Golem of the Crimson Heart

The tavern was somewhat crowded for, being Sunday, men of this village were out for a good time after a week's long work. Sitting on a table near the entrance were two men, drinking liquor. One had a sword and the other a crossbow.

"Duncan."

"Eh?"

" Should we wait any longer?" says his skeptical colleague. 

"Yes, on Saturday nights people come to drink at this kind of pub but some also come after church for a bite. Most people pay and after they finish they go on back home." explains the man with the sword.

"So what do we do? It's not like we're paying for a drink while we're here. We're almost out of money."

"Yo, Ced, do you understand that if we do the job right we get our money back?"

"Oh yeah, yeah. Sorry Duncan, I'm just worried. Lot of people here. Maybe we'll find the wrong guy and we're fucked." 

"Naaah. Wait till it's empty, eventually most will leave. That's when we block the door, hit for the money and nobody finds us out."

"Tight." Ced replies

------------------

One last person was sitting at the bar. A man around 50 in a hat, wearing boots and a shirt with suspenders over it. Beer was dripping down his beard as the mug banged back on the counter. "'I'll be damned, that was a good one. Cold from the cellar and perfect!" the man praises the girl's drink.

"Right, right. The malt was excellent last harvest."

"Indeed. Eeeeh. I gotta go. Crazy wife'll nag me for my life if I have too much."

The gentleman gets up and pulls three copper coins from his pocket as payment. "I hope you have more of this tomorrow." he waves as he walks out the door.

"Bye bye mister Roach!" the waitress calls.

----------------

"Now?"

" Yeah, let's do it."

Both Ced and Duncan get up and walk over to the woman at the counter. 

"You boys want anything else?" 

"Yeah, we would." Duncan replies. He turns his hand to reach for his sword and pulls it from its sheath. "We want all the money you got!"

"AAAAH!! Dad! Help!" screams the girl.

"Olivia what is this about?" A man slightly taller than his daughter jumps out of the door leading to a small kitchen. Not quite bloated but a good physique, holding a cleaver used for cutting food. "What do you fucking punks want?

Dad rushes past the table to the boys but Ced aims his crossbow and shoots.

"AAH!" the man cries out in pain as the bolt hits him in the leg.

"Listen here, you big, ugly. Where you keep the money? Eh? Eh?" Duncan demands from the man, poking him with the tip of his sword.

"Please leave us alone! I'll tell you where it is, just leave my daddy alone!" cries the girl begging for mercy from the two men.

"You see folks? Now we're getting somewhere. Ced, block the door. I take the girl in the back." 

Duncan pulls the girl hand and twists it behind her back. "Ahh!" 

"Now move! You do anything, I'll cut you in half." Duncan pushes the front toward the kitchen and vanishes behind the wall.

As instructed, Ced had already barricaded the door with a chair and a few small tables. Now reloading the crossbow, he sits on a chair and keeps an eye on the girl's father.

"What are you gonna do with my little girl and me?"

"I dunno."

"Please don't let your partner do anything to her." beg the man.

"He can do whatever he wants as long as I stay out of it. None of my business. Now shut up."

A soft scream followed by cries of pain is heard from the other room. 

"You fucking assholes. It's not like the county has enough problems but now stupid assholes you are too, doing whatever you please around!"

"Of course we do." Duncan comes out of the door with a bag. "Your daughter showed me where you keep the money, but where do you keep the rest? "

"What else? Everything I had was in the bedroom and under the counter! Now get lost!" "Where's my Olivia?"

"Your girl wasn't very helpful, so I gave her a little shake." Putting his sword back in its sheath, Duncan slides over the counter and grabs a lamp from a pole. "You know Ced, I think it best we do with no witnesses."

Without waiting for an answer, Duncan smashes the lantern on one of the tables. Oil drips and ignites. The table and the rest of the chairs already in the process of burning, Duncan throws a few more chairs in the fire. 

"What do we do with this guy?" Ced asks confused. "You didn't say nothin' about burnin' the joint or anything about what to do with 'em."

"Again, no witnesses. I did the girl, you do him." 

"What?! NO!" The man gets up, leaning against the table. 

"Stay where you are!"

" What else for, shoot him!"

The father rushes at the two. Duncan quickly grabbing the sword hilt ,pulls to draw it but before he can do anything else the crossbow went off and the man is struck with a bolt in his chest. He falls to the floor helpless, in pain and seconds later dead.

"Wow Ced, I didn't know you had it in you."

"Just shut up and let's go! The ceiling's already on fire."

Both criminals go past the counter and back into the kitchen." Wait wait wait." Duncan grabs another lantern and smashes it over the woodstove. Pulling a curtain, he throws it on the fire. "We're burning this place down. Grab that broom and torch the next room."

Understanding what Duncan means, he lights the straw and walks through the door into a bedroom. Lying on the floor was the girl from before, a huge gash in her neck, her blouse torn and no skirt.

Damn Duncan, wasting time with your shit.

Ced waves the broom to the curtain, the bed, and finally opens the closet and throws the fire on the clothes.

Running from the room, Duncan's already at the back door ready to leave. "Okay, it's done."

"Great, and now we're out." 

Both killers exit through the backyard and jump the fence. 

"We're not far from the woods and the road's covered, let's go."

"Yo Duncan look, a horse stable. Let's get a pair from over there." Ced points to a building not far away, a couple horses tied up outside.

"Ced, you hawkeye! Come on."

---------Earlier the same day--------

A pretty decent town, not very urban, but with shops and small buildings here and there.

 Nyx had his hand on the wagon, pulling along. It turned out earlier that the horse was unfit to pull the cart and him along for the ride. Letting himself walk was against the reason why he stole the horse, but had no pity to kill the horse or leave her alone.

Right now they were looking for a doctor to treat the wound. Nyx caught the eye of a lady sweeping the front porch. Seeing the horse's wound, the lady directed Nyx to a veterinarian whose office was downtown.

The roads were mostly empty. A gentleman walking down the street, women in gowns and headscarves talking at the gates and on benches by the road.

Everybody stared his way. Trying to be polite, he waved to anyone he felt would answer back.

A few old ladies smiled and waved back and a few children grinned and shamed when they looked at him.

They must think I look pretty. Maybe I'm not so scary after all. No better sign than children liking you.

Still pulling the wagon, Nyx hears church bells in the distance. That means it's noon. We have been walking a short while after dawn. 

Both he and the horse were tired. The strain was showing. 

The injured animal sometimes hesitates walking on the bad leg, occasionally accompanied by cries of discomfort and pain. Nyx was much the same. Though pain-free, his movements were slow. Walking and pushing the cart showed his weaknesses. His limits. Days in the woods trying to find a way out, following on the road and last with an awful night. No rest and...no 'food'. 

To his right a child, a girl no older than 13, dressed in a summer dress holds a ball. "Ohh what happened to your horse?"

I shrug because I can't speak. I wiggle my finger, implying I'm looking for something.

"Want some food?" I nod no. "Do you want to sleep?" I nod no again. "The vet?" I nod yes! "Next corner. The sign's above the doors."

Before I leave I reach into my backpack and pull out a hair elastic and give it to the girl. A pink one.

"Wow thanks a lot." the girl thanks me by sneaking a kiss.

Passing the mentioned corner and knocking on the sign door, I wait and seconds after a lady opens. "Yes? Hello. Can I help you?"

Pointing to the horse the woman sees the scratch on the horse's shoulder. "Oh dear oh dear. Eeh...the vet, my husband, is at the church right now."

Nyx points at her. Surprised, the woman somewhat dodges. "Eeeh I don't look after animals, just clean and groom the place."

If he had veins, Nyx's would blow out from under his skin. Your husband's a vet...and you don't fucking know shit about animal care?! 

With one last bit of patience, I pull out a silver coin from my money pouch. The woman's eyes light up like a star, like a child given a cookie.

"I'm going after him. That wound looks ugly, haha!" And so the woman shuts the door behind her and hurries away around the corner from where I came.

Not to waste any time, I undo the horse's bridle. 

Leaving the horse free, I steer her next to the building and she willingly sits down. All I had left to do was pull the cart out of the street. There's a bank by the door. Probably for waiting patients or the staff , catching a break.

And now I wait. 

People passing on the street continue to stare, a few greeting when they pass closer or if they catch my eye. I suppose as a village, everybody knows almost everyone. 

"Oh hi!"

From my left shows up a black....man? What the fuck?

"My wife called me, saying we have an urgent patient." Walk closer to me and see how he's dressed. A yellow and red plaid shirt and brown pants. Bald with a thin beard. "My name is Pascal. Pleased to meet you."

Standing two steps away, he stretches out to shake hands. I look at the hand, then at him, then at the hand again. Stumbling up not to embarrass myself, I shake his hand and sort of make awkward eye contact. Kill me now...

The somewhat surprised man turns a little disappointed. "Anyway... Your horse, yeah?" I nod. She has very cold hands..

Dr. Pascal looks at the horse's wound. "Eh yes... Some animals have been attacked in the same way. Skinny ugly things with long claws, right? "I nod. "Well all I can do is clean the wound, stitch it up and if you want, apply a local anesthetic." says the black doctor. "You could still... you know.." gesturing he's slitting his throat.

I nod no. I've given that peasant plenty of silver for his horse, I have to at least keep him more than a day..

"Ehh..are you mute?" he asks.

Nodding in agreement, he somehow relaxes. "OH HAHAHA!!! I thought you were some racist! Oh my god sorry." he laughs. "It's just that I...eh...I've been through this before. You know what, let's forget it. I'll go grab a couple things from the house."

A short while later, Pascal shows up in a white robe and carrying a bag in one hand. "Let's take her to the stables, it's down the street, across the bridge." 

We walked quietly down the road, occasionally people waving to Pascal and vice versa.

Unwilling to leave the wagon in the street, I ended up pulling it alone while he held the horse, tying the halter around my waist. An idea. I stop, grab my backpack and dig in it and pull out paper and a pencil.

"What you're writing?" he asks curios.

I give him the paper. "What race are you? What? Girl, I'm human." he answers disdaining. "You thought I was what?"

I shrug, I don't know.

I write on the paper again. "Where are you from?" I show him.

"Well...my grandparents were from Zungwkoi...the southern country. They and my parents boarded a ship and came here to Latarr with other families. But that was a long time ago."

I'm writing again. "Sounds beautiful." 

"Yes... though I wasn't born back then. I grew up east of here. In a harbor town. Crowded and perfect to get lost in." 

"And why a horse doctor?"

"Pfff HA! That's what mom said! Well the first years I worked with my dad at the harbor.. then fisherman.. then I went to medical school." continuing on the road we reach the bridge. "I honestly wanted to work with people, but...too much to learn... So I switched to animals. But believe me... the villagers come to me if something happens. They have no other doctor, and the closest one is usually to the south, three days' carriage ride." 

That catches me by surprise and I just abandon the whole conversation. The only doctor for these people and I killed him..Fuck..

"So...what are you?" I turn to him alertly."No offense but you're pale, cold, almost black lips, and white eyes. You're definitely not wearing makeup..."

I hesitantly scribble on the paper. "I'm undead. Please help."

"Sure, sure. No problem." We walk a little further, we reach the stable. "Okay, we're here. Pull the wagon in the back. I'll take her inside and start doing my thing."

Pulling up the wagon where Pascal directed me, I turn around to go in the back but stop. My whole body feels cold, and I feel the hunger again. 

I think I'm starting to burn through my magic supply of blood. I wonder how long I have before I stop functioning.

I get back to the doctor, who was giving the horse a shot in the leg. "I just apply an anesthetic to numb the pain and then sew it up." He turns and looks at me. A stern face. Not showing any expression like in the previous conversation. "You look tired."

I nod in agreement. And hungry.

"Well, the villagers gave me this place for treating their animals.You can lay wherever you like."

I nod in agreement. Not wishing to fill a spot and not wishing to rest on stone, I climb a ladder and sit in the attic among the hay. Hope I feel better afterward.

"That'll work too."

------------------

"Grab one and we'll leave through the back."

Both Ced and Duncan each saddled a horse and walked around the building. Nearby was the cloud of smoke, billowing from the looted tavern. A perfect diversion.

"Where to now?"

"Better south. The garrison's up the road, we turn south and let people time to forget about us. Besides, some people noticed us, so we can't help it."

"I know a remote trail. It gets us halfway between us and Lipthomt."

Moments of thought from Duncan for an answer. On first hand, heading south would be fine. A few villages where we can 'occupy' an old house or go east into Lipthomt. 

"Lipthomt is it then."

Compared to the first option, Lipthomt is heavily populated and the criminals in town have their own network. A dime here and there's sure to keep the militia off your back.

" You sure the path is safe?" asks Duncan.

"I've been there before. There's a few wild animals like bears and boars, but nothing a torch can't handle."

Not that fire hasn't been a solution before.

In the back of the stable was a small gate leading to a street that bypassed around the entire block of houses,for people used to collect hay.

"Wait, somebody left their cart here. Shall we get it?"

"You fool...someone will notice it's missing and look for it."

"But look! It's got some weapons in it."

And Ced was telling the truth. He had a spear, a sword, a bag, and a small battle axe.

"Hold Ced! That sword! It's just like the ones the soldiers carry!" Duncan reined up his horse. "If it's one of them wagons, they're sure to find us. Leave it and come on."

"Let me get the bag at least. Maybe he's got money."

But before Ced can get his hands on it and Duncan can say anything else, the wall of the stable's loft blows into dozens of chunks and hundreds of splinters. Suddenly, falling out of the air was what looked to be a woman. The sudden action caused even the horses to scream with fright and struggle. Duncan falls from his horse.

"Shit! Who's this bitch?" yells Ced.

Nyx had just landed right next to the wagon, two steps away. 

---------------------------