Achilles Heel
" Come here, Mr Boreal! I'm not afraid of you. Up and at 'em. Yeah! Take that! Take that! And this! And that! And this! And that! And this! And that! And...."
The girl's sword railed against the house-sized foot of the giant for what seemed like eternity before she slowed down to a halt. She kneeled down onto the craggy ground before looking up at the sky, shaking a fist towards the giant, trying to put on a act of defiance. Unfortunately, her entire frame sagged as hours upon hours of a futile endeavor seized to put her to sleep.
" ...Okay! Time out! Round 11 is over.....I think I win, don't I?"
Boreal, the only last stone watcher of the Ardis Range, signed glumly as he took a large evergreen tree from a nearby forest, gripping it between his index finger and thumb, before using it as a makeshift toothpick. Shards of pine appeared to drop from the clouds above as the watcher looked over at the setting sun, admiring its beauty and-
" Hey! Mr Boreal! Did I do good today?"
Oh right. Babysitting. Why he had bothered to volunteer to take care of Sir Ashton's spawn, he would never know. There was no obligation. He had no debt. It was just that he didn't say ' Not it!' during that reunion party. He crooked his neck downwards to peer at the spawn before trying to assuage her feelings.
" Uh.....Well, I mean...."
Oh god. Please don't cry. Please don't cry. Boreal spoke just in time as he saw tears begining to shine from the child's eyes.
" I mean, OW! That hurt a lot! That blessed sliver sword really takes a shining to you."
Thank god, the child didn't see he was lying out of his ass. It would take the arsenal of several garrisons or more to even negligibly damage a stone warden. His race had grown arrogant over that belief. Arrogance led to his position now as the last stone warden remaining. Hard to believe what a ocean of black powder could do against a stone warden when applied properly.
The girl harrumphed before sticking the sword into the ground and sitting on a nearby log.
" Of course I hurt you! One day, you'll see, Boreal! I'll be like my dad! The greatest adventurer that ever was."
Boreal palmed his face. Good god, there was propaganda, indoctrination and then, there was this. Ashton had been trying to lull his spawn ever since she stepped out of the crib into the yellow-brick road of adventuring. He then leaned backwards before murmuring out loud, his voice loud enough to cause nearby avalanches.
" Kid...., there's more to life than just...adventuring. You gotta take it slow. You know, enjoy the sights. "
The girl looked up at him as if he had commited heresy before petulantly questioning his statement.
" What do you mean?"
Boreal signed, before pointing out towards a nearby town in the distance.
" See that town over there? Look at the architecture and that forest co-existing together. Amazing. Two millinea ago, stone wardens like me couldn't see that type of architecture. Now, with all you humans out and about, stuff like that gets created. You gotta admire...the beauty of civilization and nature, working together hand in hand....You listening, kid?"
Looking downwards, the girl was snoring softly. Signing, Boreal snapped his fingers, the equivalent of a gun shot. The girl sputtered and swung her sword wildly, screaming like a rabid squirrel.
" WHO'S THERE! SHOW YOURSELF! COME HERE TO.....Oh, wait."
The girl looked sheepishly as she put her hands behind her back, her head peering downwards. Boreal raised a single craggy eyebrow in response. They were at a impasse for a moment before the girl piped up.
" Could you talk to me about my father?"
Boreal's chest swelled before he rubbed his chin. He appeared deep in thought, gazing the horizon, before lifting his hand down towards the girl in front of her.
" Climb on."
The girl crossed her arms, looking suspisciously at Boreal's action.
" Why?"
Boreal snarked at her before moving his hand to encourage her.
" I'm more of a firm believer in visual story-telling than word. C'mon. Climb on. Besides, there's a better view of the sun-set up here."
The girl slowly climbed on with hesitation, making sure to stabilise herself so she wouldn't fall off. Boreal lifted her up slowly up to where he was, laying her upon a nearby cliff that jutted out from the mountain. The girl was taken away. It was cold but the sun rays grew dappled upon the granite cliffside. The chirping of birds was present. The air was fresh. Everything..It was if the entire world was under a lens.
" Wow."
Boreal chuckled before he pointed towards a hollow, craggy mountain a ways from his position, that looked as if it had been hollowed out. Or carved out by a amateur craftsman.
" You see that mountain over there? That used to be the lair of the arch demon warlock, Nier the Sinister."
The girl chuckled out loud before looking at Boreal as if he was serious.
" Nier the Sinister?"
" I'm getting to it. Don't interrupt me. So, one day, your father was there..."
" Oh! Oh! Tell me more!"
Boreal looked at her with a frown but he couldn't help and smile at the excitement. He raised a large hand to placate her.
" Hey, what did I say about interrupting?"
" No interrupting your story?"
" Right. So, there he was. Climbing that cliffside when BAM! A pack of goblins attacked. Summoned by the warlock, no less..."
Boreal continued telling his story, pointing out the locations as if the entire landscape was a map and trying, as best as a stone warden could, to vividly describe her father's adventures. He then realised why Ashton chose him. To cure his solitude. To create company for him. He lived in solace for so long that he forgot what it was like to be not alone.
Ashton had a funny way of giving a gift to him.
