Chapter 13
The city stirred before dawn, unaware that its legends were about to become reality. Whispers had begun in the narrow alleys,in the markets and in the quiet corners of noble estates. A man they said, moved through the land like a shadow and left monsters slain in his wake. He was called the Slayer of Monsters and no one knew where he would strike next. James rode into the city at first light, Marmiadoise sheathed at his side, the branches from the tree at Golgotha tucked carefully in his pack. Merchants stopped mid sentence, traders froze with wares in hand and children clutched their parent's sleeve as his name spoken softly at first began to echo louder.
"They say he killed a beast near the Peloponnese," a young man whispered to his companions eyes wide. "They say not mortal can face him and live." "Alive," one of the companion said, voice trembling. "And he came back alone. Thry say ghr stones themselves feared hum." James paid them no mind. His focus was the meeting ahead. The one that would decide whether he could gather allies for what was coming. Monsters were no longer distant threats, the world was awakening to powers it did not understand. In a small courtyard near the city's edge, a cluster of scholars, mercenaries and nobles gathered. Most had heard the stories but none had seen him. James dismounted, boots echoing against stone. A hush fell.
"I am James," he said simply, voice calmly but carrying the weight of countless battles. "And I am here to stop what men have said impossible for centuries." A murmur ran through the crowd. Eyes widened. Whispers spread like fire. The Slayer of Monsters was standing before them. One of the nobles, tall and arrogant, stepped forward. "I've heard the tales," he said, smirking. "Monsters slain, curses broken, tell me do you seek glory or coin. James looked him in the eye. "I seek neither, i seek the truth. And i seek to protect those who can not defend themselves."
The noble scoffed, then leaned closer to his side. "If this is the man, if he truly killed the beast near Peloponnese, then we may have underestimated what it means to challenge the impossible. From the shadows, a member of the corporation. James has been tracking watched closely. His eyes narrowed. They already seen signs, strange accidents, impossible events that hinted at the watchers influence. And now a human moved against them. The stories of the Slayer of Monsters were not exaggerations
A young scribe stepped forward, quill shaking . "If I may sir, how do you even fight these things? The legends speak of creatures no man could withstand." James smiled faintly, a shadow of exhaustion behind the calm."It's not brute strength alone, it is understanding, timing, knowledge of what drives the monsters, what they fear and what they cannot control. And above all the power from the tree of life. The crowd leaned in closer, listening. Already the story was taking a life of its own. Word would travel faster than James could move, merchants, travelers and even thieves would tell it, exaggerating with every retelling. By nightfall, the city itself would be buzzing with the legend.
A messenger arrived, panting. "Sir," he said, bowing low, "there's news from the north. Another village claims their livestock was destroyed but survivors said the attackers fled at the sight of a man wielding the same branch." James' jaw tightened. The watchers were moving through human pawns, testing the world, observing how easily men could be swayed. And yet, each time they stuck, their influence left a trail, monsters created by dark spirits, manifestations of fear and chaos.
He turned to the assembly." The world will not know peace while these forces move unseen. I will not fight alone. You have the chance to stand with me, to protect what is real, what is just, what is life itself." The nobles and mercenaries exchanged glances. Fear mixed with awe. Some hesitated thinking him a madman, others whispered among themselves, imagining the consequences of standing against someone called the Slayer of Monsters. By midday, the story had spread. Markets emptied for a moment as people stopped to pass along the news, a man called James alone had killed monsters that should have been immortal. Children clutched the hems of their mother's skirts, begging for tales of him, imagining a hero more fearsome than any knight or general.
In a quiet alley, a thief froze mid step. Word had reached him as well. He had stolen from noble homes, feared no man and yet the name caused him to shiver, the Slayer of Monsters. If such a man existed, any who crossed him would face consequences far beyond theft or deceit. As the sun reached its peak, James mounted again. The assembly had agreed to follow his lead, forming a small but capable group of scouts, researchers and warriors willing to confront the unnatural. He rode slowly, letting the city absorb his presence, letting the legend take root in every mind that witnessed him.
"The stories will spread faster than the wind, one scholar said softly. "By nightfall, everyone will know, the monsters have a slayer." James nodded, "They will know fear, not fear of a god not fear of legend but fear of justice. And when they do, watchers will learn that mortals are not as weak as they believed." From a high rooftop, unseen eyes watched him. The watchers, their influence slipping through corporations, governments and secret societies, noted the human stirring a legend. A warning passed among them, this one, this James, carried the power to unearth what they had hidden for millenia.
By sunset the city's bards and scribes had begun weaving songs and stories. Markets echoed with rumors, the Slayer of Monsters had passed through and no evil would remain unchallenged in his path. Parents used his name to hush unruly children. Soldiers whispered it n fear and hope. Even those in power, who believed themselves untouchable, paused to wonder what it meant that a single himan could challenge forces older than any kingdom. And somewhere in the shadow beyond the city, the watchers whispered amongst themselves. They had underestimated him. They had ignored the tree of Golgotha, the relic that bound him to the one true God and the cunning and courage that flowed through him. The legend of James, the Slayer of Monsters was just beginning.
He did not stop. His path would take him far, across lands and cities encountering powers and rulers who would trembled at his name. Wherever he traveled, the legend preceded him, preparing the world for what was coming. The truth behind the so called gods, the monsters they unleashed and the one man who would face them all, armed not with divinity but with courage, skill and the favor the Almighty God. By the end of the day, the story had spread beyond the city walls. Traders heading to distant towns carried whispers of the man who slew monsters. Scholars noticed unusual events in their journals. Guards and soldiers discussed his movement in hushed tones. Fear and respect intertwined.
And in the distance, unseen, the watchers took note. Their plans would not unfold as easily now. The mortal human who had faced curses and darkness alone was becoming a symbol. A force that threatened to unravel the illusions upon which they had built their power. James rode on, silent but unstoppable, carrying with him the legend of the Slayer of Monsters. And somewhere, far beyond the horizon, monsters stirred. They heard whispers too. And for the first time in centuries, something paused, uncertain. The story was spreading and the world will never be the same.