Myths of Power

The air in the abandoned dungeon was cold, stale and smelled of mold and mildew. The skeletons of forgoten prisoners lay sprawled in the corners of rusting cells, flesh and muscle long since stripped from the bone. Most are human but a few have odd animalistic looking skulls.  Sounds of lightly placed footsteps come from a stairwell to reveal a tall, slender man in leather armour and helm, gripping his forearm.


"Damn you Argus, that hurt." 


He walks to a small table that has some supplies underneath it and pulls a large satchel. He reaches in and pulls out a glass vial with what appears to be a thick grey cream inside. 


"This little 'reminder' will make me use the last of my poltice. I swear one of these days, I'm going to break you for good." 


As he spreads the cream over his burn he grits his teeth in clear pain. Blisters and burns quickly reduce and fade, leaving only a strange hand shaped redness as a marker of thier existance. He throws the empty vial against a wall, shattering it in anger. He leans back in the chair, breathing heavily. Still in pain, he slowly removes the upper portions of his armour. Intricate beading and jeweling glint in the torchlight, betraying its true age. It falls to the ground in a heap and he takes some deep breathes to regain composure.

The lightness of his skin is pot-marked with scars and other battle wounds, making him appear to be a kind of living puzzle. Scars from swords, axes an other blades cover his back and chest. Other wounds, healed through the passage of time, resemble bite marks from both man and animal.



He leans forward with his hands braced on his helmet. He turns quickly to an abandoned cell, peering into the darkness.


"I've told you before not to come to me like that. Your incessant buzzing and crawling annoys me." 


As he reaches for the cell doors, it opens on it own accord.


A voice from inside answers. It has the sound of a thousand voices all speaking ever so slightly out of sync with each other.


"I am zorry, my lord..but it waz nezzezzary to conzeal myzelf from the otherzz..."


As the figure steps into the light of the torch, its form shifts and waves within itself, there, but not quite there. It kneels on one knee in subservience, not quite touching the floor. It keeps what can only be defined as it's head, lowered.


" You requezted my prezzenze Prince Aranhil?"


The prince step forward and removes his helm revealing cropped red hair and the unmistakable points of Elvish ears. Piercings in each ear designate the Princes status in the kingdom of the Elves, what little was left.


"I did at that my servant. Have they arrived in the city yet, Mallus?"


Mallus rises from the ground. 


"They have my Lord. There was zome trouble actually getting in, but it waz minor. He iz very adept at what he doez!"


Mallus puts his hands together.


"May I have zome payment now, zire?!"


Aranhil turns and walks back to the satchel. He reaches inside and pulls out a small cut of meat. Steam rises from it in the cold air. Mallus' form wavers and almost looses it consistency in apparent excitement.


Aranhil looks at Mallus in disgust and tosses the meat on the ground in front of the servant. Buzzing and chatter fill the air as Mallus engulfs the reward, his body swarming in several impossible directions.


"You've done well so far Mallus. Go back and keep a close eye on our 'friend' until you hear from me again."


As Mallus rises again, parts of the meat can be seen being absorbed into his body. "Thank you my Lord, thank you!" In an instant his body flies apart  and heads for various cracks and openings throughout the cell.


"Yes, I do believe we shall be meeting quite soon. Quite soon indeed." Aranhil heads to a heavily locked door on the opposite wall. He opens the locks and enters a small room with a large chair facing away from him.


"Our plan is falling into place father..."

Richard stops abruptly.

"Truth? What would a child know about the truth?"

Gailin looks at the sky. He raises his hand slightly to cover the morning sun. "The truth is..." He pauses, turns and grabs Richard by the shoulder. He looks around nervously and casually moves Richard to the edge of an empty alleyway. Richard slowly reaches inside his cloak and caresses the hilt of his blade.

"The truth is, William..." He looks around one more time and leans toward Richard. "...the physician is a fraud." Richard releases his blade. "I'm sorry, old man, but that's what he is. He's just some quirky, ancient, dust ball of a man, who has some knowledge of medicine, but nothing more than that"

Richard looks at him with worrisome confusion not sure of what this boy knows "Does he know what I am? Did Catherine say too much last night?"

"What are you saying Gailin? Do you think I'm.." Gailin places his hand on Richard's shoulder.

"No.. no, of course not. I'm just saying that I saw what the man was like. He would take every coin my father had if he could have. I just don't think you should get your hopes up, for Catherine's sake."

Richard sighs heavy, relived with what Gailin says. "Oh, my boy..." Richard grabs Gailin's arm and continues on. "I've tried all kinds of tonics, snake oils, concoctions and philters in my pitiful life. Having another fail me can't do any more harm. Catherine is strong and she will outlast me, in the days to come."

The two shuffle down the next few streets in silence.

"What became of her?"

"Not sure, to tell you the truth. I was in another room at the time. I heard father yelling a lot about him not being able to do anything and then nothing...for quite some time. When he came out, his face was wet."

"Wet?"

"At first I thought he had been fighting with the physician and was sweating. As her got closer, I could see his eyes. It was the first..and last...time I saw my father cry"

"But what of your sister?"

Gailin points down the road to a building that was in slightly better repair than most. It had 3 stories and most of the brickwork was still attached, although Richard could tell, it had degraded to a point to which it should have been condemned. "That's where you need to be, William."

"Thank you corporal." Richard pulls out a coin but Gailin holds up his hand in refusal. "You're a good man, Gailin and I'm sorry for your troubles."

Gailin gives Richard a small bow "I'm sorry myself for placing my troubles on your shoulders. I'll be off to my duties as I'm late as it is. Give Catherine my best." He turns and walks off at a soldiers pace.

Out of earshot Richard whispers "We'll meet again lad. I'm sure you'll come in very handy in the times ahead... for both Catherine and me." He turns around and sees a figure standing in a second story window starring back. "And now for the hard part."

As the two leave the Sickle & Scythe, Gailin looks around nervously for others who might see him with a leper. Seeing no one other than the normal rabble of the area, he steps out at a brisk pace, only to be pulled back by Richard. Gailin is forced to stop and looks back.

Richard shades the morning sun from his eyes with his hands. "Whoa there my boy. I'm not as spry as you are. I could have given you a match in my younger, healthier days but now..."

Gailin realizes who he is with and reluctantly resigns himself. " I'm sorry, I just.. just..."

Richard pats his hand again. "I know. Few people want to be seen aiding a man in my condition. I must say, you are being very brave by helping. You're risking any reputation you might have made."

"I'm not too concerned with reputation."

"Oh really? Your expression betrays you young man. Why are you helping? Does this have anything to do with...my daughter?"

They start down the street as face as Richard is willing to go.

Gailin lets out a sigh. "I suppose so. She's just so beautiful and yet so strange..." Suddenly aware of what he has just said, he pauses and looks down at Richard, embarrassed. "..I didn't mean... It's just that she..."

Richard laughs, a low grinding laugh that sends a slight chill down the spine of anyone in earshot. "Don't worry! It most likely comes from taking care of this old fool for so long." He smiles large enough for it to be seen through the bandages and thinks to himself; "What did that girl say to him last night?"

"So tell me sergeant.."

"Corporal..."

"... How is it you know the physician?"

Richard allows the pace quicken slightly. Gailin's face drops into sorrowful thought.

"My sister....When we were just kids, our family owned a small plot of land. We would sometimes wonder down to the river that ran though a small wood close by."

As they pass by a rather decrepit fruit stand, he grabs an apple, for too old to be placed for sale. The stand owner starts to object but then backs down when she sees Gailins insignias. With a deft and unseen manoeuvre, Richard grabs a coin and flips it backwards to be caught be the shopkeepers child. Richard turns his head and presses a finger to his mouth in a sign of silence.

"Did something happen?"

"We should have known better, I guess. But we were just kids." Gailin releases Richards hand and walks slightly ahead of him. He takes a bite of the apple on one the less rotten sides. "There had been a skirmish a few nights before. No one really knew what had caused it, or even who had been fighting, really. Our father had told us to stick close to home, just in case, but we want to do some swimming."

He finishes off the better parts of the apple and throws it to the ground. Children come racing out of the woodwork to scramble and fight over the rotten leftovers. Gailin turns around once again, ignoring the ruffians. Richard quickly grabs a few stale loaves of bread nearby and, again, exchanges them for payment in a few hardly seen moves. He breaks them up and quickly tosses the peices the the children.

Quickening his pace, he catches up to the corporal and grabs his hand once more. "Oh, sorry, William, I'll slow down."

"Please continue."

"While we were heading through the woods, we heard a strange noise and went to investigate. There were only small animals that lived there, so neither of us were scared. We should have been terrified."

Gailins grip tightens.

"Hidden behind a bush was a Wild. It attacked so fast, I didn't have time to react."

"Hmm.. Wilds attack on instinct alone. It must have wandered away from the battlefield afterword and wandered into the woods." Richard thinks
"It caught your sister?"

Richard can see a tear well up in Gailin's eye, although its clear that he was holding back his emotions. "Father heard our screams but it was too late. He dispatched the Wild but not before it did atrocious  damage to my sister."

"She survived the attack?"

"Only just. Father was afraid she was going to turn, so we came to Haladan to see the physician. There were, and still are, rumours that he can cure revenants. I know the truth..."

Morning: The Sickle & Scythe

"coltan...Coltan..."

"zzmmph.. oh yeah honey.. that's nice."

"Coltan..."

"Hmpphh ya, prance around some more, i like..."

Coltan is woken by a splash of cold water. "Phphaaaahh.. Wazz goin on..." He looks around frantically and falls back on the floor. "Ow!" He rubs that back of his head

"The boss didn't mind you sleeping it off at the table overnight. You've helped him out enough over the years and there wasn't anyone left..." It was the innkeeper's wife. "...but people are going to be coming in soon and your snoring could wake the dead."

Coltan does a double take with the last comment as he pushes himself up. "Did anyone...?"

"No. They were left alone, but I must say there were some strange noises coming out of there all night."

She hands him a damp towel to clean himself off with and returns to her work. Coltan looks up towards the door and mutters. "You haven't got a clue..."

He wipes his face down, keeps the towel close and walks to the room. He starts to unlock the door but pauses and listens for any activity inside. "Nothing. I wonder if..."

To his surprise the door opens quickly. Richard stands before him, half covered in his bandages.

"Coltan! Come in, I wasn't expecting you to return."

"Actually, I.."

"Catherine's going to be in bed for most of the day, recuperating. The exchange can be a trying process."

Coltan looks Richard over. "Something's changed...you look..older somehow."

"Well, you didn't think it would just be hard on her did you? That was most likely the last time I'll ever be able to do that. It takes a lot from me...literally."

Coltan gulps. "I don't want to hear it. I don't think my stomach could take it." He looks over at Catherine. She's covered in the bed, tossing and turning, but asleep.

Richard grabs Coltan's shoulder and moves him out of the room, locking the door behind them. "We should get going. The monk will be getting more visitors today, and I would like to keep my business with him as private as possible."

Coltan stops Richard from moving to the stairs, standing stock still. Richard looks at him questioningly.

"What's.."

Coltan puts his finger to his mouth, then his ear. "That guard is downstairs, Gailin."

Richard looks around the corner down to the bar. Gailin is speaking with the innkeeper who suddenly points up the stairs, forcing Richard back. "Damn. He did say he was coming back this morning."

Coltan looks nervous. " He can't see me with you." and he walks back to an open window. "I meet up with you later." and he jumps out. Richard runs to the window but sees nothing but an old horse and cart.

"Ah..William isn't it?"

Richard pulls up the hood on his cloak and turns to see Gailin at the top of the stairs. " Ah Corporal..." Richard rubs his head. "umm...oh sorry. My mind is not what it used to be."

Gailin steps up too him, offering an arm for support. "Gailin, sir. Corporal Gailin. And where is your loving daughter this morning, sir? I was hoping to speak with her."

"Oh I am sorry Captain.."

"Corporal."

"Corporal, but she has become quite ill overnight. She does spend so much energy doting of this frail old father of hers."

"Oh.. I hope she will be all right."

Richard looks up at him. "Hmm this boy seems to be genuinely concerned for her..."


"Oh she will be fine after a nice long nap, Gillum..."

"Gailin"

"That's what I said..Gailim... but you seem to know about the physician. Could a frail old body ask for an escort?"

Gailin looks shocked and nervous, obviously not really wanting to be seen in public with a leper. " Oh..Um.. Well I guess I could take you part of the way. He does live close to my rounds."

Richard grabs his hand i n an firm but elderly embrace and pats it hard. Leading him away from the room and towards the stairs, he takes a look back at the room door. "You're so kind. I'll be sure to tell my daughter all about you."

As they start to go down, a flash of darkness catches his attention. "Yes I'm sure she will enjoy that immensely."

Out of sight, the light coming from under the door fades as the shadows of few dark insects crawl underneath it and scatter in the light of day.

Joseph runs after Leland, occasionally looking back into the darkness.

Cracking of bone and rending of flesh echo off the walls mixed with the ever increasing laughter of Meyliss, until all goes abruptly silent.

Joseph stops and strains to listen. Groans and shuffling feet again start towards him.

"Oh Meyliss...it was an honour knowing you." He pulls his arm up and pops his shoulder back into place, wincing at the pain. The shuffling quickly starts to become heavy footsteps.

He takes a deep sniff of the air to track Leland's scent & as he starts after the others he shifts back to his human form.

After a few minutes he sees and opening above a wrecked grating. Can't do anything the soft way, can you Leland..

He takes a running leap at the hole and grabs the edge of the opening only to be grabbed himself, by multiple hands and dragged into the light and thrown back down to the ground.

Blinking against the light Joseph tries to regain his vision, when a sharp blast of pain against the side of his head sends him flat to the ground again.

"Bind his hands and place a collar on this...thing!" Josephs hands get wrenched behind his back and a collar is placed tightly around his neck. Small spikes on the inside dig into his skin. A man with heavy leather armour and helm pulls on an attached chain to bring him face to face with Joseph.

"You even try to change, 'thrope, and this collar will kill you quicker than.."

Joseph looks directly through the helms slits into the mans eyes. "..Faster than one of those?" Joseph looks into the hole where a wild manages to reach out and grab another armoured man and drag him down.

The wilds' grip is tight enough to crush the mans ankle and he screams as a half dozen hands come out to drag him back into the sewers, bloody gurgles filling the air.

"COVER THAT UP,NOW BEFORE ANY OF THEM GET OUT!"

Four men drag a large stone cover over the opening even as more hands start protruding out.

The man points at several others. " I want all openings covered up and a squad of armed men sent down the either destroy them or capture them."

A subordinate chimes up "But sir.. the orders from the Regent.." A heavy slap across the face quickly ends any arguments.

"I'll be damned if any of those creatures escape. To hell with Argus and his orders. NOW GET IT DONE!"

Most of the men disperse to their duties. The man then turns back to Joseph and slowly removes his helm. Half of his face is scared and disfigured, an ugly story to his obviously violent past.

"What?" Joseph asks sarcastically. "Was that done by one of my kind and now you're out for some kind of sickening revenge?"

The man strokes the scarred side of his face. "This? Hardly. This is simply a case of getting too close to the burning house where I was exterminating 5 of your kind." He grins wide with fond memory. "It is a pity that I had to capture you here. Now I can only bring you to the public gallows instead of burning you alive."
 He stands up straight and hands his helm to a subordinate. "Ah well, such is life. And what do we have here?" As he strolls over to the limp body of Lady Harens, he unsheathes his sword. "I knew she was somewhere here, but could never quite pin her down. Looks like now, " He pushes the sword through her heart and what was left of her life ebbs away. " I'll never have too."

Joseph snarls, but a quick pull on the collar shuts him up. "Just be glad your friends here are still alive."

A horse and cart stop beside them and more guards pick up the others and place them none to gently into the cart.

"My name of Captain Haresh and you & I are going to get to know each other a lot better..." The captain forces Joseph to stand and walk beside the cart.

In the back of Josephs mind an unfamiliar voice says "Well, this isn't going to be very nice."

Joseph bears his fangs and growls with an internal ferocity the makes Karen take a step backward. He turns to look at her, his expression and fury unchanged. "GET THEM OUT OF HERE KAREN. I WILL HANDLE THESE THINGS."

She steps forward and peers around the edge. Her eyes open wide and her stomach begins to turn at the site of a dozen half decomposed bodies shambling from the darkness. Each one grasping out, as if to rip the essence of thier former lives from the air itself.

The things eyes varied from scarred white to the blackness of dried blood. Flesh, muscle and sinew grey and rotten fall limp from the bone. Thier mouths, filled with teeth, sharp and gnashing, open only to let out a soul shattering moan of lifeless hunger. Those pressed against the walls, reached out and tore at the brickwork, pulling mortar and stone with razor sharp fingers.

"GO,KAREN. GET OUT NOW!" Joseph leaps forward and claws the chest of the closest wild. Gray flesh and thick blood spray against the wall. He slams another wild into the wall, and bones break and pierce it's thin festering flesh.

Karen screams in fear as a wild tears into Joseph's back. He turns with stunning speed and throws the creature against the opposite wall. "I SAID GO!"

She turns to run and suddenly stops, mere inches away from Meyliss' face.

Meyliss caresses Karen's cheek. "I've known you for some time now Karen." Karen face is frozen in surprise and panic. "Don't think ill of me.." Karen begin to fall from a heavy uppercut, blackness filling her vision. Meyliss grabs her and tosses her to Leyland. "I trust you can take them somewhere safe?"

Leland slings all three bodies over his ample shoulders. He looks confused but says nothing. Meyliss answers an unsaid question. "She would never have left me to do what I have to do." The colour fades from her skin, eyes turn a bright blood red. Her fingers sharpen and extend to more than twice their length and her mouth widens into a malignant smile of death and carnage.

Leland turns to escape as Meyliss rushes toward Joseph. As she gets to his side, she rakes a wild about to clasp down onto his arm. Her blow rips the things head in half and brain matter slips out of it's boney housing, body collapsing to the floor.

With another blow to the chest of the front wild, she pushes them all back 20 feet.

Joseph looks down at her, his arm limp from multiple wounds. "You're strong!" he lets out a small chuckle before Meyliss backhands him in his gut, sending him staggering back. "You won't survive this, but I might. Follow your friend, quickly. If I don't follow you, tell her I enjoyed it all"

Joseph looks puzzled, but starts down after Leland. Meyliss stands watching the darkness and whispers "I enjoyed it all." as a split skulled wild grabs her and pulls.

The Sewers

"Karen... did we really have to take the sewers? This place is playing havoc with my senses."

"You would rather we walk through dozens of guards? Keep your voice down though, there are still plenty of ways they can hear us from down here."

They get to a corner and Karen holds Joseph back with her hand. She looks carefully around the corner and turns back to Joseph. "Meyliss is going to check ahead, it'll be a few minutes."

She pulls out a canteen and offers it to him.

"So what's going on here Joseph. Shouldn't you be with your clan?"

Joseph takes the canteen and takes a long drink.

"Yes, I should be. I've sent most of them away, somewhere safe, I hope. It's just Celine, Leland and myself."

"I understand that, Joseph. What I want to know is WHY you're all here."

"A few months ago I got a hold of some dark info. It could very well be the end of my kind, if I fail on my mission here. Someone named Argus is hatching a plan that can cause problems for all of us, human, lycanthran, revenant, maybe even Meyliss and her kind. I know he has others helping him, but the information on them is a little hard to find."

Karen takes the canteen back. "So what do think you can do about this 'plan'?"

He looks down at his feet in thought. "The way I see it, either i convince him his plans are wrong..."

She pinches his chin and raises Joseph's head. "Or?"

Joseph pulls his head away from her hand. "Or I convince him he life is wrong."

As Joseph wanders back down the tunnel, a high pitched roar is heard further ahead.

Joseph looks to Karen. "Meyliss?"

"Are you kidding?"

The two look around the corner to see Meyliss and Leland running towards them. Leland is carrying Celine and another limp body over one shoulder.

They run around the corner and Leland places his two unconscious companions on a ledge. Meyliss grabs Leland and pulls him down to her face with a strength of someone much larger than her size.

"We can't stay here long." The calmness of her voice catches Leland off guard. "They may be slow, but they will NOT stop" She lets him go and he falls backward, off balance.

Joseph looks around the corner but can't see anything in the darkness.

He turns back and grabs Meyliss and gets the sensation of grabbing a very large boulder. He ignores the feeling. "Who's there? Who won't stop?"

Celine starts to wake up. Her voice cracks with an uncommon twinge of pain. "w..w..wilds. we..we gotta...gotta go..."She shrinks back into unconsciousness.

Joseph's eyes widen in fear and he completes his change into his wolf form. Karen looks at him, never seeing an expression on his face like that before. "Joseph...what did she mean by 'wilds'?"

Meyliss places a hand on her shoulder. Joseph steps out, around the corner. "Wilds are Revenants that have lost their control."

He takes a deep breath and extends his claws as groans and shuffling feet make their way out of the darkness.

---Later that night---

"Who does that old fool think he is?" The guard continues to fix his polearm. "He didn't need to do that. The Sargent 's gonna 'ave my hide"

His friend looks over, ignoring his own slashed weapon. "Don't worry. You know they're makin' hundreds of these things down below. As soon as our shift is over, we'll run down and grab a couple o'new ones. Sarge won't be able to tell the difference."

He gives up on the repair and lets the head fall to the ground. As it comes to a rest, he kicks it behind a column. "Ya, i suppose yer right. I just wish that old bastard wouldn..."

The guards face bleaches white as he comes to notice that the large oak doors are wide open, the cloaked figure, despite its hunched nature, seemingly taking up the entire doorway. Both take an audible swallow of pride and fear, and come to attention.

The figure walks forward with a load grumble, ignoring the two. He walks down the hallway and around a corner. Another figure walks out of the shadows to join him.

"I take it the Regent is well?"

"Bah! What do I care for the health of that snivelling whelp!" He taps the man should with his staff

"Careful Argus. He is central to our plans. His army alone can turn the tide!"

"Yes, but you are not the one that must listen to his constant stories. He thinks so highly of his own kind. It is all I can do not to rip out his throat!"

"As long as he has not become suspicious, we will leave him to his own devices."

The two continue down a hallway, turn into a small room and lock a steel strapped oak door behind them.

Argus sits down in a heavily padded chair and rests his staff against the wall. "Tell me, have our spies intercepted their targets yet?"

"They came in contact a few days ago, nothing significant to report as of yet."

The man opens a large cupboard and pulls out a large glass and a decanter of liquid. Opening the decanter, he sniffs strongly.

"An agreeable year, Argus. Would you care for some?"

Argus waves his hand in refusal and the man continues to pour his refreshment.

"What of the assassin?"

The man stops in mid drink and sets down the glass. "We...lost him some time ago."

"YOU LOST HIM?" Argus bolts forward and slams his fist on a table in front of him. Small particles scatter where his fist lands.

"Calm down Argus. He's still out there and I've sent one of our best men to track him down. When he finds him, it will be over quickly and we can start on the second phase."

Argus quickly gets up and hobbles over to him, clearly in a rage. "You had better hope he gets found before any of our men, or worse yet, one of us. If that happens, we can all pray to our gods!"

Argus grabs the glass and throws it across the room, smashing it against old tattered books and scrolls.

"Get out of my sight and make sure our plans are carried out!"

 Argus grabs his arm and the man pulls back in pain. He is dragged towards the door and almost thrown into the hallway.

"Don't you DARE come back here without that assassin head.... otherwise you better ensure someone else come back with yours" Argus slams the door to leave him alone in the hallway.

The man brushes himself off and looks at his arm. A distinct burn mark surrounds the area that Argus grabbed. He quickly covers it before any can see and rushes down towards the exit.

Coltan keeps a wary eye on Gailin as he leaves and once assured that he was on his rounds, takes his drink to the table.

"Your 'daughter' here isn't all that smart..Is she new?" Coltan smirks under his drink meaning the second part to be a joke.

Catherine's smile quickly fades to embarrassment. She lowers he head. "Yes, actually, I am."

Coltan stops in mid drink and lowers it to the table. "Oh...uh, sorry, I didn't know."

Catherine looks up in sudden anger and frustration, tears welling and falling from her eyes, and yells at Coltan. "I'm trying my best! It's not my fault that I just don't know what to do!"

Richard, quite taken aback by Catherine's outburst looks down and quickly places a hand over hers.

"Get a hold of yourself child. Coltan, come with us to the room, quickly."

The three move towards the upstairs where Catherine points at what room is theirs. They enter the room and slam the door.

"Coltan, keep guard on the door." Catherine falls on the bed, still crying.

Coltan braces himself against the door. "What's the matter, what's wrong?"

"Catherine. Come here." Richard starts pulling off his cloak and bandages again. "I didn't expect to do this for at least another week, but you're progressing too fast. Womanly emotion I'd guess."

At this comment Catherine storms over to Richard and raises her hand. As she brings down her fury, Richard catches it, twists her wrist around painfully, then brings it up to her face. "Look...LOOK. THIS is what happens when you lose control."

Catherine's face turns to horror as she is faced with her partial skeletal hand, flesh rotted away, muscle and tendons shining in the candlelight. "Oh gods.. what do I do? What do I do?"

Richard turns to Coltan. His face has turned ashen "Are you going to do...hrmph...what I THINK you're going to do?"

Richard smiles vindictively. "You seem to know a lot about revenants Coltan. Yes, I am. You need to come here and hold Catherine still." he releases her hand but Catherine continues to stare in fascinated horror at what is happening to her, the removal of flesh and sinew progresses further down her arm.

Richard tears off his shirt. His body is ravaged. Scarred, burned, blistered and broken. Coltan holds onto Catherine and sees Richard. "How old are you Richard? Can you still do this?"

Richard takes a deep breath. "Too old..too old to be playing father, teacher, AND healer. Have you seen the Trial of Exchange before?" Richard breathes even deeper and the flesh on his torso peels back.

Coltan takes a gulp of air. "Once..when I was in training. I have to tell you...I didn't last through the whole process...made quite a..hmmpp..MESS afterward."

Coltan starts to see the bodies of dozens of insects and larvae squirm to the surface of Richards chest. "Don't worry Coltan. Once it starts, I want you to leave and lock the door. Take a small bag of coins and pay the inn keeper to leave us alone. It should be enough." Richard grabs Catherine's hand softly, her fingertips start to fall as the last of the cartilage and tendons shrink away. "Come back in the morning. We should be good then."

Sweat drips off of Coltan's face. "Are you ready for this?"

Richard places the tip of Catherine's hand at his chest like a spear. Insects reach out and grab the remaining bones, keeping them in place "Now or never!!" In a flash, Richard impales himself on her hand and arm, causing her to scream for an instant.

Coltan releases Catherine as the two fall to the floor. Bone, blood, and flesh become one around Richards chest and Catherine's arm. Small, black insects shift under Richard's skin, moving toward Catherine. Both lay silent.

Coltan reaches into Richard's cloak and pulls out a small purse of coins, tosses them in his hand, takes one final look back and leaves.

He locks the door and wipes the sweat from his brow. "I need a drink....and a bucket....."

Coltan and Richard slowly walk to the Sickle & Scythe, Richard re-bandaging himself along the way.

"Tell me Coltan. How did you know Catherine had gotten a room?"

"Training...that and a good set of ears. I guess you wouldn't recognize me."

"Why? Have I seen you before?"

"Not looking like this you haven't."

"Then again... all you 'thropes can look like any animal..." Richards voice trails off as they enter the tavern.

Sitting in the middle of the room, at a table so misshapen a blind monkey could have cut straighter boards was Catherine. The thing that made Richard nervous was the fact that she seemed to be having a rather humourous conversation with the city guard from the southern gate.

Coltan pushes past Richard "Out of my way old man!" he whispers as he passes. "You don't know me."

Catherine looks to the doorway. "Father... come and sit. Did you enjoy your walk?" She places too much stress on the end, trying to convey some previous conversation.

Richard, having far more skill, simply plays along. "Yes, yes, but I told you to go into our room, not take this busy man away from his rounds!" Richard slowly pulls a matching misshapen chair to the table and sits with all the grunts and groans of an old man.

The gaurd stands. "Please sir, do not chide the girl. I saw her enter as you left for your 'walk' and wanted to ensure her safety. I am corporal Gailin. I'm sorry for the rude entry procedures but we must ensure that no..'un-wanted' enter the city."

Richard looks at him with surprise. "So you're saying that an old leper is 'wanted' in Haladan?"

"oh, um no, ...I mean yes... I mean we must keep non-humans from entering."

Richard nods and thinks 'hmm, of course..even though most of us are completely harmless and most humans would kill us on sight if they had the chance.'

Gailin grabs Catherine's hand and kisses it. "I will take my leave of you, fair lady, and place you into your fathers kind hands." Both of them stare into each others eyes as if no-one else in the world were around. The kind of stare that makes seconds become minutes and minutes into hours. where sight and sound vanish and the two become a reality unto their own.

Richard coughs.

Gailin left Catherine's hand fall. "Yes, sorry. I will see you tomorrow?"

Richard coughs hard. "hmm? tomorrow?"

"Yes, I offered your daughter an escort to the monks lodging in the morning. He can be quite busy sometimes and the people he sees are not always, shall we say 'hospitable' as others."

Richard remains silent as Gailin dons his helmet and walks out.

Catherine looks at Richard sheepishly. "He's very friendly."