When the sun rose the next day, I found myself face down in the dirt, and soaking wet. I was still in the circle of stones, it seems I had been there all night, given my current state. I took a moment before moving. I had expected to be overcome by the side effects that come from heavy drinking, but to my suprise, and delight, when I finally did stand, no such effects came over me. Besides being cold, and soaking wet, and the throbbing pain in my hand, I actually felt rather rested and refreshed. Picking up my sword, I made my way down the hill and back to the farm. It was a rather warm, sunny day. A night of heavy rainfall had washed away most of the snow. When I returned to the farm, I let myself into the house and found my father and mother in the sitting room. "There you are. We were getting worried" my father spoke upon seeing me enter the room. My mother gasped "Connor your hand!" I lifted my right hand to examine it. The torn flesh around my knuckles had began to heal in a crude manner. The flesh around the cuts was yellow and purple with small spots of green. When I squeezed my hand into a fist, the healing flesh tore open and a thick yellow substance oozed from the wounds, accompanied by a horrendous smell. Before I could say anything I was taken over by an overwhelming sense of dizziness. Losing my footing I fell forward, my head bouncing off the corner of the sitting room table. The last thing I remember before passing out was my mother's worried screams.
When I opened my eyes again, I sat in my father's chair. My father stood beside me well my mother hovered over me, dabbing my feverish forehead with a cold wet cloth. "What happened?" I asked putting my good hand to my forehead. "You passed out, bashed your head off the table, might need stiches" I chuckled softly "my head will be fine, its use to taking hits.. no I mean why did I pass out?" My mother left the room to fetch some clean cloths "when you tore open your hand you released the infection into your body. I guess it was a shock to the system. But I am no healer." I looked around the room and found all my sisters present and two stable hands "was it really a cause for such an audience?" I asked, trying to get out of the chair, but my father pushed me back down "we need to take care of your hand." The two stable hands grabbed me from behind and held me into the chair well my sisters held my arm as steady as they could "hey! Let go, what the deal!" I protested. "When you broke your knuckles, you didn't set them, so they have healed inna crude manner. They need to be re-broken and set properly. It will be awhile before a healer can get here so we got to do it ourselves." My father took hold of my first finger and with a quick, and powerful, pull and twist, I both felt, and heard the knuckles break, again. I yelled out as the unexpected pain shot up my arm. Finger after finger my father did the same thing, grab and twist. Each knuckle made a nasty crunch noise as it broke. When my mother had finally returned with fresh bandages and splints, my father had finished. My mother set about cleaning the torn flesh, cutting out the dead and infected and sticking it all back together. When all of that was done she washed it with a bottle of whiskey and then with hot, clean water, before splinting it and bandaging it. "Not so bad was it?" My father teased with a slap to my shoulder, which caused my hand to throb as well. "Noo to deal with the fever!" My mother ushered me upstairs.
I spent the next day in bed being watched over by my mother as fever overtook me. Late that night the fever broke and by morning I was feeling much better. My hand was still bandaged and in a splint but it felt much better. I had tried to help around the farm, to keep myself busy, but most of the work had been done and the stuff that still needed to be done, my father would not let me help with, going on about my hand needing to heal. I heaved a heavy sigh and cursed my broken hand. If this was back in Arrakis, I could simply walk up to a healer and ask, and with a few whispering words it would be better, but here, in Caledonia, we did not have the overwhelming magic power flowing from portals, and there for I have never met someone who could heal like they do over there. Remedies and healing herbs for me, which my mother kept tucked away in her apothecary.
It took less than an afternoon for me to go crazy. I was restless, I needed to do something, get off the farm and move around. Soni saddled up my horse, tossed in the new kilt my mother got me, and I managed to slip a glove on over my broken hand so no one could really see that it was broken. I told mother and father I was going into town, that I was restless and needed something to do. Both of them laughed and wished me a safe journey. And with that i set out for the near by town of Spean.
It was only a few hour ride from the farm. As I approached I smiled. When I had left for the capital I went around Spean, it had been awhile since I had been here and I felt slightly nostalgic. This was my home town. I had grown up here and spent lots of time playing in the streets. In the center of Spean there was a large old tree, so old that Spean was actually built around it. It was an unspoken right of passage in Spean, and the surrounding area, that when a boy became a man, he had to make it to the top of the old tree before he could complete become a man. Broke my arm on my first attempt. To this day I don't think anyone has ever made it on their first try. The tree is also special because, despite it always looking dead, it produces a sap that a few small business use to make syrup, honey, and ale. Every year the town holds an auction to decide who gets to harvest the sap. One for syrup, one for honey, and one for ale. Strangely enough, the tree always seems to have more than enough sap to go around. It is a very well respected tree in Spean. As I rode past the tree I took in a deep breath and savored the smell of it. It was sweet, and pleasant, but not like anything I had ever smelt anywhere else.
I rode right past the tree and made my way to the smithy. I paid the craftsmen a few coin to have all of my weapons repaired and sharpened and spent most of my time just walking around the town, looking at small shops, and picking up small trinkets here and there. By the time I collected my weapons it was dark and most of the shops had closed. Deciding it was to late to ride home, I retired to a near by tavern.
I had no other intensions besides eat and drink. As I sat at the bar, I found that the tavern was oddly crowded. As I sat enjoying my food and ale, I learned that it was in fact the celebration of a new year. Another four seasons had passed and the circle would restart. I really had no interest in the starting of a new year. All it meant for me was that I was still alive. So I kept to myself, enjoying my meal and doing my best to block out what I could. Back in Arrakis, to kill time I would sit in inn's and tavern's and listen to people, by doing this I would hear stories about strange disappearances, deaths, monsters, all kinds of things, I would then seek them out. I have fought many monsters and plenty of other things by doing this. It kept me busy and my nomadic wonderlust at bay. As I say here on this small Inn, I could not help but do the same thing. For awhile I heard nothing. And just as I was about to give up for the night, something caught my attention.
"Did you hear about the pour sods in the next town over" one man said
"The four who died?" The second asked
"They didn't just die.." a third added "I hear their blood was drained from all four of them..."
"I hear the town has been having issues like this for months now.."
I didn't stick around long enough to finish listening. I paid for my meal and my ale and I set out for the next town. It sounded to me like they might have a vampire issue, and I was keen on helping deal with it. If anything, it would keep my mind off past troubles... As I set out toward the town of Brittle, it slowly began to snow again. I had been riding for a couple of hours when o came across a road side inn. I tied my horse up front and walked in. A small bell sounded and soon a short stubby old man walked out of the back room, followed by a young boy. Both were dressed in their bed clothing and the old man held a small candle in one hand and a large book in the other. As I approached the counter I apologized for the late hour but the old man dismissed it with a wave of his hand "if I minded waking up at all hours of the night, I never would have opened a road side inn my boy" he chuckled softly. It was nice to not have to deal with a grumpy old man. "Name please?" He asked dipping his quill into his bottle of ink. "Connor MacPherson" the old man gazed at me from over his half moon spectacles before writing out my name in the book. He pulled a pocket watch out from a pocket and marked the hour next to my name "how long will you be staying?" He asked as he slid the quill over to the next catagory. "Just a few hours" the old man have a soft "hmph" before filling in something in the next catagory. "My boy will see to your horse" he added as he placed a key on the desk in front of me "that will be three pieces" he asked. I fished out three coins and placed them on the book in front of him and he took them happily. "Boy!" I called out to the kid who would be tending to my horse. "If my horse is well looked after, there will be a tip for yoo in the morning" the boy lit up at the idea and offered a thanks before rushing out to see to my horse. I took the key and thanked the old man and went up the stairs to my right to the room number marked on my key.
When I woke the next morning, the sun had just broken through my window. I quickly got dressed and headed down stairs. The room was empty. The boy and his father must both still be sleeping. I helped myself to a piece of cheese and a chunk of bread that was left out on the counter. I left the boy the tip I had promised and a few pieces for the food I took. I saddled up my own horse and set out again for the town of Brittle, which happened to just be a few miles down the road from the inn.
As I rode into town, the first thing I notice was the cemetery off to my left, and the four fresh graves next to each other. I paused a moment to look at them. As I scanned the grave yard I noticed a few graves that look relatively fresh, compared to the rest. The town seemed rather empty to me, even for such an early hour. My first stop was at yet another inn. This time I booked a room indefinitely, and would pay up when I left, with a small down payment of course. I asked the inn keeper for directions to the undertakers, which I could tell made him uncomfortable, but he told me none the less. When I entered the undertakers it was a rather plain, single room building. Coffins of various sizes lined the walls and a single desk sat at the far end of the room, which a gangly older man currently sat at, looking over some parchment through a monocle. He looked up as I crossed the room and raised an eyebrow at me. "Not often I see an unfamiliar face in here. How may I help you?" I glanced around the room a moment before answering his question. "You looked after the bodies of the four who belong to those graves I saw coming into town?" His thin grey lips curved into a crooked grin "it was only a matter of time before someone like you came a calling" I glanced at him. "Someone like me?" He chuckled "monster hunter?" I glared at him for a moment "something like that.." the undertake gave a slight nod "uh-huh" he reached under his desk, and instinctively my hand went to my dagger, I had left my hammer and my claymore back in my room, leaving me with just my basket hilt and dagger. "No need for that" he placed a pile of parchment on the desk in front of him "it's all right here" I eyed the parchment a moment and my shoulders slumped with a heavy sigh "I can't read.." the undertake laughed loudly. I didnt say anything. I stood silently and stewed in my silent frustration as the undertake, after a few struggling moments, manager to get a hold of himself. "The four you saw on your way in are not the first. Several young men from the town have all ventured out for hunting, headed for the capital, just for a walk, and all have met with the same fate" he put the papers away since they would be no help here. "Vampire?" I asked. He shrugged "some say Vampire. Most do in fact. Who can say for sure. The bodies are so drained and mutilated no one can say for sure."
After a few more questions I learned where most of the attacks had taken place and returned to my room. I would wait for nightfall and head out to the location. Night came a lot sooner than I had expected it to. Before I knew it, I was walking through a birchwood forest hammer cluched in both hands and my familiar array of weapons strapped around my body. I had been walking for a few hours before I found it. The stone ruins the four bodies had been found in. All the other victims were found in or around this ruin, so I figured it would be a good enough place to start. I entered the ruins, which had crumbled into a single stone courtyard. Almost an hour had passed and nothing had happened. I was starting to grow impatient. Was this thing going to show up? "Oy!" I called out into the night "what's the matter? My blood to tough for you? Can't handle the strong stuff eh!?" I gripped my hammer tight. "Hey! Bitch! Show your self. Pick on and feed on simple folk! But the second a real man steps up you stay hidden!" I paused to listen. As my voice faded into the distance a thick fog began to roll in through the trees.
"What is all that noise about?" I heard a soft, female voice. I turned in the direction it had come from. Slowly a figure began to form in the mist. "I was trying to sleep. That last meal had me so exhausted" slowly the figure took shape. A slender woman with long brown hair and a stunning green dress began to appear, but it was clear she had not noticed me. "Shite!" I cursed before diving behind a large boulder. "That isn't a vampire!" I pressed myself tight against the stone. "I am not prepared for this.." i cursed my stupidity. "It would seem not" I was caught off guard as the woman appeared beside me. Doing the only thing I could think of, I lashed out with my fist but in the blink of an eye she vanished and my already broken fist slammed hard into a stone wall. I roared out in pain and dropped my hammer. It was the small feminine chuckle that pulled my attention away from my throbbing, and now bleeding hand. "Oh my!" Her face grew flushed and she brought her fingers to her lips "that smells amazing!" I looked down at my hand and smiled. Squeezing my hand into a fist, gritting my teeth against that pain, blood oozed from the newly torn flesh "you want some? Come and get it, you bitch!" Her face grew angry, and she charged with super human speed and strength. She crashed into me hard, holding me in her grasp, lifting me off the ground by my neck with one hand, with the other, she forced my broken hand over her mouth and allowed my blood to drip into her mouth. "Hmm.. so full of hate.. so bitter and angry.." she giggled. "You're foockin' gross!" I hissed as I brought my knee up hard into her jaw. She dropped me to the ground and screamed out in pain. I took this chance to snatch up my hammer and ran. I hadn't even made it out of the ruins before she was in front of me again. "Shite" I spat but swung my hammer, one handed, but she moved to fast for me and I was knocked over by the momentum of my own swing. I hit the ground hard, landing on my broken hand, I was really starting to contimplate cutting the damned thing off. Before I could get up the woman kicked my hammer away from me and sat ontop of me, putting a knee down on my broken hand, I tried hard not to show how much it hurt but it was a pointless effort. "No one has ever put up a fight against me. Most find my beauty irresistible! What makes you so different?" She put her face uncomfortablely close to mine "hmm?" I turned my face away from hers "because.." I struggled slightly "I don't.." I gripped my dagger in my hand and pulled it free from my belt "foock monsters!" I drove my dagger deep into her gut. A loud scream ripped through the forest and she pulled away from me, steam rose from where I had stabbed her and she screamed all kinds of curses at me. I gripped my dagger tight and charged her "Creagh dhu!" Once I was within sticking range of her she lashed out at me, she caught me hard in the jaw, lifting me off the ground only to come back down, slamming my head hard into a stone, the world around me grew dark and I watched as the woman shrank away from the ruins, clucthing her middle where I had stabbed her, just before passing out.
When I woke again, I found myself laying in a small forest opening. I had clearly been moved.. but by who.. or by what. It was day time and by the looks of it, almost noon. When I tried to sit up I was forced back down by the pain that shot through my body.
"You should lay still. Not many a mortal men can say they stood against a baobhan sith (baa'vaan see) and live to tell of it" I could not see the owner of the voice, but I could tell already it wasn't human. The voice sounded earthy and deep. Like a tree straining against a powerful wind. A thick earthy smell of dead leaves and moss hung heavy in the air. Whoever my company was, I could hear them moving around. "What.. who are you?" I asked, feeling around for any of my weapons. "I have removed your weapons. But fear not, for I am no threat" it assured me. "You will forgive if I don't take ya world for it. Many time I have heard a man claim such things only to turn around and slaughter people" there was a long pause "you have known much anger and pain" the voice spoke, there was no real rythm or timing to his words. He spoke as if he had all the time in the world. "Your body and soul are riddled with the scares of a life of hardship. "Aye, what would you know about it!?" I forced myself to sit up, leaning myself against a near by birch tree. I froze for a moment at what I saw. It looked human enough, and appeared to be male. It had long black hair, and he wore a loin cloth and a tunic made of moss and dead leaves. His toes and his fingers were both clawed with thick black claws and his skin had a soft green tint to it. He was a muscular figure and must have stood close to seven feet tall, or so I guess, he was sitting down on a large stone when first saw him. "You're.. you're a Ghillie dhu!" I caught myself saying in awe.
I looked from him to the water and back to him "I can't." The creature tilted its head at me questioningly "you doubt me?" He asked softly "I don't fully trust yoo, but even if that wasn't the case.. I uh.. I canna swim.." the creature smiled, and for a moment I thought it might have even chuckled. "The water is not deep. You will not Drowned." I examined the water from my spot across the clearing and sighed heavily. I managed to get to my feet and stumbled over to the hot spring. It was at this moment that I realized the clearing I was in was lush and green and untouched by snow, despite the heavy snowfall the day before. Slowly I lowered myself into the water and found it was indeed no deeper than my knees. So i let myself sink to a sitting position, not caring to remove anything I had been wearing. With how stiff and sore I was I doubt I could have gotten anything off anyways. I felt it almost instantly, the healing powers of the water. My body relaxed and all the pain lifted from my muscles and bones. Even my broken hand started to feel much better, almost like I hadn't broken it at all.
"You are a strange kind, you Highlanders" I had almost forgotten about the creature, I was so lost in my relaxation. I jumped to my feet and got out of the water, angry at myself for letting my gaurd down. "What will you do now?" The creature asked "I'll go after the bitch again" I told him as I pulled off my gloves to examin my hand, which had healed completely. I had never seen healing magic like this, not outside of Arrakis anyways. I shouldn't have been surprised though, his kind were said to be fae. And who knows what limits they may or may not have. Especially in a place like Caledonia where the Vail between the two worlds is practically nonexistent. "How do you plan to deal with her?" He asked. I thought about it a moment "guess you wouldn't know how to kill her would you?" It was more of a joke than a serious question, but he shook his head yes "I don't suppose you will tell me huh?" He shook his head no. "You should not be so reckless and eager to fight her again" I rolled my eyes "now you are starting to sound like Kampi and Ajax" he looked at me questioningly "are they friends of yours?" I shook my head "aye. Like kin" the creature smiled "brotherhood beyond blood. Why do they not hunt with you than?" He asked "they are across the sea. Just my luck though isn't it. If anyone could figure out how to beat this creature it would be Ajax." The creature finally stood from his stone and walked over to me, I braced myself, ready for anything. Slowly he opened his hand, in it he held a small black pebble. "For one turn of the sun this can take you to see your friend." I looked at him suprised.. "really?" The creature nodded "but no this, by the setting of the sun the magic will wain and to here you shall return." I was confused not only by the things he said but how he said them, why do people always insist on talking to me like I am smarter than I am? But it also confused me on why he would offer this up so easy. "I have never known a fae to offer anything willingly without there being some sort of catch.. what happens to me if I use this?" The creature sighed heavily and looked out at the Forrest around him. "Children used to run around these woods and play. This forest was once full of the laughter of them, it would echo for miles and bring a peacefulness to the forest like nothing else could.. those laughs don't echo here anymore.. just the screams and the sounds of death.. the forest is poisoned by the blood of the innocent.. she has tainted the forest.." he turned back to look down at me "purhaps if you can defeat her, the laughter will return."
I do not own any of these photos. All and full credit to the owners.
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