LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - ON THE WAY TO THE CAPITAL - SECTION 2
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| 01-NEVETSECNUAC'S NIGHTMARE |
Sometimes during slumber his physical form was unremittingly (repeatedly) touched, jabbed, tapped or stroked by an unearthly entity, which erstwhile (at some point) took on the form of a giant, hairy, slimy (creepy-crawly) caterpillar or insect. As these dreadful nightmares increasingly grew worse, Nevetsecnuac in dream state was (literally) actually attacked (assaulted), or periodically and figuratively chased, by these varied, gruesome, ghastly apparitions.
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| 02- NEVETSECNUAC'S NIGHTMARE |
Nevetsecnuac each time had intrepidly, however, stood his ground and fought to counter and even vanquish, these rapacious monsters. Furthermore, every morning he awoke with only minor lacerations (cuts, slashes, scratches), with no strain on his psyche, fully refreshed and in sound grip of his faculties.
~
The ensuing week, as he rode on, having elected to
follow a short-cut route through the desert region, he was abruptly anew, and this
time during daylight hours, not once but thrice assailed by the repetitive,
whirling dust storms that suddenly erupted out of nowhere (always with such
intensity that it threatened to promptly bury both man and horse), only to
cease just as swiftly, when it failed to elicit least alarm, or perturbance,
from Nevetsecnuac. (This is not to say,
Nevetsecnuac hadn’t quietly wondered about the reasons for this persistent
assessment of his innate aptitudes.)
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| 03-NEVETSECNUAC |
Subsequent days and weeks many other hair-raising measures were thrust upon Nevetsecnuac but he, possessing nerves of steel had nevertheless remained truly fearless and unperturbed even when encountering spine-tingling myriad onslaughts from incalculable supernatural phenomenon. Nevetsecnuac, with his resolute manner (stance, attitude) hence, robbed Zonar of any satisfactory, perhaps perverse (wicked) appeasement, but when in contrast, the real danger struck, he acted adroitly to eliminate it, incurring a secret awe and a deep respect from his presumed pernicious adversary.
Awakened at down one morning, somewhat groggy because
of past night’s disturbed sleep under the stars and the usual, plummeted
temperatures of the nighttime in the desert- Nevetsecnuac, eager to resume his
journey, had quickly led his steps through the tall grass, to the edge of a
small pond (tarn), a rare water source in the desert oasis. Squatting, he was about to proceed with his
morning’s ritual (routine) of washing (cleansing) his face, when his attention momentarily
was gripped (riveted) by the transformed image of self. Nevetsecnuac somewhat
pensively studied the altered reflection on the placid surface of the pond: gone
were the long locks of white, blond hair, his tapered blond beard and mustache.
Now instead, a mixt (varied) hue(tint) of dark blond, light auburn saturated
those strands. But far from being disconcerted (shocked, unsettled), he instead
simply smiled, in approval (gayly) nodded his head, then quickly resumed with
his washing up. Subsequently, he rose to his feet and respectfully bowed; then,
in a resounding voice addressed the air: “Thank you for your pre-emptive
(proactive) favor, for this is a much better disguise for me when I enter the
capital city of Channing.”
Indeed, for some time now this had been a silent
concern for Nevetsecnuac.
“You are exasperatingly Cheeky!” The air trembled with
his roaring laughter. “Lest you worry… on the day you fulfill your destiny,
every strand of your hair shall revert back to its innate hue. Farewell, till
we meet again.” Then after a succession of lightning strikes and thunder, Zonar’s
invisible (felt) presence was unequivocally (absolutely) gone.
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| 04- ZONAR KUNTZU |
~
Subsequent weeks, Nevetsecnuac
nevertheless prudently (sensibly) had elected to stay away from any human
habitation (village, town, or city) and despite periodic, topographic or climatic
hindrances (encumbrances), they’d still covered vast expanse. Of late the
unusual dry spell and hot temperatures had resulted in much discomfort and
hardship, especially for the mount; when their arduous journey of the past two
days, the meandering precarious path eventually led them to an undulated
forested region, Nevetsecnuac acceded to, them taking a brief noon
respite.
Nevetsecnuac retrieved some dry rations and shaded
from the scorching midday sun under a huge elm tree, began reluctantly nibbling
on these wild roots, berries and recently acquired (game) raw meat, while
keeping a close eye on his contented mount grazing on some taller grass little
ways off, under another cluster of ancient trees.
But there would be no lasting reprieve for the weary.
Out of the blue, a thunderbolt from the cloudless sky
suddenly struck setting the grass ablaze around Nevetsecnuac’s immediate
perimeter. His horse, grazing outside of
the ring of fire, whinnied, and bolted in fright but, strangely enough, did not
run very far away. Despite being walled by the raging flames shooting up to the
Heavens, Nevetsecnuac unperturbed remained seated and donned a broad smile;
then provocatively he thrust the meat skewered on the end of a stick, into the
crackling, smoldering flames and exclaimed with delight:
"Your merits
(traits) were sorely missed. It's very good of you, sir, providing this cooking
fire, but you needn’t have gone to all that trouble."
Instantaneously black clouds congregated overhead and,
within seconds, Nevetsecnuac was drenched to the bone by torrential rains.
"A shower, too, to wash off the grease and clear
off the smoke from the air." Nevetsecnuac good-naturedly chortled.
"Really,
sir, you are too kind." Then,
rising to his feet, he gallantly bowed low in thanks.
Zonar’s roaring laughter reverberated through the
earth and the limitless sky; then as abruptly, the deluge (downpour) ceased,
and the clouds simply vanished.
As only verification, Nevetsecnuac stood mired (stuck)
in a knee-deep pool of water, whereas the ground few feet away remained
perfectly dry and parched as before.
The stupefied mare, overcoming his fright, now wearily
advanced to slake her thirst.
“Zonar…
Yes, you do possess remarkable abilities.”
Nevetsecnuac concurred inwardly, a hint of smile (grin) brushing his lips.
Next, with an agile leap, he landed on a hillock; as he a proceeded to wring
the moisture out of his clothes, he further pondered: “Hmm, he’s so like immortals of ancient parables, possesses such powers
to summon at will, nature’s forces.
Indeed, I am most fortunate to have encountered him. Perhaps he can be persuaded to impart some of
that unique knowledge to me, for it will certainly prove beneficial in the
furthering of my aim.”
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| 05- ZONAR KUNTZU - |
“We’ll see first, if you are worthy.” Amazingly enough, an answer reverberated just then, in thin air.
~
After this last incident, however, Zonar's presence
was sorely missed for quite a while; during which time, Nevetsecnuac
periodically wondered what twist of fate kept Zonar away. Meanwhile in
anticipation of their next impending encounter, Nevetsecnuac tended to his
wounds and lacerations by utilizing natural herbal medicines; hunted wild game
and dug up roots for sustenance; as well, kept up with his daily routine of
martial exercises. His recovery was phenomenal in its swiftness. Subsequently,
having recouped his prior strength and stamina, he opted to traversing the wild
and dangerous terrain at increasingly greater speed.
After a length of time with no serious incidence that
would warrant any mention, one morning, at the first light of day, Nevetsecnuac
senses alerted him (to a strange hissing sound) to wakeful state to confront a
monstrous, most venomous viper with Its large, protruding fangs dripped with
paralyzing toxin (that would render the victim comatose until the long,
tortured, agonizing end), rearing its ugly head in readiness to strike. Quickly
determining that this was not another of Zonar’s phantasms, Nevetsecnuac boldly
fixed his gaze on the snake till it was mesmerized. Then, in lightning speed grasping its
enormous neck and tail, hurled it away to a safe distance, all done with
perfect ease. His calm demeanor
unchanged in the slightest, Nevetsecnuac then yawned and stood up to stretch
his limbs.
Suddenly, bolting out of the blue sky, Zonar planted
his feet squarely on the ground in front of Nevetsecnuac. “Well done.”
Seeing who it was, Nevetsecnuac smiled and bowed
cordially, "I've been looking forward to our meeting, sir. “
In a favorable mood, Zonar returned the greeting and
confessed, "I, too sir, have been eagerly anticipating this reunion. I trust your wounds are completely
healed?"
"They have been for quite some time now, thank
you for asking." Nevetsecnuac nodded.
"Though there really was no real reason for the delay."
"For the true test there was." Zonar
countered, grimacing coldly.
"Your
countrymen are unworthy of my consideration, save for the one I will soon
kill. Yes, it has been my intention from
our first meeting to challenge you in combat.
Your skills are superb, even though you disguise them well under that
seemingly passive, gentle exterior."
"I only hope I may prove worthy of your high
praises and prove not to be too much of a disappointment to you."
Nevetsecnuac smiled modestly.
"You have not disappointed me yet." Zonar
smiled icily.
"But
enough of these pleasantries; now sir, I ask you formally, where and when do
you wish to enter into combat with me?
You may have until noon to reach your decision."
"Why postpone the inevitable? This is as good a time and place as
any." Nevetsecnuac bowed
courteously to initiate the combat.
"Not so fast!" Zonar held up his hand to
stay the fight.
"I, sir,
prefer combat with swords, as I suspect you do too; therefore, I have taken
pains to construct a blade for you of equal quality to my own. If you are
worthy, the first time you use it the blade, it will for a spell, glow
iridescent blue. It is a magical sword which will, when not in use, shrink, and
transform into shape of a writing brush. When you inwardly invoke the word:
Lohcnilik it will instantly transform into a sword which is now before you. To
summon it back to the state of writing brush, you simply cogitate (reflect) on
the word: Lomelak.” Zonar paused at this
point to cast Nevetsecnuac a broad, daring smile.
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| 06- ZONAR KUNTZU - 2 (13) |
“If you survive your combat with me, you may consider it an advance gift. And always keep it on your person; one day it will be of use to you when you confront your arch nemesis. Now let’s see how well you’ll fare in contest (of swordfight) with me.” As he said this, he’d just then hurled (in lightning speed) the second sword, still stuck in its scabbard, to Nevetsecnuac.
It shot up into
the air like a lightning bolt riding the wind.
Nevetsecnuac reached up and grabbed the hilt, letting
the scabbard sail past. Studying the
blade carefully, he nodded in approval, "Remarkable construction."
Zonar was pleased to see the blade’ flashing for a
spell, iridescent blue. What he’d left out in his speech earlier was that, if
Nevetsecnuac had not been deemed worthy, the blade would have turned instantly
red-hot and singed (scorched) not just the hand but the entire body (of the
mortal) to a crisp.
Zonar nodded and grinning, replied: “Quite right, it’s
decades far along your country's technology; furthermore, this durable blade
will cut through solid rock as if it was but tender flesh."
“Now let us begin.”
(END OF SECTION 2)
