Tears of the Chimeras

[Orionis]

The first tendrils of dawn caressed the remote village of Kalinos, casting a pale light upon its hushed roads. Dimitris stood at the edge of his family's farm, gazing out over the fields that once flourished with life. But now, they lay abandoned, the crops withering, and the livestock gone. A bitter ache clenched his heart as he took in the desolation, a tangible testament to the curse that had befallen their home.

He turned his gaze toward the village center, his breath catching in his throat. The once vibrant square, adorned with colorful stalls and bustling with laughter and warmth, now resembled a ghostly tableau frozen in time. Houses stood abandoned, their doors ajar, as if desperately attempting to escape the horrors that had befallen them. The eerie silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the distant, mournful wind. As Dimitris approached, the sight before him sent a shiver down his spine. The villagers, once his friends, neighbors, and kin, had become unrecognizable. Their bodies convulsed and twisted, contorting into grotesque forms, each morphing into a nightmarish representation of mythical creatures from the annals of legend. Wings sprouted where arms once were, scales adorned once smooth skin, and claws replaced gentle hands. The air resonated with their anguished cries, a cacophony of pain and despair that echoed through the empty streets.

Dimitris's eyes stung with tears, the reality of their plight sinking deep into his soul. He clutched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, his nails drawing blood from his palms. Each transformation he witnessed felt like a searing blade through his heart. The curse had claimed even his family; Dimitris's little sister Lyra, once gentle and kind, now had the wings of a harpy sprouting from her back. Her beautiful voice had been reduced to a mournful screech. His father, once a strong and sturdy man, had been reduced to a hulking minotaur, his eyes filled with confusion and despair.

The burden of responsibility weighed heavily on Dimitris. With each passing day, the village's population dwindled. Families were torn apart, their bonds severed by the curse's cruel touch. Those remaining struggled to care for one another, to find solace in their collective suffering. It was a race against time-- a desperate battle to uncover the cause of the curse and find a way to reverse it before they succumbed to the monstrous fate that awaited them.

Amidst the horror and despair, there was a flicker of hope in Dimitris's eyes. They were still alive for the time being. There had to be something he could do. "I will find a way," he whispered. "I swear it." As he took a step forward, the weight of the world upon his shoulders, the village whispered its desperate plea, urging him to seek answers and find redemption.

 

[Fetzen]

The first winds could be felt grazing along Morvayn's skin, the chill they carried trying to bite through the thick, protective layer and cause nothing but discomfort. The night had come, but not the fear. Morvayn had left the latter behind in the village as he had gone for the forests and their wild game once more. There were still people alive, still proper stomachs to be filled with fresh food. The need for meat had actually increased since there were fewer and fewer people left to do the field work and take care of the crops. At least the plants seemed to be completely unaffected by whatever was happening.

Said 'whatever', Morvayn deduced, was highly unlikely to be some sort of poison or classic disease. Albeit he was not really a mage, his mind had already started to revolve around the possibility of this whole affair being some sort of curse. If so however, then who had spelled it ? Was there some 'anyone' even, or was this a case of an extremely rare, but natural conglomeration of circumstances ? Maybe even the villagers had accidentally built their dwelling places on top of some nasty ancient ruins and now someone had inadvertantly ploughed up something!

At times, Morvayn felt quite happy that he was not so much related to the inhabitants of Kalinos as, well, its inhabitants. He was the stranger without family affairs, but would the curse really care ? What if he'd go to bed this night and wake up as a giant gargoyle ? If forced to remain stationary, then not waking up at all anymore probably was the preferable outcome. Another part of the fear he had left upon leaving, and he was forced to pick all of it up again upon returning. Maybe limiting his stay to the bare minimum and camping in the forest would protect him or at least give him the illusion of protection ?

No! That would be running away from the problem. Maybe the solution was quite simply and one just had to have the right idea and find it.

It was this kind of hope that kept Morvayn going on. He had returned with as much as he had been able to hunt down in the early mornings for the last week and given himself a rather nocturnal day-night-rhythm by this, and so he would do this night, too. He was a man really hard to overlook or even just overhear, each of his steps sounding more like a stomp and the one or two dead animals flung over his shoulder giving him an eerie, inhuman silhouette against what little light remained above the horizon.

Morvayn gave a gentle nod towards Dimitris, not knowing whether the other man would actually be able to see the little gesture. Another one who apparently had something left that kept him going, another poor soul wanting answers. Maybe they should join forces, Morvayn thought.

 

[Orionis]

Dimitris watched as Morvayn approached, a towering figure in the fading light of the day. The wind carried a chill that seeped into his bones, amplifying the sense of unease that already hung heavy in the air. He had seen Morvayn before, the lone hunter who braved the forests to sustain the remaining villagers. There was an air of resilience about him, a determination to survive amidst the chaos.

Dimitris had been tirelessly scouring the village's records, delving into the ancient tales and lore surrounding their remote world corner. His nights were consumed with research, seeking clues hidden within the texts that might shed light on the origins of the curse. His days were spent witnessing the ever-escalating transformations, the sight of his loved ones contorting into monstrous forms etching deeply into his soul.

As he watched Morvayn sling the carcasses of his hunt over his broad shoulder, Dimitris felt a flicker of hope reignite within him. There was strength in numbers, in unity against a common enemy. He approached Morvayn, his voice steady but tinged with the weariness of countless sleepless nights as he called out to him. "Our numbers dwindle with each passing day." He sighed, running a hand through unkempt hair. "The other villagers are, well... Not equipped to handle this situation. I am not equipped to handle this situation; at least, not alone."

While he spoke, a turned villager whose eyes had melded into one screeched and ran toward the pair. Dimitris grimaced, easily dodging their attack. He couldn't recognize them anymore. "The closest temple is about a fortnight's ride away. It's to Apollôn, whose priests are more experienced with curses and illness. I doubt I can leave the village for long, but I have no choice." He spoke in a rushed, jittery tone, feeling the desperation rise like bile in his throat.

 

[Fetzen]

Morvayn stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Dimitris walking towards him. It came a little unexpected, but not unwelcome. Ordinary people to talk to had become a little scarce in this village to put it very euphemistically. The dead animal he had hunted down still hung over his shoulder as just dumping it onto the ground would just have attached more dirt to eat he'd have to wash away later. It wasn't like his arm was in any danger of tiring soon anyway. He saw the screeching villager approaching and, for a moment, considered just trying to grab the man and holding him in place. What kind of good thing would that have done though ? Killing was out of the question even though it probably would have made things safer for those not turned yet, but he... he just couldn't do it. Not as long as there was any hope of reversing the ill effect.

And hope was the thing Dimitris still seemed to harbor as he started talking about the temple of Apollôn. "A fortnight's ride away, you say ?" Morvayn replied, already arching his eyebrows greatly. "You mean two or so if you consider me accompanying you." Morvayn had no illusions, his relationship to moving around on horseback just had to be fairly common knowledge by this point. "Given that there are still mouths to be fed, I wouldn't be able to leave for long either unless we want people to starve, but maybe those priests can help indeed. However..." The giant frowned and his voice saddened noticeably. "... it isn't like I had ever heard any of them talking about anything like this. I am not originally from this place as you know."

He had not been to the temple in person yet however, so he deemed that there still was a chance that those taking care of it had more knowledge to share. "When do you plan to leave ? I have to eviscerate this animal first, but after that..." He stopped briefly, thinking. "I don't think I'll be in need for much sleep anytime soon, so we could head out after that right away." Being a seasoned hunter definitely had its perks in terms of traveling. Anybody who knew Morvayn and his little hut knew that he did not have that much stuff around to care about in the first place, and what he had was arranged tidily so everything could be found and grabbed efficiently. "Just tell me, though I have to admit I'd be open for leaving rather sooner than later."

 

[Orionis]

Morvayn's response elicited a faint smile from Dimitris, momentarily lifting the heavy burden that weighed upon him. "Perhaps a prayer to Hermês for his winged boots or Arês for his warhorse would serve us well," he replied, his words carrying a touch of jest. In truth, the stable held several horses whose owners had succumbed to the curse, including a majestic black Shire capable of bearing even a man of Morvayn's stature. Dimitris reasoned that they wouldn't mind if their steeds were put to use for the sake of their beleaguered village.

His horse, a chestnut Andravida named Calix, grazed peacefully from a nearby trough. Once a stalwart cavalry mount, Calix seemed unfazed by the chaotic transformation that gripped the villagers. A few weeks prior, when one of the afflicted had attempted to attack the steed, they had been met with a swift and powerful hoof to the face.

As Morvayn voiced his apprehensions about leaving the village unattended, Dimitris bowed his head in agreement. "You speak true words, my friend," he said. "With each passing day, our numbers dwindle, and the tasks of hunting and foraging fall upon fewer and fewer capable shoulders. It would be prudent to hunt in excess and smoke the meat, ensuring that our people have sustenance during our absence."

Dimitris cast a discerning gaze at the lifeless creature slung over Morvayn's sturdy shoulder, his brows furrowing in contemplation. "Although this kill would provide some respite, it would not be enough to sustain the entire village for long," he conceded, a tinge of regret coloring his voice. The scarcity of able-bodied individuals had forced their neighbors to retreat into their homes, venturing out solely to scavenge for essential provisions.

 

[Fetzen]

Morvayn's eyes parted from Dimitris and looked sideways upwards into the increasingly dark skies as if there would be anything interesting to watch, but in reality -- and everybody having some sort of idea about the giant man knew that -- this was what he often when thinking intensively about something. In this case he tried to remember the contents of his food chamber and how much dried meat was in there.

"Hmmm. I think I have some food in storage that could extend the amount of time we have before at least I must return. We should consider that the quicker we go, the more people we might safe from whatever this is in case we find a cure for it. However..." and now a subtle grin appeared on Morvayn's face. "Would you be up to a hunt ? Right now even, maybe ?"

Hunting alone definitely had its perks for one made less noise and there was less danger of other people with less experience screwing up and alerting all the animals around, but it also certainly had its drawbacks with loneliness just one of the more important ones. He did not know whether Dimitris had any experience, but he doubted it. Did that matter as long as there was any chance of speeding things up ? Probably not!

"I doubt there's any lack of horses for us to choose from. If we take one as pack animal, we can hunt more before having to return. And if we take some for ourselves we might be in the forest quicker. What do you think ?" At that point Morvayn remembered the other man's words about Hermês and Arês and their respective means of travel and raised his hands apologetically. "Yes, I know, I have a bad reputation, but I will try not to repeat my own past and take at least two for myself. How does that sound ?"

 

[Orionis]

"Indeed, a hunt would serve us well," Dimitris replied, his voice brimming with eagerness. "Together, we can increase our chances of success and gather ample provisions to sustain us during our expedition. And as for the horses, you are right. There should be no shortage of options, considering the unfortunate circumstances." The prospect of a hunt enlivened Dimitris, for he understood its potential to yield a larger bounty, both in sustenance and time saved. The question of Dimitris's own experience in hunting crossed his mind, but he swiftly dismissed it, recognizing that their shared goal far outweighed any concerns of individual prowess.

Dimitris contemplated the idea of using one of the horses as a pack animal, recognizing the practicality it would bring to their endeavor. "A pack animal would be wise," he concurred, nodding in agreement. "With its aid, we can carry more supplies and prolong our stay in the wilderness. As for our own mounts, it is only sensible that we each have a horse for swiftness and ease of travel. As long as you're gentle with that Shire over there, she'll treat you kindly."

His heart sank at the sound of his sister's screaming cut through the fog, disturbing the rare moment of peace they had stolen. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. Dimitris looked away, blinking rapidly. "Let's go," he muttered, exhaustion etched upon his darkened face. He didn't know how much time they had, or if the victims even knew what had happened to them. Would they get worse over time? Would they forget themselves entirely one day and succumb to their new monstrous natures? He pressed his forehead into his horse's neck, steadying himself. It was no use to worry about the what-ifs.

 

[Fetzen]

Morvayn was slightly bewildered by the gesture Dimitris made. Was this sort of a way to establish a deeper bond between oneself and a horse he had not figured out himself yet ? Or was this an attempt to share the burden of the bleak prospect they both had to carry ? The hunter decided not to disturb his companion, but prepared the pack animal and the shire instead. It seemed the latter had been primarily used for pulling the plough or trees from the adjacent woods and not for riding, or he just was too dumb to find the saddle fitting its broad back. Ultimately, Morvayn decided to go with a large blanket. He was no newcomer to riding bareback and should he fall off, he put great trust in his own sturdiness.

Dimitris would be able to hear the shire grunt as Morvayn pushed himself onto its back. Even on top of such a large beast, he himself appeared quite huge still. He had to duck in order not to get his head rammed against the stable's ceiling on their way out, holding the reigns of the pack animal in hand to guide it along their path. The hunter decided to go ahead slowly so in order to prevent premature exhaustion, also he didn't know just how well Dimitris would fare once in the wilderness. "Tell me when I'm going too fast for comfort." he explained, then turned in order to ride straight across the fields. It would have been an outrageous action under normal circumstances, but given the current state of the village, Morvayn had no doubt that there wouldn't be a single peasant complaining about them ruining some of their plants. Unfortunately, one might add...

The woods always made the overall situation look just a little more dark for they absorbed both sun- and moonlight. The shire was breathing heavily by now, but the main reason for Morvayn to slow down further was to reduce the amount of noise they made. "We might have to proceed on foot soon." he said lowly, turning his head so Dimitris would have an easier time understanding him. "Stay with me. Not all animals are harmless in this forest." It was fair to say that he himself was not looking forward towards a fight with a wild boar, but that could usually be avoided if one was a bit careful. "Are you good at handling a bow ?"

 

[Orionis]

Dimitris winced as they rode across the dying fields but could not argue; neither he nor the remaining townsfolk were farmers. As they rode, the sun rose above their heads, bathing the land in its heat. Beads of sweat formed on his brow, and Dimitris was relieved to ride into the forest, the shade from the trees overhead cooling his skin. The Shire held Morvayn well, but it became clear that it was unused to carrying such weight in the time it had spent cooped up in the stable—poor thing. We'll get her back into shape in no time, at least.

He slid off his horse easily, patting her flank as he turned to Morvayn. "Good enough to kill and not let the animals suffer, I suppose," he responded as he drew his composite bow. It had been his father's bow, who had gifted it to him during his coming-of-age ceremony. A good aim was important, but so was stealth. That, he excelled in.

It was kind of Morvayn to warn him of the animals in the forest, if not a little short-sighted. These woods aren't- "Oh," he sighed, rubbing his eyes in irritation. Somehow he'd forgotten that half of the transformed townsfolk had sprinted off into this neck of the woods, a blunder that likely would've gotten him killed. Morvayn, on the other hand, seemed like he could take on half a fleet at once. Dimitris nodded and followed his lead.

The two managed to down two bucks and a boar when a strange sound tore through the air. It was an inhuman scream that caused Dimitris to clap his hands to his ears and kneel on the ground in pain, his bow clattering off into a nearby bush. As he did, he realized he was the source of the noise. The world seemed far away, his eyes fixed on one spot in the clearing before him.

"Lyra," he sobbed. Nothing felt real. The world around him assaulted his senses; everything was too loud, too bright, too sharp. Reality cut through him like a knife as he met his sister's unblinking eyes. Dried blood truckled out of her mouth while freed downy feathers fluttered in the wind and stuck to her exposed organs. Something had cut into and torn out her ribcage, broken bits of bone flashing white against brown and red. A single raven sat atop one of the broken ribs, reaching down to peck at her mottled flesh. Her wings had been torn off and thrown a ways from her body, and her clawed feet were bent in unnatural angles. Dimitris could gaze upon her form no longer, pressing his forehead against the dirt. He struggled to pull himself together, tears falling like raindrops onto the ground.

Lyra had already started to smell— the decomposition had been sped up by moisture and heat. His stomach protested, threatening to shove his previous meal back up the way he came. A minotaur roared nearby, rending what remained of his heart into pieces.

 

[Fetzen]

Morvayn had mentally prepared himself for a relatively calm hunt now that he knew that Dimitris was no entire newcomer to this kind of activity. The other man's bow seemed quite solid and, honestly speaking, so was the way he moved. Dimitris, in fact, managed to move more silently than Morvayn did, which the latter clearly had to attribute to his sheer size making it more likely to hit low-hanging branches, bushes and other things one usually encountered in a dense forest. Yet all of this relaxation was gone the instant Dimitris released a scream that actually made Morvayn point his bow towards the man's direction briefly. Only a couple of moments later, Morvayn realized why Dimitris was probably doing what he was doing.

Seeing the contents of a formerly living being's belly and ribcage was no unfamiliar experience for a hunter who also had to prepare the meat for further processing, but this was on another level of disgust that made Morvayn swallow, too. The sight made him momentarily overhear Dimitris' mentioning of a name, instead the giant's mind raced as he tried to gather the conclusions from what they saw. He had been hunting in this place long enough to know that there were no carnivores large enough to do this to a ribcage, and while a bear or large boar certainly had the might to trample somebody and break bones, neither of these two creatures would cause this kind of mess in the aftermath. Also... this was not a human victim, but... where these called harpys ? He really wasn't sure. What he was sure about however was that the level of danger they were in was a lot greater than they had originally anticipated. These creatures were hunting each other, and some were definitely higher up the food chain than others!

The minotaur's roar pulled Morvayn out of his focus and made him turn on his heel towards the source of it. He was quick to pull another of the extremely large arrows out of his quiver and draw his bow, ready to shoot the creature should it appear to be a major threat. Yet, through the dense foliage, it was difficult to spot something even as as large as a minotaur over anything longer than a medium distance. The stomping of hooves could be heard, but so far it didn't seem to come much closer. Morvayn didn't realize that what he had just started tracking was likely Dimitris' father, but even if he had, a minotaur going for an attack run was nothing he would just let happen. For the sake of their own lives, that was.

"Is that your sister ?" he asked, trying to make his voice sound a tad more gentle than it usually was. He was still oblivious to the name 'Lyra', but he heard Dimitris sobbing and knew that his companion's family had not been spared by the curse as well. He didn't look at the distorted, half-rotten body himself for he tried to keep track of the minotaur and couldn't do both at the same time.

 

[Orionis]

A question floated in the air. Dimitris grasped at it, trying to understand. He'd always believed he'd be able to save at least his family, if not the entire town; yet the gods have woken him to the bleak reality that was gruesomely displayed before him. Images of her flitted through his mind rapidly, as if it were his own—Lyra laughing, twirling around the chickens in their backyard; Lyra smiling as she learned how to cook staititēs from their father; her love of the lyre and the way her voice reverberated through her chest when she sang. He drowned in them as she had drowned in pain and blood.

Dimitris blinked, finally remembering that he wasn't alone. Morvayn had asked him a question. "Yes," he whispered hoarsely. He swallowed, sitting up. "Yes," he repeated. The minotaur— his father —roared again. Was that... thing even his father anymore? His stomach churned at the thought, and he turned away. "Do what you must, if you must," he murmured. A fog had settled upon him, and he moved away from the clearing as if moved by someone else, his limbs jerking unnaturally. He could, at least, remain silent, all of his years of training and hunting doing the work for him. He needed to get away from the scene that had burned itself into his brain.

He wasn't sure how long he had been wandering for. The light in the forest hadn't changed at all. Dimitris wondered if he had simply fallen asleep. Maybe, just maybe, all of this was some long nightmare. If he could just wake up, then maybe...

"Lost little lamb," a voice whispered in his ear. "Nowhere to call home. A weak villain playing the victim." Dimitris startled, whipping his head around, but the forest did not relinquish its answers to him. He staggered, feeling dizzy as he leaned against a tree for support. The stillness of the forest felt unnatural, but he couldn't muster the energy to continue. His grief-stricken fugue had lifted, but the haze remained, squeezing his head in a vise. He slid down to sit at the base of the tree, staring blankly into the foliage.

 

[Fetzen]

Morvayn could hear Dimitris' footsteps as the latter walked away, seemingly grief-stricken and unable to stay focused solely on the very present situation. That task fell onto him now, Morvayn thought, and it was difficult. From a strictly objective point of view, shooting something like an enraged minotaur whose physiology one did not know in detail yet was already a bit of a challenge, but he too couldn't stop thinking that this beast actually had been a human being before, a loving father whose childs were now dead for one part and scared to death for the other. Morvayn had to resist the temptation to just follow Dimitris: it would have spared him the need to make an immediate decision and not wanting to leave somebody alone in this forest would just have been the perfect excuse -- even a quite reasonable one, perhaps --, but it would have exposed both their backs to the hulking monstrosity.

Morvayn felt like having little other choice than to run through a small set of logical thoughts quickly: Assuming they would not manage to find a cure, then everybody who had turned already was lost anyway. Assuming they would actually find a cure, then it wouldn't be until a significant time had passed from now on and even then it would only be able to save those who were still alive. Yet, during this time until their return with the cure, the predators on top of the food chain in this forest would keep feasting on those below them.

Or, in other words: Killing the minotaur now would prevent Dimitris' father from being saved in any case, but not killing him now would possibly prevent others from being saved. Just why did this kind of decision have to be forced upon him now ? Ultimately, Morvayn decided to shoot, to eliminate a very immediate danger to both of them. It was an immense arrow that was sent on its way, punching through a bunch of leaves in a way that made them burst into a cloud of green debris before digging into the thick skin of the beast. The subsequent roar was loud enough for even Dimitris to hear it clearly, but... had he actually hit the heart ? Hell who even knew if these creatures didn't just look like their mythological counterparts from the outside while they were organised in a completely different manner on the inside!

Morvayn followed the standard recipe, the only recipe left for this kind of situation actually, and quickly prepared another arrow. Aiming was surprisingly easy given the fact that the minotaur was now headed directly for him at significant speed. Its breast was hit a second time and blood started gushing out of the wound, indicating a lot more serious damage. The beast's front legs collapsed and it slid over the soft forest soil until coming to a very final rest.

Dimitris' words echoed in Morvayn's mind. His companion had said that he should do what he must do, but... What was the definition of 'must do' in this case ? The hunter hoped not to end up in a long-drawn debate about this as he returned to his companion, finding the latter in some sort of stupor and leaning against a tree. Morvayn's giant hand reached out for Dimitris' shoulder gently, patting it.

"You alright ?"

 

[Orionis]

Locked within the depths of his mind, Dimitris felt a faint tremor ripple through the earth, a distant echo of the events unfolding. The minotaur's roars reverberated through the forest, but the sounds were muffled as though they reached him from a great distance. His surroundings had suddenly become a mere backdrop to the turmoil within him. The image of his sister's body had burned itself into his retinas; bile rose in his throat in response, but his body did not respond to the nausea. It did not respond to anything.

Only when Morvayn's large hand gently grasped his shoulder was Dimitris pulled back to the present.

The fellow hunter's voice reached his ears, its warmth and concern piercing through the haze that caressed his mind. Dimitris blinked, his gaze refocusing on Morvayn's face. His distress was evident, his eyes reflecting the inner turmoil within him. He opened his mouth to speak, but words eluded him, caught in his thoughts. The question "You alright?" hung in the air, a lifeline extended by his companion. It was a simple query, yet it held profound weight. Dimitris's lips parted, his voice a mere whisper, choked with the weight of his emotions.

"I... I don't know," he managed to utter. He felt the tears welling in his eyes. "I just... I can't stop thinking about... about who..." Dimitris couldn't grind the words against his teeth quickly enough for them to escape the confines of his closed lips. Dimitris's shoulders trembled as he spoke. His family was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving him feeling more lost than ever.

The rest of the village... They still needed him. He had to pull himself together. Dimitris forcefully clamped his teeth onto his tongue before he could think about what he was doing. His instincts stopped him before he could do any real harm, but he had still managed to cut into his tongue deep enough to cause it to bleed. He turned his head and spat the blood onto the grass, the pain and taste clearing the brain fog. "Ἔστω μοι συγγνώμη," Dimitris murmured. "I'm sorry." He rubbed at his eyes and yanked himself to his feet.

"What's done is done. We need to get back before nightfall." He stalked off towards the horses, taking the time to push everything painful into the back of his mind. Later. He could grieve later.

 

[Fetzen]

Morvayn did not immediately follow his companion. The few seconds between his own return towards Dimitris and the latter seemingly coming back to real life had left an eerie impression upon the large hunter. That and a difficult situation he would have to tackle for even the most humble, most hampered attempt to analyze the chain of events and Dimitris' behavior in spite of his own current feelings could only yield this as a result. The man had lost two familiy members within a matter of moments, or at least had had to realize such within said timespan and without much in terms of preparation. Morvayn had seen people mourn in desperation for days and even weeks who had had ample of opportunity to prepare, but their mission would not allow for spending even just a couple of hours on this if things just went bad enough.

And so far, they definitely had. Morvayn himself could have done very well without facing either the minotaur or the dismembered girl. To make things worse, when he finally managed to urge himself back to their mounts as well, it dawned upon Morvayn that things might not be restricted to this village at all. What if it had already spread far beyond this place ? What if they were about to ride straight into the metaphorical jaws of hell ? Perhaps it was a good thing that he wasn't exactly familiar with mythology, otherwise the analytical part of himself could have spent the whole journey on thinking about what other threats might await them.

The horse complained about Morvayn's return onto its back almost instantly, but right now he didn't care. Having settled into the saddle properly and with the reigns in his idle hands, Morvayn turned his head to check whether Dimitris was still with him before he got going. "Yes, we need to get back before nightfall indeed." He would have wished for that to be nothing more than a bit of confirmation he could throw at Dimitris even though he might have thought otherwise himself, but... he didn't. They just had to return quickly. One last time he checked visually whether the animals they had hunted successfully were tied properly onto Dimitris' horse as his own mount did only carry a small portion of them for obvious reasons.

How long this would last to feed the village during their abscence ? Maybe even longer than he wished for, given that the spreading was going on and the number of mouths to feed dwindled still. Morvayn didn't want to fall back behind Dimitris so not to give the impression that he was surveying him, but he tried to stay very close just in case. The last thing they needed right now was him falling off his horse and getting injured.

"Tell me when we need to stop." Morvayn said, trying to keep his tone low and gentle. He expected himself to be terrible at handling this for he had not experienced such a thing first hand yet himself.

 

[Orionis]

Dimitris was silent on the way back to the village, nodding blankly as Morvayn spoke to him like one would a spooked horse. The only thing pushing him forward was purpose and desperation. The second he let himself think about... He couldn't. He couldn't fall apart again. The setting sun warmed his back, and for a moment he thought he felt something caress his cheek. He swallowed the lump in his throat and ignored the tears that decided to fall from his lashes.

When they reached the village, it was quiet. Dimitris, bow drawn, slid from his horse and went from house to house, making sure nobody else had turned and that the remaining villagers were okay. He motioned for Morvayn to help him with the animal carcasses, hauling them over to the butcher's. The butcher, Marcos, bowed his head in thanks. "I suppose this means you're leaving soon," he grunted. Marcos was an ex-footsoldier who'd settled down with his family nearly twenty years ago. The sorrow etched into his face brought Dimitris's rushing back up.

Marcos was one of the first to lose his family. Dimitris remembered him stumbling out of his home one morning covered in blood and ichor. It was the only time he'd ever seen the butcher cry. Neither he nor his sister, who had tagged along with him to help carry meat, dared to ask what had happened. There were several nights of their father coming home late, wearier than normal, before he could tell them what was happening. They'd wanted to be sure of the curse before scaring the younger folk.

"Yeah." His voice broke a little. It made Marcos step back and look him over. His weathered face softened like old leather on a tanning bench. He looked behind Dimitris for a moment, nodded, and led him inside. Dimitris couldn't make sense of the wave rising inside him again, ready to knock him over. "I have something very special that your father and I once managed to make many, many moons ago. They say it ages well." Marcos disappeared for a moment, cursing loudly as he knocked his head on something.

"Here it is." He showed Dimitris a bottle. Seeing his confusion, he poured some into two glasses. Dimitris started to reach for his, but was stopped. With a small chuckle, the butcher poured some freshly-boiled water into their glasses. "Don't want to go mad quite yet. Not until the world stops turning on its head."

Dimitris paused again, whipping his head around. "Where-?"

"Your gigante-sized friend has left me in your care for the night. I take it you'll want to leave as soon as possible, so I'll rouse you at dawn." Alone with an old family friend with nothing more to do than drink for the night, Dimitris let himself crumple into a chair, his shaking hands grasping the wine-filled glass Marcos had passed to him. There was a long silence between them as they drank. The wine filled him with a heavy warmth that he welcomed.

"Was it both of them?" Marcos's voice trembled a little. Dimitris could only nod, tears streaming down his face. They grieved in silence together, a luxury that Dimitris didn't think he'd get to have so soon. He'd planned to drive himself into the ground, or into madness with the journey looming on the horizon. They spent the night drinking diluted wine and sharing stories about their respective friends and family. At some point during their wake, Dimitris's head started to droop down onto his arms.

The next thing he knew, Marcos was shaking him awake. It was time. "I have a gift for you, as well as your friend." He had laid two things out on the table; a bow and a longsword. "The bow was once your fathers'. It's been oiled and restrung. He named it Zephyr, for the west wind. The longsword... was mine. It was blessed by priests of Ares in Tesprotia. I'm sure he'll find it suitable. I've fixed it up a bit as well, although I'm no smith." Dimitris didn't know what to say in response, still a little groggy from sleep and wine. He barely registered being fed and ushered out the door, where Moryvan already waited.

"One more thing." Dimitris started to turn back towards Marcos and found himself enveloped in a bear hug. "May the gods grace your path and spare you from misfortune." Dimitris bowed his head in thanks as Marcos released him. He didn't turn around again as he strode towards his horse, but murmured something under his breath.

"May the gods spare you from the curse."

 

[Fetzen]

Morvayn's dwelling place stood a bit apart from the remainder of the village, but still the improvised nature of his hut could easily be spotted from the center when looking at the right direction. Walls out of stacked, coarse wooden boards with a thatched roof on top of them hid an inside from an outside observer's view where just about everything seemed to be slightly larger than normal from the doorways to the cooking pot. It was a place clearly designed with exactly one user in mind -- himself. Maybe that had been the reason why not so many of the other people had visited him even during good times, but while Morvayn had enjoyed having much time for himself in the past, now the lack of people around him had turned into an eerie comfort.

His next neighbours had disappeared somehow, entire families vanished over night without even locking the doors of their houses behind them. They had not been the first ones, but this part of the village had been one of the most heavily affected ones rather soon-ish. Where had they gone ? Into the woods ? Along the main road to some other place ? At some point Morvayn had dared to step into the abandoned houses to close any open windows and then barricade the entraces so they wouldn't be ruined by the weather, but he would not have been surprised to find an entrace to the underworld in one of the cellars. Almost unfortunately he didn't for that would at least have offered a definitive explanation.

That creek flowing nearby his hut, it hadn't secretly turned into the river Styx somehow ? If so, then hopefully the boat that could carry him over had yet to be built!

The hunter's night had been a not so long one as much was left to be prepared. Normally that would have been a job that could be done easily in the morning, but with many of the village's craftspeople and peasants already having succumbed to the curse, obtaining resources had become a lot more difficult by now and thus Morvayn had decided to rely on what he could do himself for the major part. Salted and dried mead from his own cellar now had their place in bulging saddlebags and the creek's water had found its way into a bunch of flasks dangling around here and there. Checking the water upstream for any dead and now rotting bodies before gathering it had not been an enjoyable task, though...

Now the hunter stood in front of Marcos' place clad in a thick fur and leather coat and boots that made him look even larger than he already was. Morvayn saw the butcher and Dimitris saying goodbye to each other, then he nodded towards Marcos and waved him goodbye as well. It was a more slow, sad gesture and not a joyful one.

"I hope you're well rested ?" he asked Dimitris and then just couldn't hold back to mention a few other things rather obvious to notice: "I can already see you're definitely well equipped!" Zephyr and the blessed longsword earned Morvayn's appreciative nod as his eyes followed his companion's steps.

"Say... do I smell some wine here ?"

 

[Orionis]

Dimitris caught Morvayn's hungry eyes on the longsword and tossed it, scabbard and all, for him to keep before he turned and hauled himself up onto his horse. Calix snorted at him. "I'm no good with swords." He kept a pair of hunting knives hidden in his boots, instead; his sister had carefully sown holsters for them years ago when he'd kept losing the tiny scabbards in the woods, too distracted by hunting and too irritated by the extra straps to remember where he'd dropped them.

A soft breeze caressed his shoulders, as if to urge him forward. Dimitris couldn't make himself look back as they rode out of the village. The empty shell they had been living in wasn't what he wanted to remember. He dreamed of sun peeking through the clouds as he and his sister chased the farmer's chickens, the laughter of children and the tut-tutting of the village elders walking by. He could almost hear the terracotta bowl he shattered one morning, and his father's sharp yet kind commands for him to sit while he cleaned the mess. His father, above all, never could stand to see him or his sister hurt.

An image of his sister's corpse flickered through his mind and he flinched, suppressing a gag as he swallowed the vomit that threatened to erupt from his throat. Dimitris clutched the reigns tightly, forcing himself to focus on the road ahead. It was a quiet morning, with little else but them and the occasional rabbit scampering past. The normalcy of it felt wrong to him, after dealing with the curse for so long. It made him uneasy, whipping his head around at the smallest sound from the forest around them.

The need to distract himself tugged at him relentlessly. Clearing his throat, he said, "Tell me something about yourself and I'll do the same. To pass the time."

 

[Fetzen]

Leaving the village behind was not an easy task for Morvayn either. He probably was not even remotely as attached to either its location or its inhabitants as someone like Dimitris was, but even the hunter couldn't just ignore the fact that he had been living here for quite a while and that such a scale at which this loss of life was happening and the way it was happening was frightening. If things came to worst, what kind of monstrosity would he turn into given that he was considered to be a monstrosity by some already ?

The need to turn his head and check whether anything wicked was following them on their path subsided only slowly as they pushed forward, adding distance to the village and its forest at a steady pace. "About myself ?" Morvayn replied and shrugged his shoulders. "If you're interested in hearing the tale of a loner, then I certainly can! So... my parents were farmers. Far to the north, almost at the border to the next kingdom, they cared about a quite large swath of land where the ground is soft and fertile. There were years when they had even more crops than they could sell in the time, so they made beer out of the excess."

Morvayn could feel his mount buckle a bit. Maybe taking all of this food and water with him had not been such a great idea, but he hadn't been sure how long this journey would take and better safe than sorry. The road ahead was flat so far, but he knew that some more hilly terrain was soon to come.

"I actually got two brothers, one older and one younger one. It had been planned that all three of us take over the family business one day as it is just far too much for one alone, but guess what ? I'm not looking like a peasant right now, am I ?" Dimitris would be able to hear the chesty laughter of a giant right behind him. "Thank the king's military. One day a bunch of recruiters traveled through our place and scrutinized everybody they deemed to be fit enough to become a soldier, and once they saw me they probably started moving heaven and hell in order for my parents to allow for it. Can you believe that ?"

 

[Orionis]

Dimitris listened quietly, his face turned towards the road. A ghost of a smile passed over his face at the sound of his companion's laughter. It reverberated through him, startling him back to reality, and he closed his eyes at the soft winds tousling his honeyed-brown hair. His tears, spent and dried, left behind a hollow cavern within his chest. He blinked, sensing a sudden pause in the conversation, and realized Morvayn was waiting for a response. "I can," he mumbled, attempting a lighthearted jest with little vigor. He swallowed.

"I never knew my mother," Dimitris said. He kept his eyes trained on the horizon, seeing something far past it. "Somehow, my sister and I knew never to ask our father about it. We weren't... Lacking, as a family without her. Our father was a capable and empathetic man, if not prone to bouts of anger. He enjoyed fist-fighting in the taverns for extra gold. Said it was a good outlet." His voice was flat, devoid of emotion. It was hard for him to think, so he didn't, and let his words flow free.

"It's strange, though, when I think about it. Not a single villager has ever mentioned her, or asked about her. None of the other kids ever picked on us for not having a mother. It's like she'd never existed in the first place." Dimitris hadn't thought about this in years and ground his teeth, pitying himself. Now that he'd lost his only family, of course he'd think about her—the possibility of her existing out there, somewhere. Perhaps she's the source of his peculiar eyes, which seemed to bear the sylvan azure of Pan's untamed realms. Drifting in his thoughts, Dimitris tried to paint a picture of her in his head.

He was so distracted, in fact, that he nearly fell off his horse when Calix spooked and kicked a large serpent off of the road. He groaned, readjusting his grip on the reins. "I'm fine," he called back, embarrassed.

 

[Fetzen]

"You sure ?" Morvayn asked back almost rhethorically. He had been able to observe the incident and had no reason to believe that Dimitris' seating on his horse was really any more stable now. It was quite understandable though as he too felt some tiredness risiding inside him and that wasn't even considering the added sadness his companion must also have felt right now. Still he didn't want to just force a switchover to some entirely different topic right away. It would have been just too awkward for his taste.

"May I be honest ? This sounds like a conspiracy. Not the kind of conspiracy that is created by offering the right people the right amount of coin or threatening them or anything like though. In that case, somebody would have started talking over the years anyway fo sure!." Should he even continue at this point ? He had already started to dabble into this, but still saw the means to pull out of the worst of it. After some brief hesitancy, Morvayn opted to keep going. "I mean more the kind of conspiracy that forms halfway inadvertently by all the people involved in it being motivated to maintain it out of themselves without somebody triggering them actively."

Speaking of motivation, Morvayn could feel his own horse starting to lack such more and more. Maybe they should have loaded all of the supplies over towards Dimitris' ? The hunter hoped that the big animal would keep going until they would find a better opportunity to do some than by disrupting the serious conversation they currently were in for such a matter.

"Is there any societal etiquette, any common standard, any unspoken but ubiquitous rule that your mother might have violated so she had to move away or the like?"