And it came to pass, as Dondorian went deeper into Forevermore, a company of men gathered unto the cause.

  And they were not as fervant as their captain, for their hearts wavered between hope and dread, and their purposes were many.

  Some were old, their beards white with years, who had lost sons and daughters to the claws of demons, and their faces were set with sorrow.

  And some were young, mere boys, whose parents had been devoured. They took up both sword and spear, though their hands trembled at the weight.

  Others were men who had once served as soldiers, hardened in battle yet haunted by visions of horrors unleashed when the gates of Forevermore had opened. Men who could never know peace after war.

  And each man had their reason: one whose wife was carried away in the night, another whose village was left in ashes, and yet another who sought vengeance not for kin but for the land defiled beneath the feet of demons.

  And there was one among them named Melian Enzo, who had seen but sixteen summers, and Melian admired after Dondorian as though the captain had been their own father.

  And Melian marched beside Dondorian and carried their shield. And though Dondorian cast not so much as a gaze in the boy’s direction, Melian was overcome with awe.

  And Melian desired to become like Dondorian, and asked after them in search of wisdom, saying, "Master, how may a man make themself as steadfast as you, and their hand as strong against the wicked?"

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  But Dondorian answered them not, nor turned their face; for their mind was set upon the road ahead, and their heart knew no rest.

  And though Melian hungered for council, or even a word, they found only silence; yet the boy carried the shield faithfully, and walked in their chosen father's shadow with hope.

  And it came to pass that they entered into the depths of Forevermore, and found a jungle therein, tangled and dark, wherein the air was thick and the ground swallowed the feet.

  And the men were plagued by biting insects, and sores broke forth upon their skin, and many became sick with fever and their strength departed from them.

  But Dondorian beat the sickness out of them, striking them with the shaft of their spear, and forcing them to rise, saying, "Rise and march! The demons shall not wait upon your weakness to pass!"

  And Dondorian made them march until death, and some fell along the way, and their corpses were left for the crawling things of the jungle.

  Yet the company pressed forward, driven by the iron will of Dondorian, though their limbs were weary and their souls faint within them.

  And it came to pass that as they camped beneath the shadow of twisted trees, there arose from the darkness a terrible beast, whose hind was as that of a dragon, whose head and mouth were as the predators of the deep, and whose arms were mighty with great clawed hands.

  And the monster set upon them in the night, and it knocked over the trees and crushed men beneath its feet. And as it caught them in its teeth and swallowed them whole, terror filled the camp.

  Then Dondorian was caught within its mighty jaws, and the teeth closed about them. But behold, the spear of Dondorian pierced upward through the monster’s head, and the blade burst forth from between its eyes.

  And the beast staggered, and the banner of Dondorian flew like a flag upon its crown. And the creature fell to its knees in reverence and died, and the men beheld this and were afraid.

  And Dondorian pried opened the beast’s jaws by hand, and those that were swallowed spilled out from its belly, broken and trembling.

  Thus Dondorian lifted up their voice and screamed a mighty howl, the birds departed, and the jungle fell silent until the dawn.