Ah, gods, it's strange to be writing again after all these years. So much has happened, and I don't know where to begin. At the beginning, as Talia would undoubtedly tell me. And so it shall be.
We've stopped traveling, after what feels like weeks on the road. I find myself in a pleasant little village called Mournhollow, adjacent to a lake the locals call Deep Water. It seems much of their sustenance comes from fishing, and what game they can hunt in the nearby hills. It is a quiet place, for the most part, perhaps no more than a hundred or so residents. We have been treated with a degree of generosity far removed from the rest of the Empire, for the most part. Something is amiss here, however, and I can't quite figure it out. The locals feel a bit ... uneasy ... at our continued presence here, and the longer we stay, the more pronounced this feeling becomes. None of them seem to want to discuss it. It has not been a problem, aside from an ... incident earlier this evening involving the innkeeper and one of my compatriots.
We've done the community some good, tracking down and slaying a strange lizard-like beast that had recently been snatching livestock and children. All three of us were in rough shape after the battle, but the local healer was kind enough to tend our wounds and set us to mending. Thus far, I have not had to pay so much as a copper piece for anything, including our room and board. I have money, of course, but it is not enough to suit me. It may never be enough. So if we can continue to provide our services to this community in exchange for goods and services, all the better. For now, though, I need to heal. The physician here tells me I lost quite a bit of blood, and that my left arm will likely never be quite the same again. He warned me to watch out for cold, damp nights, as these will be when it will ache the most. If only he knew.
My fellow travelers are a pair of interesting ones, to be sure. The clockwork calls itself (himself?) Sparks, and indeed it does seem to spark a great deal. Looks like it's pretty banged up, though Sparks assures me he (it?) is perfectly healthy. Some sort of ... magic-user, though I am unfamiliar with such things and can't comment on them properly. I do know that Sparks seems to be able to conjure things from thin air (such as a wrench he frequently hurls with tremendous force, or a crossbow that loads and fires on its own as though it is alive). Have I mentioned how short the clockwork is? He is little taller than a child! Shrewd, though, and I feel as though he understands a lot more than he lets on.
The other one. Luna. What can one say about her? She's ... moody. Sometimes quite pleasant, sometimes quite angry, she is unpredictable at the best of times. Luna seems to regard the clockwork highly, and the pair of them are becoming close as we travel. For my part, I haven't made friends with her easily. My words seem to stumble out of me in the worst of ways, and she often seems to interpret them in the worst of ways as well. Sometimes I think I'm not meant to befriend anyone -- they all seem to grow tired of me, or ... or they die.
We had been captured, the three of us, by a small caravan of orc slavers. I'd like to tell the tale of my capture, and of our eventual escape, but I think I'm going to save that for another night. It's late, and I need to see if the wolf has found us again. The damnable thing always seems to be close by, and I'm afraid. The day is coming when it will seek the blood of my companions, and I will have to face it to save them. And if I fall to its teeth, and to those wicked claws, my companions ... my almost-friends ... will pay the price for my weakness.
I think I heard a faint howl just now. I have to gear up and head out. Maybe I can drive it away again. Maybe I won't even see it this time. Maybe it will come upon me silently, swiftly, and catch me off-guard, ripping away my flesh and consuming me.
No. Not tonight. I will not fail. Not again. Not here, not to these people. That beast doesn't get to hurt anyone tonight.
About the Author
- Jason
- Jason lives in the heart of the great beast known as 'Oregon' with his beloved girlfriend and a crazy but loveable cat. He has no children, which is probably for the best.
