Fantasy Farewell to Kings: Elide’s Tale

[Jodyguru]

Bart only heard her say it’s fine. Still, he did not think it was very fine. He remembered their first encounter last night when she panicked at his wanting to light a torch. He felt as he did then, that he was in the dark. This, however, bothered him less than the current task of finding the goblin cave.

The horse rode quickly up to a big whitewashed house that was tarnished by graffiti written in manure. The graffiti said things like “gobby boyz fore eva” and “shite pigs eat shite” along with indiscernible drawings. They dismounted the horse here.

Across from the house was a field of wheat, then a pig pen and chicken coop. To the East was a farm house. That was where Bart asked Elide to investigate the theft. However, she remembered that morning when he said there were stolen livestock as well.

“I’ll talk to the property owners. Meet me back here in an hour. Okay? And if you find yourself in deep shit don’t forget to holler for help. We gotta watch each other’s backs here.”

 

[A Play On Words]

She gave him a nod and a smile before sliding off of the horse. Elide jogged towards the farmhouse, her hand already on her whip. She carefully pushed open the door and peered inside.

 

[Jodyguru]

The door was difficult to open on account of an overturned wheel barrow leaning against the door. It was awkward but after some pushing she could slip through.
There was hay scattered all over the barn. One spot was clearly used as a bathroom by the little monsters. A pitchfork was stuck in a wall like it had been spear chucked. The place was a mess, and aside from a pitchfork and wheelbarrow it was rather empty. Farm hands used a lot of tools, and here it was clear they were missing scythes, sickles, hand axes, and hammers.

An important question that immediately came to mind. How did they get in, and how did
they leave?

—————
Meanwhile, Bart had a unhelpful talk with the frantic wife of the property owner, who said the little beasts were hurling rocks and insults at her and the windows. She counted at least a dozen of them.

The owner told him that they didn’t try entering the house, and when they went into the field he came out with his rifle and shot at them a couple times. He swore he got one because he heard a howl of pain come from that direction.

 

[A Play On Words]

She grimaced at the smell. Elide pulled her mask over her nose and mouth, hoping to make the smell less intense. She began to search around, using a bit of her magic to aid her in her search. The barn was relatively small, well compared to the ones she had seen at least. Eli turned the corner in which a large bundle of hay had been hastily disturbed. She frowned and prodded the area with the tip of her shoe, finding it went through. Eli kicked the hay from the area, revealing a hole. She chuckled softly with a smirk.
"Bingo,"

 

[Jodyguru]

It was there, a hole big enough for a goblin to escape. This had to be where they got away, since the doors were stuck from the inside.

Before she left the barn, something near the shit pile caught her eye. It was a piece of torn cloth that was stained with dark purple. It didn’t match the color of the feces. Her magical attunement acted like a sort of detective method. She deduced that this was goblin blood.

——————
Bart left the house and inspected the graffiti and windows. There were nicks and chips in the glass, and the smear on the walls smelled unmistakably like manure. He started walking to the animal pen. There was one upset pig grunting and kicking the fence. The chickens were in their coop plucking their feathers out of their bodies. They were definitely agitated. The lack of eggs in the pen and the coop told him a lot about why this farm was targeted. Goblin grocery market. Five finger discount on food and new weapons.

 

[A Play On Words]

She gagged as she bent down to pick up the small fabric piece. She used her magic to encapsulate it, to avoid any chance of getting an infection. Elide then proceeded to bolt out of the barn faster than she ever thought she could. She let out a long breath, taking in the clean and fresh air.

 

[Jodyguru]

When she emerged from the barn she saw Bart across the property by the animal pen. A farmhand who noticed their arrival came out to talk to Bart. She saw a heated conversation between the two. The man pointed out towards the woods (south west) and energetically pointed again. Bart’s demeanor was calm and collected, but this man continued with his energetic rambling.

“Wolfhead? More like Fuckhead!” The man hollered loud enough for Elide to hear him. He stormed off, and Bart shot him a rude gesture as his back had turned.

 

[A Play On Words]

"He seemed...Pleasant" Elide frowned, glancing towards the man.
"What had his gears all churned?" She asked Bart, a frown on her face.

 

[Jodyguru]

Somewhere in the tiny world of this farmland, a man cannot work to support his family, because the tools he used were stolen by evil little monsters. He must now decide between going broke to buy new tools, or going broke to eat and put a roof over his head for a brief time.

Bart let out a sigh and shook it off. “He’s going through some shit probably. Speaking of which, what have you got there?” He pointed to the bloody rag she was holding.

 

[A Play On Words]

"Goblin blood found it near a very exciting pile. Next time I call dibs on doing the talking, you get to search for goblin shit-holes" She laughed, offering him the torn fabric, still smeared with the deep purple blood.

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart chuckled. “I don’t know, I had a pretty crazy chat with a freaked out house wife. My dominating appearance makes people feel safe.” He flexed his muscles without thinking about it. “Her husband told me he shot a goblin. I’m betting that’s why you got that rag.”
She tried handing it to him, but he had an idea.
“I think I know how to find the goblins. Summon your wolf and let him smell that. Wolves can track scents for miles!”

 

[A Play On Words]

"I have a dominating appearance too" She teased while summoning her wolf from the aether.
It appeared and began to bound around excited to see the two again. Elide offered out the rag and spoke to it in a different tongue. The wolf sniffed the fabric and growled before sniffing the air. The wolf's body froze, indicating it had found the scent.

 

[Jodyguru]

“Looks like he’s got it. Alright, let’s find these little bastards.” Bart put his fingers in his mouth and whistles. His mare whined and bounded towards him. He quickly got on the steed and lifted Elide up effortlessly, holding on so she could seat herself properly. The wolf took the lead, following the scent into the woods while the party followed at a decently paced gallop.

The woods made it tough to travel by horse, but the incorporeal wolf had no trouble. They kept moving forward until the wolf stopped and sat down. It let out a small howl.

Bart quickly slid off the horse and took his greatsword with him. He slowly approached the wolf. What they found was a dead creature with purple, almost black skin. It was a dead goblin.

“Must’ve bled out, so they left him here.” Bart said to nobody. He sighed and lowered his head. The trail was strong, but it seemed like they could lose it from here.

 

[A Play On Words]

Elide had been weakened by the use of her powers for this long, constructing apparitions wasn't hard, but keeping them manifested, that was the harder task. She glanced towards the dead goblin, and yawned, her words blurring together.

 

[Jodyguru]

Bard looked and saw her tipping slightly. He breathed through his nostrils.
“Let’s take a break for some lunch.”

Moving away from the dead body, on a nice patch of grass, Bart produced a couple ham sandwiches wrapped up, courtesy of the farmer’s wife. With the wolf dissipated, Elide could get her energy back with a short rest.

“so...” Bart chewed. “Any good stories?”

...

“I can tell you about the time Winter, Tess, and Other Jeff almost got eaten by giant bats. I was there and killed like, twelve of them in a row. Absolutely legendary!”

 

[A Play On Words]

She chuckled softly, "Do tell, this sounds quite exciting." Elide smiled, leaning against a tree. Her mind was still in a tired, power-weakened haze, but nothing too bad. Elide ate one of the sandwich's hungrily, her stomach growling at the sight and smell of food.

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart smiled at her and launched into his story, talking about going deep underground to kill a corrupt sorcerer. Other Jeff and Tess were a couple back then and bickered the whole trip. The party were going down a dangerous cliff side when the bats came. Winter played his songs and Tess put her hands together. The two of them cast strength and attack buffs on Bart, so when the bats attacked he managed to cleave through each of them. While telling the story it was clear that Bart loved telling the parts where he saved the day. In the end, the sorcerer got away. Magic types were slippery.

 

[A Play On Words]

She chuckled softly, enjoying the story he told passionately. She let off a quiet sigh before looking up at him. "I guess I should tell you a story of my own then,"

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart had finished his sandwich and was drinking from a flask of water. He handed it to her.
“Sure. I wanna know what you did before you decided to throw yourself in with a group of degenerates.”

 

[A Play On Words]

She took the flask and took a quick drink before raising her shaky hands towards her face. She slowly began to pull the veil from her face revealing a large scar, her eye was the dark color of the night. It bled into the scars, the darkness taking over the right side of her face. "You asked earlier...I might as well tell you" Her voice was quiet as she slowly looked up towards him.

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart’s eyes widened a little, but he wasn’t too surprised. He’d seen plenty of scars. This was something else. It was raw and emotional for her to show this to him.
“Elide... you don’t have to do this if you’re not feeling up to it. I’ll be your friend no matter what.”
Inside he was thinking about her scar, and how he wouldn’t hide such a badass thing if it was on his face.

 

[A Play On Words]

"No...I need to tell someone." She said softly tucking some hair behind her ear. "That is, if you're willing to listen,"

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart smiled and nodded. Whatever this was meant a lot to her, he could tell. He wanted her to be comfortable telling him.

 

[A Play On Words]

"Well, it all started when a young gypsy went out to dance. She was beautiful and never ceased to distract anyone who crossed her path. But she ignored them. She ignored the suitors, the guards, and anyone who asked for her hand. That was until she met him. He had heard her skill and come to watch her dance... He was amazed and cornered her afterward. After a bit of rejection, she agreed to go out with him. After that night, they were inseparable... It wasn't too far after when she realized she was pregnant. She planned on telling him, but his visits started to decrease before she never saw him. She was heartbroken but was going to raise her child on her own. And then she gave birth. A little girl, a little girl who she would do anything to protect. He had heard gossip from the town that the child had hair as white as snow, as did he. He visited her late in the night, seeing the child with his own eyes. He looked down upon the baby and decided he hated her. He sent a sword through her eye before stabbing her mother, leaving them for dead. She was shattered as she crawled to her baby. Her last words were an incantation. An incantation that shattered the barrier between the aether and the victim. It was only used in a moment of pure heartbreak, a life for a life. And she gave her own for mine..." Her voice quivered as she stared down at her hands. "My mother's sister found me close to death with a blackened scar across my face... She raised me as her own, but I had always known of the fate my mother had met. I had only asked about my father once, but it was shut down. So I researched my own... My father sits upon a throne, not knowing of his heir, the heir he tried to kill." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke, her voice was near a whisper.

 

[Jodyguru]

Bart listened to her story. The more she talked, the tighter his grip on the canteen became, until he bent the metal with his fingers.
“Elide... if that’s true...” the look on his face said something quite simple. A powerful desire to kill.
“I may go down in history as a king slayer. Because nothing to me right now matters more than marching up to that bastards door and putting a sword through both of his eyes.” He was moved, inspired even by her story. He knew their meeting wasn’t just by chance, but something ordained by forces beyond his grasp. He would give this girl the world. He would deliver justice.
“I’m sorry...” his grip loosened. The blood flowed out of him. “Sorry that happened, sorry this world was unkind to you, just... yeah.” He exhaled. This news hit him really hard.
“Are you okay?”