An odd heat beats down on your face… the gentle breeze and sounds of rustling leaves from the trees above… and the birds, singing their song wasn’t so pleasant right now. Especially since that whore of a headache is pounding on the walls of your skull. You struggle to open your eyes, for the sun was being very unforgiving at the moment. You somehow managed to pass out in the middle of the road instead of under one of the many giant trees in the forest to the left of you. You take a moment to try and recall what had happened last night. Nothing comes to mind besides a poker game at the Red Sun Inn. Other than that everything else was a loss. You can’t remember if you even drank.. perhaps someone slipped you something? Perhaps a spell of “Riddikulus Ruffilus” was cast upon you?
Either way, it appears your night had gone sour, due to the fact that your wallet was missing, along with your sword and it appears that your burglar shared the same boot size with you too. Well, there you are… this shoeless mess that makes the town Vagrant looks like a decent contributor to society. Well, accepting your fate you manage to get to your feet, but not without a fight that is.. but you make it happen. You stagger a bit before your stomach bellows out the contents it contained right out of your face holes. After a moment, you catch your breath and decide to keep pushing forward. It takes a moment, but eventually you gain plus one to your ability to walk. Going from newborn baby deer to the rank two-month-old toddler. The headache wasn’t going away, but you avoid the direct sunlight, making things less difficult for you to manage. Upon your travels towards… well, honestly you still don’t know where you’re going, but you manage to spot fresh tracks from a horse carriage on the pathway ahead. Meaning, you weren’t totally screwed! perhaps there was civilization nearby!
Your stomach churns again causing you to hurl in the bush and hold onto a tree for dear life. You decide to take a break and have a sluggish seat at the base of the tree. After you wipe your mouth of the foul bile you wretched up, you pass the idea around in your head of what you’re going to do when you get back to town. As you rub your head trying to suppress the pain, something was off in the color on the path ahead. You squint to get a better look at the thing that was slightly shrouded by tall grass. You lean forward and crawl towards the mysterious item before realizing it was a pendant of some sort! A large blue gem glows in the sunlight before you. It’s beauty robbed you of a few moments before you scoop it up. It must be worth a few Grellings! Enough to get you some shoes… hopefully. This thing was odd-looking around the chain, but it just screamed magic.
You quickly try and think of where you could cash out this beauty, and then it came to you. That one odd witch and her little shop filled with trinkets and potions. Such an item would fit right in with the wares she has for sale. You fight to your feet and off you go again… Stumbling and hobbling down the road for about two miles, that’s when a horse-pulled wagon came across you. The smell of grog curses your breath as you speak to the driver and ask for assistance getting to the Potion Shoppette. Out the kindness of his heart, he reluctantly agrees and the two of you set off. You thought you’d increased your charisma by one, but in reality, this guy just felt bad for you… Because you look like a survivor of a bare-knuckle boxing match with a troll.
By nightfall you make it to the Shoppette, it looked so familiar in these confusing times. A breath of fresh air and a step in the right direction. You leap off the wagon and wave off the gentleman who was kind enough to get you this far. You race to the front door, up the creaky steps and in through the front door to greet the witch. You burst in, excited to be here and see the familiar face, but the witch was startled by the commotion and took you as a burglar. The witch was sitting in front of the fireplace, hot tea in hand. With a small squeak, the witch launches the hot brew at your face… It was just a reaction. The scalding hot tea brings you to your knees in screams of agony.
The witch then recognizes you and helps you to your feet. “Oh, friend! It really is you! I’m terribly sorry! I mistook you for the town vagrant! I thought they were really going for it this time! They told me one time on my way to the market that he was going to chop me up and feed me to the Seagulls! A lady must defend herself… even if it means wasting such lovely tea.” As you gain your composure, the witch gives you a small potion of fortification and restoration.
You quickly guzzle the red liquid down, and within seconds your pain and burns vanish, leaving you feeling rejuvenated. Your headache and grog sweats take a bit more time but eventually vanish. You feel so much better! You then remember why you came! And with haste, show the witch your findings from the trail you walked. The witch was quick to snatch it from you and give it a looksie. “Ah? What’s this? A magical amulet? Oh, this is quite the find! It appears that this is sterling silver, very good in defense against the undead. The gem itself, however… wards against… magics? Hmmm… This is quite powerful. I’m willing to buy this off of you… it… appears that you need the money anyway… I’m thinking, One thousand five hundred Grellings?”
You were happy to hear the number, but the currency type… Grellings? Wasn’t that the coin of the Merfolk? Yes… you’d have to get it exchanged. Another hurdle to clear, but you were willing and grateful overall. “Sorry, but I don’t have much in the means of gold right now, I just sent a big shipment to these tribes in the swamps! And they paid me in Grellings.. so I gotta work with what I got! What a good find! You know what they say! Finders keepers, losers…?” The witch was happy and was about to proceed in giving you the Grellings, that is until the door bursts open again, interrupting the witch’s line. Luckily it wasn’t the Vagrant she warned about, but a royal guard of the queen herself! He didn’t look too happy however and spotted The witch with the amulet in her hand, and you… a dirty foul degenerate. He draws his sword and clears his throat as if he had to get into character. “Ahem… STOP! You violated the law! Pay the court a fine or serve your sentence! Your stolen goods are now forfeit!” He chuckles “I’ve always wanted to say that!” He swiftly clobbers you with his mighty shield rending your vision to go black. You now drift into a deep sleep… Plunge is more the word, rather than drift… since you were just knocked out by a royal guard…
A fitting end, for now.
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