The Nomad's Tale

[Malchaeius]

The Nomad's Tale

by Abacien

You plop down next to a frazzled looking bard. Puddles of ale cover the oaken counter and his tabard. He speaks without even looking at you. His voice is ruined by years of alcohol and pipe.

“So, you are the one looking for information that should be left buried…”

The haggard storyteller chuckles at his joke. He takes a slow breath and runs his fingers through his knotted beard.

“No ****, there I was. It was a bar like this, probably three bells past midnight. The rest of the drunks were face down, blowing bubble in their brews by this time. The bar wench surrendered to me and left a half dozen mug before she left. I was halfway through the second when I heard a door slam shut. Turning, I saw no one.

“No sooner did I turn back to my beer than a strong hand clamped onto my shoulder and spun around. Thank the one god that I was drunk. I would have surely pissed myself if I were sober. Two crimson orbs in the place of eyes burned into my soul. My eyes never left his bandaged face. They couldn’t. Those eyes held me fast.

“Slowly, its mouth began to move. Not a mouth, but a slash in the bandages, a gaping hole into hell. The voice came to me dry and raspy. It was all around me and somehow did not match the being mouth. He seemed to speak in a foreign language while the words came to me from some distant place. The sands of time seemed to be talking to me.

“ ‘You will scribe and you will be compensated. You do not scribe and you will become a martyr for the cause of bad decisions.

“ ‘Emonae was wise and headstrong. He had decided to unite the nomads and return them to their proper place in the annals of time. The first step to his plan was to retake the Pyramid. And so, after months of planning, we did. I led the main assault. It was not much of an attack. There were only scavengers and grave robbers there. The main section of the shrine was taken in a few hours. It was my gift to my king on his nineteenth birthday.

“ ‘The next several weeks were spent restoring the Pyramid. Hundred of workers cleaned while other poked into the dark reaches of the monument seeking those who hid from us. Daily, the beauty of the great edifice increased tenfold. I was soon sent to get more supplies. And while I was overseeing this supply caravan, I received the word. Pillagers had disturbed Ramses and the ancient king slaughtered Emonae.

“ ‘The priests performed an abbreviated mummification on Emonae. His remains were too badly mangled to complete the ceremony properly. Praise the gods for this. Had the priests not rushed, my king would have never been mummified for the people revolted. The day after the body was found, the nomads took up their weapons and massacred every worker, soldier, and priest in the Pyramid.

“ ‘ When my convoy reached the structure, we immediately began searching for survivors. Not a one could be found. The information I have was gathered from messages hastily written on the walls in blood. And blood there was. On the lower floors, there were puddles of blood as deep as a man’s knee. My men vanished without a word. They, too, were a superstitious lot.

“ ‘I stood there for what must have been half a day. I was an advisor to a dead king, a leader of no one, a politician without a state. I could not follow through with my oaths and my duty. The secrets of mummification were lost with the deaths of the priests. To put it in layman’s terms, I was screwed.

“ ‘I traveled the world looking for something. My weapons skills, which had been nearly useless to me, previously were all that were keeping me alive. I came across a shrine, dark and unholy. It the darkest bowels of this shrine I came upon a being. It… he… it… was pain without injury… death never dying… words can not make your mortal ears comprehend so I will not bother. But this entity knew my soul. Apparently, my soul was not found displeasing. With a thought, I grew cold. My beautiful armor faded. My skin blackened. I closed my eyes as pain wracked my body. When I opened them, I was as you see me now.

“ ‘My oath was honored and a new oath made.’

“My trembling hand reached for one of the mugs. However, I stopped.

“ ‘And what will be my payment? Huh? You said I would be compensated.’

“The dead voice struck my mind again and somehow seemed amused.

“ ‘We know your sins and vices. I give you now the thing you want but cannot have. It is so simple but you cannot get it alone. Drink and know that payment has been made.’

“I looked at the bar and noticed that the being had been holding my mugs. Nervously, I picked up the closest. It was ice cold. There is nothing better than a cold beer in the summer. I turned to thank the beast but he was gone. What they say is true… the dead do travel fast.”