NOVEL NEXT The Bestiary — Section 10, Cursed Ones, Entry 3 — Wendigo
—The Tale
Have you ever heard about the tale of the remote rural village? Of course, you have; after all, it's a common story to teach naughty little children that they mustn't go outside at night. But what if I were to tell you that this horror story isn't just fiction? What if I were to tell you that every word is true? Beware of the truth!
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Somewhere, deep inside the mountain range, lies a village of humble lumberjacks, farmers, craftsmen, weavers, and some miners. They don't have much, but it's enough for them to be happy. But something is wrong with this place. Even when their smiles are broad, their eyes look haunted.
One day a young adventurer comes to this village to complete a little quest about giant rats that destroy the wheat fields and eat the farmers' crops. It's an F-Rank quest, but still, everybody needs to start somewhere. The villagers are really happy about his arrival and offer him to stay—as long as it takes to finish the quest—in an old hut. He gratefully accepts this opportunity to finally sleep under a roof again after those countless nights in the woods. But within the glances, as he turned around to follow, were nothing friendly, only sorrow.
So it happens that the youngling, deadly tired from the walking, goes into the hut without checking if the creaky moldery door is safely locked behind his back. Lying on the comfy bed, he falls asleep to gentle dreams of great success. Unaware, without a hint, snow begins to trickle onto the roofs during this warm summer night. Second, by second the air cools down, and a blizzard starts to rage. From the cold, the boy awakes, chattering his teeth whilst his breath can be clearly seen. Then he hears a napping, tapping from the chamber's window chutter.
"H-hello?" he slowly says, tucking his hands inside his pockets to warm them up.
But nothing, no sound, except the snowy wind, was heard. So he stands up, grabbing his sword, and walks—with small steps—to the chutter. Then he hears the creaky door behind, slowly opening. The icy air fills the room, and heavy footsteps sound. The young boy turns around with a spin, but before he can do anything at all, the thing before him struck him down. With his last glance, he sees his attacker clearly—a lanky creature in torn clothes with blood-red eyes and white hair. It creepily smiles, showing its sharp fangs. Then it lunges out at him with its long claws.
In the house nearby, kneels a family wrapped around each other, cowering from terror in a corner, facing the barricaded door. They hear the screams and screeches. The family's little daughter wants to cry, but the mother holds a hand in front of her mouth.
Then again, a tapping, napping—this time from the door. A pleading girly voice sounds, "P-please, let me in. It's so dark and cold outside. I'm hungry, and I haven't eaten in weeks. Please, let me in. L-let me sit by your warm cozy fire. I am fr-freezing."
The family shut their eyes. Suddenly, someone knocks in panic against the door.
"Please! Let me in! Something is outside. Please help me! PlEaSe HeLp MeEeEeEeEeE!" demands the screeching voice.
For a moment, everything stops, but shortly after, in an eerie, echoing whispering voice, the being speaks up again, "One week. One week. One week. OnE wEek. Two kids. One Adult. TWo kIdS. One aDulT. Don't let me hunger...again. Again. AGaIn. AGAIN."
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This is where the story ends. Nobody knows what happened to the boy...and nobody wants to.
—What's a Wendigo, and how do they look like?
A Wendigo is a being cursed by the world itself. Not every reason why they get cursed is known. Still, in the previous written down records, there are the following possibilities: Eat willingly constantly flesh of your own kind over a long time, consume meat or blood of a dead Wendigo voluntarily, perform a dark ritual to turn yourself into one, die while freezing to death in winter and starving at the same time or actually get cursed by someone strong enough.
As soon as the being is cursed, they transform into a tall, gangly creature, with glowing—mostly blood-red—eyes. In addition, their entire body is emaciated, which only amplifies their ghastly appearance. But this condition is not just for show. They always feel a painful insatiable hunger and bitter cold, whether or not they eat anything or warm themselves by a fire.
With long strides, they wander soundlessly through the snowy woods, their matted white hair flutters in the frosty breeze whilst the long claws hanging by their sides. They endlessly wander around in search to satisfy their hunger, never aging, never changing.
—Their danger level
Wendigos are great silent hunters if they want—it doesn't matter that they're nearly ten feet tall. Their strength resembles that of mountain trolls. Yes, plural. A Wendigo can tear apart a pack of them without any problems. They seem to have the ability to use the mana they create directly to strengthen their physical abilities. So this makes them not only powerful but also pretty darn nimble. They also can manipulate the weather, but it's not known if they even need to use mana for that. This ability is the reason why it always snows near them. However, this also allows you to quickly notice their presence...as long as you are not in a snowy region. However, Alpha Wendigos are said to be able to use other types of magic, each of which is said to be evil in nature. The classification for Wendigos ranges from S to SSS. However, it must be noted that the last SSS Wendigo was seen over four thousand years ago. SS-Ranks are also rare and hardly ever appear. Also, it becomes dangerous when the Wendigos—which normally behave as solitaries—join together to form groups.
During the day, they are in caves, as they abhor daylight. Therefore, it is advisable to travel only by day in areas where a sighting has occurred. Otherwise, the following advice is the most important: Run for your life if you want to live!
—Bulletin Board
| Attention! SS-Rank adventurer parties wanted! Excellent reward! |
| Description: | Slaying a Wendigo pack |
| Monster Rank: | S-SS |
| Location: | Near the Black Forest |
| Reward: | 3500 gold coins |
| Client: | Adventurers Guild |
| Extra: | For more information, please go to the counter. |