The Xalinor Chronicles

The zolvan

Jake turned towards Zill with a scared look on his face. “What the hell is a zolvan?” he asked.

“A zolvan is a rare predatory animal which lives deep in the Athanor woods. I have never seen one in real life. My parents had told me they had seen a zolvan once but they never speak about it.”

Just then, the back door of the room opened and an elven guard entered. “You have just 10 minutes to arm yourself. The crowd is getting impatient.”

“Jake Riley, you are a human. Why don’t you craft something powerful? I have heard that you humans can create all sorts of traps and potions.”

The only time Jake had crafted something was during a school project. He felt completely clueless when the gnome asked him to craft traps. He did possess a basic knowledge of chemistry but the herbs which lay on the ground were completely unfamiliar to him. A huge pile of scrap metal and broken pieces of equipment lay beside the sack of herbs. He walked up to the pile and began examining the broken pieces of junk. Time was running out and he still couldn’t think of any ingenious trap.

“I can’t make any traps or potions. I don’t know how to make such things!” he cried in frustration.

“That’s too bad; perhaps you are just a human Peasant. If you were a Craftsman or a Warrior, you might just have survived.” The elven guard looked at him in disgust. It was as if he was gazing upon a filthy beggar on the streets.

Zill walked up to Jake and whispered something in his ear.

“It’s almost time,” the guard approached them, pointing his crossbow at Jake. “Get moving.”

Jake and his partner hastily put on the worn pieces of armor and prepared to enter the arena. They didn’t take any weapons from the rack due to their size. Jake uttered a silent prayer to the Gods above while Zill closed his eyes to seek the grace of his ancestors. Their bodies trembled in fear as they crossed the threshold and stepped into the arena. A thousand eyes gazed at the puny gnome and his companion in eager anticipation.

The spectators watched with silent concentration from their granite seats which spiraled towards the stars. There were 5 circular rows that hosted the most affluent elves and the most powerful humans. The human prince Varius Vulturius had come to witness the spectacle himself. He was accompanied by his favorite courtiers and a couple of bodyguards.

Jake felt the cold breeze cut through his skin with its icy fang. The torches which hung from the high walls of the Arcadium offered no warmth and barely enough light. Fortunately, it was a full moon night and the stars glittered like diamonds in the dark.

“Release the zolvan!” exclaimed a loud booming voice from the central gallery above.

Immediately, a couple of elves started pulling down a rusty iron chain which lowered the great steel gate at the farthest end of the arena. The gate was halfway down when a terrifying roar emanated from the room behind the gate. 3 pairs of burning red eyes glowed like coals in the dark. As soon as the gate was opened, a terrifying abomination sprang forth from the abyssal darkness.

Jake’s heart started pounding in fear as he laid his eyes on a fearsome 3-headed bull that stood over 8 feet tall. Its smoldering eyes burned like red hot embers in the dark and its hide was as dark as the night itself. A pair of silver-white horns protruded from each of its heads. As the beast breathed in brief spasmodic bursts, its sinewy shoulders pulsated with rage.

“So, that’s a zolvan!” exclaimed Jake in a panic-stricken voice. “How the hell are we supposed to defeat that thing?”

Zill just stood there dumbstruck. It was as if he had been turned to stone.

Jake shook the gnome by his shoulder. “Snap out of it buddy. We have to find a way to bring it down or we are as good as dead!”

Zill eventually came back to his senses and squeaked in a frightened tone, “I... am just a gnome. A tiny creature like me can never defeat such a strong animal.”

“If we are going to die anyway, I think it’s better to go down fighting.”

Jake unclasped the wooden shield strapped to his back and fastened it to his left arm. His legs trembled in fear as he took on a defensive stance with the shield pointed forward.

The zolvan let out a fearsome roar and lowered its heads. It began plowing the ground with its forelegs, preparing to charge at the puny creatures that stood in its path. The audience erupted in excitement as the beast dashed towards them at lightning speed.

The zolvan was about to ram its horns into them when Jake and Zill rolled over to the side, at the last moment. Missing its target made the beast even angrier. The enraged beast forced itself to a halt after gushing past them.

Jake got back to his feet in a flash and pulled up his companion. “We need to run towards the wall at the other end!”

The two of them sprinted towards the wall, without looking back. All the spectators watched in excitement as the zolvan turned around and locked onto its targets once more. It huffed furiously from its large nostrils and prepared to bolt towards Jake and his partner.

Jake and Zill had already reached the wall when the beast began dashing towards them at blinding speed. Instead of moving aside, they stood their ground, refusing to back down. The humans in the crowd cheered loudly, urging the zolvan to gore the 2 challengers to death. They were certain that the 2 weaklings had given up already.

The zolvan kept running towards them at a terrifying speed.

“Do it now Zill!” cried Jake.

Zill raised his right arm in the air and shouted, “Eternal Shade!”

The great hulking beast rammed straight into the wall but Jake and Zill were nowhere to be seen. It was as if they had vanished in thin air. The crowd stood up in astonishment. They couldn’t believe their eyes. Meanwhile, the zolvan had become disoriented after crashing into the wall and struggled to get back on its feet.

Illanor had been watching the battle with keen interest. He slammed his fist on the banquet table in front of him in anger. “Where the hell did they go?” he thundered.