Lesser No More

The crunching of small stones filled Ajax’s ears as his arm quivered to hold his lantern steady, his eyes struggling to pierce the wilderness around him. It was a cold night, his multiple layers of clothing providing no comfort from the biting winds. The men around him provided no comfort, already used to what this job entailed.

The young boy shivered at the thought of what he had to do, but yet he continued down the dark void of the forest. He knew what roamed these lands, his mother reminded him every night whilst locking everything possible to secure the house. The Beast had terrorized the town ever since he was young, and he often asked why this was so. The other townsfolk quietly spoke of the town’s success before his time, reminiscing the weight that had not yet been placed on their shoulders. The town had suffered ever since then, a dark shadow suddenly plaguing the land, too sudden for it to not be a punishment of some sort. Ajax’s mind was young and unable to understand such a concept. How could this be a punishment? What sins has this town committed to being condemned to damnation?

One of the men slaps the back of his head, cackling as the boy barely held onto the lantern. Ajax glared at the man, knowing that speaking out of turn would ruin his chance to prove himself.

“Be careful, Lesser, your mind shouldn’t travel farther than your feet in these woods,” Jason, a tall, raven-haired man a decade his elder. “I think your mother would prefer if your bones remained in your body on your first night.”

Ajax hated that nickname, a curse of his own that he could not escape. He was constantly taunted with it, some sort of reference that he could not understand. Nothing in his studies prepared him for it, then again he had to cut them short to support the homestead.

“Is it really that dangerous, or is this another jest?” the boy asked Jason, who only replied with a devilish smirk paired with dark eyes.

“Quit belittling the boy, you worm,” Hector, the eldest of the group, grunted. “If I remember correctly, your first day nearly got us all killed with your idiocy. Now hold your tongue before you draw her near.”

Thane, another elder, clicked his tongue, “The scouts said that she prowls the east, which should be far enough to not worry.”

“She has eyes and ears everywhere, and her ears will perk up if you continue to speak,” Hector grumbled, his grip tightening on his relic of a weapon. “We are almost there.”

Hector pushes forward with a quick pace despite his age, his weapon held almost like a newborn. The old man had called it a firearm, a rifle, that had been traded to him during a job. He had explained that these were hard to come by, the ammunition even more so. Despite this fact, he is never seen without it in his hands or slung over his shoulder by a slim leather sash. No one else could touch or even know how to use such an item, which made Hector sought out his deadly weapon. While the others possessed simple weapons such as bows with their arrows, clubs, and swords, it was Hector that held a powerful force that even death could not match.

Despite the darkness clouding his vision, Ajax could see the dim lantern light in the distance. He was no fool, nor did Hector treat him like one, and luckily had informed the boy of the job. They were to retrieve a chest to be given to Lady Nestra, the matriarch of the town. The boy had wondered what was so important to risk their lives for, but then again it was not his place to question the noble’s desires. All he cared about was the wages. It was the only option to feed his family, especially when his father ventured into the forest and did not return.

“You’re wandering again, Lesser,” Jason tutted, breaking the silence once again. “The Beast could have attacked us, ripping our bodies to shreds and you would continue down the path without noticing.”

“I do not mean to,” Ajax rebutted quietly, cursing his mind for roaming once again.

“And yet you still do,” the young man laughed, grunting when Hector rammed the wooden portion of the rifle into his chest.

“If you disturb the peace once again, I will string you up for the Beast myself,” the elder threatened, glaring daggers at his son before approaching the entrance to the caverns. “Stay on the path, boy, this is a place you do not want to wander.”

Ajax nodded, switching the lantern to his other hand as he ventured forward into the mouth of the cave.

The rest of the men followed behind him, setting a slow pace as Hector navigated through the man-made tunnel. Ajax surveyed the area, noting the odd patterns of the rock as well as small rooms carved out for storage. He peered into one of them as he passed. Masked men inhabited the crate-filled area, crowbars at the ready to pry open whatever goods awaited them. One of them looked up, making the poor quickly look away as his heart quickened its pace. Ajax was sure that it would bound out of his chest at this rate. The boy witnessed many oddities, but their destination outmatched all of the sights he had seen.

A circle of fire lit the room entirely, and it was a fire, unlike anything he had ever seen. Around it, there were sigils carved into the stone, but there were scratch marks that marred the craftsmanship. He stared at it until Jason pushed him out of the way. Once again, Ajax glared at the man’s childish actions.

“I suggest you quickly return, the scouts say she will be close,” one of the men in the room stated. “Take the side exit, the path will give you more coverage.”

Hector nods at the man before grasping the chest with Thane, lifting the heavy chest with a grunt. This time Jason takes the lead and guides them to the exit. Once again they enter the cold night. Ajax’s lantern nearly flew out of his hand from the wind, but he steadied it.

“Dim your light, boy, she is close,” Hector whispers, his eyes darting around as they follow the path back home.

Ajax does as the man requested, dimming the light as much as he could without extinguishing it completely. He remained cautious, unwilling to disobey the patriarch of the group. His heart continued to beat uncontrollably, his mind creating never-ending scenarios where the Beast hovered above them, waiting for a hint of weakness as a sign to strike. No one in the town had ever mentioned what she looked like, only that it was a distortion of humanity. She was taller than any of the men, had claws and talons that of a lion and eagle, and even horns of a goat that protruded from her head.

Such a beast only existed in the literature from his studies, but those fictional words were not as terrifying as his reality.

“Quit your shaking, you’re rattling the lantern,” Thane chastised the boy, straining as he lifted the chest to avoid a large root from the nearby tree.

He attempted to steady his hand before his eyes spotted something in the foliage nearby. His body refused to move as he saw piercing yellow eyes stare at him, blinking a few times before disappearing into the darkness.

“She is here,” Ajax whispered, barely audible as he fell behind the group of men.

Hector froze at the boy’s revelation, his body growing rigid as he set the chest down quietly. Holding his rifle firmly in his hands, the rest of the men finally catch on to what has occurred: the Beast had found them. Ajax was the only one without a weapon, far too weak to wield something as heavy as a sword or even a staff.

Leaves started to rustle around them, the woods themselves speaking out as if to spell out their doom. The only thing that Ajax could do was huddle close to the men, fear in the air. It was this reason she was called the Beast, an animalistic huntress that could outsmart and outpace any of the townspeople.

“She is taunting us,” Jason muttered as he gripped his sword tightly.

They were clearly outmatched, even if they did outnumber the elusive Beast. Ajax could only stand by as the men fell one by one, disappearing from view without a single scream escaping from their throats. Finally, Ajax was alone in mere moments, leaving the lamb to be devoured by the wolf.

In his fear the lantern is dropped to the dirt, the boy’s instincts screaming at him to run or hide as his mind struggles to keep up. All he could do was cower near the chest, the chest that will cost so many lives. Footsteps echoed around him as he shut his eyes, determined to not look at the creature that delivered him to his doom. She grew closer with each agonizing step until he felt her warm breath drift across his face.

With the courage he didn’t know he had, he opened his eyes to see her. She was massive, an avatar of death in his eyes. He was confused by her hesitance to sentence him to the same fate as the others, but all she did was stare. Although he had the courage to open his eyes, his limbs refused to move. It was almost as if he was in a trance, her void-like eyes drawing him in. She lifts a hand and wraps her clawed hands around the cord around his neck, pulling it out of his shirt.

Curiously, she examines the heart-shaped locket, a look of recognition appearing on her face. It was his mother’s, something that she gave to him for good luck. It had been passed down the family for generations, even if they were unable to open it to see its contents. The Beast dropped it out of her hand and resumed staring at the young boy. Her blazing yellow eyes glanced at the chest for a moment, contemplating if she should take it for herself. It was the purpose of the attack, but this young boy was not yet corrupted by the darkness that seeped throughout his home.

“Do not tell anyone of this,” she rasps out to the boy, a foreign accent that was barely understandable to his ears. “This is for your own good.”

He stared at her, the Beast, the creature that was supposed to be only an animal that plagues his town. As she stands he yelps in pain as her claws dig into his flesh for a moment, permanently marring the fragile flesh.

She stands up, walking away before turning back to him one last time: “This world is not yours anymore, boy, and I suggest you leave before this town takes you with it.”

The Beast finally disappears in the foliage of the woods, darkness consuming her form as he is left alone in the cold night. Ajax clutches his face, the claw marks making it hard to focus on his own thoughts. Looking around, he quickly spots Hector’s rifle abandoned on the ground. The boy quickly takes it as his own and diverts his attention to the chest. He knows that it will be difficult for him alone to bring it to the town, but he has no other choice.

He dragged the heavy chest all night, ignoring his wound until he finally approached the town at the start of dawn. He was praised as a hero, yet soon he would abandon them all to seek the salvation the Beast had foretold.