User blog:Wuldnakest/The Cat and the Bird Part 6

       My jiangshi got off of me. I was surprised at how something so dull and stiff as a board would be able to do...that. She sat herself down on my floor, leaned up against the wall with her head back. I picked up my clothes and I was surprised at how well she handled the fabrics. There were no tears or stretches anywhere.



       As I put my gloves on, I watched her breathing heavily on the floor. Her joints started to thin out a bit and her veins popped out of her skin briefly. She tilted her head back and sighed. "That was fun, Master," she smiled. Her words weren't slurred and she turned her head to face me. Clearly she wasn't so stiff anymore, and it seems her intelligence went up as well. She picked her talisman off the ground which had accidentally fallen off during the fun, and she looked at it. Then she looked up at me. "What else can I assist you with?"



       "I need you to be my medical assistant. But, uh, what do you mean 'what else?'" I asked referring to how Xuan asked the jiangshi to do what she just did, not me.



        "Well obviously you made me to be your sex partner," she laughed, "Who doesn't revive a jiangshi except to be his sex partner?"



<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       I looked away and then stammered, "O-obviously not me," I gave a fake laugh and hoped that'd be the end of it. I turned back to my clothes to let her know I wasn't wanting more.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       "Oh my," she put her hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry, this must be really awkward for you." She stood up and walked over to me. She gave me a nice surprise by hugging me from behind in a very tight embrace. "I'll make sure to take things nice and slow for you."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       "Right," I began as I tried to get out of her grip, "Well right now you and I have a lot of work to do curing patients." I looked down at her hands and saw her glowing fingernails. "Why are your fingers glowing?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       She hugged me tighter. "Magic. I can make you want me," she said as she pressed her fingernails lightly against my skin, "and I can make minions out of women." She turned me around and grinned, "And I can also scratch deep into things that want to hurt my master."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">        I wasn't sure how well she'd actually turn out as my assistant after hearing that, especially with how the sick like to walk towards me in a way that could either be hostile or desperate. "Well, a few conditions then. No scratching people. Also no scratching me, especially when we're working."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       She unhanded me and stood straight and tall, the top of her head even with my nose. "Got it! So what do we do to begin?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       "First you're going to fix what you caused by helping me get dressed," I told her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">        She smiled and blushed as she looked away. "Alright." She handed me my belt when I had my cloak on, and then my hood. After that I made sure my mask was filled with flowers and put it on. My jiangshi yelped when she saw me in my mask with no skin showing, and my hood emphasizing my round head. "You look like some kind of bird-man! Are you sure this is what you should be wearing? A really sick person might die of terror if you walk into their house."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       I put on my flat brimmed hat and faced her. "Of course. I need all this. My black cloak and gloves and hood are dipped in wax to keep the bad smells that carry the disease off my clothes so I don't carry it around. And my mask is long like this to hold flowers and sweet smelling things. The air holes are way on the tip, and between those and my nose are flowers so I don't get the disease by breathing in the bad smells."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">        <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">  <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"Wow," she said with her mind recovering from being blown, "so that's how disease works. Do I get a fancy costume, too?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">        <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">  <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"No."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">        <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">  <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"Why not? What if I get sick, too?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">        <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">  <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"You won't because you're undead. You don't have a living body for the disease to take hold of. Plus you don't even breathe."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">        <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">  <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"Who says I don't breathe?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">        <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">  <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">I responded by grabbing and pinching her nose shut. She stared at my fingers in confusion for a few moments and then looked up at me with her look of absolutely no idea of how to respond. "W-what are you doing?" she finally asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">        <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">  <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">I responded by putting my finger over her lips and calmly shushing her. We both stood for a few moments like this until I let go. "See? If you breathed you'd be gasping for air."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">        Her response was to grumble in irritation, but she seemed eager to help me out. I grabbed my jiangshi's wrist just like she grabbed mine earlier, and I pulled her out of my house with me. "Oh, also," I began, "Why are you acting like a normal person now?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Because you gave me some energy," she explained. "I can use the energy you give me to stop my joints from stiffening and also boost my intelligence. You make me a better assistant."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> I looked at her as we walked toward the graves. "So the more...er...sex we have, the more powerful you become? What if...I don't know, I used magic on you directly?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">She paused to ponder that. "I don't know, master. I think it'd affect me the way it's supposed to. I can't gain energy from magic spells, if that's what you're asking."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Well...maybe that's not so bad," I thought back at how interesting she was during sex. I looked up ahead to find the graves almost upon us. "Here," I picked up a small shovel and gave it to my jiangshi, "I need you to dig up these bodies and place them in that wheelbarrow."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> She knocked the shovel out of my hands and gasped at me. "Never! We can't desecrate these graves! That's the third biggest sin!"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> I sighed. "I'm sure it's OK. We're just removing the bodies to keep the living from being infected. I'm sure the gods will turn a blind eye. Plus we have...er had a priest here who was watching over us. I don't know where he went off to. Anyway, I'm sure it's OK for us to dig up these bodies if it's to protect the living."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> She looked at the shovel, then at the graves, and then at me. "OK," she finally caved, "But if this dooms our souls to the Underworld, I'm going to be in charge when we get there."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Fair enough," I replied as I handed her the shovel again.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> My jianghsi went to the closest grave and plunged the shovel into the dirt. I watched her intently, not because I was fascinated by her digging, but because no dirt seemed to get on her hands or clothes, despite it clearly being able to. It was mesmerizing, even doing this filthy job, my zombie stayed clean.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">    Despite the small shovel, it didn't take long to dig up the first corpse. By now it had rotted and the boils on the skin had deflated, but I could see the scars they left behind. Its clothes were still intact, so it wasn’t a very old cadaver. Perhaps only ten days old. I looked at the corpse, and then to my jiangshi, and I was amazed at how alive she looked compared to this corpse that hadn't been dead nearly as long as she had been. I picked it up and pulled it out of the dirt with the help of my jiangshi, and we placed it on the cart. With her uninfectable body, and my protective clothing, we didn't have to worry about getting sick from these cadavers. Moving onto the next grave, I began digging again. This body was still rotted, albeit not as bad as the last. I could make out the scars from his boils, and his skin wasn't so distorted.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       Each body was fresher than the last, and it became evident that Xao's villagers buried the deceased progressively farther from the village in this line. The last body I dug up only looked a day or so old, and I was extra careful not to get any fluids from this one on me. I helped my jiangshi load it into the cart, and then we both pulled it to where Gungtu suggested: up the mountain where the winds are strong, to carry the bad air away from Xao. I made my jiangshi stop the cart while I went to grab the priest again. I went to the temple, where I'd expect to find him, and luckily he was there. Through a series of hand signals and motions, I was able to get him to follow me up the mountain. The priest was careful to always keep me between the jiangshi and him. I never figured out what the villagers had against jiangshis. We walked next to the car as my jiangshi pulled it with her inhuman strength, and we continued up the mountain for what seemed like hours.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       As per my rules, the priest wasn't allowed to pull the wagon or touch the bodies since he didn't have any protection against the ailment. In fact, he was very sure to keep a healthy distance between himself and me with the cadavers, and especially between himself and the jiangshi. As we got near the mountain's top, I was worried my jaingshi would be tiring herself, so I grabbed the cart's handle and helped her pull it up the mountain. At first it was fine, but soon with each step the wagon became heavier and heavier against my tiring muscles, and I began to secretly regret helping my incredibly stong jiangshi pull a cart, but I could tell she very much appreciated my help.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       Finally we made it to a high point on the mountain where the wind was sufficient. With my long cloak acting as a sail, I found it hard to not fall over. The priest seemed to do just fine, however, with his robe tightly bound to him by a belt and a band on each of his wrists and ankles. My jiangshi kept her hands on her robe to stop it from flapping around, but only if it was to keep the priest from seeing what only her master was allowed to see.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       He looked at me when we stopped. I could still see in his eyes that he wasn't used to my garb, and probably never will be. I nodded to him as I set the wagon chocks to keep it from rolling back down the mountain. He produced a book from his pouch - a holy book I assumed - and began to read the deceased their rites in a language I didn't know.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       I grabbed a body and pulled it out of the cart. I could see the boils on its face, a telltale sign of the plague my people brought here. My jaingshi helped me pull the body to a hole the workers dug while I unearthed the deceased. I placed the body into the hole and went back to the wagon to get the next one. It was getting dark, and my mask was already hard enough to see out of in the daylight, but at least I was almost done.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       One by one my jiangshi and I unloaded the bodies from the cart and drug them to the fire pit. The priest continued reading the rites for each body as I carried them. When I placed the last body, I started charging my magic. Since I couldn't remove my gloves, I had to concentrate much harder than normal to create fire outside my gloves. While my magic charged up but before the fires lit, I noticed the mist thickening around our little fire pit as the sun had set and the temperatures dropped. I also looked out toward the town, and I could see the lights and the mist was beginning to cover the town's lights, but periodically a clear pocket of air would rush by. I turned back to the pile of bodies in the fire pit when my magic was almost finished charging and outstretched my arms.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       With both palms pointed at the bodies, fire began to burn the air around my gloved hands until there was enough that I could cast fire at the bodies. I pulled my hands in a little bit to grab some of this ambient magic of the Mist Continent. I moved my left arm up and my right arm down to catch more energy, and the flames grew bigger. I outstretched my arms again and paused, letting the energy settle before throwing a ball of fire with each hand several times at different parts of the pile of cadavers. Within seconds I had set the fire pit ablaze, and I calmed my magic. I turned around and began towards the priest away from the fire. I didn't want the wax on my clothes to melt off.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       The priest stared at me, I assume because I was able to use magic without harming my gloves. I nodded once at him since speaking to him was out of the question. As I walked away from my growing fire, I noticed a few lights in the river through the mist. Obviously they were boats, but I was certain I didn’t see any boats or rafts in Xao. I took my place next to him, but I was careful to keep a meter or so between us for his safety. I looked back at the priest, but I knew he wouldn’t be able to tell me anything about it. Instead, I inspected my gloves to make sure they weren't damaged, but it was unlikely they were, being that I was a Goidelic wizard.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       Most Goidelic mages could use magic better than anyone not trained in the Goidel Islands, thanks to our ancestors' gathering arcane knowledge from their Elven slave masters before rebelling and escaping to the archipelago to begin anew. Elves, while rarely encountered, were formidable foes in the arcane, but nearly any other humans were no match, save for the exceptional divine-blessed hero, but realistically it was unlikely for a Goidelic mage to fight a hero.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       My jiangshi approached me, and took a place next to me. She hooked her arm around mine and leaned against me as she watched the fire grow. "I hope we didn't anger the gods," she said quietly. I was surprised at how intelligent and emotional she was despite being an undead. To comfort her, I unhooked my arm from hers and wrapped it around her, pulling her into a hug. She sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder, and I was glad she seemed to be feeling better.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       The priest watched the burning bodies for a while with me, but soon he spoke to get my attention, even though I couldn't understand him. He pointed to himself and then down the mountain in the direction of Xao, and I understood that he was going home. I nodded once and briefly waved to let him know he was free to go.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">       The pyre was burning nicely for a long time, carrying its smoke high into the mists surrounding the mountain, and I looked down the mountain at Xao. The town's lights could barely be seen through the mists, and I looked for the mysterious collection of lights embedded in the forest across the river. I looked again for the lights on the river, but they weren't there as I had assumed. I looked back at Xao just as a thick cloud moved in front of it, and then back to the pyre. I was nearly ready to go, but not before dousing myself in very sweet-smelling perfume, just to be safe.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">