Sam wasted no time leaving his town behind for Wesland. The weather cleared outside. The cloud-filled Isdeth weather was no more, and the sun shone on Sam's face. Hours under the blazing hot sun, his skin burnt and his sweat was dripping. He gazed at the heatwave and finally saw a dot resembling a horse cart coming from behind his direction. The rhythmic pounding of hooves grew loud as the cart approached. Waving, he breathed heavily.
"Howdy! Where are you headed? " said the blonde-haired driver.
"The southeast town of Wesland, sir. My name is Samuel Gerelt", explained Sam.
"No worries, and no need for sir, we're going in the same direction, you're in luck. I am Jack Pelt, the youngest of the merchant Pelt family." Jack raised his arm, shook hands, and pulled him on his cart.
From his coffin to their reasons, they chatted on their way. Sharing meals and road stories, Sam and Jack quickly became friends.
"Tell me about Wesland," Sam asked. "My old pops run the trade around the country and towns, so I frequently visit here, but Wesland, not so much. From what I know it is said the residents of Weslan are cursed by an insatiable demon. Every year one or two people go missing. Be on high alert Sam." shared Jack.
On the dawn of the 3rd day as Jack was going to the capital Halvith, he handed Sam a map, and they parted ways.
Sam hiked the terrain south as Jack told, and he began to see the southeast savannah town of Wesland. In direct comparison to his hometown, Wesland's air was dusty and the sky was clear. With sunburnt skins, the people were clunky, with a serious gaze that shadowed a long backstory, yet could also seem to get friendly over a drink. The roofs were made with traditional art on their cones, and buildings were of sun-eaten pastel dry planks. The space in between them was exactly the same, implying the town was old. Sam entered the bar he saw first and headed to the counter. A bald middle-aged man with a beard stood.
"I am a traveler from the outside. Where do I find Ashenbrook's Manor, sir?" Sam said.
The bartender looks at Sam from top to bottom and frowns. "I am not speaking a single word until you order a drink," replied the bartender. Then he handed Sam the menu. As Sam ordered, his attitude changed and the bartender introduced himself.
"My name is Bart. Bart the Bartender. About Ashenbrook's Manor, where did you hear that name, young traveler?" Bart observed.
"It was from my uncle Gidean Fulmu–"
"Gidean, you say?" How interesting. Bart said. "You see, I don't know much of Ashenbrook's Manor, however, Gidean, I can say I know what I know."
" Please tell me about my uncle," Sam asked.
"He was a native of this town. Back in the day, people used to call him the Bullet of Wesland. He was handsome, strong, energetic, and fun to be around. Everybody envied him as he had quite the charisma with girls and he was a self-proclaimed genius." Bart chuckles.
"But, one day everything fell apart. No one knows the exact reason, however, there have been numerous speculations. The most prominent one is that he was not a human. The rumor has it that he left the town shortly after being accused of murder. It has been a while. 10. 15 years, or possibly more. Don't bring Gidean's name anywhere in this town, young traveler", Bart said in a serious tone.
"And, in this town– "
"He has passed away sir," Sam interrupts.
Bart's eyes opened wide and shouldered Sam close to his face. "Is that true?" he muttered.
"Unfortunately, yes sir, I'm looking for Ashenbrook's Manor as it is the only clue I have to find my uncle's secret," Sam said wistfully.
" Well… Find Yelena Grimroot, she knows everything in this town," Bart whispers and then takes a distance from Sam and returns to being normal.
"Now! Pay up, outsider!" Bart bellowed.
Exiting the bar, Sam had no idea where to find Yelena Grimroot. While exploring the never-ending savannah town, he asked every passing person about Ashenbrook's Manor and Yelena Grimroot. All of a sudden his pants felt lighter. He reached for his pocket for his gold pouch, it felt empty. Out of luck, Sam thought to himself he was either pickpocketed or pickpocketed. As dusk approached he was left stranded with no more than a bit of food, water, and clothes. Sam decided to sleep outside under an abandoned house to take shelter from a potential dust storm. He made his spare pants as a pillow and lay flat on the worn-down plank of the house. As he spiraled into his slumber, he started to hear gossip coming from the ground. Progressive. Getting near each time, a weird distorted voice came close as if whispering to his ears.
"ý̷͓̭O̶͙͂u̶̢̓̓ͅ'̸͉̌̂r̵̫̅̓Ē̵͍ ̷̜̟͝b̵̫̀Â̵̮̓c̴͖̳̓̎k̸͉̾͝ͅ,̶͎͖̇ ̸͕̬͗͘M̴͋ͅo̷̠͑̅u̵͕͗͊n̴̲͇͝ẗ̴̙́̔ạ̷̑i̶̩͌́ņ̵̈́̏,̵͍͒ ̴̗̙͗̌w̵̱̔Ẽ̴̘͌l̷̡̹̿C̶̗̅ô̷̢̋M̵̨̳̐̅ȇ̷̗̐ ş̷̣́o̴̥͚̻̱̠͌̾͗͐̕u̴̡̓̿͆̀ͅl̷̼̅͑̊l̸̨̝͚͆́e̵͙̘͔͊s̸̯̭͍̍͘s̶̜͖̣̮̀̄͂̕͝,̷̽" a mysterious voice snarled.
The scene transitioned. Piles of dirt were spilled on his mouth. With each pile added, Sam couldn't move his body. As dirt particles entered his eyes, nose, and mouth, Sam's breathing became almost impossible. He woke up in shock covered in cold sweats. Swiping, Sam ate one of his last breads and went outside to continue his search. Wesland's weather was the same as usual. Cloudless sky with subtle dust storms. Battling the weather for hours, Sam's vision blackened and his shoulders felt light. Resting in a shed, he looked up to the ceiling falling in deep thoughts. Crack! Pop! Shatter! Noises woke Sam from his light doze. He walked towards the noise. Quarreling and the bottles shattering intensify. "You little piece of sh*t! Thief!" a man's voice yelled. A little figure covered in a brown hood gets thrown out of a shop.
"Excuse me? Are you okay?" Sam asked. The brown hooded figure nodded. "Wait, are you familiar with the name Yelena?", he called as the girl was leaving.
The hooded girl stopped and came back to Sam. "What if yes?" she said.
Sam's eyes glistened in hope. "REALLY? I desperately need to find this person, any information is valuable," he yelled.
The mysterious hooded figure took her hood off and revealed her face. Gray straight hair, a long nose, and a wrinkled face, she was an old woman.
"I will help you find Yelena if you accompany me for the day. What do you say, young man?" The old woman said. Sam hesitantly accepted the deal.
The old woman told Sam to follow her. They paced the town and they stopped in front of a building. The old lady leads Sam to a dilapidated house with algae creeping up its blackened brick walls. This is it, Samuel. Come inside. She opened her rusted fence and walked behind Sam. However, contrary to the outside, its insides were proper. The kitchen, furniture, and guest bed were well maintained. She invites Sam to her kitchen, and she uses a stool to reach for the top of her shelf. Bringing out a couple of jars of red vegetables, she passed them to Sam.
"Open it," she said.
Sam twitches his fingers then wraps cloth around the lid and tries again. Pop! The jar bulged. The old woman's face lights up. And, eats thrice from her jar.
"Now, my turn. Can you tell me about Yelena, as promised?" Sam said.
Eating pickled veggies, her chewing slows, and she looks at Sam. She pointed her thumb to herself.
"Was it you all this time? Yelena?" Sam's eyebrows twitched, and he rushed to Yelena about her uncle's passing away, the coffin, and Ashenbrook's Manor.
"STOP!! I know I know, take it easy, Samuel," Yelena pushed him. A pouch of gold dropped from Sam's tackle. Distinguished by its leather material, the exact same pouch Sam had. An awkward radio silence ran through the room. Reaching for the poach, Yelena gently put it back in her long sleeve... Sam was infuriated and demanded it back. To respond, she made a dumbfounded expression and gave it to him whispering while saying I found it.
"Anyway-"
"Your uncle, Gidean, and I were long-time students under the same teacher. He was a bright young man with a promising future. He learned the lessons taught, in a short amount of time. While others envied his innate talents, he became my inspiration. Gidean was my friend and a competitor," she rambled. "And, one day, our teacher told us about Ashenbrook's Manor and its curse," she paused.
"Everything went downhill from there. Rumors spread about him after he went to Manor. He shortly left the town afterward. In the end, I couldn't meet with him again," Yelena murmured.
Then she puts the jar she was holding on the ground and sits on her chair. "The curse associated with Ashenbrook's Manor dates back hundreds of years ago. The manor was owned by the Ashenbrooks, a wealthy and influential family. Legend has it that Edwin Ashenbrook funded occult practices, trying to summon powers that could grant him immortality. During one of their ritualistic ceremonies, they succeeded. But everyone including the Ashenbrooks were massacred." she told.
Only a few people in Wesland currently know this. Samuel, I suggest you back down from here. You will meet no good by going there. Your uncle's rumor started after he went to the Ashenbrook's, despite my warnings. And, even its existence is now doubtable. Sam sat in a spiraling position, hearing Yelena's story without blinking. Sam's mind's decided and his resolve was sharp.
"I am going," he said. "I am going to figure out everything about my uncle."
Yelena stares at Sam's soul for a few seconds. "I understand your desire. At least spend the night here Samuel" said Yelena. Sam agreed and decided to move as dawn rose. Sitting face to face, Sam and Yelena chatted the whole night, topics ranging from old memories to funny stories of his uncle. Yelena draped a tattered blanket over Sam as he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Sam left Wesland and walked the treacherous path as Yelena taught him. Climbing mountain after mountain, the weather changed as he entered the 3rd mountain. The savannah biome with short grass now turned darker as he climbed upwards. His muscles felt weak and movement slowed. Dead trees and birds with long gray beaks started crying. "Graaag! Graag! Graag!"
Sam's skin rose and he got a tingling sensation running down his spine. Soon, the Manor, with 3 floors, on the horizon was visible. The windows were shattered, and the door had a hole from far. A graveyard was on his path. Sam found it strange how some of them were brand new while others were weathered, moss-covered, and crumbling. Sam entered the yard of the house by opening its stained black barrette fence.
"Is anybody here? Hello?" Sam shouted, biting his teeth.
He creaks open the Manor's door and enters. Incinerated, there was nothing inside the house besides the black sand-like substance on its ground. The squeaking noises of rodents came outside. Sam inspected the house from left to right and top to bottom. His eyes dilated as he looked above. Hollowness. There wasn't even a pillar. A cold shiver ran down his back, he rushed outside.
Heavy cold rain had started to fall. Thunder hit a snag nearby. Sam jolted down on his butt in surprise. The entrance planks of the house thudded under the impact. Sam's body froze in discovery on his back. The coffin was missing. Springing from the ground, Sam discovered the coffin was standing next to a tombstone in the house's graveyard. Sam gripped his hand and braved to the graveyard.
Bones sticking on the wet soil, the atmosphere emitted an ominous aura. The cool rain made his shins numb. He approaches the tombstone, takes a left turn, and squats to see the inscription plate. G. I. D. I. A. N. Ful– Sam collapsed to the ground. "Impossible," he thought to himself. His limbs trembled with fear as he recoiled back with his joints.
A warm sensation poked at his rear from the ground. Bones came from down and locked his movement. Pinned to the ground, getting crushed like a bug, he gasped for air. The sky soon became black as someone stood near Sam. From this emerged a figure draped in abyssal robes. Its face was hollow. Giving a staring of an unfeeling eye, Sam's heartbeat doubled. As the air emitted malevolent energy from the mysterious figure, Sam's body began crackling and started to shatter.
The mysterious robed figure laughs ferociously. "I see. I can grant you immortality," it intoned, its tone cold and commanding. "But in exchange, you must serve me."
A bolt of lightning hits nearby. The black figure pointed at a coffin and vanished into the air. As if nothing happened, the dire scene became peaceful. The raindrops became drizzle. Sam wiped off the dust on his clothes. Sam sniffled his nose and went to pick up the coffin. Contrary to his uncle's, Sam's was a little shorter and had a darker blue hue. On the tombstone next to it, he sees a new plaque that reads, Samuel Gerelt.
Sam's eyes widened and his eyebrows stern as he saw the carvings on his coffin. "Go to the capital Halvith," it read. His body felt ultra-light like he was floating. Inside his forearm, a marking of an animal skull appeared, similar to the one on his uncle's coffin. On his way to the town, Yelena stood next to the path with the same mark on her neck. When Sam passed, she spoke.
"The curse, yama, accepts those who bear a strong will and indirectly grants what you wish the most. You passed it. I knew you would. So did your uncle, and I. While I got the power to look into the subject's past by stealing their possession, your uncle wished from the curse to bring you into existence and found happiness in doing so. Your uncle and I learned the Epic of Yama from our teacher, who is the sole survivor of Ashenbrook's incident. Each time you bring a sacrifice to this coffin, your life is extended from 6 days to 16 years. However, once you die, your soul remains trapped in the graveyard for eternity. It seems Gidean was unable to prolong his life indefinitely, but it seems he was lucky to at least see you grow into a fine man," Yelena chuckles as Sam passes her.
"What do you want to do now, Samuel?" she asked.
Sam stopped. "You knew everything, " he spoke with a grave demeanor. And, he walked.
With the curse inbound, Samuel Gerelt left the town for the capital Halvith. The COFFINER's journey thus begins.
— 新章節待更 — 寫檢討