"Ho there!"
An elven guard called out to another in his native tongue, eyes droopy and ears sagging with weariness.
"I see thou hast but newly begun thy watch. Wilt thou relieve me?"
He sat in the notch of the parapet overlooking the forest, back hunched, bow resting against the merlon.
"I have laboured herein these ten hours past, and my watch endeth not for two yet to come—yet weariness hath seized me. Wouldst thou take it up in mine stead?"
The passing guard gave a nod and continued on his patrol, extending it to cover the weary guard's post—a two-kilometer stretch.
He turned to face the forest, his feet dangling over a drop of many kilometers. With a deep breath, he rested his head on his fist.
O Goddess on high, vouchsafe that these two hours may slip away in gentle slumber, and that no dire mishap befall this kingdom and its fair capital, Lunara Glade.
He closed his eyes, letting the nap overtake him.
The passing guard's footsteps faded, replaced by the sighing of the wind and the sway of branches in the forest.
What!?
He shot up straight, looking into the distance. A line of trees bent double in the distance, the wave of motion sweeping closer and closer to the parapet—then.
THUD!
WHOOOOOSH!
The wind slammed the wall, ricocheting upward along the parapet. Helmets and bows tore free from their owners as confused yelps chorused around him.
THUD!
The weary guard fell backward against the wall.
"What in the Goddess' name!?"
After all that—silence.
"Th–This…" He stood up, adjusting his helmet. "I-I must acquaint my superior!"
The guards scattered—some joining the weary guard, others rushing to retrieve their weapons.
In the office, the guards blurted out their story. Though he understood little, their urgency was clear. The superior snatched his clipboard to assess the damage and report the incident.
The superior and the guards looked at the place where the hurricane gust had hit the wall. His quill dropped from his hand andhis jaw fell open, a shock mirrored on the faces of his subordinates, all staring at the wall.
There—in the ancient, mossy stone—was a massive indentation surrounded by a web of cracks:
The unmistakable shape of a giant fist.
* * *
ns216.73.216.247da2
and then Add to home screen.