“By the way it looks I suspect it is Dwarvish in nature, indeed an old magick ward to stave off grave robbers and body snatchers then punish them thereafter…”
“Wait what do you mean punish thereafter? Is something bad going to happen to me still?” Naurus asked, starting to fill with dread.
“Well…” Ektor started, “the effects won’t be pleasant. From what I can surmise here I can see something about ‘bloodfire’ and ‘thieves damnation’…you’ll have to forgive me my Dwarvish is rather rusty.”
“What’s all the supposed to mean? How do I get rid of this? I’m not a thief! I don’t want to die because of a stupid journey to somewhere everyone lied to me about except you!” Naurus cried out.
“You might feel some unpleasant effects, but you won’t die! At least I don’t think…oh wait! Let me grab you something!” Ektor proclaimed before getting up.
He rummaged through a hutch full of alchemical reagents, bottles, vials, and other such experiments as he fancied himself a part time alchemist when he wasn’t buried in his books. Out he pulled a leather pouch and brought it over to the table. He pulled the flap back to reveal five small vials full of a thick brown liquid.
“So this is something I made not too long ago, it’s an anti-magick decoction. Whenever you feel any ill effects or that the sigil is acting in any way that’s not idle like it is now, I want you to quaff one of these. The effects shouldn’t take long to kick in, but as to how effective it will be that remains to be known as I’ve personally never had to use these. I will have to research on how to dispel that curse permanently, but for now these will have to do!” Ektor said.
“Ok, so what if I need more?”
“I can make you some more, but I don’t think it should take that long to find a way to banish that pesky sigil. Do you have to deploy soon?” Ektor asked.
“Oh damn, I do in fact. I’m slated for my first duty on the waters in…a day.” Naurus said, realizing he would be gone for at least a fortnight.
“Well that’s fine, I’ll be here when you get back! Oh and by the way, did you find the answers you were looking for?” Ektor asked with a wink and a smile.
“No, in fact I have more questions than answers now. And of course now this stupid curse I don’t deserve to deal with…”
Ektor jumped in, “Well I certainly hope you don’t feel the need to go back there anytime soon. I’ll let you go about your business as I’m sure you don’t want to sit here all day!” He said with a chuckle.
Indeed, Naurus bid goodbye and made his way out. The sun was bright and the wind carried a cool breeze with it. He hoped that nobody would see the sigil on his palm, so he planned to wrap his blood token from inauguration around his hand to hide it. He made his way over to Talfin's place a short distance away and knocked on the door. The door swung open and Talfin's face lit up, happy to see his only real friend again.
"Come in! I haven't seen ye in a few days. Ye look a bit like shite, tell me what happened!" He commanded while Naurus came in and made himself comfortable. Talfin cracked a bottle of cheap wine and they shared it amongst themselves as Naurus had to retell the story once again, with Talfin's eyes lighting up more and more till the end of it all.
He sat there in silence, and then said, "Well Naury at least ye made it out alive eh?"
Naurus uncomfortably shifted, before replying, "Well you remember when I said I burned my hand on that sword? I think it’s a curse, I just got back from visiting Ektor, that wily old man made me come visit with a geas! He's very interested in all this for some reason..." He then turned his palm out showing Talfin the extent of it, which made him crane his neck closer for a closer examination.
"Well I don' think it be much to worry about! I'm sure ye just have to visit a soothsayer er maybe a healer...somethin' like that." Talfin tried to be reassuring.
"No Talf, I'm not sure it's that simple. Ektor said he would have to get back to me as he doesn’t have enough time to figure out what to do before my deployment. Aren't you due to report to your station in a couple days too?" Naurus replied trying to change the subject.
"Yesh! I wish I could sail th' seas like ye friend, but oh well it's me lot in life like this." A tinge of sadness hung in his voice.
"Well Talf, I'm going to do everything I can to stay alive out there, but whatever this curse is I have to deal with and hope it doesn't kill me either. I wish I could promise you I will make it back and we will back to our merry ways in no time, but I have my own battles to fight and I'm scared too." Naurus admitted frankly. Several seconds of depressing silence between them was broken up by the sound of Talfin chugging the rest of his wine, with Naurus following suit right after. A nice buzz was setting in, and he felt a bit more relaxed and at ease. Talfin peppered him with more questions about his trip to try to change the topic to something more upbeat, but really very little was happy about the trek out east for Naurus.
Soon the afternoon was well on its way to evening, and Naurus figured he better get home a bit early in case his parents thought he skipped out again. His father's wrath was not something incurred lightly, and he sensed something change in his father during the previous days conversation. They bid each other goodbye and exchanged a good strong hug as if they would never see each other again. Talfin was noticeably stronger and clasping his hands together, cracked Naurus's back with ease. With his spine readjusted for good measure, he made his way down the street back to his house, doing his best to hide the slight limp that his friend just inflicted on him.
Inside his house, he noticed his father was gone which was unusual for the time of day and quite a bit earlier than he usually left. He only saw his mother in the kitchen looking busy preparing some sort of stew for dinner. She looked over at him momentarily, easing out a weak smile before going back to chopping some vegetables.
“Hey ma! Where did dad go?”
“I think he went to work early honey, I’m not sure when he will be home.” Came her curt reply.
“Ok then. Do you think he’s mad at me? I really don’t want either you to be mad at me or disappointed in me…I know what I did was stupid.” Naurus pleaded.
“Well honey, we just love and care for you and tried to steer you away from a place that nobody has any business visiting. Your father was out there once, a very long time ago. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but he knows how dangerous it is. You could have died and your father and I are trying to do our best with what we have. We’re not mad. Your father just sees something in you that reminds him of when he was your age. That’s not really a good thing in this case though…” His mother trailed off.
“What do you mean it’s not a good thing? Are you not proud of me?”
“Almost dying in some godsforsaken forest because you stirred up some restless spirits isn’t really anything to be proud of hun. What will make us proud is you serving our great kingdom and doing just the sorts of things your father and I did at your age, defending this great land and the waters that are rightfully ours. Maybe you’ll help rebirth the empire. That’s what will make us proud!”
Naurus pondered his mother’s sudden spat of jingoism, realizing that his father probably was angry and she was just covering for him as he out blowing off steam in whatever way he did. Naurus realized that he didn’t remember what happened to the backpack he brought out with him, and suddenly became frantic to find it. He went back upstairs and rummaged through his room, finding it tucked away in the corner of his closet. He opened it up, finding only the folded-up map he sketched out within it. He decided to focus his day on painstakingly detailing the map with everything he saw and knew about the area now, which made him wonder just how much more was there of this forgotten land? He tried to retrace his steps exactly, trying to figure out where this old man was the whole time and where he may have lived. He was drawing blanks at this though, and the thought of another trek out there crossed his mind.
Why would I do something so stupid ever again? He chastised himself as he
rushed that thought out of his mind.
“Naury! Want some dinner?” His mother piped up from downstairs. Apparently, more time passed than he thought. He made his way downstairs to see a simple dinner of vegetable stew and bread awaiting him. It was for the most part an awkwardly quiet meal, but Naurus couldn’t help but to notice that as of late the food around there had become much more repetitive and simple for no real apparent reason. His curiosity got the best of him, “Well I guess you and dad really like stew nowadays huh?” He finished off with a forced laugh to try to lighten up the mood.
His mother turned to him, and almost looked straight through him with her steely blue eyes beset deep in her wrinkled face. “Do you not like it honey?” She asked with a sigh.
“Oh no it’s delicious! I just thought you liked making a whole bunch of things like I remember you used to!” Naurus replied as he shoveled more stew into his face.
“I wish I could dear. Food has gotten more and more expensive lately. Somebody at the market said we are having issues with our fishing waters and trading routes. Something about a blockade or maybe just corsairs raiding us more than usual. I certainly hope it lets up soon.” She said while mindlessly stirring about her bowl.
“Don’t worry Ma, I’ll get down to it when I’m out on the waters soon enough! I’ll see what the issue really is and get you and dad something nice while I’m at it hopefully.” He looked over to see his mother crack a weathered old smile at him. He felt bad about the situation but seeing her smile made him happy. Afterwards she spent the evening quietly crocheting. Naurus went back to his room to thumb through his old bestiary, and again was baffled by there being no real connection between what was in there and what he actually saw. He figured maybe it was just compiled together by someone who wasn’t well travelled, or maybe it was just meant for children. He certainly hoped it wasn’t an intentional obscuration by the royally controlled presses although he couldn’t help but to shake that feeling.
Soon dusk had set, and he made ready for bet with a quick warm sponge bath and quickly was in bed and dozing off. He was halfway asleep when he heard the front door lock cycle and then get flung open. It was immediately apparent his father was home as he greeted his wife, but something didn’t quite sound right. Naurus perked up and listened more intently to the conversation that was being had downstairs. He was only able to pick up bits and pieces of initially, but soon their voices grew louder as it seemed to devolve into an argument between his parents.
"...your kid...bringing curses into our damn house now!" His father slurred out angrily.
"He's your kid too!...the same things you did as a youngster...he's going to be gone soon..." He could make out his mother's defensive pleading. Suddenly some banging and incoherent yelling could be heard, something crashed to the ground.
"…I wish he was never born! No matter what I do...nobody ever listens around here!" Was the last thing Naurus could make out in his father's drunken rage before the door slammed again, leaving only his sobbing mother as the sole noise in the house.
Naurus felt embarrassed, guilty, and shameful. He started blaming himself, thoughts racing through his head. Why did I go out there? Maybe they would be better off without me. I failed them, I need to make it up but how? His stomach was in knots, his face hot and flushed. He then felt a prickling pain coming from his right palm and turned it over to see the sigil now glowing. It was pulsating, seemingly to the beat of his heart which now throbbed in his ears. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath but opened them a few seconds later to find the sigil glowing even brighter with a searing hot pain now running up his arm. His entire body started stiffening and convulsing with the pain pulsing up and down his spine. He just then remembered the vials that Ektor gave him, which were on his desk on the other side of the room. He rolled out of bed, stiffly thumping against the floor. He crawled his way over as best as he could, the spasms of pain making even that almost unachievable. Cold sweat rolled down his face as he moaned and groaned with great effort to get over to the desk. His entire room was lit up by the sigil, as if he was holding a lantern instead. Suddenly, the door to his room was flung wide open.
"Naury! What in the world is that?" His mom sputtered out in exasperation.
"Ma...grab...the pouch...I need...a vial." Naurus wheezed out, hardly able to catch his breath.
His mother grabbed the pouch and pulled a vial out.
"What's this?" She asked.
"I need...drink it...please..."
She bent down and helped Naurus get up to a sitting position, then pulled the stopper out of the vial. Naurus grabbed it and quaffed the thick syrupy liquid. It was quite bitter and sour, making him retch to force it down. As soon as he did though, it felt like a battle was erupting inside him. Alternate waves of hot and cold flashed over him. His vision blurred out, then became black and white as he lost all sense of color suddenly. His ears popped and started ringing as the sigil started die back down to its usual dull black. His mother held him tight, wiping the sweat off his face with a cloth and trying to sooth him best as she could. After a few minutes, she was able to help him back into bed. Naurus felt like an old man falling apart at the seams again, but at least the worst of it was over for now.
"Honey, what was that?" She asked with great concern.
"I'm not sure Ma...Ektor said it was some sort of curse sigil. That vial...that was something he gave me. Some sort of anti-magick decoction. Seems to have worked!" He said, letting out a weak laugh.
His mother stroked his hair, and pecked a kiss onto his forehead. “Get some sleep honey, you have a big day tomorrow. I know you will make us proud. Your father probably won’t be here to see you off tomorrow. He’s having some…work issues…” She trailed off, at a loss for words. She hugged him and left him be. Naurus felt exhausted, yet his mind wandered. He really hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with an episode like that out on the waters, but hope was all he had right now. He tried to not beat himself up too bad for what landed him in this whole situation. These thoughts would usually keep him up all night, but the drain on his body was too much and he finally fell into a deep slumber.
Blood Wake
He awoke to the loud and clear clanging of the muster bell. Today was his first official day of enlistment duty out on the waters. Mokhey was certainly not pleased about being rousted from his slumber on the prime morning sunspot, but duty called and Naurus had to get ready. He got his uniform together, everything just as it should be. Once his boots were laced and everything was on, he realized he would need to bring Ektor’s decoctions. He strapped the leather pouch onto his bardic and hoped no one would be any the wiser to his current malaise. He wrapped his blood token tightly around his palm, doing his best to hide the dull black sigil.
He made his way downstairs to find that his mother’s premonition was indeed correct as his father was nowhere to be seen. She looked frazzled, with her long grey hair tussled in a way that was unusual for a tidy woman. He didn’t have time to enjoy the morning with her and have breakfast, so he gave her a nice final hug instead as she kissed him on the cheek with a tear in her eye. He knew he had to make her proud, and was going to do his best to make that happen. Making his way down to the parade grounds, he started to get a bit nervous but took a deep breath and realized he was in good hands, fortune was surely going to smile on him now that he was doing his duty to his kingdom
Tradition had it that you ate breakfast together with your crew mates onboard your assigned ship before setting off. Naurus filed into his crew row next to his gunnery mate, a lanky and dark haired boy of few words who went by Tauny.
“ATTENTION!” Morra called out from her dais, the crew snapping to and instantly quieting down. “We have officially begun your first tour of duty onboard HRF Scythe. Congratulation’s, you are all now fully enlisted sailors. Follow me to the mess area on the ship now!” She commanded as he stepped down and quickly made her way down the quay. The crew filed in neatly behind her. She made her way up the
gangplank of a nearby frigate. Once he made his way onboard, he followed everyone down the ladder below decks. First they passed the gun deck, and then made their way down into the crew deck which contained the galley area. The cook was busy stirring away in the cauldron that hung over the firebox.
The air was rather stuffy down here and it was quite dimly lit, but that was quickly relieved with some of the portholes being opened to let in the cool breeze and the morning sun. Everyone seemed to be seating themselves in no real particular order, so Naurus decided to plop down on the end of the bench next to Tauny given that he wasn’t really familiar with anyone else. Morra took her seat at the head of the table, on the far end from Naurus. In front of him was a bowl, a pewter spork, a small knife, and an empty tankard.
“Sailors, welcome aboard your first day of duty.” Morra started, “after we break the fast, the real fun starts.” She smirked, taking particular note to wink directly at Naurus. “Now everyone can see what is in front of them. This dishware is yours and everyone else’s. You must take care of it like you will take care of your fellow crew. We are all responsible for everything and everyone on this ship. Port side of the table, line up with your bowl and cup!”
Everyone on the port side stood up and lined themselves up, cups and bowls in hand. They filed through quickly, the cook filling their bowl and they helped themselves to the drinks of choice to fill their cups. Once they were all seated back, Morra called for the starboard side to line up. This was Naurus’s side, and as he made it closer to the kettle he realized that oat porridge was the meal of the day apparently, with water or coffee being offered to fill the cups. He decided on the coffee to help wash down the bland looking porridge, and went back to his seat. He looked around the table and noticed some butter and brown sugar that were laid out, which he helped himself to as that was a luxury his parents could rarely afford at home. The coffee was acidic and lukewarm, but it was certainly helping to perk him up.
Shadow Kingdom Page 6
