Day 6 of Midwinter, Midday

In the Wild, Emain Ablach

Annwn

I was out for a while. When I awoke, the sun was high in the sky. I felt strangely…fine. My injuries seemed to have miraculously healed. My nausea was gone. The mist was gone. The oilliphéist was also gone. I looked to my left and saw just how close I had been to rolling off of the cliff in my sleep. Too close!

I stretched, and that is when the voice of The Dagda graced my inner senses.

Name: Bren Búachaill

Race: Undetermined

Current Power Rank - Level 7

Current Progression Status:

Physical Progression +8

(currently bound by Power Rank Level)

Mental Progression +5

(currently bound by Power Rank Level)

Spiritual Progression +8

(currently bound by Power Rank Level)

You have been gifted with the following boons:

Control Energy

Erratic Agility

Minor Cavern Vision

Four magic items are in your possession.

You have acquired:

The Rings of Identification

Urias’ Meshmail of Adaptation

The Dagger of Transmogrification

Fernawen’s Shell of Promise

You have one unbound minion:

Unnamed Oilliphéist

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Unbound minion? What was that about?

I stared up at the sun, thinking about the progression status numbers that my magic Rings allowed me access to. What were these Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Progression numbers? Thinking about it, I had to admit that climbing up the cliff face had felt easier than bouldering into Caoránach’s lair. Maybe I was getting stronger…but what was the baseline? It was all so confusing.

When Morias first gave me the Rings, I was at Power Rank Level 3. And my Physical Progression was +2. So, maybe your average human score for these attributes was 0? Made sense to me. If this was a world of magic, perhaps we only had access to these bonuses when we were in Annwn. I wondered what the ceiling was for these skills. Tadg’s and Brigid’s Physical Progression had been at +25 the last time I checked.

I felt a sudden, already familiar weight on my chest. The oilliphéist had returned.

“Hey there,” I said tentatively. “Did you have a nice rest?”

I paused for some reason, as if waiting for a response. None came.

“I’m going to sit up now. Do you think you could slither off over there?” I pointed to my right. It just stared at me and flicked out its tongue.

I slowly sat up and gently put my hands under the oilliphéist so it didn’t fall. “I’m going to set you down on the ground now.”

I moved my hands to the ground, expecting the little serpent to slither off. When it didn’t, I angled my hands in such a way so that gravity would slide the beast from my hands. Instead, it slithered back up my hands and up my sleeve. I froze.

“Okay, buddy. I’m going to take off my cloak now and set you down on the ground.” I moved slowly, trying not to startle the oilliphéist. When I finally managed to get my cloak off, I found the serpent perched on my shoulder. I carefully reached up and tried to lift him off, at which point, he bit me.

“Ouch! You have sharp teeth!” The bite hurt, but I didn’t feel like I had been exposed to any sort of toxin or poison. His teeth were kind of strange for a snake-shaped creature. He didn’t have two traditional fangs like snakes on Earth. It was more like every tooth was sharp like a fang.

“Clearly you want to stay on my shoulder.” I looked around the area where we had battled the grey man the night before. I was shocked to see the corpses of several rodents and even a large bird strewn on the ground. I looked at the little serpent. “Did you catch all of these last night?”

No response.

“Okay, look…” I thought for a minute, and then tried to put my cloak back on. I managed to get the oilliphéist on the outside of my cloak, but he seemed insistent on staying draped across my shoulder. “If you’re going to ride up there, I think we need to set some ground rules.”

The oilliphéist looked around at all he had killed the night before and I could have sworn the damned thing smiled at me, like a cat leaving a dead mouse for their master. It seemed pleased with itself.

“Rule number one…No biting or stinging me.” I waited again, mostly out of habit, and continued. “Rule number two…You can’t always ride on my shoulder. At some point, I will have to take a bath or change clothes.”

The oilliphéist bumped up against my chin. Was he…nuzzling me? Okay, that was kind of cute, in a bite-your-face-off way. I reached up and rubbed it gently under the chin.

I started walking up a hill. “Rule number three…” I paused. I don’t actually think I had a third rule. “Maybe…don’t bite or sting another person unless they’re threatening us.”

I reached the top of the hill and turned in a circle, hoping I would see a landmark that I recognized. Nope. For miles around, all I could see was rolling hills and water. At least I could see the coastline. I guessed I could follow the coastline and make my way northeast to Findrias or southwest back to Gorias.

“Which way do you…” I paused and thought about what the Dagda’s voice had told me in my Power Rank level up notification. It had said “unnamed oilliphéist.”

“You need a name, don’t you, buddy?” The serpent stopped looking around and turned its head toward me. I held out my hand and it slithered onto it. “How about Smaug?” The little snake monster just stared at me with squinted eyes. “I think that’s a no.”

“How about Sir Mix-a-Lot?” The thing bared its sharp teeth. “Okay, okay! No rap names.”

I scanned the horizon and couldn’t help picturing an armor clad Graham Chapman running around on the damp green hills, banging his coconuts together. Inspiration struck. “How about Monty?” The little beast appeared to consider the name, then slithered back up my arm and onto my shoulder.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’” I scratched under his chin again. “Okay then, Monty…which way should we go? Forward to Findrias or back to Gorias?”

As a bird landed in a tree nearby, Monty tucked himself tightly back inside my cloak. “What is it, buddy?” I looked closer at the bird and my heart sank. It was a raven. I looked around for a flock of the creatures, but there were none that I could see nearby.

“Maybe you can tell me which way to go,” I said to the bird, attempting to break the tension. The raven let out a shrill squawk and I flinched a little. I began to slowly back away from the tree.

As I turned away from the tree, a woman’s voice came from where the raven had been. “You will be coming with me to Findrias.”

I heard two feet strike the ground, and when I looked back, the raven was gone. Before me stood the bruised and bloodied leather-armored woman with black hair. I heard the jangle of the chain unfurling before I saw it. “Any objections?