The hero opened up his eyes to find the day was done

　　lying in a smoking crater, night had just begun

　　he brought himself up to his feet, and climbed out from the hole

　　and looked around to see a wasteland, dead and black as coal

　　Vaguely he recalled a storm of magic, death, and fire

　　monsters like a nightmare fighting as the flames grew higher

　　as he looked around he barely recognized the dead

　　charred remains and melted swords, not even blood was red

　　The hero wandered slowly through the dimly moonlit night

　　fires weakly smouldering, the only other light

　　every ally with him had been caught and killed with ease

　　every foe he`d faced was now just ashes on the breeze

　　He wandered to the wagons where the slaves had all been chained

　　and found a place to sit where only piles of wood remained

　　at least he`d had revenge upon the ones who had attacked

　　for the all the comrades he just lost, it wasn`t strength he lacked

　　Reflecting on the nature of the army he had slain

　　never had the hero seen so zealous a campaign

　　mercilessly executing every foe they meet

　　full of smiles and laughter in the face of sure defeat

　　Giving up on understanding why they fought to die

　　the hero moved his weary feet to bid the scene goodbye

　　just as he began to walk though, something caught his earThis narrative has been purloined without the author`s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

　　somewhere in the ashes, something he could barely hear

　　Breathing weakly, buried under black and charred debris

　　the hero found a single injured girl in agony

　　only recognizable by rusty, weathered chains

　　a slave he`d travelled with for many months across the plains

　　Tempted by the feeling he could save a single soul

　　the hero quickly broke her chains with little self control

　　he brushed away the dirt and with the magic that he knew

　　healed her cuts and broken bones, until her pain withdrew

　　He hadn`t spent much time around a girl throughout the trip

　　they tended to remind him of an old relationship

　　he noticed that the slave girl looked the same age as himself

　　and by her pointed ears she was a forest dwelling elf

　　For a while, he watched her sleep atop a bed of ash

　　thinking of the luck that saved her from that fiery clash

　　so many lives had just been lost, he couldn`t comprehend

　　but all the same, he`d be a hero til the very end

　　Happy to have gained at least a small heroic quest

　　he put the elven slave upon his back where she could rest

　　carrying the girl, he soon was quickly on his way

　　running through the peaceful night until the break of day

　　Though the elven girl was fully healed she didn`t wake

　　the hero understood the heavy toll a war can take

　　after he had run across the plains another day

　　he ventured deep into the woods and found a place to stay

　　He built a little shelter where he placed the elven slave

　　and wandered near the campsite til he found a modest cave

　　there he found a monster like a boar with giant teeth

　　known for its tough hide and the delicious meat beneath

　　He`d lost his knives amidst the battle, but he did his best

　　he used a stone to kill it and his fire to do the rest

　　with little burning blades the meat was cooked as it was cut

　　as he worked he hung the meat up in his little hut

　　He worried that it smelled so good it might attract a bear

　　but there were no wild creatures which his presence didn`t scare

　　he passed the time in peace while he enjoyed his humble feast

　　thankful from his stomach for the blessing of the beast

　　With his stomach full, he lay beneath the shining stars

　　wondering if other heroes had so many scars

　　his healing magic wasn`t such an easy thing to use

　　he felt his spirit breaking even just to heal a bruise

　　Unexpectedly when he had healed the elven slave

　　it felt easier, despite the healing that he gave

　　"I must be improving, as a hero quickly would"

　　he fell asleep expecting that his dreams would be quite good