Submitted: 13 September 2000

Stood Up

by Elle Dee

Honestly, I'm not sure that the destination mattered, I was looking forward to the company. Really looking forward to it. I got to town in plenty of time to prepare my devotions and prayers and was ready to go well before the appointed time.

The time came and went. I busied myself with miscellaneous errands about town while I waited. "I'll find you, don't worry," he had told me.

Forty-five minutes later, Mr. "I'll find you..." had been about the realms a long time, and I knew he wasn't going to come calling. I was disappointed, and irked. But I didn't want to stew over it, and put the energy to work in a brisk walk up the NTR to the marsh. Crocodiles would give me no time to feel sorry for myself.

You might think this is where the story ends, but you'd be wrong. It was only the beginning.

I'm no great hunter, and the marsh is pretty dicey these days for me, especially when I'm alone. I faced down the first few crocodiles without more than a scratch or two. Confidence filled me; I always forget that's the point where I get into trouble.

A large blue-belly floated in and spotted me immediately. It came at me without even pausing. Before I could strike at it, it had quickly jumped towards me and had me by the neck! I was so stunned I couldn't move. At that exact moment, a scholarly mage named Gazamondek walk ed right by, saw my plight, and lifted his hands in the air with magic. Everything seemed in slow motion for me. The crocodile was able to only take two more good bites of me before I came to my senses and the mage's spell flew at the crocodile. The beast seemed charmed by the magic and was calm. It relaxed its grip on me. I extracted myself quickly and stood back with the mage.

I was weakened at the encounter, but somehow the creature had missed my major blood vessels, at least I wouldn't bleed to death. I knew I needed to rest to regain my strength. Gazamondek headed back off into the marsh, and I tried to get my bearings so I could find the end of the watery lowlands and get back to the road.

Before I could find the road, I stumbled across several men gathered where a corpse lay in the waters of the marsh. I know my duty. The body of Fuseion had been there a long time. The men had just come across him, too. One was a mage, one a paladin, and one a warrior. The mage told me that the corpse was unresponsive.

The corpse was also bleeding very badly from a nearly destroyed arm. I'm sure a crocodile had a medium sized snack from that. Duty requires me to attempt to do what I can, what I should. Nine ranks of skill had already dissipated with his memories. I comforted what was left of his soul and restored his memories. But he was still unresponsive. Alas, the men were right, this corpse must have been one of those walking dead; the soul-less who try to learn their way through life without accomplishing it with their own efforts; the sleeping students who blindly follow scripted parchments to some ultimate guild promotion of importance to only a few.

I knew what would follow. Fuseion's soul would remain only so long, growing weaker and weaker as his memories suffered, as his body grew cold. He didn't have many favors, but a favor would insure that one of the Thirteen stepped forward when death called him to meet the Starry Host and intercede for him. Even the Thirteen are bound by duty. I can't imagine it was with any pride that any of them spoke his name to the Starry Host.

And so, the Mage, the Paladin, the Warrior, and I waited there with the Corpse -- one dead to the riches of the world even before the crocodile got the best of him. I couldn't walk away, but neither would I succor his spirit and memories again. During the next hour I made new friends.

The Mage, MM, was wise beyond his years, and utterly deadly when he targeted magic upon the crocodiles who were unfortunate enough to float near enough. The Paladin, KM, was young and enthusiastic. At first I thought him over confident, but then I saw him maneuvering in his armor. I suppose it's difficult for crocodiles to sink their teeth into metal plates! The warrior, FT, was young, and I had just raised him from a somewhat premature death. He was quiet, but I don't think he missed a thing.

Sometimes MM would talk to our corpse. We visited with each other, listened to an impromptu class, and we joked together -- many times at the expense of the shell of a corpse that lay in front of us.

Crocodiles floated by sometime, but there was no rush to find more. The honorless circumstances that Fuseion had put himself into that resulted in this ignominious end bound us there in that spot. I taught them a bit about the state of a soul in the between condition of a corpse. Of course, this particular corpse wasn't normal at all, because he'd sold his soul. And if he were caught, he'd pay the ultimate penalty for it.

There's no real ending to the saga of our zombie corpse. We don't know what transpired beyond what we witnessed. When the last wisp of his soul went up before our eyes, there was nothing left to keep his corpse here in the world with us, and in the manner that has been for a long time, the ground took him. There was no meteor, I knew there would be none, he had a couple favors.

Even from this darkest of ill deeds, the cheating Fuseion was the instrument to teach me and to bring me three new friends that I'd be honored to stand near in a hunt.

And that, is the happily-ever-after ending.

Oh, and what about the cad who had stood me up? I don't expect to ever see RM again, but if I do, I hope he's come up with a grand tale, he's sure had plenty of time to.