The not-immortal Blacksmith

The hills of Pondge.

21st of Kusha, the month of Harvest.

2290 Years since the New gods came.

Morning

Lady Chelsa stood next to the black cloaked figure, and watched the battle. She could now see the two souls fighting each other inside Betty’s body, and Betty had all but lost. The other soul was just too big, and too powerful; even though it was mostly infected soul rot at this point. She watched as the battle played out, and witnessed the young boy use a gold-filled sock as a blackjack upon the back of Betty’s head in a well-practiced manner. Watching professionals work is always a treat!

She smiled as Crow and Raven cawed their congratulations to the young man. A young man who she thought probably couldn’t understand them. (As a matter of fact, he couldn’t usually understand them, but having seen each of the three aspects of death several times at this point in his life, he did get their meaning.)

-

If you had been there, or anywhere near that dimension, And had been listening quite intently, you would have heard the single, soft chime of a silver bell in the distance.

Chelsa had been in the right place, and had been listening. She spent several seconds looking for the bell, before looking to her black cloaked neighbor, “What was chime? What was it for?” Then there was a blinding flash of white light, and the noise of an incoherent scream.

-

The Celestial Realm

Morning

Narrissa, the goddess of Tranquility, sat at her polished dark marble breakfast table. Her new sending stone had a high gloss polish on the “face” and a less polished backside. The entire thing was lightweight and fit into the small pocket she had had sewn into the hem of her elegant official dress. A dress that she was wearing for her breakfast date with the god of News.

While she waited, she sent a written message to her new favorite priestess, Lady Chelsa. At present she had LC on the fast track to be the next Archbishop of her church on the Eastern continent. When the priestess didn't message back after a few minutes, Narrisa used the voice feature of the stone. There was no answering voice on the other end.

She cocked one beautifully manicured eyebrow, and waved her left hand over the table, turning the polished surface into a scrying glass. One glance and she screamed in outrage, then after a second look, she screamed in a burning cold rage. She didn’t even leave a note for her lover, she snapped her fingers and disappeared with a crack, and an angry scream.

Joe, the god of News stood outside his lover’s door, about to knock when her heard the scream and the crack of a planar teleportation spell. He dropped his hand to his side, turned to face the freshly paved road, and walked back to his news stand. I wonder what kind of News this will bring us?

-

Narissa appeared in her most godly of forms, hair a billowing halo. Her pale blue eyes were flinty cold as they surveyed the scene spread before her. “YOU!” she hissed at the farmer’s wife. “You did this, and I will take my price.” Frost drifted from her mouth as she spoke. She turned to the black cloaked form of death, “I claim this as my blood price; you will not interfere.” Death nodded and stepped back.

She again faced the woman on the ground, and pointed a finger, and gave a vicious smile. “You will suffer an eternal torment for what you have done.”

Narissa bent over the unconscious woman, crooked her finger into a claw, raked it mostly through the body, and yanked. What she pulled up was plainly visible to all. A soul. A soul so covered in filth and dark green rot, that you could almost smell the infection. She sneered at the thing and gave it a single shake causing a snap that would make any child with a damp towel giggle.

The rot fell away, leaving a soul full of holes and leaking essence. “You won’t enjoy this.” A hard lipped smile crossed her face. “You won’t enjoy this at all.”

Taking a quick look around she saw the small boy who had inflicted the last strike; she smiled at him, “Child, you have done a fine job. I shall remember you.” Then she snapped her fingers, and in a crash of thunder was gone.

-

Maxwell watched with something almost bordering awe as Narissa ripped the infected soul from Betty’s body, then released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “Damn, didn’t know she could do that.”

For her part, Bri just stood there, eyes bulging out as fear and awe fought for control of her face.

Lady Chelsa just smiled the smile that only a true believer could have.

Grendel was the worst off of the lot, laying on unconscious on the ground with a wet spot growing in his pants.

Maxwell stood to his best height and faced death, staring into the bottomless blue depths. “You will do nothing here, not yet.” Death just stared back.

“Okay then.” Max turned to face Bri, “Get it together, we have time to panic when we’re done!”

At this point Brandy crested the old farmhouse, “I’m not d... done yet! You worthless…” She dropped in elevation several feet, crashing into the rooftop, and rolling down it, and falling to the ground. She picked herself up after a few moments and took two shaky steps forward, then fell over again. “I’m not don…” She fell unconscious.

Bri and Max ran for the kitchen, Max pointing at things seemingly at random, and Bri grabbing them. Things selected; a set of candles, heavy string for tying birds for roasting, a silvered pie pan containing burning coals from the wood stove, and a glass of water; Max grabbed the two halves of Ladt Chelsa’s body and carried them to the pile of now dead constables in the front yard.

“Help me lay them all out, any separated body parts need to be lain next to their point of origin.” Max demonstrated by picking up a hand from nearby, and placing it the right side up next to the appropriate arm. “I’m going to get the rest of this ready.”

Bri set about the grisly task, meanwhile Max began running the string around the hastily spread-out bodies; it only made it around one and a half times, and Max grunted something to the effect of “Good enough for god work.” He then placed the candles, six and a half in total; evenly around the circle. He laid the pie tin of coals in the center of the rough circle, dribbled water on each corpse, and stepped out of the string boundary as Bri finished her part of the job and joined him.

-

Went and Griegs looked at each other over their corpses as they were dragged around by the noble woman. “Well, she’s a good one, that Lady Brianna.” Went said at last. “Fine figure of a woman. Did you know she even bought me a beer at the tavern last night?”

“We’re dead now, right?” Griegs asked.

Went nodded, “That we are Griegs, that we are.”

“Then where’s the Raven?” Griegs asked. “I’d even settle for the crow at this point.”

“Huh. I wonder.” Went responded, then, “Hey Griegs? Do you have a smoke?”

-

“I doubt this will do anything for the ugly guy or his fat and balding friend, but we can hope.” Max said as he stretched.

“Husband, Constables Went and Griegs are wonderful men, and sweet as pie.” Bri admonished.

“Yes dear.” Max replied with a sigh, then he started to pull. Not with his muscles, but with his mind and soul. Slowly the power started to come, from the ground, rich with life; from the scrub trees that heal themselves, and even come back from near death; from the sky; and even from the darkness of shadows. He pulled it all in, forming it into a blanket of sorts in his mind’s eye. Then he threw it over the corpses. “HEAL. HEAL AND LIVE.” He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and added, “And none of that stupid “undead servant” bullshit. I mean actual life, you stupid magic!”

The ethereal magic settled over the dead, and at first nothing seemed to happen. Then flesh reached for flesh, and bone for bone. Then they knitted together, slowly at first, then faster and faster, until the bodies were whole once more.

Max nodded, and spoke, “NEXT!”

A small crackle of lightning fell from the clear sky, gently tapping an officer on the spot where Max had sprinkled water, then it jumped to another man and another, until they were all connected by arcs of electricity.

“Three! Two! ONE!” Max yelled over the buzzing coming from the electricity. “GO!”