Majai Presents Pagan Hills: Beige

CHAPTER 3: Yardenima: Part 1

The two experienced members collected themselves while the rest of their party regrouped around them before Charon. Ralph meticulously cleaned his attire, aiming to keep up his appearance of neatness. Corvus grinned, sliding his dagger into its sheath on his belt with a practiced ease. "Have you vented everything you needed to?" Charon inquired, his voice retaining its usual flat tone.

"Charon, playing favorites isn't exactly fair, you know," Ralph pointed out. "That doesn't really embody the spirit of fairness!"

"And how fair was it for you to challenge your Praedicator, I ponder." Ralph clicked his tongue, disregarding Charon's words as he kept tending to his appearance.

"Praedicator? You mean you're a clergyman?" Louie burst out, his voice cutting through the air. His words prompted the entire group to turn their heads in Corvus's direction. Mika's eyes widened slightly, a hint of concern flickering across her face as she quietly awaited Corvus's answer. Meanwhile, Corvus, appearing unfazed by Louie's remark and the collective gaze upon him, raised another cone to his mouth.

"I believe we've spent ample time indulging our visitors. Wouldn't you agree, Charon?" Corvus inquired.

"As I've mentioned before, I'm hardly overwhelmed with tasks at present," Charon pointed out. Corvus chuckled as he pulled out the black Drachma coin, notable for its goat engraving, from his pocket.

"Appreciate you officiating the challenge, old friend." Corvus beamed at the towering figure of the Ferryman, who stood ten feet tall. He reached out, presenting the Drachma in his hand. "We require passage for nine to Pagan Hills, if you please." Charon let out a profound sigh as he stooped over Corvus to take the Drachma from his grasp.

"Skarr won't take kindly to you consistently misnaming Yardenima," Charon cautioned.

"I'll handle Skarr in the usual way," Corvus replied sharply as he ignited the cone between his lips. "By proving myself correct." Both Corvus and Ralph shared a laugh, though Charon remained unamused, letting out another sigh.

Grasping the tall black staff in his hand, Charon lifted it slightly before turning towards the Styx River, then plunged it into the water. In that moment, Corvus shut his eyes, concentrating on their journey ahead. He recalled his early military days, a fresh recruit from Chicago at Fort Riley, Kansas, eager to carve out a new path for himself. One of his initial endeavors was to persuade any soldier who would listen to teach him driving, but as a newcomer, he found no takers. That changed when a considerate soldier in his brigade took notice of his situation.

Just as Corvus began to sink into his recollections of Ralph and their bond, he swiftly shifted his focus to the memory of the white 2015 Nissan Altima he acquired after Ralph assisted him in obtaining his driver's license. As these memories surfaced, a turbulent churning erupted from the Styx River around the base of Charon's staff.

"Looks like he's managed it once more," Ralph observed. With his eyes still shut, a smile crept across Corvus's face. Charon let out a grunt, withdrawing his staff from the Styx's depths. As he did so, a symphony of groans and stifled cries followed the parting of the dark waters. He directed the staff towards the shore, and as it emerged, the river's surface bulged with massive, dark globs.

"What in the world is happening now," Mr. Dubois cried. Mr. Dubois was the first to panic, bolting away. Mrs. Dubois quickly latched onto her husband's shirt collar to halt his escape.

The rest of the group merely retreated a few paces, utterly aghast at the disturbing spectacle unfolding before them. As Charon kept drawing the staff away, the globs began to morph into animal heads. With each passing moment, as the shapes pulled from the water grew clearer, Mika recognized the form of what Charon was summoning from the river. "Horses!" she exclaimed.

With unwavering resolve, Charon kept pulling at the pole, gradually revealing what lay beneath the surface of the Styx. Each effort he made caused the dark, thick muck of the river to peel away, unveiling the elegant head of a white horse. The process repeated, each tug bringing more of these noble creatures into view, their sleek forms cutting through the gloom of the river's grasp. It became increasingly clear that these horses were not alone; they were harnessed to something larger, something that remained obscured by the river's depths.

As each horse was freed from the river's clutches, their connection to a larger entity hinted at a carriage, likely grand in design, still entangled within the Styx. The horses, now partially liberated, seemed impatient, their hooves pawing at the air, eager to break free completely from the shadows of the underworld river. "Ralph!" Corvus shouted, darting towards the horses with urgency in his steps.

"Got it," Ralph quickly replied, following Corvus's lead. Together, the experienced duo skillfully detached the horses one after the other. With each release, the horses expressed their freedom with joyful neighs, roaming the grassy expanse at ease. Persistently, Corvus and Ralph proceeded until they had liberated all nine horses, preventing the carriage from dragging them back towards the gloomy bounds of Styx.

Oliver was visibly the most thrilled, his face lighting up as he playfully pursued the magnificent creatures, a wide grin plastered across his face. Louie, reminiscent of times spent on his grandfather's farm, quickly joined in the excitement. A horse approached the Cruz couple at a gentle pace. Danilo tenderly stroked the pale horse's mane as though it were a cherished pet of his own. The Dubois family seemed perfectly happy to simply observe the animals from a distance. Mika's decision to not accompany Oliver and Louie caught Corvus by surprise just as he and Ralph finished tending to a carriage smeared with muck. Taking another puff from his cone, Corvus reached out to Charon with a gesture of thanks. "Thank you, Charon," he said, nodding with sincere appreciation.

"You always show such kindness. My loyalty is sworn to both the ancient deities and those of present. Let's hope I won't be leading you on a ride to Hel in the near future," Charon cautioned. Corvus let out a laugh, a cloud of smoke accompanying his amusement. But noticing Charon's unwavering serious expression, he swiftly sobered up, altering his demeanor.

"Mabi, Charon. I'll tread lightly."