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Hannibal The Summoned. Episode 3

Updated: Feb 1

The Way Home.


Stepping out into the mouth of the cavern, two humans appeared, one male and the other female, both looked to be adventurers. Both clad in leather and armour, their faces hidden within metal helmets, the woman wore a warm cloak shielding herself from what cold there was, the male turns to the woman taking of his helmet throwing it to the ground saying, “where is that horned one?”


The man had long brown hair that led down to his patchy beard, the man looked to be in his mid twenties, at best thirty, a muscular build although slightly malnourished with no scars anywhere, no blemishes on his face, a strong roman nose with bushy eyebrows.


With an excited chuckle, the woman utters, “we are going to be rich today, Rob!” as she takes off her helmet.


Taking of the helmet, showing long blonde hair that flopped down her back, blue eyes, skinny and malnourished too, her face looked to be slightly gaunt, a cute button nose with freckles on each cheek.


Rob looks down at the pillar, noticing a figure run into it, he shouts “there it is!”


Happiness starts to build in Rob, with excitement he remarks, “we must get down there, now!”


The woman remarks, “how though?”


Looking around he notices a staircase, pointing to it he giggles menacingly, “there's stairs, Emma we can go down.”


Rationally Emma remarks “but Rob those are rotten, why don't...”


“Enough Emma! We are going down; we are not letting this one escape us!”


Folding to his determination, Emma follows Rob down the stairs slowly, nearly tripping on a few steps as she went down catching herself before she actually falls, each time she did her heart skipped a beat grabbing onto the flimsy railing. finally, they get to the bottom, where Rob jumps in without fear, however Emma having second thoughts hesitates before Rob holds his hand out to her, saying with confidence “come on we need to do this for the safety of the town.”


Staying her resolve she grabs Robs hand, jumping into the waist high water, they both then continue towards the pillar of stone, continuing to hold her hand he walks ahead of her, once they reach the middle of the water between the stairs and the pillar, Rob hears voices. He stops and looks around the cavern seeing nothing.


Then instincts kicked in, he grabs Emma's shoulders pushing her into the water, as he jumps into it after her, but to late, an explosive fire burst from the quart pillar, the explosion of fire burnt Robs exposed back and the right of his face.


Holding his face now in severe pain, although through the pain he still tries to look back at the pillar, seeing out the corner of his eye a woman blanketed in fire, emerge from the embering carnage that was blazing in front of him, holding a man on her shoulder fleeing to escape.


The man thinking the worst, so he tries to get up, but fails and falls in the water, nearly blacking out with the pain. Emma grabs Rob from the water slapping his face trying to keep him awake enough to drink a healing brew, slowly Rob comes to his sences waking up long enough that Emma hands him a red veil.


Which he then slowly pops it open, drinking the contents of the veil, drinking it fully it gave him a green glow somewhat healing his back and face, his clothes were burned at the back exposing the burned scars to the elements.


“Come here, let's get out of here.” Emma says putting his arm around her shoulder.


Grunting and groaning in pain, Rob looks back at the pillar, still burning with fire, Emma helps Rob to the steps, where Rob leaned on the first visible steps above the water his face scrunched up in pain, with Emma remarking "sorry Rob, but we need to hurry up and move, cause if we stay here long enough we will lose air."


Mustering up what strength he could, he lifted himself onto the first step with help from Emma pushing him onto it, Emma helped Rob to the top where they both took a second to catch there breath.


At the top of the ledge, they both looked at this glowing pillar, worried about what this horned one is capable of, catching their breath, well Rob more so than Emma, they head back out the cave with the luminescent mushrooms lighting their path.


Out to the cave back into the freezing cold, Emma gives Rob her cloak tying it on him, feeling slightly better Robs face boiled with anger, he starts to barrel down the hill leaving Emma at the cave entrance.


Shera the tiefling, gets to the bottom of the mountain out of breath, nearly fainting, as she used almost all her draíocht, at the bottom ahead of her stood a forest that stretched for miles in each direction, thinking she was safe, she stands there catching her breath, leaning against a tree looking back up at the hill, figuring she didn't have long to wait she started to walk through the trees, fixing the man on her shoulder.


As she continued a dark figure stands behind the trees just watching.


Rob gets to the bottom of the hill with Emma in toe, were they see no sight of the horned being, in desperation Rob looks at Emma saying in anger, “search for it!”


Nodding her head she holds out her hand closing her eyes, uttering “cuardach gaoithe.”


Emma uses the air somewhat, controlling a thin layer across a long distance, feeling any detection in many diffrent directions, mostly animals though, but one signature stood out to her, opening her eyes she tells Rob “I found it.”


Rob nods his head asking intently "which way!"


Emma points in the direction where she felt the odd signature was, with Rob running in that direction leaving Emma behind once more, meanwhile Shera now unable to move, stops and places the man's body up against the tree gently as she could in her condition, sitting down next to him still trying to think on why he is human.


Sensing a shift in the air she gives a sigh leaning her head back against the tree catching her breath slowly, as she did, that same figure continued to watch her from the shadows.


Hearing the crackling of feet come closer, she stands up mustering what courage and strength she had left, her legs shaking, tapping her thigh to calm herself as the two humans came into view, the man shouts “stop you horned devil, don't eat that human!”


Shera looks at them emotionlessly as Rob stops in his tracks and continues to ramble on, “we need to get rid of you to keep the town safe, no children will have to fear creatures like you anymore, if you are dead there will be one less of your kind...”


As he continued Emma stood behind him, shying away as this was the first time she seen a horned being. Behind Emma, stood that dark figure just watching on what is happening, noticing this, Shera narrows her eyes.


Believing she narrowed her eyes at him, Rob rases his hand quickly shouting in fear and anger “lámhaigh tine!”


From his hand, emerged a ball of fire. Unamused She ra just stands there looking at this man, with Emma silently remarking “that won't...”


Not hearing it, Rob disregards her words remarking “shut it Emma, I'm killing this thing if it's the last thing I do, I'm taking revenge for what it did to me up at the cave, and for what those things did to every human!”


Staying quiet Emma now knows her words would fall on deaf ears, she just watches as Rob releases the fireball engulfing Shera in flames, Rob looks on with accomplishment, a grin forming on his face turning into a full-on smile seeing this horned being burn.


His smile got slapped of his face by Emma “Use your head Rob, you are not thinking properly, you are lost in anger and revenge, calm!”


Pushing Emma aside towards a tree, with her falling against a branch knocking her out, as a small fire shot flung its way towards them both, swiping it away Rob looks back at the flame with his smile now reversed, standing in the flame stood a devilish looking figure “she's a smart one... but using a flame Geasa on a Tiefling, not smart.”


Stepping out of the flame she sighs cracking her neck looking at Rob with a menacing smile, simply uttering, “My Turn.”


Pointing her finger, but before she could say anything Rob falls on his ass holding his hand up remarking in fear “please, please, miss, mam, I don't want to die, my love is waiting for me please, I'll give you what you want, just please don't kill me.”


Thinking for a moment, she stays silent looking at him, then remarks “you look to be the right size.”


Thinking the worst Rob puts his hand above his head shielding his view from Shera, with Shera simply saying “clothes, off now!”


Still scared he does as he was told, taking of his trousers leather armour and cloak, throwing it at her feet, noticing the leather armor was burned off at the back, she leaves both the leather armour and cloak, picking up the trousers she looks at Rob to see if he would attack her, but all he did was crawl to Emma’s unconscious body.


Holding her tightly saying “I'm sorry, I'm sorry my love, I've treated you like you were worth nothing, I hope once I meet the father you finally be happier and not worried about where we can find our next meal.”


Turning his head around accepting his fate he sees nothing only the flames from his Geasa, confused he looks around, then back at Emma picking her up into his arms, he then starts to walk in the direction of their village.


As he walked Emma started to grown, waking up, with the first face she sees is Robs, she asks, “are we safe, where is the horned one?”


Nodding his head he remarks, saddened “yes, yes, we are.”


He doesn't say it, the words in his heart, he stays silent as she leans her head into his chest falling asleep, as he continued to walk.


Meanwhile, Shera hides in the bushes putting on the pants onto the man, she shakes her head thinking; thank the father he used fire because any other element I would have been screwed.


Getting up, she looked around for that dark figure, but there was nothing to be seen, nor the humans. Not having the strength to lift the man, she just sat there itching her face as she slowly regains some of her strength.


Breathing heavily, she looks at this man once more, thinking on what if...


Once she was strong enough, she stands and picks the still unconscious body up and places him back on her shoulder and walks off once more.


The figure behind her just stares as she walks off.


As she walked, she got to a hilltop looking over a small village, and at the bottom of it in the clearing noticing two beings, one was carrying the other, the being that was carrying the other wore no pants, she clears her throat fixing the man on her shoulder, realising who they were, she scoffs and continues to walk around the village avoiding the humans.


Eventually passing the town, she comes to a stream, recognizing it she knows she is almost home with excitement she walks faster to her camp.


Feeling exhausted Shera passes a few bushes and sees a few leather tarp heads, she walks as fast as she could with exhaustion and trembling legs could carry her forward, taking a fews steps more and she was home.


To Be Continued.


 

Story / Written By: Ethan McCloskey



Irish to English:


lámhaigh tine! - fire shot!

cuardach gaoithe. - wind search.

draíocht. - magic

Geasa - Spells

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