07 Apr 2012
Bundo Kess had been riding for nineteen days and hunger gnawed at his gut like a rat at a rope. He dug a heel into Keddiks leathery flank and the tough old rhinox twitched into a quicker gait. Keddik was hungry too, Kess knew. Another night without meat was unthinkable: they had to find prey. Bundo pulled on Keddiks rein, and the ogre and his mount began a descent into the snow-bound valley beneath. Weaker creatures sought shelter as night gathered, even in light snow like this, he thought. If he could find a wandering thinling or two crouched among the rocks, he and the rhinox could drive off the hunger a little, and sleep more soundly.
Dusk was already greying the snows when Keddik snorted and shrugged in a way that told Kess he had caught a scent. He loosened the rein and let his mount follow an unseen thread into a copse of dead trees. As quietly as a five-ton beast of battle and his colossal, clanking burden could manage, they padded steadily on between the silvery trunks. The great iron shield of the moon hung sullenly in a sky of ash, and a fine snow sifted through the bare branches around them. Keddik snorted again, stopped and pawed the ground. His rheumy eyes were fixed on a point some hundred strides away, and he stared with an urgency that Bundo understood. The ogre leaned forward and uttered a reassuring grunt into the beasts ear, and dismounted slowly and carefully. From where it sat sheathed on Keddiks huge flank, Bundo Kess took his blade, Stonebiter: half-sword, half-cleaver, a nine-foot horror of dried blood and rusted iron. At its very edge, the blade gleamed balefully. The ogre ground away at it with a whetstone daily, and the rust that covered its sides and hilt found no purchase there. Stonebiter was the only thing Kess took care of. It provided supper, so it had worth.
Peering into the gloom, the ogre suddenly saw something that made his gut spasm with urgent glee: a thin column of smoke- a thinling fire! Thinlings had weak, fragile guts and had to turn their pitiful gobbets of bird-meat over flame before their delicate little teeth could even tear it from the bone. Kess wondered that anybeast could be bothered with such trouble at every eating-time. Shouldering Stonebiter, he stepped behind an old dead pine and eyed the scene ahead. The ghostly smoke rose through the still air, but he could not see the fire. The ground must be hollowed there, he thought. He would need to get closer. Ogres did not think tactically- they did not need to. On open ground, an ogre was quicker, stronger and angrier than just about any opponent, and the only battle tactic an ogre knew was to run forward, kill and eat, in that order. Amongst the trees though, a thinling might escape down a badger hole, or run into a thicket where an ogres bulk could not follow. If he could surprise his quarry, Bundo Kess would have his dinner sooner, so he would creep, shamefully, like a gnoblar, and stay low and quiet.
He was crawling on all fours by the time he reached the edge of the hollow. He looked over the lip of ground into it. The forest floor fell away more sharply than hed expected, and, even stranger, the earth was warm to the touch beneath his great gnarled hands. He observed with a mild surprise: not a single flake of snow settled on the ground of the hollow. The whole area, some fifty strides across, was wet where falling snow had melted on the warm earth. But there were no thinlings. No creatures at all. And no trees. Kess turned his gaze to the very centre of the dish of black earth, and saw that the column of smoke he had been following rose from something small and round and black. Bundo did not know what the thing was, but it was not a fire. He eased his bulk over the edge of the hollow, and skidded down the steep slope to where the ground began to level and he could walk upright. He felt the warmth of the earth. The air had a heat as well. He had never known heat without the sun or a fire, and the sense of not knowing, of not understanding, made him uneasy. His fingers closed more tightly around Stonebiters sweaty haft. When he reached the black orb, he could see more clearly the way the smoke rose from it, and he could hear the hiss of snow vanishing into steam on its baking surface. The thing was rounded, roughly egg-shaped, and only a little bigger than his fist. Its surface was a velvety black- the black of soot. He poked it with Stonebiter. At once, a searing stab of agony ripped through his gut as if he had been lanced. The blade fell from his hand and he doubled over with the shock of pain. He moaned as he recognised the feeling for what it was. He was hungry. So very hungry. He eyed the stone in desperate curiosity. The careless poke of Bundos blade had shaken off its mantle of soot, and it glowed a fierce mottled orange. He gazed at it, and it seemed to gaze back.
EAT ME
said the rock, without sound.
EAT ME
The forest disappeared. All was blackness. Only the gleaming eye of orange rock stared at Bundo Kess out of the dark. He felt its heat like the breath of the sun on his trembling face, and another sickening storm of hunger rumbled through the aching cavern of his gut.
EAT...
...ME
Bundo howled because he could not make sense of what he saw. He felt like a youngling, trembling at his fathers bellowing voice. His fathers voice.
EAT ME, BUNDO KESS, AND QUELL YOUR HUNGER
He fell to his knees. He reached for the stone. The orange eye did not break its gaze. Bundo touched the glowing rock, and smelled the skin of his hands cooking on its surface, but he felt no pain. With reverent slowness, the ogre lifted the burning stone to his face. He closed his eyes, and opened his great round mouth.
the O of Kesss mouth was encircled by a mad henge of crooked yellow teeth, tough as iron. As he placed the stone within it, his saliva steamed into nothingness, his teeth blackened and his tongue blistered obscenely. He felt nothing but a great calmness- a sensation entirely unfamiliar to him. He swallowed. Heat flowed through him. The hunger vanished. He could feel the great eye of fire, within him now, still watching him. He collapsed.
Bundo Kess dreamed of the Maw. He had never seen it, but it had been described to him so many times that he felt he knew it like he knew the back of Keddiks tufted head. He saw himself, standing at its rocky edge. Gazing across the miles of empty air, he made out the distant rows of rocky teeth clustered along the edge beyond. Beneath him, the horrifying pit stretched away into unknowable depths. The ground shook beneath his feet. He heard the Great Maw speak.
I HAVE BLESSED YOU, BUNDO KESS. I HAVE MADE YOU PART OF ME. YOUR MOUTH IS MY MOUTH. YOUR GUT IS MY GUT. WHAT YOU EAT, SO SHALL I EAT. YOU SHALL NOT FEAR THE FIRES OF THE EARTH. YOU SHALL FEAR NOTHING. YOU SHALL SPEAK FLAME TO YOUR ENEMIES AND TO YOUR TRIBE. RETURN TO THEM NOW, AND TELL THEM OF YOUR SUPPER OF STONE AND FLAME. THEY WILL SEE IT IN YOUR EYES AND WILL FOLLOW YOU AND FEAR YOU, AS THOSE OF YOUR KIND ARE FEARED. GO, BUNDO KESS, AND EAT THE WORLD. DO IT FOR ME, THAT I MAY KNOW ITS TASTE."
***
When Bundo woke, it was morning. He rose stiffly and saw steam rising from his naked body. Nothing remained of his clothes save a few blackened tatters of stiff, curled leather. Only his gut-plate remained, chained around his belly, and he was relieved to see Stonebiter lying where he had dropped it, though its grip had burned down to the bare metal tang. His body was unscarred, but his skin tingled like the wind on a bleeding wound. He felt strange, but he felt strong and full of vigour. He felt... new. His veins thrilled with energy, as if he were in the midst of battle, or mounting a mate. He laughed. Throwing back his head, he gave a mighty roar, and was startled nearly off his feet by the sensation of a tremendous plume of fire rushing from his throat, turning the very air to flame for a moment.
He knew what to do. He must forget his hunt, he had a bigger quarry now. He must forget Keddik too. The poor beast would cook beneath his saddle if Kess rode him now- better to turn him loose. He would return to his tribe, and take them to war. He, Bundo Kess, would eat the world, that the Maw may know its taste.
Bundo began his long walk, naked, through the empty plains, back home. Where his feet fell, the snow melted and the earth showed through, black as soot.
Dusk was already greying the snows when Keddik snorted and shrugged in a way that told Kess he had caught a scent. He loosened the rein and let his mount follow an unseen thread into a copse of dead trees. As quietly as a five-ton beast of battle and his colossal, clanking burden could manage, they padded steadily on between the silvery trunks. The great iron shield of the moon hung sullenly in a sky of ash, and a fine snow sifted through the bare branches around them. Keddik snorted again, stopped and pawed the ground. His rheumy eyes were fixed on a point some hundred strides away, and he stared with an urgency that Bundo understood. The ogre leaned forward and uttered a reassuring grunt into the beasts ear, and dismounted slowly and carefully. From where it sat sheathed on Keddiks huge flank, Bundo Kess took his blade, Stonebiter: half-sword, half-cleaver, a nine-foot horror of dried blood and rusted iron. At its very edge, the blade gleamed balefully. The ogre ground away at it with a whetstone daily, and the rust that covered its sides and hilt found no purchase there. Stonebiter was the only thing Kess took care of. It provided supper, so it had worth.
Peering into the gloom, the ogre suddenly saw something that made his gut spasm with urgent glee: a thin column of smoke- a thinling fire! Thinlings had weak, fragile guts and had to turn their pitiful gobbets of bird-meat over flame before their delicate little teeth could even tear it from the bone. Kess wondered that anybeast could be bothered with such trouble at every eating-time. Shouldering Stonebiter, he stepped behind an old dead pine and eyed the scene ahead. The ghostly smoke rose through the still air, but he could not see the fire. The ground must be hollowed there, he thought. He would need to get closer. Ogres did not think tactically- they did not need to. On open ground, an ogre was quicker, stronger and angrier than just about any opponent, and the only battle tactic an ogre knew was to run forward, kill and eat, in that order. Amongst the trees though, a thinling might escape down a badger hole, or run into a thicket where an ogres bulk could not follow. If he could surprise his quarry, Bundo Kess would have his dinner sooner, so he would creep, shamefully, like a gnoblar, and stay low and quiet.
He was crawling on all fours by the time he reached the edge of the hollow. He looked over the lip of ground into it. The forest floor fell away more sharply than hed expected, and, even stranger, the earth was warm to the touch beneath his great gnarled hands. He observed with a mild surprise: not a single flake of snow settled on the ground of the hollow. The whole area, some fifty strides across, was wet where falling snow had melted on the warm earth. But there were no thinlings. No creatures at all. And no trees. Kess turned his gaze to the very centre of the dish of black earth, and saw that the column of smoke he had been following rose from something small and round and black. Bundo did not know what the thing was, but it was not a fire. He eased his bulk over the edge of the hollow, and skidded down the steep slope to where the ground began to level and he could walk upright. He felt the warmth of the earth. The air had a heat as well. He had never known heat without the sun or a fire, and the sense of not knowing, of not understanding, made him uneasy. His fingers closed more tightly around Stonebiters sweaty haft. When he reached the black orb, he could see more clearly the way the smoke rose from it, and he could hear the hiss of snow vanishing into steam on its baking surface. The thing was rounded, roughly egg-shaped, and only a little bigger than his fist. Its surface was a velvety black- the black of soot. He poked it with Stonebiter. At once, a searing stab of agony ripped through his gut as if he had been lanced. The blade fell from his hand and he doubled over with the shock of pain. He moaned as he recognised the feeling for what it was. He was hungry. So very hungry. He eyed the stone in desperate curiosity. The careless poke of Bundos blade had shaken off its mantle of soot, and it glowed a fierce mottled orange. He gazed at it, and it seemed to gaze back.
EAT ME
said the rock, without sound.
EAT ME
The forest disappeared. All was blackness. Only the gleaming eye of orange rock stared at Bundo Kess out of the dark. He felt its heat like the breath of the sun on his trembling face, and another sickening storm of hunger rumbled through the aching cavern of his gut.
EAT...
...ME
Bundo howled because he could not make sense of what he saw. He felt like a youngling, trembling at his fathers bellowing voice. His fathers voice.
EAT ME, BUNDO KESS, AND QUELL YOUR HUNGER
He fell to his knees. He reached for the stone. The orange eye did not break its gaze. Bundo touched the glowing rock, and smelled the skin of his hands cooking on its surface, but he felt no pain. With reverent slowness, the ogre lifted the burning stone to his face. He closed his eyes, and opened his great round mouth.
the O of Kesss mouth was encircled by a mad henge of crooked yellow teeth, tough as iron. As he placed the stone within it, his saliva steamed into nothingness, his teeth blackened and his tongue blistered obscenely. He felt nothing but a great calmness- a sensation entirely unfamiliar to him. He swallowed. Heat flowed through him. The hunger vanished. He could feel the great eye of fire, within him now, still watching him. He collapsed.
Bundo Kess dreamed of the Maw. He had never seen it, but it had been described to him so many times that he felt he knew it like he knew the back of Keddiks tufted head. He saw himself, standing at its rocky edge. Gazing across the miles of empty air, he made out the distant rows of rocky teeth clustered along the edge beyond. Beneath him, the horrifying pit stretched away into unknowable depths. The ground shook beneath his feet. He heard the Great Maw speak.
I HAVE BLESSED YOU, BUNDO KESS. I HAVE MADE YOU PART OF ME. YOUR MOUTH IS MY MOUTH. YOUR GUT IS MY GUT. WHAT YOU EAT, SO SHALL I EAT. YOU SHALL NOT FEAR THE FIRES OF THE EARTH. YOU SHALL FEAR NOTHING. YOU SHALL SPEAK FLAME TO YOUR ENEMIES AND TO YOUR TRIBE. RETURN TO THEM NOW, AND TELL THEM OF YOUR SUPPER OF STONE AND FLAME. THEY WILL SEE IT IN YOUR EYES AND WILL FOLLOW YOU AND FEAR YOU, AS THOSE OF YOUR KIND ARE FEARED. GO, BUNDO KESS, AND EAT THE WORLD. DO IT FOR ME, THAT I MAY KNOW ITS TASTE."
***
When Bundo woke, it was morning. He rose stiffly and saw steam rising from his naked body. Nothing remained of his clothes save a few blackened tatters of stiff, curled leather. Only his gut-plate remained, chained around his belly, and he was relieved to see Stonebiter lying where he had dropped it, though its grip had burned down to the bare metal tang. His body was unscarred, but his skin tingled like the wind on a bleeding wound. He felt strange, but he felt strong and full of vigour. He felt... new. His veins thrilled with energy, as if he were in the midst of battle, or mounting a mate. He laughed. Throwing back his head, he gave a mighty roar, and was startled nearly off his feet by the sensation of a tremendous plume of fire rushing from his throat, turning the very air to flame for a moment.
He knew what to do. He must forget his hunt, he had a bigger quarry now. He must forget Keddik too. The poor beast would cook beneath his saddle if Kess rode him now- better to turn him loose. He would return to his tribe, and take them to war. He, Bundo Kess, would eat the world, that the Maw may know its taste.
Bundo began his long walk, naked, through the empty plains, back home. Where his feet fell, the snow melted and the earth showed through, black as soot.
