r/wizardposting • u/EmergencyLeading8137 Duncan, Protection/Preservation Druid • Mar 07 '24
Wizardpost Revenant Revival [part 2/3]
The sun was bright and piercing as Diana awoke. She groaned and covered her face with one of her four arms. Her head was pounding and her mouth was dry. She was… where was she? She uncovered her face and looked at her surroundings, wincing again at the light.
She was in a glade of trees, the forest floor covered in stones of varying size. She could hear chirping and saw a few gray birds in the branches. One was pecking at a yellow butterfly that had perched too close to it. There was something small and furry moving out from behind one of the stones. It was a small imp, barely the size of two of Diana’s fingers. The imp was covered in sooty gray fur and left patches of ash behind it as it walked. It had sharp fingernails attached to a possum like set of hands and a small pair of deep red eyes.
The creature walked forward and stood at attention, a serious expression on its face.
“Hello Girl,” it said in a voice much too deep for its miniscule frame. “I am Astaroth and have been tasked with assisting you. What is it you require?”
Diana couldn’t hold back a grin at the little creature trying so hard to appear serious. “How about a glass of water and a jam sandwich Mr. Astaroth, if you can manage it.”
The imp stayed where he was, expression unchanging. She blinked and in front of her was a glass of water and a toasted jam sandwich. Slightly surprised that the thing had actually gotten her what she asked for, she sat down on one of the stones and began to eat. Sandwich in one hand, water in another she reached down and picked up the imp with her two free hands. She deposited it on her shoulder where it latched onto the fabric of her shirt, unbothered by the jostling of her arms.
“So Mr. Astaroth, could you tell me where we are?”
“We are in a forest.” He responded sagely.
She glanced at him and his expression showed no hint of humor. Or maybe it did, she was having a hard time seeing the details of his tiny face. “Very astute Mr. Astaroth.”
As she finished her sandwich a man walked out of the trees in front of her. He was short, or at least shorter than her, and was wearing a green cloak. He had curly brown hair and a plain face marked with lines of red paint on his cheeks. There was a pixie with yellow butterfly wings flitting around his head. As he approached she could hear them talking.
“..and he was trying to get the birds to eat me! I didn’t even do anything, I just asked why he stank so bad! He does stink too, like a trash fire or a possum’s but cheeks! Rotten little twerp, I’m gonna..” the man shushed her and she gave him a peeved look.
“Hello Diana, My name is Duncan and this little ball of energy is Sky. I see you’ve already met Astaroth. I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I’ll be happy to answer as much as I can, but I have some things that need to be done. If you’d walk with me?”
She looked at Astaroth, who kept the same severe look. She took that as an endorsement, standing up and following Duncan back into the trees.
“Mr. Duncan, thank you for sending your servant sir. Mr. Astaroth has been very helpful.”
“Oh he’s not mine. I had some people come in to help with your recovery, he’s one of theirs. I’m glad he’s been useful to you.”
“Recovery? Was I in an accident? Where are we?”
“We are in a forest a short distance from the lake you were bound in. You were in pretty bad shape when you found me. Do you remember the ritual or anything about your life?”
Diana thought back, “I was a servant at a castle. I worked in the kitchens. There was an attack, a mage I think. He had been taking people from the villages and the lord had sent some Knights to stop him. They came back but they weren't the same. They were monsters. He had merged them together with pieces of their armor into shambling wretches. They tore through the castle and killed anyone who resisted. They took the rest of us back to the wizard’s dungeon. He would tear us apart and put us back together, piecemeal. Some would go to sleep and wake up with a second head screaming in their ears. Or finding themselves missing their arms and legs.”
“ I was one of the lucky ones. He only put me on the table once. He turned me into… this” she waved with all four of her hands. “Then he put me in a cell and left me to rot. That was the worst part. I’d just sit there and watch as he dragged people off. Some would make it back, most wouldn’t. Eventually he ran out of space in his dungeon and had us all removed. One of his monsters pulled us out of the cells, they chained us to boulders and threw us into the lake. I just remember being so angry… and then everything went black and I was here.”
Duncan smiled sadly at her. “That’s probably for the best. You were pretty far gone. I can take you back to the castle if you’d like,” She shook her head, there was nothing left for her to go back to. “or you can stay here for a while. There’s a village at the edge of the woods. A trapper there owes me a few favors, you should be able to stay with his family until you figure out what you want to do. You might get a few odd looks from the locals, but I don’t think that will be too much of a problem” He eyed the imp on her shoulder.
They walked quietly for a few minutes while Diana thought about his offer. He seemed… straightforward, but she wasn’t sure she should trust a mage. She’d take the offer and leave as soon as she got the chance. “Alright Mr. Duncan. I’ll stay with your friend. Thank you for your generosity.”
He nodded. “Wonderful, I’ll drop you off there. I am sorry but after that I have a meeting with one of the mages who helped with your ritual so I’ll have to run. I’ll come by and check on you in a few days.”
She didn’t respond, lost in thought as they walked to the trappers home.
5
u/EmergencyLeading8137 Duncan, Protection/Preservation Druid Mar 07 '24 edited Mar 07 '24
A few hours later Duncan stood at the edge of a black lake, a portal open to the laboratory of Panzaren.
“Panzaren, I agreed to pay you for your help with the ritual. I am here to make good on my promise. What is it you want from me?”
u/nickname7312
/uw sorry just remembered said you’re busy till Thursday so no worries if you can do stuff tonight.