Servant of the Serpent

Snake Charmer

The half-elf sniffs his shirt, retching at the scent of blood, dirt, and sweat. His nose wrinkles with disgust. The gorgon's assessment was correct, he definitely needed to bathe...so after feeding the birds, Eben heads towards the aforementioned stream.

The babbling brook is a welcome sight, the tranquil waters inspiring a smile to grow on the redhead's face. Eben strips eagerly, wading into the refreshingly cool water with a dramatic groan. He lays back in the river, focusing on the sound of rushing water and the gentle sway of branches above him.

Minnows dance around his prone form as his hand once again traces the pattern etched into his throat. He ponders; what would it take for Eben to be free of this curse?

What little he knew about elves told him they are supposed to be masters of magic, but Eben took after his father. His whole life, there hadn't been even a spark of magical ability. The only thing he inherited from his elven side is his pointed ears and red hair.

So he had absolutely no idea where to even start with freeing himself. His closest guess is he had to kill either Sheppard or Adder. His monthly supply runs into town would give him a chance to kill Sheppard, but who knew what powers the high priest is hiding? If he had the power to curse Eben, he most likely had other tricks up his sleeves.

Not to mention, for this to work, Eben would need to kill the priest without the villagers alerting Adder with the church bells. The bandit knew from experience that the gorgon is deadly fast. If he killed the high priest and those bells rang—they would be tolling for Eben.

Killing Adder is just as dangerous though. Eben would most likely have an opportunity the next time Adder is 'incapacitated' but gorgon is still easily 300+ pounds of pure muscle, and that's if you didn't factor in his venom and petrifying gaze. As well, even if Eben is able to pull it off, the curse might still kill him...Daisy implied the magic linked his life to Adder, so what would happen if the gorgon died?

The redhead sighs. He just would have to wait until he had more information.

For the next few weeks, Eben falls into a pattern. He wakes up, eats his breakfast, tends to the chickens, and finishes his chores in the garden. With the gorgon doing his part, it's not that difficult to get everything done before 3 pm. So Eben often has time for whatever he wants to do.

Today, he's decided to make some paint. It's been a long time since he's had access to real art supplies, and when is there a better time to take up a new art form than when you are cooped up?

He gathers up the sun-dried blueberries he's set out. In a mortar and pestle, he grinds the fruits into a powder before adding the yolk of an egg to act as a binder. He repeats this process with some spinach, strawberries, eggshell, and charcoal. The result is some purple, yellow-green, red, white, and black paint. They're not as vibrant as some of the paints made by professionals, but they're good enough for what he needs.

Eben sits down, cross-legged, and begins to paint with his crudely crafted paintbrush. He's chosen the petrified deer as his subject. It's extremely soothing to just focus on the drag of the brush on the paper against the backdrop of cicada song.

The peace doesn't last long, though, as the sound of bells breaks his focus. Eben senses Adder nearby, watching him. Eben closes his eyes as Adder approaches. He's become somewhat accustomed to the gorgon's presence by now. They usually ignore each other, with Adder only occasionally making brief comments to Eben.

Eben initiates the conversation, as Adder often seems to struggle with how to begin conversing. "Do you need something?"

The bells jingle, as if scared by Eben's voice. The half-elf wants to roll his eyes at the monster's easily spooked nature. How is he so timid when it came to his 5'9 servant?