Elkora

The Calasugah

[From the journal of Martanaragon 'Ragon' Kellsworth]

Spring of the Eighth, Year 720

I woke up the other day with a stomach flu. It was lucky I had my field guide because it turns out there were anti-acid mushrooms nearby. I didn't even know until I looked at page 44. So far the Huntsman's Guilde hasn't accepted me and no one will hire me even for a collection quest. They think I'm too small. But seriously? There are shelkis on the battlefield. The average shelki is about two feet tall and they're allowed to fight alongside the huntsmen. It's all screwed up. But I live to fight another day...literally.

It was early summer as Ragon walked across the hills of Moway with nothing but the clothes on his back, a teche cat, and a blade staff made entirely from a gevahndi's shin bone and rope made from corn husks. He had only faced one monster so far, as he kept to the tree-bridges (large rope bridges woven through the rainforest's branches) It did not go well. But from the work given to him by the shelki villages built in the trees, he had earned enough money to buy food that would last him the next month if he saved it. It was a rather uneventful few weeks. Uneventful until he met the calasugah, that is.

Our story starts inside a valley known as Trader Path, named so because ancient traders once rode through to be protected from monsters. It has since then eroded and is in no way safe. Ragon wasn't thinking of that however. For a rather deep pond came into view from behind a bush. To person reduced to using spiles for over three weeks, this was a wondrous site. His mouth was dry and he smelled like a wet dog.

"Thank god!" he said, and without thinking he frantically fumbled at the buckles and tore his leather armor from his body throwing it on the ground.

When he was just wearing his undergarments he jumped in like a cannon ball, the freezing water hugging him tightly. It felt so good to get a bath once and a while. His little teche cat Nellkisha trotted happily near him, her black and white striped ears perked. He scratched her under the chin and dove under water. He’d probably be in there for a while. He could hold his breath longer than anyone in his village. His record was seven minutes.

The pond was amazingly deep. He kept going, not concerned for his breath in the slightest. Teche cats have this amazing ability to expel extra oxygen and, using their own saliva, are able to create a submarine like bubble they can control. Kisha jumped in after Ragon, surrounding herself in air and sitting in the center of the little sphere.

Ragon broke through a thin layer of algae he thought was the ground, and discovered what seemed to be a huge natural chamber under the stone ground. No wonder he had seen so many geysers around lately. The land he was on was hollow. Kisha began making a distress signal, which was a long, drawn out note that told hunters when monsters were nearby. That is what really made teche cats special. To his fright, two glowing eyes slid open from the darkness. Eyes that clearly belonged to some impossibly large creature.

"A monster!" yelled Ragon, "Come on, Kisha!"

He began to swim like mad, frantically trying to get back to the surface. The creature saw this and lunged forward, it’s huge face revealed under the light of the hole he’d thought was a pond. The water undulated with force, leaving Ragon’s swimming useless. Kisha was pushed away, her bubble popping. Quickly she swam up through the hole, just barely making before the next pulse wave.

Ragon tried to follow, but the creature known by the locals as the calasugah (molten monster) followed him. It was too fast, and Ragon felt the scales of it’s head touch his bare feet. A moment of silent fear overtook him, but he quickly stifled it down. The monster shot upwards, trying to blast through the stone. Ragon braced himself as he thought he might be crushed. Instead he was sent flying through the pond and out of the water as the calasugah stopped.

"Agh!" he yelled.

He flew and fell a good twenty feet, rolling as he hit the ground. The monster hadn't escaped yet, so he had no time to waste. A huge banging sound shook the ground as it tried to get out. Ragon ran as soon as he got to his feet, grabbing his armor and blade staff and awkwardly dressing himself as he went.

Ragon tripped at least three times, but he kept going. Kisha found him and quickly climbed up and onto his shoulder and shook herself off. The ground exploded with water and salty rock as the calasugah erupted from the stone. It's scales shimmered with brilliant shades of yellow and blue with streaks of glowing red that looked like molten cracks. It's mouth was filled with serrated, razor sharp teeth, molten metals dripping from his tongue like lava. His roar filled the air and Ragon's vision blurring heavily.

The calasugah began swimming through the water, splitting the ground in it’s wake. Ragon ran precariously on the edge of the giant crack, leaning  to the left as water lapped at his feet. Kisha opened the small flaps under her arms and glided away as he fell down and was engulfed by the water. Ragon looked to his left as the bubbles began to clear. The creature was speeding towards him. Unless he did something about it, being hit by that thing would be a guaranteed death. He pointed the blade at the calasugah in his last chance of survival as it rushed up to meet him. In a single moment, time seemed to slow down. Ragon had heard about this. Moments just before death where everything slows down. Hunters use such moments to hone their reflexes and take down their targets. Now was Ragon's opportunity to prove himself.

The sound of a huge crack filled his whole body as the staff sunk it's end in the monster's flesh and shattered, leaving only bone shrapnel. As the calasugah continued to shoot forward, Ragon grabbed a spike of bone sticking in his scaled face. He flailed about like a ragdoll as it went upwards, leaving the water faster than an arrow. To his surprise and terror, two pairs of enormous wings spread from it's sides and it began to take off.

"You can fly?" he said under his breath, "Well that makes this a bit more difficult!"

It took off like a shot, Ragon struggling to hold on as the ground disappeared behind wisps of clouds. As the creature began to slow, he stood up and grabbed a shard for balance. The calasugah turned quickly and Ragon nearly fell from his back, instead sliding down his scaled body and landing on one of his wings. It was gliding at the moment, but Ragon knew he had to get off as soon as possible. He tried to run towards it’s body.

Too late.

It's colossal wings flapped, sending our hero flying off and away from any hope of survival. There was nothing to grab onto, nothing to save him. The ground rushed up to meet him. And that was when Ragon gave up. He knew he would either crash into the earth and splat like an old lantern fruit or crash into the water and feel himself break into fragments. He closed his eyes, and the world shattered into pure blackness.