Fiction:Everlands/Stories/Audio Recording: "Jhuul's Log - Part 1"

'''[This audio log was recorded by Chosen, also known as “Jhuul”. It was recovered by Chosen ‘Tempest’.]'''

“The others began creating logs to record their journeys. Either through tradition, organization, or just plain boredom. I figured I should start a log as well...we ought to try and keep up appearances after all.”

“My name is Jhuulnaar Doril. I am one of the Chosen, warriors who were gifted control over an element by the old gods. You might have heard of the stories of the Chosen heroes of the Old World...their legendary exploits, over the top heroism, and misguided sense of honor. Maybe times really were like that at one point. But not now. Now, we Chosen do what we can to help out what's left of civilization. Slaying Dark Beasts, guarding towns, or teaching others how to fend for themselves. It's all we really can do nowadays.”

“There's not much else to really know about me personally. I'm a practitioner of the old Volver swordsmanship forms. I'm not a Volver myself mind you, but my mentor and father was. Took me in when I was a larva, and raised me like one of his own. Those were good times, or whatever counts as good these days. Though it does get annoying when new folks I meet ask why an Antroth like me has a traditional Volver name.”

“That's all I've got for now. I'll record more updates as I move on.”

[The recording ends]

[A new recording begins, set roughly one week after the previous one]

“It’s Jhuulnaar Doril again. I was in Fornaas a few days ago and got a tip from the tavern that there was a small town over on the east coast that sells all manner of fish and other meats. I'm half a day’s ride from there at the moment. You may be wondering “Jhuulnaar, are you seriously going all the way to the east coast for some fish?”. Well, that’s part of the reason I’m heading there. You see, fish aren’t exactly easy to come by when you do most of your adventuring inland. My father and I ate fish regularly when I was a kid, so the thought of getting my hands on any seafood dish at makes me nostalgic. The other reason is that I’ve heard talk of a ranger out there who is apparently pretty good at killing Dark Beasts. If he’s as good as they say, He’ll make a fine addition to the ranks of the Chosen.”

“In our time as a Chosen, it’s customary to start training a protege to one day take our place. I’ve been out here for at least two decades, and I’m thinking that maybe I should get on that. This ranger could prove to be what I’m looking for in a successor. Then I can-”

[faint growls can be heard in the distance]

“Ah, more Dark Beasts have picked up my scent. I’ll have to cut this recording short. “

[the sound of a sword being drawn echoes throughout his surroundings as the recording ends abruptly]

[A new recording starts, one day after the last one ended]

“I was too late. When I arrived to the village it was nothing but ash. I gathered that this place was overrun by Dark Beasts. The remains of the townsfolk and livestock were scattered about,some of which were mostly charred or half eaten...which isn’t too out of the ordinary for attacks of this kind. But there were things that were certainly not something I’d expect to see. Firstly, the fact that the buildings were burned to the ground. Yes, some Dark Beasts can breathe fire, but it’s very uncommon for them to burn down entire settlements. Usually they use the fire to kill townsfolk or force people out of hiding...but this looks like the destruction of the village was the primary goal rather than Dark Beasts hunting for food. Another thing that was out of the ordinary was that there were footprints that did not belong to a Dark Beast. They were that of maybe a Soldarian or something bipedal. Their tracks did not indicate the person was fleeing or fighting. It’s almost as if the person was walking alongside the beasts during the attack.”

“It’s a grim thought...but it could be possible that the village was attacked by a person who had control over the beasts. By what means or purpose I do not know. But what I do know is that the ranger I’m looking for survived the attack. I’ve been tracking him through the woods for a few hours now...he sure left a lot of dead Dark Beasts in his wake. I’ll start recording again if I find anything new.”

[The recording ends]

[A new recording picks up, roughly 20 minutes after the last one ended]

“I’ve found...what looks to be what’s left of the survivors of the massacre back at that town. The snow here is bloody and there are bodies all over the place. I’m assuming they were ambushed on all sides by Dark Beasts, and the ranger was unable to save them all. They’ve been dead for a while though...the stench is pretty strong.”

“That aside, I found the body of a woman in the river. She was clad in tattered black robes, sunken eyes, and her body felt ice cold, even more so than the bodies on the ridge. She was a Ugandalorian, though somehow different. It was like she was a Ugandalorian that was imitating a Ugandalorian. That sounds confusing I know, but even I’m confused by the concept. She also had a sword that sat at the bottom of the river. The strangest thing was that I didn’t actually see the sword. I just knew it was there somehow...as if it was whispering to me. I didn’t bother to dive in and grab it though...seemed pretty obvious that the Darkness was at play here. Besides, I needed to move on and find the ranger...or if he’s dead, what’s left of him.”

[The recording ends]

[A recording begins, somewhat abruptly and a few days after the last recording. The following transcript depicts a conversation between two individuals: Jhuul and the Ranger]

[The sound of the leaves and snow crunching beneath Jhuul’s feet can be heard as the recording starts. He comes to a halt and clears his throat.]

Jhuul - “Are you the Ranger?”

[There is no reply, however, the sounds of someone shifting a few meters away from Jhuul can be heard.]

Jhuul - “Can you hear me alright? Are you the Ranger? The one from the town back that way?”

Man - “No...ain’t no ranger here...only…”

[There is silence for a moment]

Jhuul - “Only what?”

Man - “Only the Cold.”

Jhuul - “Do...you mean the weather? I suppose it is. It’s the winter after all-”

Man - “No…”

[Another moment of silence]

Jhuul - “....Okay...do you know where the Ranger might be?”

Man - “Ranger...ranger….”

[The man raises a hand to his chest.]

Man - “The ranger is dead...then the Wanderer...dead too. It’s just the cold now.”

Jhuul - “I’m not sure if I understand lad. Do you at least know what happened back at the village?”

Man - “.....the...town”

Jhuul - “I understand if it’s difficult to tell me. But any information you have could bring me closer to bringing those responsible to justice.”

[There is another moment of silence]

Man - “The cold came...came in needles and shards. Took everyone. I...no...the Ranger tried to stop them...didn’t survive...the Wanderer tried to keep the cold away…”

[A smile forms on the man’s face]

Man - “Cold took him anyway…”

[Jhuul rests a hand on the pommel of his sword.]

Jhuul - “You are...or were the Ranger? What...what has become of you…?”

Man - “I TOLD YOU!”

[The whoosh of fabric can be heard as Jhuul swiftly brings his hand to the grip of his sword. The man looks at Jhuul’s tensed hand and grins again.]

Man - “Does it want to know? Does it want to know about the cold? I can teach it…”

[The man begins to walk towards Jhuul, his previously cloaked form revealing a rifle covered in an oozing black substance.]

Jhuul - “I suggest you step back son...I know how to defend myself”

Man - “It’s not me...it’s the cold. It’s the cold!”

[The man raises his rifle and fires. Jhuul avoids the bullet and draws his sword. The Chosen swordsman rushes in before the fallen Ranger can fire another shot, running him through with his blade. The ranger drops his rifle and grabs the blade in his chest, as if he was trying to remove it. His hollow eyes met Jhuul’s as the swordsman drove the sword deeper into the ranger’s chest. The man falls to his knees as Jhuul withdraws his sword.]

Jhuul - “I’m sorry it had to end this way Ranger...I heard you were an upstanding man…”

[The Ranger places a hand on his new chest wound. He slowly looks up at Jhuul, his eyes slowly returning to what they once were.]

Man - “There was another one. ..besides the bitch…”

Jhuul - “What?”

Ranger - “There was a man...with the girl…she’s dead...killed her. The man...he’s....”

[the Ranger shrugged weakly]

Jhuul - “I see…”

[Jhuul knelt down to the dying man.]

Jhuul - “I’ll find him. Rest now...”

Ranger - “....funny...it’s...so...so warm now…”

[The recording ends]

[A new recording is started, two days after the events of the last one.]

“Sorry I ended the last recording so abruptly. I had to leave the area once I settled things there...didn’t want to fight the Dark Beasts if I didn’t have to. Loud noises like gunshots are prone to attract them after a while. It looks like my search for an apprentice might have to be put on hold until I can figure out who or what destroyed that village though. So far I’ve found small bits of information from the local taverns and passerbys. I might have to track down other Chosen and see if they know anything.”

[Jhuul takes a sip of his drink before continuing.]

“I...buried the Ranger in case you’re wondering. Had to. I heard that he was a fine man once. He didn’t deserve to die like that. I don’t believe anyone does.”

[The recording ends]