Isaac arrived at the gate of the kingdom. There was only one, heavily guarded as it was. The walls around the kingdom were taller than the palace itself, and recently had been worked on. Apparently there were various holes in it, reported a few years back. The king had it renovated with bricks and mortar, knocking down each section and rebuilding it anew. He stepped out of the carriage he was in, walking up to the gates. Behind glass in a nook in the wall was an elderly man. "Ah, sir Isaac Davidson, how can I help you?"
"I need an exit contract." Isaac answered, taking his stamp out of his backpack. All members of the king's court and their descendants were given a royal stamp. Said stamp was used to place the royal seal on anything they stamped with. Especially exciting contracts. The man pulled out the piece of paper, sliding it to Isaac.
"Just fill out your name and stamp it please." He instructed. Isaac read over the contract. It was just as usual, acknowledging that you chose to go into the Brundai woods, asking what your purpose was for doing so, who was coming with you, and ensuring you do not try to take legal action against the crown or associates. It was a sinister loophole some nobles of the court used, taking an old contract signed from years ago to stop anyone lower from suing them. But it kept the people safe. Magic was dangerous. Isaac took the small pot that the man had used to heat red wax, pouring it onto the corner of the paper and stamping it, sliding it back to the man in the slot under the glass. "And everything is in order. Have a good day sir."
Isaac continued through the gates, feeling the guards watch him leave. He knew why. This place was crawling with magical creatures. Trolls, goblins, Unicorns, Minotaurs, and probably more that they hadn't discovered. The maps of it were limited. The Brundai forest surrounded the entire kingdom. It went on for miles, maybe forever. No one had gotten through it and came back to tell the tale. And one day, Isaac planned to be the first. His step father issued the magic ban on the kingdom. Isaac would issue the ban on the entire world. To put forth as much money as possible to cut through the forest. It would be hard. The only map was one of danger. There were two levels. Bad, and badder. Even compasses didn't make any sense there. The needle would only point straight to Brudora, and wouldn't leave it.
Isaac drew his steel sword, cutting through the thicket as he walked. He knew he wouldn't find Crimson immediately. There had been search parties looking for her before. Few came back, and those who did resigned from the Eradication guard they were so traumatized. She must live near the center of the forest, or close. Witches… They were so infuriating. So unfair. They could traverse this forest with ease, only magic can survive magic. And yet all they did was cause problems for the kingdom instead of helping them. Witches probably already got to the end of the forest, but were just too damn stubborn to share the glory. Maybe there were other kingdoms out there. Maybe the witches were sent to make sure the Brudora kingdom stayed trapped.
Isaac swung his sword at a tree in rage, shouting out. He had to take 5 deep breaths to calm himself. He had always hated witches. Ever since- Isaac's head perked up as he heard the crack of a stick. He slowly turned around to see a large bird, the size of a canon. It had eagle like features, yet had blue feathers with red tipping the edges and talons the size of his hand. Its wings were spread wide, the inside of them blending in with the dead tree's branches. Its piercing hazel eyes followed him wherever he moved. The moment his eyes locked with his it sprung into the air with a screech. It dove at him, talons outstretched.
Isaac swung his sword, slicing at his side, black blood spilling out. It screeched in pain, staggering to its feet. It flapped its wings, wavering in the air as it tried to fly away. Isaac chased after it, throwing his sword like a frisbee. It implanted into the bird's back. The bird fell to the ground with a pitiful squawk, its body twitching. "Risilient, aren't ya?" Isaac approached the barely living bird, pulling out his sword and swinging it onto its neck, the bird going limp. What was this thing? Isaac picked up one of its talons, holding the bird up. There was no record of this creature in any book he had read.
Isaac took off his backpack, taking out his journal. Anytime he came into the Brundai woods, he wrote down facts about any creature he found. He felt a tingle of excitement. Was he the first person to discover this one? He looked back at the creature with a grin he hadn't had since he was a little kid. "You look like a deathwing!" He began to sketch the bird, eyes wide. He pulled out the bird's wings, taking note of the arching wings. "Hunts via diving…" He mumbled, dropping the wings and talons. He grabbed its head, turning it around to study it. His eyes widened as he realized the bird still had it's egg tooth, although the tooth was as large as a pencil. How was this thing still a baby?! Assuming it worked like most birds and lost its tooth after a few weeks or days after hatching.
* * * *
Isaac took the deathwing off the spit of the fire, sawing off the leg and biting a chunk out of it. It had taken him 5 hours to pluck the feathers but damn was it worth it! It would have been better with some garlic salt or rosemary though. He looked up at the night sky. Mom had always said that stars were like gods. Always watching over them, always there for them. She used to say the stars knew everything, all their struggles and fear. He thought it was kind of creepy, but he could see the comfort in it. Of course if he told anyone that, they would look at him as if he were crazy. It was apparently a crime not to believe in their god. So Isaac pretended. He was good at that. He just never mentioned his beliefs to anyone else.
Isaac jumped as an owl hooted behind him, cursing under his breath. The damn deathwing had him on edge. In the distance a wolf howled to the moon. There were wolves in the forest? And then he heard it. The quick crackle of leaves, the snap of a stick or two. He stood up, turning around to see the largest wolf he had ever seen barreling towards him. It was bigger than him, about 9 feet tall, with a somewhat humanoid form. It had hand-like paws and silky black fur. Isaac drew his crossbow loading the bolt and firing it at the wolf. The wolf yelped as it hit it's shoulder, crumpling to the forest floor as blue light circled the bolt, flying back to the crossbow and into the mana canister. Isaac laughed, drawing his sword as he strolled to the wolf. "Deathing AND a werewolf! God today is a good-" Then the wolf got up. It's body looked more tired as it sagged a tad more, but it's eyes, god it's eyes. They were filled with rage as it bared its canine saliva dripping from it's mouth.
Isaac backed up trying to set distance. Why hadn't the crossbow killed it?! It was supposed to absorb all mana in its body, werewolves were a magical creature! They were made of mana! He barely raised his sword as the werewolf swiped at him, sending him flying into a tree, his sword slipping out of his hand. Isaac staggered to his feet, grabbing for his sword. The werewolf's claws wrapped around his side, lifting him up and slamming him into the ground 2 times before slamming him against a tree. It growled, a deep and terrifying sound as it squeezed him. Isaac struggled to breathe as he felt the pressure on his ribs, feeling them falter under the werewolf's grip, about to break.
Suddenly a bright blue light shot past the tree, landing onto the werewolf's fur. It yelped, letting go of Isaac as it staggered backwards, rolling on the ground to put out the fire. Isaac fell to the ground in shock, using the tree to stand back up as he watched the werewolf. In its panic, it forgot about Isaac's fire. The wolf rolled right into it, letting out a bark that sounded more like a scream. It stumbled back, before taking off running, most likely to a watersource, or it was trying to put out the fire with wind. Isaac walked around the tree to see his savior. He had no time to react before Crimson swung a branch at his head, and everything went dark.