The Legend of Brier Thorn-Wick

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

This story takes place in the Early Middle Ages, before wizards went into hiding and before a school for witchcraft and wizardry was even thought up. It is a legend of one of the most famous women of the age and is often told to both muggle children and wizarding children however both stories are not quite the same and are hardly resembling of each other. This is a short tale of the life of Brier Thorn-Wick and a glimpse of her life and many adventures. They may be more in dept stories later XD

Let me know what you think!

Part One: Brier's Humble Beginnings

The story begins when Brier was a small girl, she was about seven living in a very small town near the woods where her grandmother lived. Brier loved to wear cloaks like the old wizards that would come to the town every year to show off their magic tricks but her favorite by far was a ruby colored cloak made from the softest material Brier had ever known. This cloak had been given to her on her birthday one year by a female wizard (they were not called witches back in those days because witches were known to eat children) who had made it for her child, she had told Brier that the cloak would never get old and would never tear. Brier liked it for several reason but without a doubt she liked it most because it had a hood. Women in those days rarely wore cloaks especially if it had a hood because they were not suppose to look like they were hiding something, but since Brier was only a small child nobody really cared that the girl wore the red cloak everyday and a few even gave her a nickname.

One day, Brier went through the woods to her grandmother's house to deliver some medicine. Her grandfather had passed on several years before and now it seemed as though her grandmother didn't have much time left either. Brier loved visiting her grandmother because she always had fresh cakes for her even when she dropped in unexpected. Brier walked up to her grandmother's house and knocked three times as she waited for her grandmother to let her in. A voice came from inside that Brier quickly recognized as her grandmother's telling her to come in. Brier stepped in hoping to smell cakes but found something quite the opposite. Grandmother's house was normally kept very clean however on this particular day the place seemed rather disheveled. Brier slowly walked towards her grandmother's bed thinking that perhaps her grandmother was sicker then she thought.

As she walked forwards she could see her grandmother lying in her bed smiling at her, except something didn't look right. "Grandmother, were your ears always that big?" Brier asked examining the pointy shape of her grandmother's ears as they seemed rather large today. "Oh silly! when you get older your ears grow larger, it makes it better to hear you know!" Grandmother said as she blinked a bit quickly. That's when Brier noticed her eyes were a bit off, as if they belonged to some wild animal, "Grandmother, what's wrong with your eyes?" Brier asked as she squinted to see if what she was seeing was real. "Oh, I need my spectacles!" Grandmother said patting her lap, "my eyes hurt me so and seem to change when I'm not wearing my spectacles" grandmother said as she began licking her lips. "Would you mind getting them for me dear, I think there on the table behind you" grandmother said as she pointed wear the spectacles were.

Brier walked over to the table and noticed that the spectacles were indeed on the table however there was a crack in the right lens. Brier turned around towards her grandmother and that when she saw her teeth, they were very pointy and sharp as if they didn't belong to a human but to a wolf. "Grandmother, you teeth!" Brier shouted in horror as the old woman leaped from the bed transforming from her sweet grandmother into a large black and silver wolf and calling out "It makes it easier to eat you!". Brier was lucky she was a small girl as she ducked and felt the wolf's fur brush against her hair, the door was blocked and so she raced for the nearest wardrobe closing herself inside. Brier had chosen a good wardrobe to hide in as hanging from the top were several large axes her grandfather had used to chop firewood back in the old days. Brier grabbed a rather rusty one as she waited for the wolf to come for her. Instead she heard something quite different then the growls of a wolf, she heard the voice of a man.

"It's okay, I scared the wolf away" the man said kindly. "I was hunting nearby and heard the commotion, you can come out now!" the man said as he placed his hands on the door handle and slowly began to open the wardrobe. It was then that Brier realized that this was definitely no ordinary wolf, this thing could change his form which meant that he was going to open the door and kill her. "GO AWAY!" Brier shouted in anguish as she clutched the rusty ax in her tight grip. "Can't do that, little girls just taste too sweet!" the man said dropping all pretenses as he slowly began to open the door further. Brier wanted to scream however no voice came out, instead something different happened. The door to the wardrobe burst opened as though there had been some type of explosion and the man was forced back into his wolf shape form. Taking the opportunity Brier ran towards it swinging the ax in the air as hard as she could. The wolf jumped through the window and back into the forest missing a large part of his ears as he ran off.

Brier laid their for a moment wondering what had happened to her grandmother, then decided to race back home with ax in hand, so that she could tell her parents. The sun would be setting soon and she didn't want to be caught in the woods with that thing out there. So she rushed back home to her small town to find something most peculiar. The town was completely empty, there was nobody there Brier noticed as she looked around the ghost town. A few of the doors had been knocked down and the insides looked a terrible mess, Brier fell to the ground wondering what had happened. "Brandishes" an old man said from behind as Brier turned around still clutching her ax "go away!" Brier shouted terrified that this man might be a wolf in disguise as well. "Don't worry my dear, I'm not a Brandish" the old man said kindly as he wiggled his ears "see!" he said with a smile. Brier was afraid and looked into his eyes and at his teeth to find that they were normal. It was then that she recognized the man, it was Whimsical Wilsic Thorn-Wick one of the wizards that came by every so often.

Brier ran into his arms dropping the ax as she clung to his long robes "This wolf tried to eat me!" she shouted as tears began flowing down her cheeks. "There There" Thorn-Wick said as he patted her head after a while when Brier had calmed down Thorn-Wick made her something to eat and began to explain what the creature was. "It is an old creature known as a Brandish that killed your grandmother, they travel in packs you see" Thorn-Wick said mildly. "I would say about seven or eight of them attacked this town" he muttered more to himself then to Brier, "Brandishes are magical creatures that look like wolves however they have the ability to transform into anyone they've eaten" Thorn-Wick said as the fire he had made began showing the image of a wolf eating a young girl and then becoming her. "They use it as a disguise and lure other victims, they live for a very long time too" Thorn-Wick said mournfully. "There transformations are not perfect however, they can't fully change their ears, eyes, and teeth" Thorn-Wick said as he began to eye the girl sharply.

For the next few days Thorn-Wick lived with Brier, deciding that he would take care of her until he had the opportunity to find a suitable home for her. He introduced her to his House Elf named PennyWinkles and watched as they played together. Thorn-Wick quickly realized however that Brier was no ordinary girl and that she had magical potential. So he took her with him on his travels and began teaching her the magical arts, allowing her to use his wand for practice since wands were not easy to make and rarely could be bought. The three traveled and learned for eight years, Brier never forgetting the Brandish that had killed her family and vowing to destroy them. Thorn-Wick passed away being a very old wizard leaving his elf and his wand to Brier while asking that she learned to move on and not let the dead consume her. Brier wished she could've kept that promise however knew that she couldn't With fierce green eyes of determination and her dark brunette hair tied in a weaved ponytail Brier forged armor and a silver ax, embedding her master's wand inside of it.

Brier and PennyWinkles traveled throughout the lands killing off the Brandishes along with a few Werewolves that got in their way. It is said that before she died, she killed over 100 hundred Brandishes and Werewolves. This feat is something that is said to have lead to the extinction of the Brandishes and while Brier died in combat she made sure that she would never be forgotten by all the people she saved. Brier took on her master's surname, never married and never had any kids, however she did have PennyWinkles and a few men chasing after her. Brier Thorn-Wick died from a mortal wound while battle ling five Brandishes and was buried in the renamed town of Brier's Town. Her story changed throughout the years but this remains the truth of her life.

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Part Two: Brier's First Mission

Master Thorn-Wick had recently died as Brier began to dress, fifteen years old she was not overly pretty but not plain either. Wearing brown leather shirt and a slight skirt over a leather pants Brier wore her hair in a braid as she placed the spectacles over her eyes and placed her cloak over her shoulders. Her newly made Silver Ax embedded with a wand strapped to her back as she and PennyWinkles made there way throughout the small village of little Harbor's Town. Recently children and even a few adults had gone missing, Brier knew this to be the work of a local pack of Brandishes that she had been tracking for a while preparing for the confrontation. Brier knew a bit of magic that by today's standards would probably equal to what a third year knew but in those days it was more then enough to take care of business. Walking throughout the town Brier looked very out of place while her elf walked quickly besides her covered in a light brown cloak.

"Good day Miss." a young gentleman said as he walked towards her, "anything I can do for you?" he asked politely as he looked her up and down and then towards the elf who shuffled nervously while keeping the hood of the cloak fastened over his head. "I'm investigating the local disappearances of the townsfolk" Brier said matter of factually as she held out her hand, "I would like to know if you had any information about it" Brier said with a slight smile. The man looked very taken aback that this woman was asking about such a thing, especially since she was a complete stranger. "I don't know about that" the man said a little afraid as he took a step back "I have to go now" he said as he quickly turned and began walking away. Brier turned towards PW as she liked to call the little elf and frowned slightly. "Looks like the locals won't be of much help, I want you to look around and see if you can find anything alright?" Brier asked her small friend who was still shuffling rather nervously. "Yes ma'am..." PW said as he snapped his fingers and vanished on the spot.

Brier went into the local tavern and ordered a drink as she sat down in a small corner sipping on her drink. Brier sat patiently for several hours drinking only two mugs of ale as she listened to the locals talk gathering up a lot of information. "I heard it's some kinda creature" one of the men was telling his friend rather loudly after his fifth drink of strong ale. "It lives up on the hill in one of the caves and can multiply itself!" he was boasting loudly, "It's a werewolf, I know it!" the man began yelling. The men all began talking very loudly so that they didn't even here the Crack! as a small figured appeared next to her. "Anything?" Brier asked without looking away from the men, "A few... Brandishes; four" PennyWinkles said a bit shakily as he looked at the men with a bit of disdain. PennyWinkles had never been in a tavern when his master had been alive and he was quite sure that he would rather still not be coming to a place like this. PennyWinkles liked the quiet life that he used to live, but knew that his life with Miss. Brier was definitely not going to be quiet.

Brier left the tavern and began heading towards the hill the man spoke about. Tonight was what she had prepared for and while she lived with Thorn-Wick. She had prepared even harder after he had died and knew that she was ready for this challenge. She wanted to find the Brandish that killed her grandmother and took away her family, she wanted justice. As the sun began to set Brier traveled slowly along the side of the hill hoping to run into the murdering creatures that had ruined so many lives. It was there that she saw a small girl crying for her mother, Brier took a step closer towards the little girl a feeling of overwhelming sadness began to touch her heart. Brier saw the girl's ears which were larger then normal and slightly pointy, If Brier had never seen this creature before she may have been fooled. The little girl stopped crying and looked up at her tears still in hey yellow wolfish eyes as she stood shakily up "Will you help me find my parents?" the girl asked a bit choked up as she took a step towards Brier. "Why so you can kill them, like you did their daughter?" Brier said coldly as she felt the tears well up in her eyes.

The girl didn't stop crying as tears continued to come from her eyes, as she slowly continued her walk towards towards Brier. "But little girl's taste so sweet" the girl said calmly as she began to smile brightly. The girl began walking a bit quicker as she pulled out a knife and began trying to stab Brier, she quickly moved away from the girl who seemed to be a lot stronger then an average girl her age. "Stay back!" Brier said as she pulled out her Silver Ax and pointed it towards the girl "Incendio!" Brier said as the tip of the ax shot a burst of flames towards the girl who in turned dodged it as though it were nothing. Brier knew that the girl was already dead and that this creature was only taking her guise so that it could kill her. Something inside Brier however would not allow her to use her ax on the small girl, "Turn into what you really are or you won't be able to stand a chance!" Brier said coldly towards the wolf in girl's clothing. "Witch!" the girl said coldly as she began to transform into a large black and silver wolf.

Brier was ready as she charged out at the wolf with her silvery ax. The wolf leapt at her ready to take her out with one bite however she was simply too fast as she swung the as and took the wolf's head of with a simple clean swipe. Brier looked as the Wolf's body slowly turned to smoke and dust, "One down, three to go" Brier said as PennyWinkles appeared beside her. Brier was ready to take the other Brandishes down for what they did to that little girl, Brier let the tears flow down her cheeks and looked towards PW. "Where are they?" Brier asked the small elf as it shuffled it's feet. "They is hiding in a cave, very small" PennyWinkles said looking at the remains of the mean creature that had made Miss. Brier cry. "These foul creatures will be wiped from the Earth if it's the last thing I do" Brier said as she began walking forwards ready to take down the rest of the Brandishes and save this town from a fate her town had.

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

Part Three: Brier's Battle

It was dark as Brier and PW made there way towards the opening of the cave, PennyWinkles couldn't help but shiver as he knew they would be heading into the wolf's den quite literally. "Are you sure you wish to go in there Miss?" PennyWinkles asked hoping that perhaps she might change her mind and decide to go home. "Yes" Brier said in a tone that clearly meant that her mind was more then made up. PennyWinkles knew that she wouldn't be able to handle all three Brandishes on her own and so decided that he was going to have to be brave and help her fight off the fiendish creatures, though he wasn't sure what a simple elf could do against three large creatures that wanted to eat the two of them. PennyWinkles knew this was probably going to be the worst night of his life as the pair entered the cave. Looking up at Miss Brier, PennyWinkles tried to draw strength and courage from her. If a fifteen year old girl can stand up and fight, surely he could.

The cave was dark as the moonlight faded away, It wasn't very large and Brier knew that she would have to keep on her toes as she clutched the Silver Ax in her hand. A noise sounded off a wall, as if something large had hit it causing the pair to turn and look at it. There was nothing there however and so they continued their walk into the cave. Brier didn't feel bad for bringing PennyWinkles in with her since he was an elf and therefore his life was her's to take should she choose it. As they continued walking they saw the end of the cave, it was surprising for both that the end was completely empty. "It seems we walked into a trap" Brier said as she turned around keeping the back of the cave protecting her from behind, PennyWinkles quickly followed suit. Suddenly from the shadows a Brandish came charging at them, Brier felt stupid as she quickly figured out what had happened. The creatures were transforming into children and hiding so they could sneak up on them since they were obviously looking for something larger then that of a small child.

Brier turned pointing her Ax at the creature and shouted out a spell "Incendio!" The Brandish was not caught off guard as it twisted in the air and knocked her down. Another Brandish came out and began charging towards PennyWinkles as Brier struggled to move against the creatures weight. PennyWinkles snapped his fingers making a loud CRACK! sound as the Brandish continued charging knocking the one on Brier off right when it was about to take her head. Brier quickly recovered as she charged the closest Brandish with her swinging ax. The Brandish was quick however and moved only having a small piece of it's flesh removed by the ax. PennyWinkles appeared next to Brier as they faced the two Brandishes not knowing where the third was however making sure to keep on guard. The two Brandishes looked at each other with disdained as they quickly leapt to the walls hopping on them to give them leverage and strength as they both charged towards Brier.

PennyWinkles was absolutely terrified as he saw the creatures charging towards them like cannonballs. He watched as his mistress did nothing except prepared to strike wondering if she was mental. PennyWinkles knew he had to act quickly as he grabbed onto his mistress leg and snapped his fingers just as Mistress Brier was preparing to have her blade meet the Brandish coming towards her. The world around them quickly changed as they found themselves outside once more. PennyWinkles looked and saw that Mistress Brier had been hurt when the Brandish had been on top of her, her leather sleeve was torn and blood was coming from it. "I didn't ask for that PennyWinkles!" Brier yelled as she shook him free and ran back into the cave. PennyWinkles hadn't expected a thank you but definitely did not expect his Mistress to go running back towards death. PennyWinkles had to go after her but unfortunately before he could make a move found himself face to face with the third Brandish.

Brier ran as fast as she could in the cave letting the adrenaline pump through her veins as she found herself coming up to the two other Brandishes whom were running towards her. Brier pointed her Ax towards the closest Brandish "Confundo!" she shouted as the Brandish became confused and tripped over it's own feet causing the other one to trip as well. Brier knew that this was her time to strike as she jumped into the air and landed on top of the Brandish that had been on top earlier. She felt her ax crack through the Brandish's skull and enter it's brain, this caused the Silver and Black wolf to begin to turn to smoke and dust as Brier quickly struggled to pull out her ax. The other Brandish had already recovered from her spell and had it's mouth wide open to take her head. Brier was lucky to have pulled out her ax in time as she swung it and took the Brandish's face with one clean swoop, the creature was still alive however and in more of a rage then ever as it began wildly snapping at her with it's strong jaws crashing into the side of the cave as Earth began falling from the ceiling.

PennyWinkles first and only thought was to Apparate away from the Brandish but unfortunately didn't have enough time as he quickly moved away from the snapping jaw. This Brandish apparently was the leader as it was much larger and much meaner. The Brandish didn't slow down as PennyWinkles made a run for it and was quickly gaining on the poor elf. CRACK! PennyWinkles snapped his finger trying to do something to stop the creature that was trying to kill him as he watched a rather large piece of Earth crash into the Brandish knocking it to it's side. PennyWinkles turned breathing rather heavily for an elf and began thinking that this was not the best job he could've had, the Brandish was getting to it's feet however and PennyWinkles knew he had to do something. CRACK! PennyWinkles snapped his fingers again as the piece of Earth levitated over the Brandish and began crashing down on top of it repeatedly until at last it had crumbled to pieces. PennyWinkles wondered if the creature was dead as he slowly made his way towards it, every part of his body shaking including his ears as he walked slowly towards the creature just as it opened it's eyes.

Brier pointed her ax at the mad Brandish and shouted out "Incendio!" hoping against hope that it would have some effect on the evil beast. The fire hit the creature with full force but to Brier's surprise as it yelped loudly, the fire on it's fur quickly went out. Brier didn't know until that moment that magic had little effect on the Brandish's hide and so began charging at it swinging her ax in hope that she would be able to take it's head off. The Brandish was strong and fast, the fact that it had also gone mad didn't help Brier either as it crashed into her tossing her back into the side of the wall. Brier heard a few cracks and felt a sharp pain in her chest as she began to wonder where PW was at a moment like this. Brier decided to try something else as she began making her way back towards the entrance of the cave, the Brandish rather noisily chasing after her. As Brier got to the entrance she pointed her ax at the top of the cave and shouted out "Reducto!" She leapt with was little strength she had out of the cave as it's top came crumbling down on the Brandish injuring it and trapping it inside the cave at the same time.

Brier looked to see PennyWinkles lying on the ground blood trickling down from his head as he seemed to have been knocked out cold. A limping large Brandish was making it's way towards it with it's mouth drooling for the flesh of the little Elf. "Reducto!" Brier shouted as she began running to the elf's aid, "Reducto" she shouted again as she saw the first one knock the Brandish back but not out. The Brandish dodged the second spell as it began running towards her as fast as she was it. Brier didn't know how she was going to beat it head on if her spells didn't do much good however she did have a plan. She threw the silver ax as heard as her muscles would allow and watched as struck the Brandish in the eye and continued moving until it hit the ground. The Brandish crashed into the ground in pain and made a yelping noise as it tried to recover. Brier continued running towards it as she hopped on top grabbing a sharp rock as she did so and began banging it against the creature's head. The Brandish however was strong and quickly knocked her off and onto the ground.

With one good eye the Brandish got to it's feet and began making it's way towards Brier, who was on the verge of passing out. The only thing that kept her awake was the desire to live and to stop more of these creatures from killing. As the Brandish stepped on her body and looked into her eyes Brier could see that the end was near. Brier wondered if this Brandish would take her form later and use it to kill others like herself. The Brandish lifted it's head to strike as Brier closed her eyes waiting for the crunching sound that would come as the creature tore her head from her body. That sound never came however as a sharp Yip was heard and the body of the creature fell on top of her and began to turn to smoke and dust. Brier opened her eyes to see PennyWinkles standing, her silver ax flying towards him as he was panting rather loudly. "Can we please go home now Miss?" PennyWinkles asked in a squeaky voice. "Yes" Brier replied in a strained voice as she made her way towards PennyWinkles with a strong desire to go home and rest for the next week, the problem was that they had no home to returned too and so they would have to settle for the small inn that rested in the town close by.

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

Part Four: Brier's Party

PennyWinkles hid in the room upstairs as Brier entered through the front door, she had been a bit injured during her fight with the Brandishes and needed to rest. It surprised her however to discover that as soon as she had entered the building everyone was looking at her. A man had appeared at her side and she quickly recognized him as the one she'd seen when she first entered the town. "What happened!" The man said as he grabbed onto her arm, "I'm okay" Brier said as she was lead to a table with a chair. "I just need a room" Brier said thinking of the room upstairs that had PennyWinkles inside of it. "Yes, well of course!" The man said as he went off towards the bar tender. Brier could tell that this was not the sort of town where people ended up injured or dead and now she was lucky enough to save that.

"Now what happened deary?" a young woman said as she brought her a drink. "The creatures that have been killing your people are gone... I got rid of them" Brier said as she took the drink a bit uneasily and took a sip. Brier was tired but couldn't help but feel an uneasy hunger come over her since the fight. The man returned with several plates of foods as he also wore a look of pure shock on his face. "You killed the Demons?" he asked as Brier quickly found herself in the center of a crowd. "Bull!" shouted a burly man from the back as several of the people nodded in mild agreement. "What did they look like?" A woman from her right asked as Brier took a bite from her food. "There Brandishes, they are wolf like creatures that can take the form of the people they've killed" Brier said as she grabbed her drink and took another swig feeling a bit more alive as the crowd began eying her as though she were a celebrity.

"There very dangerous" Brier said with a bit of mystery as the crowd seemed to be hanging on to what she was saying. "Then how did a little lady like yourself kill these dangerous creatures?" the man from the back shouted again laughing afterward. Brier stood up and pulled out her ax to a few people's shocked look "I killed them using magic" Brier said as she pointed the tip of her ax at the man "and with my ax!" Brier said as she sat back down looking as a few of the women in the room, looked very pleased as Brier was quickly given another drink. "I heard there's a Werewolf two towns away that's been killing the people every full moon!" a very loud women said as it seemed more people were entering the local inn and tavern. "Are you gonna kill it too?" the man that had brought her food asked mildly.

"Perhaps but for now I think I need some rest" Brier said as she got up and left the crowd for her room. Brier opened the third door on the right to see PennyWinkles sitting at the edge of the bed waiting dutifully for her. Brier pointed her ax at herself as she said "Episkey!" It was a healing spell that she had learned but knew it wouldn't be very effective. She simply was not good enough to use the spell to it's full effect. Brier decided to lay down on her bed as she thought about what the people said "A werewolf is going to be our next target..." Brier said as she closed her eyes and fell asleep. PennyWinkles looked over at her as though she were a mad woman but soon removed his look as he laid down next to his mistress and fell asleep with her. The day would come too soon and the Night would end to early but soon she would need to use her healing spell again.

Before Brier was deep in her sleep a knock came at the door, Brier got up regrettably feeling the pain from the earlier battle as she opened it up to find the inn's manager holding a piece of parchment and a quill. "I'm deeply sorry to bother you miss... but we need you to sign the guest registry" the innkeeper said as he held out the quill and parchment expectantly. Brier quickly signed her name as the man bowed and left her to finish her sleep as she trudged back into her bed, the sleep didn't come easily as she spent more than an hour trudging through her own story inside her head. Finally however after what felt like an eternity Brier felt the weariness overcome her as she drifted back into an uneasy sleep, PW at her side like some overgrown teddy bear. Brier awoke the next morning to hear music in the air as she quickly got up and cast the healing charm over herself again.

Stepping outside was more difficult then Brier had imagined as it seemed a bit of magic had occurred during the night and not from her. People were coming up to her asking for her autograph and a large banner had been placed in the center of the town that read Brier's Day! "Good morning Miss. Brier" a man said as he rushed towards some work that he was doing. A woman ran up to her with tears in her eyes "Thank you!" the woman cried as she clung to Brier with all her strength "that beast killed my little Annie!" she sobbed as PennyWinkles fully cloaked appeared at her side. "I'm sorry" Brier said as more and more people came up to her as though she had been delivered to them from the hands of god himself. "Miss. Thorn-Wick, for months now whenever men entered the forest several of them would dissapear" a well dressed man said to her. Brier could only assume this man was the mayor as he continued to speak to her. "Yesterday evening, after you'd return several men decided to go into the woods and discovered what appeared to be a battle, it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together and so now today will forever more be known as Brier's Day!" the mayor said with glee.

Back in those days, people didn't need that much proof to believe in something and it was very rare for a magician to come and rescue people without first wanting something in return. These people were very great full towards Brier and began lavishing her with all types of new things that Brier didn't need or want. Brier decided to show them a few magic tricks after several of the children had pleaded for over an hour for them and was quick to discover just how impressive she was too these people. Brier couldn't help but feel a bit delighted with herself and her minor accomplishment as she spent a good portion of her time helping people. "Will you be going to Horn Village?" A woman said over a large table set outside as a banquet had been thrown in Brier's honor, Brier had spent most of the evening telling her life story to these people as they ate and now found out something that definitely intrigued her. "The full Moon is only a few weeks away and they'll surly be attacked again by that nasty werewolf!" the woman said as she took a large bite. "I think I'll be heading there very soon" Brier said mildly as she continued to eat. "You should make sure to see Master Humnari!" The man Brier had first met, whom Brier found out was named David said.

"Humnari is a Weapon's master!" the woman shouted approvingly at David's suggestions. "Weapon's Master?" Brier asked as she looked over towards David, "Well, it's nothing against your ax... but Humnari is the greatest in the world and I'm sure he'd be able to make you an extraordinary Battle Ax, especially if you plan to be fighting magical creatures and all that Miss. Brier" David said as he took a bite of chicken from his plate. "He doesn't even know me though" Brier said a bit mildly as the woman shouted out a bit louder then one would need to "Please! we told two traveling salesmen all about you today, there off to see the Gypsies!" the woman said with a laugh as she took a drink. "Once the Gypsies hear a story it goes everywhere!" a man said next to Brier. It quickly got late and Brier figured she would be leaving the next morning so excused herself from the party as she gathered some things.

Brier looked over to see that PW had already packed the rest of her things, "we should go PennyWinkles" Brier said as she looked down at the party through her window, everyone was enjoying themselves and Brier had to admit she had enjoyed herself as well. "Yes, Mistress is right" said PennyWinkles who seemed a bit disgruntled at not having attended the party himself. So Brier and snuck out of town and left the village without saying goodbye, making their way towards the Village of Horn not knowing that their tale was going to beat them to the punch. Brier also had to think about visiting the man named Humnari who would be able to make her a new weapon even though she seemed quite content with the weapon she already had. Brier wondered if this would be how her life was going to be forever and decided that if it was, she didn't mind.

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

Part Five: Briar's Double

Brier traveled for three days, her destination was the village of Horn so that she might be able to help with their Werewolf problem. If memory served Werewolves were alot trickier then Brandishes in the fact that they are actually human for most of the month and transform only during the full moon. Brier would've felt bad for the poor soul that had been infected with the Lycanthropy disease however she wouldn't allow herself. The creature was killing other people and that was the lucky ones, those who survived it's attack would become just like him making the problem escalate even worse. Brier didn't have the luxury of being kind, she had to be a hero and make the tough choices that others could not so while the person may be innocent it didn't matter since they held inside them a monster that had to die.

The woods were thicker then Brier had anticipated however it did not slow her down. remembering what the villagers had said about a Weapon's Master living near by Brier made sure to keep a lookout for his house. She loved her ax however it wouldn't be practical to hold on to it when she could get a better weapon that would help her more in battle. Brier wasn't sure if she would be able to find him as she traveled for two more days and even if she did she did not know if the man named Humnari would have time to make her a weapon before the next full moon which was only a couple of weeks away, Brier only had one shot of finding and killing the Werewolf before she would be forced to wait another month something that would mean loosing more lives. As Brier continued in silence with PennyWinkles by her side she saw something odd near an opening in the woods, it looked like a cave with a house next to it.

Brier figured this must be Humnari's house and decided to pay a visit as she walked slowly up to the door and knocked loudly. PennyWinkles had dissapeared so as not to frightened the man who opened the door in a warm way. Humnari looked to be around forty or fifty years old with black hair that was graying in some parts he had a short beard and few winkles though Brier remembered his eyes the most. They were crystal blue though as you looked into them you could definitely see a bright green tint that seemed to appear and dissapear depending on the light. "Good afternoon, I'm hoping that you are the Weapon's Master Humnari?" Brier asked though knowing already that he was. The man smiled cordially enough as he moved aside to let her in, "Yes I am and you must be?" Humnari said in a very kind voice that seemed almost fatherly.

"My name is Brier Thorn-Wick, I'm not sure if you've heard of me but I was told to see you about having a weapon forged, they say that your the best" Brier said as she entered the small and humble home that surprisingly enough seemed to have no weapons inside. "Odd" Humnari said as he scratched his chin mildly. "I have heard of you Miss Thorn-Wick since we met two days ago and I'm already working on your new Battle Ax" Humnari said with a touch of humor as Brier stared at him astonished. "I'm sorry sir but I'm sure we haven't met before" Brier said trying to sound convinced though not sure about that since the man had seemed to know her and yet didn't. "We have not miss" Humnari said as his eyes seemed to change from warm and soft to cold and piercing, it was a rare talent that made Brier wonder if he was looking through her mind as Humnari continued "however I did meet another girl two days ago claiming to be Brier Thorn-Wick, so I must say I'm confused as to which one is the real Brandish slayer" Humnari explained as he looked Brier up and down.

"Please sir, do you know where I might find my double?" Brier said at first surprised that the older man knew about Brandishes but then realizing that a weapon's master would have to be wise in the ways of the world and of course know the creatures his weapons were made to kill. "She was heading to the Village of Horn which is only a few hours away, she says she going to kill a Werewolf there" Humnari said mildly as his eyes went back to their soft sheen as he went towards the kitchen where a teapot was screaming with steam. "I assure you Master Humnari, I am the real Brier Thorn-Wick" Brier said not sure why she felt the desire to explain herself. "Oh I believe you" Humnari said as he poured both himself and Brier a cup of tea "but I also believe her, which means one of you has fooled this old man and therefore will not be getting the ax" Humnari said simply enough as he sipped his tea. "I think it would be best Miss Brier, for you to go to the Village of Horn and sort out this little misunderstanding between you two" Humnari said mildly as he passed Brier a biscuit. "The ax will be ready in eight more days giving whoever is the real Brier enough time to practice with it before the full moon" Humnari said taking a loud bite from his biscuit.

Brier left the man feeling as though she had just had a conversation with her old master however also feeling annoyed that there was someone in the Village of Horn claiming to be her. Brier decided that she would need to end this debate quickly as she ran through the woods and eventually found herself looking down the slope towards a small hamlet next to a river. CRACK! PennyWinkles appeared beside her and looked down at the village "It's going to be difficult to find her miss" PennyWinkles said as he had overheard the conversation that had taken place between his mistress and the master of weapons a few hours ago. "We have no choice PennyWinkles, at best this girl is simply taking my name at worse she's incompetent and will end up getting herself killed or simply slander me by running away" Brier said as she made her way down the slope with the cloaked PennyWinkles at her side. She didn't think this would be too difficult once she found the impostor but she knew that it might be more difficult then she wanted it to be.

Brier entered the village and immediately began looking around "PW, I want you to look around on your own come back if you see her; I'm assuming she would be dressed in similar attire as me" Brier said as PennyWinkles vanished. Despite the Werewolf troubles the town seemed to be having the village seemed rather lively and in fact jubilant. Brier decided to look around as she walked up to one of the vendors trying to sell fruits to the people passing by. "I'm sorry but isn't it only a matter of days before a werewolf attacks?" Brier asked not trying to sound depressing though trying to find the source of all this happiness. "Yes, but haven't you heard?" The vendor said happily, "We have Brier Thorn-Wick in town and she's going to slay it!" the Vendor exclaimed as he went on about how Brier had killed forty Werewolves with one swipe of her ax and how this one would be nothing to the great heroine. Brier definitely felt annoyed as she left the man trying to find herself as she felt a more sense of urgency, the girl had been spreading lies about her and therefore must be setting herself up for failure.

As Brier continued to walk down the street PennyWinkles appeared at her side "She's two blocks away entertaining a crowd" PennyWinkles whispered as he lead Brier to the culprit that had stolen her name. Brier made her way through the crowds that surrounded the girl in the center, she wore a red cloak over heavy armor and looked very much like Brier herself. She even carried a heavier ax then Brier though Brier knew that it was different from hers since it didn't have the markings of an embedded wand. "So Four demons come at me all in the form of children, though there really wolf demons in disguise anyways I sees through them and simply take off the children's heads as they turn back to their real form and that's how I saved your sister village on the other side of the woods!" The false Brier Bragged making the real Brier very much annoyed with how unbelievably arrogant this girl was. Brier stepped forwards and looked her square in the face "How dare you try to steal my name!"