Too Close Encounter

[McIan]

His first reaction was to heave violently, but Itannar had smelled worse – though he could not recall in recent memory just when. It was the stench of death – old, undying, death that clung to everything, putrid and cloying. Then he saw it shambling through the woods ahead of him.

Undead! How did it get so far into town? Where are the Royal Guards?

He would have to deal with this himself. Arming himself with his slayer bow, he moved closer, riding his Ki-Rin, which protested, snorting violently.

Just a bit more… calm down boy… this should not take long.

Nocking an arrow and moving within range, he let fly.

Thunk! The shaft buried itself into the ground in front of the thing.

I didn’t miss! What the…?

He fired another and another. Each one scored, but penetrated through.

There’s not enough flesh on it to offer resistance!

Finally the thing stopped and turned to face him. Its eyes glowed and its jaw dropped open. It pointed a boney finger at him: In Sar!

A burst of intense pain rippled through him, blasting past his heavy armor. He felt from his mount, dropping his bow, clutching his chest as he lay on his back gazing skyward.

A spellcaster?

The thing moved in, reaching down to pick him up. The stench was now almost unbearable. It pummeled him with its fists, knocking the breath out of him. In another moment it cast another spell. A blast of deathly cold enveloped him, sending icy streaks of agony throughout, stealing away what remained of his breath and sensible cognition.

The last thing he saw before passing out was it standing over him, its mouth agape, hissing the words in a guttural tone: “Gaven commands! Leave… mortal!”

 

[McIan]

A Not-So-Rued Awakening


When he awoke, the first thing Itannar knew was that he definitely was not dead; there was still some pain from the beating he took. He was also looking up at a low ceiling, a very quaint one made of slatted wood. A quick scan and his assessment was confirmed: he was in the home of some citizen of Yew, most likely a farmer or herdsman. He raised up in bed and turned, putting his bare feet on the smooth hardwood floor. Still feeling woozy, he took a few deep breaths preparing to stand up.

The door opened quietly and in stepped two women. One he did not recognize immediately, likely the tenant of the house, as she was dressed in the simple style of Yewians, but the other he did. It was Malissin, the young woman who had come to Sanctuary for some purpose that even she did not fully comprehend. He immediately felt at ease and, something a bit more.

“Lie back down,” the woman of the house ordered. She was carrying a wooden tray holding his breakfast. She put it on a small bedside table and hurried to assist him in doing that.

“I am fine,” he replied. “Thank you for your kindness and concern,” he added.

The woman smiled. “I am Kendra, but you don’t need to thank me; you should thank her,” she confessed, giving a nod toward Malissin, who merely stood by the door – a kindly smile etched on her face, her hands clasped together at her waist.

Itannar looked back at her. “Thank you!” he said softly, the heartfelt emotion of gratitude permeated the words. “I am in your debt.”

Malissin shook her head slowly. “You owe me nothing, but thank the goddess, not me. She…” she started to say but stopped when Kendra shot her a puzzled look. “I will tell you later m’lord.”

“She found you lyin’ on your back in the woods. We live nearby and she came and got me and Frederick, my husband, to help bring you back here,” Kendra explained. “How she knew to find you there was a mystery for sure.” She took the lid off the bowl of soup and tried to spoon feed it to him. Reluctant at first, he permitted it. “How did you find me?” he asked, in between mouthfuls.

“I was shown. I received…” She looked again at Kendra. “Perhaps that later as well?”

Itannar nodded. He knew how it sounded – the talk of a “goddess” and all – not an entirely foreign concept, but some Yewians were agnostics at best, and were easily disturbed by such casual talk. He decided to change the subject. “Did you see what it was… the thing that I saw?”

Kendra finished feeding him and picked up the tray. “Oh, we all know what it was – the same thing that’s been roaming about town, the woods, all over. It’s some foul undead creature. Farmers attacked it… my husband too… and it scattered them with that chilling blast it emits – as if the smell wouldn’t do that on its own! It doesn’t seem to want to harm anybody outright, but it scares us, and the kids. We don’t know if or when it will go berserk though, so we stay in a night… everybody. One thing for sure… it cannot slip up on you!”

Malissin shook her head. “I saw nothing, but, yes, the smell was terrible. I took the liberty of cleaning your clothes and armor. The stench clung to all of it.”

Itannar nodded. “Thanks again.” He thought for a moment. “Necromancy. It is a spell casting undead probably from Umbra.”

“It only says a few words that people can understand. ‘Gaven commands’ seems to be its favorite. I assume it means the new governor,” Kendra replied, preparing to leave the room. “Ever since he took office, the town’s been a haven for criminals, and he does nothing to stop it.” She moved to the door. “I’ll be back with some hot coffee” she said before leaving.

“It said that to me, and told me to leave.”

Malissin had been listening quietly. “Did it attack you m’lord?”

Itannar smiled and shook his head. “I must confess; I attacked first and was more than a little overconfident. One needs a good knock occasionally to keep us in our place.” He looked at her and realized he was staring. “Oh, by the by – there is no need to call me, ‘lord.’ We are both good friends, aren’t we?”

She blushed a little and nodded. “Yes, of course!”

“Good! Then let’s stop being so formal,” he said, sliding off the bed. He looked at the garment he was wearing – a long, ill-fitting, nightgown.

Malissin’s face reddened. “I will go and let you get dressed,” she said quickly, turning and exiting before he could speak.

He smiled. She was a goodly soul, one quite unworthy of this realm.