Announcements - 2003/06 - Portents
Original Link (now dead) - No Link Available
June Episode: "Portents"
Stetten and Allacen ran as quickly as their feet would carry them. Occasionally, one of them would turn back to see if the shrieking creature still followed, only to feel their terror redoubled when they saw it still bearing down on them.
"Run, little ones, run!" the undead woman howled. "Your fear will be gone soon."
The warriors had encountered the creature as they hunted the jungles of Omishan. They had heard rumors of undead lurking in the jungle's shadows and had set out to see if the tales were true. They found out soon enough when they encountered an undead woman wandering west of the ruins of old Mayoi.
At first she had seemed almost harmless, her head bowed to her chest, mumbling to herself. Stetten and Allacen had seen a few of the revived sentients at Artefon behave this way, almost as if they hadn't been awakened with their full faculties, and their broken minds were forced to relive the events of their life.
To put the woman out of her misery, Stetten had sent an arrow flying toward her, only to see her head snap up suddenly. With a wave of her hand, she knocked his arrow from the air as if it were nothing more than an annoying insect. The same had happened to Allacen's flame bolt; the undead creature had simply caught it in her hands as if to examine it, then flung it to the ground, looking up at the pair with a smirk. Stetten and Allacen had exchanged a single glance, then turned and begun their mad flight.
"Come, come don't you want to see your friends at the Lifestone?" the undead woman cried, her voice sweet with mock concern.
The warriors' flight brought them to the fallen buildings of old Mayoi. They darted between the ruins, hoping to gain enough distance from their pursuer to escape into portalspace. Yet each time they looked back, the woman was still the same distance behind them, cackling and howling insults.
"No, no, no, I will not be so easily dissuaded," she screeched. "You desired my attention, and you shall have it!"
Leaving the ruins of the town behind, the pair headed east along the beach, following the ocean's shore. Hearing Stetten and Allacen's approach, a lone Mimbu began weaving a spell with its staff. Suddenly the Mimbu dropped its staff, squealed, and fell twitching to the ground. Allacen looked back over her shoulder as she ran and saw a glow fading from their pursuer's outstretched hands. "We can do without any interruptions!" the undead woman said, laughing.
As the pair continued east, they saw that the land reached a point. They turned to follow it as it curved to the southwest. Allacen called out to her companion, "We can't keep running! We must turn and fight. If we are to die, it is better to do so with honor!"
Stetten nodded and replied, "There, ahead! The ruins of the tower! We'll make our stand there!"
The pair jumped over the rocks and ancient debris that littered the fallen tower's base. They stopped and turned to face the creature, an arrow nocked in Stetten's bow and Allacen's staff at the ready.
Gliding closer, the woman howled, "Fools! You shall fall as easily as this... tower..." As she reached the word "tower," the woman's voice trailed off and she halted her advance toward them. With rapid sweeps of her head, she examined the area, the tangled masses of her matted hair brushing her decaying shoulders. Stetten and Allacen looked at each other, not knowing what to make of this sudden change.
"...Tower?" the creature mumbled, her voice now a barely audible whisper. "Welcome... to my... lonely... lonely tower?" Abruptly her head stopped twisting and she fixed her eyes firmly on Stetten and Allacen. Her mumbling continued. "How can... this tired... tired... tired... mage?... help you?... Travel with care... Golems?... coming..."
A piercing whistle interrupted this rambling speech, followed by the meaty thunk of an arrow hitting flesh. The undead woman glanced down to see a wooden shaft protruding from her left shoulder. Then, looking up at Stetten and Allacen, she let loose an ear-piercing scream and disappeared.
"You are fortunate she didn't kill you for that, Stetten!" Allacen chided. "Who was that? Why did she stop like that?"
Gazing at the ruins of the tower behind him, Stetten spoke somberly. "I think it was Shoyanen."
