Greetings all!
I hope the end of your week has been as mellow as I hope your weekend will be.
Nothing too major to add to the story today, but Zak and I worked over the weekend to provide this week's updates. So I hope you enjoy it. Remember that this is a chainstay, so it's a good idea to read the previous post by @zakludick to get an idea of where we are the storyline.
Mortis watched with fascination as Mary tried to comfort her brother. The revenant could feel the internal struggle between the human part and the thing known as the hunger within the king. While Sebastian had tried to play the part of a strong king, he was nothing more than a child with his sister. He was desperate to find a way to escape his fate but had a plan in place if he couldn’t achieve it.
He cast his eyes to where the carcass of the pig lay. It was covered in not only bite marks but long slashes from claws. Mortis looked to the hands that clutched at Mary. The fingers were long, and the nails appeared sharp, but this wasn’t what had caused the damage to the swine. He next looked to where the top part of the king’s armour lay and found the metal had been shredded. The beast had been desperate to get out of it. The revenant kicked the armour a little to note what it was made of. While the outside of the armour was darkened by means he didn’t know, the inside glowed silver in the light coming from the kitchen.
“You knew there was a possibility of losing yourself.” Said the revenant.
“There is always a possibility.” Whispered the king as he looked up.
Thick black veins were starting to rescind around his throat and chest, and Mortis was sure his face had been covered but a few minutes ago. Mortis then indicated the armour.
“You wear silver knowing what it would do to you.”
“We all do when we travel.”
“The people, who are being led here, who are they?” asked Mary.
“Our silver workers and their families. As beasts, we can’t handle silver directly, but once it’s imbued with magic, it can rest upon our skin and contain the transformation.” Sebastian said as he sat up and rubbed wet blood from his face, only to streak it.
“Why here?”
“Because if you didn’t agree to what I needed, then they needed somewhere safe to stay.”
“So, they aren’t slaves?” chimed Magna.
“Depends on your definition of a slave.” Admitted the king.
Mary stood up and looked down at the man she had thought would always be the one to lead her people to safety but was now cursed to be this wretched beast. Sebastian leaned his head against the stone wall and closed his eyes.
“Never have I managed to pull the armour from myself in that state. We are losing, and soon the scourge will be roaming the land once again.” He opened one eye to look at his sister, “Your castle and lands are the closest.”
Mary knew it wasn’t a threat, it was a warning. She turned to some of the guards who had gathered beyond the kitchen door, “Find me a blacksmith willing to work with large amounts of silver.”
A guard snapped to attention and quickly hurried away. Mortis viewed the queen with interest but didn’t need to ask the question on his mind as she immediately followed up with, “I can’t risk an incident happening here. We are kingless, and the people are in mourning. Many are still in disbelief after finding out their gods are some sort of demonic creatures. Sebastian will have to remain bound and shackled in silver and magic to keep him away from the populace.”
“Where exactly do you plan to put him?” asked Magna sarcastically, “The dungeon?”
Mary fixed her eldest with a withered look before saying, “He will have a windowless room, yes, but I will not put my brother in the dungeon.”
“It would be safer.” Sebastian lowered his head.
“Perhaps the crypts?” suggested Stefan. “There is nothing there that can harm him, nor he harm.”
Mortis didn’t like the idea of a violent monstrosity having access to the bones of his family, but there truly was no other place for the man. He only nodded his head.
Slowly the kitchen staff filtered back into the kitchen and started cleaning up the mess that had been left there. Magna also took the time to fill her mother in on why Sebastian had attacked her in the first place. Mary shook her head in disappointment at her daughter, but she was not the one that was made to feel her ire.
“Derric, how many times have you been asked to keep the ghoul away from the kitchens?” demanded the queen as she reached for his ear to twist it.
The forest prince yelped and stepped away holding his ear. He wasn’t used to being told off, and the attack surprised him.
“Daisy does as she pleases…”
“No more!” said Mary sternly as she turned back to where her brother still sat against the wall, now completely human once more.
“I can put a pretty bowtie on her.”
“No is no, young man, do not let me catch that ghoul here again unless she is carrying a letter from your keeper.” Mary turned to Mortis, “I assume I can leave the rest to you?”
The revenant nodded his head and asked, “What will you do now?”
“Find where my father’s wedding gift lies buried in this castle.”
Sebastian threw his head back and laughed, surprising everyone. Magna didn’t see the joke in what her mother had said and turned to Mary. Yet, it was Sebastian that said, “Since you were the first to be wed, you got great grandmama’s silverware set.”
“And it will help us in this situation and finally be of some use to us.”
And there you have it. The rest is up to Zak.
Here is an explanation of Chain Stories and here is the current Chainstory Library
Mortis Custos
Sanguifex
| by @zakludick | by @lex-zaiya |
|---|---|
| Part 1 | Part 2 |
| Part 3 | Part 4 |
| Part 5 | Part 6 |
| Part 7 | Part 8 |
| Part 9 | Part 10 |
| Part 11 | Part 12 |
| Part 13 | Part 14 |
| Part 15 | Part 16 |
| Part 17 | Part 18 – You Are Here |
| Part 19 – Coming Soon | Part 20 – Coming Soon |
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