We start this story in a strange land called Suraen, a strange country, but its inhabitants were even more so. We focus on a couple fare welling. “I wish I could go with you,” said Sara, the man’s pregnant wife. “I know but we’re expecting the baby soon” said the man to his wife. “I can’t bear to be without you for long” she exclaimed. “We will be back together in a couple of days”. He had spent almost all of his life’s savings to order escort to get her to a refugee camp not far away, after their old town was burned to the ground; luckily they were two of the handful of survivors.
They set off different ways. He would have to stay in the forest close to the road so as not to look suspicious, because if he were to travel alone on the road he would surely call attention to himself; whereas a pregnant woman traveling with a man in a wagon would go unnoticed.
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He ran his heart was pounding. He was breathing so hard that he had to stop to catch his breath. He looked back towards where he was fleeing. Everything was silent except for the trees rustling in the wind. He was panting so hard that his pursuers could easily find him.
When he could finally breathe normally, a sound pierced the silence, it was a hunting horn. His pursuers were much closer than he had expected. They must have been bred to hunt, because they had been on his heels for days. He started running but tripped on something on the ground (probably a tree root). He fell on the ground hitting his head on a rock on the ground. He quickly rose, wiping off his bloody face.
He turned around and searched for what made him trip. Then he saw it. It was the most beautiful stone that he had ever seen. He rushed over to it; it was a gigantic green gem. The dirt around it dipped inwards as if the stone fell from the heavens. An idea struck him he could sell this gem in the next town for a very hefty price. He dug it up. He was about to pick it up when he heard another hunting horn to his right. He grabbed it and a shock ran up his arms. Thrown back, he staggered to his feet and picked up the nearest stick, and prodded the strange stone it didn’t shock it so he picked the gem up off of the ground, and lifted it onto his shoulders. Despite its size it was fairly light.
He headed the opposite way from the hunter. In a couple of seconds 3 horns almost simultaneously sounded to his left, right, and directly ahead of him; he was trapped. The only choice that he had was to await his certain death.
About 15 minutes later almost 16 gruts walked into the clearing where he was hiding. Gruts are green ogre-looking savage beasts that have been around for centuries …and they never let a trail go cold.
He knew he would lose this battle, they were armed with spears, daggers, bows and arrows, and all that he had was a rock, two fists, and the clothes off of his back, he didn’t stand a fighting chance.
He held up the rock as if they wouldn’t kill him just because he had a pretty green rock. All he wished was that he could get out of this alive and see his wife again. All of the sudden a high pitched, ear splitting squeal erupted, the gem started to glow, the gruts flew backwards 20 feet and so did he. He slammed into a boulder and slumped to the ground unconscious.
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He returned into consciousness, and rose off of the ground. He had lost sense of time while he was asleep, he didn’t know if hours had passed or if days had. He headed towards the refugee camp.
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He knew that he was nearing the edge of the forest because the trees were getting less thick. Sure enough he exited the forest about an hour later.
When the refugee camp came into sight he quickened his pace. He slowed when he reached the gates; inside every last building was burned to the ground. He was about to get on his knees and start crying when he thought, “maybe she got delayed”; but then on one of the walls he saw 5 tally marks and some words scribbled under them, “I hope he will get here soon-signed sara”. Fury engulfed him and the rock glowed again, but this time much brighter.
