shortstory – Vostak

The Valley – Part 3

The valley was so large that Sevir, while looking at it from the south end, could only see an outline of the mountains in the north. There was also, in fact, a large portion of the valley that Sevir could not see. It was hidden behind the mountains as a result of the valley’s bean-like shape. What Sevir did see, however, was enough to amaze him.

In the west, the land was hidden beneath a lush green blanket. A large forest lay at the base of the mountain range on the west, as though a sea. Its emerald waves rolled over into the center of the valley in between the high places and hills, which stood as an island amongst the trees. These highlands at the center of the valley divided it in two, as though a painter decided to put in a swath of brown, gray and yellow in the middle of his painting. The woods swept under these hills in the south, and came around to the east. What was left of the land was endless green fields in the north and northeast, nestled against the looming mountains. The orange hues of eventide covered a portion of the sky, whilst beams of gold danced across the mountains’ white peaks.

The valley was full of life. More so than Sevir would have expected. Across the fields in the north, and among the hills in the middle of the valley, several columns of smoke had sprung up from the ground and trailed off into the sky. Sevir stood dumbfounded for a moment. His heart almost stopped, and then began to beat so fast that he felt dizzy and lightheaded. He felt a rush and a whirlwind of emotions, filled with an almost childlike bewilderment and curiosity. He got carried away with excitement and almost slipped off the edge of the cliff he was standing on. The precarious moment which could have quickly proven perilous was like a slap in the face. While letting out his breath and clearing his mind, Sevir took a step back and rooted his feet in the ground.

Though he had reached the valley, he was not yet completely over the pass. He stood on the cliff with the gorge he was in before on his left, opening out into the valley before him. It was a fifty-foot drop down to the ground, and there wasn’t really any other way to come down. Once again, Sevir found himself stuck between a rock and an abyss.

He needed to survey the face of the cliff to see if he could climb down it. Once again, he approached the edge, only this time he did it right – on his knees. The cliff was a mixture of smooth and ragged stone. It would be difficult to climb down, with there being few crevices in the rock. It wasn’t impossible, however, and Sevir was determined to make it down. Led on by his curiosity and excitement, he was consumed by a sense of urgency and a need to make haste. Abandoning his reason and sense of time, he failed to notice the darkness which loomed over the valley. Sevir began climbing down the side of the cliff just as the sun was hiding behind the mountains.

A Battle in Open Space

This is a story I wrote long ago, when I was thirteen or so. I’ve rewritten it and changed some things around…

The alarm was blaring throughout the halls and chambers. Red lights blinked on and off everywhere. The crew were scurrying to and fro, each man trying to reach his station. Nikita Termock made his way toward the bridge with a calm yet determined stride. As crewmen ran past him, they raised their hands to their heads in salute. He turned a few corners and approached the entrance. A series of lasers passed over his face as he stood near the security panel. After the scan was complete, he pushed a button and the hatch opened. As he stepped through it, a robotic voice sounded off on the announcement system – “Commander on the bridge.”

The officers and crewmen halted for a moment to salute their commander, then returned to their duties. The First Lieutenant walked over to Nikita. “Sir, we are under attack. It appears to be the pirates we’ve been hunting.” He proceeded to give a detailed report of the situation. While he listened, Nikita looked at different panels and screens on the central command console.

Nikita had been promoted to the rank of Commander one month ago. He was granted a small fleet and assigned to the fourth quadrant of Sector Eight. As soon as he assumed command, he began hunting down and arresting pirate crews, which had been running rampant in the quadrant. He never expected, however, that the problem was this severe. He thought that he would only have to deal with a few isolated pirate bands. Instead, he found himself dealing with an entire fleet.

The pirates’ corvettes surrounded Nikita’s fleet and threw a barrage of artillery fire at all the ships, while a swarm of their fighter craft moved in on the center. They focused on Nikita’s flagship. Before the fleet could scramble their own fighters to intercept, the swarm reached The Nebula and put heavy pressure on the bridge. The shields were holding, but they wouldn’t be able to hold much longer. The ship’s automatic defense system fired a storm of lasers and missiles, but there were simply too many enemy fighters for it to fend off.

Nikita looked out the windows at a blaze of lasers. A number of flame-less explosions rocked the ship. What remained of destroyed enemy fighters floated about the battle-zone. Some fighters ended up crashing into them and adding to the wreckage. From the windows of the bridge, one couldn’t see the bodies, but felt an acute sense of carnage. When the fleet finally deployed their fighters, some of the heat on the flagship abated. Nikita was able to redirect his focus from survival to retaliation.

Nikita knew that they would be able to repel the attack. But he also knew that regardless of the outcome, many of his men would give their lives this day. A cold bead of sweat ran down his neck. His fists were clenched, and so was his jaw when he wasn’t giving orders. He barely blinked, and barely moved.

The battle raged on in open space as a silent symphony of death and destruction. Laser beams danced across the ships in a flurry of colors. Flames erupted inside ships and then instantly dissolved as the hulls burst open and all the pressurized air dissipated. Inside the ships, it was loud and chaotic. The radio waves were filled with constant communications. Alarms screamed and men shouted. In the midst of this all, Nikita Termock stood on the command deck of The Nebula with strict determination.

As the fight turned in his favor, Nikita wiped the sweat from his neck and turned to his officers. “Alright boys. It’s time to take the fight to them!” A cheer went up from among the officers and crewmen. Then, suddenly, it all dissolved before Nikita’s eyes.

“Still daydreaming about being an astronaut?” His brother jeered at him with a mocking tone.

The bridge of The Nebula, the battle raging out in space, the ringing of the alarm and the voices of his crew all faded away. Nikita found himself in the living room, sitting on the couch with a blank stare. He didn’t bother to look up at his brother standing over him. “Something like that,” he responded coolly. Then he stood up and walked away, returning once again to his battle in open space…

The Valley – Part 2

The sky was like a canvas for the sunrise. Tendrils of orange spread across the clouds whilst rays of gold pierced through them and bathed the white mountain peaks with light. The morning mist lay over the earth and a slight breeze tugged at the trees. The sun looked over the mountains in the east as dawn made its way west. Birds chirped, chattered, and trilled. Below the cliff, a mother deer and her fawns came to the stream for water.

Sevir was surrounded by otherworldly sights and sounds, but he didn’t get to enjoy the setting for long. He had to pack up and keep moving while the sun was up. A thought to kill the deer for food crossed his mind, but he decided against it. He still had a quail wrapped up in his pack, and the deer was far more meat than he could eat or carry with him.

It took some time for Sevir to solve his dilemma. He didn’t have many options for how to keep moving forward. He could double back the way he came along the ledge, which would take him half of the day. The nearest treetop was about ten feet below the edge of the terrace. He could try jumping down to it and then climbing down the tree, which would surely be suicide. His one remaining option was to climb up to the top of the cliff and continue from there. It looked to be a thirty or forty foot straight upward climb. The cliff face was jagged enough that it could be possible. But if Sevir got stuck halfway up with no proper footrest, he could be stranded up there.

After several minutes of consideration, Sevir resolved to take the risk and scale the cliff. Long story short – he survived. Though the climb was perilous and there was many a moment when he thought that he was surely doomed. When he reached the top, he marveled at the sights. To the south was familiar territory – the mountain-side he trekked before reaching this canyon. To the west, he saw the other side of the canyon, and the side of the mountain which it carved through. In the east, Sevir couldn’t see much save for the woods right before him, and the mountain up above. But when he turned north, Sevir couldn’t believe his eyes. The canyon continued on northward, and the stream at its base. A few miles ahead, however, they passed inbetween two mountains. Beyond these two mountainsides Sevir saw a glimpse of what lay beyond.

Unknown to the villagers living just fifteen miles south of it, hidden in the mountains was a large bountiful valley. Sevir was stunned. All his life he had been told that the North Mountains completely covered the land north of their village for a hundred miles or more. But now he saw, with his own eyes, that there was yet much to be found and explored. So, his eyes full of wonder, his heart filled with excitement, and his belly full of game, he continued his journey towards the valley.

The Valley – Part 1

The sun was beating down upon the mountaintops. The snow capped peaks gleamed and shimmered above a sea of fog. Or was it clouds? One would not be able to tell. This was not so much a mountain range, as simply a land of mountains. From a bird’s eye view, it was all mountains to the east, north, and west, save for a large valley to the north. Of course, Sevir saw none of this. He was making his way through the mountains along a narrow cliff. All he saw was the stream far down at the bottom, his feet on the narrow ledge, the cliff face before him, and the crevices in which he placed his hands.

Sevir felt his pulse in his head and his heart pounding in his chest. He constantly had to adjust his grip because his hands were sweaty. His arms and feet felt heavy. His breath was weak and unsteady. He felt as though he could fall already. Though just moments ago, he thought that he was ready to scale the cliff. As he crept along the ledge, Sevir tried his best to occupy his mind. His thoughts carried him off of the cliff, out of the mountains, and back to the village he once called home.

Many called Sevir a fool for leaving his village, which was nestled under the Great Mountains. It had been common wisdom for centuries that there was nothing beyond the mountains but more mountains. Sevir, however, figured that he had no choice. Though there was much space to build new homes, there was no room for Sevir in the village. Not anymore.

Over the span of a few years, Sevir observed the Head Council become skewed and misguided in their thinking. Faithful laborers were ignored and cast aside in favor of agreeable yes-men. Decisions were made not to benefit the village’s families but for the ego and pride of those in charge. Though the Head Council claimed otherwise, it was clear that everything they did served no purpose other than gaining more resources and growing in their status. Perhaps, on the surface, it appeared that the village was prospering. Growing more into a town than a village. But in Sevir’s eyes, even if the village really was growing, it was all for the wrong reasons.

It came to a point that Sevir decided he had had enough. He figured that he would rather risk his life in search of a different home for his family than continue serving those that had abused him and others in their bid for glory. And so, Sevir found himself in the mountains. He was cold, he was hungry, and he was afraid. Yet he pressed on.

He slowly shimmied along until he reached a point where the ledge came to a natural rocky terrace. It overlooked the stream and greenery below. Though far safer than what came before it, it was a small opening and didn’t lead anywhere. How he would continue, Sevir had no idea. He decided to rest and spend the night at this spot as he figured that a solution might come to him in the morning. In the meantime, he was content to eat a morsel of bread and enjoy the view.

The Prey

Dalibor bent over to catch his breath. His throat felt ragged, as though the air was scratching it. His heart was pounding in his chest, his head was spinning, and his calves were burning. He let his bag drop off of his shoulder and sat down next to it on the ground, which was all a coarse black rock. It came out of the mouth of the cave and extended down the slope. There were no trees, no brush, no grass near the cave. Only the black rock and a dry red soil. The rest of the mountain below was all dirt, rock, ash, and withered trees. Far down the slope, at the foot of the mountain, there was a dense forest. It could not be seen from where Dalibor was, however, as there was a thick fog over the mountain.

As Dalibor’s breath evened out and his mind cleared, he began to scan his surroundings. The mouth of the cave at which he sat was a little shy of ten meters in height. It was so dark inside that he only saw a bit of the entrance. The surrounding stone was charred. Higher up the mountain, the stone was smooth and almost aglow. The peak stood out amongst the rest of the mountain range as the other mountains were all snow-capped. It was unusual, but not surprising to Dalibor. He felt the heat coming from within the mountain as he sat on the ground. As he moved his hand along the rock, he felt tremors, as though a mighty beast stirred within the mountain.

Though the rock was warm, Dalibor felt a chill come over him. His eye twitched, his knees felt weak, his neck stiffened, and his breath got caught in his throat. His heart was gripped with a terror he had never felt before. It was clear now that his quarry was far mightier than he expected. In all his years of hunting, he had never had a thought such as the one he did now: “Perhaps I might become the prey today.”

He stood up shakily and gripped his bow. With the other hand, he grabbed an arrow from the quiver at his hip and nocked it. As he did so, a rumble started to rise from within the cave, as though a growl. It was clear: the beast was aware of Dalibor’s presence. He figured that if he tried to run, it would pursue and kill him. He had only one choice – to fight the terror and slay it.

A foul smell met him as he entered the cave. He moved quickly, as though trying to escape his fear with speed. He realized that he had forgotten his bag, but it was too late now. He pressed on. Dalibor had to meet the beast where it didn’t expect it and take his shot before it made its move.

It was pitch black in the cave, but Dalibor had hit his mark in such conditions before. As he shuffled through the labyrinth, he listened closely for any sounds the beast could make. It was hot and moist in the tunnels. The trickle of water could be heard almost as clearly as the gnashing of teeth and scraping of claws. As the sounds became louder, Dalibor took his stance and drew a deep breath. The beast approached him from behind a row of stalagmites. He exhaled, took a half breath, turned towards the sound of slithering and snarling, and took his shot.

Dalibor could not see what happened, but he heard it. First, the twang of his bowstring releasing. Next, the sound of metal striking metal. Then a knock, as of wood hitting a rock. Finally, a rustling and a feint rumble. After all of this, he saw a bright orange light coming from behind a row of big black teeth. For one moment, Dalibor saw his foe. Then he was covered in flame.