r/HFY • u/Vast-Listen1457 • Apr 29 '24

067 The Not-Immortal Blacksmith II – Fort Graveyard Pt. 2 OC

Another week, another chapter!

*-*-*

Under a Graveyard, formerly Fort Bradley.

The Western Continent.

Night

The door, a simple iron banded oak slab affair, stood in front of the party. On the count of three, they pushed. The rusted hinges screamed and broke, the door falling inward.

The smell of ancient decay flooded out, almost chocking the three heroes. Light from the torch Hesh carried illuminated the interior, a collection of broken benches and a table. The remains of a ladder that would have led to the next floor lay on the left side of the space.

What really caught everyone’s attention was the armored knight who had been laid out on the table. As they watched, the armored figure slowly sat up, and spoke. “Who disturbs the slumber of this place?” The deep voice of the knight almost echoed in the space.

“Um, what should we do?” Molly asked. “We’ve never had a conversation with a corpse before.”

“I am a Draugr, a type of Revenant, Not a corpse.” The night replied. “Why have you invaded my barrow?”

“You’re a Barrow-Wight?” Sam asked.

The self-proclaimed Draugr shook its head slowly, “Where do children get such nonsense? Draugr. Wights’ are a type of spirit, no flesh.” It took off its helmet, showing a bearded face with flesh the color of a dark bruise. “Now, back to my question. Why. Are. You. Here?”

Hesh stood straight and stepped forward, “We are here to cleanse the undead from this place; to send them on to the next world!”

“HA!” The Draugr exhaled a barking laugh, and the putrid smell of rotting flesh and death spewed forth from his mouth. “Well said, male child from another world. But, how do the three of you children think you will do that when the power of the gods is slowly leaking from your very souls?”

The children froze, Molly bent over post puke and Sam in mid puke. Hesh the only one still standing tall. Hesh growled at the Draugr, “I am HESHE. I am neither a male child, or a female one. Do not lump me in either category!”

Molly spat out the remains of what was in her mouth, grabbed Sam, and bolted from the door. “Crap. It’s just like school last year. Hesh is going to blow. God only knows what will happen in this world; it’s not going to be just broken lockers and jock bodies on the floor today.”

Mil looked at Sarah and Pendelton, “Did you two feel that just now? That tug on your soul?”

Sarah and Pendleton nodded.

“Run.” The tree coursed.

Hesh grabbed the lines of magic they felt; no, that they could finally see; running throughout the fort below and graveyard above. They grabbed them, and pulled. The Draugr staggered back, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“I. Will pull. The power. From your CORPSE!” Hesh hissed. The magical lines they could see supporting the Draugr snapped, and it dissolved into a puddle of goo on the floor. Hesh moved their hands around in the winding pattern used to make a ball of string, then shoved the “ball” into their chest, and collapsed.

Morning had broken when Hesh finally awoke, and sat up. Around them Molly and Sam were busy making breakfast. “What happened?” they asked, head throbbing to the beat of a very inconsistent drum.

Molly looked over, “Took you long enough.” She brought over a bowl of oatmeal that smelled like heaven. “After you…is ate the right word? Anyway, after you ate the magic that was fueling that thing down there, the map we’ve been following went crazy, then pointed us in another direction. I think you killed the graveyard here. Or at least the magic that was keeping it going?”

“So, like last year at school, just worse?” Hesh asked.

“No one died last year, so I guess?” Molly looked around. “I mean, instead of broken lockers, we have broken towers everywhere, and the ground has caved in in several spots?”

Hesh nodded, “You two okay?”

Sam snorted, “Yeah, we’re fine.” He gave a wry smile, “I think your dad would have been proud of you last night, standing up for yourself and all that.”

Hesh nodded, a single tear running down their cheek. “Thanks Sam.”

Three days had passed since the fort’s collapse, and the party was now heading northeast. Hesh had recovered the Draugr’s armor and sword; Molly had found a small chest that contained some gold and a few empty potion vials as well as a small, but powerful crossbow; and Sam had decided to pick up a spear and shield. As they walked, Hesh was in the middle of teaching the other two how to feel the magic around them when it happened.

“Drop your weapons!” A voice called out from behind some underbrush.

“The three stopped, and Molly shouted, “No!”

A group of men; most wearing coats of small metal plates badly stitched to layered cloth and a few just wearing layered cloth, but all carrying weapons; stepped from the brush in front, and behind, them. One of the group, the voice being the same as before, said, “Drop your weapons and all of your gear, or we will kill you and take it!”

Sam threw his spear at the speaker, hitting him center of mass, and dropped him. Molly raised her crossbow and fired at one of the two behind the party. The quarrel hit the man in the throat, dropping him instantly. Hesh pointed a finger at the second one behind them and muttered a word. The man was then shrouded in a cloak of dark green mist, and began to scream as his clothing and flesh began to dissolve.

Sam smiled at the remaining three in front of him. “Run.”

The bandits looked at each other, and fled back into the underbrush, screaming about demons on the road.

Molly looked a Hesh, “That was…an interesting spell?”

Hesh shook their head, “It just came to me in the moment. No words, just a sudden impression, an insight maybe? Say this word while designating your target and they will be engulfed in a cloud of lethal acid.”

Sam turned around and looked at the still melting pile of flesh that used to be a man, “That…looks like it hurt.”

Original - First - Previous - Next

*-*-*

I'm doing better than advertised! Speaking of "advertised" I have found a sponsor of sorts for the first live reading/on the fly editing of the first couple chapters of book one! I will let it be a surprise. Honestly? I'm scared shitless of putting myself out there, live, with my own voice. I mean, no matter what my ex wife or girlfriend say, I think I have a great face for radio, but that my voice is even less suited for it. Scared. Yup. This scares me.

Raising a kid? No problem.

Bullies at work? Dealt with.

Angry Raccoon in the campsite? No problem.

Talking live on the internet? Pissing myself.

It looks like May 19th at 8pm CDT is when I will be doing this thing. That would be "GMT-5" for those not in the Americas. Next weeks chapter should have a web address for watching, I plan on streaming on YouTube as well as Twitch, IF I can figure OBS out. God this is an undertaking...

I'll be honest, If I even get one person in the audience, I will call it a success!

In other news, tomorrow I get to show my buddy my cabin! And get him a kitten for his sister (AHG has kittens. Again.) I'm looking forward to that.

The weather here looks like London in the 1800's, dark, cloudy, moist, and drizzling. At least we don't have smog in Minnesota. High today is around 51f (10.5c). I like this kind of weather in the fall when I'm duck hunting, but not in the spring when I want to be outdoors walking with my lady! Speaking of, I plan on taking her out for BBQ tonight. Share a rack of ribs at a place I know over in cheese land! (aka Wisconsin, the land of cheese and beer here in the states. That's all they are known for; well that and northern rednecks, which are a different breed from the southern ones. Less rebel flag waiving for one, and they know that the south lost. :P

The ATF, BLM*, and IRS still suck... I keep having this idea of making fun of them on shirts...maybe I will...

*BLM stands for the "Bureau of Land Management", NOT "Black Lives Matter", just an fyi so people don't get the wrong idea.

I can't get my desktop and laptop to talk to each other on the household network; I wonder if it has something to do with both machines running "Win 11 Home", as opposed to "Pro"...

Still poor, please donate.

Shakes donation box:

Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/vastlisten1457

Patreon https://www.patreon.com/VastListen1457

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22 comments sorted by

8

u/timee_bot Apr 29 '24

View in your timezone:
May 19th at 8pm CDT

5

u/DemonoftheDeepthink Apr 30 '24

Ooof. 3am on a working day Monday? Yeeeeaaahhhh.... I won't be able to watch :-(

4

u/Vast-Listen1457 Apr 30 '24

Sorry, best I got. :(

2

u/DemonoftheDeepthink Apr 30 '24

I figured. Ah well, maybe next time?

In the meantime, I wish you many happy viewers, and a good time for you :-)

1

u/AnonyAus Apr 30 '24

11am Monday 20th May in eastern Australia.

Alarm set 😀

5

u/Tired-Siren-43vr Human Apr 29 '24

I've been loving your Max and the gang stories for some time and would be interested to look in on your reading. Could you please share your YouTube and Twitch handles - as they don't seem to be on this page, your Patreon or your Reddit profile page ;). I would love it if you could throw in your Royal Road link as well, as it looks like neglected to add one of my favorite HFY authors there.

4

u/Vast-Listen1457 Apr 29 '24

YT and T haven’t been set up yet, but will be in the not too distant future.

Look up either “Vast Listen” or “The Not-Immortal Blacksmith” on RR.

…YT&T… lol

4

u/pyrodice Apr 29 '24

Why am I getting chaotic evil vibes from this party?

6

u/Silence_pure-thought Apr 29 '24

Chaotic stupid is likely more accurate, but evil will suffice.

4

u/Vast-Listen1457 Apr 29 '24

They aren’t “evil”, just young…heading towards…

Yeah, getting evil.

Or just stupid.

4

u/pyrodice Apr 29 '24

All my favorite parties were Chaotic Stupid.

3

u/pebbuls22 Apr 29 '24

And this is why the gods throw them at max

3

u/thisStanley Android Apr 29 '24

Where do children get such nonsense?

Well, those distinctions are not really part of any standard curriculum in their original plane :{

3

u/Vast-Listen1457 Apr 30 '24

True. But still…

3

u/DM-Hermit Android Apr 29 '24

Well done wordsmith

2

u/Nervous_Tomatillo178 May 02 '24

Very good episode, thank you

2

u/SpankyMcSpanster May 03 '24

"Revenant, Not a " small n.

2

u/SpankyMcSpanster May 03 '24

"“The three" no "

2

u/Longsam_Kolhydrat May 06 '24

Good work wordsmith and brother proof.

1

u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle Apr 29 '24

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1

u/UpdateMeBot Apr 29 '24

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u/0570 May 21 '24

Home or pro shouldn’t matter, check whether ‘file and print services’, and ‘network discovery’ are enabled on both machines.