Silence.
The field was engulfed in it. Left and right not a living creature was seen. The only movement was that of the grass as it swayed to the breeze. Many people would’ve loved to be in this kind of place at this kind of moment. The silence, however, didn’t last for long. The noise of grass being crunched under feet was soon heard to the South. It was accompanied by the massive grunts of monsters that had been heaving a load for a long time, and a hideous smell of death. They soon appeared, walking over a small hill to this exact spot. There was nothing unusual about the spot. It was just past the bridge that led to Death Mountain, and not a single tree surrounded it. The clouds up high were almost none and the Sun shone onto it like ray of fire. The grass was pure green, the kind that normally you only saw in the Lost Woods. It was beautiful.
The same could not be said for the monsters. There were four to be exact, walking in a square formation. The one in the front left was the largest of them. Its skin was rusty red, blotted with maroon here and there. It was bald, like most monsters, and its ears were perfect circles extending from its head. He had a small pouch along his chest, in which he carried a quartz and nothing else. On one hand he was carrying a wooden club, the weight of which made the muscles in the monster’s arm bulge. To his left was the smallest of the monsters. This one’s skin was bright yellow with light orange around its eyes. He was also bald and its ears were of similar fashion to the first monster. This one was also wearing a pouch along its chest, with a dark ruby inside. He wasn’t carrying any weapons, but the long claws that extended from his fingers were even more deadly than the club. Behind were the last two, and they were completely identical. Their skin vomit green, with dark hair flowing behind their triangular ears. Their pouches carried an amethyst each. Black fangs were visible under their bulging lips and scars extended from their neck to their elbow. Two things were exactly the same about all the monsters: One was that they were all completely naked, pouch not taken into account. The second thing was that they were carrying a body on their shoulders, the weight distributed evenly among them, even though such a small Kokiri didn’t really weigh much at all. It didn’t take too much thinking to realize that these weren’t normal monsters.
The first monster raised his fist when they reached the spot, and they all stopped at once. In nearly perfect synchronization they all put the Kokiri on the ground less than gently and looked around. After a few seconds, the first monster took the quartz from its pouch. He grabbed the hand of the second monster and cut his palm deeply using its claw. Then he clutched the quartz tightly in it, tainting its pure surface with ugly dark red. They all stood in silence for another minute or so, before the clouds over the spot turned dark and multiplied, covering the place in shadows. All the monsters bowed their heads, and the Kokiri twitched. Lightning struck the place just in front of the monsters, and they all jumped back. Once the smoke dissipated, there was a man standing there. An ugly man. His head was completely bald, and his eyes were a fierce dark lightning blue. All over his face and head were horrible tattoos and runes, inked in with black, making him even uglier. Apart from that he was an average man, not too tall or fat or short or skinny. He was wearing a dark leather tunic with black tights under it and black boots. As he walked, the monsters realized the entire ground around the man had burned to leave ugly dirt in a perfect circle, no more grass there. However, they didn’t seem scared at all. He opened his mouth and no words came out, however everyone near would be able to hear what he was saying in a creepy voice inside his head.
Well, done, my servants. You have brought me the pure soul I asked for, yes? Ah, yes, I can see now. Then he stepped over the Kokiri, and eyed him carefully. Peculiar Kokiri here you brought, his eyes as blue as deep sea I see, and hair as black as night I perceive. He leaned down and touched his hand to the Kokiri’s face; it was then that his shriek sliced the air and made the monsters coward in fear. The soul ain’t all pure and gold, it’s been tainted by a shadow of old! Wrong me you have done, punishment I will bring upon your worthless corpses! He slashed the air in front of them with his hand –turned out he had fingernails as long as claws– and with a spark or two and a swoosh in the air, they were gone. The man grunted and turned back to the unconscious Kokiri. Perhaps, worthless to me, you may not yet be. He crouched down next to the kid, and with a blink of his eyes, his hand had been engulfed in blue flames, the same color as his eyes which were now glowing. He pressed the hand to the Kokiri’s forehead, and the fire didn’t burn his skin off. Then the man recited something, out loud.
Licet purus anima tenere non, est non omnes tamen perdidit. Primum aurea cor oculis percipere, eius anima pati sub ensis. A aurea sanguinem ego, anima purus egofacere.
The Kokiri’s head tossed and turned, but still he did not wake. The man straightened up, clearly pleased with himself. He drew something from his tunic, a sword, although it was short enough to be a knife. Dropping it next to the boy, he turned. We shall meet again. With another strike of lightning, he was gone, the clouds dissipating into nothingness, leaving no trace that he had ever been there except for the circle of dead ground around the Kokiri.
***
Elwood Foster grunted lightly in his sleep, but did not yet wake. His dreams were revolving around what had happened. Watching on the bridge, being hit in the head. Whispers, traces of talk he’d thought he’d heard made his mind go fuzzy. His body shook and his hand came to rest on a piece of cold metal. His eyes whipped open in shock. He looked around, not recognizing the weirdness of the field he was in. He touched his hand to the back of his head where he knew the monsters had hit him, but he felt no pain. He looked at the metal he had touched and his eyes widened when he saw it was a Kokiri Sword. He took it in his hands lightly and for some reason put it away carefully inside his tunic. Brushing a bit of black hair from his eyes, he looked around, still in shock, not knowing what had happened or where he was. A voice sounded in his head, but he didn’t understand it. Not for the last time, he wished to know where his fairy was.
***
*James and Elliot entre from Rose's Recovery*
James hurried to catch up to Elliot. “Hey! That’s not fair, you had a head start!” He finally stopped next to the guy and tried to catch his breath. He looked at him smiling and said, “Ain’t you the little cheater?” He sighed and looked around, wondering where they should head next. In the distance, he thought he saw a figure laying on the ground, just past the river, but it wouldn’t be the first time his eyes had betrayed him.
The field was engulfed in it. Left and right not a living creature was seen. The only movement was that of the grass as it swayed to the breeze. Many people would’ve loved to be in this kind of place at this kind of moment. The silence, however, didn’t last for long. The noise of grass being crunched under feet was soon heard to the South. It was accompanied by the massive grunts of monsters that had been heaving a load for a long time, and a hideous smell of death. They soon appeared, walking over a small hill to this exact spot. There was nothing unusual about the spot. It was just past the bridge that led to Death Mountain, and not a single tree surrounded it. The clouds up high were almost none and the Sun shone onto it like ray of fire. The grass was pure green, the kind that normally you only saw in the Lost Woods. It was beautiful.
The same could not be said for the monsters. There were four to be exact, walking in a square formation. The one in the front left was the largest of them. Its skin was rusty red, blotted with maroon here and there. It was bald, like most monsters, and its ears were perfect circles extending from its head. He had a small pouch along his chest, in which he carried a quartz and nothing else. On one hand he was carrying a wooden club, the weight of which made the muscles in the monster’s arm bulge. To his left was the smallest of the monsters. This one’s skin was bright yellow with light orange around its eyes. He was also bald and its ears were of similar fashion to the first monster. This one was also wearing a pouch along its chest, with a dark ruby inside. He wasn’t carrying any weapons, but the long claws that extended from his fingers were even more deadly than the club. Behind were the last two, and they were completely identical. Their skin vomit green, with dark hair flowing behind their triangular ears. Their pouches carried an amethyst each. Black fangs were visible under their bulging lips and scars extended from their neck to their elbow. Two things were exactly the same about all the monsters: One was that they were all completely naked, pouch not taken into account. The second thing was that they were carrying a body on their shoulders, the weight distributed evenly among them, even though such a small Kokiri didn’t really weigh much at all. It didn’t take too much thinking to realize that these weren’t normal monsters.
The first monster raised his fist when they reached the spot, and they all stopped at once. In nearly perfect synchronization they all put the Kokiri on the ground less than gently and looked around. After a few seconds, the first monster took the quartz from its pouch. He grabbed the hand of the second monster and cut his palm deeply using its claw. Then he clutched the quartz tightly in it, tainting its pure surface with ugly dark red. They all stood in silence for another minute or so, before the clouds over the spot turned dark and multiplied, covering the place in shadows. All the monsters bowed their heads, and the Kokiri twitched. Lightning struck the place just in front of the monsters, and they all jumped back. Once the smoke dissipated, there was a man standing there. An ugly man. His head was completely bald, and his eyes were a fierce dark lightning blue. All over his face and head were horrible tattoos and runes, inked in with black, making him even uglier. Apart from that he was an average man, not too tall or fat or short or skinny. He was wearing a dark leather tunic with black tights under it and black boots. As he walked, the monsters realized the entire ground around the man had burned to leave ugly dirt in a perfect circle, no more grass there. However, they didn’t seem scared at all. He opened his mouth and no words came out, however everyone near would be able to hear what he was saying in a creepy voice inside his head.
Well, done, my servants. You have brought me the pure soul I asked for, yes? Ah, yes, I can see now. Then he stepped over the Kokiri, and eyed him carefully. Peculiar Kokiri here you brought, his eyes as blue as deep sea I see, and hair as black as night I perceive. He leaned down and touched his hand to the Kokiri’s face; it was then that his shriek sliced the air and made the monsters coward in fear. The soul ain’t all pure and gold, it’s been tainted by a shadow of old! Wrong me you have done, punishment I will bring upon your worthless corpses! He slashed the air in front of them with his hand –turned out he had fingernails as long as claws– and with a spark or two and a swoosh in the air, they were gone. The man grunted and turned back to the unconscious Kokiri. Perhaps, worthless to me, you may not yet be. He crouched down next to the kid, and with a blink of his eyes, his hand had been engulfed in blue flames, the same color as his eyes which were now glowing. He pressed the hand to the Kokiri’s forehead, and the fire didn’t burn his skin off. Then the man recited something, out loud.
Licet purus anima tenere non, est non omnes tamen perdidit. Primum aurea cor oculis percipere, eius anima pati sub ensis. A aurea sanguinem ego, anima purus egofacere.
The Kokiri’s head tossed and turned, but still he did not wake. The man straightened up, clearly pleased with himself. He drew something from his tunic, a sword, although it was short enough to be a knife. Dropping it next to the boy, he turned. We shall meet again. With another strike of lightning, he was gone, the clouds dissipating into nothingness, leaving no trace that he had ever been there except for the circle of dead ground around the Kokiri.
***
Elwood Foster grunted lightly in his sleep, but did not yet wake. His dreams were revolving around what had happened. Watching on the bridge, being hit in the head. Whispers, traces of talk he’d thought he’d heard made his mind go fuzzy. His body shook and his hand came to rest on a piece of cold metal. His eyes whipped open in shock. He looked around, not recognizing the weirdness of the field he was in. He touched his hand to the back of his head where he knew the monsters had hit him, but he felt no pain. He looked at the metal he had touched and his eyes widened when he saw it was a Kokiri Sword. He took it in his hands lightly and for some reason put it away carefully inside his tunic. Brushing a bit of black hair from his eyes, he looked around, still in shock, not knowing what had happened or where he was. A voice sounded in his head, but he didn’t understand it. Not for the last time, he wished to know where his fairy was.
***
*James and Elliot entre from Rose's Recovery*
James hurried to catch up to Elliot. “Hey! That’s not fair, you had a head start!” He finally stopped next to the guy and tried to catch his breath. He looked at him smiling and said, “Ain’t you the little cheater?” He sighed and looked around, wondering where they should head next. In the distance, he thought he saw a figure laying on the ground, just past the river, but it wouldn’t be the first time his eyes had betrayed him.

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