Fiction:Everlands/Stories/Audio Recording: "Jhuul's Log - Part 2"

'''[This series of recordings is a continuation of the audio logs made by Chosen. Recovered by Chosen ‘Tempest’. ]'''

[Recording starts, an unknown amount of time has passed since Jhuulnaar’s last recording in Part 1.]

“This is Jhuulnaar Doril. It’s been a while since my last recording. There wasn’t a lot for me to talk about before now. I’m staying in an inn room in a little town called Root. It’s a ways inland from the Southern Wastes. No one from Root has been to or from the Wastes, which doesn’t really surprise me all that much. You see, those wastes are said to be nothing but dead grasslands, thick unexplored forests, and dangerous crags and canyons. What’s worse is that the place is crawling with Dark Beasts. Not your everyday Dark Beasts however. I’m talking about powerful, ancient Dark Beasts that are the stuff of nightmares.”

“Now you might be asking ‘Jhuulnaar, what does this have to do with Root? What does this have to do with anything?’. Well, a few days ago I met with a fellow Chosen. She told me that there were rumors floating around the land about a man who apparently has been to and returned from the Wastes. Some folks said they saw him walking along a trail from the east, followed by a nasty looking kind of Dark Beast they had never seen before. They say the man even radiated a dark and cold aura. They call him The Shadow. Apparently the name is familiar to the folks from the last few towns I’ve been to. Even heard a story about how he single handedly killed a tavern full of people to the west of here. I have no doubt that this ‘Shadow’ is the same man that was responsible for the destruction of the late Ranger’s hometown.”

“Right now, I’m staying in Root for a while to resupply and rest. After that, I’ll be heading west to check out that tavern to see if I can pick up The Shadow’s trail. That’s all for now, I’m going to get some much needed rest.”

[Recording Ends]

[Recording Starts]

“It’s Jhuulnaar again. I’ve only been here for a day and a half and now all of Root is praising me as some sort of hero. Some Dark Beasts attacked the town this morning. I made short work of them of course, though not everyone made it out of the skirmish alive. During the battle, I noticed that the beasts were initially approaching from the west in what looked like a coordinated attack. Out west is where folks from a few towns over said The Shadow was last seen. I’ve got a bad feeling about all this...something doesn’t seem right. I think I’ll do some more investigating here before I move on. I should go now...there are some people that need burying.”

[Recording Ends]

[Recording Begins]

“Jhuulnaar here. Been a few days since my last update. I’ve been helping people build fortifications to the parameter of the town. Of course the overseer of the town doesn’t seem to like my involvement with ‘his people’. Says I should ‘skip town’ or ‘stop getting in their business’. But I’m a Chosen. The safety of all people is my business. Hopefully he can come to understand that.”

[Jhuulnaar sighs] “Aside from that, there is something else I stumbled across during my stay here. There’s a boy who lives up the road from the inn, and I cross paths with him occasionally. The kid is constantly asking me about my adventures, and sometimes I’ll humor him if I’ve got the time. There’s something interesting about stopping for once to tell a tale to someone. He hangs on my every word and his eyes sparkle with wonder and excitement. To him, and to the rest of the town, I’m a hero. Just yesterday, the boy came up to me and asked, ‘Mr. Doril, can you please teach me how to use a sword?’. Now usually I would turn such a request down, especially if a child asks me. However...there’s something about this kid that made me actually consider it. I don’t know what it was honestly...but I eventually agreed to teach him. Perhaps it’s my newfound need to train a protege or maybe I’m just getting a bit soft as the years pass by. Whatever the case, I’ll begin training the boy in the mornings, while conducting my investigations in the afternoon. That’s it for now...I’ll make another update if something changes.”

[Recording Ends]

[A new recording picks up, three months after the previous one]

“Nothing new to report regarding my investigation on The Shadow. However I did want to note the progress of my student, Jacen. He has a lot of latent talent for a twelve year old. I know that sounds weird...but with time, he could make a powerful Chosen one day. As it turns out, he might have been the student I’ve been looking for this whole time. A rumor among the Chosen is that our successors are already predestined, we just have to discover them. If that’s the case, I might have to give what I’ve discovered to my comrades a lot sooner than I expected. I would like to focus my efforts on training Jacen, while the other Chosen can look for The Shadow in my stead.

“On that note, I will be heading out of Root for a few days to meet with my fellow Chosen. I need to fill them in on what I know. I’ll have to leave Jacen here however. The wilds can be quite dangerous, even for a kid as talented as him. I have to go now, I’ll record an update soon.”

[Recording Ends]

[A new recording begins, roughly ten days after the last one ended]

“It’s Jhuulnaar again. I’ve informed the other Chosen about The Shadow...but at what cost? I ran into Jacen and a few townsfolk on my way back to Root. They told me the town was destroyed by a man ordering around Dark Beasts. It must have been The Shadow...and I wasn’t there to stop him. Right now I’m leading the few townsfolk that survived further inland. There is a stronghold ran by Chosen Fyrtok...which I hope is still standing by now. I’ll never forgive myself for leaving Root unguarded. I know that the people and even Jacen don’t blame me for what happened… but I do. There’s so much more I could have done…”

[Recording Ends]

[A new reading begins, a few days after the last one ended.]

“It’s Jhuulnaar. The Shadow is following me. At first, I thought he was preying on the villagers...but I was wrong. Once I was certain he was following me and not the group, I sent the survivors on ahead to the stronghold and doubled back into the woods. This way, the Shadow will not know where the stronghold is. I can still sense his presence trailing me. Eventually, he will catch up to me. Jacen is being stubborn and refuses to leave me alone out here. I’ve told him that we are heading back to the stronghold...but that was a lie. While he’s sleeping, I’m going to turn back and face The Shadow. If I kill him, then that will be the end of it. If I don’t...then this will be my last recording.”

“Jacen, if you are listening to this...be strong. I’ve taught you all I can...the other Chosen will look after you. I’m...I’m sorry.”

[The recording ends]

[As confirmed by Chosen “Tempest”, Jhuulnaar Doril’s body was found approximately 4 hours after the last recording ended.]