Some monsters are deliberately spreading the lie that Wraithvine is hunting down and killing hell-kin, and other unwanted peoples, to "purify the world". That would explain why these poor people, whom they want to help, are so terrified of hir. It's time to put an end to the rumors so that those in desperate need can be saved. -- Anon Guest
Ouch. That had hurt. A lot. Wraithvine focussed on hir breathing and wondered, not for the first time, if ze really could not die. So far, ze had been lucky. This might be unlucky.
Ze could barely keep hir eyes open, let alone focus on the blurry figure approaching. There was a certain nervousness in their posture, but ze couldn't discern any more.
Blink. They were closer. Blink. Close enough to recognise them as a Hellkin. Blink. They had a knife. Guarded position. As if afraid of something.
Nobody else had been in the rockfall. Wraithvine had made sure. There shouldn't be anything else threatening them. Wraithvine couldn't move to see. Everything hurt. Therefore ze focussed hir remaining energies on the approaching, nervous soul. Ze had just enough left for one more boon. "Find... the strength... within. May... your... conscience... be strong."
Blink. Maybe the last one of hir long life.
Ze woke in a softer, kinder place. The word of the area was spare. Bedclothes made of spare scraps. The bed made out of spare bits of wood joined together however they could fit. Everything there was the sort of thing that was... just enough.
A vessel collecting water from a hole in the ceiling would hold just enough water for another day. A basket by the door had just enough forage for one meal. Wraithvine could tell that whoever had taken hir in could not afford to do it. Ze did not have the strength to get up and help.
That same Hellkin returned into hir view. "You didn't kill me," he said.
"You... expected... me to?" so hard to talk. So hard to breathe. Everything hurt.
"You're Wraithvine. The patchwork mage of blood. The scourge of evil. Or anything that looks evil enough." Only now was it clear that the entire place was clear of anything sharp. Or anything breakable that could become sharp. "I set up a safeguard. I die, the rest of them will know. Only I get to pay for my bad judgement."
Ah. Some of hir immobility was due to a binding of rope. Wraithvine didn't fight it. Found a way to breathe a little easier. "I see. Can you find a sprig of holly and a sprig of mistletoe?"
Guarded. Wary. "Aye...?"
"I ask only that you place one of each in my palm," ze said. "Then I can show you that I never meant to cause you or your people harm."
Blink. Rest. Or at least try to. Wraithvine managed to get some simple meditation in before the relevant vegetation prickled hir palm. Some magic of the leyflow and the love of all good life... and the weeds became a magical vine that sprouted plump, pretty berries.
It took hir most of hir strength. Wraithvine spared enough energy to gasp, "Each berry... food for a day. Be in... good health."
It was, in the end, a metaphorical foot in the door. Bastion remained guarded and wary, waiting for a betrayal, but never found one.
In a week, Wraithvine was free to sit up and share what little Bastion had to spare. Which was a lot more with the immortal Wizard's help.
"Everyone says you're oathbound to rid the world of evil, and we..." Bastion gestured at his black horns. "You risked your life to save a pack of Kobolds. You spent what you thought was your last breath... on a blessing. And it didn't even sting."
The profound and the profane didn't always mix well. Like most things, it depended intensely on intent.
"I swore an oath to make the world a better place before I died," said Wraithvine. "It never struck me that murder was an avenue to do it. I would much rather teach. I would much rather help. I would very much rather use two kind hands than any kind of blade." A pained shifting of position. "You and yours aren't evil. You're just trying to make it another day."
"True," allowed Bastion. "And you've been spending all your spare strength on helping us."
"I could not do otherwise and still face the Elf in the mirror."
Finally and at last, Bastion relaxed his guard.
[Photo by Ice Tea on Unsplash]
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