| The monk smiled knowingly, as if he already knew the warrior�s future, destiny, and ultimate fate. �You will know when the time comes.� The wolf sighed heavily. �Thank you for your guidance,� he said graciously. The man only nodded then said, �Come, breakfast is being served.� The streets were full of life as local citizens went to and fro with their daily activities. He passed several merchants, hardly interested as they sold their wares to the few early morning customers. He reflected on his past, before all the unpleasantness of the last seventy years. He had been nothing more than a simple man long, long ago. A peasant who worked for little pay harvesting wheat to make bread for the local village of Barbornon. He had been twenty and eight years old when he had been changed. When he had the accident. It had happened while chopping firewood one day in the late summer. His eye had been wandering, like it always did when the village girls were present. He was not concentrating on his task. An act that had proven to be disastrous. With his eye on the young lady, he brought the hatchet down, chopping into his forearm instead of the firewood. A piercing scream had filled the air and Stytentos did not immediately recognize it as his own. Until the huge gout of blood spurted into his face. He had been injured before, but it was never this serious. After receiving what aid he could from a local healer, he had went home and dealt with the pain the best way he could. He smoked a large bowl of relaxing herbs and put a special salve on the wound that the healer had given him. But as the days passed, it was becoming evident things were not improving. It had become swollen, turning different shades of black and purple then finally green as gangrene set in. The wound began to give off a particularly foul odor and as the disease claimed him his mind began to lose it�s grip on reality. He knew with horrific certainty he was going to die. Resigning himself to his fate, he lay in bed waiting for the inevitable. However, Petrie, a neighbor whom he had known all his adult life appeared at his bedside, his eyes glowing bright red as he offered him the gift of not only life but to live forever. Thinking that he was dreaming but hoping it was real, he realized this was his only chance, and accepted with a weak nod. Petrie raked long talon-like nails down his arms, drawing blood as well as a weak moan of agony from Stytentos. After a few minutes, he was able to sit up and felt wonderful. Better than he had ever felt in his life. Petrie then explained that he was no longer human and his goal in life was to help others, and vanquish evil in all it�s forms. He would live forever but silver could kill him should it ever pierce his skin. Decapitation would of course also cause him to die as well as burning. Mulling everything over, he had decided to leave his village of Barbornon behind forever. He had never looked back, for adventure lay ahead of him. An adventure that was still going on and unfortunately had turned into a nightmare. Pushing the thoughts aside, he made his way down the busy street in the early morning cold. As he went by a narrow alleyway, he saw a man being beaten and robbed. Making no move to assist him, he watched the thief go through the hapless man�s robes then make his way up the alley, his victim getting to his feet and limping after him in pursuit. Stytentos turned and walked away, guilt creeping over him. Why didn�t I do anything to help? He thought to himself. He felt ashamed but if this was what the humans wanted, let them live in it What kind of person have I become? He asked himself. In the past, he would have went in and thrashed the robber, but after all that had happened to his people, he noticed that if you put roots down somewhere and trusted your neighbors, you ended up dead. He had watched too many friends die due to human ignorance and a lust for power. Feeling more disillusioned than ever, he strode solemnly through the bustling village, his head hung low. Stytentos had never felt more lost than he did at that moment. |
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