Uncanny Reunion (Mel)
May 19, 2016 10:32:09 GMT -6
Post by Jude on May 19, 2016 10:32:09 GMT -6
By the time Jude woke up, what little sun was left had completely disappeared. The first thing he noticed was that it was difficult for him to see, though he wasn't blindfolded. He tried to lift his arms up to rub at his eyes, but at that point he noticed the second thing: he was bound by a thin rope around the trunk of the tree he'd been crouching behind. He sighed heavily, almost used to this kind of situation. It seemed to happen often.
Jude wasn't sure, but it felt like it had been hours since he'd been conscious. He hadn't been hit too hard, if he could remember, but he'd been hit right, and that much was certain-- he could feel the dull throbs of pain on the left side of his head. He groaned quietly, then he heard the footsteps. Slowly, regaining himself, he looked around, very weakly calling out to anyone who might be around to hear him. "...Hello?" But nothing came in response. As his vision returned to him more and more, he saw the carriage-- a small, two-horse drawn thing with a crude painting on the side. Probably only carried one person. It looked familiar to him... As if he'd seen it somewhere before. But he couldn't be sure. He was very much out of himself. He pulled gently on his rope, but with his sapped strength, had little luck breaking himself free. This sucked. It was about this time that Mel should have come to rescue him.
Then he saw the skunk. All at once, it was almost like his senses had fully regained. "HEY!" He shouted. The skunk was dead, a spear pinning its bloody body to the ground. "THAT WAS MINE!" He groaned again, wiggling around in his fashioned trap. He was stuck to this tree for now, and was sure he would get himself free, but without a weapon and with failing strength he wasn't sure what he would do. That spear on the skunk could suffice, if only he could get to it.
"'Bout time you woke up. You've got some questions to answer."
Jude's red eyes shot open, confused and immediately more alert. The voice belonged to a black-cloaked figure who had lowered his hood to speak to Jude. He was an older, calm looking man with a large build and short, black hair. He looked weathered by life's experiences. Jude scowled at him. On his chest was embroidered the same symbol that was crudely painted on the carriage that, presumably, he had driven. The man walked over to his carriage and pulled some logs out, then took a few minutes to start a fire before either he or Jude spoke again. The man was calm and collected, which seemed dangerous to Jude.
"Yeah?" Jude played, not amused, an angry tone in his voice. "I have lots of questions to answer to lots of people. And I never do. What do you want?"
The man chuckled, amused with Jude's already clear unwillingness to cooperate. It seemed strange, since Jude was clearly in the unfortunate spot here, and the man could kill him at any time. But something still seemed off. That symbol, he was now sure, was one he'd seen before. He couldn't remember where.
"The man we found you with in the cave. One year ago. I am certain you remember him, yes?"
Jude stayed silent. The Mountain. This guy was one of the grave robbers? Jude was certain they'd killed them all.
"Anyway. We're searching for him, and you are the person that we have seen him with last..."
We. There was a we. So this man wasn't actually with the others that the duo had taken care of. But that meant, at the very least, there was a collection of them. If they were organized, and if they were looking for the Mountain, what could that have meant? Jude finally spoke up. "Is he a wanted man?"
The black-haired man immediately burst into laughter. After settling down, he finally looked at Jude. "You could say that. You really don't know, do you?"
Jude stared back, but said nothing. His blank scowl rested, fixed on this calm man's visage.
"Ah well. Perhaps it's for the best. You'd kill him if you knew, I think. Or at least, you wouldn't travel with him."
Jude scoffed, looking away. "I've been in worse company. I've been with killers before. Nothing new."
The man cooed. "Hmm. Perhaps."
The silence that followed was long, drawn out, and unnecessary. The man began whistling, stoking the fire occasionally to keep it going. He looked at Jude occasionally, who had lost all worry and was now simply annoyed by this whole situation. It seemed unreasonable that this man seemed unwilling to kill Jude, but also unwilling to let him go. The silence continued for a few moments before Jude decided to break it, in an effort to move towards his freedom. He could maybe cooperate long enough to get himself free at back to Mel, wherever the hell she was. "So what's your plan here, man? Keep me tied up and wondering what this is all about, then eventually leave with that skunk you killed-- that was MINE, by the way. That was my dinner."
The man nodded, then proceeded to collect the skunk, ripping the spear out of its carcass. He carried it back over and tossed the entire thing in the fire.
"HEY!"
Jude lurched forward, trying to break his ropes. No use.
"It doesn't matter now. You won't need to eat anything again unless you tell me what I want to know, in... which case... perhaps I'll feed you. You see that I came in carriage. I have your dinner-- much better than a skunk, might I add."
"Not unless you killed it with you own hands like you did that skunk you just wasted." Jude's voice was level and monotone.
The man laughed again. "Down to business, then." He shifted his weight, turning to face Jude. "What do you know about that mountainous individual? The one you traveled with. You see, I'm not sure what he told you, but my company and the two of you likely had the same goal in that cave that day. A stone, yes? Unusual, powerful, magical, rare? Ring a bell?"
It did, but Jude shook his head anyway. He wasn't going to spill sh*t.
"Of course not. You see, we were searching for this mysterious gem, same as your friend. The only problem is, we need that stone for research, for safety purposes. You see, in the wrong hands, that peculiar stone could cause problems. For it is indeed powerful. We wish for it to... Remain in the hands of humans."
Jude scoffed again, and moaned loudly to show disinterest. He rolled his head around the joints of his neck, and his eyes with it. "Give me a break. I don't care about the damn rock or your damn friends. They're dead, right? And even if I knew where this 'mountainous man' was--" Jude really didn't know, to be fair, "--I doubt I'd tell you unless you actually showed me the food you have for me."
"Listen to me, boy. This is beyond you. This is beyond me. We need to collect as many of these stones as we can to ensure they do not bring harm to the world. They are dangerous, more dangerous than you and more dangerous than I, and my little operation works to be sure that these stones don't end up in the hands of... Beasts."
Jude sighed, looking down. He didn't want another lecture, and another lecture is what he was gonna get.
Jude wasn't sure, but it felt like it had been hours since he'd been conscious. He hadn't been hit too hard, if he could remember, but he'd been hit right, and that much was certain-- he could feel the dull throbs of pain on the left side of his head. He groaned quietly, then he heard the footsteps. Slowly, regaining himself, he looked around, very weakly calling out to anyone who might be around to hear him. "...Hello?" But nothing came in response. As his vision returned to him more and more, he saw the carriage-- a small, two-horse drawn thing with a crude painting on the side. Probably only carried one person. It looked familiar to him... As if he'd seen it somewhere before. But he couldn't be sure. He was very much out of himself. He pulled gently on his rope, but with his sapped strength, had little luck breaking himself free. This sucked. It was about this time that Mel should have come to rescue him.
Then he saw the skunk. All at once, it was almost like his senses had fully regained. "HEY!" He shouted. The skunk was dead, a spear pinning its bloody body to the ground. "THAT WAS MINE!" He groaned again, wiggling around in his fashioned trap. He was stuck to this tree for now, and was sure he would get himself free, but without a weapon and with failing strength he wasn't sure what he would do. That spear on the skunk could suffice, if only he could get to it.
"'Bout time you woke up. You've got some questions to answer."
Jude's red eyes shot open, confused and immediately more alert. The voice belonged to a black-cloaked figure who had lowered his hood to speak to Jude. He was an older, calm looking man with a large build and short, black hair. He looked weathered by life's experiences. Jude scowled at him. On his chest was embroidered the same symbol that was crudely painted on the carriage that, presumably, he had driven. The man walked over to his carriage and pulled some logs out, then took a few minutes to start a fire before either he or Jude spoke again. The man was calm and collected, which seemed dangerous to Jude.
"Yeah?" Jude played, not amused, an angry tone in his voice. "I have lots of questions to answer to lots of people. And I never do. What do you want?"
The man chuckled, amused with Jude's already clear unwillingness to cooperate. It seemed strange, since Jude was clearly in the unfortunate spot here, and the man could kill him at any time. But something still seemed off. That symbol, he was now sure, was one he'd seen before. He couldn't remember where.
"The man we found you with in the cave. One year ago. I am certain you remember him, yes?"
Jude stayed silent. The Mountain. This guy was one of the grave robbers? Jude was certain they'd killed them all.
"Anyway. We're searching for him, and you are the person that we have seen him with last..."
We. There was a we. So this man wasn't actually with the others that the duo had taken care of. But that meant, at the very least, there was a collection of them. If they were organized, and if they were looking for the Mountain, what could that have meant? Jude finally spoke up. "Is he a wanted man?"
The black-haired man immediately burst into laughter. After settling down, he finally looked at Jude. "You could say that. You really don't know, do you?"
Jude stared back, but said nothing. His blank scowl rested, fixed on this calm man's visage.
"Ah well. Perhaps it's for the best. You'd kill him if you knew, I think. Or at least, you wouldn't travel with him."
Jude scoffed, looking away. "I've been in worse company. I've been with killers before. Nothing new."
The man cooed. "Hmm. Perhaps."
The silence that followed was long, drawn out, and unnecessary. The man began whistling, stoking the fire occasionally to keep it going. He looked at Jude occasionally, who had lost all worry and was now simply annoyed by this whole situation. It seemed unreasonable that this man seemed unwilling to kill Jude, but also unwilling to let him go. The silence continued for a few moments before Jude decided to break it, in an effort to move towards his freedom. He could maybe cooperate long enough to get himself free at back to Mel, wherever the hell she was. "So what's your plan here, man? Keep me tied up and wondering what this is all about, then eventually leave with that skunk you killed-- that was MINE, by the way. That was my dinner."
The man nodded, then proceeded to collect the skunk, ripping the spear out of its carcass. He carried it back over and tossed the entire thing in the fire.
"HEY!"
Jude lurched forward, trying to break his ropes. No use.
"It doesn't matter now. You won't need to eat anything again unless you tell me what I want to know, in... which case... perhaps I'll feed you. You see that I came in carriage. I have your dinner-- much better than a skunk, might I add."
"Not unless you killed it with you own hands like you did that skunk you just wasted." Jude's voice was level and monotone.
The man laughed again. "Down to business, then." He shifted his weight, turning to face Jude. "What do you know about that mountainous individual? The one you traveled with. You see, I'm not sure what he told you, but my company and the two of you likely had the same goal in that cave that day. A stone, yes? Unusual, powerful, magical, rare? Ring a bell?"
It did, but Jude shook his head anyway. He wasn't going to spill sh*t.
"Of course not. You see, we were searching for this mysterious gem, same as your friend. The only problem is, we need that stone for research, for safety purposes. You see, in the wrong hands, that peculiar stone could cause problems. For it is indeed powerful. We wish for it to... Remain in the hands of humans."
Jude scoffed again, and moaned loudly to show disinterest. He rolled his head around the joints of his neck, and his eyes with it. "Give me a break. I don't care about the damn rock or your damn friends. They're dead, right? And even if I knew where this 'mountainous man' was--" Jude really didn't know, to be fair, "--I doubt I'd tell you unless you actually showed me the food you have for me."
"Listen to me, boy. This is beyond you. This is beyond me. We need to collect as many of these stones as we can to ensure they do not bring harm to the world. They are dangerous, more dangerous than you and more dangerous than I, and my little operation works to be sure that these stones don't end up in the hands of... Beasts."
Jude sighed, looking down. He didn't want another lecture, and another lecture is what he was gonna get.