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Entry 8- Dead bodies and home again

             We woke up that morning warmly against each other. I felt a little sore from the fight yesterday but I was thankful Parkik was safe. He woke up with me and we both got up and went about our morning duties. I handled the food and cooking the serpent meat while he began the early tear-down of the tent. We ate together and talked as we ate. I learned that his village had a tribunal of the wealthiest merchant families. Their circle was run by material possessions and trade routes. His family owned the longest trade route in the village by going from the Tempest hills all the way down to the flooded lands. I shared with him the importance of our mystics and how Ithella and Racha ran the entirety of Steadfast and that wealth wasn’t important. I remember toying with the iron ring and him eyeing it. I told him of the unusual properties of iron for the mystics and of my wish to find out more about the use of iron in magic, or at least it’s connections to the pillars.

            I threw my scraps to the marsh rats that circled near the campsite and they came over and squeeked a few thanks. I smiled and said, “We’re close to the body. Just past the Knarrled tree, according to the swamp rats.”

            “Thank goodness. I wanna get back to the village.” Parkik said.

            This was a hard day. The flooded lands were exceptionally swollen, and the dry land was scarce. Most of the day was spent trudging through water and silt. None of the beasts came near us though. I kept vigilant for the most part. Unfortunately, during the trek, a rival Marsh Rat got into my rucksack and ate some of the meats I had brought to eat. So, we lost some of the supplies on that trip. We came onto the knarled tree at the mid-day mark. Our progress was steady and we stood at the base of the tree, a small rodent looked up at me then looked around. The body was around here somewhere. The Marsh Rat lead us directly to the bloated white body. I kneeled down beside it into the mud. I touched it and my ring became chilled cold. I looked at Parkik.

            “This is him. I’m sure of it.” I said.

            I took a breath and returned my gaze to the body. I am sure I looked over the body with careful precision, learned from old Racha. She taught me how to analyze a death, death was similar to the body freezing in time. I notices a broken skull. The most disturbing thing about this body was the fact that it was just laid out here without any marks of a proper death ceremony. No wonder he came back as a haunt. I looked at Parkik.

            “Alright. I’m going to perform the death ceremony for this guy. I may not be able to commune with him but, I can at least respect his death.”

            So with that I went up to the roots of the tree and meditated for a few minutes. Then I went back to the body with a clear mind. I touched its head. And whispered into his ear.

            “You have been found dead. May your spirit find rest in this fact.” I said.

            The lands around us hushed. Like all the animals and waters began to be still for this moment. I touched the bodies head and spoke skyward.

“By the Iron pillars who watch over the lands, I release you from life and promise to bring your memory home with me back to steadfast.”

            As I moved my hand down to his heart I felt a lump in his shirt. I was so concerned with the body that I didn’t think to check his pockets. Over his breast was a locket. I looked at it and opened it up. It said two names. Maura and Bevin. My mouth went dry and I finished the prayer.

            “May your spirit find piece, when I return home, I will commune with it and may you be reunified at the pillar in the end.”

            The flooded lands became noisy again and a swarm of marsh rats began to come around us. They had done their job for us, now they decided to take their reward. The body of the dead man. I sighed and looked at Parkik, away from the carnage.

            “Let’s get home!”

            We left the area that day and began traveling back. Going the same way back home was going to be easy and we finished it with only one night of camping, rather than two. I spent the night treating my wounds. Parkik regaled me with legends of Magic from his lands. I learned that it wasn’t common for mystics to remain in their villages. According to him many mystics make their living as hermits in the mountains. Learning the ways of the firstborn giants, elves, or dragon. I thought dragons sounded crazy and he laughed.

            We ended that night with a special bond made over magic. In the shadow of the pillar, I had another terrifying nightmare. I was standing atop a pillar again, facing a corrupted version of myself shroud in darkness. I saw myself blink from one place to another getting ever more corrupted. I felt the shadows whisper my name. Then suddenly the pillar under me crumbled again and a light shot out, cleansing my shadow self, but also revealing a terrifying being encased in the iron.

            I woke up soaked with sweat. During the travel that day I clutched the locket and was very quiet. We arrived home just before evening. We said our goodbye’s and Parkik went to his home, probably to get cleaned up and show off his Basilisk scales and various other gains from the Basilisk. I debated on finishing my task or going to the healers hut and resting for the night. Letting Racha take care of my shoulder and Ithella to give me a hard time about going out while a basilisk was on the prowel. I decided to face my fates with my two mothers.

            I walked towards the healers hut, gripping my new staff, preparing to face the two who’d worry about me the most in this village.  When I entered the hut, I noticed Maura and Bevin both were gone. But then I remembered it had been 5 days. They would be back at home resting. There was no one in the main room and I accidently ran into the bones. Racha spoke up from the back.

            “If that’s you again Honnian! I will give you something worse than a splinter!”

            She came out and looked at me. Then she looked at my staff then back down to my face. I saw her facial featured move from a shocked expression to a smile to tears. She jumped forward faster than I thought possible and then embraced me. She was crying and hugging me. I hugged her back dropping my staff. She just embraced me hard. Her grey hair curtained down her back and I couldn’t help but feel the love she wanted to radiate. I felt it in her small body. I then heard a noise from behind me. Racha looked up and then broke apart from me.

            Ithella had walked in. Her hands covered in blood and her face tight. I noticed a twitch of a smile on play across it. Then she broke and came close to me. She embraced me hard and said.

            “Don’t you ever.” She broke away and looked me in the eyes at this moment. “Ever! Do this to us again. The winds were being stubborn. I nearly went after you two nights ago…I only knew that you were hurt.”

            “Oh yeah.” I said. “Snake bite. No venom, just a lucky bite.”

            I pulled my shirt down and showed. Racha perked up and began to work fast. Ithella told me take off my shirt and she put me on a bed. She then turned her attention to my staff. Noting the shard of the old staff hanging from it. She closed her eyes and felt the magic in it. She nodded then set it down next to me.

            “I’ll never take this one from you. It’s yours truly. It’ll grow with you and become stronger if you let it.”

            I smiled and nodded. Racha approached the bed and began working on healing the snake wound. I leaned against the wall.

            Racha spoke. “I don’t think this is a horrible injury. Did the Basilisk flee from you?”

            I looked at the women, “No, Parkik and I killed it.”

            Racha smiled then said, “That’s a good boy. Too bad you didn’t bring back it’s poison glans. I could have made a strong antidote with those.”

            “Parkik may have it. He cleaned the beast. He collected a lot of things.”

            “I’ll talk with the boy.” Ithella said.

            We caught up that night, talking until the moon was high in the sky. But they made me go to bed and rest so that I could have the energy to finish my task. I would confront the Haunt early in the morning. Cleansing it from the village, hopefully for good. But that’s it for now. I am home safe. Next up is getting rid of that Haunt and hopefully that will be the end of my Trial of Spirit. Then begins the true mystic training…my first ritual.

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