It was beautiful - or at least that is what he was told. He... Perhaps such an entity should not be viewed as male or female, though the creature did seem more masculine than feminine. Besides its exterior - the silvery, rigid outer shell of the being; stone muscles that required no tendons, no nerves to move; untiring limbs, able to lift the heaviest of loads; large red eyes that continued on with their endless stare - the low rumbling noise of a voice that it emitted was much more manly than a woman\'s voice. Although, of course, there are always exceptions. But... to consider this creature as either male or female would be comparing it to a being that felt pain, a being that had true goals and fears, a living thing with passions both wonderful and violent, true emotions. A soul. Or... did this thing, this monster...
...did it truly have a soul? Was there something hidden inside that stone carapace?
Well, it was referred to as a \"he\" occasionally, when it was not called by its name. Grubba. Why they named it... ahem, him this name is not a tale to be looked too deeply into - his name had little to no purpose, save the fact that the name would be used to distinguish him from others of his kind. And so he accepted his name.
But anyway, I\'ve babbled quite too much, haven\'t I? Back to the story, hm?
Yes, the scene was indeed a beautiful one. But Grubba knew not what this word truly meant, what it was really supposed to describe. Maybe it was to describe the long pathway that cut through the dark forest, maybe that was beautiful. Or perhaps it was the large tree to his left, or the edge of the forest, maybe even the large hills that seemed to serve as a gateway out of the woods. Or perhaps... perhaps the great walls in the distance was what this word, beautiful, was meant to describe.
\"Y\'heard me!\" came Master\'s voice. \"Git outta \'ere!\" Grubba stared at Master for a moment, and then asked his unanswered question, \"Wut am beautiful?\"
\"Ugh, yeh idiot. C\'mon, we\'ve no more use for yeh. Y\'helped us \'round the place, but we can\'t afford t\'keep yeh alive if yeh only eat rocks. How\'re we s\'posed to gain any profit from minin\'? Sure, might only be one of our many businesses, but yeh\'re wastin\' moneh and precious time nonetheless.\" Grubba just blinked at the old, crooked Ylian, and Master shook his head again in his annoyance.
\"Jes\' head to th\' gates o\'er there! Yeh\'ll find somethin\' t\'do t\'keep yer stomach full. Sorreh \'bout this, but yeh gotta do it, Grubba.\"
Whatever else Master had said, Grubba had forgotten already as he turned his head away from the ancient human. He looked at the gates in the distance, and grunted weakly. Turning his gaze back to Master, he saw Ylian slowly limp away into the dark, desolate forest. Grubba didn\'t worry about the man\'s safety, being all alone in the forest. He didn\'t really care either. But then again, he didn\'t seem to care about anything - he was made of rock, nothing else... right?
Toward the gates he took a step. And then another. And another, another, until he found himself taking normal strides. He did not hurry, because he did not hunger. To tell the truth, he never really did hunger, but the taste of gold or iron nuggets was always enough reason to stuff the minerals into his large, gaping mouth. I am not saying the Kran had no control of himself, I\'m only stating that maybe Grubba did have some feelings afterall. Perhaps. Though as he stepped over hard rocks, his foot crushing a thorn or two, some broken pieces of wood in the middle of the path, he winced not in pain. Perhaps he just couldn\'t feel it, or perhaps he did not know how to express his pain. The former is much more believable, but it is hard to imagine - to constantly wear a full suit of armor without wearing any clothing at all; to feel no pain, even if your body is impaled with a spear. One would think them invincible, immortal maybe, though I\'ve heard accounts of Kran dying. I suppose it\'s like thinking of eternity or death: your mind just can\'t grasp the idea until you\'ve experienced it for yourself. Whatever it must be like - to be a Kran, I mean - I\'m sure it\'s wonderful to be so limitless... and horrible to be so limited.
