shred flesh. Four eyes were spaced around the head, each a deep red color and each capable of seeing in the dark nearly as well as in the daylight. The arrangement of the eyes gave the creature a field of view that was unmatched by any other predator in Sedfair, making it difficult to surprise. The fact the creature had little fear of man, especially in smaller groups, made them the gravest threat to the unwary in the mountains.
“That one is only partially grown,” Kall informed his Sergeant. “You should see one of the full sized males.”
Sergeant Tant looked at Kall doubtfully trying to decide if he was being misled.
“You’re kidding,” he said finally, certain that Kall was testing his gullibility. Tant was from the south where such creatures didn’t exist.
“Seriously,” Kall replied. “They grow to be half again as large as that one.”
“How do you kill them?” Tant asked.
“Preferably from a distance,” Kall told him. “The only one I have personally brought down was a female and I did it with a long bow at over fifty paces. It took four well placed arrows to kill it, and even then I had to finish it off with my sword.”
Tant looked at the creature returning his perusal from up in the tree. The forward pair of reddish eyes watched him as if considering how difficult it would be to add him as dessert.
“Can they be killed with a sword?” Tant asked uncertainly. The only weapon he carried with him was one of the Army’s short fighting swords.
“A spear would be far better for the task,” Kall replied. “You don’t want to get within range of those claws. I’ve seen the results of men attacked and it’s not very pretty. I’ve been told that men have taken the beast with a long sword, but I’ve never heard of anyone coming out on top with the kind of short sword we carry.”
“Wouldn’t our armor provide some protection?” Tant asked.
Like most of the men he wore leathers that had been treated for durability and which had been branded with a series of glyphs which were said to make it difficult for the enemy to land a strike or hit from afar with an arrow. They were also supposed to be somewhat resistant to magical spells. Kall wasn’t sure how effective the spells were. In his experience he had seen many with such armor killed and maimed. He suspected the markings were for morale rather than any real protection. His own leathers were free of such symbols, reflecting his ingrained mistrust of the Casters in such matters. He’d be more willing to believe the symbols were there to ensure the men charged into battle fearlessly than to provide any real protection. He wanted his decisions to be free of any such influences. Kall had heard of special armor covered with runes that would make arrows miss their target, and the blows from an opponent’s sword unable to land. He’d never seen such armor, and truthfully doubted its existence. Nonetheless, the rumors and stories circulated among the troops as always.
“He’d go through those like they weren’t there,” Kall replied giving him an honest assessment.
Tant looked around the mountain, the thick trees suddenly appearing far more menacing than they had a short time before.
“Do they travel in packs?” he asked. “Shouldn’t we be more concerned about any others?”
Kall shook his head. “They are quite smart and realize there is easier game to be had than armed men with their sharp swords. The Jurten can see our number and know what the spears of our forward guard represent. It’s also important to know that they hunt alone. They will fight one another over game, so we don’t need to fear a number of them laying an ambush. Any attack would be a single Jurten and I have no doubts we could handle that.”
Sergeant Tant didn’t appear entirely convinced and he loosed his sword in its scabbard just to be certain. He carried one of the more common steel
“That one is only partially grown,” Kall informed his Sergeant. “You should see one of the full sized males.”
Sergeant Tant looked at Kall doubtfully trying to decide if he was being misled.
“You’re kidding,” he said finally, certain that Kall was testing his gullibility. Tant was from the south where such creatures didn’t exist.
“Seriously,” Kall replied. “They grow to be half again as large as that one.”
“How do you kill them?” Tant asked.
“Preferably from a distance,” Kall told him. “The only one I have personally brought down was a female and I did it with a long bow at over fifty paces. It took four well placed arrows to kill it, and even then I had to finish it off with my sword.”
Tant looked at the creature returning his perusal from up in the tree. The forward pair of reddish eyes watched him as if considering how difficult it would be to add him as dessert.
“Can they be killed with a sword?” Tant asked uncertainly. The only weapon he carried with him was one of the Army’s short fighting swords.
“A spear would be far better for the task,” Kall replied. “You don’t want to get within range of those claws. I’ve seen the results of men attacked and it’s not very pretty. I’ve been told that men have taken the beast with a long sword, but I’ve never heard of anyone coming out on top with the kind of short sword we carry.”
“Wouldn’t our armor provide some protection?” Tant asked.
Like most of the men he wore leathers that had been treated for durability and which had been branded with a series of glyphs which were said to make it difficult for the enemy to land a strike or hit from afar with an arrow. They were also supposed to be somewhat resistant to magical spells. Kall wasn’t sure how effective the spells were. In his experience he had seen many with such armor killed and maimed. He suspected the markings were for morale rather than any real protection. His own leathers were free of such symbols, reflecting his ingrained mistrust of the Casters in such matters. He’d be more willing to believe the symbols were there to ensure the men charged into battle fearlessly than to provide any real protection. He wanted his decisions to be free of any such influences. Kall had heard of special armor covered with runes that would make arrows miss their target, and the blows from an opponent’s sword unable to land. He’d never seen such armor, and truthfully doubted its existence. Nonetheless, the rumors and stories circulated among the troops as always.
“He’d go through those like they weren’t there,” Kall replied giving him an honest assessment.
Tant looked around the mountain, the thick trees suddenly appearing far more menacing than they had a short time before.
“Do they travel in packs?” he asked. “Shouldn’t we be more concerned about any others?”
Kall shook his head. “They are quite smart and realize there is easier game to be had than armed men with their sharp swords. The Jurten can see our number and know what the spears of our forward guard represent. It’s also important to know that they hunt alone. They will fight one another over game, so we don’t need to fear a number of them laying an ambush. Any attack would be a single Jurten and I have no doubts we could handle that.”
Sergeant Tant didn’t appear entirely convinced and he loosed his sword in its scabbard just to be certain. He carried one of the more common steel
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