The Veil-Cursed Animal
[Disclaimer: Garruk Wildspeaker, Garruk Veil-Cursed, Garruk the Primal Hunter, Liliana of the Veil are all owned and created by Wizards of the Coast.]
He used to love the green of the forest. Now it haunts him as something he can never touch again. All he loves turns to death and decay with just his presence.
Garruk Veil-Cursed has a mission. His last quest of sorts. He tried doing right and this curse is his reward. Liliana of the Veil was trying to use the veil for her own venomous ends. He stares at his hands, what used to be one of the sources of his strength and compassion, now rotting as he watches them. Veins pop through his rotten skin, gangrenous and foul-smelling. He closes his fist, seeing the torn robes across his body, the cold metal gauntlets and armour sitting slightly off.
“Liliana will die for her crimes.”
Garruk approaches the necromancer, wary of her power. He has found her in the veil, the very place she has defiled by breaking into it. He draws his weapon but the slightest sound of the metal blade rubbing against the sheath alerts her to a threat. She spins, the purple skirt of her dress tumbling around her legs. Without a word, she realises what he has come to do, and she lifts her hand with power and sends a curse fluttering through his nature-loving veins.
He shall destroy all he touches that he loves. Never again will he be able to summon the beautiful creatures of the forest. Now, he will summon undead creatures, abominations of the forest.
He pulls hair out of his face as he slows, double-checking his quarry’s trail. She is slowing, he must be getting closer. She is tired and he is not. He has chased her through the veil and now through his own domain. She will falter and he will strike.
He turns slightly to see his hounds looking at him. They were once majestic animals, strong and proud. Now they are the conjuration of dark things, rotting and disgusting. He picks up his pace again, eager to be on the trail of the woman who cursed him, who caused him to summon only these dark things.
Tainted moonlight touches him. Liliana has lost her way and fallen behind. Garruk is eagerly taking the opportunity. He pulls out his axe, a mighty piece of weaponry and hurls it through the air in his hands to attack the sorceress.
Liliana turns in time to escape his first clumsy attack. Realising his axe is too slow, he brings his spiked gauntlet to bear on her, cutting her and causing a cry of pain from his prey. She throws an orb of power at him and pulls his helmet off his head, narrowly managing to get away while he is dealing with her attack.
Roaring with agony and frustration, Garruk takes the hunt again, vowing no mercy on the witch-woman who took his life from him.
Garruk slows again, this time realising his victim is nearer than he thought. At this distance, he can almost smell her fear. He touches the ground, lifting the remnants to his nose and smells Liliana’s blood from her wound. Glancing at his wolfhounds, he heaves his putrid hand in the way of Liliana. The canines bound ahead, almost flying with their anticipation. They are hungry for blood and bits of browning saliva drip off their jaws as they run.
Her fright is so strong now it’s almost all he can smell, the air reeks of it. He can see her now, backed into a corner. She has nowhere to go and she is all his. He can finally take his vengeance.
She has small orbs of power floating around her in defence, hoping they will be enough. She sees the three dogs of Garruk’s begin to run, Garruk hot on their heels. She readies her orbs as the dogs lunge. She throws blast after blast at the dogs, taking two out.
Just as the third gets close enough and pounces, she pulls up a forcefield. The hound lands on the field and begins to bark and bite, trying to rip its way through to her. Liliana stares at the hound, using as much of her strength as she can muster and fighting through the pain of the last wound Garruk gave her. Her eyes suddenly dart around. She can’t find Garruk. She blinked for just a second and he was gone.
Garruk lunges at Liliana from behind, having learned from their last tangle enough to use his spiked gauntlet first. The metal thorn in his gauntlet stabs Liliana, who lets out a strangled scream as the point pierces her heart. Her orbs dissipate and so does her forcefield. The hound lands on its feet and watches Garruk eagerly. His helmet, stolen from him in his last battle with the selfish enchantress, is hanging from her thigh. He pulls it off and watches the life in Liliana’s eyes fade.
He looks down at his hands and watches as the rot and decay melt away, leaving his healthy skin behind. He covers his face with his hands, closing his eyes and screams, ripping his hands away in a powerful grip as the rot falls away from the rest of his body.
“An unholy crime. We shall both dine in Hell tonight.”
Garruk Veil-Cursed pulls on his helmet. Garruk the Primal Hunter opens his eyes, now back to their forest green.
[Credits: Roland Burge: Came up with the ideas and wrote.
Emily Fairhall: Fine-tuned and posted online.
Disturbed - The Animal: Inspiration
Wizards of the Coast - Magic the Gathering: Creation of characters and settings.]
