Cursed Odyssey

Dawn crept through Baro's thin wooden walls—not bursting, but seeping like spilled ink. Joseph's eyes opened to shadows and the now familiar scent of opium poppy sweetness cut with metallic tang.

The guard sat motionless in his chair, already awake. Stone-still in the dim light.

Joseph turned his head and found her.

Baro lay wrapped in blankets, curled small as a child. Her breathing came slow and even, dark lashes resting against scaled cheeks. The harsh lines of yesterday had smoothed away, leaving something almost peaceful.

Regret seemed to twist in Joseph's chest.

"She was supposed to come with us." He sighed.

The guard knew exactly why. The deer antler hunt could have been perfect—a chance for her to connect with others, to feel useful. Friendships bloomed easier when hands worked toward the same goal.

But last night had drained her. Her body needed rest, not adventure. How could anyone wake something so fragile?

Joseph sat up carefully, wood creaking beneath him. Each movement deliberate, silent as possible. His shackles clinked softly—unavoidable, but not enough to wake her.

He glanced back once before meeting the guard's watchful gaze.

"Let's go," he whispered.

---

The village felt wrong.

Even for dawn, it was too quiet. There were no early risers bustling about their chores, nor the village chatter. There was barely even the sound of farm animals as the wind seemed to hold its breath.

Of course, Joseph knew the reason why.

They walked onward and soon they noticed it. A long line of people walking in a single file, in absolute silence. All dressed in dark colours, all adult men. No women or children to be seen.

Their heads were lowered, and their steps were slow and deliberate as they made their way toward the Holy House of Luud. It was as if they were all pulled by an invisible string. They seemed to be lost in their own world of reverence and regret.

This was all part of their tradition, and respect for their ancestors. It would seem the congregation was going to start soon.

The fact that they had to stop all operations in a village for a ceremony was certainly inefficient and uneconomic, but thus was their lives.

The path led them to the open field before the library, where three familiar figures waited.

Lee stood with arms crossed, tsking audibly. Kalo and Poro flanked him, eyes fixed on the approaching pair.

"Took you long enough!" Lee scoffed, lips curling.

Joseph stifled a yawn. "Two minutes late at most."

"Late is still late!" Kalo bristled on his captain's behalf. "What should I expect from an outsider!"

"Y—yeah!" Poro chimed in, ignored as usual. He clutched a large provision sack behind him.

Any excuse to feel superior. Joseph almost smiled. Lee's gang had arrived maybe three minutes before them. Joseph lampooned.

"My gracious kindness will let it pass this once..." Lee put hands on hips. "But now we wait for that damn blasphemer Zott! I don't think my patience will last that long..." His fingers played with his wooden sword's hilt.

"Actually, he's not coming," Joseph said plainly. "Changed his mind."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, decided to stay behind unfortunately." Joseph feigned disappointment.

"OH! Thank the ancestors!" Lee's face brightened instantly. "I don't have to deal with his ugly mug all morning! Bad enough I have to handle a blasted outsider like you! There's only so much filth I can take at once! I'd have skipped this without that damn promise..."

Joseph's lips curved slightly. "My promise for a rematch still stands."

"Of course it does! That first time was a fluke! I was sore from training all day!"

Just as Joseph was going to retort, suddenly, another figure emerged from behind them.

He was dressed in a similar guard uniform, but there were subtle differences. His was of a darker shade, his shoulders were broader, and he towered over them with an imposing stature. His face was grim, his eyes cold beneath his helm. Behind his back was a massive great sword, its hilt glinting darkly in the dawn's light.

In other words, he was like a walking seighe tower;

The three boys went rigid, cockiness evaporating into trepidation. All except Lee, whose eyes held a gleam of awe.

The guard stopped before Joseph and his companion. His voice boomed—powerful yet controlled.

"I received your letter and scouted the surrounding forest where the deer gather. It's relatively safe, so I'll allow this expedition." His gaze swept each face before locking on Joseph. "I am Guard Javi, and I am tasked to never let you out of my sight."

His orders were clear: don't agitate the outsider, make everything seem normal. Watch closely and wait for something big—something that required the strongest guard in Hano village.

If something's coming, why not just lock him up? Javi didn't understand the influence this single cursed outsider possessed.

"Ready to begin?" Joseph asked, crimson eyes bright as they drifted toward the forest edge.

Lee puffed out his chest with usual bravado. "Of course we are! Let's get this over with so I can beat your ass and move on with my life! Follow me!" His goons trailed behind like shadows. "Yes captain!"

Javi said nothing, meeting Joseph's simple smile with steady silence.

The group headed into the forest.

As they passed Baro's hut, a lone figure watched from the distance. Middle-aged Zott with dark green scales and grey horns, ignoring the directed path and protocol. Under normal circumstances, he'd face punishment. But the guards had greater priorities.

The man kept staring until they vanished beyond the village confines.

---

Early morning light barely pierced the thick canopy. The forest breathed with soft rustlings of harmless creatures, air heavy with damp earth and decaying leaves.

The 'strongest guard' title meant arcanist. Javi's statement wasn't boasting—it was warning. Don't even think about trying anything.

Both guards stayed back, maintaining full view of everyone ahead.

They began conversing quietly. Javi updated the other guard on current affairs, and suddenly there was a shift in expression—understanding that today might be Joseph's last in the village.

Or alive.

Silence stretched before the response came.

"I understand."

---

The area wasn't far from Hano village. Bone and antlers littered the ground like ancient offerings.

Deer lingered in the distance—similar to Earth's but wrong in every detail. Deep red fur, different antler shapes, slitted eyes that gleamed with alien intelligence.

Lee eyed them hungrily, thinking of fresh meat, before Javi's voice cut through his plans.

"Do not approach past that burnt tree! That's the village territory edge! Past there, Lord Adrian will be notified someone entered the danger zone, and dozens of guards will be dispatched for retrieval! Understood!"

Lee wasn't bothered. He smiled. Just lure them into range before killing.

But it proved harder than expected.

While everyone else gathered bones and antlers, Lee threw rocks from behind the safe line. Ignorant child's logic—trying to lure instead of scare.

Realizing rocks were counterintuitive, he switched tactics.

"COME HERE! COME HEERE!"

Joseph's guard furrowed his brow, stepping forward to silence the boy, when Javi's hand tapped his shoulder.

"Let the kid do his thing!" Javi laughed. "I scouted far into those woods—not a single predator there! Even if something gets alerted, the two strongest guards in Hano can handle it!" He grinned, hand resting on his greatsword.

"Boss, calm down... You're scaring them..." Poro tried helping, but fell on deaf ears.

"GET YOUR KRINKLY DINKLY ASS HERE! I PROMISE I WON'T KILL YOU!"

Nothing worked.

"Kalo!" Lee roared. "Get me food from Poro's bag! Maybe we can lure them with something nice!"

"Captain..." Kalo hesitated. "They eat grass and stuff, and that's everywhere. I don't think they'd care for our—"

"SINCE WHEN DID YOU TALK BACK TO ME! GET ME THE FOOD NOW!"

Joseph watched the commotion unfold. Winter chill bit through his rags. He tucked hands into his shirt, buried his head down and breathed warm air against his chest.

When he looked up, familiar eyes met his. The guard who trailed him like a shadow.

"Joseph... right?" The voice was softer than usual.

"Why pretend you don't know my name?" Joseph teased brightly. "It's not like you to start conversations. Something wrong?"

"I suppose there is." The guard's voice stayed calm.

A small pause.

"Grati."

Joseph leaned closer, hands fidgeting under his shirt.

"My name is Grati," the guard continued. "You kept asking, so I'll allow you to know it. Just for now."

Silence.

"Thank you! Mr. Grati! For everything... truly!" Joseph's face lit like sunrise, revealing teeth in genuine laughter as Lee continued screaming in the distance.

"I still hate you," Grati cleared any misconceptions. "But I have some level of respect. That's all."

Perhaps imagined, but Joseph thought he caught a smile beneath Grati's helmet as he walked away.

I understand... Joseph thought.

"HURRY UP AND GIVE ME THE FOOD BEFORE I SHOVE—"

*Klink*

In that moment of serene chaos, chains snapped.

The sound was loud—

Yet no one seemed to hear.

A low rumble followed, ever faint but real.

By the time the guards sensed it, it was too late.

Wolves emerged from behind trees in dozens. A full pack, ignoring the deer around them, eyes locked on human prey.

"AHHHHH—" Poro shrieked like a little girl. Kalo stumbled backward while Lee chuckled, drawing his wooden sword with a grin.

"ALL OF YOU! MOVE BEHIND ME!" Javi's voice carried power that couldn't be resisted.

Lee wanted to fight, to prove himself, but found his body obeying despite his will. He gulped, stepping back to stand near Joseph—then immediately moved away from the outsider filth.

"KEEP AN EYE ON THEM! THESE LOWLY BEASTS POSE NO THREAT TO ME!" Javi drew his greatsword—nearly spanning his entire body, two hundred pounds of lethal metal.

"Understood! I'll provide assistance if needed!" Grati replied firmly.

"IF! IF NEEDED!" Javi laughed. "THERE WON'T BE AN IF!"

A wolf with glowing green eyes lunged at Javi. He didn't block, deflect, or counter.

It bit his arm with a crunch that bent metal, yet Javi smiled, seemingly unphased.

His body glowed bright red, and he raised his sword and slashed. That massive hunk of metal whizzed through air like a dagger.

Lee's eyes shone like stars, fists pumping. He's Invincible!

One blow took down three wolves.

The pack glanced at their fallen members before refocusing on Javi—the wall blocking their path to true prey.

They lunged again, but Javi wouldn't let them connect. His next swing lacked the earlier speed and power.

He was not as invincible as he seemed.

SNAP. SNAP.

More wolves emerged—a seemingly endless horde.

Eventually Grati joined the fight, though his aid only marginally changed the tide.

Four boys sat back with uncertainty in their eyes. Fists clenched, speechless, waiting for outcome. Hearts hammering so hard they nearly burst from their chests.

"KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" Lee screamed at the top of his lungs, but his voice produced no echo.

Nor did it reach the guards caught in frantic chaos.

*Crack... Crack... Crack...*

All the guards saw was red—blurry haze as they endlessly slashed, smashing skulls. They ignored wounds, arms that felt ready to fall off. Nothing mattered but their mission.

"RAHHHHH!" They gritted their teeth.

But eventually, they realized they might not make it.

"ONE OF YOU KIDS! STEP PAST THE EDGE! ALERT THE VILLAGE ELDER! WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS!" Javi's voice shrieked, yet heard no answer.

Perhaps it was the madness—his voice didn't reach those kids. He wanted to turn and reprimand them, order again, but knew that would spell certain death.

"DAMN IT! WHY DID THIS HAPPEN! DIE!" He roared, throwing his sword in labored swings.

*Snap.*

The endless hordes truly felt endless. They grew so fatigued they could barely see ahead. Swings grew slower, more labored, less powerful—yet still sliced through wolves' flesh like butter.

*Snap*

Like air.

*Snap*

Joseph smiled at the result.

It would soon be all over.

No.

It was already over.