Adventures of Caelereth

Zarkin awoke on his bed, stretched, and sat up.
*Yawn* "Hm, I seem to be up sooner than usual" Zarkin says to himself as he swings his legs off the bed and slowly, half awake, walks through the bedroom door to the main part of his small house. There on the couch was his close friend, Krausus, silently sleeping.
"Better not to disturb him" Zarkin says in his head while he walks to the small portion in the north-east side of the house Zarkin calls the kitchen. Picks up a stone cup, opens a spiget emerging from the ground and pours himself some water. As he drinks as quietly as he can he thinks about what him and Krausus have to do for the day.
 Most likely going to fetch some wood to build more furniture for the house, as Zarkin only owns his own bed, a couch (rather a bench with blankets and pillows), and some cupboards.
 Zarkin steps out of the house for a breath of the fresh morning air. "Ahhh, this is the life" Zarkin says with a grin creeping across his face. He looks down the road to the right and sees a little girl happily skipping. As she approaches she stops in front of Zarkin and a frown falls over her face.
 "Excuse me sir, but didn't I see you in town earlier today?" she timidly asks.
 "I'm sorry sweety but I'm afraid you haven't" Zarkin replies almost puzzled.
 "Oh, I must be daydreaming" she says to assure herself, and continues on.
 "That was very strange" Zarkin thinks. "How could that little girl have seen me? For i have just woken up" Zarkin says to himself as he turns around and strolls into the house just in time to see Krausus just waking up.
 "Ah, Good morning Krausus. How did you sleep?" Zarkin asks as he casually strolls over to the spiget to get Krausus some water.

Krausus yawned, stood up, pulled on a pair of pants, and sat down on the brick that served as a "chair"

"Decent, the normal stuff." He looked at the multiple scars littering his muscular chest, and then his still bloody arms. He grimaced.

With a fluid movement, he drew a sword from the sheath he kept by his makeshift bed. He struck a log in half and stuck it in the grate, and the fire keeping the meager house warm flared. Krausus took the water and started drinking before setting the metal patch over his eye.

"So what are our escapades for the day?"

Zarkin walks over to Krausus with a cup of water and hands it to him.

 "I'm thinking we go to New-Santhala and find someone who can sell us some wood. Won't take long concidering we are in Thaak" Zarkin replies. "Oh, and also did you hear that little girl outside? I don't know if you were awake just yet, but she said she saw me in New-Santhala. I figured it was just a small joke she seemed to be playing, but once I told her it wasn't me she sort of frowned and questioned herself" Zarkin says as he sits down with a worried look crossing his face.

 He looks up a Krausus. "Oh well, might as well be on our way. I can ask the neighbor if you can use their horse for the small trip. Ill go un-hitch Blazer and we can go".

 Just as Zarkin walks out of the house to go to the neighbors he gets a small sensation that something or someone is watching him. Out of a small fear he looks to the left and sees a man standing down there, he can't quite make out the features but the man is there. Motionlessly standing there the man watches Zarkin as he sets off to the neighbors.
 
 After a while Zarkin returns to the house with the neighbors horse. "Krausus, are you ready my friend?"

Krausus stood up and pulled on his coat, and walked out the door. He smiled as Zarkin walked over to the house next door. Instead he just whistled a shrill note with two fingers. A horse came running in,  and Krausus walked up to it, sprang onto it, and laughed.

"Im afraid i don't need a horse. I have my own"

He whistled again and then a small ferret crawled up his arm, with a ferret-y smile on its face.

"Zarkin, meet Shade, the rock Ferret. "

"Ah a crafty man you are Krausus" Zarkin says as he quickly runs the horse back to the neighbors. And jumps onto Blazer. "And nice to meet you Shade" Zarkin says with a little chuckle. The two take off on a slow trot with the two horses. A strange silence envelops Zarkin's mind and he feels a need to make small talk.

 "So Krausus. I seemed to notice you didn't get much sleep last night. Something on your mind?" Zarkin hesitantly asks for Krausus seems to enjoy his silence. As they trot towards New-Santhala not only does Zarkin wait for a reply but he is awkwardly looking around. He still cannot shake the feeling he is being watched. Or rather carefully inspected by an unseen person. He keeps this to himself as he glances at Krausus and notices his arm where the cut seems to be bleeding somewhat still.

 "And just out of curiosity, why do you do that? The cutting I mean. I know it's none of my business but I wonder" Zarkin sheepishly asks his silent companion.

"Two things. The fire. It still echoes in the back of my mind, and also. Do you get the feeling were being watched?"

Krausus looked around with his good eye, unspeaking. He scowled a bit at a shadow dancing just out of sight. The horse trotted on, and he reached to his back and half drew a sword.

"And in answer. Reasons, related to my past, and an event long ago. I let out the blood of my enemy..."

He drew his head up to a shape that looked uncannily like  Zarkin here, same build, same ragged, unshorn hair. He was sitting on a black steed, a bit taller than Blaze, and was seemingly studying him intently.

"Excuse me for a second, i think i saw something."

Krausus said this as he drew a sword fully and walked cautiously down the alleyway, and was met with a shadow. Again, he got that uneasyfeeling.

"I think we're being followed. "

With annoyance he gripped his sword hilt till his knuckles strained. A single tear welled in his eye.

"I never wanted to suffer. Im just afraid to die. The world just falls apart, right before my eyes, and now that im redeemed, I think I'd rather be damned..."

 "I understand" Zarkin says in response. He slightly hears the sound of a sword being half drawn. Looking over Zarkin see's Krausus's sword being half drawin as he scans the landscape with his good eye.

 "Followed? By wh....." Zarkin is cut off as his horse reers up and jolts to an immediate stop. Standing in front of Blazer, Zarkin's horse, is a robed figure. Undistinquishable features cross the face of the robed figure as the head is covered with a hood. Almost exactly like Zarkin's. Actually it is an exact replica of Zarkin's hood. The same muscular build as him, and the same walk and poise as Zarkin.

"Excuse me sir..." Zarkin starts but the figure doesn't respond. "Hello! You look at me as I speak to you!" Zarkin yells at the figure as he jumps off the horse, but to his astonishment the figure is gone as he looks in the direction it was just seen. "What in the..."

 Standing there dumbfounded Zarkin stares at the empty road. Nothing but the sound of the bustle of the people in New-Santhala which is now only a dash away from where the two men stand.

 Collecting his thoughts Zarkin hops onto Blazer and the two head off into silence into New-Santhala. What the two have just witnessed was not only weird, but near impossible. How did that person get away so quick? Zarkin thinks to himself.

 Now entering the city of New-Santh. Zarkin looks around for someone selling wood. And just as he faces straight ahead he sees a man selling wood stacked 2 peds high, and a lot of wood building almost a fortress around the man.

 Just as they near the man he looks at Zarkin and says with a bright smile and a cheery tone to his voice, "Ah back for something else I presume? And it seems you've brought a friend".

 "I'm sorry sir but you seem to have me mistaken for another man" Zarkin says puzzled.

 "No, You just left a little while ago" the salesman says with a strange look crossing his old middle-aged face.

 "I'm afraid you're mistaken. But anyway I'm in need of your wood here" Zarkin points out "...and how much for a hafeb?"

 "1 od for 1 hafeb" the salesman says still confused about the encounter with Zarkin he had only moments ago.

 "I'll take 1 heb" Zarkin says.

 "Perfect! That'll be 2 ods" says the salesman. Zarkin pays him cheerfully. Loads up the wood, and the two are back off to Thaak.

 "Krausus, I'm getting the strangest feeling that the man we encountered a while ago was a dopple-ganger. The young girl this morning said she'd seen me earlier. And now the salesman? And I could've sworn the man was dressed exactly as me" Zarkin says worried a little. As the two trot on Zarkin keeps close eye on the roads. They reach the house in Thaak and unload the wood. But just as they approach the house something seems strange. Eerie almost. The feeling of being watched returns and Zarkin starts feeling uncomfortable. Just as they open the door a hooded figure bolts past the two knocking Zarkin off balance.

 "Ugh.....Hey!!!!" Zarkin screams as he races to his bedroom, grabs his borad-bow and arrows. He sprints out the door and chases the figure on foot down the road. Zarkin stops pulls an arrow out of his quiver, draws the bow and fires a shot. It misses the figure by a few nailsbradths. "No!" Zarkin shouts as he watches the figure bolt off.

 Retrieving the arrow Zarkin walks back to the house sits on a makeshift stool. "Krausus, I believe we are going to have to find this man. And I won't stop until he is found. Will you join me on this adventure?" Zarkin asks looking up at his companion.

Krausus absentmindedly whistled as he thought of the hooded figure. 

"Reminds me of an only enemy. He didnt fight, he took you, transformed. But I killed him long ago. He was, insane."

He shuddered at the thought of necromancy. The pain of killing the dead would be immense.  But his mind shifted to the thought of a clone.  He scowled and hummed a tune.

"What are you to a villan. Other than combat you're not much, no offense of course."

"None taken my friend. I need to take my mind off this and think about what we need for this journey" Zarkin says as he walks to the wood they had bought. He starts by picking up an axe from a corner of the main room of the house. Chopping the wood Zarkin replays today's events through his mind. With each dying of his axe he brings down more force than the last swing.

 Zarkin takes some of the wood he has chopped to the fireplace and starts a small fire, standing there staring into the flames he speaks in a calmed tone, "You asked what I mean to a villain. And you are right, I mean nothing. But there's something strange about this man. If he is indeed posing as me I've got to stop him. We leave at dawn. Might as well get an early start on this man. I know you don't like killing so we won't. Immobilise him more than likely" Zarkin says.

 

Krausus nodded, his eyebrows coming together, his greying hair frizzled.  He smiled that insane grin, and he stabbed a sword into the ground, allowing it sink into the wood.

"Do you have any enchanters around here?"

Krausus looked over at a mirror and smiled, hoping to find a scrutiny glass. His scowl returned and he shrugged, his shoulders sagging. 

"We need a scrutiny glass, to see if we can find the man. That's most of it."

 "I believe the neighbor's husband is an enchanted" Zarkin states. "I'll go over and ask for his assistance" Zarkin says as he stands up and quickly rushes to the enchanter. Moments later he arrives with an old man who appears 60 years of age and not much shorter than Zarkin.

 "You say that you are in need of a scrutiny glass for finding an imposter" the old man states.  "Well look no farther my children"

 "Sorry but I am new to something of this event. Can someone please tell me what is going to happen?" Zarkin asks as his face turns red and a feeling of embarrassment covers his stern face.

A look at our little stalker" Krausus mumbled.

He looked the old man, who was mumbling incantations under his breath, summoning the visions to the glass.

"So? What now?"

"The man you seek is indeed an imposter. He is currently hiding in a small camp about a furlay from this very spot" says the old man to the two men. "Finding him will be both easy an hard. He is a sneaky one. You two must approach him with caution for he is wielding many weapons. Some visible, some not. But this is all I am able to tell you two. I'd offer you my condolences, but have a strong feeling from you both the old man smiles as he leaves the house.

 "Like I said my friend we leave at dawn. And also pack up enough money, food, and weaponry just in case. The object is to Immobilise not kill. That is all I have for right now" Zarkin says as he starts splitting more wood and putting notches and other cuts into the wood.

 After about 2 hours of hard work and silence Zarkin breaks the air with a simple but question that seems to take it's toll on Krausus. "What was it like. Being there through the tragedy before where we are now?"

"Don't ask. Think about killing yourself."

The sun had slowly descended to a sliver of the day left,


Krausus laid upon the couch for an hour before Zarkin was asleep, before he unrolled a massive map of the area from his bag, and took out a bottle of ink and a pen.

"The forest, the plains, that old oak out a while. " He rattled off locations under his breath, before marking off locations, jotting down notes, and overall, scrawling over the map.  He looked at his handiwork, made a few corrections, and held it up to the nightt moon, before pulling on his lace up, black leather, army issue boots and going out for a walk, he grabbed his swords on the way out. His boots thumped rather audibly, but he ignored it, and walked out.

It had taken hours to make that map, and it would take longer to make  the trip starting at dawn. He sat upon an old tall rock, overlooking the town. He mused at the spot next to him, usually filled with someone...

 Visions crept into Zarkin's dreams. Vivid dreams playing before him. The first dream Zarkin was on Blazer accompanied by Krausus on his steed. The sky was just starting to light up as the sun crept over the hills making its morning rounds before ascending into the sky presuming it mid-day. Nothing out of the ordinary until the figure ran out of no where and through Zarkin off his horse.

 But the sight was worse than before. He stared deep into his own eyes, the eyes of the imposter. He let out a controlling laugh and spoke very softly as if they were the only two there.

 "I'm going to stop you dear Zarkin" then let out another chilling laugh. The poser raised his fist into the air and through down a striking blow towards Zarkin's face. But just before it made contact Zarkin awoke, startled and looked around the main room of the house ferociously trying to figure out what just happened.

 Just as he relaxes he is startled by the door slamming shut behind him and Krausus asking if he is ready for the long journey ahead of them. "Yes, just let me get my money and bow and arrows. Also where were you that you came inside?" Zarkin asks his traveling companion.

Krausus pulled on his coat, his eye showing nothing, he groped around for a few seconds before grabbing his other sheath.

"A place i wanted to see again. It's been a while"

He fingered an amulet on his neck, one that held a clear stone, edged in metal, that was inlaid with gold, a complex pattern of knots and lines.  He grimaced, pain showing on his face barely, his eye bloodshot.

"We leave soon, don't bring armor, we need to look like travelers, not knights or bandits."

He laced up his old metal plated and braced boots, and then filled a wine skin with water. With a click, the latch on the door rose, and he walked out into the morning, watching the sun start to peek over the horizon.

 "No bow, no arrows" Zarkin said as he put the bow and arrows back in the corner of his room. "But I am bringing this" Zarkin says as he straps his small dagger to his thigh.

 Walking out the door Zarkin takes a big smell of the fresh morning air. As tired as he felt he knew this would be an adventure that is well needed and a chance of finding out who this man was. Walking to the east side of the house Zarkin walked into the barn of which he keeps Blazer, un-hitched him from his stall and hopped on the horses back.

 Blazer snorted as the morning air was sucked deeply into his nostrils. Being ontop of Blazer gave Zarkin a sense of secruity and made him feel like he was unstopable. He urged Blazer foward and in front of the house where Krasus was already on his mount and seemed to be ready to go.

 "So tell me, where is this place you visited last night? It intrigues me to hear of such places of meaning" Zarkin asks his travelling companion at his side.

A rock on the edge of town"

Krausus replied, before closing his mouth and letting Zarkin sit in his thoughts. 

 For a at least a league in distance Zarkin sat atop of Blazer as the two headed south east towards the closest town. Stopping in small villages to get the horses some water and to rest. Krausus didn't say much, nor did Zarkin. He didn't ask anything and he had no intention to.

 After about 30 minutes Zarkin had to break the silence. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a horse" Zarkin stupidly said. "I know it sounds comical but I had to say something. Anyway we should find a place to stay for the night".

 After about 20 peds the two see a spot in the trees off the road where they can rest. And then suddenly it dawns on Zarkin that there is a fire that was recently in the place they intended to stay. "Atleast we know we are on the right track" Zarkin said assuming Kraus already knew what he was talking about.

He cracked his next, laid out his tent and sat upon the ground, turniń meat over a small spit, cooking dinner.

"It was so long ago, and i saw him on that rock. So long."

His eye glazed as he thought back trough his charred and sickening past.

 Zarkin knew better than to ask what Krausus was talking about, so he just sat there and wondered as the he sat there cooking meat. Might as well cook my own Zarkin thought to himself as he built his own little fire out of the remaining twigs and sticks from around the little camp site. Pulling out a huge piece of meat wrapped up in some cloth placed in a leather bag Zarkin sliced the meat into slices big enough for the both of them. Placing them delicatley onto a small rack Zarkin made out of some twigs just above the flames.

 The scent of roasting meat smuggled its way into Zarkin's nose making him feel at home. The warm feelings of his past started to creep into his mind. Back when he was a child his mother would cook the family's meat the same way. He remembered how perfect the juices of the meat blendid with the smell of the wood the meat was cooked over. Zarkin used to watch her, mouth watering, and eyes bulging. He did the same as he flipped over the meat and let the scent flow into his nostrils.

 Once the meat looked good enough to eat he cut a small flap just big enough to look into the meat. It had been cooked perfectly, since he cooked two peices he handed the other to Krausus. "It's good, trust me. I've cooked it to perfection, just as my mother did" Zarkin said with a smile. Taking a big bite out his serving, he smiled.

 "You know Kraus, I really appreciate you joining me on this journey. I didn't have very many friends back when I was a child" Zarkin said as he started remembering his dark childhood. He repressed the memories and was enveloped by the warm feelings and great tastes of the meat. "So, thank you, my friend".

 After eating his meat and filling his stomach Zarkin stretched out on the ground, groaned from how tired he was, and soon fell asleep. The dreams were worse this night. He saw himself standing in front of a mirror in a darkened room. His breathing was shallow and sometimes heavy, his heartbeat increased for some reason. And then he realized it. In the top right corner of the darkened room there was a face peering down on him. Bringing his face closer to the mirror he saw the face was his own. Spinning around Zarkin almost died from a heart attack. A mirror image of himself stood in front of him, eyes were a pitch black, but the features were all the same as Zarkin's. The fake reached it's hand out and grabbed Zarkin by the throat, lifting him up, and right as he grinned a wicked grin, he squeezed the life out of Zarkin. That's when he awoke.

 Breathing very heavily Zarkin was startled as he looked over and saw Krausus's stern face looking malevolent and twisted by the shading coming from the trees. But once he realized it was the quiet man he regained his composure and sat up. He sat there in silence looking at a small fire that Krausus had kept burning all night.

 "Did you happen do get any sleep last night?" Zarkin asked. " 'Cause you're going to need it for the long ride we have today".