Rumford and
Samantha Gould had reached the hidden crypt of Joroth the Undying. The man who
had died so many times that the only thing keeping him together is a powerful
artifact. Rumford is kept bound to his skeleton through Samantha’s magic and
Samantha is a mortal who can die but also doesn’t seem to age.
Three false immortals facing off in a crypt on Halloween
night.
Joroth
wasted no time in charging forward, holding his jagged axe in his hands as he
did. The bandit lord was decorated in his armor, his purple bandana was tied
around his chest piece, his leather pants had mostly rotted away along with any
muscle or skin. The bandit slashed his axe downward. Samantha and Rumford
quickly dodged as the axe buried itself into the stone flooring. Rumford changed
into his specter form, taking on the appearance of a shadow as he floated
through the air. He lunged at Joroth, skeleton arms emerging from Rumford’s
shadow cloak. The skeleton arms grabbed a hold of the axe and tried to wrestle
it free from Joroth’s grasp.
Samantha
moved in while Joroth was distracted and punched with her crimson hand, the
glowing crimson glyphs on her hand pulsed with energy, delivering searing pain
with each punch. Joroth could still feel pain and shouted and recoiled from the
supernatural burns. Rumford grabbed the axe out of the bandit’s hand and
floated above him with it. Rumford swung the giant axe, slashing Joroth across
the back. Samantha attempted to rip Joroth’s soul from his body, hoping to
bypass the undying magic of the relic. Samantha reached into the bandit
leader’s body and grabbed a hold of his spirit but when she pulled back his
spirit wouldn’t budge. The bandit screamed in pain but was able to muster
enough strength to grab Samantha’s arm. The glyphs on her arm burned Joroth as
he touched them but he did not relent. Joroth squeezed Samantha’s arm with all
of his might. Samantha felt the bones in her arm break. She screamed and jumped
backward.
Joroth
stood up and charged at Samantha while she was cradling her broken arm. He
slammed his weight into her, sending her flying into the wall of the cave.
Rumford flew forward and slashed with Joroth’s axe. the axe spun in circles
slashing multiple times as it went. Joroth was covered in broken pieces of
armor, necklaces and trinkets, so Rumford didn’t know which small, mundane
looking object was the source of his power so he continued to slash wildly.
Samantha
pulled a sword from her belt. It was her sword that Joroth used to kill
Rumford. Not only was it her sword that was used but if Samantha didn’t try to
be heroic and save the town, Rumford wouldn’t have been killed. Samantha run at
Joroth, rage building in her eyes and pain searing from her broken arm. Rumford
moved like a shadow, slashing Joroth at any opportunity he could. Joroth was
distracted for the moment and didn’t see Samantha’s approach.
Samantha
ran past Joroth and stabbed her sword at Rumford. The specter was immortal but
reflexes kicked in and he blocked with Joroth’s axe. Samantha’s sword pierced
the head of Joroth’s axe. the jagged weapon cracked, Joroth looked in
disbelief. The weapon then broke, releasing stored magic into the air. The
mighty bandit lord scrambled to pick up the axe fragments but it was too late.
Joroth’s hands began to crumble, then his body and his head. The undying axe
was destroyed and its wielder went with it. Samantha realized that the axe was
his most prized possession and a simple minded creature like Joroth would
proudly display his power instead of hiding its source.
The enemy
had been defeated, Samantha and Rumford had their revenge and now stood with
smiles as their long quest finally came to an end. “I think I know the answer,
but what do we do next?” Rumford asked. “We find a way to restore you, or a way
for us both to pass on to the next life peacefully and together” Samantha
replied, the determination still bright in her eyes. Rumford let out an echoed
laugh. “I like that plan, but I meant how do we get out of here”
There was a
door to the crypt but it was sealed and meant to keep Joroth locked in. After
several hours of attacks from Rumford’s super natural powers and Samantha’s
searing Crimson Hand, the door finally gave way. The two broke through a small
piece of door and ventured above ground. The night air kissed their skin as the
bright full moon illuminated the land. Clouds drifted over head and fog
lingered along the ground. They stood in a graveyard, which was strangely
beautiful that night. Once Joroth was finally dead, Samantha felt like a weight
had been lifted from her shoulders and she began to see beauty in the world.
A half a
land away, Hallows end celebrated Halloween long into the night. Drinks filled
mugs, fireworks filled the sky and Jack-O-lanterns laughed into the night.
Samantha and Rumford rested among the tombstones. They cuddled and held each
other as they did when Rumford was alive. “I’m sorry I was so distant for all
these years” Samantha said. Rumford ran his skeletal hand across her face “I
understand that looking at me reminds you of what you lost. I know I am
technically trapped in my own body and bound to serve you through dark magic,
but even if you freed me right now and set my soul free, I would still follow
you like nothing changed. I want to haunt you forever” Rumford said, trying his
best to be romantic but then realized that his words could be considered
creepy. Samantha laughed “You always followed me around like a stray pup, I
expect it will always be like that. If we are like this for another hundred years,
I will feel blessed to have another hundred years with my adorable skeleton pup”
Samantha said sweetly as she ran her delicate fingers along Rumford’s shoulder
bone.
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