The Hybrid Fateful Sorrow

The Stranger

The Bucklers and Swords Inn. It was busy at that moment, not with good patrons and commoners, but with mercenaries from Vaxia, one of their so-called protection visits.

The whole tavern was filled with mercenaries acting like bandits, having a free ale and mead, drowning themselves with alcohol from the opportunity.

Cheering, and lively as they drink nonchalantly, but not the middle-aged Munze Stockholm the owner of the tavern. Who had to tend the rowdy group for free, which can be seen on her sour-face irritated look.

Visiting her is a slim young man named Bran, her nephew.

“Why are you here? Isn't it time for the gathering?” The brown-haired woman asked.

“Yes Munze, but I don't think I'm needed there, ” Bran replied.

“You still need to go there, it's an important gathering and if only I wasn't needed here, I would be asked to join there, ” Munze said.

“You don't have anyone to help you with?” Bran asked as he looked at the wild bunch of drunkards.

“No, Kassandra is still sick and these bandits… They don't just drink, they break stuff, harass women, even the sickly Kassandra they didn't let her pass, poor girl she just came for her medicine, ” Munze explained.

“I told her many times, I'll bring the medicine to her myself. She just couldn't let me, ” She added with her bothered look.

“Why?” he asked.

“Well I was giving it for free, and she was so thankful, she didn't want to furthermore bother me by getting it herself, ” she said.

“Well, I hope the Huntsman is still here, so, she will have someone to take care of her, ” he said.

“That crazy guy? I know there is something off about him, and here I was right, he left as soon as he was done with her, ” she said.

“He was overprotective of his daughters, but I think he's a good man, ” he replied.

“Well, how are you?” Munze said with her sly face.

“Speaking of that, something is troubling me, ” Bran said.

“I know, I know. A woman right? I'll lend an ear so better get to it, ” Munze said as she placed a tankard filled with ale.

“It's about Amelia, ” he said, glancing at his ale.

“Make a move now, or regret it later, there is not much beauty left in this town, ” she said as she took a seat close to him.

“I'm on the regret part already, as you see there is someone new in town or outside here that is living with the sisters, Amelia, and Elise, ” Bran explained.

“Really? Their family is strict, I mean I can feel that they don't want to do anything with anyone. They even stayed outside the town even with Geld inviting them countless times to move inside the town where it's safer, ” Munze let out.

“Well, it's true. An adult guy, ” Bran said grabbing his ale to take a sip.

“What? Those poor young girls. Who could it be?” She asked.

“That is what I'm trying to find out earlier, ” he said.

“Then what?” she asked.

“He just pushed me to the ground, when I tried to confront him, and he ran into the forest, ” he said.

“This guy is starting to sound like bad news,” she uttered.

“Well I think he has a relationship with Amelia, ” He added.

“That girl just turned 18 right! And with young Elise around this isn't healthy. You need to go and find out about this guy, be a man for once!” Munze said as she took the ale away from Bran.

“Go! The girls could be in danger! I can't go with you right now. I still had an inn to watch, and these drunks so-called mercenary are still in here, protection my ass! I'll follow when I can,” Munze said, returning to her post.

“Can I have a bottle on the way?” Bran asked.

The only answer he got was a scowl on her face.

——

'And here I am, damn I should have drunk more of that ale. It's getting cold out here,' Bran thought as he stood in the middle of the forest.

'That old man was weird. He surely was not with the cults with his outfit, and they are gone. I witnessed what happened that time. When they slowly turn into a beast, but one. There is one left he was supposed to be their king,' His thought as he surveyed the land.

Seeing the ground formation was disturbed with the trees that fell over and the roots that untangled from the soil.

“Could this be all he's doing?” Bran let out as he continued to walk.

'Then it just means, I'm in danger!' His mind just before he squished something on his boots.

“What is that, ” he said as he moved his feet.

“By the God's bone! It's an eyeball, ” he said, seeing the squished eye of Rioljar.

Bran moves his eye on his surroundings seeing the bloodied paste of flesh of human parts that glued on the ground.

“Crap! What happened here!?” he lets out as he runs away.

Only to stumble from one of Rioljar's legs.

'A severed leg! The beast is in here! I need to hide!' He thought as he frantically ran into the woods.

Trudging into the thick forest at the top of the hill. He could overhear a low yell followed by a low-pitched voice.

Standing on the top of the hill overlooking below, as he wandered his eye to find the voice that he heard.

There they are, Amelia and Amadeus, in the corner of his eyes once more.

His lovely Amelia trudging slowly closer to a man. The mysterious stranger who had taken his love from him.

Seeing them together, embracing one another, something he could never have. With Amelia's face slowly moving for a kiss.

'God damn it all!' His mind as he makes a fist on his hand.

'Why it has to be him, Amelia?' He thought as he glowered at them from afar.

'It was true, they are together. I can't witness this any longer!' He said as he slowly walked away.

With a sullen look, he blindly prods the forest.

Was it a chance? Or Destiny intervening in our lives as he sends Bran to the answer he is looking for.

“Why did I go?”

“I still need to know who he is!”

'Be a man for once.'

“I know, I know. I tried alright!” he said as he thought back.

“Remember, trees that were pushed and run over. The mortified old man. Dead bodies. The destined cult. Wounded Amelia and the bare body stranger, ” he let out.

“Perhaps I could help, ” an old woman's voice said.

Standing at his back was an old woman, wearing her oversized lavender robes with a pouch on her side. A book can be seen on her chest that she tightly secured with her slightly trembling arms, which could be from cold or old age.

With her laid-down white hair, her blackened eyes, and her frailed white skin she speaks once more.

“Would you care to follow me?” The old woman said.

“Who are you?” Bran asked.

'Is she one of the cultists?' He thought.

The old woman turned around and started to walk.

“Who am I, is not important, but the choices that you'll make will be. I don't mean you any harm. I would just like to help you and maybe you can help everyone, ” She said as she continued to walk away.

“Alright, I'm walking behind your back.”

Not too far from where he was.

“We are in here, come closer and take a look, ” the old woman said.

Behind the old woman was the naked body of Jowan, cold and only having a fur mantle. His bloodied cheeks and the missing of the other half of his head horizontally between the eyes, and the nose.

“Gods have mercy! This can only be done by a beast!” Bran said as he steered his gaze away.

“You are right, ” she said.

“Who could have done this?” Bran asked.

“A powerful ancient being, his return to this world causes this horror, ” she replied.

“His return?”

“That's right, you have already met him.”

“Yes I did, the last survivor of the destined cult. I met him alright! But I don't know how I can help? I don't want to see him again,” Bran said as he confusedly moves around.

“But you did see him again, ” the old woman said as she tried to face Bran.

He looked at the old woman with a perplexed face.

“Have I seen him again? What do you mean by that?”

“Think young man, who do you think? Who do you suspect the most? Who is the person you feel bad about the most? A stranger in your place. A man filled with mystery and full of desire.”

'She's right, there is someone in my life. He is currently staying with the one I love that I badly hope to be something worse. But how could I prove it?'

“There is someone, a man, a newcomer. Someone I hadn't seen before mysteriously came to our village,” Bran announced.

“A stranger that stole someone that I greatly care about.”

“Love... is a good motivation. You will have to stop him.”