The Myriad (1x01)

Character art by @Ashlelang

"**The Myriad (1x01)**" is the  The Myriad series premiere. The party gather for a clifftop funeral for a fallen protector of their village. Shortly after, they are made aware of an evil presence that lurks nearby...

## **Synopsis**

### Introduction

> *"Our tale begins in a small village next to the Dread Cliffs. Far enough away from the cliffs to not be in any true danger, but also a little bit too close in that a lot of travelers would never want to come here. It’s often referred to as Sideways by those who end up here -- a joke that pokes fun at how unlikely it is that you actually intended to travel to this place. Sideways also references the fact that these travelers most likely are lost along the path to the Capital, expecting the town of Midway instead. Locations are so often blatantly named due to the  peoples’ inability to read and write down specific information. There is even a popular inn called “Midway to Midway” when you get midway to Midway.
>
> Unfortunately, we join the people of Sideways on a day of sadness. A unique funeral ceremony is about to take place to honor a fallen member of the community. Almost the entire village has travelled up to these cliffs to take part in the ritual. The winds howl overhead; higher they climb to an ancient altar built in honor of an old god known only as the Maelstrom.
>
> The villagers have only traveled this way because they were encouraged by the words of their elder who has insisted that the deceased, Rio Inanda “The Redeemer”, be put to rest as the town’s oldest tradition dictates but so rarely has truly been followed. The town, forgetting its ways and not following the path of the Maelstrom that was originally let out for them. She intends to pay him this ultimate respect and remind the villagers where they’ve come from as he did not get much respect while he was alive.
>
> The recently deceased lies naked on the center of the altar, still and cold. His arms and legs tucked neatly together as though he were packed into a sarcophagus. His eyes have been removed, not with skill; messy, and fed to the livestock. The  town elder who is respected by all, approaches the altar to speak first."*
>
>

### Part I

##### ***Funeral Rites***

“We are here today to honor the best of us,” she begins. “He was flawed as any man who crawls the surface of this world. And yet he outshined us all.” The crowd lightly scoffs in respectful disagreement. He was a no good drunk and everybody saw it. They don’t see in him what she does. Yet she continues to try and convince them.

As she continues, the faint sounds of music can be heard carried through the winds from an unseen force. “He is irreplaceable. Few of you have ever left these lands so you do not know the name of The Redeemer shields us. His father before him and many generations back. We have always counted on their protections. You think of him only as his worst traits. Because unfortunately that is all that many of you saw. To dismiss him so casually is to dismiss this town’s way of life.” She shakes her head in disappointment. A tear drips down her wrinkled cheek as she realizes not everyone in the crowd knows what happens next. They don’t even know the ritual.

And with that, she bends over to pick up an ancient axe from the floor of the altar. Her knees wobble trying to maintain balance, her old age showing clearly. But this task is her burden and her weakness reflects on the friends that Rio, the deceased, had while he was alive. She raises the axe above her head and slams it down on his neck, abruptly. Children in the audience look away. Strength was never her strong suit. She looks disappointed, but didn’t really expect much better in her old age.

She addresses the crowd once more before returning to them. “Should his head not leave his body before this funeral is over, then he truly deserves to be forgotten. Any who would speak kindly on his behalf please come up. You’ll each get one swing.” And she returns to her place in the front.

This places the spotlight on one person in particular. In the crowd is Hoshi. This was his sensei.

As the errant southern wind blows up and over the peninsula, Hoshi stands with a saddened gait. All his strength and bravado that he has kept through most of his life is now brought low in a single moment as the last leaf of his master’s life falls to the winds of fate. He doesn’t know how to feel. The man was a drunk. The man was cruel. But through this cruelty Hoshi had grown strong. With a mixed feeling, Hoshi’s red hair blows in the wind.

He steps forward. Hoshi parts the crowd and climbs the moss-speckled stairs. He takes the axe, and in the ancient ways, moves his fingers across the edge of the blade. He raises the weapon above his head and in it he pours all bitterness, all pain, all hate, and swings down the weapon.

Not good enough. Unfortunately, though Rio tried to teach Hoshi many, many things, it was as if he was a fool and never listened. Hoshi doesn’t feel anything but the sting of failure and embarrassment. He put everything into that swing and now it’s gone.

Hoshi begins to walk back, but the elder stands in his way. “Boy! If you swing the axe you must say something kind! Make sure that it’s kind; for there’s no place for disrespect in this ritual.”

Hoshi narrows his eyes. He was never taught such things by his master. Platitudes were pointless. But now is not the time nor the place for a philosophical debate. “Fine,” he begins. “My master was old. Mean. But he cared for me. More than any of you ever did. For that I’m grateful.” Hoshi steps down, daring the old woman to stop him a second time. She lets him pass.

“Is there anybody else in the crowd who would like to come forward and speak?”

Uncomfortable silence weights on those gathered. As Hoshi takes up the spot where he stood before, a soft, whispering voice begins to speak directly in his mind. *"Hoshi. Do you wants me to try and take his head off?"*

Hoshi looks down to see Kenneth, his long-time serpentine companion, returning his gaze. “How? You don’t have any hands.”

*"I can use my tail."*

“I’d very much like to see that.”

*"Then lets me try. Can you tell the elder if I’m allowed?"*

Hoshi looks to the elder. “Is the ritual limited to those with hands?”

“I’m certain you speak of your serpent,” she replies. “But I warn, the Maelstrom would not appreciate a snake speaking at his ritual.”

Hoshi turns to look at Kenneth again. “Did you hear that Kenneth? The Maelstrom wouldn’t abide it... Go on then.”

Kenneth slithers his way through the crowd, which audibly gasps. They are not used to seeing the elder disobeyed. Seeing the elder, old and frail, along with the intricacies of the ritual they don’t fully understand aren’t sure what to make of this development.

Kenneth turns to face the crowd. Knowing they can’t understand him, he takes his tail, puts it under his head and bows, attempting to mimic the human act to the best of his ability. *"I does nots know you well buts my friend I know he had something with you and if this is a ceremony, then it must be done right. I will try and make that so."*

Kenneth faces the altar and his dexterous tail wraps around the axe handle. The serpent is able to barely lift the weapon. He lines it up at the neck of the deceased, matching the cuts that had been made before. The effort of wielding the weapon seems to take all of the strength and coordination that he can muster. With a sickly crunch, the axe falls and is lodged in the corpse. The serpent is able to impart an impressive amount of work towards their goal, but the axe does not completely make its way through.

Hoshi nods sagely, used to such audacity. Kenneth pulls the axe free and places it next to the altar. He turns and makes his way back to Hoshi who allows the snake to climb up and perch around his neck like a scarf.

The crowd stares forward silent. They know not what was ‘said’ by the snake and are still trying to wrap their minds around the scene that had just unfolded before them.

Breaking the tension, Johnny O'toolahan, an older member of the community, steps forth. As he makes his way through the crowd and to the altar, the roughened denizen’s thoughts drift to the man that lays bare before him, or at least of the man he used to be. He thinks of the many, many drinks that were shared and the run-ins that occurred.

Johnny reaches the top of the steps, throws his big arms out wide, and addresses the crowd. “It’s a damn shame that he went when he did, but here he is, laid out on this altar. Could have been any one of us, but he outlived even me. Even though I drank him under the table every time, God damn!”

Johnny glances back momentarily at his dead friend. He turns back to face the elder. “Lady I know you said we didn’t see the best of him, but he had a-- he had a hard time expressing himself in that way, and it’s almost a shame that we didn’t get to see him as Hoshi did, or that you didn’t get to see him as I did. A mean bastard with a liver the size of the most bloated fish you’ve ever seen,” Johnny says ending with a chuckle to himself.

“I seem to recall this particular ritual long ago, but I forgot that I’d be potentially bringing axe to my dead friend’s neck.” He bends over and picks up the axe, inspecting it. “But I suppose if it were me, you would have done the same. Rest in peace, my friend. It was an honor to know you.”

Johnny slams the axe down on the cadaver and is the most successful out of everyone so far. However his stubborn old friend had to stick it to him one more time. The dead man's head rolls to the side, but still remains connected by a single strand of muscle tissue. Johnny, knowing that his turn has concluded, places the axe down and looks back again towards the elder.

“What do you think of that, crone?”

She replies, “You’ve done very well. Go take your place back in the crowd.” Johnny complies. Though her tone is sharp, the elder looks appreciative as she thought none would speak on his behalf.

Standing in the crowd is Scarlet Fontaine, the woman who runs the town ossuary. She is a talented individual. Out of everyone in the town, she is the most in tune with the spiritual and the occult. She will be responsible for collecting the skull of Rio, assuming someone in this town is able to successfully remove it from the rest of his body. Scarlett seems hesitant, not willing to go forward to the altar.

After a moment, Scarlett notices that a lot of attention seems to be focused towards her. It’s not without merit, however. An unusual presence lurks quietly beside her. This in and of itself is quite out of the ordinary, for the figure next to her has never been one to keep quiet about anything in any situation. By her side, her daughter Liana is standing still, dressed in clothes that fit, that aren’t inside out, and she even seems to have bathed recently. This is the antithesis of what that town has come to know her for -- her rude drunken stupor. To top it off, this is the first time anyone has caught sight of her in over a month.

Liana watches as Johnny steps off of the altar. Seeing this, she does a little jump and grabs her mother’s arm. “Is it my turn? Can I go?”

“Dear, why would you want to do such a barbaric thing?”

“Barbaric? Mother, I am the daughter of the ossuary keeper. This will be my role one day.”

“This is not your place, the whole town watches you.”

“I know, but I had such nice words to say about him,” She pauses. She knew him quite well. “Aw, but don’t I look so pretty today? I wanted to show everyone my new dress.” She says as she spins around.

“Oh, I suppose -- if you make a good entrance.”

Liana grabs her mother by both of her arms and leans in close. “I will make the BEST entrance.” Liana takes a few steps back for extra momentum before leaping out and sweeping up the stairs with her dress flowing behind her.

She scoops up the axe and puts it up over her shoulder, resting it by the handle. She spins around and ends in a fancy curtsy to the rest of the crowd. She intently watches their faces to catch their reactions. The town doesn’t react much other than perplexity. They haven’t seen her very much lately and are confused because they know her as someone who is much less elegant than currently presented. The old Liana they know is a drunk, just as Rio.

Liana sort of waits for some applause, but none seems to come. Johnny nods appreciatively thinking *alright*. This makes her crack out in a big smile that she immediately clamps down on because she realizes she has to be serious.

Liana dramatically pulls a dainty handkerchief and dabs her eyes and sniffles. She begins by saying “in between his forays into the woods Ananda(SP) kept our town safe from monsters and all the terrors that stalk us here in our village. Now that he’s gone, surely they’ll come into town and rip us up into little pieces. I have the fondest memories of him. We would get drunk together in the tavern and get thrown out. Oh the best time was when he…” She cuts herself off -- “Oh, I’m getting too flustered, I’m sorry.”

Liana takes another curtsy/bow and looks for more reaction from the crowd. Johnny shrugs, interested to see what plays out. Hoshi continues to stare dramatically to the left. The crowd squints, single eyebrow raised, wondering if this is part of it.

*"I believe in you,"* thinks Kenneth, whom Liana is able to understand. “Oh thank you, Kenneth. Oh so nice.” After her curtsy, she continues. “Oh, the best memory I have of him is when we both got thrown out of the tavern and then he went stomping off into the woods for an entire hour. Later he came back and he had a wildcat that he had caught with his bare hands and he just went back to the pub and let it go. Oh, he was so great, wasn’t he?”

Liana claps, expecting applause. Johnny claps at her story, remembering the occasion like it was yesterday. An old man from the audience yells “YEEHAW, I remember that! That was a fine day. Alright, I give that a clap!”

“I got a scar on my back from that,” says Johnny.

“Oh yes! You were very brave in battle,” Liana smiles. “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Liana rubs her hands together. “And now it’s my turn.” She walks up to the corpse and bends the head sideways, angling it for the forthcoming swing. Liana lofts up the axe over head and comes down with it. Unfortunately, she misses her mark and hits the altar instead, sending the axe flying out of her hands and clattering down the stairs.

Liana ushers a deep bow. She then does a bit of a crab-walk down the stairs and skitters back to her mother’s side, trying to hide behind her.

“Alright, are there any more who would speak on the behalf of a dead man?” the elder speaks to the crowd. There is a pause and it seems for a moment that the man will be left here and forgotten. Slowly someone makes their way forward. A tiresome and unlikeable man, Eustis Snede, steps towards the altar.

"Erm -- Yes, so... Rio... he was a drunk, but... I suppose every town needs a drunk. And... he was kind of ours." Liana claps after his speech, while the elder looks displeased by his words; but lets it pass as it seems it was the best he could do. Eustis continues. "I... have been appointed by the elder to take his place. She insists that we need a new Redeemer, and well, what better place to start than I?"

He picks up the axe to make his attempt at the ritual. He swings, and misses by a truly embarrassing margin; prompting Johnny to groan in disappointment, while Liana claps. Eustis walks away from the alter slightly and brushes off his coat.

"That's not what I expected... Either way, I have been chosen for my knowledge; as many of you here are illiterate. I will be going through the belongings of Rio -- and, he was a private man -- but hopefully come up with some explanation to his power [and] his martial practices; so that they will not be forgotten."

Kenneth taps Hoshi on his neck using his tail. *"I know how to read, and you seem to be closer to your master than him. Maybe you should get his belongings."* Hoshi doesn't respond to Kenneth, seemingly too distracted by the vast amount of emotions swirling within him. Internally, he struggles with anger, fear, shame, and hate; for what was the point of being an apprentice, if not to take up his master's mantle?

"Elder Spinecraft, why not let the boy go with Eustis here?" Johnny asks.

The elder responds, confused. "The boy go with the -- the what?"

"The Redeemer's apprentice", Johnny points at Hoshi. "Why is he not a part of this?"

"I spoke with the Redeemer many times. I may have been his best friend in these lands. He did not speak kindly upon Hoshi. 'Lost Potential'...", the elder says; seemingly recalling the exact words the Redeemer used to describe Hoshi. Hoshi ponders on how long the old woman would scream if he were to throw her off the cliff, but does nothing. He was always used to the village's harshness.

Hoshi feels disappointed that the ritual seems to have failed Rio, as no one has been able to decapitate the corpse; prompting Kenneth to be sad on his friend's behalf. Johnny angrily points to the man behind him. "Why aren't you up there swinging that axe?!"

"Who, me?!" an old farmer responds.

"Yeah."

"I suppose I could give it a little swing! See, he always did -- once a month, I'd give him a pig; and he'd give me some of his best booze! It was sort of this arrangement we had. I should be going up there and saying all of this I suppose, shouldn't I?"

"YES. Get up there."

The farmer approaches the alter where the corpse lays and addresses the crowd. "Rio was a drunk through and through, and I gotta say I love the bastard for it! Alright, I just swing this darn here axe right now?"

"YES," Johnny yells from the crowd.

"I'll lift it up -- alright, give a big ol' swing!" The farmer's swing misses the last piece of sinew still keeping the head and body of Rio together. Johnny facepalms before a loud voice booms from the back of the crowd.

"God dammit, I'll give a try then..." a burly man exclaims as he walks up to take his attempt at removing the head.

The farmer walks away, apologizing to Johnny as he takes his place within the crowd again. "I'm sorry about that, I was lettin' him down -- Never tried to kill no man before, so it was little bit strange!" The man at the alter picks up the axe, familiar with how to wield it. Korrag Trunkcrusher, a man experienced in hitting trees, knows that a neck is just another tree. As no one else cares enough about the Redeemer or the ritual to come up, this is the last chance to give the Rio peace in death.

Nervous for just a moment after witnessing so many failed attempts, Korrag brings down the axe and severs the head from the body. "So it is done. I did not know him well, but that is fine. I did not know many well, but I care for all of this community. If I ever see your corpse, any of you up here again, I will make sure you get the honor you deserve."

*"I wonder if I'd get the same honor..."*, Kenneth thinks.

##### ***Post-Ritual***

The villagers begin to leave the area, while the elder and others stay behind. The elder insists on speaking to Hoshi for a little bit longer. "I see that you're very upset, young man."

"I guess I am."

"Things are not quite so simple. I give the task to Snede to learn the martial practices of your master, for you did not show interest in them when he was alive. But he is no warrior. I have seen your spirit, and I know that given the chance, you might prove us all wrong. So with that, I ask you to prove yourself. There is a task that Rio, unfortunately due to someone in particular; was never able to complete." The elder speaks as if implicating that Hoshi had something to do with the death of Rio. She gestures to Johnny to join in on their conversation.

"Johnny, my boy"

"Yeah?"

"I bring you sad news, if you have not heard it already. But your cleric friend in the woods... we believe him to be dead."

"What?"

"It was some time ago. Rio was supposed to go there [and] clean up the remains if there were any. But he has not tended to it. And the evil spirits have had time to fester. But it can wait no longer. I need you both to go into his cabin and cleanse the remains of the evil spirits that remain." The elder pauses for a moment and looks to Hoshi. "You will need strength far beyond your years, Hoshi. Gather as many as you can to help you; for another failure is unacceptable."

"I will succeed where he failed."

"As long as you don't think that you can do it on your own. The Redeemer was stronger than you could've fathomed."

Hoshi knows a little bit of what she is speaking about, as he was there when Rio died. A few people whom Hoshi had started a fight with had come back to town; heavily armored, and attacked the Redeemer. During the battle between Rio and his assailants, Hoshi witnessed something no one else had seen before: Rio fighting people seriously, clearly understanding that his life was on the line. A spiritual being fought along side Rio, overlooking his actions; empowering him with levels of strength he had never seen.

"Fine. When do we get started?" Hoshi asked.

"I recommend you get started right away. And if I may make [another] recommendation, you should speak to the troll which lives outside town. Rio knew him well. He was the only one of us who would visit him. He will help you."

*"I also know of him. We spend some time together when the others are busy."*

"I forgot to leave!", the old farmer who failed to sever Rio's head yells out. He quickly leaves the area.

Liana walks up to the alter and takes the severed head to bring it to the ossuary later; as it is her and her mother's responsibility to take care of the skulls of the deceased.

"Then I'm getting started." Hoshi continues.

"Very well. I wish you the best of luck, Hoshi. Sincerely." The elder then wobbles her way down the plateau all the way back to town, alongside the other residents.

Hoshi stands at the edge of the plateau, looking down upon the high peninsula. The wind whips through his clothing as he breaths in deeply. "Fine, old man. I'll show you [that] you were wrong. I'll show every single one of them. So you just keep watching me, huh?" Hoshi pauses for a moment. "And I'll show you. I'll show them all," he says as makes a fist and cracks his knuckles. "C'mon, Kenneth. We've got work to do."

Kenneth coils up onto Hoshi's shoulder and they both begin to leave the area until Johnny speaks to Hoshi as they are walking by.

"You all right, boy?"

"I'll be fine," Hoshi responds.

"Let's do this, then."

"So be it."

### Part II

##### ***The Beginning***

As the party is returning to the town to embark on the trip to contact the troll the elder mentioned, Liana leaves the party for a brief moment to deposit the Redeemer's skull at the ossuary.

*"So are we off to see Beef, then?"* Kenneth asks, referring to the troll.

Most people don't know much about the troll just outside of town, as he is very reclusive. The children of Sideways are afraid of him, so he tends to keep away from others; with the one exception being Kenneth.

Hoshi, Johnny, and Kenneth arrive at the Redeemer's home; where they are greeted by Eustis Sneed, the new Redeemer.

"Yes? I didn't expect to see you here," Eustis says to Hoshi.

"I've come for my things," Hoshi responds.

Upon hearing this, Eustis laughs under his breath; thinking to himself after seeing the state of the place, "What 'things'?"

Hoshi moves to towards a pile of junk where he knows his mattress is located. He rolls up his cot and neatly stuffs it into a nearby backpack, then proceeds to remove up an enormous iron gourd from the pile. He then finds a chain and unravels it, attaching it to the gourd and putting it over his body. Afterwards he packs up a few remaining belongings of his: An overcoat, some bandanas, and his training key. He puts on his backpack and turns toward the door.

Before Hoshi exits the building, Kenneth uncoils from him and slithers around, quietly searching for an important looking book. He notices that the majority of writings are currently being examined by Eustis in the Redeemer's room. Kenneth tries to sneak into the room to get a better look, but Eustis spots him as he enters.

"Did you leave something here" he asks the serpent.

In response, Kenneth points his tail at the pile.

"Man, what is your snake saying?" Eustis asks Hoshi, who is just outside of the room.

"He's saying that he needs you to get away from that pile," Hoshi answers as he enters the door frame. "There's some rats in there."

"Some r-" Eustis scoffs, "The elder put me in charge because she believes in me."

"Yeah... but there's still rats in there."

"I'm not afraid. I'm not living here"

"Why not? You're the Redeemer now."

"Look at this place," Eustis says, looking at the mess, "There's no redemption to be had. He needed dignity."

"Are you insulting my master's home?"

"Yes," Eustis responds without hesitation, "Are you going to do something for once?"

"Come outside, and I'll show you what I can do," Hoshi says before leaving the building.

"Sure, I'll be right there." Eustis, unconcerned with Hoshi's threats, returns to digging through the pile of writings, looking for important texts related to the power granted to the Redeemer.

Johnny enters building after Hoshi storms out and addresses Eustis. "Boy, why don't you give him something to remember him by? Anything."

Eustis groans, "I suppose." He digs through the pile, looking for something that seems insignificant, and pulls out a tea kettle made of tarnish silver with fancy adornments on the sides. "Will this do?"

"I was thinking one of those manuals," Johnny points the writings Eustis was studying.

Eustis groans again, "One." He grabs a random page and hands it to Johnny.

"I'll tell him not to read it."

"He'd better not"

Johnny pauses for a moment, and glances at Kenneth, before returning his gaze back to Eustis for some final words. "Alright Eustis, good luck. It's not easy being the Redeemer; and to be frank, I'm not sure that you're half the man that Rio even was," then leaves the room and exits the building. He then approaches Hoshi and hands him the page.

"Boy, I got you a memento. Read it when you're ready. I wouldn't do it but," he stammers a little, "This meant a lot to your master, I know that much."

"Thanks," Hoshi says as he puts the page in his bag.

Johnny turns around and sees Liana standing perfectly still with a big smile on her face, carrying a shovel over her shoulder.

"What did you do?" he asks her.

"What did I do? Oh..."

"I know that look."

"Oh, Johnny. I'm so sorry," she says as she approaches and grabs his upper arms, leaning her head down in sorrow. "I'm so sorry. I told your ex-wife you that disease. Can you ever forgive me?"

"What disease?" Johnny asks very convincingly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, she didn't even tell you... Well, never mind then!" she says as her big smile returns. "You do forgive me though, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Hoshi interjects, "We have work to do."

"Okay, good. Let's go!" Liana says, excited.

*"I can tell you why the troll names himself Beef,"* Kenneth says as the party begins to travel to the outskirts of the town. *"He's a nice troll. He's okay. One day I asked him, 'You eat beef?' and he said, 'Yes, I eat beef.' and I guess he liked the word Beef and now I call him Beef. So you call him Beef, too. "*

Johnny nods and then proceeds to laugh a little bit. "Who names themselves meat?"

The party continues on, until they arrive at the troll's cave.

##### ***The Troll's Cave***

After around half an hour of travel, the party arrives at the outskirts of the town where can see the opening of a cave, hidden by tree and bushes and boarded up with planks of wood. Just outside of the cave there are two buckets lined up to catch rainfall from tarps set up just above them.

*"Do you want me to show the way?"*

Hoshi looks at Kenneth and gives a smile. "Nothing like a little challenge," he says just before running up the cliff wall. Liana, inspired by Hoshi, attempts to do the same, but to no avail. When she tries to run up the wall she instead runs into it and begins to scratch at it. Johnny, not concerned with 'looking cool', takes his time and goes up the conventional pathway. Liana attempts to climb the wall once more, but despite being a dexterous young woman, is unable to find success in doing so. Hoshi smiles down at the struggling Liana and tries to give her some words of encouragement.

"C'mon! You can do it!" he yells in a supportive tone.

With renewed confidence, Liana scrunches up her face and gives it one last attempt. This time, however, she successfully redeems herself by jumping from one tree branch to another before arriving at the top of the cliff wall and landing with grace. Hoshi nods at Liana, glad that his encouraging demeanor was able to help.

*"First try,"* Kenneth says, mocking Liana.

The party eventually regroups at the entrance of the cave.

"So, do we Knock?" asks Liana, before seeing Kenneth entering the cave, "Oh, he's just going."

*"I'll tell [him] you are friends. "*

"Is he gonna kill us?"

*"Maybe."*

Upon fully entering the cave, the party sees a gigantic troll man hunched over a campfire. In the corner there is a pile of food, and amongst it there is even a dead alligator, saved for another meal. Hoshi greets the troll after observing the inside of the cave.

"Hail- uh... Beef?"

"OH... HELLO, SNAKE! WHY YOU BRING HUMANS?" Beef says, looking at the party.

*"They are my friends and we need your help with something."*

"HELP? WHAT HELP?"

*"We need to rid a place of bad things."*

"WHAT PLACE?"

*"Basically, Rio is dead and there is something that he could not do that we need to do."*

"MY FRIEND RIO IS DEAD?"

*"Yes."*

"RIO IS DEAD. BEEF IS SAD," he says, pouting over the campfire.

*"Maybe we find things for you to hit?"*

"OKAY," Beef replies, as he stands up and reaches for an old beaten up shovel, holding it in his hand like it were a dagger. After equipping the shovel, he walks towards the party, ready to leave.

*"It's okay, Beef won't hurt us. Maybe. At least not me."*

"Beef, is that your alligator?" asks Liana, looking the creature's body in the pile of leftover food.

"YES. I FOUND HIM," replies Beef.

"Wooow. Can I have his head?"

"BUT I WANT TO EAT IT."

"Well, I'll let you eat the good parts, but- Underneath there's this cool thing called a skull, it's all hard and I can keep it and remember it forever!" Liana says, hoping to convince him to give it up, "It would be really nice."

"SHE TALKS FUNNY," Beef says looking at Kenneth.

*"She's, uh... interesing."*

"Oh, oh, oh yeah," Liana says before quickly putting on a sad face and begins to creep along the wall of the cave until she reaches Beef. She approaches him and puts her hand on his shoulder.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Beef asks, startled.

"I just wanted apologize for, you know, um... That time I got really smashed and I- I climbed up you while you were asleep and tried to smother you with a pillow."

Beef stares at Liana before she continues, "I mean, you probably don't remember it 'cause you didn't wake up but... The good news is: I'm sorry."

He squints at Liana, perplexed by what she's saying. Liana takes his squint as forgiveness and suddenly returns to her ominously chipper self. "Oh, thank you so much! That's a burden off my soul," she says before skittering away.

"I'm glad that you could do that for yourself, but we've got work to do," Hoshi says to Liana as she returns back to the party. "Troll-- Beef... would you join us?"

"YES."

With a troll as their new ally, the adventuring party leaves the cave to go deal with Hendrike's remains.

### Part III

##### ***Journey to the Cabin***

After exiting the cave, the party travels for 15 minutes down the path towards Hendrike's Cabin when they are stopped by a man on the road. The denizens of sideways know this man as Jitters, although they are unaware of his real name. He stands in the road, scratching his beard, confused. His eyes dart around until they meet the visage of Beef, a troll, which surprises him.

"Hey, man! What are you guys doing with a troll?!" he asks the party.

"What are you doing in the middle of the road?" Johnny asks him in return.

"I'm just looking around for food, man... You got any food?"

"I have some food!" shouts Liana from the back of the party.

"Oh, bless you. I've been looking everywhere."

"Liana, no-" Hoshi says to her as she walks up Jitters.

Liana stops in front of him and pulls out a piece of bread, and begins to crumble it in her hand before sprinkling it on the ground in front of him. "You are too kind. That's great," Jitters says as he drops to his knees in order to eat the crumbs. "So where [are] you guys all headed?"

"None of your business," responds Johnny with a little more hostility in his voice than before.

"Alright."

"If there's food there I'll get some for you!" promises Liana.

"That would be amazing, dude. If you could tell Jossland to let me back in the tavern, I'll behave-- I'll keep my pants on."

"You need to take a bath first. And probably also get a job," Johnny dryly says to the obviously homeless man.

"That's what they keep saying..."

"You need to get your act together, Jitters."

"Oh, alright. I won't bother you no longer, just-- If you got any more food..."

"That begging sounds a lot like someone who doesn't actually intend on actually getting a job."

"Oh, c'mon maaaan. What do you want me to do for it? I'll do anything!"

"Go chop down trees or something," Johnny says while passing Jitters. Liana takes out a piece of lunch meat and throws it in the dirt.

"There you go!" she says, cheerfully.

"You just... walking around with meat in your pockets?!" Jitters says are he reaches down for the meat; but before he able to take it for himself, Beef pushes him out of the way, grabs the meat and eats it.

"Oh, man, I didn't know it was yours!" Beef says, terrified of the troll. Hoshi passes by Jitters and joins Johnny.

"MY MEAT," Beef tells Jitters.

"I'm sorry, man," replies Jitters, feeling dejected.

Liana looks at Beef. "Are you hungry, Beef? I have more! I always carry meat in my pockets."

"BEEF ALWAYS HUNGRY."

"Alright! This way!" Liana shouts as she begins to make a trail of meat leading down the path past Jitters. As the party moves on, Jitters scurries off of the pathway.

*"Maybe Jitters is just misunderstood."*

"Jitters is a lazy piece of shit," Johnny replies.

*"Maybe there's a reason for that."*

"Don't care."

*"I remember when no one cared about me."*

"It's different, Kenneth. You're a snake, he has thumbs. He could've done work! Made money!" Johnny begins to raise his voice.

*"Well maybe, he just needs a little help."*

"What would you do if you had thumbs, Kenneth? Tell me."

*"I would start... chemithing (chemistry)."*

"Well, that's the difference between you and Jitters. If we give Jitters food, the thing that he wants the most; he just gonna eat it and continue being worthless."

*"But what if you teach him to catch the food?"*

"He's not my kid. Not my problem."

*"But we're all one big family here."*

"SNAKE WITH THUMBS WOULD BE FUNNY," says Beef, amused by Johnny's question. The party continues on until they reach the forest in which Hendrike's cabin resides in.

##### ***Hendrike's Cabin***

Upon entering the forest, the party can immediately see the cabin in the distance. As the rest of the party moves towards it, Liana moves off to the side, next to a tree and smells it. After a moment or two, Liana is sure she's able to smell death on the trees. There is clearly a wrongness to them, but nothing that she would be able to completely comprehend. "Well, we are going after a dead person... I'm here to bury him, by the way," she says with a smile.

*"I see blood. There is blood on the door."*

"What do we do?"

*"Let me see..."*

Kenneth observes a crack in the side of the cabin but realizes that while he is a snake, he is unfortunately much bigger than the average one and would be unable to fit through. He can also tell that with a little bit of prying, he could look inside. *"Hoshi, can you help me?"*

"With what, friend?" Hoshi replies.

*"You see the crack over here? Can you open it a bit?"*

The party moves closers towards the cabin and both Hoshi and Kenneth approach the crack. Hoshi rips the wood apart, creating an opening in which to see through. Inside, the party sees another wall, this one being a solid layer of metal. Johnny knew Hendrike to be a practitioner of transmutation; the second most common type of wealth magic. To create such a sturdy home, he must have been an incredibly skilled foreman. Liana notices the cabin's chimney and runs over to Beef. She climbs up his arm and wraps her legs onto it, trying to cling on. "Beef, can you give me a boost up there? You don't even have to, like, bend your knees, really."

"OKAY," Beef agrees, as he walks towards to the cabin and lifts the arm with Liana on it up. She gets onto the roof, crawls over the chimney, and peers down it. She witnesses flesh-like veins growing up the chimney in an almost tree bark-like manner. "Oh wow, I think I should be disgusted by this!" she says before looking down towards her fellow party members, "Um... companions? There's a bunch of veins in the chimney bleeding flesh, blood-- stuff that doesn't belong in chimneys, not that I've seen, I guess."

"The crone said that this place inhabited by evil spirits now, or some such," Johnny yells up to her.

"If that's the case, let's take care of it!" Hoshi responds as she slaps his bicep.

"I wouldn't go through the chimney if I were you, unless you have a death wish, anyway," says Johnny before looking to Beef, "Why don't we have the troll rip the door off?"

"I COULD DO THAT," Beef says as Liana crawls back down from the roof using his arm. Beef approaches the door, only for Hoshi to open it and reveal a bizarre looking being standing out in the open. The man, Hendrike himself, looks at the Hoshi and Beef in horror; as if he were in pain. Vines grow onto his body and flowers are embedded in his skin as he gasps for air and clenches his teeth aggressively at the party. In the same room, there are fleshy pustules with liquid flowing through them. Beef rips off the door and throws it to the side as the the corrupted Hendrike begins to advance towards the party.

### Epilogue

To be added

> *“To be added.”*
>
>

## **Featured Characters**

### Main Party

Johnny O'toolahan

Hoshi

Kenneth

Liana

Beef

### New

Ellin Spinecraft

Scarlet Fontaine

Eustis Snede

Carnack Rigglewide

Korrag Trunkcrusher

Freide Challenger (observed)

Fred Challenger (observed)

Francik Armore (observed)

Jossland Grimmace (observed)

Jitters

Hendrike