Spawn of the Outworlder

Chapter 5-Shadows Follow Close Behind Me

The old Blackwell home was filled with clutters of unorganized papers and parchments. Dust clung to them and filled the air with a stale scent. The entry room connected to what could presumably be the dining room which connected to what was presumably the kitchen. Aside from a dividing wall between the kitchen and dining room, it appeared that there was only one other room in the entirety of the house. The brother's room, I assume, thought Luna.

The home, if it could be called that, was bare of any of the traditional furnishings. No chairs, no drawers or cabinets. In their place were a series of cracked or broken weapons that lay along the walls. Swords, bows, shields and even massive hammers of various sizes and quality cluttered around the home. In the corners of the home were cobwebs, filled with the remains of the insects unlucky enough to come into contact with them. From within, Luna could clearly see the night stars shining through the various holes in the flat roof. The only light coming from a single lantern sitting in the center of the home.

"So your brother chooses to live like this?" asked Luna, taking a step further into the home and noting how the floorboards felt ready to give, A kreek! crying into the night with each step she took.

"Well, as I said, he hardly stays here," began Graham, entering behind her. "So it's more of a boarding house than a home."

"Hmm," was all she replied. As they spoke, the door from the other room began to groan. Soon, the door opened and Paul Blackwell stepped out, carrying a somewhat large bag upon his left shoulder.

"Ah, there you two are!" Paul bellowed out. "Been waiting all night for ya. Weren't sneaking off for a bit of alone time, were you?" he asked with a somewhat suggestive tone. Luna did her best to mask her annoyance.

Upon realizing his joke had fallen flat, Paul continued. "Well, anyways, I've been getting some stuff together that I'm pretty sure you'll need. Supplies, healing balm, a few guide books to pass the time. Popped by your house and got a few spare clothes, although I recommend you stop by Quadra, if you get the chance. Closest tailor nearby and could make you something a bit more comfortable."

As he lowered the bag, his eyes appeared to drawn to the strange axe Graham held. "Ah, Peter finished the Wyrmscale Axe, did he?"

This drew Luna's attention. "I'm sorry, Wyrmscale, was it?"

"Ah, you didn't tell her, Graham?" replied Paul, who now saw that his brother was just as confused as Luna. "Ah, okay. So, a bit of a story there. Our father was a bit of a sailor back in the day. Before either of us was born, even. And, allegedly, on one of his seafaring journeys, he swore that he and his crew encountered a Wyrm. I imagine you know what a Wyrm is, miss?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me," answered Luna with a hint of impatience.

"Well," continued Paul. "Wyrms are nasty, legless creatures. Similar to serpents, although, being the warped progeny of dragons, they are also massive in size and vicious towards man. And while they hold nowhere near as much power as a dragon, they are quite dangerous in that they hold the power to shift their shape. Now, he never explained exactly how it happened, but somehow, our father managed to take one of the beast's scales.

"When our parents came to this village, our father tried to convince Peter the smith to make a powerful weapon from this scale. But the mayor would have none of it. Claimed that smithing weapons would only bring the 'wrong kind of element' to the town."

While continuing his story, Paul reached out for the axe his brother held. "Thankfully, with news that the Empire was sending down someone to the town, I was able to convince him to finally allow it."