

It was wasted on a dear like that, Robert thought, power like that ought to belong to someone intelligent enough to use it. He knelt down beside the corpse, studying the gleaming blood. Just a drop, he thought to himself. With that he, licked it. Testing crimson blood before quickly gulping it down. The change occurred immediately. It hurt, Roberts entire body burned and his blood boiled. Robert let out a scream, and slumped into unconsciousness.