Mead

Mead

I awoke like a thousand pins pressed against my chest. It is the same feeling every morning. Every morning since the king left the kingdom for the great beyond. Suicide. It’s said he couldn’t put enough food in hands, or enough roofs over head, or enough cloth on backs. He died from the weight of shame of not being the king his father was. Now we all awaken to the uncertainty of our community crumbling under its own weight of existence. Poverty swallowing us whole. Drought has wrecked our crops and our wells. The dragon on the mount has come to terrorize twice this week. It’s scorched what little crop we have left. It killed three community members. Three warriors sacrificed their lives to fight the dragon. Zelbog The Old they call them. They’ve terrorized this community for centuries. Somehow the community survives still. Sheer will I suppose. I do have fierce hate in my heart for Zelbog. They killed my best mate and feasted on flesh for minutes upon minutes outside our community walls. The monster is pure evil - spawned from a great civil war the community fought in five hundred years ago. A civil war of heinous proportions. The hatred from the war festered in the heart of the mountain that shielded the small community from the sea. Mount Vogt of the 12 Seas. The tallest mountain on the shore of our great lands. We used to be able to reach the sea, and bring bountiful food and supplies and spend countless hours in play in the sand and spray before Zelbog was spawned. Now we wake to needles pressed into our chests. Miserable. No food. No water. Barely the strength to keep up the shelters we do have. Barely the strength to fight the dragon. Barely the strength to survive. Yet we do.

The first thing on the day's adventures would be securing food. I need strength for today - for today is training day. I’ve been training as a warrior for 30 moon cycles now. Finding food was easier last year this time. It has grown harder every morning since the king left us. But nonetheless I persist. For my community. We fight for one another. From each according to their ability, for each according to their need. Our motto. Motto of the Valley of Vogt. I was born to fight. Born with the hatred of Zelbog inside my heart. And it has only festered. And can only be cured by their destruction. That, and mead. Every night I drink a pint of mead. It is said the intoxicating honey singes the growth of the dragon's hatred so it doesn’t consume you and you do things that get you killed or others killed. I head straight for the market. Lintels and onions are what’s on my mind this morning. That, and a dark piece of bread. I have plenty of favors to call in across the community, but only one with a farmer. Farmer Lott. He’ll have to do this morning. I am starved. Butter beans with wild onions picked from the Farmer’s garden. You didn’t think he’d let me have the ones he picked did you? No, I must do my own pickin. I ate until I could eat no more. Full of lentils and green onions I head off for my search of dark rye bread. Finding my good mate Tolas on the road I asked him if he had made off with any good breads lately. And my luck he had. He had half a loaf of dark pumpernickel, and was willing to share. That was our community. For each according to their need. All taking care of one another. All paying the price of a war fought several centuries ago. 

Securing food I knew would make for a productive day in training. I was proud to be a warrior. I wasn’t the best, but I was the fiercest. No one could top my hatred of the beast or my desire to destroy it. My desire to bring the sea back. My desire to bring food back from the shores. My desire to destroy our poverty. Heal our community of the horrible curse of the Zelbog. My desire to make us a harmonious community once more. No one could top it. What I lacked in strength and skill I made up for in tenacity. I infected the others with my passion. It helped foster strength amongst the company. We were known as the Timber Company, because we met amongst the timbers to train and plan. It was early still in the day when I arrived at the training post. Gathering food for the morning must have been more difficult for the others hence me being the only one there before sunrise. I could not let this discourage me. I would share my last piece of pumpernickel with anyone who needs it this morning. By sunrise every member of the company had arrived. Including our usual late bloomers. Another good sign of today’s training. Training started with a  A broken leg and a summons of the mage within minutes of starting. Thankfully it was a quick healing, and we moved on swiftly. Until it happened. Zelbog came calling from the mountain top. Their low rumble vibrated off the valley walls. The alarm bells sounded. The community went underground. As they always had. The warriors above ground to fight off Zelbog. To kill them once and for all. 

The company was readily in formation as soon as the call was heard. Swords at ready. Staffs at ready. Portable glass spells at our hip at the ready. As the Timber company they were farthest from the mountain. Three more companies stood between them and Zelbog. The rage inside my heart for the beast swelled to proportions I had never felt. Something was different about training today. Something momentous. Zelbog blasted their fires through the community. Burning down cottages, singeing others. Destroying more crops. Destroying half the market in the community square. Zelbog flew across the skies belting his evil hissing language for all to hear. No one dare learn the language of the dragon. It is as cursed as the dragon itself. Filthy blasphemous words of hatred. It echoed off the valley walls once more. Echoing destruction. People still fled within the community walls. Looking for open shelters to hide in. Behind stone doors that blocked Zelbog’s fiery breath. Timber company held its line in the forest. Zelbog tore through Plains Company. We could hear their screams of defeat as Zelbog broke their bones and their spirits. Timber company held fast. They would not falter. Not today. Today was different. Zelbog’s victory cry would be heard mockingly coming from the valley floor. He feasted on our sibling’s flesh and bone. Zelbog if he wasn’t finished he would come for River Company soon. Tolas was in River company. Maybe today was their day. I held up my staff and sent all my reserve powers to Tolas. I could feel the rage inside Tolas. I could feel his want to destroy the beast once and for all. I sent my powers through the woods, over the foothills, and Tolas at the river. They fought. With all their company had. And they too fell. Consumed by fires of Zelbog. No flesh to be feasted upon. Only ash. The dagon hadn’t committed this much atrocity in ages. Today was different. Timber Company braced itself. It hadn’t seen true action in months. The last encounter with Zelbog left them with only three remaining. The rage grew in my heart. Today Zelbog would meet the last staff they ever met. Mine. The great beast dipped below the green line in the forest, and I could see the smoke bellowing from their nostrils. It would need time to gather itself again before it could render their flames again. Timber company tightened formation, and flew into the sky. Flying after the beast a company of swords and magical staffs. Hit after hit we landed upon scaly flesh. Zelbog bled. The mighty lizard came at Timber company with a blast of white hot flame. I immediately cast a protection spell deflecting the inferno. And out of the river came Tolas, the last of river company with a sword long enough to penetrate the scales and stab the heart of the monster. And he did. The sword pierced the dragon’s heart. Deep green blood came oozing down Tolas’ arm. He pulled out the sword and came crashing back down into the river. Timber company, losing several in the battle, had defeated Zelbog with the help of the lone River company companion, who knows if Tolas made it. Even though the river does bring healing immediately. His luck was on this side this day if he lived. 

I found myself that night at the community square. A celebration had commenced like never before in the community. The entire community had shown up to rejoice in the defeat of the dragon of Mount Vogt, Zelbog. Timber company and Tolas would go down in the greatest of legends book. The community could go back to the sea through the mountain. We could flourish again. We could heal our community. We could feed, shelter, clothe, and bring happiness back into the hearts of each. Tomorrow we will return to the sea. Tomorrow we will start again. But tonight we will celebrate. Though I find myself with hatred for the dragon still in my being. I do not know what causes such to dwell there now that the evil has been defeated. What does it mean? Then the thought comes as thoughts do, and I asked the tavern keep for a pint of mead. Nothing but the best for Timber company the keep said. And away he went to fetch the mead. He came back shortly afterwards with the most golden mead I have ever seen. As I drank its first gulps I could feel my heart lighten ever so much. I could feel the rest of the hatred for Zelbog dissolve with the golden drink filling my bloodstream. It had ended. I cried. I had never felt as at peace as I had at that moment, and I knew there would be more moments like it in the near future. Thanks be to the mead. 

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