Chapter 2
The awakening
The camp was bursting with activity, as numerous workers were busy carrying and organizing the items brought from the nearby ruins. But our three companions were busy with only one item – the sarcophagus. It was brought to one of the many tents and placed right in the middle of it, with workers trying to open it up, while Boglar was impatiently tapping his foot on the ground.
„Hurry it up, or I'll cut your pay in half!" - Boglar shouted at the workers, who were having a rough time as is.
„We're sorry, but it seems that the sarcophagus was solidly closed and it will take a while to break it open ,considering it's made out of sturdy material, which we're not familiar with." - one of the workers replied.
„Hmph" - was the only sound Boglar let out.
Zal'jin was sitting on the ground not far, watching as the sarcophagus was about to be opened with a sharp look. He did not leave it's side not for a second, even when it was carried out of the chamber, he followed like a dog, who found something of worth protecting. The mage was also present in the tent, but was preoccupied with some books found in the ruins, as she was slowly turning one page after another with a worried look on her face.
„What seems to be the problem? Not satisfied with your find bookworm?" - Boglar noticed Myriam's look.
Myriam turned her sights away from the books for a while and turned to the rude dwarf.
„I do not recognize the writings on this book at all. It's something I've never seen before, but does have a few similarities to human writing" - she then said.
„Well then they're really old, let's hope the explorers league will pay me a pretty penny for them" - Boglar then replied and turned back at the sarcophagus, since it seemed like the workers were almost done in opening it up.
As the sarcophagus slowly opened up (since it was damn heavy), Myriam suddenly stood up with surprise and fear written all over her face. Once the lid was taken off, dark mist poured out from within, enshrouding the ground and evaporating not long after that. For everyones surprise the inside of the sarcophagus was pitch black, like a bottomless pit with only mist visible on the surface.
„Call all the present mages here, I'll need some help with this" - Myriam said, while approaching the sarcophagus and starting to draw runes at the point where the dark mist evaporated.
„What the heck is this anyway?" - The dwarf said and was about to reach inside the darkness, only to be stopped by Myriam.
„Wait! If you reach inside it you'll probably loose your arm" - She explained. - „As far as I can tell, the inside of the sarcophagus has been sealed, and it's like a totally different dimension in there, if we don't fix this soon it could cause distortions all over the place".
Boglar quickly stepped back after hearing those words, glaring at the object in question with an unsatisfied look, while holding his arm that he could have lost.
„What could be hidden inside then? If it's so protected it should be quite valuable" - he then asked, with desperate hope in his voice.
„I'm not sure yet, we'll know after this thing is dispelled." - Myriam replied and went back to work.
While all this was going on, the troll didn't move and inch, patiently waiting for something, with his sights set on the darkness inside the sarcophagus.
The dwarf on the other hand quickly left the tent and a few mages entered it not long after, probably ordered by Boglar to do so.
„You'll have to support me, I have already drawn your circles so be seated" - Myriam ordered and the mages followed.
As everything was prepared, Myriam sat down in front of the sarcophagus, with the mages sitting in a circle around it. Every one of them closed their eyes and concentrated as the spell was in process. After half an hour you could already see that the mist could not escape the sarcophagus as far as it did before, with it being pushed back inside bit by bit. Once all the mist went back to it's source, the next stage of the ritual commenced. The mages sat there for hours, with no visible change in them or their target and it seemed like they would continue doing so for a while. Or does it? After a few moments Myriam opened her eyes and the darkness covering the inside of the sarcophagus started slowly disappearing, opening up at the middle and being pushed to the corners. In a few minutes the whole sarcophagus was free of it and the mages were free as their job was completed.
„You may leave now, call Boglar on your way out" - Myriam then said, and slowly stood up from her previous position.
Once the spell was completed, Zal'jin stood up and looked inside the sarcophagus, with a smile slowly showing on his face.
Myriam did not notice it and approached the object she worked so hard on, curious of what's hidden inside. What she saw surprised her to the point that she froze up for a few moments – the sarcophagus did not have any jewelery or any other valuables inside, what it had was a body. A body of a human clutching a dangerous looking long sword, with a red jewel in it's blade. The human had medium long black hair, almost reaching his shoulders and for her surprise he did not seem old or even decomposed, figuring he lied there for a very long time.
„The spell must have been placed here for the purpose of preserving the body" - Myriam thought out loud - „Boglar will not be happy, since I do not see any valuables for him"
After those words the mentioned dwarf entered the tent, quickly marching towards the his prize.
„Well? What treasures stay hidden inside?" - he grumbled only to stop in his tracks once he saw it's content. He slowly approached the sarcophagus without muttering out a word and looked at the body inside for a bit, directing his glare at the longsword not long after. As he noticed the red jewel inside the weapon, he instinctively reached his hand towards it, but for his surprise, was unexpectedly stopped in an unpleasant manner.
Once Zal'jin noticed Boglars actions, he quickly took out a spear from his quiver and threw it at the rude dwarf, piercing his chest and watching as his target fell lifeless to the ground – with surprise in his eyes. Myriam looked at what just happened and then turned to Zal'jin.
„What have you done? Now we're definitely not getting payed!" - She shouted with dissatisfaction.
„No-one touches the masters sword" - Zal'jin replied and approached the dead dwarf, pulling out his spear from Boglars chest.
„Master? What are you talking about?" - Myriam replied - „How can you serve a dead body in the first place? And how do you even know him?" - she bombarded Zal'jin with questions.
After hearing them Zal'jin grinned.
„The master be awake soon." - He whispered.
After hearing those words Myriam looked at Zal'jin like he was crazy and turned to the body in question. After studying it for a while she then went back to reality and turned to the dead dwarf. She quickly set him on fire and burned his remains to ash, sending a wind after that and scattering even that to all sides, destroying any evidence of the previous act.
„Anyway, we need to leave the camp quickly, before they start suspecting us" - She said, and walked towards the table filled with books. - „I'll need some time to pack it all, you should also get ready" - Myriam told Zal'jin.
„I be remaining at master side" - Zal'jin replied and sat down near object, that coused all this commotion again, with his hand on his sword.
Myriam froze for a few seconds, after hearing what her companion just said.
„After all the time we worked together, this is the time you choose to do as you please? If the rest of the camp finds out what you did to Boglar, they'll all come for your head, since he was already late to pay them" - Myriam complained, clutching one of her books, with anger in her voice. -"Have you gone completely insane? You'll ruin our reputation, finding good mercenary work is hard to come by as is"
„I no longer be working as mercenary, I have found my place by the master, as it be told in my tribe." - Zal'jin replied without looking at Myriam.
„What non-sense are you spouting? You tribe died off ages ago and you still believe the crap your elders kept telling you?" - Myriam then yelled, with obvious dissatisfaction and anger in her voice, losing her composure and even swinging her arms a bit.
„They be not nonsense, they be the truth" - Zal'jin replied.
„So what? You're telling me that the body in the sarcophagus is just going to rise and show you the way?" - Myriam then asked, with a mocking tone.
Zal'jin did not reply, and for everyones surprise (including me) he did not need to.
As the two were having a heated discussion, they failed to notice something interesting. The human that was lying in the sarcophagus suddenly moved and slowly rose from within it, clutching his huge longsword in one hand and slowly stepping out of his previous „home".
As the troll noticed it, he quickly turned to him and knelt.
„My master, I be happy to see you awake after all this time" - Zal'jin said, while kneeling.
As the human rose, he looked around the inside of the tent, throwing a quick eye at the kneeling troll and then stopping at the female mage.
As the threatening human looked at Myriam, she could feel a chill going down her spine, as his cold eyes looked at her.
„Who..are you?" - She barely muttered.
After hearing those words the so called „master" turned away from Myriam and looked at the troll. He made a finger movement, ordering the troll to stand, and the troll did as he was commanded without hesitation.
„How long have I slept?" - the human asked.
„It be said that you were gone for a thousand years, master" - Zal'jin replied.
„How is my kingdom? Were your people able to defend it?" - the master asked then.
„I be sorry, master, but it be destroyed and erased from history. My people have faltered along with it, and not many of us, who still know of our true purpose remain" - The troll replied, with his head held low.
The human did not seem happy with those words, he turned away from the troll and looked around the tent looking for something, and that something he did find. His eyes were tied to the armor resting on a mannequin in one of the tents corners which was the same armor set that was found together with the sarcophagus. The tall human quickly stepped towards it and started putting it on. While he was preoccupied with that, Myriam examined him more closely, noticing that he was taller than most humans are and did seem a little different – more muscular and carried a different feel about him. As she was finished with her observations, curiosity caught her again.
„Who are you?" - She asked once more.
„I suggest you use a more polite tone with me girl" - The human replied.
Myriam flinched after hearing those words, but they did seem to get to her, as she felt obvious superiority coming from Zal'jin's so called „master". He did not seem to be in a hurry, while slowly putting the last parts of the armor, taking the scabbard that was included in the set and hiding his large sword within. After that the "master" took his skeletal helm in his right hand and turned to the troll and the human.
"What is your name dark troll?" - he then asked.
"It be Zal'jin my master" - the troll replied, with his head held low.
"You will show me around these lands Zal'jin. Firstly I need to inspect how much has changed since my imprisonment." - He then ordered and started walking towards the tents exit.
"If you're picking the troll as your guide, he's not the best one out there. I, for example, am much more suited for such a task." - Myriam then said, while looking at the strange human.
After the female spoke out, her target stopped and slowly turned to Myriam. He looked at her for a few moments, stabbing her over and over again with his cold piercing eyes.
"Very well" - he then muttered out.
"Then could you please tell me your name? Since I do not feel the need to address you the same way as my friend here" - Myriam then said, while pointing at the troll.
Again, the human looked at her for a while, with no haste in replying.
"Sitrim" - the human said and left the tent after that.
"I swear, I heard that name somewhere before" - Myriam murmured to herself as she followed Sitrim out of the tent with Zal'jin in front of her.
As the two left the tent, they stopped in surprise, at least Myriam did. The camp was in an uproar as a few of it's inhabitants were lying on the ground, in a pool of blood. It seems Sitrim was having a little fun, with his helm already in it's place on Sitrim's head and his large longsword feasting on the living. As Zal'jin noticed that, he pulled out a few spears with his left arm and took one of them with his right, ready for battle, cautiously watching the surroundings.
"What the heck is he doing? We were supposed to leave the camp quietly!" - Myriam shouted while watching a massacre take place.
"No-one must know of the masters return" - Zal'jin murmured out and threw a spear at an unlucky soul, killing it in an instant.
After fifteen minutes, Sitrim was already done with the camp, without leaving any living soul except for his two companions. He wiped his sword clean and hid it again in his scabbard.
"Lead on then, to the nearest town" - Sitrim then said, while turning to Myriam.
The female looked at Sitrim's face, which was unaffected by the massacre that just took place, calm and without a trace of remorse. She could even see a slight grin on his face, like Sitrim was satisfied with his work here.
"Ok, but first we need to grab a few cloaks, since you stand out too much with that armor of yours." - Myriam then replied and ran into one of the many tents in the camp, walking out of it with three dark cloaks, giving one to each of her companions and leaving the camp soon after with them, with the now abandoned camp behind them, filled with the stench of death.