[dramatic music]
[Narrator] 19 years have passed
since Szorlok the
necromancer slew the gods,
raised an army of the undead,
and was finally defeated by
Marek and the Red Thorns.
The events Deirans now refer
to as the year of the dead.
In the aftermath,
Deirans retook their land
from the tenuous hold of
their Vitalion occupiers.
But there's been little
in the way of rebuilding.
Instead, the country is
largely lawless and disordered.
Communities struggling to
survive amongst the ruins.
And Teela's prediction that
in the absence of the gods,
magic would soon fade from the
world has proven prophetic.
The ways of mages and
sorcerers are vanishing.
Only petty witchcraft remains
in dark corners of the land.
[dramatic music]
[cart wheels creaking]
[horses grunting]
[hooves clopping]
[cart wheels creaking]
[horses grunting]
[thunder rumbling]
[horses grunting]
[cart wheels creaking]
h*, there!
[horses neighing]
Didn't mean to
spook your horses.
Now, my name is
Rhistel Kriswood.
I'm a marshal of Deira.
And the elf, he's
called Leyaris.
Now, these two, well, only
introduction they need
is hanging around
their stretched necks.
You see, Ley and me,
we've been appointed by
the Magistrate's Council
to purge the last of the
red and black rat bag
still befouling our otherwise
beautiful and free land.
You see this?
[grunting] Right there, yeah.
That is the marker
of Vitalion legion.
No matter where these fikers
run, no matter how many years,
they've been marked.
So there's no doubt.
So.
Who are you, friend?
Just a stranger.
[Rhistel] All right.
Where are you headed?
Somewhere else.
What you got in your wagon?
That's not your concern.
Is that right?
I gotta tell you, we
had a hell of a night
tracking those two
bleeders into the valley.
I mean, they put
up quite a fight.
You know, Ley and me,
we lost both our horses before
our blades tasted flesh.
Bit stranded out
here, to be honest.
You know, we could really use
a ride to Desolation's End.
Yeah, it's a roadside inn
a ways up the mountain.
What you say?
[thunder rumbling]
[horse grunts]
That's out of my way.
I need to make it
through Cricket's Pass
before the storm hits.
I've heard of you.
Not just a stranger.
The Stranger, they call him.
Bounty hunter.
Mercenary.
m*rder*r.
Travels with a black iron wagon.
I'm an apothecary by trade.
By the look of it,
that wagon was built for
more than herbs in medicines.
You, uh, you got a
bounty capture in there?
Stay away from the wagon.
[chuckles] All right, Stranger.
You see, we've heard
of Vitalions still paying good money
to get smuggled out of Deira.
We're awfully close
to the border up here.
[horse grunts]
Could it be some
rich Vitalion rotter
you're carrying in there, hmm?
I don't work for
the red and black.
Never have, never will.
Well then, there's no reason
why you shouldn't give a
Marshall and his deputy a ride!
I could order you, you know?
By authority at a
Magistrate's Council.
That authority only gives you
the right to k*ll Vitalions.
You have no command
over law abiding Deirans
or their property.
And what if we insist?
[suspenseful music]
[scoffs] You think you can
stop both of us with those?
The tips.
- They're soaked in-
- Manticore venom.
We'd be dead
within 20 heartbeats.
[horses grunting]
[suspenseful music]
[horses grunting]
[hooves clopping]
[cart clattering]
Apothecary, my arse.
Ya b*tch b*stard!
[rain pattering]
[thunder rumbling]
[chains clinking]
[horses grunting]
[ominous music]
[thunder rumbling]
[ominous music continues]
[cart wheels creaking]
[thunder rumbling]
[thunder rumbling]
[door thuds]
[Giblock grunts]
Your companion's looking a
little peaky there, traveler.
[Stranger] Found this
boy injured on the road.
He's got the mark of a sl*ve.
Might be someone's runaway.
Gods in their graves.
He's someone's runaway
sl*ve, all right.
Mine.
Arlin, bring the
crop from the room!
[Giblock grunts]
The strong stuff!
[clothes rips]
Oh, if this one survives, he'll
be getting a good beating.
[footsteps tapping]
[dramatic music]
[Arlin gasps]
Well, give it here,
you daft girl!
Get started on a poultice!
[footsteps tapping]
Passed a couple of red and
black hunters on the road.
The bloodthirsty kind.
I thought they might have
cut the boy up for sport,
but that wound wasn't
made with a blade.
- Oh, this is-
- Magic.
Dark magic.
Good luck with him.
[Giblock] You're leaving?
[Stranger] I need to make
it through Cricket's Pass
before the rest of
this storm hits.
Well, you're too
late for that by now!
Not with all what's
coming down out there.
[Stranger] I'll take my chances.
There's no chances to
be given, I assure ya.
We've been on this
mountain over 40 years.
I know how she storms.
Unpassable for another
day, at the very least.
[door lock scratching and thuds]
[thunder rumbling]
You have any
animals in your barn?
My wagon can't be
kept with others.
Why is that?
What you got in it?
Delicate cargo.
I need my wagon untouched.
I need that barn to myself.
Nothing in the
barn at the moment.
Likely to stay that way,
long as the storm lasts.
[thunder rumbling]
[dramatic music]
I'm Giblock, by the way.
Owner and keeper.
What do they call you?
They call me Stranger.
[Giblock laughs]
Arlin here will
take you to the barn
and help you stable your horses.
Keep an eye on you.
[Stranger] I'll do it
alone, with my horses.
[human whispering]
[ominous music]
[woman screaming]
Arlin!
Our Stranger here needs
his horses fed in watered.
Just one more moment with Erid.
The cheek on you!
Talking back in
front of a guest!
[Giblock grunts]
You don't hit her.
You don't lay a finger
on them while I'm here.
[Giblock grunts]
[thunder rumbling]
You returned the boy to me,
so I'll forgive you this once.
But no one tells me what
to do under me own roof,
with me own property.
You got that, Stranger?
Let's go.
[thunder rumbling]
[wind whooshing]
[footsteps tapping]
There you are.
[horse neighing]
Thank you for bringing
Erid back to us.
[thunder rumbling]
You have any idea what
happened to him out there?
[owl hooting]
She's good luck.
She keeps the barn clean
and the vermin away.
She'll watch over
your horses for you.
[ominous music]
What's in your wagon?
It's alive.
It's hurt!
It's a dangerous animal,
but it can't escape,
so you've nothing
to fear from it.
Now, I need you to
promise me something.
While I'm here, you won't
come into this barn alone.
There may be others
that are curious
about the contents
of this wagon.
So if your master
takes an interest,
or anyone else, for that
matter, starts to ask questions,
wants to come in
here, you tell me.
Agreed?
Agreed.
[woman groans]
[woman groans]
[dramatic music]
[door creaking]
[thunder rumbling]
[rain pattering]
[door creaking and thuds]
Boy's awake.
And he's got a story to tell.
[crowd screaming]
Go on, lad.
Tell him.
The village.
Slaughtered.
Burned to the ground.
I saw the smoke this morning.
He ran away in the
middle of the night,
got as far as Lynwith.
He saw the m*ssacre himself.
Tell him what you saw.
A witch.
An, an old woman
with a limp. [groans]
[Erid breathes heavily]
Half her face fallen and gray.
Who is this witch?
That's Mahitable Crow.
She lives alone on the mountain.
Used to be stories of
her learning herself
the old dark magic
but it's been years since
she's bothered anyone.
She wanted me dead.
The village is cursed.
The life drained
out of them then.
[dramatic music]
Then, then the whole
place caught fire.
[fire whooshing]
She said it was the power of,
of Szorlok.
[ominous music]
[Giblock scoffs]
The necromancer is dead!
Defeated by Marek and the
Red Thorns, 19 years ago.
The dark sorcerer was destroyed.
That woman's mad.
[thunder rumbling]
- Arlin-
- You're safe now, Erid.
No, no, you don't understand.
What is it?
When I got up and ran,
she called to me,
screaming that she'd
find me wherever I went.
She swore that I see her again,
before the sun
rose the next day.
And that would be
the last thing I saw.
Great hills.
She's out there.
She's coming for me.
She's coming tonight.
You're safe here.
You're home, we won't let
anything happen to you.
Aye, lad.
Nothing to fear now.
Take this.
It will help you sleep.
Go on, lad, drink it.
Do your nerves good.
I think me own nerves could
do some good doing to as well.
[dramatic music]
This Mahitable Crow, she
know who the boy belongs to?
Would she know to find him here?
I don't know.
I never said word
one to the woman.
Seen her shape across
the mountain once a year.
Maybe smoke from her
chimney on occasion.
You said it's been years
since she bothered anyone.
What was it like when she did?
He's asleep.
Oh, good.
Best thing for him.
What now?
What are we going to do?
Do?
The witch, if she's coming here.
She's an old crone!
Walks with a limp.
I can hardly believe she
made it down to Lynwith,
or making the climb
up here in this storm.
[Giblock grunts]
[footsteps tapping]
Whatever happens,
will you protect Erid?
Please protect him.
No evil will harm
the boy tonight.
Even the hardiest of wayfarers
won't be brave in this weather.
Trust me, you're
the last traveler
who'll have darkened this
doorway before tomorrow.
[knuckles rapping]
[ominous music]
Help me with the boy.
I'll take him to the larder.
Erid, come here.
[knuckles rapping]
Don't answer that
door until I come back.
[ominous music]
[knuckles rapping]
I'm coming!
Keep your undies on!
[knuckles rapping]
Who's there?
[Rhistel] It's us, you b*stard!
Who?
Rhistel and Ley.
You in the business
of keeping inn or not?
We're soaked to the
bone out here, Gib!
[wind whooshing]
[rain pattering]
Anyone else out there with ya?
Well, there's a couple
of Vitalion legions-
No, we're all alone!
All right.
[door thuds]
[lock clinks]
[door creaking]
Pissing buckets out there!
Your welcome's
gotten a little cold
since last we lodged
with you, Gib!
We wasn't expecting
to see anyone coming
in out of that tonight.
[wood lock thuds]
You!
Well, isn't this just perfect.
Thought this place was
too far out your way,
you lyin' sack of slop!
And how did the two
of you make it up here
without your horses?
We fickin' hoofed it
on our own two feet.
What's left of 'em, anyway,
between the boot rot
and the blisters.
Ugh, not sure what's left
once I take this boot off.
[grunts] Oh, my poor dearies.
If I lose a toe 'cause of you,
I will cut yours in
your sleep tonight.
There'll be no threat-swearin'
under this roof, huh?
Or you'll be right back
out there in that cold wet.
Oh, you got anything
warm to eat, Gib?
I am dog hungry.
Ah, the lass will have
soup ready not too long.
I can have her bring it to you,
if you wanna wait for
it in your bed chamber.
No, I'll do my waiting
right in front of that fire,
thank you very much.
Fine then.
[footsteps tapping]
You two know of any goings on
down at Lynwith this morning?
I know what I seen
from across the valley
before the storm hit.
It's burnt to the ground, mate.
[chuckles] Whole damn village.
You weren't close enough
to see what happened.
Uh, no.
Had our hands full
with a couple of
rascally Vitalion fikers,
as this man can attest.
Why?
What have you heard?
He saw the smoke, same as you.
Did you see anyone else coming
from that direction today?
Well, besides you?
No.
How about tonight?
Anyone else coming up the
mountain towards this end?
In that storm?
Well, you can't see shite
out there mate! [laughs]
I mean, I couldn't see Ley's
arse in front of me face
when the lightning flashed.
Why?
You, uh, you expecting
a guest coming in
outta that wet
hill tonight, Gib?
[thunder rumbling]
Not expecting a damn soul.
[rain pattering]
[thunder rumbles]
I'm sorry I didn't
go with you, Erid.
[mysterious howls]
[Arlin gasps]
[Stranger clears throat]
Two more borders for the night.
I'll turn the soup.
What are you doing when you
touch his forehead like that?
It's all right.
I won't tell anyone.
[gentle music]
It's a gift.
Sometimes when I touch people,
I see the things
they want to hide.
What do you mean?
It's like my way with animals.
But when it comes to people,
I see what makes them
different from animals.
I see their shame.
Animals don't feel it.
Pain, they can feel,
fear, grief, even.
But animals don't feel
shame, only people.
- Arlin.
- Hm?
[Stranger] Do you
know anything more
about what happened at Lynwith?
No.
Only, I know why Erid went there
to find the grave
of his parents.
So he's been planning
to run away for a while?
We both have.
I'm not ungrateful.
I'd imagine Giblock's a
fairer master than many
when he's not been drinking
but Erid and I always wanted
to see more of the world.
When it came to it, though,
I didn't have the courage.
And, and I thought if I
didn't go, he wouldn't either.
I told myself I was protecting
him, but I was just a coward.
Don't be hard on yourself.
Your fate might have been
like the rest of Lynwith
had you have gone with him.
Do you think it's true?
That the witch has found a way
to harness the power
of death, like Szorlok?
[sighs] I don't know much
about that sort of thing.
But you were in Deira
during the year of the dead.
Mm-hm.
Was it as horrible as they say?
What did they say?
They say it was an
unimaginable hell.
[dramatic music]
That sounds about right.
Did you ever meet Marek?
Marek of the Red Thorns?
She defeated Szorlok.
She was a sl*ve,
did you know that?
A runaway.
I, I heard that.
Every guest that comes
to Desolation's End,
I ask them for their accounts
of the year of the dead.
If they've ever met Marek
or Dagen. [indistinct]
If they know their stories.
But it's Marek I
most like to hear of.
Most just repeat stories
they've heard from others.
Some claim to have
met her themselves
but most of those
are probably lying.
But every tale I hear,
I write down in this.
[gentle music]
That's what Erid
and me dreamed of.
We wanted to be
like the Red Thorns.
They didn't leave the world
the way they found it.
They sacrificed for
the good of others.
They saved us.
Sometimes, I wonder
if we were worth saving.
Tell me, what do you
see from the boy?
What's his shame?
I think every
orphan is the same.
The shame of being an orphan.
[Giblock] Arlin, the soup!
Sir, I said animals don't
feel shame like people do.
There's one animal that does.
Only one I've come across
my whole life that does.
[chuckles] And
which animal is that?
The one you're
keeping in your wagon.
[footsteps tapping]
How much coin you got
stashed away here, huh?
'Cause I noticed you ain't
spent much on upkeep.
You run this soup so thin,
you can read a book through it.
If you knew how to read.
[laughs] Keep
laughing, knife ears.
Shouldn't surprise you to
hear I'm scraping by, lad.
No, I don't believe you, Gib.
There is a misers
hoard here somewhere.
Believe it or
don't, but it's true.
Desolation's End is a ghost
to what it used to be.
[knuckles rapping]
Who the hell is
out here tonight?
[scoffs] I guess there's
someone even unluckier
than you and me, Ley.
[ominous music]
[knuckles rapping]
You gonna open the door, Gib?
[footsteps tapping]
What, you've gotten too feeble
to slide the bar
yourself, old dwarf?
Aye.
[footsteps tapping]
Who's there?
[Aymon] Master Dwarf!
My name is Aymon Thadruck,
I have a young woman with
me who's been injured.
We're both in need
of shelter tonight.
Drop your head.
[Aymon] What?
So I can see your faces.
Good evening.
And the woman?
Anyone else out there with ya?
[Aymon] I would hope
not, on this trip tonight.
[door flap thuds]
[door creaking]
[horse neighing]
[door thuds]
Welcome to Desolation's End.
Please warm yourself
by the fire.
Thank you, good dwarf.
[door thuds]
And hello to you.
As I said, my name
is Aymon Thadruck.
This young woman is Resma Nigh.
You're hurt.
I came upon a
village this morning.
Massacred, burnt to the ground.
Poor woman was
the only survivor.
- Lynwith?
- Yes.
We heard none survived.
Who did you hear it from?
Let's get Arlin to see to this.
[horse neighs]
[footsteps tapping]
Master dwarf, my horse
is in need of stabling.
I trust you have someone
that can feed 'em water.
Aye, that can be arranged.
And there is another matter.
We'll discuss that
later, all right?
[thunder rumbling]
[footsteps tapping]
May I?
[fire crackling]
This wound,
it's not a burn.
It's dark magic.
I've seen something like it
in the northern
tribes of my people.
Such wounds are
difficult to heal.
Was it the witch of
the mountain, then?
The witch was there, to be sure.
All night.
My sleep was full of terrors.
Then I woke to a nightmare.
Everyone dead.
Everyone but me.
Ghastly, the state of that
village when I came upon it.
Dead in the road, in
the homes, in the beds.
Young and old alike.
By some miracle, this
woman was spared.
Fate, I suppose, led me to her.
Who is this witch
in a mountain you're talking about, Gib?
Mahitable Crow.
An old recluse.
Lynwith was once her home
'till 17 years ago
when she was banished.
Banished for what?
[horse neighs]
Evil.
They say she was a healer.
Quite skilled at it too.
'Till the year of the dead.
She saw Szorlok's power
and became obsessed
with necromancy herself.
Determined to
resurrect the children
she'd lost in their infancy.
She was deeper, darker,
she delved until she
went mad with it.
The villagers, they got
wise to her witchcraft
and forced her to leave.
But that weren't the end
of Lynwith's trouble
with her, was it?
- The beast?
- Aye.
Not one moon after
Mahitable Crow left,
a monster came to Lynwith.
k*lled more than
a dozen villagers
before they drove it out.
Now, you tell me that
weren't the witches doing.
Perhaps this morning were a new
and final act of
vengeance on the village.
[mumbles] But why now?
[Giblock] The gods
below only know.
I did the best I could.
You've got some skill there.
Where are you from, Gray Beard?
I'm from Gelton.
You're a long way from home.
What brought you to the valley?
What's that?
Or, wasn't with
your destination?
Oh, no.
Um, I'm hunting Elk.
Elk?
Yes, a favorite hunting
ground of my youth.
Sort of a pilgrimage
to my glory days.
[Stranger chuckles]
Any luck?
Hm?
The hunt.
No, but I think providence
has found me more
a worthy purpose.
Master dwarf, my
horse is still out
in the wind and the rain.
It'll be ruined by morning if
it's not suitably shuttered.
Arlin, the man's horse.
Take it to the barn.
Let the girl stay put.
I'll stay with your horse.
Very good, fine.
Yes, thank you.
[footsteps tapping]
Let me do it.
I'll stable the man's horse.
[horse neighs]
You can't go out there alone.
Not tonight.
I don't want you leaving Erid.
I don't trust this man, Aymon.
He's hiding something.
I don't know what it is,
but he's desperate
not to be found out.
Anyway, if the witch
is coming here,
it's Erid she's after, not me.
It should be me that goes.
Straight back.
And stay away from the wagon.
[door creaking]
[dramatic music]
[door thuds]
[thunder rumbling]
That's a well-crafted hilt
at your side, Gray Beard.
The rest of a sword is
as masterfully made?
My name, again,
is Aymon Thadruck.
This was a gift from Roghar,
when I commanded
the sixth cavalry.
Roghar?
You fought the
armies of the dead?
Defending Deira from
the necromancer's hoards
has been my life's highest
honor and privilege.
[sword clinks]
How long after the
attack this morning
did Aymon find you there?
I can't be sure.
Two hours, perhaps.
And the decision to come
here to Desolation's End,
was that your idea or his?
He said it was the nearest
place to seek shelter.
Is it painful?
Your arm?
The girl's a natural healer.
Tell me, did you hurt your
leg this morning as well?
I notice you favoring your
left when you walked in.
No.
Something I've
had since a child.
A bad foot.
I once had a friend
with a similar ailment.
Stranger.
You have that right, that's
what you prefer to be called.
Now, I've heard
the colorful story
of what brings the
marshal and his elf deputy
to Desolation's End tonight.
May I hear yours?
I'm just passing through.
Oh, come now.
Indulge an old man who enjoys
hearing the wayfaring tales
of his fellow Deirans.
Yeah, The Stranger is
a ruthless bounty hunter.
Oh!
So, we all have come
hunting, it would seem.
Whose bounty are
you currently after?
I'd rather not speak of it.
Yeah, he'd rather not say
because he's got him
caged in his wagon
in that barn out there.
Ain't that right, Stranger?
Must be a hell of a bounty too.
Won't let anyone near it,
nor tell the man's name.
Am I to understand,
you have a live prisoner
out there in that barn,
in this cold?
You realize, come morning,
you may have k*lled the man.
You told me
nothing of this, lad.
It's not a man,
it's a wild animal.
And the barn shelter is plenty.
A wild animal?
And my mare has just been
sent to share its roof?
It's shackled and caged.
Your horse is fine.
[door creaks]
You'll be safe and warm here.
[horse grunts]
[owl hooting]
[horse neighing]
[thunder rumbling]
[beast roaring softly]
Are you cold?
Hungry?
Can you hear me?
[Beast] I hear you.
You're, you're not
an animal at all!
[ominous music]
[Beast] Don't be so sure.
Who are you?
[human screaming]
[Arlin gasps]
[body thuds]
[horse neighing]
[Arlin panting]
Was that Lynwith?
[Beast] Lynwith?
What do you know of Lynwith?
Are you the beast?
The, the one that witch
summoned years ago
for her vengeance
on the village?
[Beast] There's
little I know, before.
Before?
[Beast] Before the curse.
Was it Mahitable Crow?
Did she curse you?
[Beast] I. [sighs]
I can't.
I can't remember.
What can you remember?
[Beast] A child, a girl.
Her mother was k*lled.
[beast sniffing]
Stop.
Stop asking me to remember!
[horse neighing]
Was there any
indication this morning
where Mahitable Crow
may have headed to?
Whether she continued
down the valley,
or back up the mountain?
No.
Did you see anyone
on the mountain road
on your way up here tonight?
No, but truthfully, it was
hard to see anything at all.
Well, you two asked me
and Ley the same question.
What's this about?
They think the
witch is coming here.
[Rhistel laughs]
Oh, gods in their graves,
that is what you think.
Now, what the hell
is going on here?
What are you not telling us?
That witch, coming
here, what for?
Is it true?
If you've reason to suspect
it even a possibility,
I think we deserve to know.
I found Giblock's sl*ve
boy injured on the road,
and I brought him here.
He was down in Lynwith
and saw the whole thing.
But before he escaped,
the witch made a threat.
A threat?
She said she'd find
him by night's end.
k*ll him.
You mean to tell me
that that witch that just
massacred an entire village
using dark magic and hellfire
is making her way here?
There's no reason to
believe that the witch
even knows where he's from,
let alone where he went.
What's more, it's
storming so hard right now,
the old crone couldn't make
it up here if she wanted to.
Ah, well, these two
just made it here.
And they ain't got powers
beyond the natural.
Where's the boy now?
Resting.
Given Mahitable Crow's story,
I can make some cruel sense
of her attack on the village,
but the boy is just a runaway.
Why would she be so
determined to go after him?
Apparently he was born in
Lynwith before he was orphaned.
Could, could I
speak with the boy?
Perhaps our families
knew each other.
Once he awakes.
You folks are acting like
this is all well and good!
There is a murderin'
mad hag out there
who's more than likely on
her way to this inn tonight!
We will deal with
the witch if she comes.
- Oh, really?
- Yes, really.
That's all we can do.
Well, you know what me
and Leyaris are gonna do?
If that witch comes
here raising hell,
we're gonna offer her to boy
in exchange for her
leaving in peace.
That's really your position
as a marshal of Deira?
It is, Gray Bear.
Quiet!
Listen.
[knuckles rapping]
[sword clinks]
It's Arlin.
You sure about that?
[footsteps tapping]
[Giblock] Arlin, that you?
[Arlin] Yes, sir.
[Giblock] Anyone else
out there with you, lass?
[Arlin] No, sir.
[sword clinks]
[door thuds and creaking]
Uh, you see anything
out there, sweetheart?
[Arlin] No.
[Rhistel] Good.
Everything's all
right in the barn?
There's no bow nor
arrows with Aymon's horse,
nor on his person.
It strange to bring only
a sword for an elk hunt.
Hm.
Arlin!
After you're done
the washing up,
why don't you check on the boy?
Erid!
You shouldn't be up and about.
You need to rest.
No, I don't believe so, now.
Come on, then.
Let's give him a moment.
I've got some questions for you.
Now, this witch.
You saw her, boy?
- Yes, sir.
- Yeah.
And what she look like?
She riding in on a
horse, or on foot?
Witches don't ride horses.
They ride the wind.
All right, that's
enough questions for now.
Erid.
This is Resma Nigh.
She was at Lynwith
when it all happened.
[Erid] Miss.
I'm glad to know I
wasn't the only survivor.
It's given me hope there may
be others who escaped like you.
Perhaps it would be
less overwhelming for ya
if we spoke privately.
In your room, you
could lie resting.
Could I have some supper first?
More than a day since
he's had anything to eat.
Of course, you can.
[gentle music]
[thunder rumbling]
I wandered this
world for so long
Many thousand years
What names I could speak
The girl.
She's young to be
so skilled a healer.
Where is she from?
Lynwith actually.
Same as the boy.
Not siblings though?
Might as well be.
Both lost their
families years ago.
Far too young.
The girls' parents,
do you know their names?
Sure, I have it
written somewhere.
I'm curious.
How has a youth from Gelting
come to hunt so far from home?
My father was a valet
to Vitalion magistrate.
Afforded me some privileges
of travel and education
not available to
most young boys.
I was lucky.
What was the Vitalion
magistrate's name?
Kaldeen.
Karis Kaldeen.
All these tread to ash,
and spread their death
Will you have me linger here
All I've seen
and can't forget
[mysterious hums]
[glass thudding]
I'm, I'm sorry.
That's all right,
I'll get you another.
Get a rag and clean
it up, you daft girl!
[ominous music]
[footsteps tapping]
Erid, you look like
you need to lie down.
We'll let him finish his
supper first. [chuckles]
Erid?
Boy?
Come here.
[intense music]
Stay back!
What's going on here?
Keep your hand
off that crossbow.
[thunder rumbling]
Let him go.
I can't.
You don't understand.
There's so much you
don't understand!
[Erid grunts]
[Resma gasps]
[intense music]
[stone clatters]
[witch grunts]
[witch screaming]
[ax whooshing]
You don't know what you
brought here, Stranger.
Something evil.
You have doomed them!
[knife clinks]
[Stranger coughs and sputters]
[sword clinks]
Holy hell.
I fikin' knew it!
[footsteps tapping]
An alteration stone.
[fire crackling]
Well done, lad.
[footsteps tapping]
[both grunting]
When the storm's passed,
we'll take her body
out and burn her.
[woman screaming]
[Arlin gasps]
[dramatic music]
The animal you
have in your wagon,
was it the beast that
attacked Lynwith years ago?
It may be.
If it was,
then it's the beast that k*lled
Erid's parents, and mine.
Why haven't you k*lled it?
I may yet.
There's something
I've wanted to ask.
You don't have to tell me.
When I took your
hand in the barn,
I heard something from you.
It was a woman's scream.
It sounded as if she was beaten.
That's from long ago.
I was young,
but old enough to
have done more.
Before the year of the
dead hardened us all,
I was a coward.
I was an apprentice to
an apothecary, Nigeltin.
He had a sl*ve girl
with a lame foot.
One he was sure he could
beat into submission,
but she was no ordinary girl.
A spirit wouldn't break.
But this only made the
apothecary's anger grew,
until the night a Vitalion guard
brought her home as a runaway.
The apothecary was so angry
that he beat her within
an inch of her life.
I should have stopped him.
I should have done something.
But that night,
I was just as much a coward
as all the nights before.
So, she stopped him.
Nearly k*lled him
in the process.
That was the night that
she ran away forever.
She asked me to go with her.
Still, I was too afraid.
Marek.
That girl was Marek.
[dramatic music]
[Arlin sobs]
I've done a lot
of shameful things
since the year of the dead.
But nothing haunts me more
than that night
when I stood by
doing nothing
while Marek was beaten
in the frozen street.
[Arlin sobbing]
[rain pattering]
[Rhistel snoring]
[wind whooshing]
[bottle clatters]
[Giblock exhales]
[fire crackling]
[wind whooshing]
[fire crackling]
[Stranger sighs]
[Arlin screams]
[Arlin] Stranger!
[ominous music]
[footsteps tapping]
[intense music]
He's dead.
What happened?
I got up to put more
coal in the stove,
the way he likes on cold nights.
What's wrong with his.
It's dark magic.
No!
Is it the witch?
Is her vengeance still among us?
[Stranger] The
witch is dead, boy.
Let's get you back to bed.
Come on.
Fiker.
Could she have, um,
could she come back to life?
I mean, can they do that?
Why don't you and Leyaris
take the dwarf down
to the cellar and find out for yourself.
Yeah. [clears throat]
Ley, we got work to do.
Find something.
What?
No.
I'm just looking for any hint
of what may have happened.
Nothing of note.
Let's all meet in the
front hall, shall we?
I'll tell the
marshal and his elf,
once they move the body.
[dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]
[Rhistel grunting]
[Rhistel grunts]
[Rhistel growls]
Still dead.
[Rhistel exhales]
You'll be all right.
Stranger won't let
anything happen to us.
The witch is cold as ice.
So.
[Rhistel sips and sighs]
Who k*lled the dwarf?
Well, if no one will
say it, then I will.
Gray Beard, you were one
that brought the witch here
in the first place.
That's ridiculous!
I thought I was helping a
young woman in distress.
You know that!
What we don't know
is what brought you to
the valley to begin with.
[chuckles] I've told you!
An elk hunt.
With no bow nor arrows.
If this really was your favorite
hunting ground as a youth,
then you know better than I,
this is the wrong season
for elk in this valley.
Their herds move west
this time of year.
A migration so reliable
that the [indistinct]
used to measure their age by it.
So what really brings you here?
I had business with the dwarf.
Business, what business?
Oh, is that the dwarf that's
now lying dead in the cellar?
Ah, looks like you came out
ahead in that transaction, eh?
There were certain
papers I needed from him.
So that's what you
were searching for in the dwarf's room.
[paper rustling]
What's it say?
[paper rustling]
Aymon Thadruck.
Deira born, Gelting.
[Rhistel scoffs]
These are your papers
of identification.
I don't understand,
why did Gib have them?
Because the dwarf was a forger.
By the looks of it, a good one.
[Rhistel chuckles]
So, these aren't his real name.
Nor where he's from.
What's your name, Gray Beard?
Kaldeen is my guess.
Kaldeen.
That's a Vitalion name.
Fikin' hell.
A red and black.
Roghar's right hand man, hm?
[clothes rips]
Well, look at that.
A legion commander.
How many Deirans lost their
lives, dignity, and property
so you could earn that rank, hm?
It's true.
I carried out the
will of the empire
but Deira has
always been my home.
When the year of the dead came,
I did serve under Roghar,
fighting the armies of the
undead alongside Deiran's.
That was no lie.
My wife is Deiran.
My son is Deiran.
I only sought out that
forgery to protect them
from the stain of my past.
Well, commander,
looks like Desolation's End
is gonna get its
third corpse tonight.
Sheath your sword.
What the hell, Stranger.
You're gonna prevent a marshal
from performing his duty?
I guess I am.
[swords clinking]
[suspenseful music]
What for, huh?
You think because he
k*lled a few undead
alongside our countrymen,
that makes up for
decades of abuse?
No, but being a Vitalion
doesn't change the fact
that there is a m*rder*r
in here amongst us.
In fact, it proves
it wasn't him.
How do you figure?
What if he k*lled the dwarf
to cover up his little secret?
When have you
known of a Vitalion,
even before the
year of the dead?
They knew the ways of old magic.
But who k*lled the
dwarf, if you're so smart?
Well, there's the
obvious answer, the elf.
Didn't ask you, red and black.
He's flaunted his knowledge
of dark magic since I arrived.
The woman's wound,
the witch's stone.
Clearly, he's seen
plenty of it before.
How do we know he's not
a practitioner himself?
After seven years
partnered with this elf,
if he knew how to use
magic to k*ll someone,
I'd have seen it before.
- Trust me.
- I don't trust you!
[sword whooshes]
[objects clatter]
You've been pocketing the
dwarf's trinkets all night!
Did he find you out?
So you had your partner
k*ll him in the night?
Yeah, keep talking, Vitalion.
Your noose is around your
neck, the more you speak.
I don't hear a denial!
What did the witch say?
She said you brought
something evil here.
What did you bring?
It's the animal
he's got in his wagon.
That's what it is.
The witch.
What did she say?
Uh, uh, um, "You have
doomed them all."
And now it's gone and
k*lled the damn dwarf.
Just like she said.
That animal didn't
k*ll the dwarf.
How do you know that?
Because I know.
Well, maybe that's not
good enough right now
with the four of us
trying to k*ll each other
in the middle of the night!
I think we deserve to hear
a bit more about this animal.
Yeah, what the
hell is it, Stranger?
Lower your blades
and I'll tell you.
[swords clinking]
I captured the Beast
of Black River.
[scoffs] You lie.
I'm sorry, should I know
this beast of Black River?
Yeah, for the past
15 years, maybe more,
no traveler dare cross
the Black River forest.
There's a beast there.
It'll tear your limb from limb.
Large bounty on its head.
Most hunters gave
up on it years ago.
Why?
Because they're dead.
The beast is shackled and caged.
And that iron has held
strong across half of Deira.
It cannot escape.
In my experience, cages
hold until they don't.
Hang on, hang on.
You had a chance to k*ll
the Beast of Black River,
and instead, you
captured it live.
- Why?
- That's not your concern.
No, no, no, that is our concern.
Because if that's the beast
that you've brought here,
you've put us all at risk.
Now, the keeper of
the inn is dead,
in what seems like a fulfillment
of a witch's soothsaying.
And I think we deserve
to see for ourselves
whether that thing is
still in its cage or not!
I have to agree.
You're not going to that barn.
Why the hell not, Stranger?
If you think that's so secure,
then what's the danger?
The danger is there is a
m*rder*r in here with us.
Yeah, who is it, then?
I don't know!
But it's not the beast!
Are you sure?
Whatever's in your wagon,
it is cursed.
See?
Even the girl agrees.
Get back in the larder.
Stay with Erid.
Lock the door.
You, come with me.
You can see for yourself
that it hasn't escaped.
You two, stay here.
The hell with that,
we're coming too.
Fine!
But when we get back,
I don't wanna hear another
word about this beast.
Understood?
Yeah, yeah, of
course, mate, yeah.
[ominous music]
[footsteps tapping]
[thunder rumbling]
[rain pattering]
[ominous music]
I couldn't find them, Arlin.
I couldn't find my
parents' graves at Lynwith.
Erid.
When I touched the woman's arm,
I saw the dead of Lynwith.
The village burning.
I saw it because she
was ashamed of it.
And I thought it was just
the guilt of surviving,
I didn't realize it was the
guilt of having done it herself.
I still don't understand why
she came for you, though.
The old witch went mad.
[Arlin] Your face.
You're hurt.
It must be from
the witch grabbed me.
It's fine.
[thunder rumbling]
I think we need
to tell the Stranger
you met Mahitable
before yesterday.
No one needs to know that.
They wouldn't understand.
I think the Stranger would.
He knew Marek.
He was her friend.
The witch said it
was Szorlok's power
that slaughtered the village.
Could it somehow be what
k*lled Giblock as well?
I don't know.
The others have gone to check
on the Stranger's wagon.
It may be what Mahitable
will warned of when she died.
Erid, I think it's the beast
that attacked Lynwith years ago.
The beast that
k*lled our parents.
- I want to see it.
- No.
No.
I, I promised the
Stranger we'd stay here.
Please.
Sleep, you need your rest.
[dramatic music]
That beast is a
pitiful creature.
Whatever it is, it hates itself.
I think, deep down, all
lethal things hate themselves.
[lock clattering]
See, secure.
Now, wait, how do
we know that thing
is in there at all, huh?
[ominous music]
[Rhistel grunts]
We can't see nothing in here.
But, wait, no, no, not yet,
there's something in there.
[lock clattering]
That's enough.
No, hang on, hang on.
Yeah, gimme that lantern, eh?
[horse neighing]
[ominous music]
Hey, this ain't a beast!
I don't think this
is an animal at all.
All right, come on down.
[Stranger grunting]
You've got a man in
there, Stranger, huh?
Why are you lying
to us about it?
Oh, I'm not lying.
Yeah, we'll see about that, eh?
[keys clattering]
[ominous music]
There's only one reason
why you would want us
believing that this is a beast,
and not a man.
[door creaking]
[ominous music]
See that?
You're a red and
black lover, huh?
You've been transporting
a Vitalion to his freedom!
Shut the door.
Oh, I'm sick of you acting
like you're in charge.
I'm the gods damned in their
graves marshal, not you!
[horse neighs]
Looks like we're
gonna be spilling
some Vitalion blood
tonight, eh, Ley?
[door creaking]
[footsteps tapping]
[dramatic music]
[dramatic music continues]
[door thuds]
[ominous music]
[man grunting]
[Rhistel grunts]
Oh, you don't wanna fight back?
You think that's gonna make
this go quicker for you,
you're wrong.
I'm enjoying this.
Ah, don't worry, your
apothecary friend is next.
[beast growls]
See?
Rhistel, leave him be.
Yeah, crawl away, scum!
You're a real b*tch b*stard,
you know that, Stranger?
You know aiding in a Vitalion
in their escape from Deira
is a hanging offense.
Are you hearing me?
You're a dead man, Stranger.
- Lock the door.
- [beast grunting and thudding]
Lock that door.
[beast growls]
[beast roars]
[Stranger grunts]
[beast roars]
[Stranger grunts]
[beast roars]
[bones crack]
[sword clinks]
[beast growls and roars]
[Stranger grunts]
[beast growls and roars]
[Stranger groans]
[body thuds]
[Stranger groaning]
[beast growling]
[Stranger groaning]
[beast roaring]
[thunder rumbling]
[ominous music]
[beast growling]
Erid.
Erid.
[Arlin groans]
[body thuds]
[Erid grunts]
[magic booms]
[beast groans]
It was you.
You k*lled Master Giblock!
You, Erid!
[footsteps tapping]
[beast growling]
[door thuds]
[Arlin gasping]
[rain pattering]
[Stranger panting]
You all right?
Yes, but Erid.
[dramatic music]
Thane!
Thane.
[ominous music]
Erid?
[body thuds]
[Rhistel] Aymon, dead.
Leyaris.
[Stranger gasps]
Erid.
Erid!
He hasn't come back.
Oh, it's my fault.
I should never have
brought the beast here.
Don't move.
Please.
I've sewn you the best I
can but the wound is deep.
The boy's a m*rder*r.
If that beast hasn't
got to him already,
he's gonna pay for his crime.
Has Erid ever done
anything like that before?
What he did to the beast?
Not like that.
There were times
when we were young,
if he was upset, he could hurt
people without touching them.
Hurt people?
Make them suddenly ill or weak.
Told Giblock about it once.
Called it Devilry.
Tried to beat it out of him.
It's been years since
it happened, though.
We'd almost forgotten about it.
Almost?
I should have told you.
Erid was afraid to
let anyone know.
But it wasn't yesterday
he first met the witch.
Last moon, he happened
upon her on the mountain
and she asked him
about his gift.
How did she know about it?
I don't know.
But she said she wanted
to help him with it.
Teach him to use it properly.
I, I told him to
stay away from her,
but he thought it
would get us closer
to becoming a team of
heroes like the Red Thorns.
Twice, he snuck out at night
after Giblock had gone to bed
to meet her at her cottage.
And Lynwith, did he go
there to meet her too?
No.
I don't know.
That's not what he told me
but I fear he's been
keeping secrets.
But you didn't suspect
that he k*lled your master?
No, but.
When I examined again
the witch's arm,
it became suddenly clear
to me the same magic
that k*lled Giblock was used
against the witch at Lynwith.
With who else would try
to protect the village
from the witch but Erid?
Why did the beast go after
Erid, like it was drawn to him?
I don't know.
I do.
It was sealed dark
magic the boy wields.
Among my people,
when someone is
cursed by dark magic,
he forever recognizes
it in others.
The beast senses within the boy
that same power that has
tormented him for years.
Ley, Arlin, he, he needs.
[Arlin gasps]
It's time to say
goodbye, partner.
No.
And I won't say it,
you knife-eared baster.
The boy.
To be so young
to wield the power of death.
It can twist a man.
Ley?
Ley? [sobbing]
Gods. [sobbing]
Oh, gods. [sobbing]
[birds chirping]
[Stranger sips]
[Stranger grunts]
I heard you out there
calling for Thane.
That beast wasn't Thane
of the Red Thorns?
It once was.
What happened to him?
Well, sometime after
the year of the dead,
after he and Teela had
set up life together
as husband and wife,
Thane was cursed [groans]
by a sorcerer who called
himself The Disciple.
The Disciple?
Yeah.
Thane remembers little
about how it happened,
but one thing he's certain of,
The Disciple k*lled Teela.
For more than 15 years,
Thane remained a beast.
How did you find him?
I was only after the bounty.
But when I realized that
the creature was cursed,
I thought that curing it might
be easier than k*lling it.
Finally, I worked out a mixture
of monkshood and star
leaf that did the trick.
But I wasn't prepared
for the man who emerged,
or the condition he would be in.
The little that Thane remembered
only made him want to die.
And his form, his
form wasn't stable,
so I had to keep him
caged for his own safety
as much as anyone else's.
Where were you taking him?
They say there are still
masters of the old magic
in Golgoshia.
So I was headed there
in the hope for a permanent
release for the curse.
Finding Thane,
[sighs] it felt like a chance
to make amends to Marek.
I was too cowardly to
help her in my youth
but now I could help her friend.
Her friend, who had
been the brave companion
that she needed, to stand
by her, when I wouldn't.
[Stranger sighs]
Failing Thane now
feels like failing
Marek all over again.
Wait.
[footsteps tapping]
[gentle music]
Your name is Egan.
The apothecary's apprentice.
You, you made Marek's leg brace.
She wore it for years.
She wouldn't have been
able to escape without it.
She, she couldn't have done
half the things she did
if it weren't for your kindness.
You've more than made
up for any cowardice.
I failed you, and Erid as well.
Even trying makes you
the most selfless man
to ever walk
through those doors.
Arlin, there's something that
I need to talk to you about.
Something that I found
in Giblock's room.
Oi!
There's smoke, up on a mountain!
That's Mahitable's chimney.
Erid must have
gone to a cottage.
He's alive!
Yeah, makes it easy enough, ey?
What, what are you doing?
You're going after him?
Oh, yeah, and I'm haul him
to the Magistrate's Court.
He's just a boy, he's confused.
He's a sl*ve who
k*lled his master.
That's not going unpunished.
What's more, the dwarf's m*rder
directly led to my
partner's death.
No, your own stupidity did that.
I'm putting that boy
in shackles, right?
And if he shows any resistance,
magic or otherwise,
I'm gonna k*ll him!
I'll come with you.
[chuckles] What?
So you can protect him from me?
[panting] If that elf was right,
then the beast is
after the boy as well,
and you don't want to be
alone when you cross its path.
I don't want the boy hurt.
I'll convince him
to come willingly.
You can hardly stand up, mate.
How are you gonna
climb that mountain?
[footsteps tapping]
[dramatic music]
Fine.
Fine, we'll go together.
You just remember, this is
marshal's business, all right?
I'm in charge, eh?
You're in charge.
You've given up hope for Thane.
You're willing to k*ll him?
Trying to cure him
has cost too many lives.
If k*lling him means sparing
another of his victims,
then it has to be
the right choice.
I want to go with you.
Whatever's happening with Erid,
he thinks he's all alone in it.
And he's scared.
You have to stay here
in case he returns.
I won't let the
boy come to harm.
You have my word.
[dramatic music]
[owl hooting]
[Egan panting]
[dramatic music]
[Egan grunts]
[dramatic music continues]
[Egan spits]
[Mahitable] You
have doomed them all.
[water splashing]
[bottles clattering]
Where is it?
[voices whispering indistinctly]
[ominous music]
[voices whispering]
[box clattering]
[can clatters]
[lock creaks]
[voices whispering]
[ominous music continues]
[lid creaking]
Erid.
[ominous music]
Do you know who that belongs to?
It was mine.
[Erid] Szorlok?
[Szorlok] Yes.
[Erid] Why is it here?
I cannot say.
Mahitable and her conjurings
were after my time.
But you know one who
can, don't you, Erid?
One who could grant
you what you wish most.
To know where you come from.
To know who you are.
The Disciple.
[Szorlok chuckles softly]
Only he can give you
the answers you seek.
Mahitable warned me
to stay away from him.
[chuckles] Yes, she would.
She feared you, didn't she?
The Disciple will not fear you.
He will put you on the
path to your destiny.
[ominous music]
[Erid] I don't want this.
You are singular.
The gift you bear is a burden,
and a lonely one.
The Disciple
understands that, Erid.
You must seek him out.
Can Arlin then come with me?
Arlin wouldn't understand.
She sees you only
as a m*rder*r now.
Just as the witch did.
Only the Disciple
can help you now.
You're lying.
Arlin's still my my friend.
You know I'm right.
You feel it.
Or you wouldn't have
run away from her.
No.
Leave me alone.
[ominous music]
Go away!
[jar grunts]
[Egan grunts]
I'll go in alone.
I don't want the boy frightened.
If you are not
back with him soon,
I'm coming in after
you both, okay?
[door clicks]
[suspenseful music]
- Erid.
- No.
You, stay back!
What are you doing here?
I just wanna talk to you.
Son, the beast is
loose on this mountain.
We think he's coming after you.
I don't believe you.
This power you have,
the thing that came outta
you when the beast attacked,
the power that k*lled Giblock.
It scares people.
But I bet it's pretty damn
scary for you too, isn't it?
See, I once had a friend
with the same power.
Marek?
Yes.
[Egan chuckles]
That power scared me.
It scared everyone
who witnessed it.
And people told her that
there was an evil inside her.
She began to wonder
if they were right.
But Marek learned how
to control that power.
She decided to use it for good.
It's that power that Marek
used to save the world.
But it's also that power
that the beast is drawn to,
that's why we need to
get you off this mountain
and down to safety.
Mm, if I,
if I go with you,
what's gonna happen to me?
[Egan sighs]
You k*lled your master.
You'll have to face the
consequences of that
but I will be with you
every step of the way,
right by your side.
I'll plead lenience in
front of the magistrate.
I will protect you.
Maybe I don't
need your protection
from the beast or
the magistrate.
You saw what I did to it.
But you really want to
spend the rest of your life
running in fear?
I'm an orphan and a sl*ve!
My whole life has been fear!
Erid, it doesn't have
to be that way anymore.
Please come.
Come with me, huh?
No.
[magic humming]
[ominous music]
[magic booms]
[Egan screams]
[footsteps tapping]
[Egan groaning and coughs]
- Are you-
- I'm all right!
Erid, how could you?
He wants to see me punished!
That's all any of them
want to do with me!
The witch, Master
Giblock, all of them!
Why did you do it?
Why did you k*ll Giblock?
I gone down to the cellar
to retrieve the talisman
from Mahitable's body.
The key to my past,
she called it.
Giblock couldn't sleep.
You couldn't make sense of it.
The witch, so
determined to k*ll me
she was willing to die trying.
When I got up from the
cellar, he was waiting for me.
Boy.
[ominous music]
It was you.
You know, you got evil in ya.
I've always known it.
Don't deny it, you
snuck out before.
You're doing it again.
I don't want-
[Giblock grunts]
[fist thuds]
And let that be a
lesson to you, lad.
[ominous music]
[Erid] He was gonna
separate us, Arlin.
And then he figured out what
really happened at Lynwith.
What do you mean?
The witch's vengeance
wasn't what curse
the village, was it?
I didn't mean to.
It just happened.
I just wanted them back, Arlin.
Your parents?
You thought you could bring
them back from the dead?
Is that, that's why you were
looking for their graves?
I could have done it.
Is that what Mahitable
was teaching you?
No.
The witch was scared of my gift.
She only wanted to show
me how to restrain it.
[suspenseful music]
When I got to the
graveyard that morning,
my parents' names weren't
there, among the dead.
But Mahitable Crow was there.
That's when she confessed.
It wasn't the beast
that k*lled my parents
all those years ago.
It was her.
She wouldn't tell me why.
Only that she regrets
it everyday since,
and that it was her fault
that I was born the way I was,
with this gift.
This cursed power of Szorlok.
[intense music]
I didn't mean to
hurt the villagers.
Only her.
[magic booms]
[fire crackling]
And when she saw what
I'd done to Lynwith,
she blamed herself.
Erid!
Erid!
[Erid] She said the
only way she could fix
what she'd done was to k*ll me.
Erid, you should have told me.
I was afraid you'd hate me.
How could you not?
Your, your gift is so good.
Mine's evil.
I will never hate you, Erid.
You will never lose me.
We're a team.
We always will be.
But right now we need
to get to safety,
'cause the beast is
still on the mountain.
Right, that's enough
jabbering on in here.
What's going on?
Rhistel, it's fine.
Did it again, did he?
Boy, you are gonna hang
for what you've done.
I'll make sure of it!
No!
Erid!
[Erid grunts]
[suspenseful music]
Rhistel, wait!
He's more powerful
than we think!
Don't you move,
you little shite.
You try any of that dark magic,
I'll send this poison bolt
right through your heart.
Rhistel, Rhistel, stay back.
[magic humming]
[ominous music]
Erid!
She doesn't understand.
None of them do.
They'll only fear you.
You cannot trust them.
You can only trust yourself.
[magic humming]
[ominous music]
[Erid grunts]
Erid, no.
[stick thuds]
[bodies thud]
[Arlin coughs]
[ominous music]
[Egan coughs]
[both panting]
You shouldn't have come.
The witch's warning.
I realized it wasn't
about the beast.
She meant Erid.
After what he did to Linwood.
Mahitable was trying to stop him
from harming anyone
else tonight.
I didn't see it because
I didn't want to
but Erid's become too dangerous!
[magic howls]
Arlin?
[Arlin gasping]
[ominous music]
Erid!
You said we'd always be a team.
We still can be.
[Arlin groaning]
You're right, Arlin.
I am dangerous.
And I don't need you anymore!
[magic roaring]
[Arlin groaning]
[beast growling]
[ominous music]
[beast growling]
[magic howls]
[beast groaning]
[owl screeches]
[Erid groans]
[owl screeches]
[Erid groans]
[Egan grunts]
[magic howls]
[owl screeching]
[Egan panting]
[suspenseful music]
[owl screeches]
[wings whoosh]
[beast growls]
I'm sorry, Thane.
[arrow whooshes]
[beast whimpers]
[Egan panting]
[beast groaning]
[dramatic music]
Erid!
Where are you going?
To find out who I am.
If you come looking for me,
I won't hold back.
We're enemies now.
Arlin.
I can redress this.
I can.
[Egan groaning]
Please.
[dramatic music]
[Egan panting]
This is.
That belonged
to Teela.
Your mother.
My mother?
And.
And my.
My father.
Thane.
[Arlin cries]
[dramatic music]
They would be so proud of you.
No, please, please
don't leave me.
You'll be all right, Arlin.
You're braver than you think.
[Arlin sobbing]
No, please, no!
No! [sobs]
[wings whooshing]
[magic whooshes]
[Teela panting and sobbing]
[Arlin crying]
[dramatic music]
Arlin!
[Teela gasps and grunts]
No, please!
[Teela grunts]
[magic whooshes]
[wings whooshing]
[gentle music]
[footsteps tapping]
[pages thudding]
[gentle music continues]
[footsteps tapping]
[crowd chattering]
[Tavern Patron] Ey,
Rhistel, where's my mead?
Yeah, all right, all right.
[Tavern Patron]
I've been waitin'!
Oi, keep your unders on!
Ah, you're off then.
Well, there's no
claim on you for now,
but if any relation
to Gibs turns up,
you'll be their legal property.
You'll go to them.
And so will this tavern
you've taken ownership of.
Huh.
I guess we'll both be hoping
that old dwarf's the last
of his line, eh? [chuckles]
Arlin.
[gentle music]
Mind yourself out there, yeah?
[footsteps tapping]
[door creaking]
[door thuds]
[water sloshing]
[gentle music continues]
[lid thuds]
[objects clattering]
[lid clicks]
[horse neighing]
[door creaks]
[gentle music]
[cart creaking]
[feather whooshes]
[gentle music]
I wandered this
world for so long
Many thousand years
What names I could speak
Mighty ones, mourned
with ancient tears
Stars burned out, still
I can't let go of you
Seas dried up
and valleys move
Only you could move me
Empires and races
sunk beneath the Earth
And still, your names
live on my breath
Echoes passing slowly
A world that was free
Golden leaves,
forest full of wonder
Now known but to me
All are gone
No one's called me brother
On these tread, all to
ash and spread their death
Will you have me linger here
All I've seen
and can't forget
I would give my next
10,000 silver moons
Just for one
more day with you
Take me home, across the sea
Across the sea
Echoes passing slowly
[pensive music]
[pensive music continues]
[pensive music continues]
[pensive music continues]
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Mythica: Stormbound (2023)
Moderators: Maskath3, sidolanters, GabrielAlejo2341