The Overwatch.

[The Skarzs]

This is a short story inspired by a video I saw with an interesting concept. This is just inspired, not a copy.
Also, if you like this, be sure to check out my other works:
http://redwallabbey.com/forum/index.php?topic=5593.0
http://redwallabbey.com/forum/index.php?topic=5834.0
http://redwallabbey.com/forum/index.php?topic=6272.0

I hope any who read this will enjoy Thank you!


       The Pass had made its way into legend.
   
       For seasons, rumors had been told of a place in the north-east that was the desire of every heart; a place that held treasures beyond imagination:  gold, jewels, and infinite power to the owner; swords that did not rust that would cut stone with a touch; bright armor, light in its making and strong above all smithing. Many myths and tall stories were spun around camp fires and gatherings about this legendary place. Greed wove its way into many a soul, and the power hungry starved after the Pass.
   
       But there was one who would keep these treasures to himself. The Overwatch.
   
       This beast had been woven into the stories of the Pass since their first conception. A creature with unmatched skill that guarded the secrets of the Pass with his life. None could compare to him, tall, strong, and thought immortal. It was said he lived in a cave beside the Pass, and crouched in it like a wolf spider waiting for food to He had also been the end of every creature who fought him.
   
       It was with these stories that Dregnuth grew up with. As a Dibbun, the otter had listened to the tales of frightened travelers on their way home, the stories of battle scars from hardened veterans, and the hushed warnings of old housewives.

       When the young otter would not sleep at night, his mother would be heard to say, "Go to sleep, or I'll send the Overwatch on you!" And every night she said this Dregnuth would dream of him fighting the Overwatch, watching him fall before his blade. While he was older, he would train himself with sticks, fighting imaginary creatures with his weapon, and asking every swordsbeast he met to teach him. For seasons, Dregnuth trained, and for seasons he was obsessed with the one idea of beating the Overwatch. Finally, when he was nearly an adult, he had surpassed more than twenty blade masters in his skill.

       Fighting with swords was not the only skill he honed; Dregnuth had learned to fight with nearly every weapon imagineable, from the sling to the axe and the pike to the throwing knife. No weapon was too daunting to train with. No problem in his training too rough to make fine. He had taken many lives protecting his family; he had won many battles by his skill. But still he pushed himself to be better, and it was not until after his parents, old and tired, had passed on to the Dark Forest, and were laid to rest in their graves did he stop to consider finally making his way to the Pass.

       One creature, a squirrel, had once stopped rested when his parents were alive. Dregnuth had asked him if he had heard of the Pass. The squirrel had taken a look at the young otter, then reached into his pack and pulled out an ancient map. He whispered in Dregnuth's ear, "Only the best and the bravest will".

       Taking this map and everything he needed, the competitive young otter set off to the north-east, whether to find his fortune and happiness, or his death, he knew not. But no matter the outcome, and powered forward by curiosity and fate, he strode purposefully forward, never once looking back. He had lived by a stream to the east of Mossflower, and, while he was hesitant to leave it behind, he was sure he would be back after his adventurous escapade was over.

       It was the end of the first day of his travel, and he stopped to rest for the night. Starting a fire and cooking a meager meal, he ate in silence. He fell asleep watching the fire die into cold ashes and coals. Dregnuth awoke in the morning covered in dew. Shaking himself off, the otter stamped about to warm himself in the dim light. He ate a cold breakfast and went on his way, finding his vision impaired by a low-lying cloud.

       There was a chillness in the air, and the otter pulled his cloak closer about him, trying to escape the fog that lay clingingly around. Pulling out the worn map, he could only rely on his own sense of direction to get him where he wanted through the infernal mist. After hours of wandering, Dregnuth noticed the fog begin to thin, and plowed forward with renewed hope. Breaking through the fog, he gasped in breath as if he was suddenly out of an airless room; he rested as he caught his breath and gathered his bearings.

       The map showed a pair of mountains not far from what looked like a cloud; he forgot to heed the map's warning of the fog. The otter readjusted the sword on his back as he searched the horizon for the twin peaks. He found them, off to the south and east from where he was; the fog had really thrown him off course. Shrugging on his pack, he travelled onwards.

       By that evening, he was at the foot of the mountains. He decided not to continue any further until it was dawn at least. He settled down for the night.
It was in the morning that gave a new light to the situation; where now?

       The map had an arrow pointing to the crease between the mountains, two massive teeth that stuck up noticeably above the edges of massive cliffs. Dregnuth could only guess that that was where the entrane to the Pass was. He spent hours finding the crease, and when he did, the otter noticed a path leading up between the two peaks; he had found the Pass entrance.

       The young creature could hardly keep the adrenaline back: here he was, at the doorstep to the place that had obsessed his every day.

       He raised his paw and set it down on the path.

       Then, with growing wonder, Dregnuth hiked closer and closer to the top, growing ever more and more excited. A stone on the path tripped him, and he fell. Raising his eyes, the otter saw it.

       There, standing on the path above him like a dark sentinel, was the Overwatch.

       He was tall, with broad shoulders and deep chest, and by the way he carried himself was very muscular. A tattered cloak whipped out behind him in the wind, and clenched before him with both paws was a massive sword. An impressive suit of iron covered his body, and his face was hidden behind a mask made in the shape of a mourning skull, the teeth slanting downward like a frown in the back rather than the natural grin, and sticking out behind his head were two horn-like spikes; he looked for all the world like the devil himself.

       The mysterious figure spoke, and his voice came down hauntingly with the wind, with a metallic echo on the words. "Why have you come, otter? Turn back, and leave this place with your life." He sounded almost mournful, sad and tired.

       "I have come to challenge you, Overwatch!" Dregnuth cried. "I have come to prove myself and claim the treasures of the Pass!"

       "Oh, otter of the river, you do not know what you seek. There is nothing here, only death."

       "If there is death here, then it is you who will find it! I will not be turned from my destiny!"

       "If you think this is your destiny, to kill me, then you are a fool. Leave this place."

       Angry that the creature would not fight him, Dregnuth dropped his pack and drew his blade, advancing on the Overwatch. "Coward! You will not fight when you are challenged? Fight me, coward! Defend yourself!" He swung his sword over his head, bringing it down in an angled slice.

       The Overwatch had his blade up to block the blow before the otter thought he would, and his sword was met with cold steel. Backing up, Dregnuth charged at the now silent sentinel again, swinging upwards and then to the side. Once again, he was swiftly blocked and repulsed from his attack. He switched to another tactic: he was going to let the Overwatch strike first. He kept his blade pointed at his opponent, walking from side to side, waiting for any movement.

       The great sword hissed in the air as it slashed by Dregnuth's face, who dodged the deadly edge just in time. Ducking down, he brought his sword point in and lunged forward underneath the swinging blade, puncturing the Overwatch a small score in his belly.

       Once again he swung, and the otter narrowly missed getting his entire left arm chopped off at the shoulder, instead catching a deep gouge at the joint. Both were bleeding now, and began to show signs of fatigue. The eye slits in the Overwatch's helmet followed Dregnuth as the head turned above the chest plate. On a whim, they both attacked at once, their blades ringing and their paws stinging from the reverberations. The otter knew he was dealing with a creature on a level of skill as his own, and his only advantage, and disadvantage, was that the other wore bulky armor.

       Pulling a reckless move, Dregnuth lunged in, ducking to the side as his opponent swung wide, then rolled to the other side, cutting the Overwatch's arm. But this move did not go unpunished; he swung around with the momentum of his blade and slashed the otter across his chest.

       Dregnuth knew he could not last much longer, and had only one more trick up his sleeve. Backing up, he ran at the Overwatch at top speed, whose sword was raised above his head for a finishing blow. He dropped to his knees and ducked sliding past the creature and scoring his leg with his blade. Getting up quickly, he saw the Overwatch drop to one knee, then turn slowly. Dregnuth gave him no other chance, and struck true; the creature's head dropped, followed slowly by his body.

       The otter breathed heavily, and dropped to his knees. He did it; he had battled the Overwatch and was victorious.

       Now, he thought, to claim the secrets of the Pass. He rose slowly, walking past the cave he guessed was the Overwatch's chamber. Apple trees and berry bushes grew on either side of the path, then stopped. Beyond, the path dropped suddenly. He hurried to the edge, and seeing nothing, inched forward. His paw sunk, and he scrambled out of the muck as hundreds of bugs swarmed where he stepped, followed by the hissing of snakes and lizards. Then, to his ultimate surprise, a flame shot out from the ground, nearly scorching him.

       Scrambling back, he stood up shakily. As far as the eye could see, there was deadly marsh land, broken here and there by spouts of flame. Winging above and perched in charred trees were carrion, crows and vultures, waiting for a meal. Sun-bleached bones littered the area close by, floating just barely at the surface of the mire. It smelled of death.

       Dregnuth felt sick; he threw up onto the path, where bugs and insects began devouring it.

       This place was death.

       The Overwatch had said it was.

       The otter stumbled back to the cave, finding it lit and dry. On a rough table was a book, a quill and some ink. He opened the book, and read the first entry.

       "I found this place, between two mountains. Beyond is a fire-marsh; it has claimed the lives of too many. I must keep creatures from it. There must be a guardian to this death-pit." He skipped a few pages. "Many have come, these last two seasons. Some intend to get through by force; it is becoming more apparent to defend myself, but thankfully, many turn at my warnings." Dregnuth read more. "I am old and my strength wanes. I fear that another will come who is more skilled than I, and kill me. I just hope they realize what my purpose here is."

       Another set of writing continued. "I have killed the last beast who lived here; they guarded the Pass for many seasons, I think. I have a set of armor that will aid me in continuing his job." Many pages had been smudged. "I am now the third Overwatch, or so I have earned the nickname. There continues to be travelers who seek this Pass. On my honor I will try to save their lives." And so it continued for many creatures, each finding the terrible truth behind the Pass, each explaining what brought them and the growing tales about them.

       Truth hit Dregnuth then. He had killed the last Overwatch, and without him, creatures would surely die.

       If he was to stop that from happening, then he must live there.

       He must become the next Overwatch.

       Dipping the quill in the ink, he wrote in his rough script. "The truth is terrible and must be defended. I take the role of Overwatch, to guard the Pass until I die of old age, or to another of skill surpassing my own."

       He saw scratched into the stone wall beside the table a small rhyme, which read:
The Overwatch's Code

Guard ye, the gate of death,
Lest one take he his final breath
In the marsh dark and evil.
Those who turn not tail,
And try to fight the Watch,
Will fail and earn death's touch,
Or follow in your lead.

       He left the cave and took the armor and sword from the body of the late Overwatch. It was a weasel, a big one, and the otter was surprised a vermin would be as honorable as defending lives. He was probably drawn to the Pass by greed, but was changed at the truth and continued the role. After burying the body and marking the grave beside several others, he ate a meal and buckled on the armor.

       As he stood on the path and set the war helmet on his head he spoke aloud to himself, "So. Let the legend continue."

[Captain Tammo]

I love this concept you have here! What was the video you saw?

[The Skarzs]

*Desperately tries to find the video.

It was a Machinima interactive film called "Exordium". Can't work out the links, dang nabit. That's what it is, anyway

[Captain Tammo]

Found it! It was kinda trippy hahaha but still a cool concept!

Good job with the writing!

[The Skarzs]

Yeah, thanks.
I tried to make it unique, and I'm glad it turned out the way I wanted it to.
Was up till 10:30 last night finishing it. I got really into it.

[Jukka the Sling]

You're a good writer! I really liked this!

[The Skarzs]

Thank you!

[Osu]

This is a really cool concept! I was expecting a twist of some kind, but definitely not that. I'm torn between feeling sorry for Dregnuth and thinking he kinda sorta deserved it; it's not like the Overwatch didn't warn him. Even so, that sounds like a hard fate to have to carry out. I just hope Dregnuth didn't have any extended plans for his life, dang.

Anyway! I'm rambling! This was very well done, definitely kept me entertained. Great work all around, sir!

[Norham Waterpaw]

That, my good Skarzsy, was brilliant.

[The Skarzs]

Thank you both so much! I really enjoy writing these things, and it's nice to get feedback.

[Norham Waterpaw]

I really do like your writing style. It's nice and fun to read. Mine usually ends up like this: "Guy walks here, bad stuff happens, 'Oh no!', he wondered if he should have done that, blahblahblahblahblahblah the end."

Anyways, babbling is over!

I liked your story!

[The Skarzs]

Thank you so much, Norham.


Now, to all who might read this, I will be uploading another short story, so if you like this one, consider looking out for the next one. Thanks!

[Captain Tammo]

I like how you've taken on a relatively active role on this part of the forum. Now you've got a few Fanfictions under your belt, all of which are of a strong quality. When a new fanfic comes out we sort of react along the lines of "Ooh, this is the new one by Skarzs!"

You're building a reputation

[The Skarzs]

Thank you very much; your feedback really does mean a lot to me.

[Skyblade]

You are a skilled writer and I enjoyed reading this. Very creative, Skarzs