The Black Eater's Curse

"So, we tracked these broo up north, finally catching up with them under the walls of the shadow's dance. Well, we just fell on them, letting the bulls have their head. The devil's spawn was done for, and they knew it. They'd been running three days ahead of us. What the buggers didn't know - not the we knew either - but what they didn't know was that a group of them dark men had seen 'em coming, and fell on them from the other side.

"First I knew about it, my lance took a goat head out from under the maul of this big black one. By Waha he was furious. I think he didn't like me taking his kill. Still, there was enough death to go round, and he soon got back to his business. At the end, them and us, we hauled all the broo into a big heap, and me and the lads fired it.

"Now most of the dark men kept their distance from the flames. But these two - including the one whose kill I stole - they started jumping back and forth across the flames, caring neither for fire nor chaos. Having battled our joint enemy, the dark men and us settled down to celebrate the victory. We gave them three skins of ale and two impalas we had captured in return for some of their maces. Okay, they were only lead, but its still better than palm wood.

"Only once that evening did trouble happen. They had some of their cursed kin with them - using them to fetch and carry - and a couple of 'em got loose. They was bothering the bulls, and if something wasn't done, they'd have spooked 'em. Anyway, so I went over to the dark men, and says 'if you don't do something about them things bothering our bison, we'll have to kill 'em.' Well, the big one I mentioned earlier, he just lopes over to the bisons, and grabs one of the kin by the ankle. He's holding it upside down in mid-air, and he says 'What this thing?' and then he rips it in two. Starts eating it right there. The other one, he slopes off quite, and ties hisself back up again.

"Now, I'm tough enough, but some of the lads, they ain't seen a dark man eating before. And it shows on their faces. The black one, he just laughs, deep in his belly. And he says 'Lord Black Eater, he make 'em for us. We eat if we like.'

"This makes me curious, so when things calm down again, I ask him what he means. He asks me if I know where the cursed kin come from, and I say 'everyone knows. Some foreign god cursed the dark man's mother goddess.' He just laughs and says that there's no foreign god strong enough to do that. Instead he tells me this story.

"Many years ago, after the bright death rose in the sky, but before the curse of kin fell on the dark men, foreigners decided to make a new god. To do this they gathered together as many different people as they could. All the strongest, most important people joined this council. Naturally, the beast riders were there, but so were the dark men. At first, everything was fine, but eventually the dark men realised that the god would be a sun god, kin to the bright death they fear and hate. They left, but knew that was not enough. Instead, troll mother decided to fight the new god, to stop this new bright death before it could harm her children.

"However, so the black one told me, troll mother was a coward. She didn't want to fight the bright new god herself, fearing it. Instead she asked dark eater to fight it for her. He agreed, but said he would need her strength to help him.

"Troll mother did not understand. 'My strength is my children' she said. 'That will do' replied dark eater. And he bit out her womb, and carried its strength in his mouth. Troll mother screamed in pain, but knew it must be done, else the new bright god would destroy all her children.

"Then, black eater went into the utmost west, seeking the foe of the troll mother. For years he searched, and for years more. Eventually he tracked down the new bright god, and the two wrestled. For years, and for years more, the fight continued, but at last black eater devoured the new bright god, as he had done once before.

"At long last, black eater returned to the centre of the world. Troll mother met him, and asked for her strength back. 'Alas' said black eater 'I ate it. For I am black eater, and without doing so I could not use your strength. However, at least now you do not need to pay me.' And with that he travelled into the south, leaving troll mother to weep at her loss."

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