Ruveneska, Chapter 1: The Big Talk by Darro

Fire surrounded him. It was feeding on the tress of the forest he was in. He was helpless as a baby was. His small body was lying on grass as heat waves filled the air. Falling branches of timber struck the ground as Shuren began to wail even louder. His movement was limited to crawling. He tried to, but he was not fast enough to escape the fire that engulfed the grass he lied on.

Shuren jolted out of his bed. His face was hot and sweaty and his dark brown hair was soaking wet. It was only a dream, but it seemed too real. Shuren could still imagine the heat burning his body as he lied in the grass completely defenseless. He lay back in bed for a moment. The dream soon left his mind and was filled with other random thoughts.

Shuren looked at the ceiling blankly. He did this every morning after waking up; daydream. Daydreaming was one of the positive things in his miserable life. One thing he learned from his horrible life was to live inside his own mind, especially at times when he was young. There was one word that described his life: lonely. He was a Gippy, though none of the other Gippies interacted with him.

An average Gippy was near five feet tall while Shuren stood taller. His build was unlike any other Gippy. His shoulders were broad and he had long arms, though Gippies were of a smaller scale. Gippies were magical creatures, usually known as wizards back during war times, but not so much anymore, due to children learning games instead of spells. Shuren, on the other hand, had difficulty performing the simplest spells, his magic was horrible. A task such as lighting a candle was hard for Shuren. He was the one thing the other Gippies absolutely could not tolerate; they despised him. There was some sort of mystery about why his villagers did not like him. He was the outsider of his village, Hogony.

The village of Hogony was a quiet little town, with usually quiet little Gippies. A side stream from the Aimon River wrapped around the village almost as a natural defense. Hogony was in the south western area of the main continent, Laleroth, in the world of Oryk. The Gippies in Hogony depended on the stream; it provided them with fresh water and food for the farmer’s crops.

Gippies rarely got frustrated, for their temper seemed content. Though, one thing that they could not do was tolerate Shuren. Shuren was clueless to why the town detested him. His existence was worth nothing to them. Shuren was never a real troublemaker, but everything that went wrong in the village seemed to revolve around him. Many times he was innocent, yet they declared him guilty. Shuren knew, though, there was a reason for abhor towards him.

Shuren was sixteen years old. At seventeen he would be considered a man, and he would be able to live without his village. Shuren did not know his real birthday. He was not even quite sure if he was sixteen. He had asked the villagers and they usually replied: “One more year and then you will be out of here!” Shuren had never received a gift. Though from time to time, he would find stranded items, usually around the same time of year.

For as long as he could remember he was alone. No friends or family. There were times when he questioned his survival as a baby. He came to the conclusion that when he was young, villagers would leave scraps of food at his doorstep feeding Shuren barley enough to live. So there Shuren was, lying on his stiff mattress of hay. It was morning, and time for Shuren to hunt for his food. He was an exceptionable hunter. Shuren usually retrieved enough meat for a few days at a time. He had his bow and arrows, and a hunting knife. His leather sack had good use for carrying.

Shuren got out of bed reluctantly. The only thing keeping him awake was his hunger, which would have only been satisfied by food. He walked out of his one room log hut, stripped himself naked and hopped into the stream of water next to his house. The water was crystal clear, fish never swam through it. This stream was the only thing blocking Shuren from the rest of the village. It ran down the corner of the village, and the only house past that river’s side stream, was Shuren’s.

The water sent a chill through Shuren, but now he was wide awake. He splashed water onto his self, ridding him of the smell of sweat. He scrubbed himself a little with his sponge, and then climbed out. He dried himself with his rag. After he got dressed, he went back into his home to retrieve his supplies for hunting. They were merely a pair worn out hard leathered torso and leggings, a poorly made bow, a quiver full with arrows, and a decent knife. He left his hut and headed towards the village exit.

As Shuren walked across an unsteady bridge that led into town, he took a quick glance at the village. It was quiet, but only during morning. The village was not that large, roughly twenty log huts were scattered throughout the village, including shops. The ground was hard dirt, and some areas even had grass. There was only one farmer in the village, Trone, of course Shuren did not get any of the farmer’s surpluses. The leftovers were even rare to him.

Shuren walked past the library; his favorite place in the village. Though he was barley legal to even read any books, he enjoyed it a lot. Normally, a library has restricted sections to those unauthorized, but this one had restrictions of Shuren. Many signs hung in the library that read: Shuren Restricted. Though, regardless of his limitations, he loved to read. He learned so much from reading. Shuren learned how to read at age seven by sneaking into classes and learning in secret, until he was caught for it and had to pay a large fine. The fine was one a seven year old was highly incapable of.

Shuren continued pass a series of various huts. All homes were log cabins, except for one home, the head of the Village, Bastian Mclore. He of all Gippies despised Shuren the greatest. Bastian was second in control of Hogony, first was the town elder, Rollan Canona.

Rollan Canona was almost as strange as Shuren himself. He was very peculiar. He barely said any words, though; he did not have to say much for you to understand him. Strangely, Shuren felt most comfortable around him. Rollan never showed any hatred towards Shuren, though they never interacted enough to call themselves friends. Rollan was talked about greatly among the Gippies throughout Oryk. Many Gippies said his powers were not to be taken lightly; he was supposed a powerful wizard during war times. Others have said that his great power were never used for he had such a kind heart. During wars he refused to kill.

Shuren walked past a few Gippies, they gave him a repulsive glare. Shuren like always ignored it and continued. He reached the village main gate. It was a fairly sized gate. The steel gate stood nearly ten feet that connected to a shorter wooden face that wrapped around the village. After Shuren crossed the gate, he would have to cross the stream that flowed past Shuren’s house.

Shuren walked out of the village and over the stream. He began to feel at ease now that he was out of the village. He armed himself with his bow and strapped his quiver on his back. He walked north among the small fields of grass until he reached a large and thick forest. The forest was filled with all kinds of creatures. Shuren usually killed small creatures for fresh meat, such as Wouks, and young Paleps. Many edible plants grew in the hunting forest; fresh vegetables were abundant.

Shuren ran into the forest with a sudden burst of energy. He scavenged behind bushes and on top of trees for prey. He managed to kill an adult Wouk. A Wouk was very similar to a rabbit, but they were mostly brown colored that stood no higher than Shuren’s knee. Shuren walked deeper into the forest hoping to catch a big animal for a feast. There was baby Palep sleeping soundlessly on the ground in Shuren’s path. A Palep was very much like a horse, when old enough; it could run for miles at a time. On its head, two large antlers poked out of its forehead. Shuren jumped back, he took shot three arrows killing the Palep instantly. It took nearly all of his energy to haul his catch out of the forest. The Wouk barley fit in his hunting sack, and the Palep was being carried by his two hands.

Shuren followed the same path he created entering the forest. He heaved his catch with his two arms behind him. He walked past a giant oak tree and came across a patch of Ginger Mushrooms. He dropped the Palep to pick some. He chose the largest and cleanest ones he could find. After, he quickly picked up his catch and continued to walk towards home.

The walk back was not entirely wasteful for Shuren. Along the way, he was able to pick up some rare and healthy vegetables. While picking out some Poldling leaves, he heard a sharp rattling noise, like thunder. He noticed that the skies had turned dramatically dark and out of the corner of his eye, Shuren spotted a trail of smoke rising into the air. He traced it to its source.
There stood a tall man in dark black leather clothes emerging from the smoke. A hood shielded his face from sight. His very presence petrified Shuren. An ominous aura poured from the man. Shuren stared in terror. Though his mind was telling him there was no threat from the man, his senses screamed otherwise. Shuren turned and darted out of the forest, apprehensive to look behind.

Shuren reached the village, struggling for breath. He ran by Rollan’s house, and realized he was in no danger. Shuren thought it was polite to offer some of his catch to Rollan. Shuren walked to the front door. Before he could knock, Rollan opened the door with a grin.

“I was expecting you Shuren,” Rollan said. The elderly Gippy had an expression that neared a smile. His long white hair stretched to his shoulders. He wore a green vest that seemed almost too stylish for him, though underneath was a long gray cloak.

“Really?” asked Shuren reaching into his sack. He pulled out his Wouk that he hunted. Shuren handed the baby Wouk to Rollan, who seemed reluctant to accept it. Shuren paused, wondering if he should tell Rollan what had just occurred. Before he came to a conclusion, Rollan spoke.

“Thank you greatly,” said Rollan, who did not seem to show any of the affection.

“Rollan?” questioned Shuren. He could not think to discuss what he saw with Rollan.

“Yes?” asked Rollan intensely.

Shuren paused, and then decided not to tell Rollan what had just happened in the forest. “Nothing, forgive me.”

“You are forgiven,” Rollan said. Shuren turned to leave, but before he could take a step Rollan halted him, “Shuren, would you be so kind to do me a favor?” “Sure. What kind of a favor?” Shuren questioned.

“I would very much appreciate it if you would pick up a book from the library for me,” Rollan explained.

“Erm, sure, which book?” Shuren asked.

“The Gospel of Oryk,” Rollan answered, “it is a great book that explains the history of Oryk.”

“Ok, I’ll get it right now,” said Shuren.

“Thank you once again,” said Rollan.

Shuren left Rollan’s yard and headed straight for the library. It was a short walk from where he was, but instead Shuren decided to go home to retrieve his books to return there. Shuren reached his house and dropped off his kill. He gathered his books and continued to the library once again.

Soon enough, Shuren reached the library. He quickly stopped inside and returned his books. He looked throughout the shelves. He was able to search very few shelves, due to the fact they had restricted him. Shuren went up to the lady at the desk. He asked her for the book and nearly screamed at Shuren for even talking to her. He explained how he needed the book for Rollan and she calmed herself. She made her way into one of the Shuren restricted isles and pulled out a thin blue, hard covered book. The pages seemed incredibly old, though the stitching at the spine was well done. He made sure to check out Rollan’s requested book before he left. Once he got outside, he had a sudden surge of curiosity. Shuren, being curious as usual, glanced through The Gospel of Oryk.

Long ago, when the mountains were hills, and the oceans were lakes, the creatures of this planet were just being born. The pleasant peaceful land of Oryk would soon be stained with bloodshed.

Many wars took place within the history of Oryk, though the greatest one of all was the Ingle and Zelze war. The evil ruler Ingolor tried to enslave all others. The king of today, known as Lord Zelzor was detested by this, and declared war against Ingolor.

By the time Shuren had read this much, he had already reached Rollan’s house. He walked up and knocked on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again, losing faith that someone would answer the door, there was no answer. Shuren thought it would be wise to leave the book on his doorstep. Though, for some odd reason, he had another urge and he took it home.

The sun was now setting, coloring the sun to a blazing red. In spite of the Gippies out, Shuren wanted to visit the shops. He did so, but was short of money. In his money sack he had ten kindos. It was not even enough to purchase a bag of Rascleberries. Shuren walked out of the shop he just visited. He saw a shadow flutter by. He paid no mind to it, but instead noticed a bag on the ground. No one was around to claim it. He picked it up and glanced inside. He face lit up as the golden coins inside reflected light back at him, inside was fifty kindos staring back at him. He dumped it into his palm and mixed them with his collection. He walked on to begin shopping.

Shuren entered an armor shop. Two Gippies glared at him and exited the shop, apparently because of him. Shuren looked at the owner, who returned him a dirty look which was unfamiliar to him. He ignored it and browsed around the shop. He found a nice tunic for twenty kindos. It had a silver plate on the chest, leading onto the abdominal area. The shoulder straps were made of leather, and seemed very comfortable. He picked it out, and as he purchased it, he noticed a nice bow in display for thirty-five kindos. The wood was a dark brown color and the string seemed strong and reliable. He purchased it also. He was reduced to five kindos. Unable to afford anything else, Shuren began to walk home.

He strolled home, passing a few other huts. Excited about his new items, he began to play around with them. He put on the tunic, which appeared lighter than it looked. It was comfortable, flexible, but didn’t seem that it could take very much damage. Next, he attached a string to his bow. He grabbed the handle with his left hand. He pulled out one of his remaining arrows and placed the end of it on the string. He placed the tip on the arrow rest. He took a glance around, checking to see if anyone was around. The coast was clear. He arched his body upwards and pulled the string back as far as it would allow. He let go of his fingers, and the arrow soared coarsely through the air and out of the village boundaries. Shuren still needed work on his archery.

After testing his new equipment, he continued to walk home. It was now dark and Shuren felt a surprising exhaustion. He nearly had to drag his Palep to reach home. After nearly half an hour of slow walking, Shuren arrived home. Shuren dropped his Palep outside and walked inside his home. He placed his new equipment under his mattress and then sat on his bed. He rubbed his hungry stomach. He realized that he had not eaten the entire day, not even breakfast.

Shuren ran outside. In the center of his yard, there was a circle of blackened stones. In the center was a pile of burnt logs. Shuren cleared it out and replaced it with some from the side of his house. He pulled out his flint and struck a spark onto some hay. When it smoked, he gently blew on it, until a fire rose. Quickly, he placed the hay onto the pile of logs. Slowly, the logs began to catch fire.

Shuren then went to his Palep. He pulled out his knife, and cut into the Palep’s skin. He pressured down and began slicing the skin off of the Palep. On the skin was a lot of meat on it. He was unskillful in the cooking area. A lot of the skin he cut off had meat, which was a waste. After a while, Shuren had half of what he expected. Unsatisfied, he stabbed it with a stick, and roasted it over the fire.

After waiting nearly an hour to cook, Shuren pulled the warm stick from the fire’s heat. The meat was now a crispy dark brown. It looked edible, but smelled burnt. In spite of the appearance, Shuren was too hungry to complain about his cooking. He took a chunk of meat and ate it. The meat was chewy, hard, and burnt. Shuren nearly spat it out, but his hunger wouldn’t allow it. He continued to eat, until it was all gone.

Shuren rested around the warm fire for a moment. After his stomach settled, Shuren put out the fire. He walked inside the house and prepared for bed. Shuren lay in bed, when the thought of that man sprung into his mind. He never experienced something so terrifying before. Though the man did not harm Shuren in any way, he felt insecure after that event. Luckily, it did not keep him from sleep.