“Come on Nathan Mordred Turner that was the least painful option. Teeheeehee.”
Nathan mechanically scratches his bandaged wrist. He is not sure he actually needs the bandage or even the disinfectant. But better safe than septic. Still, it is a bit early for it to itch, he feels that he should feel pain.
Gwahin looks giddy. Actually now that he thinks about it, she looks… Well, drunk.
And perhaps taking him by surprise had made the pain less. He is no expert.
“Onto the help I will give you now dear host! Teeheehee! I will give you two. No! Three things! And Advice! I am such a good Arkha to you.”
Gwahin stumbles toward her bonsai and drops to her knees, a hand on the ground. Then stops.
Nathan starts to wonder whether she needs help when Gwahin pulls. With a grunt, she extracts from the ground a straight piece of wood, basically, a spear.
“Wooh! That was a bit early! But I did it!”
She turns to Nathan and he realizes that she had taken specific care not to show her teeth before. Now that she is quite obviously plastered her guard is down, so her lips are up and Nathan wants to step back. He still grabs the spear.
“Alright then! You know how to use a spear right?”
“I read that somewhere, you have to stick them with the pointy end right?”
“Hold on a minute Mordred Nathan Turner you are the master of your house right?”
“Uhhhh sort off?”
“And you live alone?”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Yeeesss?”
“You have never been trained to fight? What if enemies come to your house?”
Nathan thinks about his childhood, trips with his parents to fairs and movie sets and the people who had done their best to master an art of war that was five centuries obsolete. He had not trained with them, he had loved the jesters, and now it is too late to try an impress flesh eating monsters with his juggling skills. He is not a hunter either and Hallows is too safe to warrant a weapon.
“My only enemies are the IRS and irate customers. Killing customers is bad for business and you can’t defeat the IRS.”
Gwahin shakes her head then blinks. Then blinks a few more times, trying to focus on Nathan’s head. Then she remembers that his head is significantly higher and that she is staring at his crotch.
“One more reason for the third gift. Onto the second gift, Nathan Mordred Turner! “
Gwahin seizes Sarah’s air and turns around. She starts working on something, making huge gestures punctuated with grunts and expletives. Nathan tries to see but as soon as he takes a step forward she turns her head around and gives him the stink eye. Nathan relents, sits down on the grass.
After less than two minutes, two tiny hands drop something on Nathan lap.
“Tadaaaa! How do you like it!? Teeheeeheee!”
It is… A dreamcatcher. A small dreamcatcher with the center hole covered by Sarah’s hair braided in a eight points star. At the center of it stands what looks like a droplet of resin, the amber shining in the pale light. As Nathan delicately picks it, the amber shivers, then moves to the edge of the circle.
Towards the city.
Gwahin looks, expectant. Nathan just nods, speechless.
“Awesome work for an improvised weaving, if I do say so myself! Onto the last part!”
Gwahin saunters to the edge of the clearing, stumbling only once, then grabs a bunch of stuff from a tree branch that just… Leans toward her. She paws the things and shoves them in her mouth, gargles and makes weird noises then spats them out.
Nathan stares silently as exactly six acorns are dropped on his lap. He gathers them in his hands.
The acorns have become blood red and pointier somehow. Upon closer inspection they have an aura and Nathan can feel that those will never grow up to become trees. They are weapon now.
“How is it? Teeheee. You can almost go get yourself blooded now but before I have a few pieces of advice! See? You are an idiot Nathan Mordred Turner, an imbecile, but, but! I dont want you to die! You are fun! And so refreshing! And I still owe you a debt! So! You will listen with unmita…. Untimig… Complete attention! First! As I mention a Varog can make people stop observing him. But! You dont have that problem because you just never stop weaving yes?
“I dont’t know what you mean.”
“The flow! The… The Magic! You never stop using it, yes? You know that yes?”
“Uh…”
“So since you are paying attention the Varog cannot use that, but! But it can still get the jump on you, if you are stupid! So dont be stupid and go save your friend. Next! The acorns are projetc… Protej… You throw them. Be at a safe distance yes? And dont miss. Just toss them, teehee! Dont be stupid. Next! Find your friend before you find the Varog because the first thing they do if they know they are going to be attacked, is, guess what? They eat! Because it makes them slightly stronger. So that tends to kill people. So your friend, first! Then the Varog. Now, the spear. Just… Just dont drop it. All those weapon will last until nightfall, that’s long enough! You really, really can’t lose with what I gave you, you know? If you do I can’t help you, you are just too stupid! Anyway, you go now, I have many.. I have to…”
Gwahin turns away from Nathan and topples. Like a tree.
Nathan stands up and moves to her unmoving form. He can hear a light snore, which just shows that the three century old bonsai faerie cannot hold her human blood. Hilarious.
Nathan sighs, he has places to be, a monster to kill. He has six “projectiles”, a primitive spear and his total lack of knowledge and experience in fighting. What could go wrong?