Charax The Avenger

Charax The Avenger

A Short Fable by Nick Ramsey

(C) 2016

The fires of The Desparos burned so hot that it was hard to think about anything else at times. Charax didn't seemed to mind as he continued to stare into the flames. A pack of howling Blud bats flew above him but he did not notice them as he was deep in meditation. He had come to The Desparos with a purpose: to destroy Grawch The Spell Caster; if he still existed. 

A low rumble shook the very ground Charax stood upon and it woke him from his meditative state. He turned around and standing before him was a hundred foot skryeek hissing and spreading its wings. Its eyes lit with green magic and Charax began to tremble. He squeezed the handle of his spear as the words tore from his green skinned mouth. 

"So, Grawch, you cannot face me? You send a monster?" Charax yelled.  The skryeek's eyes lit and Grawch's voice sprung from it's long, slimy tongue. 

"You are no match for me and my beast is very, very hungry."

Charax grew angrier and stepped forward in an attack stance. 

"I aim to make you suffer for what you did to my wife. I cannot let that stand!" Charax shouted. 

"Drielle deserved her fate and your self pity has brought you to yours." Grawch hissed through the throat of the skryeek.

The skryeek snapped at Charax but he jumped out of the way stabbing its foot. Blood slung across the nearby rocks and the bats swooped down to slurp it up as the battle continued. Charax went for a wing but missed and fell, scraping his own knee. It was taking all of his strength just to scratch the creature and it overshadowed him like the castle of Vinow. The skryeek began to snap him up but he rolled out of the way leaving his spear a victim of the skryeek. 

Charax felt safe behind the rocks as the creature stomped from place to place searching for him but soon he felt strange as if he was sinking; he was. Charax was sinking in the quicksand of The Desparos and he had nothing to pull himself out. How could I be so stupid? he thought as he struggled for escape, Grawch was right, my self pity brought me to my end. 

The more he struggled the more he drew attention to himself and soon the skryeek heard him. It flew over and landed in front of him mere inches from the quicksand. Charax was completely covered except for his head and he watched the creature stare at him as he helplessly drowned in the sand.