Episode Nine: Showdown at Jamestown

Castor yells “Who- what are you?” the quartermaster only laughs. Castor, not quite sure what to do throws the cross at him. It smacks him in the face, he says “ow.” which only serves to make him more angry.

Marco charges at him daggers unsheathed, “you bastard!” He swings at the man’s guts. He brings his hand down to block it and Marco strikes. A force field, close the quartermaster’s skin acting like armor sparks as the blades meet it.

Ivetta charges him with her spear. His hand glows and an orange gelatin like substance engulfs it making the spear lose all its momentum.

Viridis reloads behind the barn. The quartermaster then force pulls the cross Castor threw at his face into his hand. He tilts his head looking at it oddly and pockets it. Castor pales realizing what she’s given him. The quartermaster then pushes his arms out. Marco and Ivetta are blown back by galeforce wind. Marco does a nice recovery roll and Ivetta stands her own. He then claps his hands together and bows his head as if he were in prayer. A moment later he looks up, confused, as if something were supposed to have happened. Irritated, he creates a fire whirlwind and lifts himself into the air.

Castor reaches into the flow of the universe and tries to yank him off his whirlwind. He's not paying attention to her. His clothes lift slightly, blown by a soft breeze and a second later he’s pulled  face first to the ground. Marco charges at him again. He slices the gelatin armor but it seems like it’s weakening. Ivetta tries to spear him again but the same gelatin stops the strike once more.

From the ground he creates a forcefield of flame which pushes Marco, Ivetta and Castor. Only Castor gets a little burned. The naives all fire with their bows at the quartermaster on Otawniack’s command. Most hit his force field but one nicks the back of his neck. The gunmen on the wall also shoot him but with rifles. One hits the forcefield and the color changes from orange to black. Castor tries to run up and punch the quartermaster. He chuckles as he effortlessly catches her fist and shoves her back. Ivetta tries to stab him again but fails. Viridis takes aim.

He makes a fiery funnel again, this time higher about 6ft. He turns to the guards on the wall, his glowing arms raising and throws them so far off the wall they land in the sea. The natives are spooked by that and back away. Castor pulls him down to the ground again and she rushes to search him, trying to find the cross. He grunts and grabs her wrist, he stands still holding Castor in a vise like grip, her feet dangling off the ground. Marco grabs a gun one of the yeeted men dropped and prepares to shoot once Castor is clear. Ivetta stabs at the quartermaster once more. She manages to get through the forcefield drawing blood and he drops Castor who runs to the water’s edge.

He cups his hands together. When he opens them a glowing purple orb flickers. It grows bigger as he draws his hands apart. The few Natives still around miss all their shots at him. John Smith bursts through the gates gun at the ready, aims for the traitor’s head. The forcefield cracks with John’s shot. Ivetta charges him and aims to stab him then turn and run through the open Jamestown gates. Viridis shoots at him but misses my millimeters.

The quartermaster, now with his arms spread wide, holds a massive purple orb, crackling and sizzling with power. He fixes eyes on his target: Castor. The massive laser beam is unleashed toward her. A mass of purple and orange energy shoots out. She dodges out of the way but only just. She feels the magical power of her ashar tingle at the edges of her body. The beam is felt tremoring in their stomachs, a deep bass tone. It blasts past her and evaporates water as it continues. In desperation, she too tries to throw some kind of magical blast at him but fails. Marco takes a shot at him, it slices cleanly through the force field, hitting him so hard he spins around and falls to the ground.

Ivetta stabs his neck, the forcefield is in place there but he still takes damage. Castor shouts “No, don't kill him!”

Ivetta shouts back “What?! How do you suggest we restrain him?”

The quartermaster gets up his ire focused solely on John Smith as he thinks it was he who shot him. His hands glow again and wind shoves John Smith into Jamestown an audible crack is heard as his body crashes into the wall. The quartermaster’s eyes flicker orange and purple with light. Looking around at them all he yells, “who are you!?”

Castor shouts back “Who are you?!” Marco comes at him with the butt of his musket and brings it to meet his temple.

Ivetta moves to stab him in the neck. Castor protests again, “No! We can’t kill him!”

Begrudgingly Ivetta stands down. Vididis joins them on the ground. Castor grabs the cross from his pocket and Marco grabs his unconscious body.

They trudge into town and ask for manacles to restrain this man. Most of the people are surrounding John Smith. They carry him toward the houses and he bids them do as we ask. Someone grabs them the chains and Castor and Viridis chain him to the well in the center of town. (Some poetic justice for you eh?) Ivetta leaves them to go search his house. Marco also leaves to dig up the grave in which John Smith hid the charter. He digs with his hands after failing to find a shovel, finding the coffin has a false lid. He opens it finding the charter, its tingly when he touches it. He replaces the dirt and returns to the center of town. Castor asks people to find Viridis’ sister but no one even remembers her. She’s just gone. Otawniak enters the village and says he is grateful, if there’s anything they need he’s happy to help. Castor asks him if there are any magically inclined people in his village who could help them. He says there is one, a woman who recently arrived, one who looks like Viridis. VIridis asks if he could bring her here. He agrees. Ivetta asks him for herbs, particularly ones with healing properties. He agrees to this too and leaves to get them.

Ivetta found a journal in his house and sits down to read it. It’s in some foreign language that begins to disappear as she flips through it. Frustrated she cries out and moves to hurt the quartermaster. Castor jumps in front of her but then Viridis aims to shoot the quartermaster. Castor tackles the gun to make her miss, the shot rings out but hits only dirt. Ivetta tries to stab him again but Viridis aims at Ivetta telling her to stop. She does. Castor feels a tug on her pocket and the cross is pulled from it, flying into the hand of the quartermaster. Twice over Castor feels like she almost caught it but he escapes.

The instant his fingers meet it he vanishes.

Ivetta yells in anguish and stomps off. Castor looks horrified and angrily paces talking to herself saying things like “What have I done? I let him escape to Mecca! This is all my fault! What have I done?!”

Some townspeople come out having heard the gunshot and ask if everything is alright. They believe Castor’s “everything is fine here” and most retreat back into the house. Otawniak returns with Imilia. Viridis asks if they can speak privately. Marco and the two sisters enter the church. Castor asks Otawniak “could I speak with the shaman again? I’m in need of...spiritual guidance.”

He says “of course you are welcome to.”

“Thank you, and thank you for all your help.” He smiles and hands Castor the healing herbs enough to heal everyone and still a big jar. Viridis, Imilia and Marco reconvined at the well. Ivetta returns from her breather at the dock.

Imilia, seeing Ivetta asks “Ivetta? Is that you? How much you’ve grown!” They share a hug. Castor introduces herself “Uh- hi Imilia, I’m Castor. How-how are you feeling?”

“Nice to meet you Castor, I'm a bit confused but everything will be explained I'm sure.”

The group decides to head out.

Castor says she’d like to visit the shaman again, alone, so they head toward his cliff. She climbs the cliff alone.

She enters the tent finding the shaman in the same place as last time, eyes closed. He speaks to her, inviting her to sit and inquiring how he can be of assistance. She sits, tentatively.

She asks him, "What do you know of magic?"

"Many have spoken of such things but I wonder what it is you wish to find from it. "

"I have it right? Can't control it very well. But also this other man also had it. A not so good guy and I-I let him go and now he could be causing harm in another place. Hurting people there because of my foolish actions here."

"Castor, you have a pure soul and mind it will take time to harness this and to learn from your mistakes. You must not rush, it will take time. What you fear will be sorted out in the natural order of things. No one can escape the wrath of nature forever."

"But he- he could he killing people! And its my fault. But then, its not my place to judge and take life, that is God's. But I can't help thinking I should have listened to my friends and killed him. It would have been easy physically." Her lip quivers. She adds in a whisper, "So why why couldn't I?"

"To kill to take another life is to rip one's soul. You are right, it is not your decision to make. The natural order will sort this out one way or another."

"But what about him? He could be causing so much harm now. He will face God when his time comes, but he may be causing actual suffering now."

"Are there not others who would rise to the call? Who would keep this man from exacting his will? There will always be those who do."

Castor pauses thinking of James,. "Yes I- There is a good man there. I can only hope he is strong enough." a few minutes of silence follow and then Castor asks, "But what about my friends, they are angry at me..."

"Their ire will ease with time. It may not seem this way but none can hold anger for long. It is a fickle, fleeting feeling we are not meant to hold for long. a flame that will burn the self as surely as it burns others."

"Thank you. Can-can I ask how you stay so calm all the time?"

"Nature, herbs, thoughts, people, sounds can be calming. You must find something that brings you joy, not excitement, peace. A thought a prayer something which calms you."

"What is your something?" he smiles and shakes his head.

"You need to look within yourself."

Resolving herself that that was the best answer she was going to get she asks, "Might I sit here with you? Meditate, sit quietly? I need to gather myself."

"Have you not already been doing so?"

"Thank you." She sits for about an hour, finding her center, trying to calm her pounding heart and release the anxiety she holds within. "Thank you for all your help."

"You are always welcome here."

When she returns, she’s slightly happier but still quiet and subdued, her eyes pointedly, not meeting the other’s.

Viridis stops the group before they head out. Viridis begins, "we've been talking, Imilia and I, and we've decided to stay here, in this realm." Castor gasps.

"What? But what of the quest? The wendigo? The quartermaster, he's out there."

"I'm finally reunited with my sister, I don't wish to lose her again. We're protected here, the tribe, the townsfolk. If he comes back we'll be here to defend it."

Castor, tearing up says, "you must do what you think best, but we shall miss you. May God be with you, Viridis, Imilia."

After a tearful goodbye, the three head toward the wilderness, following their hearts. It takes a month of travel to reach the edge of the world but when they finally do, they once again step off the edge and are enveloped by the purple bubble. Until they are unceremoniously dropped into a pile of muck and mud. The sounds of people wheezing and coughing surround them, the stench of decay clamors around them in the alley. Unrecognized architecture of brick  surrounds the three. And once again they find themselves in another unfamiliar realm.

TBC

Episode Ten: Revenants