by Paul Yoder
“Well, a year ago, masses of refugees began migrating to either the Tarigannie or Plainstate regions with queer horror stories of the dead rising. Trade halted suddenly due to numerous raids to the incoming merchant caravans. The raids were not even for riches or spoils, but by all accounts, were simply a slaughter conducted by demonic beings. Some say there were corpses doing the fighting—talk of the arisen began to spread through the neighboring towns as the refugees continued to speak of nothing but the horror they witnessed as they were forced from their homes by the dead.
“It didn’t take long for word to get out that Brigganden had been infiltrated by some sort of dark power—a necromancer most rumormongers conclude.
“Sultan Metus, who’s the sultan of the Plainstate, began contracting scout parties to investigate and gain intel on the current situation, but all but two of the first ten scout parties returned.
“He decided to hire more qualified, distinguished adventures and organized three squads of elite scouts. I was in one of those squads.
“We had tracked a suspicious band through the desert near Brigganden that was headed northwest. We were on their trail most of that day when a sandstorm hit and shortly after that we were attacked.
“I engaged that dark knight you saw. I got separated from my group in the midst of chaos. We were still fighting when you showed up.”
Nomad’s eyes widened at the story.
“I did not know I had wandered so close to such an unstable region. It has been awhile since I had contact with locals. I passed through Plainstate with only one visit to a town, and even then, I did not loiter or ask about local politics.”
Reza took a moment to chide Nomad’s recklessness. “You travel through distant lands long enough without gathering basic regional information and it won’t be long before you wander into a warring region, eat poisonous deadly fauna, or get lost in a wasteland without aid or supplies.”
Nomad nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, there is wisdom in that. I agree.”
Finding no argument there, Reza switched topics.
“My comrades—they’ll be searching for me more than likely. I need to get out there and find them. I’m the leader of the group. This Jadu you spoke of earlier. Is he a competent physician? I need to know what happened to my body and when I can expect to have the strength to travel.”
Nomad stood up and answered, stumbling slightly over his secondary language’s vocabulary, “Yes, he would very much like to see that you are up. I will go let him know you are awake and call for the servant to bring up a meal for you.”
With that, Nomad was out the door leaving Reza in the room to rest.
Reza didn’t have to wait long. Nomad entered the room with a short, little praven trailing behind him. Before he could even introduce Reza to him, Jadu began with a string of comments.
“Ah, you’re looking much better if I do say so myself. That salve I concocted to save your life was a long-shot if I am to be honest. Local remedies often are less scientific and more placebo than anything, but I’m very glad to have had a successful experiment with this one. I’ll definitely be interested in monitoring your recovery process over the next little while. Now that I’ve proven a cure I’ll need to document the after effects of surviving such a potent poison.”
Reza said nothing and didn’t seem too concerned about Jadu’s ramblings, leaving Nomad to jump in between Jadu’s quick breaths.
“Reza, this is Jadu, the physician that cured you. Jadu, we were hoping that you might have an estimate on how long Reza would take to recover. She needs to return to a group she was traveling with as soon as able. It sounded like you do not have previous experience with this sickness, but do you have an idea of how long before she is ready for travel?”
Jadu considered Nomad’s question for a moment, walked over to Reza’s bedside, and threw back the covers from Reza’s legs and began feeling muscle and fatty sections of her limbs. He then pushed firmly on her stomach and did a bit of tapping on the back, inspected her arms, and then listened with his ear to her chest as she breathed.
Looking down her throat and then looking in her eyes and ears, he broke the silence with, “I’m no physician, just an alchemist who’s read some books on medicine by the way.”
Reza gave Nomad a slightly confused look before Jadu continued.
“Well, that’s not completely true. I do have an emphasis in health and poisons and remedies in one of my areas of study, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m a physician—perhaps an unlicensed physician’s assistant would be a better term to describe my position on the subject.”
Reza looked flatly to Nomad for an explanation.
Before Nomad could think of a response, Jadu jumped back to the main point of assessing Reza’s health.
“Well, it seems you’re a bit emaciated—maybe have lost ten or fifteen pounds since my first inspection of your body if I were to guess. That’s a lot of weight, but plenty of water and a couple of meals will probably see that weight come partially back on. It doesn’t take long for a body, especially an extremely fit body like yours, to recover from weight loss. You probably will be ready to travel by tomorrow with enough rest, food, and drink today.”
Reza gave a slight smile of relief at hearing that news, but Jadu continued, “But, that’s not the thing I’d worry about. That poison was quite exotic. I suspect—I mean, I’ve only heard local tales about it, and I know a thing or two about poisons—I’m guessing there could be moderate to serious after effects of this poison, of which I’d be very interested to know of for my records if you don’t mind me shadowing you for the next week or two.”
Reza, quite irked at the request, responded, “Two weeks? I plan on being up and out of here tomorrow, tracking down my scouting group, heading out to investigate Brigganden; which, by all accounts is a horribly dangerous place to dwell near currently. You’d not be wanting to tag along in that place. And though I do thank you for your service, I surely don’t plan to stick around here to pad your records with details of my recovery while leaving my comrades desperately wondering where I am. I need to return to them as soon as I can. They need me.”
Jadu, not fazed by the off-putting tone of Reza in the least, pressed on. “Oh, you wouldn’t even notice me. I was planning on packing up and moving on to other locations in the area anyways to continue research. I’m quite agreeable on the road; And while I would appreciate to finish my findings with this poison, you, I hope, would appreciate my company to care for any new developments or complications of the effects of this poison if it has not, in fact, completely run its course already.”
Before Reza could reply, a knock at the door sounded. Nomad opened it to find the servant boy holding a hot meal on a tray. Handing the boy a few bits of silver pieces in exchange, Nomad closed the door and brought the tray over to Reza.
“Here, eat and drink and we’ll see afterwards how you feel about standing and stretching. You must get your body used to working if you are to leave tomorrow into the desert.”
Still eyeing Jadu, not forgetting the strange alchemist’s intention to come with her to the treacherous Brigganden borders, Reza seemed about to start the argument up again when he suddenly spoke up.
“Well, I should be going, much to do! I’ll check in though later tonight and early in the morning, but do let me know if there are any status updates.”
With that, Jadu left without leaving either Reza or Nomad time to respond.
Seeing that she now seemed a bit more stable sitting up, some of her energy already returning to her, and also noticing that she now appeared slightly frustrated, Nomad said, “I will leave you be now. There are a few places in town I need to visit. I will be back in an hour or two. Do you need me to get you anything else before I leave?”
“No, thank you for everything so far. I’ll be fine here,” she said, taking a sip of water.
With that, Nomad turned and walked out the door, closing it behi
nd him.
In actuality, he didn’t have anywhere in particular to be, but he wanted to give Reza time to compose herself and dress if she needed it; though, she less than him seemed to care about her immodesty under the current conditions at least.
Though he was no healer, he knew even with a good night’s rest, there was no way she was going to be strong enough to travel any lengthy distance without help, and he gathered from their recent talk that she probably wasn’t going to wait until she was better before shipping out, and she most certainly wasn’t going to ask for help from anyone when she did.
4
Company For The Road Ahead
Breakfast hadn’t been the most pleasant of affairs for Reza. Jadu had shown up with food and drink for everyone and the three ate and talked sitting at the table in Nomad and Reza’s room.
Jadu continued to assert his coming along with Reza on her journey to further study her as a test subject and she had noticed that Nomad had packed his belongings earlier that morning as though he were going somewhere too. She hoped that he wasn’t planning on coming with her since one tag along would be enough trouble to deal with, let alone two; though Nomad, as she had witnessed, had seemed to be competent in taking care of himself in a tight spot.
Even still, she knew the place she was heading back to was dangerous, and to needlessly risk two random people’s lives didn’t set well with her. In her weakened condition, barely able to walk for more than a minute or two, she knew that having two travel companions would be helpful on the road, but their help was not worth the cost of their deaths on her shoulders.
Giving into a helping hand from Nomad, she gave him her coin sack to go buy a camel and some supplies at the stables and bazaar. He came back and loaded most of her belongings, including her armor which she wasn’t able to wear yet, on the saddlebags.
Coming back after loading everything up, Nomad began donning his travel gear while addressing Reza.
“Jadu seems quite set on studying you for a while longer at least, and I have no pressing matter to attend to, so if you would accept us, we both talked and wish to see you along until you reunite with your group. I fear without us, if you run into any trouble out there in the desert, your fate will be left to those that find you.”
Reza bounced up, a little too energetically, perhaps trying to overcompensate for her weakened condition, and said, “I don’t see it necessary to ask that of you two, but if you insist, I’ll at least pay you both for your escort services. I will refuse your company after I find my group, though. Where we’re going has taken the lives of many scouts, and I won’t have both your heads on my conscience.”
“Understood,” Nomad replied, wanting to suggest that payment would not be necessary, but he knew paying them for a service might be the only way she would accept their company, not to mention his purse was quite thin presently.
The two walked out of the room and knocked on Jadu’s door on their way to the inn’s front desk. Hearing a crash and some stumbling around, Jadu eventually opened the door, the room a complete mess—bits, parts, and ingredients of his previous experiments still littering the room which apparently weren’t worth packing up and taking with him.
Hauling quite a load in his various carry sacks strapped all over his body, he bounded through the doorway and into the hall with a smile on his face and green-tinted goggles over his eyes.
“Some fresh air could do me some good! I’ve not been out of my room for any reasonable amount of time in weeks now. Feeling better today, Reza?”
Reza, sending a scowl both Jadu and Nomad’s way, responded, “This isn’t an afternoon walk we’re going on. Who knows where my comrades are, and if it takes me weeks to track them down, I will, and we’ll be in what has reported to be dangerous territory as well. I’m not responsible for your well-being for this trip, you know.”
“No, we are responsible for yours. You are hiring us as your escorts, after all,” Nomad cut in.
“Oh, is that so?” Jadu asked, hearing about his new job for the first time. Nomad gave him a stern look, but Jadu continued. “Payment isn’t necessary, Reza. I know I did save your life, and you are in no condition to brave the wilds, and without our help you probably would end up dead in the dunes within a few days, but I simply want to study your recovery—”
Nomad had his palm over his face by the time Reza interrupted.
“You follow me of your own free will.”
Leaving the conversation at that, she turned and started arduously down the stairs and out the front door of the establishment.
Nomad stared demandingly at Jadu for an explanation. Jadu seemed unfazed at either Nomad or Reza’s responses.
Scratching his chin, he shot a finger up in the air and exclaimed, “My toad! Goodness, almost forgot to bring him. Be right back. I’ll meet you two out front.”
Nomad opened his mouth, considering whether or not to have a talk with the eccentric, aloof praven before they were back in the presence of Reza, but decided against it, closing his mouth, throwing his arms up in resignation, figuring it more important to get back with Reza before she took off without them.
5
Death’s Cellar
“So, how many lesions do you still have?” Jadu probed, opening the morning campfire conversation once Reza was up and sitting by the fire.
Instead of answering him, she gave Jadu a sideways glance, then went back to staring into the small little shrub fire Nomad had made earlier.
Jadu, after realizing she didn’t intend on answering him, started to say, “My dear Reza—”
Before Jadu could start, Reza cut him off. “Don’t call me dear.”
Her tone even gave Jadu reason to pause before responding with, “Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the sand dune today. We’ll continue this conversation after you don’t have sleep in your eyes,” which again, got him another dirty look thrown his way for a moment before Reza tried to discreetly rub sleep away from her eyes.
“Tea is ready,” Nomad said, some strain showing through his tone, being a bit frayed at the ends from Jadu and Reza’s constant bickering over the past four days they had been out traveling together.
He had considered briefly parting ways with the two since Reza had gotten back to sustainable health a day ago, but after giving the idea some thought, he determined not to, not liking to leave things halfway done and surely not willing to going back on his word, even if Reza would most likely be all for casting off the two’s company if she could. He had promised her he’d help her find her friends, and he wanted to stick to that mission, even if he figured she could probably fare just fine out here without him, and most assuredly, Jadu’s constant medical questions.
The rest of breakfast was held in relative silence, aside from the occasional curious verbal prodding’s of Jadu trying to eke out updates from Reza’s physical condition.
Packing up camp, with Reza on her camel and the other two on foot, they began the day of travel heading southeast, Reza wanting to visit a location that her and her group had set as a fallback point. It had been quite a while since their separation, but she thought that the location would perhaps lead them to at least a clue as to where they should start searching for her comrades.
The next few hours were unusually quiet, even for Jadu who usually always had something to converse about. Perhaps it was the foul mood that had settled over the group from the very start of the morning, but Nomad felt there was something else. Maybe it was the occasional shift in scents on the wind, or maybe it was the odd, chill wind that gusted by from time to time. Both were fleeting and barely perceptible, but off and disconcerting. Though no one spoke it, they all were on edge.
“Look,” Reza said as the three travelers crested a dune, breaking the morning-long silence for the group. “Gravine Ruins, our fallback point.”
The three taking a moment to survey the ruins from a distance, Nomad commented, “It does not look occupied. Your friends
do not appear to be here.”
After moments more of silence, Nomad turned to see that Reza was lost in thought, seeming to stare past the ruins itself, perhaps trying to figure out her next move if her friends really weren’t there.
The silence was too much for Jadu though, asking Reza, “What color did you say those lesions are now?”
Reza snorted in contempt, unloaded her weapons from the camel, and started down the slope towards the ruins, leaving the two behind.
“Blue? Green?” Jadu chirped after her, almost tumbling down the dune’s slope. “Maybe a little of both with a dash of yellow? I bet that’s probable from the coloring on your neck….”
Nomad tuned Jadu’s background chatter out, like he assumed Reza was doing, something much more concerning occurring to them. The smell on the air had returned, and this time it was not drifting by, it was lingering, and was much more pronounced.
The smell, he could now tell, was some kind of corruption—something rotting perhaps, but it was mixed with something else. A strong preserving agent or something of the like. It worried Nomad. It was a smell he now recalled closely resembling the dark knight they had fought days ago. He started to jog to catch up to Reza, passing the camel’s reins to Jadu as he passed him down the slope.
Catching up to Reza, he could tell she was on high alert as well, and the two moved briskly up to the ruin’s crumbled shell of a perimeter watchtower and outer wall.
Reza took cover to assess the scene closer up while Nomad looked back to find that the camel was giving Jadu some issues, digging its heals in, refusing to move closer to the foul site. It was probably for the better since Jadu was still quite oblivious as to the escalated urgency of the situation.
Reza took a deep draw of the dry, sandy air, closing her eyes to help her focus exclusively on her sense of smell.
