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|---|---|
| Rage | |
| Author(s) | Dave Land |
| Artist(s) | Francisco Ruiz (pencils), Rulo Trevino (color) |
| Pages | 16 |
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
| Published | November 11, 2001 |
| Binding | Graphic novel |
Rage is the first short story in the Tales of Sanctuary anthology.
Summary[]
A boy runs towards a fire-lit cave on a snowy mountain, calling out for a druid. He enters the cave to find a bitter Druid by the name of Azgar sitting by the fire. The boy tells the Druid that Baal's Minions of Destruction are readying for an attack on his village; the village that was once the Druid's home. Azgar tells the boy that he can never go back, because he hurt the one who looked up to him the most. He tells him that as a boy, during his training with his father, his brother, Grey, was his biggest admirer. Azgar's training included keeping the village safe and studies of the spiritual, during which, he noticed "certain fabled abilities", he had the gift of the "spiritbeast". He continued his meditation until, one day, he transformed into a Werebear. The young Azgar never before knew such rage and, scared, ran for the place he felt safe, home. Unfortunately, Grey was at home, and Azgar, being fully possessed by the beast, swiped him with his paw. When Azgar realized what happened he came back to normal. Fearing the worst, he fled into the forest and hid. A search party was formed, but they couldn't find the young Druid. Not even when he found out that his brother was alive, only blinded by the hit, did Azgar consider going back for fear of hurting people.
He became the defender of the forest that was now his home. The boy says that the Druid's story differs from what he has heard and that as the clan's warriors are on an offensive, the village's defenses are thin. Hearing this, Azgar decides that his self-imposed exile must end. The Druid intervenes just in time to save the villagers. Just as he is about to dispatch the last monster, Azgar is impaled on a Minion's spike. Mortally wounded, he collapses. As he lies dying, Grey approaches and says that he never held his brother responsible for what happened that day, that he knew it was all an accident and that the men who searched for him the day he fled just wanted to take him back home. To Grey, Azgar will always remain his brother and his hero. Azgar dies, but his name will always be honored for saving the village.