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Samael sat by the fire, deep in the heart of Mossclaw Meet. The flames flickered and danced exuberantly in the darkness and across his face. His eyes are dark and sunken in his skull. His scythe leaned against his wiry frame, trying to give some comfort to its master. He sighed and started to unwrap his bandages to clean them, revealing huge slashes across his chest and arms.
“It’s…not enough….” He said to his scythe.
Unable to respond, the scythe disagreed with the amount of damage Samael has taken lately. Near-death experiences happening almost daily, Sam had been living on the very edge, slaughtering hundreds of goblins and gnolls in a futile quest for strength.
“The…fallen…paladin…knocked me away…like I wasn’t…even there….”
Sam winced as he applied fresh healing salve to the bleeding mess across his body.
“I can’t…..be this….weak…” He continued to talk to his scythe, his ever constant companion.
“No, you cannot” Sam glanced up, startled, to see…himself? The doppelganger sat across from him, grinning with a mouthful of teeth. “You fool, you’re no stronger. You’re weaker than ever.” The other Sam chuckled. “I’m…not…weaker…” Sam protested.
“Oh, yes you are. My word, ever since we/you got away from your/our masters, you’ve been doing nothing but becoming weaker with your stupid excuse for friends.” The other Sam leaned back against the log, grinning at Sam as if to invite a fight.
“And stop calling me ‘Sam’ in your head. My name is Charus. Get it right.” Sam’s eyes widened.
“Oh yes, didn’t you figure it out yet? I’m you. Well, the better half anyway. The half that isn’t afraid to kill, for whatever reason that I wish.” “Get…out of…my head…” Sam picked up his scythe. Charus laughed again.
“What are you gonna do? Cut me? I don’t exist outside our body. Face it Sammy boy, you’re stuck with me.” He grimaced. “Or maybe it’s I’m stuck with you. No matter. Just so you know, Sammy, I think you’ve got a ways to go.”
Sam hesitated. “What…do you…mean…?” “Well, you know. You’re not bad. But I think I could do better. With our body I mean. In fact, I think I’m pretty bored here, so I’m going to have a run at it. Killing, looting, maybe even cutting up a few of your friends. Especially that dwarf, Cadmus. Man, am I going to enjoy cutting up that holier-than-thou face of his.”
Sam trembled in anger, jumped to his feet and forgot about his wounds as they bled out.
“You…will not….touch my friends…you monster…!” Charus rolled his eyes.
“Please, the only reason I haven’t taken over by now is because you’ve been too weak to do much of anything. You’re still weak, but I think I can work with you.”
Charus smiled; his teeth almost like fangs. With a roar Sam jumped over the fire at him, but hit nothing but the log sitting there. His eyes darted around, searching for Charus, but only a silent laughter filled his head.
Don’t you worry, I’ll come on out in my own time. You’ll see….Sam crumpled onto the ground, sill bleeding as the ever present rain started again in the Sundren valley.
Sam sat in the growing mud as he howled into the watery night.
“It’s…not enough….” He said to his scythe.
Unable to respond, the scythe disagreed with the amount of damage Samael has taken lately. Near-death experiences happening almost daily, Sam had been living on the very edge, slaughtering hundreds of goblins and gnolls in a futile quest for strength.
“The…fallen…paladin…knocked me away…like I wasn’t…even there….”
Sam winced as he applied fresh healing salve to the bleeding mess across his body.
“I can’t…..be this….weak…” He continued to talk to his scythe, his ever constant companion.
“No, you cannot” Sam glanced up, startled, to see…himself? The doppelganger sat across from him, grinning with a mouthful of teeth. “You fool, you’re no stronger. You’re weaker than ever.” The other Sam chuckled. “I’m…not…weaker…” Sam protested.
“Oh, yes you are. My word, ever since we/you got away from your/our masters, you’ve been doing nothing but becoming weaker with your stupid excuse for friends.” The other Sam leaned back against the log, grinning at Sam as if to invite a fight.
“And stop calling me ‘Sam’ in your head. My name is Charus. Get it right.” Sam’s eyes widened.
“Oh yes, didn’t you figure it out yet? I’m you. Well, the better half anyway. The half that isn’t afraid to kill, for whatever reason that I wish.” “Get…out of…my head…” Sam picked up his scythe. Charus laughed again.
“What are you gonna do? Cut me? I don’t exist outside our body. Face it Sammy boy, you’re stuck with me.” He grimaced. “Or maybe it’s I’m stuck with you. No matter. Just so you know, Sammy, I think you’ve got a ways to go.”
Sam hesitated. “What…do you…mean…?” “Well, you know. You’re not bad. But I think I could do better. With our body I mean. In fact, I think I’m pretty bored here, so I’m going to have a run at it. Killing, looting, maybe even cutting up a few of your friends. Especially that dwarf, Cadmus. Man, am I going to enjoy cutting up that holier-than-thou face of his.”
Sam trembled in anger, jumped to his feet and forgot about his wounds as they bled out.
“You…will not….touch my friends…you monster…!” Charus rolled his eyes.
“Please, the only reason I haven’t taken over by now is because you’ve been too weak to do much of anything. You’re still weak, but I think I can work with you.”
Charus smiled; his teeth almost like fangs. With a roar Sam jumped over the fire at him, but hit nothing but the log sitting there. His eyes darted around, searching for Charus, but only a silent laughter filled his head.
Don’t you worry, I’ll come on out in my own time. You’ll see….Sam crumpled onto the ground, sill bleeding as the ever present rain started again in the Sundren valley.
Sam sat in the growing mud as he howled into the watery night.