Fan Fiction - something to do while waitin on the prop (long)

[Daz'ar Tae]

I think these are great stories. A must have for any AC players that like to read. I really enjoyed reading them when they were first released and I'm proud to say I was friends with the writer. Btw, these were written in September and October of 2001. Okay, here we go:

(A note on Chapter 9 from Daz: This chapter was written five months after the previous eight were written. Those eight were all written within a month and a half period. A lot of us that read the first eight kept telling Neb we needed more closure, so he I guess that is why he added chapter 9.)

By: Neb (Nebula)


Chapter 1: The Falling Leaf

A gentle autumn breeze rustled the trees and blew patterns in the tall grass. The last gasps of summer were fading into memory, and autumn had begun to take hold, with stronger winds and colder nights. A yellow butterfly took wing from its perch, and fluttered on the breeze for several moments. It gained altitude, soaring loftily, fluttering lazily through the air. Then in an instant it disappeared, followed by the heavy thunking sound of an arrow plowing into a fallen log. The tattered fragments of the butterfly still soared on the breeze, torn and lifeless.

Nearby, a bush rustled, and two dark shapes stepped out. In the fading sunlight, only their shadows and their voices could be made out.

"Well done, Son. Your marksmanship is astounding! Now let's get back to town before your mother sends half the militia looking for us."

"Alright Father, but can I collect my arrow? It was of especially good make, and I think it's recoverable..."

"No, no need. We can fletch much better arrows back at my workshop. Come along now."

The two shapes disappeared into the undergrowth, leaving only lingering footprints and a single arrow stuck in soft rotting wood to mark where they had been.

For several moments the wooded glen was absolutely quiet. Then there could be heard a soft sigh of relief from behind the fallen log as a young drudge, a bipedal cat-like creature, stood and brushed away leaves and moss. Eyeing the arrow with disgust, he dislodged it easily from the soft rotted wood, and jammed it hard over his knee. Crying out in pain, he instead elected to toss the offending object into the undergrowth.

Content that he was safe from the ruthless human hunters, he went back to collecting mushrooms, as were his orders. It took several hours to fill his basket, but thankfully the only further disturbance was a grazing herd of Shreth that passed by his forest clearing. Having completed his task, and gained a rather large appetite in the process, the drudge made out for home.

The sun began to set as he traveled the worn path that lead to his camp. Shadows stretched out, darkness descended, and the symphony of crickets began their chirping. Feeling the autumn chill, the young drudge drew up his loincloth tighter, and longed for the warmth of his family's blazing campfires. Several times he was forced to dive headlong into the bushes, alarmed by some strange noise, but each turned out to be a false alarm.

Some time later, the little drudge finally neared his family's camp. He could just begin to make out the cheery light of the blazing campfires, and felt relieved to hear the pleasant hissing of the flames once again. There would be rabbits slow roasting on spits over those flames, and more nuts and cheeses than he could eat piled up nearby. Patting his growling stomach as if to reassure it, he rounded the bend and came into sight of his beloved home.

And found it awash in blood. He finally smelled it, as it had been masked by the scent of cooking rabbit upon his approach. He stared in horror, unable to move or even cry out, as the last of his brothers was ruthlessly cut down by the blade of a human warrior. The bearded man planted his boot firmly against the back of the fallen drudge, and heaved hard, dislodging his long curved sword. The blade glistened crimson and wet in the firelight.

Another human, this one female, laughed heartily, pointing at her companion's armor. The man's studded leather cuirass had been heavily splattered with fresh drudge blood, which was well known for being difficult to wash off. The bearded warrior swore fiercely, and pawed at it in vain. Sighing bitterly, he motioned to the fire pit, where the rabbit had just finished roasting to perfection. Accepting his offer graciously, his female companion seated herself by the fire, unwittingly in the place reserved for the leader of the drudge family. It was this breach in manners that snapped the young drudge out of his horrifying trance, and he immediately ducked behind a nearby tree.

The two humans took no notice, as they both chewed the rabbit meat greedily, grease oozing down their chins. The young drudge watched helplessly, stricken with the sudden terrifying realization that his entire family had been slaughtered, and he was now all alone. His proud father, his loving mother, all his brothers and sisters, all dead. The mushroom basket dropped from his clawed hands, spilling most of his collection into the dirt, already wet with his tears.

For a moment, rage overpowered grief, and the drudge felt the rising urge of his species to kill. He felt an overpowering desire to seize the blood-stained blade from the dirt where the human man had left it, and cut down the murderer where he sat feasting on food that wasn't his. It would be bloody justice, killing the man with the weapon he had used on the little drudge's family.

But then a faint glimmer of logic crossed the young drudge's mind, and he realized he would never be able to even lift the blade. And even if he could, and he cut down the awful man, the woman would draw her bow too swiftly for him to avoid joining his family in the dirt. He could do nothing but watch, and wait, and cry. And so he did.

Long into the night, partially hidden in the bushes, the drudge remained where he stood. The human warriors were long since gone. The campfires had been reduced to dying embers, with thin wisps of smoke spiraling up into the starlit sky. By morning, the fires were completely out, and the young drudge was gone.



Chapter 2 to follow in 6 minutes.

[Daz'ar Tae]

Chapter 2: The Iron Arms of Destiny

Dregs leaned over the pool, staring down into the cool water. The drudge face that stared back at him was faintly distorted by ripples, but the taut skin and sunken eyes were unmistakably his tired, starving self. He scarcely breathed, his nose wrinkling softly, taking in the scents of the secluded forest and the mountain stream that fed the pool before him. Birds sang joyously in the trees. Insects buzzed softly at the water's edge. Otherwise, all was quiet and calm.

The near silence was shattered by a sudden splash, as Dregs clawed hand dashed his reflection into rippling formlessness. He remained still for a moment, his entire arm submerged in the clear water. Then he pulled out a glistening, wriggling silver fish. He killed the fish with a sharp blow to the head, and then drew out his curved Jambiya and began to fillet his meal. Minutes later, he had kindled a small cooking fire, and the fish had begun to sizzle on a flat rock over the flames. All the while he stared at it, his eyes fixed by a keen hunger on the prize he had tried all afternoon to acquire.

As he ravenously ate his meal, Dregs suddenly noticed the sun had begun its decent in the sky. Alarmed by how late it had become, he doused his cooking fire and sheathed his Jambiya. Tossing dirt over the embers, he quickly left the pool, trying his best not to leave a traceable trail. At night, awful beasts would come to the pool to drink, and none would mind the brief snack that an unwary drudge could offer. Dregs had found this out the hard way his first night on the mountain. He would not repeat the mistake.

Instinct compelled him to create a great big campfire, with dancing flames that would both keep him warm and ward off the creatures of darkness. Common sense told him that he would not be able to both sleep and keep the fire going, and he could scarcely defend the camp alone. Sighing bitterly, he located a suitable tree, and dug into its bark with his claws. Scrambling up, he seated himself as comfortably as he could on one of the firmer branches. Climbing trees was an activity very uncharacteristic of drudges, but Dregs had learned that improvisation was the best bet to stay alive.

Dregs began to shiver, and whimper softly. The air was chilled, but not cold. He was moderately afraid of heights, as most of his species were, but that was not what made him frightened. He was terrified of falling asleep. For months, he had slept little, and what little time he did sleep was haunted with awful dreams. Terrible memories of many years past, abstract and incoherent, but bloody and horrifying. The moon rose high in the starlit sky, and still Dregs shivered violently, fighting off the nightmares. It was a battle he was always fated to lose.

What Dregs did not realize was that however alone he felt, he was not. All across the island of Dereth, other drudges suffered the same fate. Their stomachs were pained and empty, their limbs weak, their eyes sunken and dulled. They scratched a pitiful existence out of the landscape, their hunger as their only companion during the day, and the nightmares keeping them company at night. There was no place in the world for drudge orphans; they had to make one. All had vague memories of better times, and sometimes they would stare longingly at blazing campfires from a distance, watching happy drudge families. They all knew that chapter in their lives was over, and their destinies lay elsewhere.

Those destinies were gruesome ones. Lone drudges had a very short life expectancy. For one, they were a staple food source for many of Dereth's predators. Second, they were common targets for the human hunters that were increasingly spreading throughout the lands. Lastly, they were almost always starving, unable to find enough food on their own to be healthy. Drudge legends told of the lost ones, the falling leaves, that were destined for death soon, and fluttered on the breezes until they found it. Dregs had vague memories of such legends, and knew inwardly that he was spiraling towards death. But somewhere in his heart he also knew he must do everything in his power to cheat his destiny.

Dregs woke with a start, sweat glistening on his brow. He gasped and sat up, nearly falling out of the tree. Then relief washed over him, as he found himself once again in the normal world, and he had an entire day ahead of him before he would once again be forced into the realms of nightmares. The closest feeling to happiness that Dregs had experienced in recent years came in the morning, when the bright sun shone through the leaves in dazzling splendor, melting the nightmares away. But there was always a heaviness about his heart, a ball and chain of sadness that kept his emotions grounded and solemn. Dregs soaked in the rays of sunlight until he felt totally awake, and then descended his tree to find breakfast.

He had been eating solely fish and the odd nuts and berries for weeks, but he did not concern himself with diversity in his diet. He was too accustomed to days without any food at all, and was thankful for a consistent source. Every night he slept in a different tree, and every day he took a new path through the forest to his pool. He knew his scent was thick in the area, but he hoped his precautions would be enough to confuse any potential predators. Pushing his way through the undergrowth, he felt the pangs in his stomach returning, and could almost taste the soft meat of the fish he hoped to catch.

The pool was just beyond the bushes ahead of him, but Dregs froze in his tracks. A strange scent lingered near the pool, a smell that all drudges associated with pain and death. It took him several moments to focus his senses, and then he pinned it down. Human. There was a human at his pool. Immediately, instinct told him to run. Take off through the undergrowth, find a new source of food, and leave the fishpond forever behind. But something else made him stay. Exotic smells of spices and herbs mingled with the awful smell of human. Curiosity, backed by hunger, drove him to peer through the bushes, regardless of the risk.

What he saw surprised him. A human female was bent over the pool, filling flasks of water. He instantly sized her up, noticing a distinct lack of both armor and weapons. His hand went to the Jambiya sheathed at his hip, and he briefly weighed the risk of assaulting her against the reward of killing her. But as he considered it, he realized she had nothing of value. No armor, thin and useless garments, no weapons or equipment. It would be a waste of his energy, and he knew in the back of his mind that if he killed this human, others would come to look for her, and he would be hunted down and slaughtered.

That was one of the distinctive differences between drudges and humans. When a human disappeared, their friends and loved ones searched for them, knowing in their hearts they would find a corpse at best. When a drudge disappeared, their family was wise, and knew they had met their fate. They did not bother to compound their grief by seeking out the remains of their loved one, they only imagined the glory and bravery with which they met death.

As these thoughts crossed Dregs mind, the woman before him completed filling her flasks, and bound them together. Then heaving the bound flasks over her shoulder, she hummed softly to herself as she set off towards wherever she had come from, the containers clanking together noisily on her back. An idea lit up in Dregs' mind, as his nose wrinkled with pleasure from the lingering scent of spices that emanated from the woman's garments. Gambling on the promise of a full belly, Dregs set off stealthily into the underbrush, tracking the woman's movements with hungry eyes.

(due to message length, second half of chapter 2 will follow in next post)

[Daz'ar Tae]

He followed the woman for what seemed like hours, always downhill, towards a wooded valley thick with evergreen trees. In the center of the valley thin wisps of smoke rose into the blue sky, and the top of a spire could barely be seen over the treetops. He had reached the secluded town of Baishi, which was rich with a strong variety of smells. He recognized the stink of human, as it was thick in the air, but beyond that he smelled the flames of the forge, the scent of tanning leather and smelting iron, and the unmistakable odor of foods beyond his wildest dreams. Dregs remained hidden behind the thick trunks of the ancient evergreens as he watched the woman near a thatched straw building. The smell of food seemed to come from that building, and he waited impatiently as the woman began to speak with what sounded like a human male.

"Seven bottles of spring water, just like you asked, Mouyen." The woman said, followed by the clunking of flasks as she unloaded her burden.

"Well done, Ashlana! I knew I could count on you." A gruff male voice responded, and there was further clunking as the flasks were taken within. "Let me get your payment, one moment."

There was a pause, an exchange of coins and good-byes, and the two humans parted. The woman headed further down the street, and the man went back inside. Waiting for the right moment, Dregs slipped into the building as well. His eyes adjusting to the darker interior, Dregs recognized the back of the grocer, who was bent over a table writing something on a piece of parchment. Slipping past him, Dregs suddenly found the source of the rich smells. The storage room was laden with more food Dregs had ever seen in one place. Dregs immediately descended upon the wealth of food, filling his arms until he could carry no more. Cheeses, bushels of nuts, dried meats, rich pies and deserts, bags of rice and noodles, flasks of wines and cool beverages, all stacked and piled and hung from walls and ceiling. Dregs had never been so happy.

Realizing the futility of transporting all he saw before him in his arms, Dregs instead elected to make good use of his stomach. He stuffed his fanged mouth with fresh fish, apples, vegetables, cheeses, and everything else he could get his claws on. As Dregs continued to stuff his mouth, the grocer finished taking inventory of the day's sales, and picked up the flasks of spring water off the table to take back to the storage room. Dregs heard the footsteps at the last moment, and was barely able to duck behind stacked bags of flour before the grocer entered the slid the flasks into the slots for bottles on the wall. He started to leave, but paused for a moment at the door, sniffing loudly. Shrugging, he went upstairs to take an afternoon nap. Dregs breathed a sigh of relief through a mouthful of wheat bread, and continued to eat greedily.

His meal was cut short by a piercing scream. Dregs vaguely recognized the voice as that of the woman from the pool. After that, everything was a whirlwind of motion and confusion and violence that he only vaguely remembered afterwards. Dregs heard the pounding footsteps of the grocer running down the stairs, and then the man was outdoors, adding his own voice to the mad yelling that had engulfed the peaceful town. Dregs noticed a cloak hanging on a hook near the grocer's door, and slipped it on quickly. Stuffing the pockets with food and hugging a wheel of cheese protectively to his chest, Dregs stepped out into the sunlight, and the battle.

Men and women alike were rushing to pull on armor and draw weapons, as ear piercing screeches filled the afternoon air. Then large figures could be seen swarming between the buildings, swinging their weapons skillfully at the human defenders. Dregs mewed in surprise, recognizing the attacking forces as drudges, like himself. But they were huge, fully covered in dried gray mud, with streaks of green warpaint all over their bodies. They were also amazingly skilled at combat, cutting down humans one after another, lining the streets in the corpses of enemies.

Several drudges bore torches, which they hurled at buildings. The thatched rooftops of many buildings were quickly engulfed in flames, and those residents of the town that were not accustomed to fighting swiftly set to work putting out the fires before they spread. As the battle roared on, drudges and humans alike fell before each other's blades and arrows, their blood wetting the soft earth. The humans were pushed further and further back, dragging their wounded and sending arrows and hurling daggers at the advancing drudge horde. Dregs' fangs protruded from his lips as his mouth twisted into a happy grin, watching joyfully as the humans realized at last what it was like to face a ruthless and brutal enemy that had no intention of showing mercy.

One drudge excelled above the rest in the fury of combat; a huge female, bearing a large battle-axe. She cleft off limbs and slashed through shields, crushing the human resistance. She screeched her challenges to the human warriors, and each one that accepted was systematically slashed to the ground. Soon the humans swarmed her, slashing and stabbing, but her mighty axe spun around and around, cutting them down in droves.

Then the tide of battle suddenly and unexpectedly turned. A great clap of thunder echoed throughout the valley, and a glowing figure could be seen entering the town from the direction of the spire. Several drudges attacked the newcomer, but never got in range to use their weapons. The cloaked figure raised their arms, and great searing jets of flames shot forth, engulfing those drudges and leaving behind only smoldering ashes. The large female immediately recognized when she was facing an unbeatable foe, and turned to run. The drudges still clashing swords with the human combatants suddenly disengaged and followed her, stabbing at the fallen humans as they went, and collecting discarded weapons when they could.

Dregs' smile suddenly faded as a shadow fell over him. The massive female drudge towered over him, her muscles rippling as she gripped the handle of the deadly battle axe, which was wet with human blood. Dregs looked up, trying to see her face, and the hood of his borrowed cloak fell from his head. The drudge warrior paused in mid swing, the great axe suspended in the air, ready to fall with bloody consequence. She paused a moment, staring down at the awe-struck expression on the little drudge's face. Then she swung the axe down into the dirt, scooped up the startled drudge, and bounded away just as several arrows imbedded themselves in the earth where she had stood.

The last Dregs ever saw of Baishi was the rooftop flames being doused by rain that seemed to only fall over the town itself. It struck him as odd, considering there were no clouds in the sky. Later in his life, Dregs would see the events at Baishi as the beginning of the turning point in his life. It was the place of a lot of firsts for him. His first full belly, his first glimpse of drudge warriors and what they are capable of, his first exposure to magic, and most importantly his first realization that humans were not invincible. Although he never returned, Baishi lived long in his memory. His fleeting view of the charred buildings was soon covered by vegetation as he was taken deeper into the forest. He bounced uncomfortably with every step the big female drudge took, tucked unyieldingly under her arm. Mewing softly, still hugging the stolen cheese wheel, Dregs was forcefully carried to an uncertain future.

Chapter 3 in six minutes.

[Daz'ar Tae]

Chapter 3: The Feast of the Vanquished

Dregs felt sick. He had been bouncing around under the arm of the drudge warrior all afternoon, and he was certain that at any moment he would throw up. Only the thought of wasting all that he had eaten at the Baishi grocery kept it down. In fact, it was only the vibrant memory of that recent meal that kept Dregs from screaming in terror, frustration, and downright confusion. Just as he was sure he could keep his food down no longer, he was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground in a heap of drudge, cloak, and cheese.

Sitting up and rubbing his sore abdomen, Dregs suddenly noticed that the female warrior was standing over him. For the first time he studied her, and was startled to find purple blood oozing out of numerous wounds where the blades of the humans had pierced her hardened mud armor. As she leaned over, staring at him, the other drudge warriors began to materialize from the foliage in the forest clearing. Some carried their wounded comrades on their backs, while others strangely carried slain corpses of humans. Those that did not bear the burden of the dead or wounded carried weapons for those that did. Many of them were chatting with one another, hissing with laughter and congratulating each other on a battle well fought.

"What is your name?" The big female drudge asked, in a deep voice that was strangely melodious.

"Dregs." He said simply, timidly staring up at her. Suddenly he realized all the conversation had ceased, and every drudge warrior was staring intently at both Dregs and their leader. She smiled, and Dregs noticed a certain softness in her eyes. She reached over and patted him lightly on the head, and then turned to join her companions. They all watched her intently, as she stood before them, and then she collapsed into the grass.

Pits for the cooking fires were dug, and tinder was collected, as the most accomplished of the drudge warriors were given the honor of licking the wounds of their leader. She lay motionless in the grass, her eyes closed, her breathing light, as the tongues of her bravest warriors cleaned her injuries. Many of them had nasty wounds of their own, but they ignored them to tend to their leader. When they were done she stood, spoke softly and briefly with two of the older drudges, and walked off into the forest to be alone. Immediately an argument broke out among the drudge warriors, and many glances and pointed claws were directed at Dregs.

The youngest of the warriors finished his responsibility of gathering tinder for the cooking fires, and he went over to where Dregs was sitting, taking a seat beside him.

"She doesn't talk much, you know." The drudge warrior said gruffly, "The honor of hearing her voice was wasted on you."

"I'm sorry." Dregs said softly, almost whimpering.

"The others want to kill you." The drudge whispered quietly, "Especially the elders. She usually only speaks to them, and they declare her orders to the rest of us. You're lucky, though. She told them you were to be spared before she left."

"She is very merciful." Dregs said, still not entirely assured of his safety, uncomfortable with the warrior's gruff and unfriendly manner, and unaccustomed to contact with other drudges in the first place.

"No she isn't." The drudge warrior said, smirking, "You just remind her of her son."

Dregs looked at him questioningly, and so he elaborated. "She had a mate, once. He was the bravest and strongest of our warriors, but took unnecessary risks. One of his raids was a failure, and he was ambushed. Trapped, he still slew hundreds of men, but they vastly outnumbered him, and he fell to their blades. The only thing she had with which to remember him and his bravery was their young son, who she was training to be a warrior like his father."

The bigger drudge was silent for a few moments, remembering. "Then a few weeks ago, she found her son face down in the dirt, a human arrow piercing the back of his skull. He had been shot from behind, in cold blood, not even honored by combat."

Dregs sniffed softly, nibbling on his cheese wheel absent-mindedly, absorbed in the story.

"She was immediately consumed by grief, and driven by rage. We didn't see her for days as she followed the trail of the human hunter who had slain her son, and when she returned she was bathed in his blood. She has never revealed her name, and so we call her Huntress, and that is a title she aptly deserves." The drudge warrior held out his hand, and Dregs broke off a piece of cheese to share with him. Both drudges munched quietly, side by side, as the cooking fires blazed brightly into existence.

"She told us, through the elders, that she had traced the human to a distant town. We were to prepare for a battle, one unlike anything we had ever experienced before. We are accustomed to raids, conducted under the cover of darkness, in which we strike swiftly and disappear before they can muster their troops. Never before had we faced such open opposition." A toothy smile crossed the young warrior's face, and his eyes appeared distant, as he recalled the battle. "How do you think we fared?" He asked, glancing curiously at Dregs.

"I have never seen anything like it." Dregs said honestly, "I had no idea humans could be so easily beaten. You could have taken over the town! Why did you retreat?" Dregs asked eagerly, taking another bite of cheese.

"They have a mage." The warrior said, not bothering to elaborate. "My name is Barum, by the way. I was not sure you were worthy to hear it, but if the Huntress has selected you, you must be. And I know who you are, Dregs. We all heard your introduction." The coldness seemed to melt from Barum's expression, and he grinned at Dregs, careful not to show his fangs in threat.

"A pleasure to meet you, Barum." Dregs said, smiling back. He choked slightly as Barum heartily slapped his back, and the larger drudge drew back in alarm having felt the protruding bones of Dregs' spine.

"I hope you brought more than just that cheese." Barum said, his expression that of concern. "You certainly could use a big meal right now."

Dregs unloaded the pockets of his cloak, revealing two apples, a strip of dried beef, and some grapes. "Aren't they going to cook dinner?" Dregs asked, motioning to the other drudge warriors, who were laying strips of meat over the fires. Barum laughed.

"Yes, you could say that. They are cooking the enemy." Barum said, eyeing the meat hungrily. Dregs nearly gasped, revolted by the very idea of consuming disgusting human flesh. Barum noticed his expression. "It is a special dinner, and a rare one. We get strength from the meat of the defeated humans." He explained. "Those of us that successfully killed today get to eat and gain the strength we won from the enemy. The rest of us, namely you and I, go hungry. I would ask to share your food, but you need it more than I do. Now keep eating."

Dregs stared more attentively at the meat the drudge warriors were cooking, and suddenly noticed that what he thought had been a pile of rocks were in fact severed human heads. He mewed in alarm as he recognized the lifeless face of the woman from the pool. She had worn no armor, and had no weapons. Completely defenseless. He brought this to Barum's attention, and the drudge warrior laughed heartily.

"You have much to learn about humans, Dregs. They are not worthy of the warrior's afterlife, and so like the cowards they are, they have an unnatural means of cheating death. When you are older, you may find that a human you vanquish one day will be back to fight you the next." Dregs contemplated this new information, unsure if it was truth or legend.

Dregs looked up at Barum, holding out the rest of the cheese wheel, but Barum solemnly shook his horned head, refusing the offer. As Dregs ate hungrily, Barum watched the other drudges, taking note of the unfriendly faces that sometimes glanced in his direction. It was hard enough being the youngest, and he vaguely wondered why he voluntarily brought down even more scorn upon his head by befriending this pathetic drudge. He knew the others were mocking him, their bellies full of the flesh of fallen humans. Barum stared up at the evening sky, which was just beginning to become furnished with stars, and sighed softly.

"Are you really one of the lost ones?" Barum asked suddenly, breaking the silence and his uncomfortable train of thought. Dregs swallowed before answering.

"You mean a falling leaf?" Dregs asked, wiping his mouth clean. Barum nodded. "Yes, I suppose." Dregs said, and nonchalantly took another bite of meat. "Although I'm not sure it's a life that is quite as dramatic and exciting as the old stories depict it."

"There are some that would say you are as brave as a warrior to face your fate, even if you never see combat." Barum said. "The others would respect you more, if it weren't for jealousy. Sometimes I think the Huntress mocks them on purpose in ways like this. Testing them."

"I fight to live because I have to, not because I am brave and choose to." Dregs said, taking another bite of beef.

"Still, by your very will to survive against all that life throws at you, you are akin to the greatest of warriors." Barum said insistently. "Life is only a proving ground, a test of your might and will. Warrior or not, I am sure you have a place in the afterlife of the hero's dreams." Dregs disagreed, as he had grown to loath the common drudge belief in an afterlife where the bravest of warriors played roles in the dreams of ancient drudge gods and heroes. The only dreams Dregs knew were nightmares, and the thought of being eternally trapped in them was one of his most profound fears. He also knew that further argument would be insulting, and instead accepted the compliment with a slight nod, and continued eating.

(due to length ending of chapter 3 will follow in next post)

[Daz'ar Tae]

"When the elders asked the Huntress why she abducted you, she replied with one of our code words, Shooka, which is essentially the warrior's custom of casting away one's weapon to seize a superior one. I don't know what she meant by that, but I think she has some big plans for you." Barum said, watching Dregs intently, firelight dancing in his eyes. "I watched her cast away her axe, Dregs. That axe was her favorite weapon." Dregs mewed softly, reflecting on the previous events of the day, and finished the last of his grapes.

Night swiftly followed, and the drudge warriors lay about in heaps around the fires, piled up together for warmth and comfort. Dregs cried tears of joy, the full realization of his new situation finally setting in. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Dregs was in the company of other drudges, in the cheery light of blazing fires, and could sleep soundly knowing there were others watching over him. He snuggled up against Barum, who was already snoring softly, and was asleep almost immediately. The nightmares still came that night, but they were not so bad.


Chapter 4: The Blade Unsheathed


Fire. It was everywhere, all around, above and below. It didn't burn, instead it was like a hot liquid, pouring all over everything. It didn't consume, but it stained. There were figures in the midst of it, covered in fire. It dripped off of them, pooling on the ground and flaring up with terrible anger and violence. Then Dregs suddenly realized the flames were pouring out of them. They screamed, in pain and terror, as searing jets of fire burst from wounds on their bodies.

Then one of the burning figures saw him, untouched by flame, unstained. The horrible apparition reached out for him, and Dregs found he could not move. He willed his legs to run with all his mind, but they stood firmly planted in the ground, unresponsive. As the clawed hands that oozed flame touched him, he felt his mind explode with pain and grief. All the bottled up unreleased aggression, all the uncried tears, the unexplained guilt, all poured out like the flames that poured from the flaming figure?s wounds.

He squeezed his eyes closed, unwilling to look at the figure in front of him, knowing all along that it was his mother. She began to shake him, with a firm grip on his shoulders, and he knew she was angry. Why had he stood by and done nothing? Why had he not been there to defend them? Why did he abandon them? Why? She shook harder, and harder, until his body was rocking violently. He was terrified, shaking his head, trying not to look at her. Then, suddenly, he opened his eyes. He was staring directly into hers.

They were gentle and forgiving. Dregs let out a small gasp, but it was muffled by a clawed hand held firmly over his mouth. Nightmare melted back into reality, and the Huntress put a slender finger to her lips, indicating he should be silent. He gathered his bearings, looking around and remembering where he was. It was still dark, and the moon was high in the sky. It must have been the middle of the night. Careful not to wake the sleeping Barum, Dregs stood, and looked around for where the Huntress had gone.

Then he spotted her, whispering a few words to the drudge that was standing watch. The drudge nodded, and she turned to gesture for Dregs to follow her. Together they disappeared into the undergrowth, leaving the sleeping warriors behind. Dregs followed as best he could, pushing his way through the thick ferns and bushes, but he could not keep up with her larger and more powerful stride. She waited for him to catch up several times, until she gave up and matched her pace to his.

"I ask your forgiveness, I am not used to...conversing." She said in her musical voice, catching Dregs by surprise.

"No need." Dregs replied quickly.

"It is not my custom to speak, other than to give orders to my elders." She said softly, almost as though she was embarrassed.

"I respect that." Dregs said, "You do not need to make an exception for me."

"Ah, but I do." She said. "I have many things I wish to say, and I do not want to do it through one of my elders, I have punished them enough."

Dregs was silent, and so she went on.

"I am sorry for the cold manner in which some of my warriors have treated you. I am appearing to favor you on purpose, to teach them humility. In reality, I hold you all close to my heart. You are my brothers."

Dregs mewed happily, filled with pride at being included among her tribe.

"I must remain aloof to them, however. They can sense my grief, and it is a weakness. If I was not so mysterious and unapproachable, it would only be a matter of time until one of them was filled with ambition, and challenged me." She was silent for a few moments, lost in thought. "It is painful for me sometimes, but it is better this way." She said at last. "Now enough about me, let us talk about you."

"There is not much to say." Dregs said, thinking it over. "I was just a starving drudge, stealing food from the humans, until you plucked me up and whisked me away."

"You must be confused, and curious, about my motives." She said, watching Dregs out of the corner of her eye as both continued through the forest. "To be honest, my decision was sudden and abrupt. I had not thought it through completely until tonight. But I will explain it, and give you a choice. I will not force you to do anything."

"I appreciate it." Dregs said, amazed that she was treating him as an equal. This was so different from her manner with the tribe, and Dregs was thoroughly astonished, and secretly pleased.

"I was about to kill you. I thought you were human, and you certainly looked the part. Covered in that cloak you wear, with the hood up, I saw nothing that revealed you as a drudge. You were lucky your hood fell, or my axe would have too."

Dregs was silent, recalling the hectic events of the day before.

"Somehow it occurred to me, in those few seconds, that a drudge who could look human would be invaluable as a spy. Now, looking back, I realize it is a far-fetched idea. I am not often so foolish, but perhaps I am getting old."

Dregs thought it over, wondering what he would do if he could walk around among the humans, unnoticed. The idea was strangely appealing to him, as he remembered the Baishi grocery.

"There is a drudge who lives alone far north from here. He is very old, and somewhat senile, but he was raised by humans and knows a great deal about them. He could teach you all he knows about their manner, and their customs. Knowledge about your enemy is the greatest of weapons, and if you are successful, you could provide it. If you are not, they will kill you."

Dregs pushed the thought of easy food out of his mind, and considered it more realistically. He thought about what it would be like to be found out, revealed as a drudge in the heart of a human town, surrounded by angry men and women, totally defenseless. He shivered involuntarily.

"It would perhaps not be as dangerous as you think." She said melodiously. "There is much he can teach you, including some arcane arts that would serve you quite nicely. It is from him that I have learned spellcasting, but I am not so bright. He could only teach me so much."

Dregs was astonished. His only exposure to magic had been the flames that the human mage had cast, and he was amazed that the Huntress could posses such powers.

"I can see your intelligence in your eyes, Dregs. It is rare for one of our kind. Your limits may be nearly boundless when it comes to magic." She added.

The very idea of wielding that power himself was exciting, but deep down Dregs knew it was unrealistic. Somehow he sensed such feats of magic were beyond him.

"But let us take our time. I will present you with your choice when we reach this old drudge, for now, let us talk of other things." She paused for a moment. "Tell me, do you have a family?"

Dregs shook his head. "No."

She was quiet for a moment, with her rhythmic breathing the only sound she made. Then softly, almost whispering, she replied. "Neither do I."

Both drudges were silent for a long time as the sun rose over the mountain peaks to their right. They broke free of the forest, and traveled through open fields that glowed with the fresh sunlight, heading due northward. It took much of the day to reach their destination, and they stopped only once to briefly eat some dried fish the Huntress had brought in her belt-pouch. Finally, they reached a grass-covered hill, on the top of which stood a humble cottage.

"He lives in one of those?" Dregs asked, scoffing at the human dwelling.

"Yes. He is very much perverted by his childhood, and that is largely why he lives out here alone. Don't worry, he may be quaint, but he is very wise." She replied, leading Dregs up to the door of the small house. She reached out, and knocked soundly. It opened slowly, but nobody was there to greet them.

"Come in." A voice called from within. Both drudges complied, the smaller one somewhat reluctantly, and the door closed suddenly behind them.

When Dregs had entered the Baishi grocery, he had thought nothing of it, his fears of enclosure being suppressed by his desperate hunger. But now, with a full belly, he felt nervous and trapped. He jumped involuntarily when the door closed unexpectedly behind him, and the old drudge laughed. He was looking up at them from a table, where he sat in a wooden chair, bent over a book. Dregs was immediately suspicious of him.

(ending in next post)

[Daz'ar Tae]

"So this is the little one you were telling me about, Avorna." The old drudge said, standing and smiling toothily at Dregs. "He doesn't look like anything special to me."

Dregs looked up at the Huntress, startled to have heard what must be her name. She paid it no mind, and smiled back at the old drudge. It also occurred to Dregs that there was no way the old drudge could have known about him, unless the Huntress sent some kind of messenger. Or maybe she traveled here herself, during the feast.

"Your eyes are failing you, Grask. I took him for human the first time I saw him." She replied, her voice musical and friendly.

"He may look the part, but can he act it?" Grask said, still staring intently at Dregs, with the wild grin still creasing his features.

"That is up to you to determine, if both of you are willing. If not, I will take him back with me, and leave you to your studies." The Huntress said, and turned her gaze on Dregs as well.

"I am willing to give it a shot." The old drudge said. "What about you, son?"

Dregs looked from one to the other, convinced they were both mad. Masquerading as a human was one of the stupidest things he could think of doing. However, deep down, he felt a certain debt to the Huntress, or Avorna, or whoever she was. She had, from what he could tell, saved his life. He had been accepted into her tribe, even if it was reluctant on behalf of the other members, and it was very much by charity. He was weak, untrained in fighting, and essentially useless to them. He felt a great desire to be needed, to be useful, to have a valuable role among them and earn his place and the respect of the elders. Thus, despite every shred of logic and sanity in his mind, he agreed.

"Good, then it is settled. I will see you again in a week, Avorna." The old drudge said, and went back to his book.

The Huntress opened the door, but turned and motioned for Dregs to follow her outside. When he joined her out in the bright afternoon sun, she kneeled down to his height, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You will learn much, and I trust you will be better for it, even if you decide your destiny lies elsewhere." She said, smiling knowingly. "I will come back to check on your progress later, but now I must return to my tribe. Before I go, I want you to have this." She reached into her belt-pouch, and pulled out a white mask. She held it out, and Dregs took it. It was cold to the touch, and seemed to be fashioned of some remarkably light metal. Turning it over, Dregs was surprised to see a whimsical parody of human features painted on by strange inks.

"It is from...a friend." She said, and stood up. When Dregs looked up from studying the strange mask, she was gone.


Chapter 5: Sharpening the Blade

Dregs stood fidgeting just inside the door of the cottage. The old drudge was still hunched over his book, completely oblivious. Mildly annoyed, and somewhat spoiled by all the attention he had been getting recently, Dregs turned his focus to the mask he had been given. He stared at it for a while, and then held it up to his face. At first he couldn't see anything but the smooth back of the mask, and then gradually it grew clear, and he could make out the one-room house. When he drew away his hand, and was surprised to find the mask still hung in front of his face. He shook his head from side to side, and the mask moved with it.

"I'll be with you in a moment, Dregs." Grask said, without looking up. Growing bored, Dregs next turned his attention to the furnishings of the cottage. Next to the door was an iron chest, apparently locked, holding unknown objects. Against two of the walls were several bookcases, filled with curious leather-bound volumes. The old drudge's desk was next to a fireplace, which was surrounded by several cooking pots and implements. To Dregs' right there was a window facing east, below which was a large bed, with white linen sheets. Dregs turned to look behind him, and noticed a mirror hanging over the chest. Pulling up his hood, he assessed his appearance. Remarkably, he did look somewhat human after all.

"All right Dregs, let's get acquainted." Grask said, closing his book.

Dregs turned around just as the old drudge looked up. Grask gave a startled, gurgling yelp, and leapt up out of his chair, pressing his back against the wall. His eyes were wide and terrified, and his mouth hung open in shock. Somewhat surprised by his reaction, Dregs reached up and pulled off the mask. Realization shone on Grask's face, and he heaved a huge sigh of relief, leaning over and breathing heavily.

"By all the Gods and Heroes, I would swear you are trying to kill me." He said, almost laughing, looking up at Dregs' confused expression. "I am very old, you know. My heart is not as strong as it used to be."

Dregs had no idea what to say, or what exactly was going on. Still catching his breath, Grask slid the book gingerly into one of the bookshelves, and turned to look at Dregs again. This time he did laugh, and the wild grin returned.

"If the humans do not kill you for being a drudge, they certainly will kill you for appearing to be one of...them. We will have to get you new clothes, or at least dye your cloak another color." Grask said, as he walked over to stand face to face with Dregs.

"Now, it is time for introductions. Greetings Sir, I am Grask." He said, bowing until his upper torso was nearly level with the floor. "There, now it's your turn."

Dregs was unsure what to do for a few moments, but then it dawned on him that he was to imitate his new mentor's example.

"Greetings, Sir, I am Dregs." He said timidly, and then bent over like the old drudge had done. It was uncomfortable, and his balance was off, nearly sending him sprawling. The old drudge laughed some more, and then held out a clawed hand. Dregs looked up at him, completely clueless.

"You're supposed to shake it. Look, you take your hand. No, your other hand. Right, then grasp mine, and shake it up and down lightly." Grask said, smiling broadly.

Dregs complied, and felt very ridiculous. He couldn't understand why the old drudge was making him do these strange and embarrassing things. He was becoming agitated by Grask's incessant grinning and frequent laughing, and felt very uncomfortable.

"Right, now you know how humans greet one another. We will practice this every day, until you are thoroughly used to it. In fact, we will formally greet one another before each meal. Now that you know how, let's have some dinner." Grask said. "We'll begin familiarizing you with basic language this evening, and then tomorrow we will discuss customs."

Dregs was overwhelmed by it all, and was grateful that the old drudge was quiet while they both sat down for dinner, so that he could sort out his thoughts. Grask lit a fire in the fireplace, and while it was tame compared to the bright glowing brilliance of outdoor cooking fires, it provided at least some comfort. Freshly killed fowl was cooked on a spit over the fire, and Grask served the meat steaming and delicious.

Long into the evening, Dregs sat on the floor, while Grask paced around him in the firelight. The old drudge began to relate all he knew about the human language, and Dregs desperately tried to commit each word to memory. Before long, Dregs could barely keep his eyes open. Grask extinguished the fire in the fireplace, and used one of the embers to light a candle on the desk.

Dregs had curled up on the floor, and so Grask walked over and kicked him in the ribs. The young drudge awoke with a start, and rubbed his side painfully, wondering what was going on. Grask pointed to the bed, and explained the human custom of sleeping in it. Dregs shrugged, and hopped up onto it. Deciding it was in fact superior to the hardwood floor, he rapidly fell asleep once again. Smiling to himself, the old drudge returned to the desk, and began to read another of his many books by the candlelight.

In the days that followed, Dregs' knowledge of the human language grew. Before too long, he could speak in halting sentences, with a basic understanding of everyday human communication. He could ask for food and drink, ask directions to things such as privies, inns, and smiths, and speak in simple conversation about the weather and so forth. It had been a long time since his teacher had heard the language spoken, and so Dregs' vocabulary was very limited, but his speech was passable. He was soon able to pronounce some of the harder words without spitting, and Grask was very pleased with his progress.

"Humans are strange creatures." Grask explained. "You will need to trade coins for anything you need, such as food or drink. It is their custom. Also, they often engage in laughing contests, where you tell jokes and try to laugh louder than each other. Very odd, but I understand it can be fun." Grask smiled to himself, and then went on. "Also, when you feel the need to dispose of waste, you must do it in specific holes in the ground. Humans feel the need for privacy when doing this, so the holes are usually located in enclosed buildings. However, if you have been drinking a lot, it is acceptable to urinate on the floor."

Dregs mewed unhappily. It would be impossible for him to remember all of this, and it sounded very strange and pointless. Grask went on to explain the three main races of humans.

(due to length, second half in next post)

[Daz'ar Tae]

"The Aluvians are the most common around these parts. They are proud and arrogant, and for some reason seem to think of themselves as accomplished warriors. Their skin is pale and sickly, and often they have beards. There is another race, called the Sho, who fancies themselves as warriors too. They are far more humble than the Aluvians, however. You will most likely not encounter them. The third is a race of dark-skinned desert dwellers, whose name I cannot pronounce. I don't concern myself with anyone foolish enough to live in a desert." Grask explained.

Dregs had no idea what a desert was, but decided based on Grask's opinion that it wasn't a place he wanted to visit. The lessons went on and on, and Dregs felt his interest wane. He could only remember so many inane things about these ludicrous humans, and his head swam with obscure facts about them. He secretly hoped the old drudge was more senile than the Huntress had warned, and humans were a much more manageable species to live amongst than he made it seem. The old drudge cooked good meals, however, and the bed was a human invention Dregs had grown quite fond of, and so he did not complain.

Early morning sunlight flooded in through the window above the bed, lighting the cottage's interior with a cheery yellow glow. Dregs awoke, and blinked against the harsh light. Grask was already up and about, as usual, pouring through several books.

"I imagine you"re growing pretty tired of all this ridiculous human stuff." Grask said, smiling widely at Dregs. He had tried to be attentive during the lessons, but somehow his teacher had sensed his restlessness. Surrendering, Dregs nodded. He had been around the old drudge long enough to know that when he smiled that wildly, something very interesting was about to happen.

"In a few days your friend will return. In the time we have left, however, you and I will have to work very hard to finish your lessons. These are the most important ones, vital to maintaining your secrecy." Grask said sternly. His attempt at authority and seriousness failed miserably, though, because he could not suppress the smile that twisted at the corners of his mouth. Dregs rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and climbed out of bed.

"I want you to look at me. That's right, squarely in the eyes." Grask said softly.

Dregs did as he was told, and quickly let out a small gasp of surprise. Gradually, the old drudge appeared to lose his wrinkles. His worn horns became smoother, almost new. His eyes sparkled with youth. His bent frame straightened up, and he seemed taller, with a heavier build. Then all at once he was the same old drudge again, with the wild smile the only thing unchanged.

"Powers of deception." He explained. "Magic can modify many things, the least of which being other's perception of you. Magic can enhance your abilities, transport you to distant places, increase the power of armor or weapons, or protect you in ways armor cannot. Humans are frail, weak creatures. Their mastery of magic is the only thing that makes them dominant. If you understand magic, you understand their power."

When the Huntress returned three days later, Dregs had mastered basic deception skills, and had just begun to learn to magically increase the strength of his mind and body. Grask made sure the younger drudge understood that the spells he had learned, however astonishing, were weak when compared to those of the humans. Still, Dregs enjoyed showing off his new talent to the female warrior, who complimented him for his abilities. She seemed much more lively and excited than before, and Dregs soon understood why. Today she was going to teach him the basics of combat.

"I want you to slash me." She said, her tone serious and her eyes locked on his. The two of them stood facing one another, waist deep in the tall grass at the base of the hill, weapons drawn. She held a solid wooden staff, and Dregs wielded his curved Jambiya. "Go ahead."

Dregs leapt forward, swinging his dagger at her midsection. She batted the knife out of his hand with her staff, and then swung it under his feet, sending him sprawling forward into the grass.

"Try again." She said. "I'll give you a free shot this time."

Dregs searched around in the grass until he found his dagger, and then stood up and turned to face her again. She jammed the staff into the soft soil, and then put her hands on her hips, waiting for his assault confidently. He hesitated, but he could see in her eyes that she was not fearing any injury. Doing as he was told, Dregs slashed the dagger savagely at her gut.

There was a terrible scraping sound, and then dagger tip broke off. She still stood, beaming down at him, a fresh groove sliced into her armor. The hardened mud where Dregs had struck her had cracked slightly, but it held, with the broken tip of the dagger still imbedded. Dregs gaped at his broken weapon, looking back and forth between the Jambiya and the pitiful scrape it had made.

"Your weapon is not of the highest quality." She said, plucking the dagger trip from the mud on her stomach. "The armor of my tribe is weak compared to the forged metal armor of the humans. They sacrifice agility for protection, and while it makes them slow and cumbersome, it also makes them difficult to damage." Dregs nodded solemnly.

The Huntress reached into her belt pouch, and pulled out a sheathed dagger. She handed it to Dregs, and when he drew it, he found that the blade was brutally sharp, and somewhat small and slender. It looked almost delicate.

"That is not the weapon of a warrior. It is the weapon of a desperate spy. I hope you do not ever have to use it, unless it is on your terms." She said, motioning to the dagger Dregs held. "I hope you can understand that it takes more than one afternoon to become a warrior. Today I only wish to teach you that facing a human in open combat means your defeat." Dregs mewed unhappily, and nodded.

"You have learned the language and customs of the humans from Grask, and the futility of fighting them from me. There is little else for you to learn, save the details of your operation. We can discuss those on the way to Rithwic."

"Rithwic?" Dregs asked, rolling the word on his tongue experimentally.

"It is a human town not far from here. I will take you as close as I dare this evening, and from there you are on your own." She said, leaning on her staff.

"I'm infiltrating tonight?" Dregs asked, squealing in alarm.

"Yes." Grask said, strolling down the hill to join them. "You have learned everything you can from us, Dregs. The rest you must learn from the humans themselves."

Dregs looked from one to the other, and saw that they were in agreement. He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. There was little hope of arguing, and he could conjure up no excuses that would warrant spending more time in the company of the old drudge, rather than the company of humans.

"Don't look so down, son." The old drudge said happily. "Come on back to my cottage, I have several things for you."

Dregs followed him back to the house, where the old drudge produced a key and unlocked the iron chest next to the door. First he pulled out a pair of boots, fashioned of studded leather, and lined with the soft fur of a mattekar. Dregs tried them on, and found they fit remarkably well. He even liked the feel of the fur. Next Grask pulled out a pair of gloves, also fashioned of smooth leather. They were designed for human hands, but Dregs found they fit him reasonably well. Lastly, the old drudge pulled out a small bag, which jingled with the sound of coins.

Dregs attached the bag to his belt, and pulled his freshly dyed brown cloak from a hook next to the door. Slipping it on, drawing up the hood, and placing the mask before his face, Dregs ceased to be a drudge and became a passable human man. Grask beamed at him, and as the Huntress joined them in the house, she mewed in surprise and admired his costume. He was ready. Or at least they thought so, Dregs was not so sure.

As soon as night fell, the Huntress lead Dregs down the hill through the dark, due east towards Rithwic. Grask waved energetically from the doorway, watching the two dark shapes disappear into the shadows. He sighed happily, and then returned to his desk, and pulled another book from the shelf.

Several minutes later, his reading was disturbed as his door swung open, and a dark shape flowed into the room. The crickets had ceased their chirping chorus, and their music was replaced with a menacing humming sound. Grask felt a faint pressure on his mind, and squinted in the candlelight, trying to identify his visitor. He recognized the dark cloak, and the telltale white mask painted in a mockery of the human visage.

"Dregs? What are you doing back here?" He asked, closing his book and standing up. The figure framed in the doorway said nothing. Then the old drudge noticed an impossibly sharp sickle, shimmering in the light of the single candle.

Chapter 6 in 6 minutes.

[Daz'ar Tae]

Chapter 6: Blade Betwixt the Ribs

The sleepy town of Rithwic sat happily on both banks of the river Prosper, with bright inviting lights in nearly every window, and smoke rising lazily from the chimneys. Two dark shapes approached the outskirts of the town, and passed behind a group of bushes. There they whispered quietly for several minutes, hidden in the dark shadows, careful to keep their voices down. Only one of the dark figures emerged from behind the vegetation, and made straight for the town. The other disappeared into the night.

Dregs shook with nervousness as he approached the town. He was almost certain the first human he would encounter would see through his disguise and strike him down where he stood. He kept reaching his gloved hand under his cloak and feeling for the dagger on his belt, just to be assured it was still there. Looking around furtively, Dregs decided he would find the least populated part of the town, and hide there until he could regain his confidence.

There were several humans entering the large, brightly-lit building in front of him, and there was already much laughing and conversation coming from within. Dregs stopped just outside the reach of the cheerful light pouring out of the windows, and stood watching the building for several moments. He turned, and was just about to find a less-populated place to go, when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Hey there stranger, what're you doing out in the cold? C'mon in and have a drink!"

Dregs froze, and it took every ounce of his will to keep from bolting away into the night, or drawing his dagger. He turned around slowly, and bowed low.

"Hello Sir, my name is Dregs." He said mechanically, before straightening up to look at the human who had approached him. She was about his height, dressed in tightly bound leather armor and a deep blue cloak. She had light brown hair that hung around her shoulders, and she wore a quizzical expression on her young features.

"You aren't from around here, are you?" She asked, her face lighting up in a smile. She held out her hand, and Dregs shook it nervously. "My name is Alera." She said, still smiling. "Pleasure to meet you, Dregs."

Dregs stood absolutely still, unsure of what to do or say next. She pulled her hand away, prying it from Dregs' tense grip, and then studied him.

"That's a remarkable mask you have there." She said, reaching out to touch it.

"Uh...yes. I have a mask." Dregs said, suddenly pulling away from her outstretched fingers. She withdrew her hand, and smiled at him again. Then she broke out into a giggle, and motioned for him to follow her to the pub.

"You're a funny one, Dregs." She said, still laughing, and led him to the door. She pushed it open, and immediately Dregs was assaulted by a confusing whirlwind of sound, light, and smell. Directly in front of him were several tables, surrounded by humans, all of whom were talking and laughing at once. They each had a mug of varying liquids in front of them, which they sipped often. The smell of spicy foods and fermented beverages filled his nostrils, making his mouth water, and Dregs suddenly realized he was rather hungry.

Looking around for where Alera had gone, he spotted her seated at a table to his left. She was looking up at him, motioning for him to come join her. He sat down in the chair across from her, and she leaned her arms on the table and stared at him. Dregs stared timidly back at her, looking directly into her green eyes. She flashed him her most winning smile, and an uncomfortable silence followed.

"Well? Aren't you going to offer to buy me a drink?" She asked after a while.

"Drink?" Dregs said, wondering what she was trying to communicate to him.

"I lost all my money gambling." She said, pouting. "I was hoping you would treat me to an Aluvian ale." Dregs was silent. She squinted at him, unsure if the man in front of her was foreign or just stupid. She also considered the stories she had heard of mysterious warriors who disappeared deep into the Direlands, and spent years without human contact. The young man in front of her didn't look like an intimidating warrior, but she recognized the mask, and knew appearances could be deceiving.

"You have pyreals, don't you?" She said, her eyes moving to the pouch on his belt.

"Pyreals?" Dregs said, mimicking her, as he began to sweat beneath his mask.

"Yeah. You know, money?" She said, growing annoyed. Dregs finally understood, and untied the pouch from his belt. He put it on the table, and her eyes lit up as she counted the coins within. Dregs cringed as she called to the bartender, ordering two drinks and a plate of fried shrimp.

The bartender made his rounds, and finally came to their table with the mugs and steaming platter.

"I see you finally found someone you could charm into buying your drinks for you, Alera." The bartender said, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth.

"You're just jealous, Erludd." She said, handing him several coins. He pocketed them, winked at Dregs, and returned to the bar. Dregs eyed the shrimp hungrily, and reached out and seized one in his gloved hand. Stuffing it awkwardly under the mask, he chewed it noisily. Alera watched him for several moments, and then began to eat as well.

Dregs watched intently as the young woman across the table from him sipped the cold liquid in her mug. Only then did he recognize that the second mug must be for him. He picked it up, and tried to hold it up to his lips, but found that the mask got in the way. He tried several angles, and turned his head from side to side, but he could not get the mug to his mouth. Sighing, he placed the mug back on the table.

Alera looked up from her own drink and laughed. Dregs stared back at her, with foam from the ale dripping from the bottom of his mask. She looked at him thoughtfully, grinning. Then she told him to stay there, and got up. Dregs watched helplessly as she left the pub, and disappeared into the night. Sighing, he stuck out his tongue and licked some of the foam from the inside of his mask.

Alera soon returned, and slid a hollow reed into his mug. He stared at it blankly. She sighed, and picked up his mug. Putting her lips to the reed, she sucked the ale through the makeshift straw, and swallowed. Sliding the mug across the table to Dregs, she grinned at him, and grabbed another piece of shrimp. Dregs followed her example, and was soon sipping the bitter ale himself.

He didn't like the taste, but he did appreciate the warm feeling that soon spread through his body. It wasn't long before a second round was ordered, and then a third. Alera told jokes, and although Dregs was oblivious to their meaning, Alera's laughter was contagious. Before long, the two of them were giggling incessantly, throwing the remaining shrimp at one another between sips of ale. It grew late, and the other patrons of the bar slowly began to leave.

Alera sighed, and rested her head on her arms. Dregs sipped the last of his ale, and mimicked her. She giggled some more, and then pointed to the door behind Dregs. He turned to look, and she swiftly took the bag of coins from the table. Dregs? acute hearing heard the jingling of the coins as she swiped the bag, but he did not know how to ask why she had taken them, and furthermore didn't really care. She shrugged, and giggled some more.

"So tell me, Dregs." She said, her voice slightly slurred. "Will you be staying here long?" Dregs considered her statement, and then nodded. She held her mug upside down over her mouth, letting the last drops of ale drip down.

"Well then, you should bind yourself to our local lifestone." She said, slamming the mug down on the table a little harder than she had intended. Dregs stared back at her, unsure of what that meant.

"I no have rope." Dregs said softly, and cringed as she burst out laughing.

"Oh Dregs, I love your sense of humor." She said, stumbling slightly as she stood up. "Come on, I'll show you where our stone is."

He followed her outside, and noted that the moon had risen high into the sky. She led him a short distance away from the pub to a mounted blue crystal, and took his hand. She pressed it to the stone's smooth surface, which began to glow softly. He immediately felt weakened, and staggered back slightly. She laughed, and put her arm around his shoulders.

"Do you have a room at the Inn?" She asked, leaning against him.

"No." Dregs replied, unsure of what an Inn was, but pretty confident he didn't have a room there.

"Oh. Well, I imagine you've made other arrangements then?" She said, smiling.

"Uh...No?" Dregs said, becoming even more confused.

"Well, I have a room at the Inn. Come, why don't you walk me there? I'm feeling a little shaky..." She said, and began to walk, half-dragging him towards the bridge that linked the two halves of the town together. Dregs could do nothing but help her to cross the bridge, and together they wobbled into the west end of town.

They reached the Inn a few minutes later, and Dregs watched as Alera traded several of his coins for a key. She then took his hand, and led him upstairs, where she unlocked a room. Turning around, she leaned against the doorjamb, and looked up at him.

"I could kiss you goodnight, if it weren't for that mask." She said, smiling. Dregs stood motionless, and said nothing. "Well, goodnight." She said. Dregs was still silent. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked. Dregs nodded weakly. She stared at him for a while longer, then sighed and closed the door.

(ending in next post)

[Daz'ar Tae]

"Oh, alright, you can stay with me tonight. You don't have to beg." She said, pulling him inside and closing the door behind him. "Come on, I'm sure it's been a while since you've had a bath."

She led him to an adjoining room, where a ceramic basin had been filled with steaming water. Dregs had never seen anything like it before. He looked back and forth between the water and Alera, wondering if he was supposed to say something.

"Well." She said at last, "I guess I'll leave you then. Unless of course you want me to join you." She said, smiling mischievously. Dregs stared at her blankly. She waited a few moments, then shrugged, and left the room.

It took Dregs a while to figure out what the basin of hot water was for. He tried drinking it, but found it to be way too hot, and it tasted soapy. He decided after a length of time that it was likely for washing, remembering his lesson on the human obsession with cleanliness. Hoping he was right, he pulled off his boots and unclipped his belt, before sliding gingerly into the steaming water. It actually felt quite good, and he spent nearly an hour soaking comfortably, until the water grew cold. Then he climbed out, squeezed out his cloak, and went back into the main room.

He found that the lights had been extinguished, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He nearly tripped over the discarded clothing and leather armor that Alera had left on the floor. She was already in bed, clutching the top of the sheets to her chin, looking up at him. The thin linen sheets that were draped over her body were very revealing of what lay beneath, and Dregs snorted in disgust at some of the more ridiculous and alien aspects of her anatomy.

"Did you enjoy your bath?" She asked, hiccuping slightly. Dregs nodded at first, but then remembered that humans had poor eyesight, and she probably couldn't see him in the dark.

"Yes." He said, standing over the bed, his cloak dripping water onto the hardwood floor. After a while his feet grew tired, and he decided she would have to share the bed, because he wasn't sure how much longer he could remain standing. He slid under the sheet, and curled up to sleep. Just as he was beginning to drift off, he felt her arm brush his back, and she gasped and drew away.

"You're wearing your clothes!" She cried, leaping out of the bed, pulling the sheets with her. Dregs rolled over to look at her as she held the sheet up to cover her body. "...and your clothes are wet!" She added. Dregs shrugged, and curled up again to sleep. She stood there for a few moments more, and then burst out laughing. "I'll bet you're still wearing that stupid mask too."

Dregs felt her climb back into bed, and draw the sheets over both of them. Then she curled up with him, hugging her arms around his chest, and soon fell asleep. She began to snore, but Dregs was oblivious, already fast asleep himself.



Chapter 7: Encounter in the Marsh



Dregs awoke to both the sun and the moon. It occurred to him that as far as backsides go, humans and drudges were pretty similar. He blinked against the bright sunlight that was streaming through the window, and got out of bed just as Alera finished dressing. He staggered slightly as if he had been struck, groaning at the horrible pains in his head. She turned around and noticed that he was awake, and assessed him with concern.

"You were having some awful nightmares last night." She said, frowning. Dregs wasn't sure what she meant, so he shrugged. "You kept screeching like a drudge or something." She said, pulling on her cloak. Dregs immediately froze upon hearing the word "drudge", and began to panic. She didn't indicate any further that she had discovered his secret, and so Dregs nervously followed her to breakfast.

As they left the Inn, Dregs was astonished to find it was fairly late in the morning. The sun was climbing high in the sky, and it was likely close to noon. He wasn't sure he had slept in that long before. Alera led him to the pub where they had spent most of the previous night, and they both took their usual seats at the far-left table. Erludd noticed them, and made his way to their table.

"You look awful, Alera. Not get much sleep?" He asked, grinning mischievously, and handing them both menus.

"None of your business, Erludd." She said, staring at the menu. The old bartender just laughed, and winking at Dregs, returned to the bar.

"The eggs here are great." Alera said, smiling over the menu at Dregs. He stared at his own menu, unsure of what to make of it. Grask had taught him nothing about reading the human language, and so he had no means of deciphering the options listed before him.

"Um...Dregs?" Alera said, reaching across and grasping his menu. "Your menu is upside down." She said, flipping it over and handing it back to him. Dregs nodded his thanks, but was still unable to read it. "That must be one wicked hangover." She said, smiling at him. "But last night was worth it, wasn't it?"

Dregs heard the rise in her tone at the end of the sentence, and recognized it as a question. Gambling that it was one that required a yes or a no answer, as most of them tended to, he responded accordingly.

"Uh...no." He said, trying to sound decisive. Her expression immediately changed, and she looked hurt and offended. "I mean yes." Dregs said quickly, and then laughed as if he had made a joke. She squinted at him, but couldn't help but smile. Just then Erludd returned to their table to take their orders.

"I'll have viamont toast, with a side of those delicious scrambled eggs." Alera said, handing Erludd the menu. He nodded, and turned to Dregs. Dregs froze in confusion, and was unsure what he was supposed to say. Erludd waited patiently.

"What'll it be, son?" He asked, leaning over and pointing to one of the items on the menu. "I highly recommend the fried flatbread." Dregs nodded, and pointed to the item he had suggested. "Do you want that with eggs or ham?" Erludd asked. Dregs nodded again. "Both of them?" Erludd asked, growing confused. Dregs simply kept nodding. "Well, we have a hungry one here!" Erludd said, chuckling. He collected Dregs' menu, and went to the next table.

"So tell me," Alera said, leaning her arms on the table and looking across at Dregs. "Why do you wear that mask?" Dregs considered her question for a moment, and then understood.

"I like mask." He said.

"I'd love to see your face..." Alera said, reaching across to touch it. Dregs immediately drew out of reach of her fingers, and she remained there awkwardly reaching across the table for a moment, before withdrawing her hand. "Why are you so sensitive about it? Is your face scarred or disfigured or something?" she asked bluntly, frowning.

"Yes." Dregs said, hoping it was the right answer. Her expression changed to that of concern.

"Look, I don't mind. It's not going to scare me away or anything. I like you, Dregs." She said, smiling. She began to reach across the table again. Alarmed at her persistence, Dregs realized he was going to have to divert her attention somehow. He searched for something to distract her with, but came up with nothing. Then he remembered his lessons. At the last possible moment, he whispered a few arcane words, and focused his mind intently, visualizing the face of a human man.

Her hand lightly gripped the mask, and slowly pulled it away. Gradually, his face was revealed. She stared at his features, and her smile broadened. "You're very handsome, Dregs. Oh.." she said, looking directly into his eyes. She let out a small gasp, and swiftly replaced the mask. Dregs felt depression sweep over him, knowing he had failed. He accepted his fate, and waited for her to call for help. It was all over.

"You're eyes...they're so, well..dark. Almost black. I didn't expect that, I mean..." She stammered. Just then the food arrived, and the steaming plates that were set on the table pleasantly distracted both of them. Alera swallowed a mouthful of eggs, and then looked up at Dregs. "You are handsome." She insisted. "I mean that. I don't know why you hide your face." Dregs shrugged. His meal tasted all the better, knowing how close he had come to failure.

Suddenly the door burst open, and a strange man entered the room. Dregs gasped, nearly choking on a mouthful of cooked ham, as he noticed that the mask the man wore was nearly identical to his own. The strange man also wore a long cloak, and seemed to move about effortlessly. He made his way straight to the bar, plunked a large bag of coins down on the countertop, and turned to face the alarmed patrons.

"Good day to you all, fellow meatlings!" The man bellowed amiably. "I am paying all of your bills! Enjoy your ingestion of nutrients, it's completely free!" The expressions on the customers' faces quickly changed from cautious skepticism to willing acceptance of this strange man, and they all began cheering at once. Erludd took the bag, counted the coins, and looked up at the stranger with a bewildered expression. Alera turned to look at Dregs.

"Is he a friend of yours?" She asked, yelling over the wild cheering. Dregs shook his head. Her eyes narrowed at the stranger, and she stared at him for several moments, lost in thought. The strange man waved good-naturedly, and then left the pub. Alera turned back to face Dregs again, and scooped the last of her scrambled eggs into her mouth. "I think we should follow him." She said, chewing quickly and motioning to the door.

(rest of chapter 7 in next post)

[Daz'ar Tae]

The stranger took off for the lifestone immediately. Dregs and Alera followed him from a distance, but found they needed to run to keep up with his rapid pace. Alera was surprised to see him pass the lifestone, and head off into the marsh. They followed, their boots squelching noisily in the mud as they ran from bush to bush, trying to keep hidden.

After several minutes of awkward pursuit, the stranger began to slow. Peering around his bush, Dregs noticed that the odd man was approaching another figure, who must have been standing in the water of the river. Then Dregs gasped, realizing the other figure stood over the water. Finally, it occurred to Dregs that he wasn't standing at all, but hovering. He wasn?t surprised to find that the stranger also hovered out over the water, and stopped before the other figure. Dregs was now certain they weren't human. He looked around for Alera, and spotted her several meters away. Her eyes were wide, and he knew she saw it to.

"Initiative taken to secure good standing with meatlings at specified location." The stranger said, his voice flat and even.

"Acknowledged. Was slave identified among the meatlings?" the first hovering being asked, in nearly the same tone.

"Yes, he was observed conversing with one." The stranger said.

"Proceed according to parameters previously specified." The first hovering being replied, dismissing the stranger. There was a brief silence, and then the stranger turned, and began to hover back towards the town. Dregs held his breath, and the stranger traveled right past him, oblivious. He waited until the menacing humming sound faded into the distance before turning to see what the first being was up to. He was gone.

Dregs grew alarmed, nervously glancing around. Then he heard a chilling, monotone voice calling out nearby.

"I know you are there, stinking meatbag. Show some dignity and cease your utterly failed attempt at concealment."

Dregs panicked. It took every ounce of strength he had to resist the urge to scream in terror and flee recklessly. He rolled over onto his stomach and watched in horror as Alera stood, her face showing fear but set in rigid determination. She drew a short sword from her belt, and held it out in front of her, trying to keep it from wavering in her nervous grip.

The being laughed, if it could be described as such. A harsh grating sound, like the squealing of twisting metal, filled the air. Then it raised its arms, generated a blue sphere of magical energies, and willed them into the shape and form of a brutal shock wave. Alera's body shook with the force of impact, and she was lifted several feet into the air, flying backwards and landing hard on her back. She groaned, and coughed blood.

The being hovered over her, and a terrible sickle appeared protruding from its purple sleeve. It raised the weapon high into the air, catching the sunlight on its silvery surface, the blade gleaming brightly. Before Dregs knew what he was doing, he stood from his hiding place, and drew his dagger. The being did not notice, as it savored the look of pain and terror in Alera's eyes, preparing for a final and bloody strike.

Screaming a challenge in his language, Dregs charged savagely at the being, slashing the dagger deep into the cloak just as the sickle dropped for Alera's head. Surprised and wounded, the being spun around, slashing the sickle at Dregs impossibly fast. The curved weapon caught the edge of his mask, and it flew off into the tall grass, revealing his face. Startled, the being froze, staring in sudden realization. Taking advantage of his opponent?s delay, Dregs slashed again, and this time the being groaned in pain.

The strange being swung the sickle again, but this time the attack was weak, his energy drained. Ducking it easily, Dregs drove the dagger into the purple cloak one last time, and all at once the being evaporated. As the cloak, mask, and sickle fell to the mud, Dregs felt a faint pressure in his head, and words formed in his mind.

"You...are...a...fool."

Then all was silent. Dregs quickly located his mask, and replaced it on his face. It was slashed deeply, but still in one piece. Then he turned to where Alera lay, and dropped to his knees beside her. She groaned faintly, blood streaming down the side of her mouth.

"I'm...going to need...a healer." She said, choking, and smiling faintly despite the pain. Dregs understood, and gingerly scooped her up out of the mud. Staggering under her weight, he turned back towards town. Behind him, seeping mud oozed around the crumpled purple cloak, slowly enveloping it. The sickle was the last to sink into the marsh, its sharp point catching the sunlight in a brilliant flash just before it disappeared into the mud.



Chapter 8: The Shattered Blade


The skies gave way, and rain poured down in torrents, making the ground slick and wet. Dregs tried to keep his footing as he ran, but often he would slip, mewing in alarm as he slid into the mud. Before long he was coated with it, and he became very soaked and uncomfortable, but still he ran on. He squinted through the rain, trying to recognize landmarks in the dark, searching his memory for the path that would lead him to the old cottage.

He had been on the edge of panic ever since the strange events in the marsh, and after leaving Alera with the healer, he had dashed off into the wood to get away from the humans for a while. As he thought things over, he began to realize something very bad was happening, but he could not determine what it was. Confused, disoriented, and in desperate need of contact with his own species, he had decided to return to his teacher and seek his advice.

The sun had begun its decent in the sky as he set out, and by now it was well after dusk. He was beginning to get worried as he pushed further and further into the wilderness, and Dregs was increasingly aware that he was lost. The rain fell harder, and the shadows became ever more prevalent as darkness covered the land of Dereth. With the darkness came overpowering depression, and Dregs dropped into the mud, breathing heavily. Eventually he curled up into a ball, and cried softly behind his pale white mask, utterly lost and alone.

Dregs awoke with a start. The rain had softened to a drizzle, but the moons were covered by the clouds, and the world was still very dark. He pulled himself up from the damp ground, and wiped the mud from his mask. As he was wiping it clean on his cloak, he recognized a faint and flickering light up ahead. Creeping closer, he discovered that he had stumbled upon the cottage in the darkness. There was a single candle burning in the open window, unaffected by the rain.

Dregs neared the door, and knocked softly. When there was no response, he pushed it open slowly, and the hinges creaked loudly in protest. The inside was mostly dark, but by the light of the candle he could clearly see the torn and scattered books on the floor. The sheets had been ripped from the bed, and were arranged in a messy nest in the corner. One of the bookshelves had been overturned, and a nasty looking sword had been stuck into it. There was a drudge leaning back in the old chair, with her feet propped up on the table. Her teeth glinted in the flickering light as she grinned.

"Where is Grask?" Dregs demanded, his heart beating a little faster and his breaths coming in short, nervous gasps. Drudges only revealed their teeth in threat.

"He had...pressing business to attend to." Avorna said in her melodious voice, which had taken on a low and threatening tone.

"What are you doing here?" Dregs asked, eyeing the destruction of the room, with his eyes falling to rest on the curved blade sticking out of the bookshelf.

"Waiting for you, Dregs." She said softly, but firmly, as she stared back at him from across the room. "I'm glad you did not keep me waiting long, it would have been...unpleasant, if I had been forced to go and retrieve you."

"What do you want?" Dregs asked, backing up until he could feel the door handle pressing into his back.

"It is not easy." Avorna said, sitting up straight in the chair. "To kill one of them, that is. The Virindi, is what others call them. What we call them. They don't have a name for themselves."

Dregs glared back at her, his mind racing back to the events of the morning, to the harrowing battle he had fought against the strange floating creature.

"The one you killed was directing the operations at Rithwic. You see, Dregs, you were a test. Once we discovered how easily you fooled those humans, they decided it was safe to proceed with an infiltration of their own." She said, slicing her claws into the wood of the table absent-mindedly.

"It was going rather well, Dregs, don't you think? The humans didn't suspect anything. That is...until just after the infiltrator made his first report." She said, her claws digging further into the wood. "A human overheard that report, and the infiltrator's secret was revealed. This disaster could have easily been prevented if the director had been allowed to silence the human, but somehow that never happened."

Dregs began to shiver.

"The human somehow got back to Rithwic, where she told her companions about the infiltrator. Now both the infiltrator and the director are dead. The entire operation is botched, and the Virindi will have no chance of replicating it, except perhaps in the furthest most remote human settlements. And do you know who is responsible for this, Dregs?" She asked, pulling her claws from the groove she had sliced in the table and slowly standing up.

(end of 8 and 9 in next post

[Daz'ar Tae]

"I...I had no idea. I didn't know!" Dregs stammered, looking around wildly for any kind of escape.

"And do you know who was responsible for you, Dregs?" She snarled, her eyes squinting accusingly at him. "I will be dead before morning, and the only consolation I have is that you will be too."

Dregs squealed in alarm, and turned to open the door, but it was jammed shut. He clawed uselessly at it, but it would not open. Then he turned back to face the huge female drudge, his eyes wide with terror.

"In battle, the road to death is in mistakes. The slightest miscalculation, the smallest hesitation, these are the crucial mistakes that will lead to your defeat. When fighting, the best warriors look for these pivotal errors, to better avoid them. All too often we find these errors already behind us, and it is then that we must prepare to die." Avorna said quietly, pulling the sword from the overturned bookshelf and raising the blade.

"My crucial mistake, Dregs, was in thinking that you were smart. Thinking that I could trust you. That is clear to me now." She said, staring intently at the glimmering blade. "I should have let my axe fall. At least then this falling leaf could have found honor in his final fluttering to the ground. There is honor in death when you are killed in battle. There is no honor in the execution of a criminal." She said, sighing.

"There shall be no honor for you now." She said, rekindling her anger. "You will never be in the dreams of heroes, Dregs. You will be in their nightmares, forever the wretched beast the mightiest of our ancestors slay out of pity."

"Perhaps the humans slay our kind out of pity." Dregs said, drawing his slender dagger. If it was possible, the large drudge's anger grew, and she roared so loudly the cottage shook with her wrath. She charged, and despite Dregs' valiant attempt to dodge her blade, she skillfully cut him down. All the fear drained from his eyes as he embraced his fate, and the little drudge watched the flickering of the single candle until his vision clouded over in darkness.

The huge female drudge continued to hack and slash at the crumpled body long after life faded from its limbs, and she became gruesomely spattered with blood. Then the curved blade dropped from her grasp and clattered loudly on the floor, and she fell to her knees, bent over the corpse. She began to cry, and hot tears poured over her cheeks, falling to the floor to mingle with the blood.


Chapter 9: The Lifestone's Curse

Darkness receded, and a brilliant world of light exploded into view. The grass, wet with fresh dew, rippled gently in the soft morning breeze. Something was amiss, however. The grass was faintly blue, colored by the gentle glow of a nearby crystal. The wind, the grass, the bright morning sky, none of it appeared to be real. Things just did not fit, like pieces of different puzzles all jumbled together.

Dregs blinked lazily for a moment, but the haze that clouded his mind did not dissipate. He did not quite understand where he was, nor could he identify any reason for his being there. He knew he must have fallen asleep, because vague images of a terrible nightmare still floated about his thoughts. Then, slowly, memories began to surface. He recalled that he was disguised as a human, and on some sort of a mission that he didn't exactly comprehend. The humans had excellent food, though. He remembered that well enough.

Dregs was so drawn up in his recollections that he did not notice he was being watched. A young man, standing a short distance away, regarded him with interest. His stomach growling with all the thoughts of food, Dregs sat up stiffly and stretched. He was considering plans for acquiring breakfast when he noticed the young man for the first time. He wasn't very tall, rather short in fact, with a skinny frame and a dull look in his eyes. The boy approached, and smiling wickedly, drew a short sword from his belt.

Dregs was not alarmed at first, secure in the knowledge that a mask obscured his feline face. As the boy drew closer, however, Dregs began to feel uncomfortable. The boy's dull gaze certainly seemed to be fixed on him. Dregs stood, and was just about to formulate some kind of greeting in the human language when the short sword was swiftly and unceremoniously thrust into his gut.

First his clawed hands groped his bleeding abdomen, and he reeled in shock at the violent attack. Then, weakly, they groped his face. He wore no mask. Dregs began to mew pitifully, both in pain and anguish, as he crumpled to his knees. The second thrust of the short sword ended his suffering, and the boy shouted his triumph over the foul beast that had encroached upon his town.

Dregs opened his eyes, once again staring up at the cruel morning sky. It took him several moments to figure out he was still alive. He felt at peace for a short time, watching the thin and wispy clouds float by overhead. Then he remembered that he had been stabbed. He felt his stomach, but there was no wound. Alarmed, he sat up and noticed the boy who had attacked him. The young man was stooping over something that Dregs couldn't quite make out. Then he recognized the limp form the boy was examining, and confusion and terror overwhelmed him.

Through his panic some small but powerful instinct spurred him to attack the boy, and to avenge whatever foul fate had befallen his former self. He pulled his own dagger from the dirt where it had fallen, and screeching in a wordless cry, launched himself at the offending human. The boy turned in time to dodge the blade, and together they tumbled through the dirt, biting and clawing and slashing at one another. Despite the young man's best efforts, Dregs was at last successful at driving his dagger into the boy's throat. After a few gurgling gasps for air, the boy lay still. Dusting himself off, and recovering from the adrenaline that coursed through his veins, Dregs happened to turn around in time to see the impossible.

He watched, utterly amazed, as a swirling purple light began to emanate from the blue crystal. It took the shape of a human boy, and then materialized into his startled but angry nemesis. The boy ran his hands over himself, ensuring he was whole, and turned to face Dregs once again. Swinging his sword wildly, he charged at the bewildered drudge, and easily cut him down.

The third awakening was slower. It took longer for Dregs to get his bearings, and when he did he felt physically weaker, as if a great weight was pressing upon his shoulders. He swung the dagger weakly at the human boy, but missed, and felt a sharp stabbing pain as the boy's sword pierced his leg. The second swing of the dagger connected with the boy's arm, slicing a sizable gash into human flesh. Then both fighters swung their weapons at once, cutting deeply into one another before both crumpling to the ground. Dregs tumbled into soothing darkness, only to be resurrected again alongside his foe, trapped in a never-ending battle that he could not win or lose.

Over and over the two warriors fought, undaunted by death and dismemberment. The ground was slick with blood, and flies buzzed in growing clouds to feed upon the decaying refuse of their war. Boy leaned against Drudge, forehead to forehead, both utterly exhausted. A bent dagger and broken short sword lay in the dirt at their feet. Occasionally one would swing a fist weakly at the other, but the half-hearted punches never connected. Both their chests heaved, gasping for air. Then, unable to stand, they slumped over in a weary heap. To any passerby, the two combatants were indistinguishable from the piles of corpses that surrounded them.



THE END! :D

Hope you enjoyed it. I sure did.

[Daz'ar Tae]

I posted this for last month's prop, but by the time I got done posting the story, the servers were already coming up, so I know no one got to read them. I think my timing is a bit better this morning. ;) I hope someone has the chance to enjoy the story this patch day.

[Daz'ar Tae]

Mad props to Ibn for moving this monster of a post from the AC Discussions board.