You managed to get your new friend in touch with the Bursar. His being able to read and write in an out-of-the-way town like this would come in very useful, and you knew that it would get him some good coin in the few days of peace he was able to have. He thanks you profusely for aiding him in his search for work; his chipper mood was infectious, but there were occasions when you caught his eyes grow distant, and a deep sorrow seemed to rise to the surface. Just as you wished to ask if he was ok, the cheerful facade would return, and the day would continue. A full day and a half had passed since you left the stranger to his work, when armoured strangers arrived at the farmstead. They never stated who they were, but they carried themselves as if absolute authority was their birth-given right. They questioned everyone on the farm about the beast that had been tormenting the region. About the local lands and hunting trails. And, about any new strangers in town. You made your way to the Bursar's office as soon as you were able...

You find the chance to finally leave the village and meet with the creature in the aforementioned place. Making your reasons to venture back into the mountains, your family is cautious, fearful you will be retaken from them, but you assure them they will be careful and you will return that evening. Being careful to ensure you are not followed, you hastily make your way to the old tree by the creek. However, when you arrive, there is no sign of the creature. It is unlike him to not keep his word. As you wait to see if he arrives, fear creeps into your mind. You try to still your nerves, as you know that if something had happened, there is not much you could do to aid him. Time passes slowly, and just as you get up to return to the village, you hear a rustle in the brush... 

Civilisation finally comes into view. What started as a mild fever has escalated over the past few hours. As a result, when Sally strolls into town, the stranger takes you straight to the doctor. You are not sure how long you are in there. The doctor opens and cleans the wound. Treats it, and then restitches you back up. He warns you that you will likely have a scar, but you arrived before any lasting damage was done. Afterwards, he gives you some kind of sedative and lays you up in one of his back rooms. By the time the stranger comes to call for you, it is late morning, the following day...

Your history is a blur of memories and unknowns. The last thing you recall is that you were accused by the Pharaoh's advisers and sentenced to death, though you don't fully remember the manner in which you were put to death. Sweet oblivion consumed you. What unnerves you is that death was not the end. You recall your soul being judged, the underworld gates opening before you, and the fear that filled your soul. Then this. a return of consciousness. The body's urge to breathe. Stiff muscles and joints, and yet a numbness, as if your limbs were not fully your own. Cast around you are flame torches and candles. Ruins of a temple that once was. And a man, dressed in unusual clothing and of an ethnicity that you are unfamiliar with. However, as you raise yourself, joints and muscles creaking and tearing alarmingly, the man gazes up at you with tears of joy in his eyes...

It is the morning after you left the man far in the forest, accompanied only by the goats that you purchased the day before. Sleep did not come easily, and you found yourself waking often. You felt fear, but you were unsure whether it was for Rickard, whether your plan would work, or if it was cause you knew the creature that he became could return at any minute to the village. As dawn breaks, you are quick to rise despite your sleep deprivation. You quickly attend to your morning tasks and head out to try and find your new acquaintance. Your anxiety rises as you see several spatterings of blood on your way to where you left the man. Off to your left is a rustle amongst the trees. Your heart shoots into your throat, and you steadily make your way closer...

The lord of the land tells you that the devil of the skies has been plaguing the area for months now, feasting on entire farmsteads and decimating local villages. However, you suspect that to be extremely exaggerated. You have heard from local travellers that the only targets have been merchant and slaver caravans. Rumour had it that one of the caravans was carrying riches intended for this same lord, and as a result, the lord took a sudden interest in the plights of the village folk. As you scale the mountain, you notice no change in the local wildlife, which surprises you. After this long in the area, you would have expected most of the fauna to have migrated away. This unusual behaviour does not detract you however, and you soon come across the beast's lair. It is not difficult to find. Pilfered riches spilling out from the entrance. You draw your blade and make your way inside. However, what you find comes as a complete surprise. Expecting to see the dragon laid atop it's bed of gold, instead you find a handsome man sat by a fire in amongst the piles of treasure...

It has been a long time since you have seen the creature. After your prolonged absence from the village, a mob was formed under the assumption that you had been kidnapped and killed by the monster in the mountains. They discovered the cave where you resided. They were amazed to find you alive, but would not listen to your story. Insisting that you had been kidnapped and brainwashed. The mob ransacked and burnt everything they could find in the cave and forced you to return to your home in the village. You assumed you would never see the creature again, until one stormy night...

You have been riding all day, and a fair way into the night. Your muscles ache with stiffness and riding fatigue. You wonder how the Stranger does it so easily. Perhaps purely through practice... perhaps because he is on an actual saddle whilst you are relegated to the rolling muscles of Sally's rump. The hours drag on. Surprisingly, the charismatic stranger has been near-silent for the whole journey. You are unsure why, but you are thankful for it. The wound on your leg aches, and the events of the past week have fatigued you beyond anything you have experienced before. It is late into the night when the Stranger rouses you from the rolling doze you are in...

As the day progresses, you take the stranger into the centre of the village where market day is in full swing. The hustle and bustle of life masks the fear that lurks beneath the surface of the village folk. yet despite the fear, market day has always been a more joyous occurrence. Being the central-most village among a variety of other smaller holds and farmsteads means that market day is the one time that old friends and distant family get to meet up and reconnect.

Your consciousness sits in the void. Echoes of half-remembered memories that are not your own, cascade themselves across the edge of your awareness. With a jolt you are instantly dragged into existence, but as quickly as it comes, it is taken from you. Another jolt and a flash of light. Again, a fleeting glimpse of life before you are pulled back into the void. Another, and you feel the painful tingle of electricity ripple through unfamiliar parts of your anatomy. Alien sensation of being in a fleshy prison that is not your own. Your senses slowly come under your control. First, touch, the sensation of the bitterly cold air across your skin. You feel it's presence, but not it's biting chill. Then sound reverberates through your skull. Taste comes next, though the dryness of your mouth heavily mutes all flavours apart from dust. As soon as the taste is present, your sense of smell is filled with the fragrances of metal, oil, slightly off meat, and burnt hair and flesh. Finally, your sight becomes your own, and the blurring lights focus on the man stood before you...

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