Death and deceased, hand in hand

[Krugor]

(Solo.)

~- The night before. North central Salvar, the frozen sea -~

“Greetings, mortal!”

The low, fear-inspiring voice could cut through bones. It was a pitch black night and it wasn’t possible to locate the speaker. Krugor could hear somebody breathing, heavily. There was somebody close, but that somebody had to be dressed in clothing equally dark as the night, for he couldn’t be seen. Krugor’s little campfire had been wiped out at the same time the voice started speaking, so it was impossible to even see your own hand. The skeleton stroked his hand with his other, feeling an icy layer covering his finger bones. Not only did the fire possess the only source of light in the area, it was also the only source of heat.

“Surprised to see me, Krugor?”

Again the voice spoke, sending a shiver through the cook’s spine. The man wanted to jump up, maybe even try to sent out a blind punch. But it would all be in vain, for the voice was so strong and yet so calm, that the one speaking was somebody to be reckoned with. Krugor needed to watch his steps, every wrong one might cause eternal darkness, another trip to the afterlife. The skeleton staggered, unable to speak, unable to find the right words to respond.

“Mind if I sit down with you?”

Before he could even respond a dark figure sat down opposite of Krugor. It wasn’t something he could see, but the cook noticed the shifting of the water, the cracking of the ice. Even when the figure wasn’t speaking it’s mere presence was one of force. Krugor couldn’t figure out who it might be, who might be seeking him out, all the way in no-man’s land.

“Let me create some light.”

A simple finger snapping and the campfire emblazed once again. Immediately the warmth overwhelmed Krugor, it was a comfortable feeling. But as the light grew brighter and brighter the skeleton could see who was sitting opposite of him. It was a man dressed in a long, dark blue coat, with it’s hood covering the eyes. The sleeves were covering the man’s hands, he had his arms crossed, one hand in the sleeve of the other. A small row of teeth reflected the light of the fire.

“Who are you?” Krugor asked, mustering some strength.

The unknown figure moved closer to the fire, his face now brightly lid. Krugor screamed when he saw the man, the bony figure looking at him. It was as if the skeleton had taken a peek in the mirror, looking straight at another skeleton.

“I’m sure you know me. I’m Death.”

“I’ve never met Death, actually.” Krugor responded, quite surprised by this thought.

“Sure you have, you’re dead yourself. You must’ve met me some time in your life.”

“No, not really. I’ve escaped you twice now, I guess.”

“Hmm right. Anyway, I’m Death!” his voice dripping with irritation.

Krugor nodded, never taking his eyes of the undead in front of him. This was a very weird situation, one that was about to become very complicated by the looks of it.

“Maybe you know me as the Grim Reaper. Or maybe even as Azreal, Father Time, Satan’s right hand man, the devourer of babies.”

“The devourer of babies?” Krugor asked rather shocked.

“Err, well yeah. Let’s not go there, it’s just a silly rumor. Anyway! You may call me…Sam!”

“Sam?”

“Yes, I’ve always wanted an awesome nickname!”

And with that, Krugor realised, there was nothing left of the fear-inspiring figure that he met before. This was Death, but not at all like he pictured it. This wasn’t some ravaging lunatic. This was just a lunatic.

[Krugor]

~- Present time. North central Salvar, the frozen sea -~

Time had passed and night had turned into day. Krugor stood tall in the middle of the empty frozen sea, cleaning up the remainders of his campfire. The skeleton wiped away the ashes, his hands gaining a soft black color, and returned the iron kettle back into his backpack. The massive sea was completely frozen and Krugor couldn’t see the horizon, as the ice went on for many miles. There wasn’t a tree in sight and he thanked himself for packing the firewood before he went on this journey. It was a particular warm day for this region of Salvar, the sun shining bright upon the solid water, giving it a yellowish color.

The skeleton finished up packing his backpack as “Sam” awakened next to him. The strange man had been sleeping all morning, keeping Krugor out of his sleep with its snoring. Sam yawned as he awoke, stretching his body and cracking his bones. Besides him an enormous scythe stood defiant in the morning sun. The blade was slammed into the ice, keeping it completely still and erect in even the hardest of Salvar winds.

“Morning, Krugor” Sam said as he yanked his weapon free from the prison the ice had became. During the rest of the night the ice had taken the scythe in its grasp, sealing it further into the solid water. But it was no match for Sam who seemed to have the strength of a thousand men as he carelessly released the weapon with a single hand.

“Good morning…” was the only reply the skeleton gave.

“Well, it was fun, Krugor, but I have some stuff to take care of before the big party. Will I be seeing you there?”

It took Krugor a while before he could answer that question, digging away in his mind for the right response. The skeleton had been thinking about it all night, but he still hadn’t come up with an answer. To go or not to go, it was a difficult moral dilemma. There was the possibility of meeting some new friends, even some people like him, if he decided to go. But there was also the possibility of meeting extremely boring people and wasting an entire night on drinking Salvaric ale to keep it fun.

“It still feels a bit strange, Sam”

“Aw, come on Krugs! Its been a very long while since I last threw a birthday party! You’ll miss out on a fantastic event!”

A sigh escaped Krugor’s mouth as he noticed the glistening eyes of Sam. Well, his glistening eye sockets at least, for Sam also had no eyes. It was a bit awkward how much the grim reaper looked like the skeleton, but –Krugor thought- wasn’t it true that all undead looked alike?

“Fine, I’ll come” the cook said finally, shaking Death’s hand.

“Good! Let me give you directions!” Sam said enthusiastic, “If you just keep walking north you’ll eventually come across a small village. It’s a bit crowded now, but that’ll be solved soon. I’ll just scribble something in my book, grab my scythe and whoosh! A sudden and unexplainable death. And another one! How unfortunate now!” The man giggled loudly at his own thoughts and jokes.

And before Krugor could reply Death vanished loudly in a cloud of black ashes, leaving the skeleton all alone in the empty frozen sea.

“Well, I’ve partied with deities before. So why not with the Grim Reaper?” the cook whispered to himself. Instantly that optimistic look showed on Krugor’s face again. This might be fun.

[Ashiakin]

Please contact me (or a regions mod) if you would like this opened.