Fantasy Terrorchild: Awakening

[Damian0358]

3

 

[Infab]

3.

 

[turtwigwins]

2

 

[asphodelus]

2

 

[dikdik]

2!

 

[K0mori]

2. East - As the water drips off of you, you look to your left, at the unknown land of Turadal. Maybe if what the driver said was right, and that the witches of Lythrefang will be looking for you, then maybe it would be smarter not to make a bee line for your home village, or even to Zuklanar at all.

You decide that you would be better off anywhere than Zuklanar, and commit yourself to walking eastward into the wooded unknown. Across the slippery, submerged rocks to a muddy embankment, you clumsily walk with your arms tightly wrapped around yourself.

You're surrounded by noise, you realize. The lapping water, crickets and the like buzzing and chattering their night songs in the tall grasses, the wind in the trees, your chattering teeth, and of course your heavy, slopping footsteps in the mud. But that eerie sound you heard just before you leapt from the bridge - a wading bird, you supposed - is absent. Whatever you heard, you haven't heard it since.

You keep walking, deeper into the forested wilderness, until all the exertion of fighting against the cold seems to pool up in your legs. At least, if you pass out here, you'll sleep on solid ground. All of a sudden, however, your feet land on hard-packed dirt, and you emerge into a clearing. Looking up, your bleary eyes put the puzzle together: a trail wide enough for a horseman or a small cart cuts through here, running parallel to the river - as far as you can tell. You're not sure; it's difficult to remain on any given heading while moving in the dark... You may as well have been blindfolded.

You soon realize that the sun is beginning to rise, and you will finally be able to warm up and dry your damp clothing out. You find a nice flat rock near the trail which you figure will be in the sun at some point, and lay down to rest.

...
​

Your dreams are disturbing. You wander throughout your village, seeking help, or else seeking to warn, others of the curse that's been placed upon you. Your shadow, appearing as benign as ever, has instead become an all-consuming monster, tearing the flesh off the bones of any creature which crosses the ground upon which it's painted. You brothers, one by one, emerge from the fields beside the homestead to greet you, only to ignore your cries and cross your shade. As one is devoured, the next seeks to free him, and the next, until none are left.

The shadow has grown, trailing behind you like the train of a princess's ball gown. It grows in strength, until it begins to defy the sun's rays and trace paths in all directions. You are soon standing alone, crying in an ocean of darkness, having fed everyone you loved and knew to the monster. At last, a solitary figure appears, stepping effortlessly onto the placid, inky surface and making her way toward you.

You awaken before your catch her face.

An elf stands before you, his hunting bow resting on his shoulder. "...Where did you come from?" he gently asks.

You shield your eyes from the light with your hand to get a better glimpse of him. He's old enough to be your father, and quite strong from appearances. Perhaps he lives out here alone...

1. Trust - You nearly break down from the relief of being discovered, as your stomach is growling for food and your skin is itching from the mud and insects all about. "I... I was abducted by witches of Lythrefang... They think I'm one of them, but I jumped into the river to get away. I don't want to go home... I'm scared; please help me."

2. Deceive - You want to tell this man the truth of where you came from, who is looking for you, and even what you've done. But even if you feel comfortable in his presence, he might lead you to others that you can't, and you wouldn't want him to speak of your situation candidly. "I... I don't remember what happened. I fell into the river, and now I'm here. Can you tell me where I am? C-can you tell me how to get to town?"

 

[Infab]

2.

 

[turtwigwins]

1

 

[joshuadim]

1

 

[Damian0358]

2

 

[Breadman]

2

 

[asphodelus]

1

 

[dikdik]

………

 

[K0mori]

2. Deceive - You want to tell this man the truth of where you came from, who is looking for you, and even what you've done. But even if you feel comfortable in his presence, he might lead you to others that you can't, and you wouldn't want him to speak of your situation candidly. "I... I don't remember what happened. I fell into the river, and now I'm here. Can you tell me where I am? C-can you tell me how to get to town?"

He seems troubled by your response. "...Which town?"

"Uh... Any town," you reply with trepidation.

"You're from out west, aren't you?" he suddenly says. "I can tell from your clothes that you're not from anywhere around here..."

You blink. "What?" you say, taken aback by how quickly he ascertained the fact. You compare yourself to him; he's dressed in a sort of off-white fabric - probably undyed linen - with carefully stitched trim in green and red thread, and is wearing tall leather boots that reach up to his knees. You feel a bit envious, realizing how much easier it would have been to get through the mud if you had shoes like those. By comparison, your clothing is made of unadorned black wool, which is regarded as a humble, godly way to dress in your homeland. "Oh... um, yeah. You're right," you acknowledge, and you have nothing else to say.

The elf stares for a moment, thinking over what to do with you. "Well... I suppose we'll need to do something about your clothes, first, before you get a rash."

You reach out, expecting him to help you up, but he turns his back on you instead and pretends to check up and down the trail for anyone else along the path. After you've helped yourself up, he sighs. "I'm Lachlaen. I have a cabin in these woods, and I'll take you there. Once you're cleaned up, we'll get you some food, and then we can work on getting you somewhere else... Somewhere safe, I mean. What's your name, kid?"

You feel ashamed for lying to him, but you can't tell whether he dislikes you in the same way many elves have reservations about the tabaxi, or if he's uncomfortable with your questionable behavior. You could reverse course and explain the situation, but now you fear his reaction - he's agreed to help, and you don't want him to change his mind. "Agranne," you answer honestly, before doubling down on your lies. "I ran away from home. My family..." you say, cringing as you realize how you're about to slander the only people who have cared for you all your life. "...They aren't good people - I can't go home. I just want to go somewhere else and be safe."

Lachlaen's expression softens; apparently your second try was more believable. "That's... That's a shame. I can't say that I know what to do, but I won't send you back into Zuklanar unless I know you'll be okay, alright?"

You nod. He beckons you to follow, and you make your way up the trail behind him. After a while, he turns and leaves the path, quietly stepping into the shade of the canopy as he readies his bow. You hesitate to follow him; as far as you know, the elves don't normally eat meat like the drow do. Many elves consider wildlife to be sacred, and use their bows only to protect the land from other races' intrusions. You wonder briefly whether you're about to be led into a trap, but instead, he calmly draws an arrow, aims it skyward, and shoots down a bird that was perched on a high branch. After retrieving it, he joins you at the side of the trail and leads you forward.

"So, do you..." you start to ask.

He shakes his head. "It's for you," he replies, bitterly.

"Oh." You look away, but remember your manners. "Thank you, Lachlaen."

True to his word, Lachlaen brings you to a small cabin in the forest, where he retrieves a towel for you. "Go inside, shed your clothes, and wrap yourself in this. I'll cook up your bird and while you eat, we can dry your garments over the fire," he instructs.

You nod and enter the homestead, and it reminds you more than a little bit of your own. There's several baskets of vegetables, a knife on a cutting board, a holy book in the elvan script, and a few trinkets decorating the home, mementos from Lachlaen's life. You realize quickly that there's only one, messy bed, and a new fear begins to creep into your stomach. Can you really trust this man? You've just met him, and he's telling you to take your clothes off...

1. Trust - You shake off your suspicions. Lachlaen has done nothing to warrant them by providing you a meal and helping you gain a sense of direction in a new land. You get undressed, dry yourself completely, and tightly wrap yourself in the towel.

2. Doubt - You don't know what to expect anymore. Lachlean seems like a nice man, and while nothing seems amiss with his directions, you have a hard time letting go of your suspicions. You undress, dry yourself, and then hide one of his cooking knives inside of one of your stockings, which you tie around your upper thigh before wrapping your whole body in the towel to conceal it.

3. Betray - You feel a whisper in the air and a tingle up your spine. Something is telling you that if you trust Lachlaen, something very bad will happen to you, very soon. You take up his bow and quiver, which he placed in the cabin shortly before allowing you inside. You don't need him; this could be your homestead if you really want it.

 

[joshuadim]

2

 

[turtwigwins]

1

 

[Breadman]

3

 

[dikdik]

 

[asphodelus]

2

 

[Infab]

2

 

[K0mori]

2. Doubt - You don't know what to expect anymore. Lachlean seems like a nice man, and while nothing seems amiss with his directions, you have a hard time letting go of your suspicions. You undress, dry yourself, and then hide one of his cooking knives inside of one of your stockings, which you tie around your upper thigh before wrapping your whole body in the towel to conceal it.

As you place your hand on the knife handle, you feel a chill and a dark sense of foreboding, and resist a wild urge to do something explicitly treacherous. You look back at the knife block where you sourced the blade and sigh, dread lingering in your heart as you wonder whether you're making the right decision. You don't intend to hurt him, but that doesn't mean Lachlaen won't notice a missing knife and lose all trust in you. You just hope that if he is as gentle as you think he is, that you'll be able to secretly place the blade back into the block before anything happens.

Stepping outside, you find Lachlaen prepping the bird and a few vegetables and mushrooms for you in a wooden bowl. He clearly isn't experienced with prepairing meat, as he's already discarded much of the usable portion while trying to separate it from the organs, clearly uncomfortable with the entire act. Eventually, a paltry portion of meat is cooked, and your empty stomach growls audibly at the smell. He hands you the bowl and a fork as you sit down on a log near the fire. The entire time, he says nothing.

In a separate bowl, he prepares his own vegetables, drapes your clothes over the cook pot's wooden rack, and then sits on a tree stump across from you. "...Once you've got something to wear, we can set out for Tashlaan. It's the only place I can think of."

"Which way is that?" You ask, wondering if it's in the direction of Yan's Find.

He points off to his right, but you aren't sure what he means. He sees your confusion and swallows his food. "South."

You nod. From the impression the driver gave you last night, you assume she intended to take you somewhere to the northeast. You take a bite of the gamey meat and chew, and find it almost inedible without any salt or other seasoning. But, nonetheless, you choke it down, along with everything else he gave you. You glance at him, and he seems to have a look of guilt on his brow. You're not sure how to explain to him that he didn't need to kill the bird, and that you don't want him to kill any others.

"I think this'll keep me going for most of the day," you say. "It's more than I got back home. If I need to eat anything else along the way, we can forage something... No need to kill and cook anything."

Although you avoided saying it outright, Lachlaen recognizes what you're trying to do and visibly relaxes. "I suppose I should have asked if it would be okay..." he mutters. "I just didn't know..."

You give a reassuring smile, but then remember there might be crows on the road ahead that could spell trouble for you, and that Lachlaen won't approve of killing them without an explanation. You start to realize that he really is just a gentle person, and you feel disgusted with yourself for mistrusting him.

1. Come Clean - You decide that you've told enough lies, and that you need to be honest with Lachlaen if you expect his help, not just because it's practical, but because he deserves better. "I- I'm sorry, Lachlaen. I wasn't honest, before, and I don't want to keep any more secrets. I'm just in a lot of trouble right now."

2. Half Truth - You decide you need to tell Lachlaen about the danger that could lie ahead, now, while there's a chance to prepare. The problem is just that if you reveal that you've lied to him twice already, he'll be expecting it if you try to hide important details again. Still, having it dragged out of you that you're a witch is probably less of a shock than just blurting it out like an idiot, right?

3. Keep Mum - You figure that whatever Lachlaen doesn't know, can't hurt him. If something happens on the road ahead, you'll go your separate ways regardless - it's not like he could fend off a group of Lythrefang witches on his own, anyway - so you might as well keep it to yourself rather than reveal yourself as a murderer the moment an inkling of understanding starts to form between you two.

 

[Infab]

1

 

[asphodelus]

3

 

[turtwigwins]

1

 

[dikdik]

2222222222 I love me a 2222222