If one were to look upon the scene without context, they might say they were witnessing a funeral procession. Rows of nuns escort Eben through the town, their faces obscured behind gauzy veils.
To him, it might as well have been a funeral. After all, he is being led toward the den of a gorgon. In all his travels, Eben had never encountered one before. They didn't usually live in areas like this, though he'd heard stories; according to lore they are fierce, territorial, and travel in packs. The redhead shivers as he imagines accidentally coming across a horde of gorgons. He'd take bloodthirsty unicorns any day; at least then, he'd be able to see his doom coming...
The sound of Daisy's voice stirs him from his musings. "Listen up because I'm not saying this twice. You will be responsible for maintaining the land, livestock, and health of the beast. Once a month, you will be permitted to enter the village to report his well-being to Father Sheppard and restock any necessary supplies."
When Eben only stares dumbly, Daisy glares. "Are you listening? Failing in these tasks may result in becoming snake chow if you're lucky, Father Sheppard's next example if you're not."
"I'm listening. Continue."
Daisy frowns but carries on. "When winter comes, he goes into brumation. It will be your job to wake him if the bells ring in the village."
"Brumation? You mean he sleeps all winter?"
Daisy nods. "Yes, so keep his quarters warm in the fall to keep him awake as long as possible— and don't get any ideas on trying to steal away in the night while he's asleep. That pretty new necklace of yours won't let you get far."
Eben's hand traces the pattern on his neck. He hasn't been able to get a look at it yet, but he's quite certain if he did he would see a snake branded onto his skin. "What do you mean?"
"I mean to say you've been cursed. If you go too far from Adder, further than the gates of Nǣdre Tor, that snake around your neck will tighten until you're blue."
Eben's stomach drops. Despite his elven heritage, his knowledge of magic was pathetically small. All he knew was that it was not to be taken lightly. Magic was dangerous, and being able to wield it as a human was a feat only the insanely powerful and skilled ever accomplished.
Eben clenches his jaw. His hope for escape was slowly dwindling.
Daisy ignores Eben's spiral into despair. "As I was saying...you'll want to keep your eyes closed when you hear Adder's bells. He'll tell you when he's got his eyes covered, but it's best to be wary just in case."
"So I'll just have to go blind anytime he's near?"
Daisy rolls her eyes. "Welcome to Nǣdre Tor."
Too soon for his liking, they arrive at a tall stone wall that surrounds the home of Adder. Daisy steps forward to unlock the massive moss-covered gate, handing the keys to Eben. "Follow the path until you get to the cave. Good luck."
With that, the procession of nuns begins to head back, abandoning Eben to his fate. Finding his bravery, he pushes the gate open. It squeals in protest as it opens for the first time in ages. The sound grates on Eben's nerves. He half expects the serpentine man to come lunging at him from some hidden corner at the sound, but no attack ever comes.
Sensing the coast is clear, the half-elf begins walking down the cobblestone path warily, ears straining for the sound of bells. Just as he passes what appears to be a chicken coop, he spots something ahead on the trail. It's a pair of deer. A doe and her fawn, Eben realizes. The animals are still, watching him approach with apprehension. Or so Eben thinks until he gets closer. He realizes the animals are not still from fear, but because they have been petrified. His heart thunders as he approaches the stone creatures, letting his hand caress the snout of the doe. Every detail of its form was captured in death, even down to the finest hairs.
Eben looks down the path. The mouth of the cave opens ominously from the ground...the poor things must've run into the gorgon as it was returning to the cave.
Another wave of apprehension washes over him, but he steels himself. The half-elf knows he must face his fears if he is to survive this.
As he steps into the cave, he feels himself shiver with apprehension. The darkness is absolute, not even permitting him to see past the length of his arms. Torches line the walls but cast no light, having long been extinguished.
His footsteps echo loudly as he traverses deeper and deeper into the earth. When suddenly, he freezes, hearing something in murky darkness. It was a faint tinkling—the sound of bells.
Eben shuts his eyes as he clenches his fists. His hand goes to his belt, instinctually reaching for a sword that isn't there. The sound grows louder and louder before finally, there is no doubt that the monster is in his presence.
The half-elf's heart pounds wildly, waiting for a voice to bounce ominously off the stone walls. When there's only silence for several minutes, he works up his courage to break the quiet. "H—hello?"
There is a sharp rustle of bells, as if the creature was startled. A few more minutes pass before Eben jumps at the sound of a deep, resonating, voice in the cave. "Who are you?"
The redhead shivers at the inhuman quality of the monster's voice. "I—I'm Eben..."
Eben jolts away as the jingle of bells gets even closer. "You're the bandit... You've been sent by Father Sheppard? You're my new servant?"
"Yes..."
He hears the monster slither away. The half-elf stands in the dark awkwardly for a moment before the bells signal Adder's return. There's a swish of fabric and a metallic clank before Adder speaks once more. "I've covered my eyes. You can look now."
Eben grimaces, he is not about to trust the words of some inhuman creature who can kill with a single glance. His eyes remain squeezed shut.
He fears the refusal will antagonize Adder, but the gorgon doesn't react to his disobedience. "There's some blankets and a lantern in front of you. Go down the hallway to the left, that's your room. Don't go down the hallway on the right."
Apparently finished with introductions, Adder slithers away deeper into the cave. When Eben is sure the sounds of bells have completely faded, he opens his eyes cautiously. True to Adder's word, a large quilt, and an ancient rusty lantern was placed before him. Picking them both up, The half-elf makes his way to the left hallway as instructed.
He reaches a small chamber in the cave. It's depressingly barren, but the ache in his side has turned into a roar of pain from all the walking, so Eben gratefully lays down on the bedroll and pulls the quilt over his head. Despite the strange new surroundings he's found himself in, sleep finds the bandit readily as he slips into unconsciousness.
The next day at the first sign of the morning sun, Eben leaves his bed and begins his service to Adder. Eager to put some distance between himself and the gorgon, the half-elf starts his first day in captivity by heading outside.
He makes his way toward the chicken coop first. When he gets arrives, he's greeted by yet another statue of a petrified animal. This time, it's a rooster. Eben snorts, examining the bird. While the deer had apparently gotten unlucky, the rooster's last moments captured the animal charging aggressively. Did the creature really try attacking Adder?
Disregarding the unfortunate creature, Eben searches for what he needs. Near the back of the coop, he finds a basket, some farming tools, and a barrel of grain. Eben opens the coop, tossing some feed on the ground for the birds. As they scramble out to have their breakfast, Eben collects the eggs.
The nostalgic work unearths ancient memories, his thoughts drifting back to a time when his life had been simple. Eben had grown up with his father in the serene countryside, just outside the hustle and bustle of a thriving city. They lived a simple life, with Eben caring for their farm while his father would travel to the city to sell their crops each day. For a while, life was idyllic.
However, that peace was shattered when Eben's father didn't return home. Fearing the worst, a then 12-year-old Eben set off to the city to search for his missing father, only to uncover the painful reason why he'd been sheltered from city life; the moment the city dwellers had caught sight of Eben's pointed ears, they'd pursued him with deadly intent. Even when he returned home, the wrathful citizens had followed him to his cottage, razing it to the ground.
He never saw his father again.
Often he was tortured by the uncertainty of what happened to his father, never knowing what happened to him. Eben couldn't decide which was worse, the possibility that his only family was long dead or the thought that he had been abandoned because of his elven heritage. His only blessing was that his father would never see how far his son had fallen...
Attempting to shake off the depressing thoughts, Eben finishes with the chickens and heads towards the unkempt gardens. Weeds are flourishing everywhere and many of the crops are long overdue for a harvest. He gets to work immediately, putting his restless energy to good use.
The scorching summer sun beats down ruthlessly as the day progresses. His fair skin protests the lack of protection from the harmful rays, but Eben refuses to return to the cool refuge the cave offered. He wasn't ready to potentially encounter the gorgon quite yet. So he continues his work even as the sun starts to sink lower on the horizon.
Spots dance in his vision as exhaustion starts to take hold. Suddenly, coldness seems to suffuse his body as nausea climbs up his throat. Eben stumbles, attempting to reach for a nearby tree, but his hand misses. His world goes dark abruptly.
It wasn't his first time losing consciousness...besides his most recent failed heist, there were a few other times his perilous life of crime had led to fainting. So as he comes to awareness, he recognizes the familiar way his body slowly wakes up; there was the expected feeling of a stark coldness in his extremities, a feeling of lightness, and a flush of warmth in his chest and head. However, he jerks with fear when he recognizes the ice-cold touch of the gorgon's hand caressing his neck.
Eben gasps, eyes flying open. There, looming above him, was Adder.
The half-elf gapes at the sheer size of the monster. The gorgon was almost twice his height, not including the rest of his extensive serpentine bottom half. Eben flinches as the scaled mass shifts slightly, iridescent green-black scales shimmering in the setting sun.
"You fell. Are you unable to stand?"
Eben's eyes flick up to the gorgon's face before he can think better of it. He notices that the creature's eyes are obscured behind a blindfold, as Daisy promised. A strand of long black hair falls over Adder's pale white face as he leans closer, much to Eben's dismay.
"I— I'm fine. I just lost my footing," Eben stammers.
Adder cocks his head. "Do you need assistance?"
The redhead stiffens, with fear. The last thing Eben needs is those cold hands on him again... "No! I'm fine. I'm almost done here, you can go." He tries to struggle to his feet to prove his point, but his legs wobble dangerously beneath him.
Adder frowns, getting even closer. "I smell blood..."
It was all too much. Eben was overwhelmed with fear, pain, and rage. So when a pale hand reaches for his wrist, Eben explodes. "Don't touch me, monster!"
As soon as the words leave his lips, Eben knows he's made a mistake. He was incapacitated, at the creature's mercy! What will the monster do now that his servant has insulted him?
Adder jumps at the outburst, his hand freezing in midair. Eben braces himself for the worst, tensing. Much to his surprise, however, the gorgon simply withdraws his hand and flees into the underbrush. Eben is left bewildered as the creature disappears into the woods. He had expected a fight or at least some kind of retaliation for his outburst...not that.
Shaken, the redhead weakly struggles to his feet and makes his way back to the cave. He couldn't stop replaying the encounter in his mind, trying to make sense of what just occurred. Was Adder just waiting until Eben's guard was down to punish him? There was no way that the beast who had taken down that brute Boris would be frightened off by a little yelling, right?
He hobbles to his room, collapsing onto his bedroll. Sleep-deprived, sunburnt, and emotionally drained, Eben immediately falls into a dreamless sleep.