Fable - Ask May the Spirits guide your Journey

[Zeri Rekani]

The dog slunk away. Weylin, judging by the look, didn't like what the dog had done. Zeri didn't know. The dog hadn't bit her, so she assumed she wanted something to eat. But didn't she throw one of the rabbits to the dog? She did. It was right there. Now she wasn't so sure what the dog wanted. But it didn't matter. The dog, thankfully, went away and Zeri was still intact.

Then.

Oh then.

He placed his hands over hers; hers still down on the box in her lap and the mirror held in one while the other rested on top of the first. Her breath halted. What was he going to do? What was he going to do?

Yes. I'll cook for you.

And then, like that, his hands were gone off of hers and he took some of the rabbits laid out on her pack and set about preparing them. Like the tiny burst of a shrinking fire catching a pocket of fueling air, so too was the brief revived warmth sparked from his touch, there and gone. But she didn't mind! No, no, she didn't mind! She liked it. Relished it. His touch was different. Maybe he didn't truly intend for it to be, maybe he did, but Zeri felt regardless that it was. Different. Yes, different. Different than the friendly shoulder pats or playful pinches of her chin or good-spirited rufflings of her hair she received from other males of her fancy. It was like she didn't even have her neck tattoo, like they couldn't see it or something. The tribesorcs which often caught her eye, the ones who could lift her effortlessly with one thick arm, whose chests were like the expanse of the Ra Gnamh sea, the men who made for fierce warriors, they were the ones who were more interested in women like her elder sister. And thus when they touched her in their cordial and modest ways, it was no more exciting than a handshake.

So Weylin's touch. Weylin's touch was special. Even if it was all in her head, she knew what she had felt wasn't. Her fancying of the strong orcs in Bhathairk was like a gathering of kindling--full of potential--but her fancying of Weylin was like that kindling alighted. And it had happened so fast! But they had both been through something extraordinary, frighteningly so; she had come closer to death from the troll and the cold's grasp than she had while facing down the Amalgamation when the great eldritch beast attacked Bhathairk. Strange to think, but it was true. And now it was more than simply having survived an ordeal together. He wasn't much for talk, but she was nonetheless learning so much about him through his actions. And he was sweet and kind and stalwart and held himself to his traditions.

She watched him. Watched him prepare the rabbits with a quickness she'd only seen from HotepseAken before. She hadn't finished grooming her hair, still needed to complete the brushing and start the combing, but she allowed herself to wait. And just watch. Watch and smile and appreciate.

He had the rabbits set up. Came to her again, and her eyes widened receptively.

"Waterskins. Oh! Right. Right here," Zeri picked up the two waterskins she had previously taken out of her pack and handed them to him. "They could use refills, sure. Fresh water. Clean meltwater. Sounds great. Thank you, Weylin."

The rabbits were cooking. Weylin was refilling the waterskins for them. So Zeri started brushing her hair and observed her progress with the hand mirror and, once satisfied, set the brush down and picked out an ivory comb from the box and began to comb out the first locks in their layer.

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

Waterskins now in hand, Weylin began to head to the canal. It was further away than he had realized and was less illuminated by the crystals than the town was. It made him wonder how he had managed to make it as far as he had with his injury. The hunter was no stranger to wounds and the effects they had on the injured after all, so he had an idea of what was wrong with him. Something more than simple bruising of his back had happened. Likely it was cracks in his ribs with how well he could still move. Those with broken ribs didn't do much. The bones just jabbed into flesh and because of their location that flesh easily could be your heart or more realistically a lung. None of those options were pleasant or like what he felt right now, so he figured cracked.

Once to the water he set the waterskins down then went about washing his hands off. The dwarves were smart in how they had designed their canal. The port was built in a way that it acted like a large eddy in a river. Where the canal was swift moving here it was slow and rather pleasant. A simple anchor or line to one of the pillars sticking up could easily hold a boat and someone could walk into the water with no fear of being swept away. It made this all too familiar to him as it just made him think of the creeks and rivers on the surface. Too bad the water was still so cold.

Hands now clean if cold, the human began to fill the waterskins up. He focused on Zeri's first just so she wouldn't have to wait if she called to him in thirst. With the fever she had the orcess was likely a very thirsty girl. Then he got to work on his own waterskins. Where she had two he had three. He had to carry both his share and White's after all. But when he had the first skin filled instead of moving to the next he stopped to drink. Pure and cold it slide down his parched throat. It was not spring fed water like he was use to but rather the water of the spring itself. Delicious and satisfying. Once his thirst was sated he got back to refilling the skin and then getting the others taken care of as well.

Weylin headed back to the camp as soon as the skins were filled. He could smell the rabbit meat and knew it needed to be turned. But before that he had to make sure Zeri Rekani had her water. She needed to sate her thirst as well. So he stopped by and set her skins down next to her filled up fully. Then he wordlessly moved to the fire and got the meat turned around. One side was a crisp brown now while the other maintained its pinkish hue.

Finished, Weylin sat down. His back was sore and demanded rest. How much had he been doing now? It didn't feel like much yet all his energy was gone. The cold didn't bother him in here as it was something he was use to on the surface. Was it the air? No, the dwarves kept their understone homes very well ventilated. It was stuffier in human homes than a dwarf one. It had to be his injury and the healing process. It was leaving him more fatigued than usual. At least he hoped that was the case. Wouldn't be good if he got cursed for stealing from one of the dead's home.

As the hunter sat down and rested his eyes sort of naturally fell onto the orcess. She was the most interesting sight with her grooming habits. It was unlike anything he had seen before. So much care and so much effort was put in. White could use a bit of it herself he thought. This impressed feeling showed fully on his face. He was clearly interested in her, or what she was doing.

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Zeri finished with the brushing. After it was done she collected up the box in her lap and shifted from sitting on the stone floor beside her pack to back on the makeshift bedding and the wool blanket. Ah, much more comfortable! She set the box down and reached out and pulled her pack more so beside the bedding than the renewed fire now. She spared a moment to rummage through and...oh. The troll did shatter the little ceramic bottles full of spices and seasonings. All three of them. Hrrrmmm. She liked those bottles; Ma had helped her craft them with her own hands. She could make some new ones with Ma's help, of course--she was a lot more skilled in working with clay.

Zeri carefully took out the shattered pieces of ceramic and set them aside on the stone ground. The seasonings, naturally, were all ruined by water and scattered about the bottom of her pack or since washed away and gone. Oh well. Unseasoned meat was okay too. Spices were nice, but not necessary.

Back to her hair. She set about combing it again; the first layer was done, now for redoing her part and the next layer. She hummed to herself as she watched her progress in the mirror (putting it into the little stand, as she often needed both hands). It almost seemed silly, in a way. To be so particular with her hair while out in the wild, and especially after the harrowing experiences she and Weylin had gone through. But it was an obsession. M-Maybe that was too strong a word. A passion. Too..emotional a word? Ohhhh...she knew. She didn't often let the thought come starkly into her mind, but she knew. It was a way of making up for what her bosom lacked. Over her hair she had a good measure of control, and she always felt a gripping desire to ensure that it was as neat and cared for and appealing as it could be. Nothing honest could be done about her bust, but she could do something about her hair.

Weylin came back. Handed Zeri her waterskins, and she momentarily set aside her comb to take a long, hardy drink of water. And she gasped for air in a satisfied way, "Aaaaaahhhhhh...that's better. I don't know about you, but I was thirsty! Everything that happened just--"

Her stomach growled. Loudly. A flash of surprise, then she giggled nervously, "O-Oh. Excuse me. We must have slept long enough to work up quite the appetite. Heh heh...sure smells good, doesn't it?"

He sat down too, and Zeri resumed combing. Gradually, she became aware that he was (oh gosh) looking at her again. Just silent and staring in that mysterious way which left her wonderfully pondering. She sneaked a peek out of the corner of her eyes at him. Couldn't hide her smile. Glanced again and then turned her head and saw his apparent interest.

Oh! Oh-oh-oh-oh! She knew! She knew, she knew, maybe, something, she could, possibly...

"Weylin," she said, "h-how long as it been since you've cut your hair? No, no, no, that's okay! That's okay! You don't have to tell me. Maybe you don't want your hair cut. Maybe...I don't know...I could...comb it...for you? There's, there's snarls and tangles that can get built up in long hair and get caught on things. Branches. Other things. You know...you know what I mean. I could..."

Her eyes slid away and to the right and then bounced back to look at him.

"Comb it. For you. If you like! Only if you like! I-It'll feel really good. It's nice. Having someone. You know. Help. Take care of you. Like that. But only if you'd like! I don't want you to think you have to."

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

The orcess was doing so much with her hair. It reminded him of how his dad treated his sword and old armor. Always polishing and oiling and sharpening and looking over for any issues. It was a trait he had inherited honestly himself with his own equipment. That was the word his dad had always uses, equipment. Strange how none of the other settlers, spine folk, and old folk did. But the way the orcess went about her hair was like them in the care and attention given.

The orcess had begun to smile. Weylin noted how happy it made her to keep her hair how she wanted it. Taking those combs, brushes, and the mirror from that house might have left him cursed but it was worth it to know it had made her so happy. A good deed was always its own reward after all. Seeing a smile and joy returned was all the thanks he needed. But it did get him to wondering what made him look like that. He had not felt much joy in nearly a year and was beginning to wonder if he would ever find it again.

Then Zeri Rekani spoke to him offering to get his hair in order as she was doing to her own. This got the hunter out of his head and more back into the moment. He had washed his hair often enough but how long had it been since he had done anything more with his hair than keep it tied back and out of the way? Before the darkest days of his life was all he could come up with. She seemed a bit nervous about it. Did she know that it was likely a huge mess and overgrown? Of course. She had stripped him after all so how could she not know?

Weylin got up slowly as his back was still hurting him and walked over to Zeri. He got himself sat down in front of her with his back to her. His cloak and shirt came off so she could deal with his hair and so none of the mess got into them by accident when she went to cut it. Then he just waited for her to begin.

What Zeri would find was his hair was past his shoulders and a complete mess. Nothing more than washing it had been done as far as care went so was a complete disaster. The most she would find was that it was held back and tied up by a leather strip so that it wouldn't get in the way.

 

[Zeri Rekani]

He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. He just got up and came over and sat down in front of her, and it was not unlike before when first they'd washed up on the dock and Zeri was desperately trying to warm the both of them up.

And he (oh spirits) took off his cloak and shirt. But he had the fire restored and going, so he wouldn't get too cold, which was good. The bruises though, those big ugly stains of dark sickly color left in the wake of the troll's hit, weren't so good. She wished that she was a medicine woman, that she had the means and the knowledge available to help him be rid of it. The dwarven ghost had spoken of the Old Folk in such a way so as to suggest that the wound would be made okay of its accord--certainly faster than a full-blooded human with a similar wound. Still, she would have liked to know a way to help him. What would HotepseAken have done?

She could only let it go. Trust that he would be alright.

And Zeri, with a quiet and shivering inhale, lifted her hands up hesitantly to the leather strip which bound his hair and undid it and laid it down beside him. She placed her hands on the top of his head and ran them slowly down the length his hair, her hands curving into the contour of his neck and cresting out over the muscle of his shoulders. She did it again. Smoothed out his hair with her palms, not yet allowing her fingers to thread through the strands. She paused when her hands reached his shoulders again. Guiltily allowed herself to feel them, their firmness, their warmth. She squeezed a little. Just a little! She didn't want to be presumptuous, or make it seem like she'd suggested to cut his hair so as merely to have a convenient excuse--hence the guiltiness when she did it even slightly.

Maybe. Um. A remark! Yes. She did notice something worthy of being said and related to his hair, his--um--shoulders.

"Oh wow," she said. "You've let your hair g-grow out. There's a lot of male tribesorcs in Bhathairk who do the same. Some like it. Some don't. The sh-shamans usually have long hair. Just...oh, just something I noticed."

Zeri leaned over and reached into her pack and pulled out one of her hunting knives. Realizing then, the moment she held it by the handle and extracted it out, that it could be terribly misconstrued, she stopped briefly in mid-motion and stammered out her explanation, "My s-scissors were all bent and broken by the t-troll. Back. When it. Did that. Right. I-I have to use one of my hunting knives--but I'll be careful! I promise to be careful! I've done it before with a knife instead of scissors, s-so it's not new to me. It's okay, right? It's okay if I use a knife? I don't want you to be worried."

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

White had been actively ignoring her human and the orcess the whole time. That was right. She only looked and listened a little bit. Completely ignoring them as she did.

Weylin's experience was a little different. The cool air directly on his skin was actually making his back feel better. Hopefully it would bring down some of the swelling as well. He remained perfectly still as he let Zeri do what she wanted with his hair. She was playing with it as far as he could tell and then she began to run her hands over his shoulders. It felt nice. A bit of warmth to go with the cold. He wasn't going to complain about it if she kept on touching him.

But then the orcess had to make a comment that tensed Weylin up a bit. As she spoke of the male tribe orcs and the shamans he frowned. It made him think of that darkest day. Blood. Slaughter. Death. It was all so senseless and had left him nearly abandoned in this world. Only White remained of his family and kin. No one he knew from his youth was left. He was as much of a ghost as the dwarves that had been haunting Zeri in this forsaken place.... It was like his own home. How had he not realized this before?

The hunter physically deflated and saddened shortly after he had tensed up. Her words about the knife barely registered in his mind. So all she got out of him was a simple, "Yes. I trust you."

The orcess was not one of those who had brought death to his community. She was more like the tribes of orcs that had lived near and around them. They had shared hardships and some similar enough beliefs that it fostered a sort of kinship. It was not the sibling kind they shared with the Spine Folk and Old Folk, as the settlers were on their way to becoming Spine Folk, but rather more like cousins with the orcs. They traded, they huntered, they celebrated, they mourned. All of it they did together. Zeri reminded him of this aspect of orcs. She was like their gentler and more productive side. The ones who had turned him into a killer as much as a protector were not. They were paragons of orcish aggression and destruction. He wished she never became like that herself.

So the human just let the orcess do as she wished. His mind was filled with melancholy and trauma. He had become oblivious to his surroundings. And then the dwarves returned. The three Zeri knew just sat and watched the pair outside of the human's sight but fully in the orcess'. They were remaining quiet but the looks on their faces spoke their thoughts. The female was excited yet jealous. The black one was bored. The peppered one was frustrated that Zeri was not heeding his words and hadn't yet just mounted the young hunter already.

Zeri Rekani

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Something...happened.

The tensing up she could understand. It was exactly what she had feared would happen, of course. E-Especially after she just got through saying that she had at one point thought him a bandit or kidnapper. How did he know she didn't truly feel that way anymore? The whole reaching into her pack and extracting a knife while he had his back to her...easy cause for concern. Maybe she was just overthinking this, or just worried about things that didn't make sense (if she truly meant to kill him, why not simply let the cold's grasp take him). But she got the tensing up. Really, she got it. She'd be nervous too. Had been, of course, during the said period when she thought him to be robbing her or taking her against her will.

The heavy slouching of his shoulders that followed? The palpable gloom that came over him, pulling down the side of his face that she could see while leaned out? That she didn't know.

Yes. I trust you.

Even his words. It was as if he had suddenly heard some terrible news and there was nothing he could do about it but resign himself to its happening.

It wouldn't be right. Wouldn't feel right. To just go ahead and comb and cut his hair as if nothing was the matter. Not without at least giving him a chance to share it, if that's what he truly wanted to do. If not, it was all she could do then to try make him comfortable, to help him ease his thoughts past whatever had so gripped and disturbed them.

Zeri sat straight again and set the knife down in her lap and laid her hands back on his shoulders. And feelings of guilt or thoughts of pretense were the furthest thing from her mind. All she wanted was to communicate a genuine sense of "I'm here for you, I'm here to listen".

Before she could say anything. The dwarves. Out of the corner of her eye and positioned slyly that Weylin wouldn't be at the right angle to see them. She scowled at them. Outright scowled. In direct contrast to her hands on Weylin's shoulders, she tried to wordless express the sentiment of "No! Go away! Now!" to them. If they came at them then, with their crassness and their rudeness and upset Weylin further, she'd...she'd...she'd find a way to enchant the dog's paws and teeth so the dog could really show them! Something like that!

Back to Weylin. She turned her head and her gaze away from the manifested dwarven ghosts and looked at the back of Weylin's neck--too short for anything else.

She rubbed her fingers gently into the skin of his shoulders. Tender little circles.

"Hey," she said quietly. "What's wrong?"

And that was it. She wasn't going to go on for more than that. It was Weylin's turn to speak, his opportunity, if he wanted to relieve a burden off of his chest.

If she was mistaken, if she had misread the entire thing and he wasn't upset at all, then (awkward though it would be) she could apologize and laugh it off maybe and move on to his hair.

But if not.

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

The hunter was completely lost in his thoughts when Zeri touched his shoulders once more. It had made him come back to again and so he was aware she was behind him. The little circles she made felt good. His muscles were incredibly tense. He had not been able to let down his guard for months and the state he was in reflected this fact. He was a fighter, a survivor. While his skills with a weapon other than his bow might be decent at best he had gotten himself this far through persistence and stubbornness. He had dealt with undead, dragons, giants, and orcs. Certainly some of those things were less of a threat than others but it had equally potential in ending him in their moments.

Weylin had heard what Zeri said to him. What was wrong. A question with no good answer. It was one he had no answer for either that would not just needlessly worry her or spark some feeling of pity from the clearly soft hearted orcess that he didn't want. He was the one who survived so what did he have to complain about when the others had died?

Silence was all the orcess got from him for some time. But slowly he finally answered her. "Memories. Nothing that can be helped." Then he went back to silence. It was kind of her to have asked and given him attention once more. He needed a way to thank her, but how? She was even going to cut his hair and had saved his life. And on top of this she had the fever.... He had forgotten she had the fever. What kind of idiot was he? Here he had been trying to give her a chance to rest and recover before he went for the cure but instead he got lost in his own self pity. He was a terrible person for doing that to her.

The human turned around so he could look at the orcess. Hands went to her shoulders and he had a very serious look in his eyes as he stared at her. "I'm a fool. You are so kind. What do you desire from me?" There. He had told her to let him know how he could repay her for everything she had done. Hopefully she would tell him and he could make all of this right. And then he could get that cure so she would not have to suffer any longer.

As the two had been interacting the dwarves had vanished. The orcess had not heeded their words so what point was there in staying? Then the human turned around and made his declaration. The ghosts were back and all three were silently miming the say thing to her from behind the human: mount him.

Zeri Rekani

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Memories. Nothing that can be helped.

Zeri kept rubbing her fingers into his shoulders, as if this might coax out the pain he felt in either his back, his mind, or both. But when he gave his answer, her eyes drifted down with the weight of disappointment and sadness. She couldn't help him with his injury, and she couldn't help him with his sorrows. The only thing she could do was cut his hair--not with anything that truly mattered.

"Oh..." It was as if the lowness of his tone had infected her as well. "Okay."

She kept on massaging his shoulders, even in the silence that followed. Still in a perhaps vain attempt to assuage something that ailed him. She would get her comb and get on with combing his hair out and getting it ready to be cut in a moment--as somber as this would now undoubtedly be--but that was in the soon-to-come future. For now she simply continued to hopelessly alleviate one form of pain or another through her fingers caressing the ridges of his shoulders.

Then he moved. Zeri's hands held in the air--as if frozen--where once his shoulders had been.

Turned around, Weylin did. (oh spirits!)

And then his hands went to her shoulders (oh, oh!). Her own hands retreated back to a shy and hopeful bundle just beneath her chin, and she looked up into his serious eyes with a receptive, anticipatory widening of her own. Within a feat beats, her heart went from a slow and calm pace to the rapid and excited sprint she had felt before.

I'm a fool. You are so kind. What do you desire from me?

Her hands drifted down to her lap and her arms went rigidly straight which caused her shoulders to rise. Her fingers danced over one another and she drew in a shuddering breath. She could feel the flushing of her cheeks coming--

And immediately retreating, when her eyes slipped past Weylin's for a moment and saw the trio of ghostly dwarves intruding on their business once more. Her face contorted--ever so briefly--into that scowl again before she could salvage it and try to make it not seem like she was angry at Weylin for what he just said. No! No, no, no! That would be awful! Awful! Those--ERRR, THOSE! DWARVES!

She looked back to him, smiled, and she knew that it wasn't completely genuine. Most of it was, but there was a part that was prodded forth from her utter anxiety in trying to cover up her glance past Weylin's eyes and her fleeting scowl at the dwarves.

Her smile became a grin, and that didn't help much either; Zeri appeared as she did when as a child she had been caught in a lie about partaking in a sweetroll before dinner.

"I-I want you to be happy, W-Weylin." Eyes down. Eyes up. "You're...you're a good man. Nice and sweet and brave and h-handsome," (the last word came out as a quiet squeak, from which she quickly tried to recover) "a-a-and you're not a fool at least I don't think so and I just wish there was s-something I could do to help but I can't and I keep th-thinking that there is and there isn't and that's all I r-really want but it's just..."

An apologetic curling up of her brows, and down of her bottom lip. A sheepish glance askew to his own.

"I'm sorry. I'm rambling. You don't like it when I ramble, do you?"

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

The orcess went through so much. She smiled, she scowled, she turned red. The fever was getting worse and the pain of it had caused her to make that angry face. Then she realized it and got nervous. She was trying to make it up some how. Then came her talking. Just like before she continued on with the long list of words. Before it had been annoying but it was starting to grow on him a bit. He had gotten so use to silence he had nearly forgotten what conversations were like and how pleasant it was just to know there was someone else he could trust around.

The hunter just smiled s;ightly to the orcess. He had caught her making a list of things she thought he was. Nice, sweet, brave, handsome. The last one was hard to make out but he had. Obviously she was getting delirious because of the fever and mistook him for someone else. But he appreciated her kindness all the same. Perhaps after she was better he could find out what she actually thought of him.

"I enjoy it. Like a songbird chirping. Don't worry." Weylin said to her still giving her that slight smile and squeezing her shoulders a bit. "You make me happy. Now lay down. I will make things better."

The hunter didn't even wait. He just tried to gently move the orcess to be laying down on her bedroll. His naked chest and arms revealing how fit and enduring his muscles had become from the years of activity and survival. All the while he smiled that slight smile of his at her. His eyes were locked onto her own eyes. When her head came to rest on the padding below his right hand would slide up to her cheek to give a gentle rub....

Then the hunter got up. He picked up his clothes and started to walk away as he slipped them back on. He turned to look at her as he left. "Rest. I will return and give you what you deserve. It will be made right." Then he looked to White and made a whistling command as he pointed to Zeri. The dog was commanded to guard the orcess once again. And then he was off and out of sight on his way to the mushroom filled cave.

Zeri Rekani

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Those simple words.

You make me happy.

These were enough to melt away the nervousness, her ire at the dwarves, the smidge of guilt, her woes about not being able to help him, all of these things. And her smile became pure. Touched her eyes.

Now lay down. I will make things better.

"O-Oh. Okay," she said as she simply allowed herself to be lowered down to lie on the makeshift bedding, watching him the entire way down. And so did he. Watch her (oh gosh). As he lowered her (oh spirits). And his hand touched her cheek (oh spirits!) and a rush of warmth flooded fully to her cheeks then as if in greeting. Her legs burned, and her thighs squirmed against one another ever so slightly without her even knowing.

And he stood up.

Picked up his clothes and started off while putting them back on.

And Zeri's face, as she lay there staring up at the ceiling of the cavern in which the dwarven port town was nestled, was gradually overcome with confusion.

Wait. What? Did she do something wrong? Wasn't...? Huh. Oh. Wait. No. Huh? Wasn't...? No. Hold on. What did he say? Just now? Rest? Rest and I will return and give you what you deserve (o-o-o-oh~!)? Made right? He had an odd way of talking, Weylin, but...but she thought she understood. Thought. She did. Did he...did he like her? He had said he enjoyed when she talked, even if he didn't reciprocate much. That was just his way and he stuck to it and that commitment was oh so endearing. He had said she made him happy. So that meant he liked her right? Not in the way of a small cat or puppy like she was quite honestly so accustomed to, but...the way Pa liked Ma. She wasn't sure.

(What did she deserve? How would he make things better? Make it right?)

She rolled over onto her stomach. Watched him go. Called out to him as he was leaving, "Alright. I'll be...I'll be here."

And he was gone.

She glanced over at the rabbits cooking before the fire.

Sat up then and removed them. Set one skewer in her lap for him and held the other in her hands. Blew on the steaming meat and then picked and nibbled at it in a much more dainty fashion than how she usually ate.

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

All the hunter had on him now was his hatchet, skinning knife, and pouches that were mostly empty aside from one that held all of his bow strings and items for fixing arrows. He had forgotten to pick up a waterskin even in his rush to get to the cave. All he could think about was how the poor orcess was back at camp with a fever and stuck on her bedroll. She had even said as much that she would be there when he left.

But after having gotten out of the sight of the camp something dawned on him. Where were these caves at? This whole place was unfamiliar to him. It was new grounds that lacked the usual natural signs he knew how to read. How was he to navigate this place?

Then the human saw it. It was an actual sign, one the dwarves had put up long ago. The scribbles on it made as much sense to him as the ones humans and orcs used. But it had pictures. He could make sense of pictures. One pointed in the direction of the forsaken port town. It had little rising squares with this line that formed an odd looking wave made from straight lines. So that was the symbol for a port town. In the opposite direction was two signs. One had what looked like stairs rising up to a hearth structure. The other was a dome with a mushroom. That must mean the cave was that way.

So the hunter went in the direction of the twin signs.

=====================

White had gotten up after her human had ordered her, again, to guard the orc girl. At least they had not mated like she knew they were going to. A minor victory knowing at least the green temptress wouldn't steal her human away with her plump thighs and bungling butt. The dog plopped herself down by her charge and just settled back into sleeping as she waited. There was no danger down here for them. All of those were above their heads. They were safe in this biggest of burrows.

Then as the orcess and dog had settled themselves in a bit of time after the human had left the dwarf spirits returned. Unlike before they did not remain silent.

"Ye missed yer chance girl!"

"Nay. She has time still. I have faith in her."

"She shoulda done it. Ye shoulda done it."

"See? She agrees with me."

"She wants to possess the girl and mount the human herself."

"I would never possess her! Without her permission."

"Ye be dead. Let the livin' enjoy their fun."

"Agreed."

"Ye both can shut it. A lady has needs. Tell them. Ye experienced it yerself there. No use denyin' it with me."

And so the three dwarf ghosts just looked at Zeri Rekani waiting for her response.

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Ah!

Zeri almost forgot about the dog; she'd practically disappeared for a moment there, when Zeri was preparing to cut Weylin's hair. Which. She still. Hadn't done. Maybe he truly didn't want it to be cut--wanted to keep it long like the shamans. That was fine, that was fine. She could've been a little presumptuous there. Well...well it was best to let it go, unless he asked when he got back. They still needed to find a way out of here, after all; couldn't stay down here forever.

Zeri glanced to the dog and took the last skewered rabbit from the fire and--was about to toss it over--but the dog looked ready for a nap. And that was okay. Better than okay. A sleeping dog was a nice dog. And, heh, a dog that didn't bite as well.

A nibble. Another nibble. On her own skewered rabbit meat.

And then they came back. They bantered back and forth and prodded her in their crude and single-minded ways and Zeri had simply had enough! Enough!

"E-nough!" She said out loud. Shouted, even. "Quiet! All of you! You DWARVES are disgusting! Not because of your rude tongues, but because of your flagrant disregard! Weylin was hurt! Vulnerable! And all the support you three could muster was crass and oafish and unwise! Each of you are a shame to your ancestors! A shame! May you be cursed to languish in this place and never join them!"

And Zeri hocked up a gob of saliva and spat in the direction of the trio.

She bit into the rabbit meat more vigorously on the skewer. Tore it off with a sharp jerk of her head and chewed angrily.

A full stomach of food and water. This she wanted now, for she needed her nourishment; she was of the intense mind to leave this place and these miserable dwarves behind as quickly as possible. Pack everything up and find Weylin and together with him search out the exit and never look back.

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

The dwarfs were completely taken aback when Zeri Rekani so rudely began to yell at them! How dare she say such things to them and treat their support like it was unwanted! They had told her things and given her advise and what had she done with it all? Sat on her little bedroll getting pampered by a half human, half old folk boy who took a hit from a troll for her and now had run off to the caves (THE CAVES!) for her. How terrible could one orc girl get?

The peppered dwarf and black dwarf were fuming at the orcess' words. The female would have none of it. She put her hands on her hips and popped up in front of the green skinned harlot. "Ye are one horrid girl. Here we are tryin' to help ye out and ye just act like we are yer problem. Yer ancestors are ashamed of ye!"

The peppered dwarf said finally from his shock, "She be right! His ribs are cracked and his body is bruised and what do ye do? Ye let him run around takin' care of ye when ye don't even need it. What kind of person does that make ye? Ye got all starry eyed and let him take the lead yet he is in terrible pain. Ye ever cracked yer ribs girl? I have and it ain't no simple thing. Every little action he takes pains him as he is movin' around. All that liftin' and twistin' and pullin'. A marvel he ain't just stopped. Yet despite it all he looked after ye over himself. Shameful!"

The black dwarf looked between the other two and the orcess. His shock had worn off as well and he got back to looking bored again. But there was finally a bit of lull so he spoke up. "Neither of ye mentioned he took off to the caves. Likely goin' for them cure mushrooms. Think maybe he is doin' it so he can mount her himself?"

"Clearly he is ye moron. Why do ye think we didn't say anythin' about it to squirrely here?"

"She don't listen and won't take action so had to let him be the one to do it! What kinda orc lets others do everythin' for them and can't take what they want girl? Shameful!"

"Right. Right. Makes sense. Suppose that would be way he told her to rest. Probably wants her rested for when he spreads her thighs and claims her. She is an orc so he likely is courtin' her in the orcish fashion."

Then the three suddenly vanished. They clearly were not done with their conversation or interacting with Zeri. But they were gone and silence had taken their place.

==============================

Weylin had been walking quickly for some time. The glowing crystals had gotten fewer and fewer as he had gotten further away from the town. Thankfully his vision in the dark wasn't that bad so he could get by but it was slowing him down. Soon enough however he found another dwarven sign. The same symbols with scribbles from before were there but now they pointed in different directions. Continuing down the path was that hearth stairs place and the cave diverted away. So following it he diverted from the main path and onto the side one as well. Hopefully his traveling wouldn't take him too long.

 

[Zeri Rekani]

The nerve! Her? Her the horrid one? What?? And some "help" from these ghosts! Too much time being dead and lingering on Arethil dulled their thoughts to nothing! Mount him! Mount him, mount him, mount him! Their solution to everything, as if she were nothing more than a whore and he nothing more than a pervert! Their flippant talk of something that was supposed to be so intensely intimate cheapened it down to some soulless transaction, a this for that, an act of bartering in the Great Bazaar. Tribesorcs had their views on love and openness in their communal setting, but it was treated with respect. With respect!

Zeri ate faster as they berated her. Said nothing and fumed and chewed.

Respect! Unlike these dwarves! Is that what they do in Belgrath? Hmm? Hmm? Oh, he's sick, mount him. Oh, she stubbed her toe, mount her. Oh, he's going through some terrible grief and just needs someone to hear him and be there for him--well, better mount him. Disgusting! It's all they thought about! Animals had more dignity than these three; they were supposed to know better!

Zeri viciously ripped off another bite of meat. Her silence full of simmering anger.

And they were making it seem like she was at fault for something! What?? Excuse them! Excuse them! She wasn't making Weylin do anything he didn't want to do! A-A-And they just forgot, forgot, about how she had taken care of him too! She did the best she could, saved him from the cold's grasp, and no thanks--clearly--to these dwarves! She won't listen? She won't take action? What kind of orc lets others do everything for them? Pah! Weylin was doing what he wanted to do and that was okay and he was stronger than these cursed dwarves gave him credit for and even if she had asked him not to go get more blackrock and kindling and not to go refill their waterskins and not to go and do the thing he was doing now it wouldn't have mattered because he was too kind and sweet and would have done it anyway because that's the kind of person he was! The peppered dwarf even said that himself!

Zeri sank her teeth back into the last bits of rabbit on her skewer. The mention of the cave completely lost in her storming cloud of angry thoughts.

Then Zeri froze. Stopped so completely that perhaps even the blood in her veins froze in that moment.

Probably wants her rested for when he spreads her thighs and claims her. She is an orc so he likely is courtin' her in the orcish fashion.

"You can help. First strip off all clothing. Next mount me. Finally mate with me. It is how we humans heal."

Is that...?

Was that it...?

Was that all this was to him...?

He had...he had said it before these ghost dwarves had even shown themselves. Said it before he had even told her his name. She thought it was some crass joke, but what if...what if it wasn't? What if all he wanted the moment he laid eyes on her was only that, and he just saved her from that troll so he could have his "quick fling," his "fuck friend," as the dwarf so crudely (but perhaps accurately) put it? It...oh spirits, no...it made sense. Weylin wasn't of the tribe, wasn't of Bhathairk; the customs Zeri lived by weren't prescribed to him. What if it really was nothing more than that, and his words and all else had been nothing but cheap service to that end? Just so he could "spread her thighs" and "claim her" and then be done with her?

Claim her.

Like a buyer claiming a new pair of moccasins he had purchased from a merchant in the Great Bazaar. Moccasins that would be tried on once and discarded thereafter.

And Zeri started to cry.

She flung her own skewer of rabbit meat away and likewise flung the other two. She grabbed her knife and stood and let the box of ivory combs and the brush and the mirror clatter to the stone floor and left them there. She tossed her knife into her open pack along with her two waterskins and, with a furious sorrow, began to roll and pack up her woolen blanket, her canvas bedroll, her cloak, and her hide tent. She sniffed and wiped her nose and hoisted her pack up and onto her back and secured the straps about her shoulders.

And she pulled her spear from the side of her pack and held it tightly in both hands.

Another sob escaped her throat, and with her sleeve she wiped at her cheeks. Then she started into the port town, ignoring the dog at every step of the way.

She resolved to find her own way out of here and get the flower and return to Bhathairk. To her people.

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

White was not happy. She was not happy at all. First those dwarf ghosts made a big scene before mysteriously disappearing and then the green skinned temptress suddenly got all mad and huffy. She made a mess of everything and packed up all of her things too! What was her problem? It was as if she now didn't want to mate with and steal her human away but rather she wanted to.... THAT BITCH! She was going to leave him down here injured and to die! After everything he had done!

The dog began to growl at Zeri and had gotten up. She followed the orcess growling the whole time she was getting her stuff together. The whore had dropped the things her human got for her that she was just so happy about when he was here and being all dramatic. Was she abandoning him now because he didn't mount her like she wanted? That bitch! Then she began to walk away towards the port town. THAT BITCH!

So the dog stayed on Zeri's heels growling at her while still doing what her human asked of her. She was asked to guard the orcess and she would do just that. Guard her right into a hole and watch her fade away. Was too good of a fate for her! Such an evil monster!

A thud echoed around the cavern that the town was built into. Then silence. Moments passed then a louder thud. A bright light suddenly appeared before the orcess and the dog directly in their path. It was not the faint glow of the crystals. No, it was far too bright and overbearing. And it grew closer to them as more thuds echoed ever louder around them....

===============================

The cave was strange when Weylin entered it. Glowing mushrooms littered the floor while those glowing crystals hung from the ceiling. The sides of the place was a random patchwork of both. It was not what he would call pleasant however. The various shades of color caused everything around them to be blurred, saturated, and yet whitewashed all at once. It was impossible to tell the difference in colors based solely on a distant view. If he wished to know what fungi was what then he would need to get close nearly to touching to find out.

He stood staring just trying to remember what the ghost had told him. They were blue and red under green and pink mushrooms? No, that sounded wrong. It was red and green under blue and pink? No, no. It involved those colors but he could not remember what they were. His mind felt hazy. Was it due to his injury and the extensive activity he had performed? Maybe. It might be due to the things that grew here. The mention of poison and death had been made about some of these things.

But the hunter had to get that cure for the feverish orcess. She was in dire need of help and he was the only one who could provide it. She had been acting strong before but how long could her act last? Likely not until she was too weak to go on. The thought of her dying because he was cowardly and inactive made him frown. He would not allow it. So he forced himself on as he tried his best to remember what the ghost had said to him.

===============================

Before the dog and the orcess finally stood the source of the light after one last, deafening thud. It was a hunched backed and ugly dwarf mole goblin thing. It had brown or perhaps tan colored skin, hard to tell in all the shadows the light cast about it, and black eyes. It carried a staff with a candle hanging in a lantern cage on it. The things hood was drawn up and it had a permanent frown on its wrinkly, off center face.

White had stopped growling. She had winced back a bit and looked like she was ready to bolt, but she glanced to the orcess. Hatred and deep loathing was all she had towards that tricky bitch but her human was counting on her to guard her for whatever reason. So with a lot of effort and clearly not feeling the courage she was pretending to have she got between the orcess and the thing. A low, whimpery growl escaped her. The thing looked at the dog and sneered. A bang of its staff butt and the dog went completely silent although kept herself between them.

The thing looked to Zeri Rekani and said, "Where go? Wrong way! Other way! Bad flat girl! Go away! Human die because bad flat girl go wrong way!" And it waved her off in the opposite direction of the town. The frown had been replaced by a scowl.

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Zeri had hardly noticed the dog; hardly let even the grisly sight of the fallen dwarven bodies scattered about the town bother her either. Though eventually, the growling managed to penetrate through her tumultuous haze of heartbroken anger. She spared a disdainful look back at the dog, then made a little shooing motion.

Said, "Go on, then. Go find your master."

The dog had always been aggressive toward her. Untrusting. Zeri felt far more comfortable with her spear clutched in her grasp, but she'd rather that the dog just go. None of this was the dog's fault; she was innocent in all of this, and just wanted to protect her master, as was a good dog's nature. But the dog didn't go. Not yet. Maybe she would, once Zeri got far enough away from here; instinct might set her back on her master's scent and guide her back to him.

Zeri continued through the street of the port. Wiping at her eyes occasionally so she could more clearly read signs as she passed. Some she could understand, others she had trouble with.

Then there was a thud, and Zeri grew apprehensive. Caution banishing some portion of her heartbreak and sorrow.

Another thud, and Zeri let out a small gasp.

The light.

Zeri winced and shielded her eyes with one arm and held her spear vaguely out in front of her with the other. More thuds and the light was nearly too much and then it all stopped. Zeri lowered her arm and looked--

She gasped and held her spear with both hands again. That thing was hideous! What was it? The dog approached, growling (even if it had been more of a whimper brought on by fear), but as with Zeri the dog did not bite the thing.

Zeri was about to ask the thing (wondering if, perhaps, it would even understand Common) a pertinent question or two, but the thing spoke first.

Where go? Wrong way! Other way!

Zeri's face was confused, but she listened.

Bad flat girl!

And Zeri immediately scoffed. It scowled at her, and she scowled back.

"He's gone his way, and I'm going mine. And what do you care, anyway? Begone, ghost! I've had enough of speaking to the dead!"

Zeri wasn't about to listen to this thing. This devious creature who spoke to her as if she were an animal--as if she were stupid. She didn't trust it. The dwarves clearly had their crass and shameful intentions, but what about this thing? She didn't want to even spare it the time to entertain its scheme.

And, despite thinking it to be yet another ghost, Zeri kept her spear raised and pointed out. This, as she carefully started to circle around the creature in the street and go past him. Wary eyes stuck to him.

She could find the way up. Find the flower she sought. And be back at home all on her own. She wouldn't allow herself to be spoken to in that tone of voice anymore. She wasn't a child; her neck tattoo proved it.

And she remembered Ma's encouraging words, spoken in the effort of convincing Pa. And from these she drew resolve and strength.

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

The thing scowled at the orcess at the disrespect and her walking away from it. It thudded its staff on the ground once again but this time instead of just sound the whole cavern shook. The thing was suddenly in front of her once more and had to be towering over her in size. It rose its staff up high and the whole place was filled with a blinding light.

White was terrified. She was low to the ground and whimpering badly. Where was her human? He would know what to do. He always knew what to do. Such a fool! Why did he leave her behind to guard someone who didn't deserve it? Was this a punishment? Was she not enough of a good girl? It had to be the orcess' fault. All of this was her fault. If she hadn't been in the woods then they would have just avoided the troll. He never would have been hurt and they wouldn't have fallen through the floor into the water. They wouldn't have been washed up here, nearly died of cold, and be dealing with this terrifying thing. She even made it upset! What could she do about this? Nothing. Only her human could and he was off doing something else important right now. That was the only reason he would ever leave her behind was if it was dangerous and important.... Did that mean he was in more danger than her right now?

======================

Eyes hazy. Breathing ragged.

Weylin was having a hard to time as he pressed into the cave. The colors of the mushrooms seemed to shift more and more the longer he spent in the place. Reds were turning blue. Blue to green. Green to pink. Pink to yellow. And those were the changes he could make sense of. Mostly they just were these odd inbetween shades with no names. It was as if he had fallen into a shaman's vision.

How deep into the cave had he gone? He didn't know. Eventually he just wandered his way to a wall. His head was spinning. His feet were tangling up against each other. His throat felt dry and his nose felt stuffy. Blurry. Blurry. Blurry. His eyes were not able to focus. All his energy felt sapped out of him, not that he had much to begin with given his state of healing. His hand touched the wall and felt slick. Then he collapsed. Everything was spinning, spinning, spinning. Slowly it all went black....

======================

"Flat girl! Evil girl! Rude girl! Get round! Go back! Wrong way! Human dying! Flat girl! Evil girl! Get round!"

The thing thudded its staff after each and every line. And with each thud came another shake. The light continued to glow too bright for anyone to hope to see. It was making its desires known and giving her no chance to be so rude to it again.

"Go back! Save human! Flat girl! Evil girl! Ignore dwarves! Flat dwarves! Evil dwarves! Go back!"

And with one last shaking thud the thing was gone. Shadows replaced the light. Stillness returned. Silence was had once more. The dog was shaken to her core in fear laying on the floor. Her eyes closed. A faint smell of pee filled the air. The poor good girl was shaken just that badly.

Zeri Rekani

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Zeri nearly lost her balance as the whole cavern shook. The thing sought to block her passage again and even grew in height. What kind of monster was this?? No ghost nor vagrant dead, for its staff was tangible and made noise. It had terrifying magic, could seemingly violate the Laws of Magic and appear from nowhere, and could alter its hideous body's size at will.

"Auch!" Zeri pinched her eyes shut and turned her head away from the blinding, painful light; the creature was some kind of wizard or mage. What if it or something like it had been the thing that had brought all these dwarves in the port town to ruin? Zeri spared no love for those three dwarven ghosts in particular, but she didn't wish death and ruin upon the those who were surely sweet and innocent and lived here before.

Oh, no, no, no. Zeri kept her spear raised and backed up until her pack nudged the outside wall of a building behind her, a home or a house of wares perhaps.

She was frightened. Terribly frightened. But as she had in Bhathairk, she summoned her courage to overcome her fear. The creature was yelling at her. Saying things in its clipped and broken tongue. Not killing her outright but calling her flat and evil and rude. It wanted her to do something, and it was lying. She knew it was lying. She was certain of the thing's malevolence! How could it not be?

And so she yelled back at the creature, talking while it was talking and saying Wrong way. With her eyes closed and face grimaced against the oppressive light and the sinister thudding of its staff, she proclaimed, "I am not afraid of you, creature! I stared down a Beast far larger and more evil than you! The Terrible Amalgamation! I stood against it for my home! Bhathairk! And I will stand against you to return there!"

She had yelled over most of what it said. And, after that last thud, the cavern became calm once more. Zeri gradually opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and looked around. The creature was gone. Gone as abruptly as it had come.

Zeri breathed a sigh of relief.

And wasted no time.

She started running. Leaving Weylin's dog behind.

* * * * *​

It took some searching, but the port town was blessedly small, and she got through it swiftly enough. Some handful of minutes, even weighed down by her pack and her winter clothes.

Zeri found in the untamed cavern beyond the bounds of the port town a crossroad of signs. Signs with pictures even. One pointing back toward the port town, and two pointing in the direction she was currently heading. Different pictures on these two. One with a dome and a mushroom; another with stairs leading upward.

Good.

This place was cursed. This whole cavern, full of the restless dead and hideous creatures wielding terrible magic.

It would feel good to bask in the sun again.

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

The temptress was leaving. She was trying to leave it all behind her. White, her human, their camp. Everything. Had none of this meant anything to her? Clearly not. She just used them to save her life, take gifts, and have him do things for her all just so she could leave him behind afterwards. The scary thing had called her flat and evil and the dog had to agree.

But her human was still expecting her to guard the orcess. It was his last wish before he had gone off to do what needed to be done. She was terrified, shaking, and had peed herself but she couldn't give up yet. He needed her help and was replying on her right now. So the dog mustered up her courage as best she could and slinked off to follow the horrible female as she looked for a way to abandon them.

Eventually they found themselves heading away from the town and further from their camp. This was bad. The orcess was getting what she wanted and that was not good. White tried to make barks to remind her they were suppose to stay but they just came out as scared yips. She tried again to the same result. But she did not stop following. She stayed on the orcess' trail the whole time keeping all of her senses open for any sign of danger that would surely come because this female was an idiot.

Soon enough they came across the splitting paths with the second sign. It was here White picked up a scent. A scent she knew very well. It was her human's scent. He had gone down the off shoot path! Maybe the orcess had realized where he was going and was going to join him. Oh how she could now forgive the temptress of almost everything!

.... But where was she going? The orcess past the path her human had gone down and was continuing down the main road. That wasn't the way her human had gone! She made a few barks near yips as her courage returned to her with the scent of her human in her mind. Still no stopping. So the dog grabbed onto a loose piece of her clothing and tugged towards the other path. This was the way they needed to go! But it didn't help. The orcess would not listen. She never listened. So White stopped. She sat in front of the correct path and just stared, whimpering, as the orcess went the wrong way. Her human was here not that way.

==============================

As Zeri Rekani walked down the path she would eventually feel a shaking and hear some rumbling sounds. Further up ahead she would find the tunnel had caved in, or at least was filled with stones. How deep this went was unclear but what was clear was the presence of the ugly hunchback from before holding its staff with the candle lantern on top of a rock.

"Flat girl! Evil girl! Wrong way! Follow dog! Follow dog!"

It was agitated, but before it could do or say anything else a new figure came dropping down from the top of the stones. This one was the size of a child but looked like an adult. Not hunchbacked or ugly it held a candle in a holder in front of it. This one smiled to Zeri instead of frowning like the ugly one.

"Apology. He not good, he is not good with words." The new one said in dwarvish that had an odd accent behind it that sounded older than modern dwarvish as well as like it was not its native tongue. "Orc girl needs follow dog. Human is dying. Not good. Not round. Cover this," it covered up its nose and mouth with its free hand. "or will die too. Flat, evil dwarves not tell him of dangers in cave. He go look for cure for orc girl fever. Saw her red face and went to help. But orc girl not rest like asked. Good thing. She can help human now. Not be flat but round now. Clear path after. Give her reward yes?"

The new one smiled to her as if it was just a friendly chat. It almost seemed like it did not know exactly what to make of her or do to get her to listen. The frowning one just grumbled from its stone then blurted out, "Flat girl, evil girl! No listen!"

The smiling one gave it a look and was saying something to it in a foreign tongue that was almost like creaks and chittering of squirrels or chipmunks. The frowning one spoke back in the same language. A short back and forth happened then the frowning one vanished. The smiling one looked back to Zeri. "Sorry. He rude one. Flat behavior. Will reflect." Then it looked at her for a moment before saying, "Orc girl going to save human?"

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Zeri heard the dog barking but didn't stop. The poor thing was probably hungry, but why didn't she eat? There were the perfectly good rabbits--nice and cooked--that Zeri had tossed away back at the campfire. Or...well the dog had watered itself in fear. Was it still terrified? M-Maybe. Zeri had no idea what kind of creature that was or what its true intentions were, but it was a scowling, aggressive, powerful thing; it hadn't attacked her, but then, neither did the Amalgamation when she had approached It. Regardless, maybe that was it, the dog hungry or thirsty and too frightened to go and find her master Weylin.

At least she hadn't tried to bite her.

"That way," Zeri said, twisting her body around as she walked and flicking a hand dismissively. "There's food that way. And your master said he was coming back, so he'd be coming back over there. Go. Go on."

No. Didn't work, though Zeri hardly expected it to. The dog kept on yipping, but Zeri was none too keen to stay in this cursed place any longer than she needed to. She walked on, toward the direction indicated by the "stairs" sign.

Then Zeri yelped in stark surprise when the dog bit down on the loose back end of her parka and tugged. She skipped away once she could, and wheeled around to face the dog. That ugly wizard creature Zeri would have fought if need be, but the dog was just an animal. Some animals were dangerous, yes, but they were not evil--they had no conception of good or evil. They had the nature of an eater of meat, or the nature of an eater of grass, sometimes both, and this they followed. Zeri hoped the dog didn't become dangerous--she didn't want to hurt it to defend herself.

"Nice dog. N-Nice...just stay there...okay?" Zeri said, backing up toward the tunnel that supposedly led up to the surface and out from this dim cavern. She wanted to be gone from here. To leave Weylin to "claim" some other woman who happened along in his reach of the Spine.

And there came a familiar shaking. Rumbling.

Zeri whirled around again, facing the tunnel now, and saw it. The thing! The wizard creature! It hadn't truly gone! Through forbidden magic or invisibility or some means wholly unknown to Zeri it had appeared again, and caused a cave-in! Trapping her!

And Zeri, though her brow twisted in terror, brandished her spear once more and yelled in Orcish, "Come and get me!"

Another one! No! She--she couldn't possibly take on two! M-Maybe not even one. She had no magic of her own, no armor, no training. Just her obsidian-tipped spear and the padding of her winter clothes.

This New One...apologized? In Dwarvish? Why Dwarvish, they weren't dwarves. W-Well...neither was she. Nevermind. The New One wasn't nearly as menacing as the ugly one. Or at all, even. It spoke of things she had trouble piecing together initially, and her brow furrowed as her mind processed all this.

Human is dying? Who, Weylin? Well no, it couldn't be Weylin--he could take care of himself. Not "round"? No idea. Cover her face? The air in the cavern seemed fine, there wasn't any miasma or powerful smells. Flat (what? was she translating that wrong?), evil (wasn't translating that wrong) dwarves not tell him dangers in cave. What cave, where? They were already in a cave, that didn't help much. And she didn't have a fever. Wait, saw her red face? Wait...went to help?

Now lay down. I will make things better.

Nevermind the unnerving fact that the New One knew all of this. But...Weylin thought she had a fever? That's what he was off doing? What if...

If ye be wantin' healin' stuff ye better off hunting down shrooms in the caves. I like ye though so I will warn ye little orcess: Don't go into the caves. Ye will die.

"Ye will die" hadn't really communicated the exact danger of the place. Could've been monsters in there, dangerous pitfalls, maybe most of the shrooms themselves were poisonous. Maybe the dwarf had meant that in Zeri's weakened state at the time, whatever the true danger was would've surely overcome her, but otherwise she would have been fine. Pah. Maybe the dwarf just didn't want her to go so he could watch Weylin "claim" her, the old dead pervert.

But it seemed that Weylin--whether soullessly in pursuit of a "quick fling" or not--had gone into this cave, wherever--the sign! The other one, not the "stairs" one. An offshoot tunnel. Yes, he'd gone down that tunnel to procure a healing shroom for her supposed fever. Was the mushroom tunnel filled with miasma? Didn't Weylin see it? Smell it? What if...what if it couldn't be seen or smelt?

Even if the dwarves were right about Weylin, she didn't...it didn't deserve death. If he truly was in trouble, then she could at least try to do something to help him before departing on her quest.

Orc girl going to save human?

Zeri didn't know she had been looking down, as if searching the stone floor with her eyes, as she was thinking. She looked up to the New One. Then, despite being made upset, nodded firmly. She had sooo~ many questions for the nice New One, but now was not the time.

Zeri turned to the dog. Clapped her hands (awkwardly, as she still held the spear between them). Said, "Hey. We need to find your master. Weylin. You understand that name, right? Wey. Lin. Help me, I'll follow."

And Zeri pondered what might best serve as an impromptu mask she could wrap securely about her face.

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

White stood guard at the intersection of the cave path. Surely the evil female would find some compassion for her human and return. He had done so much for her for no reason. None at all. Should he have saved her? No. Was she worth saving? No. But despite all of it he had saved her. And what had she done for all that saving? Abandoned them. She wasn't worth it ever. Never ever ever.

Then the dog saw the orcess returning back from the way she had gone. She had seen the light and was coming to help her find her human! The dog's tail began to wag a bit. But it wasn't because she was happy and excited to see the female return and so she wasn't alone anymore! No it was because she would be finding her human soon and that made her happy and excited. That.

A bark and then White got up from sitting. She padded over to Zeri, grabbed her clothes, and started to pull her the right way this time. No more going the wrong way again. She was trying to take her to the mushroom cave, the place her human had gone.

======================================

Weylin was still laying on the ground near a wall in the cave. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. His skin had gone pale. Not far away from him was the healing mushrooms growing under the ones that were slowly draining the life away from the human. His time was still not up but it was ticking every more away.

Zeri Rekani

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Zeri stood at the entrance to the mushroom cave--indeed, a smaller offshoot of the larger cavern in which the little port town was situated. White had led her here; though the manner in which this was done was cause for concern at first, Zeri eventually came to think that the dog--rightfully so, it increasingly seemed--was worried for her master. And this brought a measure of calm, even as the dog's once menacing teeth had gripped the end of her parka again.

But here she was now.

"Ancestors of old..." Zeri said, with a near breathless tone.

The whole cavern, past the arching tunnel entrance, was awash in shades of glowing color--both from the mushrooms and the same crystals that were a familiar sight around the port town. Inside was a palette of colors that all blended together at a distance. What were these mushrooms? Mundane? Magic? Somewhere in between? Zeri had no idea--she'd never seen anything like them before.

But they were dangerous. Though the peppered dwarf hadn't specified, the New One (the Little Wizard? was that a better way to call the smaller, nicer creature?) had. A miasma. Something in the air, something that the Spirits of Air could only carry along, as they did with dust and snow and dandelion petals.

And Zeri needed to cover her face, her nose and her mouth, as a safeguard against it. Such would only buy time, and she hoped it would be enough to get in and find Weylin and get him out. She would need both her hands free and clear, and she thought of the best solution for a face covering.

Her loincloth. Its shape and size were superior to her halter top, and those were really her only two choices.

Zeri set down her pack and her spear outside the entrance to the mushroom cave. Loosened her belt and pulled her winter pants down to her knees. Untied the knot of her loincloth and took it off and pulled up her pants and fastened her belt again. Her face, naturally, wasn't as wide as her hips, so she had to fiddle with it a bit to get a good, secure knot tied at the back of her head. It was uncomfortably stuffy, breathing while the loincloth was wrapped about her face, but there wasn't any other choice.

Even if Weylin was possibly as single-minded as the dwarves, she couldn't leave him. He could take care of himself, she knew he could--but he'd been tricked. Evil dwarves--as both the Scary Wizard and the Little Wizard had called them--was right. How dare they?

And...what if...what if they were wrong? About Weylin? Intentionally so? Trying to trick her into thinking something awful of him, as they had tricked Weylin into entering the deadly mushroom cave in the first place?

Maybe. M-Maybe. He did make that crass joke before the dwarves had ever made their unwelcome intrusions. But. Well. She could ask. She didn't know how to go about it, but somehow she could ask him.

When he was alive and well.

And to that end, Zeri entered the cave.

* * * * *​

It took her longer than she hoped. He had gone terribly far in! But the relatively dull and drab colors of his clothes stuck out against the more vibrant colors of the mushrooms and the crystals, like a dark splotch against all the glowing lights.

"Oh, no. Oh, gosh. Weylin? Weylin??" Her voice, shaken, and muffled by her loincloth face covering.

He looked as pale as he did when he was suffering from the cold's grasp. He wasn't responsive.

Zeri didn't waste any time; she had her wits about her, but the miasma in the air was surely there, even if she couldn't smell it. She hurried over and grabbed him by the wrists and started dragging him back.

And he was heavy. Heavy because she was weak; she wasn't like her Ma, her elder sister, her Pa or her brothers. She was the smallest of the family by far, and it was this same runtiness that had deflected the attentions of orcish men that now haunted her here as well. Zeri grimaced and groaned and dragged Weylin a short distance before she had to stop, breathe (and surely inhale more and more of the dangerous air), and start again.

"Come on...come on...! Don't stop...don't..."

She strained herself and pulled Weylin by his arms some more. Slipped and fell back onto her rear, as her arms already felt like wet ropes. She stood again. Panting.

"I've got you...Weylin...I can...I can if I try--!"

Zeri grit her teeth and pulled with everything she had and her feet shuffled quickly as she dragged and dragged and dragged Weylin.

Until she had to take another break. Doubled over, hands on her knees, panting. A strange blurriness seeped into the edges of her vision. She looked over her shoulder.

And she couldn't even see the tunnel entrance yet.

Tears again gathered at the corners of her eyes. But she grabbed Weylin's wrists and pulled and her arms caught fire with exhaustion.

"I won't let you die here!" She cried out. Summoning any and all motivation she could to empower her beleaguered arms, her embattled legs.

And she dragged him until her feet slipped again and her hands, slick with sweat, pulled free of Weylin's wrists and she collapsed down onto her back on the floor of the mushroom cavern.

She closed her eyes. Sobbed.

Said meekly, "I'm sorry...I wish I had never come...on this journey..."

Weylin Kyrel

 

[Weylin Kyrel]

The hunter was unmoving. The hunter was pale. The hunter was barely breathing. Toxins coursed through his veins, but their purpose was unknown. Did these fungi feast upon random critters attracted to their lights in the dark? Unlikely. Things of the caves never relied on sight and it was common for them to be blind or even eyeless. It was also unlikely a random cave to contain enough creatures to make the use of poison worth it. So what was their point? Perhaps only the dwarves long lost and forgotten of this place knew.

==========================

White was ecstatic when Zeri Rekani allowed herself to be guided for once to the place her human was at. What met them was a cave with all kinds of pretty shades of gray, white, and black. It smelled of rotting wood and those squishy things her human liked to eat, but only certain ones. This place had the smell of the bad ones. It smelled of the ones her human didn't eat. It made her more nervous. Why would he go into such a place as this?

Then the orcess did something with her clothes and covered her face. Good. She was finally doing something about tempting her human away. Then the female went into the cave as well. The dog stayed back to guard the entrance. Who knew what might come there way. It wasn't because her legs wouldn't move and she was wanting to find a safe place to hide till her human was back....

==========================

The human's body was heavy. He was muscles and bones built up strong from hard won survival over the harsh Spine winter. But it was making getting him to safety for the orcess hard and heavy.

As the human's body was being pulled further away though it seemed like something on the edge was following them. A slinking or jiggling or shuffling. It was impossible to say in the colors and haze of the cave. It might not even be real but rather just a trick of the mushrooms.

==========================

White heard the voice of the orcess from the cave. She was close to the entrance but still just out of sight. Perhaps she was announcing herself? Yes. She was letting White know she was there so she didn't get her throat ripped out by the prettiest good girl guard....

Then the female sobbed and more words. Not good sounds. Something was wrong. But she could smell her human as well. So the dog mustered up her courage and slipped into the cave full of the bad smell.

What the dog found was her human on the ground barely breathing and the orcess crying. Crying? Why was the female crying? She had to ignore it. Her human needed her right now. Something bad had happened. It was why the bad things were happening. They knew to get him first because he would stop them. He always made things better even if he was an idiot who let females tempt him like the crying one.

So White grabbed Weylin's clothes and began to drag him backwards as best as she could towards the cave entrance. She needed to get him out of this bad smelling place and into the fresher air. After she could maybe go for the female if she was still laying here crying.... Her human was very heavy.

 

[Zeri Rekani]

Zeri heard something. The patter of paws and the clacking and clicking of claws on the stone floor. She rolled over onto her stomach, and she let out a fragile gasp of relief. The dog was coming! Now if Zeri could somehow show her what she needed to--she did it! Just did it! Just nipped at Weylin's clothes and started pulling backward.

Zeri's arms were like twigs supporting a mountain, but she--with great effort--managed to push herself up and onto her knees. Then stood.

"Good girl! Good...!"

Zeri trotted after the dog and Weylin and caught up and grabbed one of Weylin's wrists in both of her hands and bent her back and dug her boots into the ground and HEAVED backward. Her mouth behind her face covering was open in a silent scream of intense effort.

But her feet were moving. One after another after another. There a step and there a step and Weylin was being dragged by the waning strength of Zeri and the efforts of the dog. The pain of exhaustion now stabbed viciously into her arms and her legs and it smoked out her lungs in an incendiary agony and if her eyes were open she would have seen the further encroachment of the blurring of her vision.

A little further.

A little further!

The light against the black of her eyelids--that vague manifestation of swimming and indiscernible color--receded some and Zeri noticed. She opened her eyes and saw that they had made it! They had just crossed the threshold of the mushroom cave and went past her pack and her spear that she had set down.

And Zeri let go of Weylin's arm and stumbled back haphazardly as her legs gave out and her arms reached total muscle failure and she collapsed onto her back again and stars exploded in front of her eyes as her head bounced off of the stone from her rough landing.

"Ahhhh.... ahhhhh....!"

It was all Zeri could do to groan pitifully and roll her torso and her head limply and with a sloth-like slowness left and right, and her face twisted into a terrible grimace of sharp pain and boiling fatigue.

In that moment, and in many of the moments to come, she was completely spent.

Helplessly so.

Weylin Kyrel