'Takara and the horror'

As told by Liana, elder of the village Metazoan.

"Thirty years ago a human called Takara arrived in our village. He was a hot-blooded youth from one of the nomad tribes that frequent these parts. Having recently come of age, he was eager to prove his manhood. The nomadic nature of his tribe meant that there could be no fixed rituals involved, and the youth had been sent out to find and accomplish a task worthy of a man. Once this was done he could return to his people, and take up a position among the other men of his tribe.

"Anyway, he had arrived in our village after a few days journey, and was in need of a good bed for the night. We were in times of dire trouble then, from which we have not yet fully recovered, as you will soon hear. But even in our troubled state our tavern owner, Kaolin, who's son now runs the tavern in his fathers stead, gave Takara free board. We have traditionally had good relations with the nomad tribes, and this has been a service granted by our village since before the Horror Coming

"Whilst eating a small meal, for we are not so generous as to starve ourselves for the benefit of a nomad youth, Takara overheard a conversation regarding our dire situation. He heard that the feared one had been seen out of the Catacombs again, and the villagers were frightened. The truth be known, a horror had taken up residence in Catacombs of Metazoan, and we were afraid for our souls that it would surface and enslave us.

"When Takara heard of this, he immediately decided that his task of manhood was to rid us of this burden on our minds. To this end, Takara spoke to Lorain my grandfather, who was at that time the village elder. Takara asked 'Who is that you fear my friends, for whatever it be, I will take it as my task of manhood to free you from this dark oppression of the mind. You who have been good to me, and offered me food and lodging.' (For even as it is tradition to offer a newly aged nomad youth free board, so it is tradition for them to repay the favor in any way they are able.)

"Then Lorain gave Takara reply 'To the sorrow of this village, a horror has taken residence in our Village Catacombs. Although I see that you would willingly do as you say, and that you if any man would be capable of carrying out this task, I fear that it is a task of such difficulty that it requires the attention of an adept.'

"But although my grandfathers words were well crafted, Takara took them as insult, and rebutted 'I am capable of the feats of any knight. If you would but permit me access to you catacombs, then I will return to you with the Horror's head as trophy.'

"Then Lorain warned 'You are permitted access to the catacombs, but I implore you, do not let your pride lead you to a premature demise. Think carefully of what you propose, and weigh all outcomes against one another before you rush headlong into the lions jaws.' "Takara spent little or no time thinking of the consequences as Lorain had suggested, for he still felt hurt by my grandfather's words. Instead, Takara gathered his saber, and proceeded into the catacombs.

"Once inside, Takara met with cadaverous man, given false life by the fiendish horror. These monsters he dealt with, quickly putting them to death for a second time. Takara explored much of the catacombs, slaying many cadaverous men before he came upon the Horror. It was seven feet tall, with the legs of a horse. Its torso was like that of an ape, and its head like a bats. It had two pairs of arms, the lower of which it used like legs, to support its bent body. In the second pair of arms the Horror wielded a fearsome hammer of incredible size.

"When he saw the Horror, a rage grew within Takara the like of which he had never felt before. He cried a holy curse, and charged in to battle with a mighty slash at the Horrors shoulder. Stroke for stroke, Takara matched the unholy skill of the Horror. But as the battle continued, both grew tired. Both combatants' reactions dimmed, and they were hit by strokes that they could normally have blocked.

"Then the Horror hit Takara with a hefty swing, knocking him to the ground. Takara looked up to see the Horror salavering in anticipation of the torture it could perform on him. Then Takara gathered the last of his strength, and drew his sword up the Horrors body, inflicting a mortal wound that ran from its hip, up its chest to end where its eye had once been. The Horror reeled back, and slumped against a wall. As Takara stood and prepared for a deathblow, the Horror began to chant the words of an incantation that enslaves its victims, so they will protect the caster until their dying day..

"As Takara swung his saber down in a double handed arc, the spell took effect. Takara's hands shuddered to a halt as his mind struggled to resist the effects of the incantation, but to no avail. He was under the Horrors control, and now sought to heal the grievous wounds he had just inflicted.

"And so it continued, Takara seeking to heal and protect the Horror, which was to weak to cause torture to him. And so it remains today, thirty years later. But this peculiar relationship continued until both sides now depend on each other for their lives. For the Horror would die without the food and care brought by the enslaved boy, and the boys mind would not cope, were the controlling influence of the incantation to be removed.

"And so continues the tale of Takara and the Horror."