Gold, no. Files, no. Fuck! Tarri frantically rummaged through her backpack, searching desperately for something she could use as the husk crept ever closer. There’s got to be something, dammit! She glanced upward and beheld the monstrous figure looming above her. She threw the backpack at him and scuttled away as best she could, but the husk continued on. Not paying attention, she slammed into a tree, falling flat on her stomach. She sluggishly flipped herself over just in time to see the husk had raised their fists into the air and slammed them down on her.

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Tarri bolted upright in the bed, panting. She checked herself, placing her hands quickly on her torso, arms, and face. Brushing some stray locks of blonde hair behind her head, she took a moment to slow down her breathing, thankful that she was still alive. Was that a nightmare? I know that’s not what actually happened, but it felt so real…

She shook her head and looked around at her surroundings to distract herself from that fleeting feeling of death. The room Tarri had found herself in differed greatly from what she was used to; velvet curtains, polished wooden furniture, silk sheets. She tried to get up from the bed, but winced as she put weight on her left leg and came falling back down onto the bed. Grabbing it, she noticed it was covered in bandages.

“Ah, so yer finally awake.”

Tarri looked up to see Mr. Cordell standing in the doorway, a silver tray holding an ornately decorated tea set in his hands. He walked over and placed the tray down on a wooden nightstand.

“How’re you feelin’?”

“Alive, I think.”

“That’s good. Wouldn’t be able to do much for you if you were dead.” He chuckled while handing her a cup of tea. “And the husk?”

“Also alive. Well, not alive technically, but—”

“Yes, I know. A poor soul who has moved on, but their will has not, leavin’ their body to roam the realm until someone puts it out of its misery.”

“Do you know who the husk was originally?” Tarri asked as she took a sip of the tea.

Mr. Cordell let out a sigh. “Does yer leg still hurt?”

“Yeah.”

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“Good. Then you’ve got time for a story.” He sits down on the bed next to her. “Now, a long time ago, back when Nofronio was but a small tradin’ village, my ancestors were lookin’ to settle down, ditch the nomadic life. They built their humble home just outside the village, and started peddlin’ their wares, and business was boomin’. They all reveled in their newfound success, all except for great great grrreeaatt uncle Lancaster. He hated stickin’ around in the same place for too long, so when a local lord came callin’ for men, he was quick to answer. And he was a damn good soldier, far better than he was a trader. So he switched careers and became a mercenary. For nearly three decades he went from lord to lord offerin’ his services, and he probably would’ve continued doing so until he was old and gray, but a stray arrow to the chest sent him to an early retirement. At least, it should have.”

“He became a husk instead.” Tarri said.

Mr. Cordell nodded. “To this day, we’re not sure the reason why his will was so strong that he turned into a husk, but then again, most people never are. Husks aren’t usually good conversationalists, for better or for worse. Anyway, accordin’ to the accounts my family has collected over the years, the husk of Lancaster rose from where he fell and shambled across the land until he returned to the original family home, now abandoned, outside of Nofronio, which at that point had become a buddin’ urban sprawl. Upon discoverin’ the husk of Lancaster, one of my ancestors tried to eliminate it, but ended up in a slightly worse state than you did.”

“Slightly worse?”

“Well, it’s kind of hard to put bandages on a leg that isn’t there. As he scrambled to escape, he put a ward on the house and the surroundin’ area, preventin’ anyone other than a Cordell from findin’ the house or the husk.”

“So how was I able to find it, then?” Tarri asked.

“Simple. I just gave you a part of me.” Mr. Cordell says, pulling out the sleek-looking card with concentric circles painted on it from his pocket.

“Your business card?”

“No, a spell card. Specifically, a teleportation spell that I imbued into the card and you activated.”

“Sorry, a spell card?” Tarri asked. “I thought spells were nearly impossible to cast without expending a tremendous amount of energy.”

“Well, that was true, until the Archmage and I developed a new—”

“The Archmage! As in Archmage Archimedes!? You know him? How?”

Mr. Cordell chuckled, taking Tarri’s empty teacup and placing it back on the tray. “I think I’ve talked yer ear off for long enough at the moment, and you need to get some more rest. That leg won’t heal itself, you know. I’ll be back in a few hours to check up on you, okay?” He pushed himself off the bed and picked up the tray.

“Can I ask you something before you go?”

“Sure thing?”

“Why are you doing this? I mean, I understand why you want the husk dealt with, but why me?”

“Like I said yesterday, I trust in yer family’s reputation.” He smiled and left the room.

Tarri watched him leave and turned to look out the window. She clenched her fists. Even this far from home, I’m still just a Phosh.