Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Author Topic: The Rhapsody of Tháb Cutcrows.  (Read 863 times)

Robocorn

  • Bay Watcher
  • [DOES_NOT_EXIST]
    • View Profile
The Rhapsody of Tháb Cutcrows.
« on: May 03, 2010, 10:58:57 pm »

I figured I'd write one of these to help me learn how to write good like.
It's really just an adventure mode story that I'll probably add to later if I get any inspiration.
it may not be a great story, but it's LONG.
Enjoy.


It's hard to say how long I've lived in Alliednotches. it seems like I've just been wandering around here since the day my parents abandoned me and I was left to live with Icgil. Icgil was more of a mother than my real mother had ever been. Adopting me after my parents abandoned me in the avalanche of caskets.She was nearly forty now, her deep brown eyes since lost the spark of liveliness that they had in my youth. Everything had been taken from her by the giants and her game was no exception.
With the meager quarry she pulled in every night she was barely able to keep me clothed and fed. the giants had struck down her husband shortly before she found me, her aunt and sister had been struck down later still.

I still have memories of the giant raids, how Icgil snuffed the tallow candles and his me beneath the bed in our hovel as I heard the great beasts stomping around town slaughtering my neighbors and wreaking havoc. Their deep grumbling laughter and the shrieks of their victims still haunt my nightmares.

It was on my fifteenth birthday that I had decided to begin my grand plot to avenge Icgil's losses. I had saved up some spare silver coins I had found dropped by traders seeking to gather supplies and boarding
in Alliednotches over the years and purchased for myself a backpack made from rope reeds, a fairly rare commodity in our poor village that rarely got enough rainfall to permit us living here, and a waterskin made from some poor mare from a few years back who had broken her leg and was put down to feed the Apusedast family over the winter. I filled the waterskin with what water I found after a brief rain spell in late summer of last year and filled the backpact with several strips of donkey jerkey  I had swiped from a merchant caravan some time when I was twelve, the air was too arid for anything to have happened to them anyway while they spent the better part of  three years between a crack in the wall.

The day I chose to go on my quest was near the end of the second week of spring. It was the worst kind of day the sun was beating down with such ferocity it seemed the very air was aflame. The harsh rays beat their way through the cracks in our palm frond roof. I awoke a little before noon and grabbed my newly purchased backpack. and slung it over my shoulders. The water skin, also hidden under the bed, just barely fit into the pocket of my coarse rope reed braise. Before I left, I shook Icgil's shoulder to tell her goodbye. I was well aware that
I may never return.
"Icgil? Icgil?!"
"What?..." she mumbled.
"I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate this life you've given me and I hope I make
you proud."
"Life is, in a word, death."she chuckled, obviously still groggy from her sleep.
"I just want to make sure you know, whatever happens, I'll never forget what you've done for me"
somewhat more lucid, she turns over and lifts her head, her arm length auburn hair draped over  half her face like a veil, she looks at me with a half opened eye and says in a low tone.
"when going on a long journey, give yourself to death."
before returning to sleep.

I didn't know what to think of Icgil's final bit of advice. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity  contemplating its meaning. I kissed her on the forehead and made my way out the palm wood door of our shack.

the sun beat down on my head as I trekked through Alliednotches. I needed only to find one person who knew where the giants camped before I could take my revenge.

It was the old hammerman Adu Ricgoebi that answered my pleas
"Baitmine the Suicidal Ring is a day's travel to the east."
he sneered crookedly
"In 477, the dwarf Zasit Ancientshot was struck down by the cyclops
Alod Paintsky in Baitmine the Suicidal Ring."
I didn't care for his jokes, dwarves were the stuff of legend. I had never seen a dwarf or an elf or a cyclops or a demon, and they only seemed to appear in the stories that adults told children. Giants were real, I had seen them firsthand. great lumbering monstrosities bend on chaos. Though if there was one person who would know about
monsters it was Adu, he'd scouted the area around Alliednotches for fifty five years, and carried with him a hammer with a haft as long as I was tall. I was sure there'd be something at Baitmine.

It then struck me. how was I going to kill a legendary giant? with my bare hands?
professional warriors had tried and failed. I would have to get a weapon, but I had no money. I would have to steal one.

I crept across town trying not to bring attention to myself until I found my way to "The warrior of the woods" a funny name for a weapon depot if I'd ever saw one. I snuck to the door. To my good fortune it was unlocked, additionally, the shopkeeper was absent. I looked upon the many tables on which collections of weapons sat. which one would I take?

the tables were lined with various assortments of maces and swords and axes, honed to a deadly sharpness along their bronze edges, decorated with hoof and bone and engraved with works of art. I thought of taking maybe a light blade that nobody would miss but then I saw it. A great axe as large as I was cast from bronze. on its blade was an engraving of waving fields of longland grass in horse hoof. I knew just by looking at it that with this axe, nothing could stand against me.

Creeping towards the table I hefted the axe over my shoulder and ran out of "The warrior of the woods" towards the hills of fanciness to the east of Alliednotches and my destiny in baitmine.



Alliednotches disappeared over the hills as I traveled east. I stopped sneaking at that point and assumed a more casual pace.

A day's travel didn't seem too long.

a few hours away I discover a river flowing through the hills of fanciness. separating me from my destination to the east. I know how to swim and was a pretty good swimmer in the
ponds that refill in the summers in Alliednotches, but I was worried. I had heard stories of rivers flowing under the hot sun for days on end being boiling hot and amelting the flesh off of anyone unfortunate enough to fall in.

swallowing my fear I jump in and wade through the water, It's warm but not hot enough to boil my skin away, I swim to the other side damp and somewhat cooled down from the blistering heat of the hills

it wasn't until I was facing the sun that I realized I'd been going west.
I clutched my head and screamed to the sky all of the curses I could muster and sprinted
in the opposite direction for as long as I could muster. The sky was dark by the time I made it back to the river, I decided to rest under a nearby acacia tree until the morning came.

I awoke beneath the stars and the moon. I had a quick breakfast and refilled my waterskin. I knew the sun would rise in a few hours, and that it was time to get moving. I swam across the river and met the other side soon after, it was still warm, but not nearly as much so.

 As I continue my journey I come across a road paved in a white stone. I think it may be the twinkling ways I heard about from merchants. As I walk along the road I find it to be of strange construction, with bridges to nowhere and walls that seem to block all access to the road.

I travel north and east along what a sign indicates is the road of medecine until I come to a city called Innscalded. The town seems very similar to Alliednotches, only for some reason or other everyone in this town refuses to talk to me. I choose to continue on my way from here down the road and away from the city of jerks.

I stopped where the road turned away from the path that Adu told me to follow, I traveled southeast until it got dark and camped on the banks of a brook.
I awake at sunrise and approach my ultimate destiny.

The dry hills turns into a desert as I make my journey, the palm trees replaced by cacti. I move south and see a great stone outcropping in the distance, could this be baitmine?

I change into a creep, wouldn't want to be spotted before my attack.

before me is a great stone mound, steep and round and greater than anything I've ever seen before. I grip my axe as I come up to it. The mound reeks of carrion but I see no giant. I scale the mound but find no traces of an entrance. I spend hours searching the mound for any chances to enter.

It's noon when I find the foul crack where the giants dwell. I approach with caution. Would I really be able to slay the giants? Would I just become another victim to haunt Icgil's memories. I would have to keep my resolve no giant or cyclops or demon would turn me back.

The cavern was deep and dark. every footstep I made seemed to echo on forever as I crept down the dank cave. It was hard for me to see in the darkness but I eventually found my way further down. The stone changed and then I saw it.

The cyclops that Adu had told me about. A great naked man as large as a giant with pale skin and long  twisted golden hair like a waterfall of wool. It's face was a twisted visage of rage and blasphemy, but on it's forehead was a lone eye, oh that eye I would see in my dreams. A great blue orb the size of a coconut glancing around the room trying to find the source of the tapping.

I step before it and it announces in a Grating raspy voice.
"I am Alod Paintsky the Decisive Tome!..."
I'm too petrified to question his choice of name.
"...Crusher of Ingish Furnacelulled, who regrets he was ever spat out of his mothers womb!"
I stand in awe..."
"Prepare to die!"
my heart mush have stopped beating


I run as fast as my legs can carry out of the cave, I don't have enough time to think of a way out so I sprint as fast as I can, The cyclops is slower than expected but he still keeps up, I run to the peak of the rock mound, cyclops in tow and try to get away but he heads me off at any chance he can get.

Unable to had him off I try to strike with the great axe. the monster deftly dodges and tries to bring down his meaty fist upon my head, I jump backwards to avoid the attack and he lunges forward like a charging bull. With a sick crooked grin he punches me in the chest I hear a sickening crack as pain shoots throughout my body. hot blood bubbles up through my throat and I choke on the warm sticky liquid as I cough.

While my guard is down he tackles me and I foll onto the hard rock ground. I gasp for breath like I'm drowning in my own body. He tries to grab my hand but I wrest out of his grasp. He paw around on my head looking for anything to grab on to, I swing my head frantically out of instinct to detach his hands. When I finally manage to get to my feet he punches me and I hear a sharp snap, my right arm has broken. I let out a cry of pain and the beast shoves his fat, filthy fingers into my mouth, they taste of feces and dried blood and he fastens them firmly on my back teeth.
I bite down and he squeezes my thigh in between his arm and snaps my right leg out of its socket.

As I writhe in agony he delivers blow after blow to my chest, I hear more snaps as my ribs collapse, more and more blood spill into my lungs and  it soon runs freely from my mouth, through my tear filled eyes I can see the mad eye of the cyclops, the eye of a wild animal seeking only carnage.

The cyclops releases me and I fall to the ground. He grabs my ankle in his filthy pink hand and with the last ounce of strength I have I swing my axe down onto that arm.

Hot blood sprays across my face, the grip loosens from my ankle and I hear a bloodcurdling scream of pain. Ipeer through my teary eyes to see that my axe had cleaved through the lower arm of the cyclops.

I feel its other hand pawing at my axe and I pull it away. He grabs the other arm and locks the joint I swing the axe at him and he dodges. He punches me in the leg, another bone snaps, I collapse even further, I wave the axe wildly at him in a vain attempt to prolong my miserable life and he jumps back. Clutching his bleeding arm and roaring at me he runs down the mound and retreats.

I crawl across the stone smearing blood from my shattered leg and ribs onto its surface, then I pass out.

I don't know when it is that I woke up, but it seemed to be night, I quenched my thirstwith a drink from my waterskin and ate a piece of jerky from my pack. The cyclops had really left me. I looked over across the mound. The arm lay there surrounded by a pool of blood.

I winced as I got to my feet, my leg really was broken. I needed medical attention and fast.

I limped back to Innscalded and passed out in one of the beds in the inn.


I didn't know how long I'd been out when I came to. When I stood I seemed much better than before. I still had a pretty big gash on my wrist and my hip, but otherwise I was in perfect health. What upset me was that the town leader had been peering down at me the whole night through his greasy black hair.
When I tried to ask him if I could find a doctor or a clean pool to was the blood off in he
tersely stated
"Don't talk to me."
his impoliteness bothered me, but even more importantly, that was not the lair of the giants that had killed Icgil's family, Alod Paintsky the Decisive Tome was surely a fearsome foe, but he was not among the giants I as looking for.

I could return to finish him off whenever I liked,
"he's already been disarmed."
I thought, laughing at my own terrible pun.

The battle had only hardened my resolve to fight the giants, but first I had to cleanse myself of Alod Pantsky's blood. Perhaps there was a baptismal pool in the temple in Innscalded.

I made my way out of the inn looking over my shoulder I could still see that greasy warlord eying me.

when I made my way to the temple, I found that there was no baptismal pool to speak of, additionally, the lone priest occupying the temple refused to speak to me as well.

With no further business in Innscaleded I made my way home on the road through the Hills of fanciness.

I traveled home down the road of medicine and found few hardships on my way. It wasn't long before I arrived back home at Alliednotches.

I made my way straight to the hovel where Icgil lived and opened the old palm wood door where there were still notches of my height from when I was growing up. Icgil was sitting at the table eating cow sweetbread. I  tried to greet her but the only response I got was a glare and the stern statement.
"Don't talk to me"
"but Icgil!"
"Don't talk to me"
"but wh--"
"Don't talk to me"

I was practically in tears, Icgil, my surrogate mother, the only one who I was sure I could trust, glaring at me like I was some sort of criminal, glaring at my axe.

My axe.

They knew, somehow they knew. There were no witnesses, nobody saw me take it, somehow they knew. The warlord in Innscalded, he knew too. They all knew. I had to do something, anything, to clear my name. I'd return the axe, If they needed to pay for repairs I'd work as their servant.

I ran back to the weapon shop and put the axe on the table. The cyclops hadn't damaged it that much I ran back to Icgil to tell her the news, that I would make amends, that I would try to make reparations for my crime, that I wasn't a criminal.
"Don't talk to me"

Those word from her hurt worse than the blows from the cyclops. I ran, there was nothing left in my life to live for.

I run to the temple of the death god and look down into the inner sanctum a few floors below. I fling myself from the edge, with Icgils final conversation with me ringing in my head.
"when going on a long journey, give yourself to death."

I jump off of the edge and for a moment it seems like the end is near. The ground zooms toward me and. It all goes blurry.

I regain perception a few seconds later to find myself lying on top of a woman.

Her hair is in a veritable pool of dark brown mixed with streaks of grey and her brown eyes are the very picture of fury.

she pushes me off of her with extreme prejudice and when I offer to apologize she gives me the same cold shoulder I have been receiving everywhere for the last few days.

I was unharmed, a curious thing in itself. There is something unreal about the failed suicide. It seemed as though my fears and sorrows were replaced by the relief that I would continue living in spite of my attempts. I gave myself to death and death sent me back.

A strange thought entered my mind. If my whole life had been destroyed for the sake of that axe, then what else did I have to live for except that blade. To live and die by what I could kill. The axe was my life now and there would be no turning back.

I rose from the smooth stone floor of the temple and ran up the two levels to the spot where I had tried to end my life only moments ago. I ran past the houses of the town of Alliednotches that had abandoned me just like my parents had  fifteen years ago. I ran past the house where the only person who'd ever cared for me had turned her back on me. I ran to my axe.

The weapon shop was still without a trader. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, the axe was mine, it had my blood on it. I slung the great weapon over me  left shoulder and made my way out of Alliednotches, never to return again.

I went west, I had heard stories, squads going out here and never returning. I would kill the giants as it had been my mission from the very beginning. My mind was a storm and my axe hungered for blood.

It wasn't long before I found the cave. It seemed as though abominable beasts were attracted to them. A great monothith encrusted in filth. Great pools of liquor spread across the perimeter surrounded by prepared food and bits of tacky rubbish probably stolen from some terrible shop.

I would not waste this opportunity.

I took one last swig of my waterskin and filled it from a clear pool of wine. I fill my pack with various discarded comestibles. If anything, at least I wouldn't starve.

It began to rain when I found the entrance to the cave, a good omen. It seldom rains in this part of the world. The gods were showing promise in my conflict against these beasts.

I crept down just as I had done with the cyclops, these giants weren't nearly as fastidious as Alod Paintsky had been. Booze and food was strewn about everywhere on the dank stone floors. Every footstep I took splashed or squashed echoing throughout the tunnel. I didn't care if they knew I was coming, I was looking for a fight.

A voice cried out further down the cavern; a female voice, but not one of human origin.
"I am Immast searchflew the Power of Champions"
"Strangler of Wimad Suitorpolish, who sought my praise, only to be rejected in death!"
"Prepare to die!"

I remembered it as the same spiel the cyclops had given me. I was well prepared for her attack anyhow, and was more than prepared to die if it should come to that. I had to squint through the darkness to get a good look at her. A great naked woman, plump and ugly. Her great mane of amber hair blew back like an ocean wave and her enormous breasts swayed from side to side as she charged headlong towards me, hatred in her eyes.

I ready my axe and strike her in the side letting flow a river of giant blood. Enraged, she charges at me, I'm to quick for her and jump out of the way, her size is no asset in the cramped tunnel. She charges again, and I jump out of the way, causing her to hit the wall, her great rolls of fat jiggling from the impact.

I underestimated her agility, she turned around quickly and grabbed my foot with her meaty paw. I had learned my lesson from the cyclops, I slam the pommel of my axe against the side of her leg with the greatest force I can muster and a great crack echoes throughout the cavern. She lets out a terrible scream as her leg bone buckles under the stress of supporting her weight.

as she was distracted by the pain I readied my axe, summoning all the rage I could muster I cried out in fury and cleft the beast's neck. The beast's screams were silenced and replaced by a great fountain of blood as its head fell to the floor.

There I stood, breathing heavily, up to my shins in blood. Thab CutCrows:Giant Slayer.

I looked down at the disembodied head before me. It's expression was a twisted death mask of agony. I lifted my prize and held it under my arm. That couldn't be the only giant. There were more, more to feed my blade.

I crept through the blood drenched cavern with the head under my arm. My way become more and more cluttered with useless garbage, I collected a few bits of bone jewelery from the filthy floor. I could maybe get a bite to eat for the worth of them together.

I begin to collect the bits of jewelery. They are consistently made of the bones of livestock, but their quality of work seemed to have improved as I went down. As I stepped down to claim a ring a strange pale creature jumped out at me.

My axe drank deeply of its flesh. Each blow severing a limb as the apelike creature shrieked in agony. I deliered blow after painful blow until there was only silence.

I saw figures carved of fell creatures, blood spattered trinkets from times long ago, ornamentation carved from bone. I took them all as I delved deeper into the cave.

I was spotted.

I voice boomed in the distance.
"I am Äkim Yellgoal the Brilliant Jewels!"
"Murderer of Ekul Patternedroads, holy urn of the order of burials, who lies dead, now only an embarassing memory."
"Prepare to die"
I briefly mused on the irony of killing someone who's lot in life was proclaiming the glory of death, but my attention was taken by the great squat humanlike creature that stood before me. Though she was undoubtably gargantuan, her proportions would show her to be very small. Her battered head was patched with long lengths of hair that fell limply over her twisted visage. crooked teeth shone a sick smile across her face as she prepared to attack me.

I lobbed the first giantess's head at the leering abomination, she jumped out of the way but I could have sworn I'd heard a loud yelp before the head hit the ground.

The brute grabbed me by the throat with her reeking fingers and lifted me off of the ground. Swung my hungry blade into the side of her leg and released a gushing river of blood. Her leg spasmed and she fell to her knees. Enraged, she put me in a choke hold and began trying to squeeze the life from me. I swung my axe wildly, unable to see where I was swinging and too frantic to care. I knew I'd hit her though, when the blade sunk slowly and came back with the red nectar of life on its lips. Outside my field of vision some  creature began battering my dangling legs with blows.

I swing my axe haphazardly as my life is strangled from me. The blade tore great holes in her skin and flesh but still I could not breathe. It was at the edge of death that the creature that had been buffeting my helpless body with blows made the choice to charge headlong into me, knocking me to the ground.

I saw the rage in the giantess's eyes as she looked down at me and strangled the life from me with her bare hands. The feral glee to be participating in slaughter. As my vision faded, I swung more and more wildly, I could not escape her grasp. In the darkest moment, my axe fell through the side of her great leg, hitting the bone and unleashing a waterfall of blood onto the floor. The giantess's grip on my neck loosened as she fell out of conciousness and lost life herself. She fell to the floor, pale and blood soaked,covered with the myriad wounds I had dealt to her in the previous battle.

I received a punch to the head bringing me back into focus.

It was one of those cave dwellers, some cruel parody of man, who had beaten me as the giant restrained me. With a fresh breath of air in my lungs I bisected her with a single blow from my blood soaked axe.

I gasp for breath, and make my way to the exit of the cave, gasping for breath every few steps. I was at my limit when I had made it to the top of the monolith. I fell down with my axe and consciousness faded away.

When I awoke the stars were out and I was prepared for another bout with the giants. I took a swig of the wine I kept in my waterskin and slung my bloody blade over my shoulder once again. The giants would die. All of them.

I met another giantess. Emepe Famousbold the Brave Torch.
This was the one, the one who'd killed Icgil's aunt. She would taste my fury.
I stood my ground as the brute stumbled towards me. I Drove the head of my axe deep into her shin where it unleashed a torrent of blood and became lodged in the bone, the  giantess tried to grab me as I dislodged the axe but I slash her sideways into the ribs spilling more of her sticky blood.

The beast let out a great roar of pain and lumbered towards me. Before I could dodge she shoved her fist square into my groin, crushing both of my testicles. I let out a  gasp of pain and tears filled the corners of my eyes. She tackled me to the ground and grabbed my foot to prevent my escape. With the force of a great beast mad with power she punched me in the left shoulder, shattering the bone and forcing a chunk through the flesh. I winced through the pain and swung my axe down on the arm holding my foot with as much force as my broken arm could manage.

It flew off in a bloody arc.

The giantess became pale as her blood spills onto the cave floor, she hit my other arm with her remaining meaty fist, shattering the bone there as well. I was barely able to lift my axe as I hacked into her breast but at that moment she let her grasp of my foot grow limp. As I let down my axe the my arms collapsed on the shattered bones they resten on and as  the pain of one thousand needles shot through my spine, I passed out. When I came to I was in unimaginable pain, but I noticed the bled out corpse of Emepe.

I took a drink of wine as I left the cave to rest and heal my wounds. The next time would be the last time I went to that cave.

The cave was as I had left it. Emepe Famoubold was where I struck her down. Immast Searchflew lay headless a few cave levels downward. A lone troglodyte had the misfortune of encountering me and lost his arm and leg beofre losing his life.

When I had reached the cavern where I smote Äkim Yellgoal. I was challenged by another giantess. Perfect. This giantess was called Asàs Sterncall the Sweet taker. She was great and gaunt and glared at me fish eyed through the spaces where her hair did not fall over her face.

I hacked away at the beast with every ounce of strength I had. She punched me in the stomach and I vomited, but nothing held back my rage. I struck her in the leg, a bone cracked, blood flowed. I vomited. I swung the axe, it slashed her in the side, blood flowed. I hacked her in the leg, bones cracked, blood flowed, I vomited. she fell I raised my axe over my had and drove it into her heart, blood spilled. I vomited. She was dead.

I heaved what was left of what I had eaten onto the stone floor. I wasn't coming back, so I had to look and see if any more giants hid within this blemish on the face of Aluonra.

I creep down the cavern, spewing  my lunch onto its filthy surface. The value of the trinkets grew as I went down, cut gems and handicrafts of high quality lay in the dirt before me, I would pick them up later, I had a mission.

So deep in Aluonra that it was a perpetual night of darkness I was met with a booming voice.
"I am Aran Drivenut the Swift Right!"
"prepare to die."

A great pale hulking form with drapes of golden hair over his enormous body he charged at me from across the cave. I dodged his clumsy assault with ease. As he was off guard I brought my axe down on the back of his skull with the force of a thunderbolt. A bit of the skull shattered and the beast was stunned. I struck the crippled beast with my axe, sinking the blade deep into its thigh embedding my weapon in its leg. I was struck from behind.

Troglodytes!

I saw the grotesque creatures crying in anger. I pushed the beast back with my free hand. Using all of my strength I ripped the axe from the giant's flesh, and struck down with all my might on his shoulder, shattering the bones as his sister Emepe had done to me. The giant fell to the cave floor in pain. I swung my axe sidelong into his arm, shattering his great arm with a sickening snap, splattering blood across the floor. In pain the beast collapsed. As I began to prepare the finishing blow I was struck on the back of my head.

That wasn't happening again.

With a single swing of my mighty blade I separated the insufferable wretch from his ugly head. The part flew across the cave in an arc, spraying foul blood from its open throat as it flew.

Free of distraction, I brought the blood drinking blade down upon the unconscious giant with incomparable fury, each blow painting my flesh red with his blood. Waves of ecstasy came over me as the crimson waves emptied from his body onto my flesh. Each blow redoubled my pleasure until Aran's corpse lay  dead on the cavern floor surrounded by a sticky red pool.
In my mind I forgot about my mission, Icgil, redemption, Alliednotches, this was the reason I was here. Blood. I knelt down in the pool and cupped the blood into my mouth, savoring each syrupy gulp of the essence of battle until I could hold no more.

Victory was sweet.

The cave ended there. Below it was some laberynthine subterranean river. There was a cool wind blowing through these massive caverns that seemed to howl. Threatening me, filling me with some strange fear that I was no more safe from harm than when I was as a child in Alliednotches hiding under my bed.

I looked into the black waters, they seemed to hold all of my fears. I had slain the giants. There was nothing more for me to do for Icgil and Alliednotches. This was my new baptism. I would step into these dark waters of the unknown and be cleansed of my cheerful past, of childhood, of Alliednotches, of Icgil.

I waded into the dark waters, the blood washed from my flesh as I opened my eyes to stare at the unending oblivion before me. It stared back, questioning my motives, reveling in my doubts and fears. I remembered the warm autumn afternoons when I plucked the seeds from the acacia trees and ate them, the nights when Icgil would let me into her bed when I heard a sound that frightened me, the stories I heard from Icgil, the descriptions of my parents. I let it go.

I emerged from the water with only my axe and what I carried on my back. I had no home and no belongings, I spied a bone ring on the ledge. I picked it up and my last appointment returned to my memory.

There's a one armed cyclops somewhere who misses me.