Guardian of the Forest

All of the creatures of the forest have heard the stories from The Before, where Titans dominated the landscape and fought to protect their realms from each other. They were behemoths, each designed to protect different elements of nature with their sheer size and power. 

Our guardian was Gengu the Forest Walker, a gentle giant who moved through the forest slowly, planting seeds and sheltering the smaller creatures from thunderstorms with his hulking frame. He was kind, with careful movements to avoid disturbing the landscape he guarded. Standing taller than the tallest Redwood, he was a powerful guardian for the forests during The Before, keeping his realm safe from harm for centuries.

While the other Titans like Qwalaki and Krodon continued to battle one another all across the other regions, Gengu remained at peace in the forest, watching over the forests.  

One day he faltered, and that’s where the legend begins. 

Gengu was resting alongside a river near the edge of the woods, watching salmon move up the river to their spawning grounds. The forest was quiet, with only the mutterings from a few crows and the rustling of leaves breaking the silence. 

This quiet was normal. The lack of wind and the heat of the day meant that there would be a storm coming soon. Sure enough, clouds slowly formed nearby, as the water from the river collected in the sky. 

Storms were natural. They were part of the natural balance, and remain so to this day. But this storm was different. 

With this storm came Drazga, the Broken Dragon. 

She was one of the most chaotic Titans, reigning over a charred piece of land to the South that had become a barren wasteland of fire and lightning. 

Her steps could be heard from miles away as she lumbered towards the forest, ready to expand her domain. She was much larger than Gengu, a being made of ash and stone, with eyes like hot coals. Her face was chiseled with scars that continued throughout the rest of her stony body. 

Gengu felt the vibrations in the ground as she grew nearer, and slowly rose from the river. He gave the forest creatures a few moments to flee, before ripping a tree from the ground and tearing off its leaves. He slowly and carefully made his way to the edge of the forest, careful not to disturb anyone as the animals fled through the underbrush. 

He planted his feet at the edge of his domain and waited for Drazga to appear. His stone face was stern and grim, as he prepared for the conflict that was to come. His bipedal stance and curved back made him look like the gorillas from the East, standing ready to protect his land from harm. 

Drazga was different. She came from a harsh environment and was more like the Komodo dragons that dominated the jungles she had destroyed. Her jaw had fallen off centuries ago in a fight with another Titan, leaving her hauntingly broken. Cracks and caves covered her body like battle scars, extending all the way down to her where her tail dragged behind her. She moved across the ground slowly with purpose, her four powerful legs propelling her great distances as she drew nearer. 

Gengu slammed one of his heavy feet against the ground, marking an invisible barrier around his territory and sending shockwaves throughout the landscape. Droplets began to fall onto his face as Drazga grew nearer, the clouds being darkest and most volatile directly above her head. 

She stopped a couple hundred yards from where Gengu was standing and reared back, lightning striking the ground around her. Gengu watched her display calmly as rain flowed off his back and face, drenching the plants around him. 

Drazga stopped moving and faced him for a moment, confused by his reaction. Most Titans feared her. She had taken over countless realms, her power and confidence growing as her conquest continued. But Gengu held his ground, unfazed. After a moment she grew tired of the standoff and charged. 

Gengu turned his hulking frame so he was facing sideways and he leveled the tree near the ground, turning his head so he could watch Drazga’s advance. 

She leaped into the air and snarled, fragments of her jaw hanging loosely from her face. Long claws slashed at Gengu’s back and chest as she launched herself into the air at her mossy opponent. Without hesitation, Gengu swung the tree, hitting her square in the stomach and sending her crashing against the earth. 

He remained standing still, guarding his forest like a sentinel, watching Drazga as she rolled over and stood up again. His face was unmoving as he readied himself for another round. Drazga watched him carefully, calculating her next move as she planted herself into the ground. 

A series of thunderous booms rang in the sky, as the storm continued to grow more tumultuous. Gengu raised his arm into the air to block a few of the lightning bolts that were heading towards the forest. 

Drazga didn’t waste time, using the lightning as a perfect distraction. 

She reared back and began her second charge, scampering across the ground, her eyes sparkling, oil spilling like blood from the wound in her chest. She leaped into the air again, her claws digging into Gengu’s body and sending the two of them to the floor, causing an earthquake that threatened to break open the Earth. 

She relentlessly battered his body, ripping the tree to shreds and ripping off chunks of Gengu’s stony body. Lightning continued to rain down from the sky, setting trees on fire and charring the ground around them. 

Gengu fought back, slamming his arms into her with a pitiful attempt to throw her off of him. The forest around them was consumed by fire, the rain doing little to stop the spread of the flames. 

As his energy began to fade, Gengu grabbed Drazga’s cracked head and squeezed, breaking what remained of her face and stopping her conquest from continuing. The lightning slowly began to stop and the rain was able to stop the spread of the fire before everything was destroyed. She fell limply on top of him and remained unmoving, her face completely gone.  

Drazga had been downed, but it was too late to save Gengu. His body was a shredded mountain, with too much damage to repair. He faded away, becoming a piece of a landscape for the forest to grow on. The animals treated the site like hallowed ground, and he was left at peace for generations. 

No other Titan invaded. Over time they all fell until none of them were left to fight. There was peace and tranquility, as the world was able to grow bountiful without conflict. 

But peace cannot last forever. New Titans always rise eventually. Even now, new Titans are forming, destroying forests, oceans, and glaciers as they claim land to defend and expand. 

These new Titans are smaller than the old ones, but just as powerful.

The next Titan of the forests has yet to be established, but a new one will come. Our small Titan will rise to defend us. 

Eventually…