Eben awakens in the wee hours of the morning to the shifting of scales. The sensation is disorienting until yesterday's events come into clear focus.
He is no blushing virgin. He's had many dalliances over the years, but he wasn't used to such tender touches. As a bandit, most of his partners didn't have the decency to care about that kind of thing...
It was funny, actually. Eben has forgotten the faces of all his previous one-night stands, but the half-elf can't suppress a shiver as he recalls the gorgon's gentle caresses contrasted against his feral nature. This encounter would be branded into his memory for years to come, most definitely.
Trying to dismiss his wayward thoughts, Eben turns to look at the still-sleeping gorgon. The man jolts as he realizes Adder's blindfold has slipped during the night, revealing the uncovered face of the gorgon.
Eben stares. He knows he's being profoundly idiotic looking when those petrifying eyes could snap open at any moment, but he can't look away. It feels unreal to see long black lashes framed against the alabaster of Adder's cheeks.
It reminds Eben of the time he'd robbed a wealthy aristocrat. He'd only been there for the man's jewelry and gold, but he had become stock-still when he came across the life-sized statues. They depicted the classic myth of the stalking of Morthell by Giakora.
Most would've felt drawn to the beautiful Godess of spring trailing behind the God of death, but Eben couldn't help but reach out to Morthell's beautifully carved face. It was stone, not flesh, but somehow it was still a surprise to the bandit that the statue's face was cold and unyielding.
Eben wonders now how it would feel like to caress Adder's face as he did the God of Death's. Would he be met with a similar firm coldness? Or would there be a surprising softness and warmth?
The half-elf shakes his head. He's being foolish.
He sits up slowly in the nest, attempting to sneak away without awakening the gorgon. Adder's face pinches as Eben moves, long lashes twitching, but the gorgon just rolls over still asleep.
Miraculously, Eben is able to squeeze out the gorgon's tight coils without disturbing the man. He exits Adder's lair, entering the passageway that connects the room to the main cave.
Eben's about to enter the living area when he pauses. He recalls Adder warning him to not go down this tunnel. Eben had assumed the gorgon just wanted to keep the half-elf away from his room... what else was down here?
Grabbing a lit torch from a sconce, the half-elf traverses deeper down into the earth, his heart pounding as he discovers a whole new chamber.
He lifts the torch to look around. The flickering light dimly illuminates rows and rows of bookshelves lined up against the stone walls.
Eben's hands trace the spines as he walks. Unfortunately, his education had been minimal on the farm and non-existent once his father had disappeared, so Eben was unable to read the words.
Eben turns around to examine the other side of the room—
There, peering at him from the darkness is the petrified face of a woman.
Eben lets out a cry of shock as he backs away abruptly, attempting to distance himself from the statue. He stumbles into a bookcase, causing a huge commotion as books and trinkets to tumble off the shelves.
Eben grunts in pain as something heavy and wooden flies off the shelf and smacks the torch out of his hand—plummeting him into darkness.
The half-elf scrambles in the dark attempting to find the exit before Adder arrives— but he's too late. The sound of bells resonates ominously in the cave as the gorgon enters the room. Eben's heart thumps in the all-encompassing black as he waits for the sound of Adder's voice, but he's not met with the demure rumbling he's used to.
"I told you not to come in here..."
It's horrifying, how the man's voice has dipped into a pitch deeper than the darkness of this room. Eben trembles, hands scrabbling for anything he could use as a weapon, but it's a fruitless endeavor. Is he about to go out the same way Helia did?
"Im sorry I—"
Eben's excuses are cut off by an inhuman growl that sets him on edge. "I told you not to come in here, it was the only rule I gave you!"
Eben's terror is growing as the darkness of the room seems to close in on him. He's trapped, and the only thing he can do is wait for death.
"Because you didn't want me to see her, right? Is this what happens to the people who serve you?"
The growl deepens to a rumbling roar before the gorgon speaks again. "The criminal is going to lecture me on morality? The one who took a child hostage when his heist went wrong?"
Eben flushes with rage as he pushes off the ground to stand. "I didn't take her hostage, I was trying to protect her from you!"
When Adder only growls in response, Eben continues his tirade. "Why didn't you kill me that day? Is it really just that you wanted a new toy you could kill when it bores you?"
"Be silent!" Adder roars.
Eben flinches back, trying not to cower. However before things can worsen even more, a new sound echoes through the cave— church bells.
There's one last growl before there's a sound of rapid movement as Adder immediately races away to respond, leaving Eben in the dark. When he's sure the gorgon has left Eben falls to his knees, trembling from adrenaline.
Fern and Daisy were telling the truth.
He'd thought that perhaps the story was being manipulated, that the nuns had been misled by their malicious priest. But it was true, Adder killed his last servant. He'd killed her and Eben had possibly been moments away from sharing her fate.
Eben clenched his jaw. He still might be in danger. He needed to act now while he still can.
He fumbles through the dark, tripping over books until he reaches the exit to the room. The half-elf runs down the hallway past Adder's room, the living area, and out into the open. With a sharp whistle from the half-elf, Fairy canters over to Eben, allowing him to mount her with efficiency.
Eben steers the speckled mare down the trail until he's galloping off into the forest. He's acting impulsively, he knows, but Eben needs to try. He needs to see for himself that this thing on his neck is truly keeping him trapped here. So he pushes Fairy to her limit, the forest becoming a blur as they travel further and further from the cave.
To his dismay, the further they get the tighter the coils around his neck become. He slows Fairy down hoping he can power through it, but soon it becomes too much to bear. Eben slumps off the horse, kneeling in the dirt as he attempts to catch his breath. Fairy brushes her snout against his crown, but Eben can't bring himself to stand.
For what feels like the hundredth time Eben asks himself if he's destined to die in this village. He curses the Gods he has no faith in for his fate. Was he so terrible that he deserves to die like this? A disgraced outsider with not a single soul to miss him?
But maybe this punishment wasn't so unwarranted.
Eben squeezes his eyes shut trying to hold back tears. He doesn't want to acknowledge the truth, but what if this is what he deserves for all that he's done?
Eben has hurt, stolen, and killed.
But did he ever have a chance to be kind? To be soft in a world full of sharp edges and sharper people? How was it fair that Eben is stuck here before he's been presented with the chance to show someone, anyone, he can give as much as he can take?
Suddenly, Fairy stands alert, ears pinned to her head as she stamps on the ground nervously. Eben breaks out of his spiraling thoughts, remembering where they were. This area is crawling with monstrous creatures, all looking for easy prey.
Eben grabs Fairy's reins, heaving himself off the ground and mounting her with an excessive amount of effort. Once astride his faithful steed, he scans the area for danger. As Eben surveys the area, he spots something large moving in the underbrush
Eben doesn't know what's out there, but whatever it is, it's not good news for him and Fairy.
He tugs Fairy's reins, turning her around slowly. Part of him is screaming to run full sprint away from whatever is out there, but a louder part he doesn't quite understand is telling him the opposite; don't run, it says, running will only attract its attention.
However, Fairy doesn't get the memo. When an immense shape steps out into the sunlight, the horse bolts.
Eben hangs on for dear life as his horse careens wildly through the forest, something massive snarling and growling at their heels. Eben looks back to see what is chasing him and is dismayed by what he sees. Crashing through the undergrowth in hot pursuit is a chimera; humanoid head, scorpion tail, feline body, and all.
At that moment, the beast lunges for Fairy's hindquarters. Eben barely manages to duck out of the way as the chimera's claws swipe through the air, narrowly missing his head. His heart hammering in his chest, Eben urges Fairy forward, hoping to outrun the beast.
But the creature is too fast, too agile. It leaps and twists through the air, its huge claws lashing out at the horse's flank. Fairy screams in pain, stumbling and throwing Eben off.
Eben hits the ground hard, rolling to a stop in a tangle of limbs and dust. He struggles to his feet, heart racing with fear and adrenaline, just in time to see the chimera lunge at him. Eben ducks in the nick of time to avoid razor-sharp claws.
He starts sprinting but realizes too late that he has nowhere to run. The forest around him is thick and the chimera is too fast. He glances around frantically, searching for something, anything that could help him.
And then he sees it. A small crevice in a rocky outcropping. Eben makes a desperate dash for it, the chimera hot on his heels. He slides into the narrow opening just as the creature's claws scrape against the stone, barely missing him.
Eben is safe for the moment, but he knows it won't last.
He takes a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart and calm his mind. He glances around the crevice, searching for a way out or something he could use as a weapon. He finds nothing but moss and twigs.
The Chimera doesn't seem perturbed by the change in pace, plopping itself down in front of the crevice Eben has squeezed himself into. Eben warily observes the creature from his hiding spot. Its face is disturbingly human, with lank reddish-brown hair hanging freely down the right side of its face.
The beast chuckles at the half-elf's face of disgust, causing Eben to flinch further into his hiding spot.
"I had heard many things about this village, but never did I think I'd find one of theirs here."
"Theirs?" Eben croaks, voice hoarse.
"Elves. They usually cull the half breeds."
Eben launches a stone at the chimera in retaliation for his lies. The rock falls pathetically short of the monster, who only watches it roll around with detached interest. "How did you survive this long? The humans surely didn't accept you, did they?"
The half-elf grimaces. "By scrounging around for scraps and being a scoundrel. Kinda like you, I suppose."
The chimera laughs. "if you were like me, you'd have your harem in the village bringing you dinner. Not hiding in a crack smelling like a gorgon's whore."
"Wha—if you know there's a gorgon why are you here?! You're all going to die!"
The chimera grins, flexing a paw. "My women have dealt with these creatures before. We travel to their homeland when the cold comes, and we eat their young fresh out of the egg."
Eben's heart drops into his stomach. There's no way, right? Adder has survived this long, it was impossible to fathom he'd die to some mangy chimeras. Eben is about to say as much when the Chimera tenses, growling as it stands.
The sound of chiming bells resounds through the forest. Adder is here.
Eben feels a flicker of hope at the sound of Adder's approach. Maybe he'd get out of this alive after all?
Adder emerges from the forest, looking battered and bloody. Eben's heart sinks as he sees the wounds decorating the gorgon's body.
"You dare face me looking like that, you worm?" The chimera taunts.
Adder doesn't reply, head swiveling around anxiously.
Is he... looking for Eben?
Suddenly, the gorgon's face turns to Eben's exact hiding spot. "Eben, cover your eyes."
The half-elf does as he's told, not needing to be told twice. Even with his eyes closed, he can tell the fight is brutal. There's a hissing snarl of the chimera and the sound of Adder's tail lashing through the air as the gorgon replies with his own unearthly growl.
The sounds of battle rage on for what feels like an eternity as Eben's heart pounds in his chest. He hears an ugly scream of rage, the sound of claws scraping against stone, and the dull thud of flesh hitting flesh.
And then, suddenly, there's silence.
The half-elf clenches his fist, afraid to open his eyes. What would he see when he did?
"Eben..." Adder calls out weakly.
The redhead hesitantly opens his eyes, heart in his throat, to see Adder slumped against the rocky outcropping. The gorgon looks worse for wear, with deep gashes across his face and body. Eben startles as the gorgon collapses completely to the ground.
Eben approaches the beaten and bruised man. Adder is weak, bleeding profusely. This could be his chance—he could end the gorgon now.
The half-elf crouches beside Adder. The gorgon is panting in pain, eyes squeezed shut.
Eben's hand nears the gorgon's throat, but a thrash from the monster lands it on Adder's cheek instead.
The gorgon immediately stills and leans into the touch. The half-elf can't help but slide his thumb against the smooth skin.
It's soft and warm.