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Ultima's blog: "stories"

created on 09/23/2007  |  http://fubar.com/stories/b132973
The light from the morning sun reflected off the thin ice that had broken under the weight of Eargrif's boots as he passed between two boulders half again his height. The road that had been there the night before had become lost in the mud and partially frozen puddles that now covered the world around him. The cloak retained Eargrif's body heat keeping him comfortably warm in spite of the constant wind. It was this reason that made Eargrif believe it was too warm for him to have to worry about ice, until he slipped down a small hill. Luckily he had not fallen and was sure to keep an eye on were he stepped. Even though the road had been washed away, some signs of it remained. By starting where he had last remembered being on the road the previous night Eargrif could see a rough outline of it through the hills and larger boulders. The condition of the ground slowed Eargrif considerably; however the change in scenery was a welcome relief. Unlike the grasslands that he had been traveling through this hilly region was constantly changing. The hills began to become longer, leveling off for awhile before descending into the rise of another. At the crest of larger hills he could see a towering cliff in the distance with snow capped mountains behind it. Every time Eargrif saw this he reassured himself that what was left of the road would lead him to a pass or maybe even a town at the bottom of the cliff. At mid-morning Eargrif passed through what was once a gate in a man made stone wall. The wall itself was only thirteen hands high in the places where stones hadn't become loose and fallen away. The gates had been made of wood long since rotted away, the metal hinges and bars still remained in one piece the only damage evident on them were rust. On the inside of the wall were various plants and crops grow wildly amongst weeds. The road became more defined here, because the roots held the earth together. The crops had long since wilted; even the weeds had dried out and turned brown. Eargrif was able to identify most of the plants while navigating his way down the roadway. The remains of dead vegetation crunched under his boots, while live weeds pulled on his cloak. By afternoon the ground had begun to firm up, as if the storm dissipated before reaching this far into these abandoned fields. Stopping to catch his breath and readjust his pack Eargrif scanned ahead for any sign of change in the landscape, ahead the road continued to split the dried flora beyond his sight with the cliffs rising far off in the distance. Looking to the left of the road he caught sight of a stone pile atop a slight rise in the otherwise level ground. Still quite far from where he was standing, Eargrif decided the rise would be as good a place as any to make camp for the night. Once his pack felt comfortable on his shoulders Eargrif began moving again at a light run in order to make the rise before night. Even several hours later the cliffs appeared no closer than they had when Eargrif had stopped to rest. If not for the stone pile Eargrif would have been sure he had been running in circles. The stone pile landmark however had remained to his left, growing ever larger as he approached. When the sun began to fall he left the road, cutting a straight line to his destination. Eargrif final reached the rise by dusk, the sun casting long shadows as it began to slip behind the cliffs. Picking up his pace Eargrif ran up the small hill wanting to reach the stones before the sun's light was gone. On top of the hill the stones rose higher than he expected them to, their silhouette a long black rectangle shape. Eargrif passed into its shadow and as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light he could see the stones had been carefully stacked into a wall. Some of the top stones had fallen but for the most part the wall looked to be in good shape. Going around to the right side where there would be more light he was not surprised to find another section of wall connected to the first one. This wall however was only half standing, a large section had fallen into a pile of rubble. The first building Eargrif had found since waking in the ditch looked as if something had torn down one of it corners. Two of the walls were in good condition, while the other two were half fallen out ward and half standing. In the middle of the building were the remains of timbers and thatching that had been the roof. A hole in one of the whole walls had metal hinges pushed inward, the remains of a sagging door hanging from them. To the left the other full wall metal studs held tools of various types commonly found on a farm, these tools had also become victims to rust and rotting. In the corner to the right of the door was a stove with a half rotted wood pile next to it, both half buried under thatch. In the corner with the fallen walls where Eargrif stood held evidence that a bed may have been there. Cloths made of wool could be seen under the fallen timers and thatch from the roof. Eargrif had no intention of trying to entering the building in its current condition. He was tired from a day of walking and running and the materials from the roof covered the entire floor requiring too much work for him to clear in the fading light. Eargrif chose instead to make a small bed of straw to sleep on outside of the fallen wall which he could make before nightfall. The thatch from the roof would make a much more comfortable place to sleep than the ground had been the past few nights. While he was pulling out the straw he was also able to pull a blanket out from under the timbers that he used to cover the straw. By the time Eargrif finished constructing his makeshift bed the sun had disappeared behind the cliffs sending the world into darkness. With his job complete Eargrif sat down to relax while pulling his cloak from his pack. The wind from the previous night had returned, bringing the promise of another cold night. Eargrif removed the baldric from over his shoulder before lying back on the blanket, above him the stars spread across a moonless sky. The night was filled with silence broken only by the wind that rustled the tall grass. Eargrif watch as the stars twinkled; every now and then some seemed to blackout entirely before reappearing. The day’s activities and the comfort of the straw had Eargrif asleep in minutes even though he was still dressed in all of his gear. Eargrif had only been asleep for a few minutes when he awoke with an uneasy feeling. He tried his best to feign sleeping while he looked out the sides of his eyes for anything that seemed out of place. To his left the building block him from threat just like it block the light from the stars. To his right he could see the tall grass under the starlight swaying rhythmically in the wind. The wind moving the grass was still the only sound he could hear, just as it had been when he first lay down. The feeling grew stronger the longer he lay there, he felt as if he were being watched. Eargrif could not figure out how it could be possible for someone to be watching him. From the top of the rise the fields had been empty as far as the eye could see no more than an hour ago. This feeling was unnerving Eargrif more than he thought it should, he felt that holding his sword would help calm him. He slowly raised his left arm under his cloak and started moving it toward the side of the bed where he left his sword propped against the wall. The sound of stone being scraped on and a strong gust of wind sent Eargrif diving for his weapon. Stones came crashing down on him as grabbed the sword, drawing it as he came up into a defensive stance. In the darkness Eargrif saw the huge shadow of something coming over the crumbling wall. Massive wings beat the air sending down gusts of wind as the creature came to rest on the ground in front of him. The creature that now stood in front of Eargrif was a manticore, a great monster with the body of a lion with huge featherless wings and a long scorpion tail. The head however was that of a man with shape black horns extending behind its head. Eargrif was stunned that such a beast would be in this waste land where nothing lived. The monster let out a cry as it lunged forward attacking with its right claws. The attack amazingly fast but Eargrif matched the creature's speed and countered by swinging his blade into the its paw. The manticore gave a horrible cry as his paw was cut wide open by the sword. Eargrif was not injured in the exchange, but the force of the blow was enough to knock the wind from his lungs and make his arms ache. As he brought his sword back to his front the manticore raised up onto his hind legs now standing over 20 hands high. Feeling confident that such a monster could be so easily be hurt Eargrif moved to attack, this time the left claw came down at the top of his head. Eargrif dodged to the right, spinning and bringing the blade down into the arm of the beat. With that much force Eargrif's cut went deep into it arm bringing forth another cry. Pulling his weapon free Eargrif saw too late the mistake he had made as the great tail of the manticore came at his back. Yanking with all his might the sword came free in time to meet the attack. This time the force of the blow was too much and the sword went flying from his hands landing among the fallen wall. Before he recovered from the impact of the tail Eargrif felt a warm moist paw grab him around his middle and squeeze the air from his lungs as he screamed in pain. Blackness began to encircle his vision as he was crushed with unbelievable strength; Eargrif felt a few of his ribs crack. At this point he gave into panic; he knew he could not get free and that he was going to die. The manticore then threw him at the building; flying through the air on the edge of consciousness Eargrif saw that the emblem on his necklace had been broken. Beyond the silver chain was the hideous creature that had killed so easily. Then to either side he saw white leathery wings and from below he saw a great blast of blue fire racing toward the manticore. All of this made no sense to Eargrif as he left out one final scream before being slammed into darkness.

Eargrif's Walk part 5

The day-light broke with a crisp and cold wind. The Fleeing night leaving the vast meadow grass drenched in a thick morning dew. Eargrif's mind was still in shambles as he stared at the emblem lying across his chest. He stood as the sun's light shined down through the sparse gaps in the overcast sky. His mind was locked in turmoil unable to comprehend anything in his world or any other. Time meant nothing and what he had come to know eluded his understanding. The only thing he could focus on was the emblem which remand still, mocking him with its existence. A faint laughter proceeded from the fog clouding Eargrif's mind. A haunting laughter that brought the realism of his dream to his attention yet remained just out of his grasp. Thud. Eargrif's mind suddenly righted itself as his senses heightened at the sound. His hands ached and seemed devoid of any weight. Reality tore into Eargrif like the wind that had chilled him down to his bones. His actions now under his control, Eargrif started to gather "his" scattered belongings. Warmth quickly spread through his body as the slightly soggy items were replaced to their proper place in the pack. Feeling finally returned to his hands as he placed several red pears inside before carefully securing the closings on the pack. Hefting the bulk onto his shoulders Eargrif return to the spot of his earlier laps in sanity. There lay the only source of knowledge toward who he may be, its silver hilt glinting as it was caught in a ray of sunlight. Eargrif retrieved the sword that had brought him back from thoughtless void that had threatened to consume him earlier. Eargrif slid the sword into its scabbard closing off his mind to all that troubled him, his thoughts shifting instead to the world around him. His gaze swept over the wet landscape surrounding the small grove, as he breathed in the moist laden air. Clouds were gathering in the sky, slowly smothering out the warmth and light of the sun. The atmosphere was changing, however Eargrif decided that rain would not come for some hours still. He checked the ground a final time for any overlooked possessions, while he readjusted the baldric at his hip. Once satisfied he gathered two discarded red pears for his morning meal, and then started off down the road once more. The rain held off till what Eargrif thought to be an hour after noon. At the first sprinkles Eargrif stopped and pulled the traveling cloak out from the top of the pack. This was the first time he had really looked at the cloak, was a little upset that he had failed to notice it's color before. It was the same very dark blue as most of what he figured were actually his belongings. He was not the least bit surprised when he unfolded it to see a white dragon-like symbol starring at him. The surprise on his face was attributed to the small piece of parchment which fell to grass. "Now what is this one for" he said sarcastically, almost complaining. Eargrif grab the parchment off the wet ground and slipped it into a pouch on his belt. The ever strengthening rain was first on his mind, whether this could help him or not would have to wait till he was safely out of the threatening weather. Eargrif put the pack on again then draped the cloak over his shoulders. He raised the hood before pulling the cloak tightly around his body. The cloak was made of a very soft and light material; the cut was a little over sized as well to allow more freedom of movement. Unfortunately Eargrif was soon to realize that this cloak was not meant to be worn with a pack. The cloak remained slightly open in the front allowing a little water to trickle down the front of his shirt; however he preferred to get a little wet than to let his pack suffer the weather. Holding the cloak closed as best as he could Eargrif resumed walking down the road, hoping to soon find a dry place to wait out the rain. The rain had stayed fairly light the past two hours, but now the clouds started to build forcing the meadows into darkness. Eargrif feared the storm would unleash it's full force before he could find a suitable shelter in the endless fields he passed. The pace at which he had been traveling was starting to wear on him and he had no desire to have to rest in the open. Eargrif's clothing had become quite wet in the last couple of hours, his pant legs were becoming uncomfortable as they rubbed against his skin. He had been grateful earlier when his pants had shown resistance to the rain, but now all his clothing were becoming as annoying as the endless grasslands surrounding him. As he walked Eargrif's mind wandered off into visions of a warm bed, hot meal and a roaring fire. The world lit up around Eargrif followed by a great tremor that shook through the ground and Eargrif alike. A tremendous clap of thunder deafened Eargrif as he fell to the ground which still quaked violently beneath his feet. Mud caked his hands and knees, the front of his cloak fell victim to it as well. Another flash of lightning and the heavens broke open sending frightening amounts of rain and sleet at the world below. Eargrif regained his footing and stood as the soft ice and water beat down on him, grabbing the cloak and pulling it close about him before hurrying on. Again the sky sent a brilliant bolt of lightning at the ground, this time Eargrif steadied himself not wanting to fall again. The land ahead of him had changed in the dark, there were now hills and rock in sight, he started off again at a light jog. Eargrif's spirits may have been lifted by the chance of finding shelter, but he knew if he were to slip in the mud he could easily twist his ankle. Lightning and thunder danced between the ground and sky as Eargrif raced down the road as fast as he dared. Many times he stopped as the ground moved under him, once it was safe again he would continue through the mud and puddles. His boot's long since soaked through and covered with mud weighed down his legs making the muscles burn. Half an hour since they had first come into sight Eargrif began to climb up the side of the first small hill. By the time Eargrif reached the top of the forth hill he had to slow down, the ground had become too slick to attempt any pace faster than a walk. After crossing over several hills Eargrif came to a group of hills that was made up of rock. There were many ledges that would provide some protection from the rain, but Eargrif passed these all seeking instead to find a cave or opening he could crawl into. Eargrif was cold and wet, he wanted to be entirely out of the rain. A fifteen minute search provided him with a shallow cave that went back ten feet but was only three feet tall. Grateful to find this Eargrif removed his cloak and pack then climbed through the opening. Inside he removed his boots, socks, belt, baldric and armored shirt, leaving on his cloth shirt and pants. He then wrapped the cloak around himself, before pulling a couple of the pears from his pack. Half way done with his second pear Eargrif fell into an uncomfortable but very content sleep, the parchment long forgotten. Outside the Storm grew more violent as the winds picked up, off in the far distance trees were up rooted, the road the Eargrif had walked the day before was mostly washed away by flooding waters. Thunder and lightning continued until the early hours of morning taking most of the rain with it, the clouds remained with the promises of more bad weather in the days to come. Eargrif woke with the sun the next day, other than a few knots and kinks from sleeping in a cave this had been the most fitful night's sleep he'd had. He untangled himself from the clock and felt a sore spot in his right hip, during the night he had rolled over onto the hilt of his sword. He started gathering all of his things together and putting on his discarded gear. His socks were still wet so he dug through the pack till he found more, they were not his size but they would serve the purpose. Once he had all of his stuff together he grabbed his water skin and drank the rest of it. He then went outside and found a clean pool of water and refilled the water skin. While outside he saw the effect that the storm had on the landscape and was again thankful he had found the shallow cave before the storm had become too powerful. The clouds still showed signs that the rain was not through yet so Eargrif decided to just wear the cloak all day. The thought of the cloak reminded him of the parchment that had yet to look at. He reached into the pouch on his belt and pulled the paper out turning it over he found an unbroken seal on one side. The seal held signs that this may at least tell him something about himself because the wax seal was the white dragon-like symbol in dark blue wax. Eargrif broke the seal and unfolded the paper, it read: You must find her You must protect her When you have done this you will know who you are Eargrif reread it and check for anything that may have been written somewhere else, but that is all there was. With nothing else he could do Eargrif put the paper back in his pouch and went to collect his stuff from the cave. After he retrieved his belongings he set off for the road again. Eargrif set his pace at a brisk walk, while he enjoyed the unusual yet splendid taste of the red pears. By the time he finished his morning meal his body had warmed up and the knots and kinks from sleeping on the ground of the cave had worked themselves out. He did notice a soft spot in his right hip where he had been lying on his sword that morning. "Well it doesn't look like I can get very far today, so I should have no trouble with this slowing me down" he said to himself while massaging his hip.

Eargrif's Walk part 4

Eargrif replaced the neck lace to his pack with the other items he found spread over the nearby grass. He slipped his baldric over his head and adjusted it at his hip before putting on his pack. With all his belongings gathered he took a long drink from his water skin before continuing his journey down the neglected country road. The scene never changed as the day passed, it seemed as if he was walking in circles and someone was erasing his tracks. The eerie and ever present silence didn't bother Eargrif this day like it had the previous one. His mind was very busy trying to figure out the events of yesterday and last night. Eargrif had decided that he was either a thief that had stole from the wrong people or he had crossed someone and they had knocked him out and left him in the middle of this lifeless and seemingly endless countryside. Both of these ideas were neither very comforting or likely, the second at least provided the reason for his headache that lasted most of the day before. Another thought was if someone wanted to get rid of him why was he still alive? Were these people just trying to stall him? All of the different scenarios and questions racing through his mind only resulted in more confusions and the bringing about of another headache. Ignoring the question of what exactly brought him to be in this baffling predicament, his thoughts wandered to the events of the previous night. He could distinctly remember having a dream but he could not even begin to fathom what the significance of it could be. What the dream was puzzled him even more. He had not the slightest hint as to what it consisted of, only that it had disturbed him to a great extent. Even after waking several times the dream kept him in a panicked state until leaving him to sleep till he awoke in that morning. That dream may have also been the cause for his thinking there was someone attempting to steal from him that morning. He played the event of his waking up through his mind a couple of times, recalling his feelings and how he sensed the person that was robbing him. Each time he could feel the present of a person or persons around him. It wasn't the same as it had been that morning. Eargrif had figured out why it seemed like there was someone there. He had seen his pack spilled out over the grass and at once his mind made him over cautious, he had invented an enemy supported by what he saw. Only now he knew he was the one who had gone through his pack, searching for that silver necklace with the white dragon-like emblem that appeared on all his belongings. "My belongings..." Eargrif thought out loud "everything that appears to actually be mine has that emblem on it." This was an altogether new thought that didn't seem troubling to him; in fact it was rather comforting to think he had his own mark of ownership. He went through everything he had mentally sorting out what was his and what could be anybody's. As he did this he realized that his neither sword nor baldric had an emblem on it. He thought about this for awhile before he made another connection between his belongings, they had a color scheme. His stuff only included the colors dark blue, black, silver and white. With that figured out Eargrif's thoughts were directed toward his stomach which he realized was breaking the silence of the afternoon. The landscape had changed very little since Eargrif's little trip had begun, but as the sun started to set he noticed a new kind of tree growing a quarter mile of the road. With his stomach starting to pang him, Eargrif hoped the trees would bear something more edible than the leaves he had eaten earlier that day. It was evident that the trees had some sort of fruit growing on them as Eargrif approached the little grove. Standing at the base of a tree he recognized the fruit to be red apples, even though they were a little misshapen. Glad to have a meal of real food he dropped his pack on the ground and climbed up to retrieve his dinner. He let about 12 apples fall to the ground before hopping down to eat. Picking up a piece of the fruit and biting into it Eargrif was surprised to find out he was not eating an apple. The delicious burst of flavor told him he was eating a red pear. Happy to have found such a rare meal in the middle of no where raised Eargrif's spirits and he decided to sleep in the grove that night and eat again the next morning before continuing on. Eargrif was shaking violently, sword in hand he gazed out into the endless void of blackness. His senses were pushed to the limit, straining to find a threat in the total blackness the seemed to swirl in the distance. The silence that had haunted him the passed few days was still very much in the air. Not a single noise could be heard, not even the sound of his own breath which he labored just to draw. There was nothing out there that could be seen or heard, but Eargrif could feel it. It was moving all around him, he could feel himself breathe it in. It was hate. It was pain. It was fear. It was shame. It was death. More than anything else though it was after him, then it was gone and Eargrif returned to a blissful nothingness. Eargrif opened his eyes gasping for breath, he was covered in a cold sweat and his heart was racing. He was laying face down in the grass and he could feel that there was someone nearby. Just like the morning before he could see the contents of his pack spread all over the grass a few feet away. The only difference was this time he was laying on his sword and it was still dawn. Realizing that his situation may just be coincidence Eargrif didn’t let his mind wonder. He listened carefully for any noise that could tell him if he was in any danger or not. Getting a firm grip on the handle of his sword he tensed his muscles preparing to roll quickly to his feet. Hearing nothing Eargrif rolled forward where he could see the area was clear, before spinning back. Drawing his sword in the same movement Eargrif scanned the entire area surrounding him. The grove was deserted save for a few drying pear cores. The dream was still fresh in his memory but he couldn't remember it. That left only one explanation, Eargrif looked down and saw the emblem laying over his shirt.

Eargrif's Walk part 3

The road he had been following along gave the appearance that it was it was often traveled by many people. It was wide enough to allow teams of horse drawn carts to travel in both directions at the same time. The road today however had been entirely devoid of people save for Eargrif. This fact had not escaped his attention after the sun had risen high into the sky and he had not seen any other travelers on the road. The world had been silent since he had left the bridge, animals seemed not exist. Grass and trees to the sides of the road were the only signs of life on this deserted countryside. "There must be a bridge out somewhere up the road” Eargrif thought “Why else would this road not be used." As the day wore on Eargrif began to wonder if he was he was going to find anything to eat before he found a place of the trail to sleep. Eargrif knew better than to sleep on the side of the road. Anyone who slept on the side of the road awoke to a lighter load to carry, courtesy of the thieves and bandits that roamed the countryside for victims. Eargrif didn't think there was anyone, let alone a bandit, out here but still felt sleeping away from the road would be a better idea. Dusk came quickly bringing a cool breeze but still no signs of animals. Eargrif had hoped to find a rabbit to eat for dinner, but he would have to settle for something less satisfying. There were no trees grouped together to provide any form of shielding from the road. The best thing he could thing to do was to sleep propped up against the tree trunk and hope he wouldn’t fall over in his sleep. After looking them over he decided on a short large leafed tree with a medium trunk. Before settling down for the night Eargrif ate several leaves to quiet his growling stomach. Eargrif's sleep was troubled all throughout the night by disturbing dreams of a menacing sort. Many times he awoke in a cold sweat, the memory of his dreams just beyond his grasp. This was followed by a deep longing for what he could not tell. The pull of Eargrif's emotions threatened to make him break down and cry. After a period of a few minutes he was able to push his emotions down and drift back into sleep. A few hours before daylight his dreams suddenly stopped and Eargrif slept peacefully until the warmth of day woke him. The air was fresh and the sky was bright when Eargrif woke up in the late morning. He was laying flat on the ground in full view of the road. Continuing to lay on the ground he looked around and saw the contents of his pack littering the grass. Eargrif thought immediately that he had been robbed and strained to hear if the thief was still present. The continued absence of animal sounds left the countryside in complete silence, putting Eargrif's nerves further on edge. Eargrif risked moving his left hand behind him, slowly searching for his sword. The slowness of his search and the fear of being caught awake caused him to break into a sweat. Eargrif's search grew frustrating as his hand began to move too far to go unnoticed by any person watching him. The only thing in his reach was dew wetted grass and the book from his pack. Eargrif stopped moving and tried very hard to remember what he had done with his sword. He had taken the baldric off and laid it between himself and the tree. That sword would draw the attention of any thief that wanted to make a large profit from his work. Still the sword was his only weapon and if it was still there he would need it as soon as he confronted his enemy. Eargrif could tell he was just over an arm’s length away from the tree and decide to not waste anymore time thinking and just act. He raised his right leg and pushed off the ground hard. Rolling backward over his right shoulder Eargrif strained with his left arm to reach his sword. His hand touched the leather of the baldric as he sprang to his feet in a low crouch position. Eargrif drew the sword as he came full upright, bringing forth an unusual metallic ring which filled his ears drowning out the silence of the countryside. Eargrif looked for his first target to strike down only to find himself entirely alone. Eargrif stopped, his breathing heavy as his heart repeatedly slammed into his rib cage. The pack was laying at his feet with most of it's contents spilled out the opening. Eargrif was very confused the pack had nothing of value in it but his sword had to be worth a fortune. If a thief had been there why didn't he take the sword which was in plain sight? He sheathed his sword and dropped back on the ground. Something thumped against his chest, Eargrif looked down and saw the dragon-like emblem hanging around his neck by it's silver necklace.

Eargrif's Walk part 2

He finished stuffing everything else into the pack before turning to face the shirt again. His emotions started to rise again but he forced them down without being overtaken another time. If he could steal from someone like this, why was it he was able to breakdown afterwards. He grabbed the shirt and put it in the pack in one swift motion, buckling the buckle and closing his emotion temporarily along with it. "Nothing in this could possibly be mine, I wonder if the rest of it belongs to someone else as well" He picked up the odd chain mail shirt he had been wearing and examined it for any sign of ownership. The shirt would be a masterful piece of armor if it could provide the amount of protection it appeared to offer. The shirt allowed for any amount of movement imaginable with it's many links. The material was unidentifiable, far to fine to be mythril, and much lighter too. The dark blue gave the shirt an unearthly look, it's lightness and smooth texture led to the same idea. "What kind of person could make something like this" His eyes roamed over the shirt taking in the detail of the links. Every one was identical to all the others, even in the degree to which they were bent. When he slid his hand over the white dragon-like symbol on the back he noticed something. "They're not the same" The links in the symbol appeared as if they were the same as the others, but he knew they were not. Whether it was the material or something else he could not tell. Ignoring the mysteries of what the shirt was for now he continued to look for any sign of who owned it. After awhile he gave up looking for mark of ownership and deciding it might even be his, it did fit him after all. "They're not the same" The links in the symbol appeared as if they were the same as the others, but he knew they were not. Whether it was the material or something else he could not tell. Ignoring the mysteries of what the shirt was for now, he continued to look for any sign of who owned it. After awhile he gave up looking for any such marking, it simply was not there. Everything on the shirt was flawless to the naked eye, perfect craftsmanship. With the search over he put the shirt on over the top of the thick black cloth shirt he still had on. "If it wasn't for the symbol on the back I would sincerely believe this shirt was mine" Out of curiosity he closed the shirt with the two hooks on the front. The shirt was an exact fit on every part of his upper body. "I wonder where I got this from?" "The owner of the pack could not possibly wear this." He looked around at what was left for him to check through. The only item left was the sword that he had been carrying. "I wonder if this will have any answers for me, or if it will just add more questions like the rest." The sword he estimated to be a little over four feet in length, with the blade being three and a half feet long. He crouched down and picked up the loose baldric pulling the sword to him. The scabbard that protected the blade looked to be made of ancient leather. Matching the baldric in with its dull brown color it felt like it was still in good condition. The hilt of the sword was breath taking. Silver wire wrapped around the grip before combining into the cross guard. There was a dark blue gem encased on the end by four silver brackets. A close look at the stone revealed it to look something like a large diamond. The cross guard was not fancy but made to withstand a lot of punishment. The hilt however showed no signs that the sword had not been used in combat. He grabbed the hilt with his right hand, finding it fit his hand comfortably. He watched the blade as he drew the sword out slowly even though there was minimal friction between the sword and scabbard. The blade was made of tempered steel, again of a high quality of craftsmanship. The highly polished steel gleamed in the sunlight as he drew the sword fully free to see all of it. The blade was like nothing he had ever seen before. There had something written in it, but not engraved in the steel. The letters took up two feet of the blade and two-thirds of the width. The writing was done in a way that made the letters look like flames. The steel had been replaced by material that matched the blue diamond on the end. It was as if the person that made the sword melted blue diamonds into the steel before he forged the blade. The only problem with that was blue diamonds didn't exist. The steel and blue gem formed together as if the whole blade was made of steel. Coming out of the shock that the blade was made of two different materials he realized he hadn't even read what was written. The letters read Eargrif from the hilt to the tip. "Eargrif" "That's a woman's name." He looked at the length of the blade and grip. He held the sword up with his right hand and felt its weight. A woman could not use the sword as a weapon. The length of the blade would cause a woman's smaller frame to be set off balance when she swung the sword. The weight alone would prevent most woman from being able to hold the sword upright with only one hand. He admired the detail in the letters one more time before replacing the sword to its scabbard. He pulled the baldric over his head and adjusted it at his left hip. The hilt of the sword could be seen over his right shoulder, making it easy for him to grab. He picked up the pack making sure it was closed properly. He tightened the buckle before he placed it on his back. He took a final drink of water before setting off down the road again. "A woman's name is better than none at all."

Eargrif's Walk part 1

He woke up covered in mud and lying in a ditch. "What was that all about?" he said rubbing his stiff neck. The man looked around trying to figure out where he was, where was the nearest frob root and most unsettling of all why he was face down in a ditch. He tried think back to the last thing he remembered... "Wait a minute I can't remember anything" He shook his head trying to regain his wits. Nothing. "What could be so wrong with a man that he can't even remember his own name" He got up off the ground taking a second to brush some of the drier mud from his clothes and face. He took a close look at the ground to see if anything had fallen from his gear. Finding nothing of interest he started walking down the road to the east, lost in thoughts. Two hours later he came to bridge crossing over a small brook. Two feet passed the other side of the bridge before he came out of his scattered thoughts and realized he was walking away from water. Coming to his senses he ran back to the brook, dropped to his Knees and start gorging himself in the water. When he had drank his fill he began to wash the remaining mud from his arms and face. "Where am I going to go ?" "I don't have a home that I know of so that's not holding me to this country" "I'm too young for a wife, but I wonder if I have a girl some where that's worried about me" He decided he should check through all of his clothes and gear to make sure he hadn't missed anything that might tell him who he was. First he removed all of his gear which consisted of a pack, a sword, and a chain mail shirt that was a strange very dark blue with a white dragon-looking symbol on the back and had an open front. He then checked through all of his pockets finding only 3 gold and 7 silver coins he moved on to his pack. The pack was full of many different things one would be expected to take if they were traveling. There were only two things that didn't seem to belong, a book with writings he couldn't understand and a silver necklace with the same dragon-like emblem hanging from it. He leafed through the book trying to make sense of the words and symbols. The first few pages contained many different maps, none of which looked familiar to him. Finally he reached the end and was about to close the book before he realized there was a slight bulge on the other side of the final page. He turned the final page and a very thin folded piece of leather fell out. He unfolded it and once again was looking at the dragon-like image. His curiosity was running wild at the thought of what this symbol could mean. "What is it for? " he thought " Why is it in here too? " He carefully folded up and replaced the leather into the protection of the book. He kept forming different connections in his mind about what it all meant. He once again lost himself in thought as he replaced the contents of the pack. As he folded up a blanket, he began to wonder who he was. Then he thought of the necklace and book he found. Would these help him to find out who he was, but he couldn't even read the book. Then it hit him... "What if this stuff isn't even mine" he whispered in a voice so quiet even he could not hear it. At that moment he knew who he was. He now knew why he had been laying face down in the mud when he awoke. Worst of all he knew why he had no memory of who he was. He looked around at the clothing and gear spread out over the bank. This could be something only he could have done. With as much of his voice he could muster in the greatest show of disgust ever spewed for from his lips he uttered. "I am a thief." Just to say it was enough to take him to his knees. The foul words still on his tongue caused him reach into the brook for water to rinse his mouth of the taste of those words. When he spit out the water he noticed for the first time that even the clothes he carried could not be his, he was much too large of build for the clothing to fit him. His stomach wrenched tighter the closer his hand got to the shirt that was laying a foot away. A sharp pang rose in his side as he held the shirt up in front of himself. "They should have killed me instead of leaving me in that ditch." What he held in front of him proved just how much of an evil person he was. He let the shirt drop to the ground and grabbed the pack off the ground before continuing to gather the remaining items from the ground. As he worked he couldn't shake the feeling that he had never before been called evil by anyone. "How can that be, was I so experienced at my cruel deeds that I was never caught?" He yelled in a flash of anger as he lost control of his emotions. "Is that why I was never called a thief, because no one ever knew what I was?"
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