Good morning unto you, my dearest reader...
Good morning indeed.
Why, I do suppose that it remains chilly for you, I should say.
... (Yeah, it kinda is.)
Yes, yes...
A very good morning I should say...
... (Uh, huh...)
Oh fail to be so upset, I say.
Why, is not every morning where you manage to wake up a great one indeed?
... (I guess so...)
Well, indeed.
It truly is so.
Even so, do I say that my morn is utterly splendid as always...
Why, I do believe I should find myself quite preoccupied today...
... (With what?)
Well...
Hmmm...
No, no...
That would be a rather long conversation, I'm afraid...
... (Oh, come on...)
Now, now, my dear reader...
Do fail to be too upset...
Why, I do believe that we should be moving the story along now, shouldn't we?
... (Yeah... I guess...)
Very good then...
Now, where were we...
Ah, yes...
The very hunt of the larger grave-tail...
Indeed.
And thereof, the young lad as he managed to find the very beast...
As well as, as the young lad now beheld it with his very eyes.
Yes...
And thereof, must I say...
Did the very battle between then both...
Begin.
Dear reader, do say...
Knowing all you do now about the very beast, would you imagine that the creature is well aware of the young lad's presence?
... (Well... yeah...)
Oh, ho, ho...
A very good answer...
Indeed.
The very young lad is indeed in the mind of the grave-tail as...
One who is perhaps its very next meal...
Indeed.
Even so, why...
Is it well aware of his existence about him...
Yes...
And thereof, do I ask of you, dear reader...
Do tell...
What do you think is the very difference between the very pair's knowledge of each other?
... (Huh?)
Why, do simply consider this...
The grave-tail knows that the young lad is standing before it...
And the young lad knows that the grave-tail is hiding before it...
And therefore...
... (Oh, I get it. The grave-tail knows that Jake is there. And Jake knows that the grave-tail is there. Buuuuut... only Jake knows that the grave-tail knows that he's there. But the grave-tail has no idea.)
Oh.
A splendid explanation indeed.
Why, the very grave-tail does indeed know of his position...
And even so, must I say...
Had it no understanding of the lad...
While, dare I say, that the young lad knew everything about what it could and could not do.
Yes...
... (Like what?)
Hmmm...
Well, do consider this, my dear reader...
When a trap is set for a beast...
There remains a way to fall into it, and a way to avoid it entirely...
Have I the whole thing correct?
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
... (Yeah, obviously...)
Very good.
Therefore, it goes without saying...
That even and so as a grave-tail may set a trap, that there remains a way to avoid it...
Even so, for one to pass by the very trap...
Not knowing as to whether or not the very trap was set for it in the first place.
... (Yeah... I guess...)
Very good then.
And thereof, do ask yourself this...
What do you suppose the young lad would do?
Walk right into the trap?
Or rather, walk around it?
... (I'm gonna go with my gut and just say walk around it.)
Well, I do see your argument there...
However and even so, do consider this...
That the grave-tail is used to such behaviours from its prey...
Why, does the very beast only ever attack, should prey be foolish enough to languish where it dwells...
Yes...
... (Ok...)
And thereof, my dear reader, do I say...
Did the young lad even know exactly how it planned to attack.
Indeed.
Should he walk where he should not, why...
Would he most certainly regret it.
Hmmm...
No...
Even then, would he be more than capable of slaying the beast...
A misfortunate mispronunciation on my part.
Moving along...
Ah, yes...
The very lad knew well of the very beast...
Why, from his very sight and smell of it he could easily tell that the creature was now laying deep underground...
It's tail the very only thing that was above it...
And even so, was it curved ever so slightly towards itself...
A common thing about these beasts...
So should anyone be foolish enough to relax there...
Or maybe even so, take their time to simply...
Take a bite of this strange fruit...
Why, death, I say, my dear reader...
Death.
Indeed.
... (So what do grave-tails eat?)
Well, many a thing...
Why, that is a long list I tell you.
Although, I must say...
That a grave-tail is rarely foolish enough to launch an attack knowing that the prey it seeks is with many, or even so, too large for itself.
Yes...
... (Ok...)
Well, I suppose that list may include things such as Bastions, for example...
Or even so, Dire Wolves, should they be travelling alone...
Yes...
Well, I should get along all the same.
Even so, must I say, that the grave-tail is aware of the young lad's every step...
Why, he could even so sense him walking about and around him...
Indeed.
... (Ok...)
Why, most ordinarily, I should tell you, would the beast...
Hmmm...
Well, you do already know that by now, don't you?
... (Hmmm... what?)
The very beast's method of attack, I should call it...
Even so, what it was waiting for...
Yes...
Those very things should not suffer you confused...
Yes...
... (Well, yeah...)
Hmmm...
There was more I'd planned to say...
Yes...
It could sense him...
It could even so, smell him...
And thereof, do I say, my dear reader...
Did the young lad simply walk around the very beast...
The Converser in his bare hands at the ready...
And thereof, I do say...
To the very tail right next to the very large tree...
Did he go...
And did the battle begin.
Indeed.
... (Ok then. Let's go.)
Ah, yes...
The youths and their love for battle...
'Tis always fascinating to see...
... (Huh?)
Oh, never mind you me.
All the same, did the battle most certainly get underway...
Why, did the young lad simply and with little effort, and thereof, with his left hand...
Swing at the very beast...
Chopping its tail off with a single strike of his axe...
The very result being that the very beast...
Rearing up in anger...
Futile anger, I should say...
Arose from the very ground...
Arms first...
Lunging into the air, removing dirt from its body...
Scraping it off quickly and hurriedly...
Before it's very head did arise...
Lunging out of the dirt...
To face the young lad and bite him.
A most unfortunate set of circumstances for it, I should say.
Why, the very thing, I should tell you...
It did require a mere second for the beast to do all this...
And even so, as its very head did arise from the ground...
Was it at the very sound slashing of the young lad's own blade...
That the very beast was fully and utterly beheaded before it could even bite once.
... (What?)
Have I not told you many a time before?
Battle is oft of a swift end.
Hmmm...
No...
Perhaps not like that...
However the idea remained, I tell you.
Even so, did the young lad find himself an easy victory...
Well, some blood did fall upon his clothes...
Nothing a quick dip in water would not fix, I say...
And thereof, do I most certainly say...
That...
Indeed.
The young lad had proven himself victorious over his prey...
Yes...
... (Just like that...)
Oh, bother...
Very well, I shall craft for you an old tale of what "would have happened."
... (No, that won't be necessary.)
Really...
You fail to require a tale where the grave-tail chases after the young lad or something of the sort...
... (No.)
Hmph.
Very good then.
All the same do I most certainly agree that the fight was a quick and unceremonious one...
Why, had the young lad desired to challenge himself...
Would he have simply walked into the trap himself.
... (Oh wait. What would happen then?)
Oh, you want that story?
... (Yeah... it sounds exciting...)
Oh, very well...
Why not, I say.
Ahem...
Should the young lad find himself so, why...
Would he simply walk straight into its trap...
And most certainly...
Take a seat down and wait...
And thereof, would the very beast arise...
Preparing to attack him...
And even still, would the young lad yet once more...
... (Chop off its head?)
Why, yes...
Indeed.
The end of the battle remains the same.
... (But, but...)
But what?
You expected the young lad to wrestle the beast from the ground...
And then fight it to the death...
Why, such a thing is not the very worst of ideas, I should say...
All the same, do I argue...
That the greater excitement here...
Is in the very young lad who now requires it of himself to risk his life...
Waiting for the very best moment...
To turn his head and slash at his foe...
For...
Should he fail...
Indeed.
The very beast should manage a scar at the very least...
And even so, at the very worst...
... (Death...)
Well, I fail to imagine that such things could occur...
Even so, do I say...
That to wait for that very final moment...
Indeed.
'Tis far more perilous than a simple long-winded battle...
Beating each other over and over...
Oh, how tedious...
One would rather simply cut one's head off and be done with it.
... (Sheesh...)
'Tis of the many things of battle, I'm afraid, my dear reader...
And all the same, I say...
Would you be wise to remember at all times...
That battle...
Very rarely results in something long-winded...
Indeed...
And even so, is it...
Hmmm...
Well, I shall save that lesson for later...
... (Huh?)
Oh, worry not...
Most certainly shall that lesson come to the very pair of us...
Eventually...
And even so, why...
Is it so that us both, speaker and reader...
Shall keep talking for quite some time.
Yes...
... (Ok then.)
Indeed.
Moving along, I say...
Well...
'Tis of the many things of killing a beast...
Why, do recall, my dear reader...
All those moments in your life...
When you, say for example, walked off to fetch fruit...
Or something of the sort...
And thereof, I say...
Failed to bring with you a basket.
... (Oh yeah. That does happen.)
Indeed.
Do always remember, my dear reader...
A victory is not complete when one battle is won...
But rather, when everything is done and dealt with...
Hmmm...
'Twould seem that my time is up now.
Huh?
Yes, yes...
A pity it is...
... (But...)
Hmmm?
Oh, do believe me...
There are things that even I struggle to explain...
Let alone understand...
All the same do I wish the very best for you in these cold times...
... (But...)
Oh, come now dear reader, do you believe I take any joy in spending less time here with you?
Why, 'tis a bother to me myself...
However, there remain somethings that even I do not fully know of...
... (Oh, bother...)
Yes, well...
I expected such anger...
Do understand me when I say this...
All the same, a good day to you, my dear reader...
A good day indeed.
Do go for a walk or something of the sort...
'Tis unhealthy to simply read all day...
... (Uh huh...)
Oh, ho, ho, ho...
A clever joke I see...
Well...
I shan't lie...
'Twas not my intention.
All the same do I say...
A good day to you, my dear reader...
A good day indeed.
... (Fine...)
