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Body trembling and weakened, Cristianno lay on the ground in his rented room in Silvermoon, wincing at the pain that electrified his body. Rain had stepped out for the afternoon and Laerchel had taken off on her own. The deadline was nearing and he wasn’t sure if he would die on the spot or the countdown would begin to take place. He know death was the only solution; not so much for himself but for the poor bastard who was going to provide him the ability to live longer. Unfortunately, the pains were getting worse and lasting longer. The last one he had made him break out into a cold sweat. This one was turning his stomach. “Fel,” he muttered. Breath after breath, he muttered the curse over and over until the pain subdued and he was able to get back on his feet.
He took a deep breath and a dusted his clothes off before walking out the door. The voices surrounding him drove him mad. Each voice had a hint of essence, of life, and Cris was very sensitive to it all He decided to crawl his way back to Sun’s Reach Harbor and see if along the way, he could find a beggar or some thief to kill; someone to hold him over for a few days while he figured out what to do. Another attack hit him and he leaned against the wall of an establishment, and he grinned in pain when he heard a man’s voice grumbling “Another drunk pirate in Silvermoon. The Knights should really clean the city of this filth.” Cristianno felt the urge to pull out his pistol and simply shoot the man, in the middle of the street and take what he needed right there and then, but the pain in his chest and body was too overwhelming and he simply focused on recovering.
“That’s it. Let’s go, Wolf.” Cris looked around and chuckled.
“How long have you been following me, fucker?”
“Long enough to see your pussy ass fall over like a flower in a storm. “Ziggly appeared out of the surrounding shadows, reaching out for Cris and helping him get up. “You need another one, huh?”
“A few more wouldn’t hurt, I guess.”
“What lasts longer?” Ziggly mumbled, trying to avoid any more unnecessary stares.
“The innocent.” The words stung Cris more than the pain that was going through his body. “I won’t kill children or innocent people.”
Ziggly continued to look around, “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He noticed elves leaving the city by the gates and he pulled on Cris. “Come on, let’s get out of here. We’ll be safer outside the city gates.” With the pain subsiding, Cris managed to limp alongside Ziggly out the main gates and out into Eversong Woods. They stopped by a tree off the side of the road, where Cris sat on the ground and Ziggly watched the elves and other races come and go.
Cris chuckled, “I should have trained Davy to attack without eating the whole thing. I would have been fine by now.” He winced and grasped his chest once more.
“Or you can just stop being a pussy and kill them on your own.”
“I can’t do it, Zig.”
Ziggly turned and walked toward Cris, his green hand flying and striking the elf’s face. “You’re a fucking pirate, Cris! Act like it and do what you must!” Ziggly threw his hands up in the air and shook his head, “I’m going to lose my bro because he’s a pussy. Great.” He watched the road and noticed a woman with her child, walking slowly down the road. Their attire alerted him that they were in need of help, and probably begging for handouts. The goblin narrowed his black eyes, watching them carefully, particularly the woman, whose distressed, silent face was too much for even the goblin to see. The little boy hummed as he walked next to the woman. He was a blonde little elf who looked just as miserable as the woman, but whose hum brightened each step he took. Ziggly looked down for a moment and turned to Cris.
“You don’t have to do the killing as long you’re nearby for the soul, right?”
“Yeah.” Cris closed his eyes tightly and grabbed his chest again. “Why?”
Ziggly looked from behind the tree and heard the small humming coming toward them. “Just, keep your eyes shut, alright?”
Cris opened his eyes. “Zig, what are you doing?”
Ziggly turned back to him, “I said keep them shut!” He glanced at the two elves down the road. “I’m going to save your fucking ass.” Cris closed his eyes and winced in pain once more, leaning his head back against the tree. Ziggly looked at the road and took a deep breath.
Darkness surrounded Cristianno. He could hear the birds and the occasional dragonhawk squawking. He could hear the shuffling of Ziggly’s feet beside him and the rushing water at the nearby stream. However, the peace was broken by the sound of a gasp and the muffled sounds of struggling. “Zig…” he whispered, but quickly remained silent. He wanted to open his eyes but he knew Ziggly. He was a pirate and one who wasn’t afraid of doing what had to be done.
For a moment, Cris simply wanted to cover his ears, but the sounds intrigued him. He heard something hit against the ground at a distance and the continuing muffled cries. They sounded high pitched and weak. He wasn’t sure what it was or who it was, and as much as he wanted to open his eyes, he knew he would regret it. Ziggly grunted and Cris heard the familiar sound of flesh being cut, blood gurgling, and soon after, the overwhelming smell of that same blood reached his nostrils, intoxicating him to where he felt the earth moving below him. “Zig…” he called out again. “What…are you…”
The goblin didn’t reply. Cris reached out and patted the area next to him, touching a drenched patch of earth. He furrowed his brows and retracted his arm, only to be grabbed by a familiar calloused hand. “Lean forward, Cris.” He did as he was told, his hand once again falling on the drenched ground. Almost instantly, he felt his body grow stronger and the lingering pain went away each second that passed. The shark tooth at the center of his neck was soon warm, which in turn warmth the skin surrounding it. Cris took a deep breath and was about to open his eyes, when Ziggly whispered loudly, “No! Don’t look yet.” Cris leaned back against the tree, his moist hand brushing against the ground. He knew it would soon be covered in dirt and grass. There was shuffling around him and after a moment, a splash by the stream. The shuffling returned and a hand landed on his knee. “How are you feeling now, Cris?”
“Much better. What did you do?”
“What had to be done.”
Cris opened his eyes slowly and looked down at the blood-covered ground. The shock made Cris jump slightly where he sat and he lifted his hand, noticing the blood caked with dirt. “What the fuck, Zig?”
“Let’s go back to the ship. We need to disappear for a while.” Ziggly took is hand and helped him get up. “Oh, and let me know how long you go this time, yeah?”
“Before the pains start hitting me?”
The goblin nodded, his eyes wandering around cautiously as they walked past the Silvermoon gates. Cris didn’t know why he was being so suspicious or why he wanted to know how long he went on without the warning signs. However, he felt good and strong once more, which made him smile. “Thanks Zig.”
“Sure thing, but seriously, you need to get a grip on yourself and just do it, Wolf”
“I know.” They continued to walk and he noticed an elven woman in peasant clothing walking around dazed and confused, and shouting frantically. “Sethiel? Sethiel!” Cris couldn’t help but stare as the woman ran up to the guards and begged on her knees for help, but the guards simply lifted their noses and ignored the pleas of a poor broken woman. There was blood dripping down the side of her head and Cris thought for a moment. He pitied her, but was grateful that he had already acquired the soul he needed.
The elf and the goblin continued to walk away, ignoring the now faint cries of the woman who seemed to go unnoticed by the world. “Please! Sethiel! My son! He’s gone!”
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