Choose The Path - Chap 3 Part 1 - Derian Kell - Ruffled Feathers

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When last we left Derian Kell, misfortune had befallen him and his path had crossed briefly with our heroine Adelaide Redlyn. Though misfortune for Derian was very much fortune for Adelaide and what comes of that is yet to be seen.

For now, let's rejoin our hero and see where he finds himself...

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He felt the pain, bright and throbbing behind his temples for what seemed like hours before his eyes opened; and found himself staring directly into the beady eyes of a horrid feathered beast. The beast immediately squawked and clucked and tried to surge forward beak first.

Derian grabbed the thing and shoved it off of the rawhide mat he found himself on. The chicken seemed furious at this disrespect and made as though to charge, clearly enraged. A door opened and a cloaked figure grabbed the chicken under one arm as the beastly bird thrashed momentarily before putting its head under its wing and calming completely.

Looking around, Derian found himself pressed against a stone wall, seated on the mat he had discovered earlier. Around him were several small crates with a variety of random seeming items splayed about on top of them.

"I'm certain you are confused, you hit your hard very hard." The voice was very smooth, almost melodic; at once both calming and mildly sinister. "I assure you you are safe and will be unharmed." After a pause the figure added, "More harmed anyway, you have quite the head wound." Derian supposed he should feel reassured and as long as he still had the assassin's foot. He sat bolt upright, searching frantically for his backpack.

"My pack, where is it?" Derian was panicked, everything he owned was in there; his tract token. He sprang to his feet which immediately proved to be a mistake as his head swam and the figure moved quickly forward to steady him.

"I did not find a pack near you, though I was focused on not letting you drown or bleed to death. I am sorry, I can provide you with some of what I have to replace what you have lost." The voice remained infuriatingly calm.

"I bought land from the wizards, a lot of it!" Yelling didn't help his head at all, but he was now panicked beyond anything he had felt before. "I need to go find-" His vision swam and he slumped against the figure who caught him firmly with one hand. One cold hand.

"Your hand is so cold." Derian's head hit the pillow again as the words left his mouth. By the time those words hit the figure's ears, Derian was already unconscious again.

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Warm liquid was being pressed to his lips and Derian found himself eagerly slurping up what seemed to be broth. His stomach was at once annoyed and thankful, feelings which Derian ignored in favour of eating.

"Easy, easy. Not too fast." The figure stepped back and put the bowl of broth on one of the nearby crates. "Here," the outstretched waterskin needed no instruction, Derian grabbed it and drank deeply, "small sips, you'll retch." Slowing, Derian relaxed and leaned back onto the pillow.

"How long was I out?" Derian hoped it had not been long but the stiffness in his body told him he likely wouldn't be getting his wish.

"Nearly a week. I didn't think you were going to make it." The figure was wearing gloves now Derian noticed. His brow furrowed but he said nothing, instead stretching his arms and legs and trying to shake out the stiffness in his hands. The figure continued.

"I am Terek, and if you are awake and well enough to eat and drink, I need some sleep. It has been a long week." The figure's voice sounded so tired that Derian felt a pang of guilt, this stranger saved his life and nursed him back to health of their own good will. Derian simply nodded and reached for the wooden bowl and spoon that held the broth.

"Slowly." The figure pointed a gentle finger at Derian, speaking firmly in a way he recognized.

"Sure thing Doc." He smiled as the figure seemed satisfied and settled onto their own cot on the other side of the small room. Derian smiled as he tucked into the broth and relished the warm and delicious flavours of mushrooms and meat.

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Somewhere dark and dank, deep beneath a mountain, lay something. It couldn't remember what it was but it knew itself to be something. It certainly wasn't nothing, it could think about itself so it had to be something more than nothing. But the question remained, what was it?

It was dark where it was, a darkness borne of a place beyond light, of a place that has never known the soft touch of sun, star or moon. Or fire. It remembered fire, hot and malevolent but when harnessed, a fearsome ally.

It felt like it didn't like fire. Like there was a memory somewhere inside itself that knew that fire was not, in fact, an ally. Hot, burning, solid. But fire wasn't solid, was it? Maybe it didn't hate fire. Heat maybe?

It couldn't remember. Sleep was insistent, the insistent quiet of a mind slipping back beneath the dark waves of unthought.

Does it still exist when it does not think?

It never answered itself, but it knew it would wake again.

And it would think more then.

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TIME FOR CHOICES!

Derian is suspicious where this strange figure is concerned, should he:

A-1) Wait for the figure to wake up and ask the stranger to reveal themselves?

B-1) Sneak over to the figure as they sleep and pull the hood back?

C-1) Avoid any action that might alienate his benefactor and instead cook some breakfast for both of them?

NO CONTEXT BONUS CHOICE!

A-2) Pork Roast.

B-2) Veggie Plate.

C-2) Cheese and Bread.

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As today's first paragraph may have revealed, the Rare Care Giveaway today is:

And today's winner chosen from my followers is: @rondonshneezy !

Let me know your in-game name and I will send the card once I have that info! Congratulations!

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Thank you as always to everyone who has followed, commented, reblogged and most of all helped decide what happens to our protagonists! I appreciate you all being here and I hope you are all having fun!

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If you want to support me, how about supporting me by doing things you'd be doing anyway!
I'm going to put some referral links below. If you don't like to do the referral link thing, I understand completely, just ignore the following few lines.

I promise the most you'll hear from me about it are a link or two somewhere near the bottom of my posts. And I feel guilty about doing even this, so...

Use links at own risk and be careful out there.

https://kryptogamers.com/?ref=tanzofett <- a Hive based gambling site with Video Poker, Blackjack and other games. While I do not condone gambling per se, it has a referral code and gives dividends for holding Gamer Tokens... something I use in DCity :)

https://freebitco.in/?r=3794418 <- a free bitcoin faucet, with notoriously small amounts but I have never had to buy or do anything other than click once an hour.

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Comment, Re-Blog (Re-Hive?) and Upvote if you want to! I prefer comments and people picking choices for our characters over upvotes or re-blogs. I want the community to really make these choices and for ideas and theories to pop up down below for everyone to pick apart.

Plus Comments and Re-Blogs can help get some big card giveaways!

In any case,

Stay Safe Out There.

Tanzo