Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Phil was a traveler at heart. He loved to travel. As soon as he came of age his feet took him to many different places. He picked up many skills along the way. Had seen many things in along the way. There were many times he had thought about settling down and staying in one place, but it never felt right. Weather a harsh weather would start up. To feuds between villages. He wasn’t a stranger to war. Had fought in one or two along the way, but it had been his choice to fight. Places that seemed prone to war and fights just made him appreciate his passion for travel. Pushed him to wander further and further out into the world and see everything it had to offer.
He had been traveling for years now and he still couldn’t find it in him to stop. Not even as he came to a village that looked rather peaceful and large. It was quite quaint. The people seemed friendly and there were many shops and farmers. This villager town sat on very rich land. Even the area around look interesting. He could see the telltale signs that this place had been here for years and years. There were structures that were really old and weathered, and structures that were new and updated. He was interesting enough that he wanted to stay to explore the area. “Pardon me. Where will I find the hotel?” He asked a passing woman.
“Oh yes, its the building near the middle of the town, its the yellow building.” She answered with a smiled.
“Thank you.” He said, with a nod of his head politely and departed from her. As he spotted the building he was already counting the coins in his purse. Room for boarding costed differently in different towns, but the hotels mostly stayed on the cheap side.
“Its fifty coins a night.” The clerk said, as soon as Phil made his request.
Well usually they stayed on the cheap side when it came to pricing. “That’s a bit much isn’t it? Is there another place I could go that’s a bit cheaper.” Phil asked.
“Look stranger I don’t know what to tell you. This is the cheapest you’re getting in this town. You go anywhere else the price will just get higher. So you can either stay here, or out in the woods for the creatures to eat ya.” The Clerk huffed.
Phil was rendered speechless at that. It seemed a little hostile if anything. Also yeah, there were dangerous creatures out in the world. He had the pleasure of seeing a few of them. But most didn’t bother humans as long as they were provoked. Instead of replying and fueling the Clerks bad attitude, Phil just decided to leave. He did find other hotels in the town and found their prices just as high, which led him to the market with a leather hide rolled out on the ground with a few items he picked up on his travels lined out on it. Some potions that he learned to make from different forest witches, and books of different type of genres, that he either bought or found in ruins. Jewels, some were enchanted, some were not. Wooden figurines that he widdled of creatures and people he seen along his travels. Scrolls that held history long forgotten from the same ruins the books came from. It was a nice spread and he priced everything just so that he would have enough to earn a weeks worth of coin for a room in the first hotel he had went to.
He hadn’t long settled on the ground behind his set up when a nice looking granny of a woman stopped to look at his wares. She seemed very interested in a necklace that he remembered fishing from the ocean. The jewel on the silver chain just as blue as the waters Phil had pulled it from. She gave his potions a weird look, which wasn’t new. Some communities preferred modern medicine compared to potions from witches. It was those that could not afford doctors or their medicines who would usually turn to witches and potions. The little granny then picked up on of his books. One that a jungle witch had gave him as payment for his help in concocting a potion to help rid a person of a cough. The little old lady’s face scrunched up even more as she placed the book down. Which was a bit confusing as the book was about remedies for sickness and instruction on how to use herbal plants to boost your health and such. “Young man.” She said, making sure she had his attention. Her old eyes looking him up and down. “You must be new to the town.” She stated.
“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded anyway.
She nodded too. “I would put the potions and these grimiores up. The town here do not like to dabble in such things. We are a quiet little town.” She said, simply,
“But their about medicines and remedies to help get rid of sickness.” He replied a little confused. He was more use to people just looking the products over if they didn’t want them or like them.
“We have a bad history with those that use these methods, please put them away before trouble comes your way.” The lady sighed tiredly, holding out a small purse out to Phil and dropping it into his hand. Walking away from him with the necklace she had first picked up in her hands. Phil watched her disappear into the crowd of the marketplace before he counted the coins in the purse. The lady had overpaid him by ten coins for the necklace. He did as she instructed, packing up the potions and books that were pertaining to remedies and potion making up, along with the jewels that he knew was enchanted, and the scrolls that depicted things of the supernatural. That left his inventory to sell a little more sparse than what he liked.
He sold a few more items after that, but not enough to get a room at one of the hotels. “Camping outside it is then.” He mumbled to himself, when he packed up his wares and began to find a place to bunk for the night. He had just a few hours left of sunlight before the land would be covered in darkness.
Most would try and sleep right in the village, but Phil had leaned a long time ago that sleeping in the forest was better. Especially if you were a stranger. People could be more deadly than anything the lived in the trees. If he thought the town he found was interesting, the forest was just so. He saw many indications that the town below once started in the forest. Crumbled and rotted beams that use to form houses were now reclaimed by nature. He even found a little forgotten graveyard. The headstones were all broken like someone took a very large hammer to them. This place seemed for
The dirt path he was following soon ended, and an evening fog began to creep on the ground as the sun began to lower. Phil was prepared though, rummaging through his pack quickly to pull out a torch and lighting it with ease to light his way and unsheathing his iron sword just in case he did run into a hungry creature of the night. He didn’t continue past the dirt path, merely looked at the numerous structures that looked like long forgotten homes. Trying to see if any were livable. Or at least for the night anyway. For the most part none were suitable. None, except for a four by four building that was nestled in the back of the old and forgotten graveyard. By the time he had spotted the small building the sun was long gone, replaced by the silvery light of the moon. The night time fog now thick and hiding the headstones that were more embedded into the ground. Phil had tripped on a few here and there when he tried to look around when he felt eyes on the back of his neck.
The little structure was being reclaimed by nature as well. Tilting to the side as if part of the ground had lifted up at one point to knock it over to where it rested now, held up only by a near by tree. Inside Phil found rotted away garden equipment once used on the grave in the past. All he had to do was toss the rotten tools and equipment to one side of the building, mostly to the side where the floor opened up to the forest outside, using them as a barrier. He place in torch on the ground to light the inside of the building, as he began to make a place for himself to sleep. He made sure the door wouldn’t open on him before he settled himself down and closed his eyes.
A loud screech outside his little hut had Phil’s eyes snapping open. The fog from the night drifting into the little building. Phil found himself up and on his feet, his iron sword in his hand. The horrible screeching noise sounding outside the his little structure once again. The fog was deep in his temporary sleep spot, that he couldn’t even see his feet, even with the help of the moons light that shone through the only little window that was on little building. The screeching sounded again, the little rotted shack rocking like a toddler shaking a rattle. It was enough for Phil to lose his footing as the ground seemed to shake with it. He found the fog so thick on the ground that his vision was compromised. He nose catching the scent of smoke, that catching him off guard that he breathed in deeper, and tasting ash on his tongue as he began coughing. Scrambling to get out of the little garden shed once everything stopped shaking.
He came out with his sword arm at the ready as he coughed into his other arm. Ready but also not ready for whatever had caused this phenomenon. Nothing happened as calmed his cough. And he was surprised to look up and find the fog now gone. The forgotten grave yard before him was calm and bathed in the in the silvery light of the moon. He still smelt a heavy scent of smoke in his nose though, he figured if was from the fog that had now disappeared. Though he had to admit that it was the first time the fog had ever carried the scent of smoke.
Confused Phil turned back tot he little shed that he was using as a bunker. It was still tilted on its side, but the fog within was now gone too. That was strange, but not unheard of. Fog usually lifted at some point or another, even the nighttime fog. Something cracked in the forest back on the dirt path, that had him quick turning and catching sight of a woman dressed in an elegant black dress, with a crown of purple roses on top of her long and dark hair. “Hello.” He called, lowering his sword, not too low, but low enough to not be taken as a threat.
She said nothing to him. No smile in greeting. No movement of the head. Nothing. She just looked at him and then turned and began walking away from him.
Well…..That was weird. What was a beautiful lady like her doing in a forgotten graveyard. Was she sleep walking maybe? Phil ran back to his pack in the shed and pulled out a torch and light it. He was raised to be polite and it didn’t feel right to let her walk herself back the village without some aide. “Ma’am! Miss! Wait, here let me escort you back.” He called, running to catch up to her. The lady had not walked back to the village like he thought. She was walking where the dirt path ended. “Ma’am?” He called, then grimaced, as a thought hit him. What if she was still sleep walking? He had been told once by an old desert shaman to never wake a sleep walker. For it was their souls taking a stroll within the spirit realm. As long as they returned to the spot they slept in, then they had completed what the spirits wanted them to do that night.
But a dense forest this late of night was not safe for such a delicate looking lady, so instead of calling out to her again. Phil followed silently. Deciding he’d just watch and follow to make sure nothing happened to her. He’d only met one other person who sleep walked and they had only ever stood outside and looked up at the night sky, having a silent conversation.
They lady seemed to glide through the thick forest ahead, while Phil struggled. The briars and stinging branches seemed to pull him far from her. The ground itself seeming to turn into quicksand almost as his boots would get stuck with every step. “Come on, come on.” He chanted silently to himself fighting now to keep her in his sight. Something like this wasn’t going to stop him. He traveled through worst. He didn’t know how long he followed her. Didn’t know where they were heading, but he was too deep in it now to turn back. Even when his torch went out he followed. The smell of smoke following them. Even as the deeper they went the more it felt like someone else was watching them. Like there were eyes that he couldn’t see on the trees. Once particular moment he must have pushed a branch out of the way wrong, because the next thing he knew, there was a sharp stinging pain in the middle of his back with a rather loud WHACK!! The force and pain making him stumble and trip over a root, falling face first into the dirt, and out of the forest like it had spat him out.
Phil groaned, reaching for his back and rubbing where he had been hit as he picked himself up. That was probably going to bruise. He looked for the lady he was following, surprised to see himself back in front of the dirt path next tot he forgotten graveyard and the tilted shed he was sleeping in. The Lady he had been following was no where to be seen. He even jogged down the dirt path heading back into town a short way and found her gone. “She must have walked back.” He mumbled to himself, still rubbing at his back as he walked back to the little tilted garden shed and laid back down on his little cot.
It seemed like the moment he closed his eyes and relaxed, it was nothing but a blink and there was sunlight shining on him. Phil stretch his limbs before getting ready for the day. He felt so tired. It didn’t take him long to have his pack ready to go and visit the town again for food and more information as to where he should explore first. Stepping out of the shed, he found a rather large crow perched on one of the crumbling gravestones. The bird clicked its beak at him and hissed before flying away. Not giving him too much time to study it, but he was almost sure that it had purple eyes instead of black like most crows and birds he had seen during his travels.
Never the less, Phil continued on his way.
Getting breakfast was his first task of the day, going to a bakery and purchasing a loaf of bread made for a substantial breakfast and saving the rest for later within the day. Then it was to a Cartographer or Historian. A Librarian even. He found the library first. It wasn’t nothing to sneeze at. The place had books sure, but it was like anything that would date back to the very first days of this village and journals of the people who founded the town were sparse. He did find a rather old journal that had a series of village gossip and tall tales and superstitions within that those believed in at the time. It even had a few maps drawn in it. He supposed it was as good as any. The first map that he found in the journal spoke of some cave that was full of strange markings and purple stones. Phil decided to explore that first.
The purple stone sounded like amethyst. Which wasn’t rare but so far above ground, now that was rare. Before his trek, he stopped at a few more vendor stalls and shops to gather things he would need. He was just about done when he spotted the another crow, but this one was not alive. In fact it was hanging upside down with its feet tied by rope and burning over a fire. He stopped to watch, not knowing what to think, as a farmer came with more dead crows in his hands and throwing those in the burning flames as well. He had to remind himself to walk before he was caught staring. It wasn’t strange for some farmers to kill crows, but it wasn’t just one farmer tossing the dead birds into the flames. It was several people, woman too. It was a very large pile of dead crows. He suppose it was because someone thought to tie one above the flames that bothered him. Even so, it wasn’t for him to say anything on how the people here wanted to get stop crow from eating there crops. He still couldn’t help feeling sorry for the creatures though. It just set an atmosphere to quaint town that didn’t set right in his bones.
As he trekked to the cave, he found the map to not be as accurate as he would have liked. Over the years the journal had been created, the land had certainly changed a bit. Never the less, he found the cave that was mentioned. The cave was an amethyst cave like he suspected. There were skulls set on spikes outside the cave and led all the way into it. Inside the cave there wasn’t much in it. Just a lot of amethyst and a single chest. It was really fascinated to see amethyst so close to the surface.
He found it fascinating enough to write it down in his own journal that he liked to keep. Updating what the old journal that led him here. The chest was the first thing he had rifled through before that though. He found a small book, several herbs, potion bottles, and golden carrots. Phil held the golden carrots up to look at them better. He heard but never seen golden carrots. They were a rare specialty made from witches in the old days. Given to travelers and warriors to help them along their way. They were hard to make, but came in handy should a person be traveling very far. If you were starving they would immediately give you nourishment. And unlike normal carrots, the golden carrots never rotted. Phil made sure to stash those in his pack. He even mined some of the amethyst in the cave. He could probably sell the pieces of stone in the market and get a few more coins. He wouldn’t have to sleep in the forgotten grave yard then.
He made it back to the village by midday. He sold a few pieces of the amethysts, but still didn’t have enough for a room, which was fine. Phil didn’t mind sleeping in the forgotten grave yard in the woods. Maybe he would see that beautiful woman again.
The town was bustling and that uneasy feeling that he felt that morning were gone. Well, mostly gone. Phil was sitting at a table outside at one of the restaurants in the town near the town square, enjoying a nice bowl of rabbit soup, and was about to read the little book he had found in the amethyst cave, when the sound of a guitar began to play. He lifted his head up to see a young man with deep brown hair, and wearing an old dirty trench coat, with a guitar in his hands. Strumming the strings, and humming a tune that had those nearby to stop and listen, including himself.
It was beautiful music and Phil was surprise to see that unlike his reaction to the music which was in awe of such talent the other possessed. The villagers though. They looked at the young man playing, in terror. Many walked around him in a wide breadth. Not getting close. No one even acknowledging the little tin can that he had on the ground for coins. Phil forgot about the book, in favor of finishing his dinner and watching the musician. The musician that played his happy music and giving those that were walking around him a cheerful smile. Once done with dinner, Phil paid for his meal. Before leaving, Phil walked up to the musician. It was like the people in the town square paused to hold their breath, watching as he dared to get closer tot he musician and his music. Phil paid them no mind. He didn’t understand what the problem was. Bards were amazing people. He had found they had very charismatic personalities and had the best stories to tell. So he dropped five coins in the tine can at the musicians feet with a nod of his head. The musician returned his nod, his smile seeming to quirk up a bit more, before sharp brown eyes, finally looked upon the rest of the people that were around.
Phil didn’t look to really back to see what the looks were being given by the rest of the people in this town. He just hoped no one bothered the musicians and he seemed young and it would be bad for someone to ruin the kids passion. He made it bad to the graveyard with enough sunlight left to begin reading the little book that he found. The first few pages were smudged with only a few words readable, but it was in the middle of the book that he was was finally able to read the contents.
~ The villagers hate me. When I go into town, I see their hated glances.
I am not blind to the prices that keep going up when I come for supplies. Its such a shame really. Without me, there wouldn’t be a town. I have healed, and saved them and yet they still call me a monster. A witch. I am no monster though. But they may soon become the monsters they claim me to be instead. I should hope not. I do not wish that fate upon my homeland. Maybe if I bring some amethyst and show them the richness of our lands will sooth their fears. I can only try at least.~
~Today is a great day. I have learned to make golden carrots. A skill I wasn’t even sure I would master so soon. This is wonderful. This would help our travelers greatly when they must go to far off towns. Now I must master the golden apples. Those are the most unique creation I’ve read about. If only I could figure out the recipe. The Golden apples would make healing the hurt a much easier task. Though I fear I wouldn’t be able to convince my fellow neighbors to eat them. ~
~It is a special day in the town today. A matching if you will. Young couples getting together to either find a partner, a soulmate, or to announce engagement. I will have none of that. None will have me. None would ever ask for my hand. My looks have been given by the devil in their eyes. I have the powers of evil. I am seen as a blight on this perfect town.
I fear I will be alone for the rest of my life.
It is looking like there will be no romantic soulmate wanting my hand in marriage.
No children to raise and love.
Not in this town anyway. ~
Phil found himself drifting to sleep as he read the journey, the phantom music from the musician in the town echoing in his head, with the screeches and hisses of crows outside his little shelter………
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The door to the little tilting garden shed, creaked opened, followed by thick fog. Purple glinting eyes stared at the stranger sleeping on the ground, illuminated only by the single torch that had yet hadn’t died out. In his hands was a little diary that did not belong to him. Moving deeper into the garden shed and the skirt of a black dress swished through the fog with the movement. A large black crow with purple eyes followed its Mistress keeping just as silent as her. Delicate slender fingers with painted purple nails reached for the sleeping man. For the little diary that did not belong to him. Only for them to phase through the cover. The hand was quickly retracted with shock.
She could not touch. She had forgotten that she could not touch. Staring coldly at the sleeping stranger on the ground, for a moment longer, she retreated. The fog following her. Her crow companion on swift wings leaving on silent wings. The door to the shed was silently closed. Leaving the new resident of the town to sleep in peace…..For now.
A cold smile grace her beautiful face. Stranger or not, those that lived in the town were not going to be spared. Revenge was something that she was owed. Nothing would stop her. “Go.” She said, pointing a finger toward the town. Her crow companion, who took to the sky, with a even larger flock of crows to follow to do their duties of the night.
She spared the stranger one finally glance before leaving. She would have her book back. If she couldn’t touch it, she knew three lively souls that could.
TBC