Unshaken

The Wisdom of The Elders III

Liam sipped his coffee and sat by the scout fire.  He noticed Trelawny shifting nervously. Arthur approached him. They talked for a moment until Josiah picked up his bags and walked to the horses. Liam knew he wasn't gonna see Trelawny again. It was too dangerous to stay with the gang much longer.

As Liam was about to get up to see what had happened, Charles approached Arthur with a Native American man. Charles pleaded with Arthur to help Rains Fall. With protests, Arthur left with them. Liam didn't want to stick around camp, so he decided to go investigate the dig Obediah told him about. He rode across the river, realizing it wasn't too far from camp. He rode around the hill and found what he thought to be an abandoned mining site. Orange stained the ground near it. "Well, this is the dig." Liam said to himself. The hole was covered with boards. He peered inside. He then grabbed the center board and yanked it off. He climbed through the opening and started down the mine. He pulled out his electric lantern he'd gotten from Marko Dragic's laboratory.

Orange blotches covered the wood. He walked for a bit until reaching an opening. The room was covered in orange tinted water. Fumes ran into his throat. He coughed. "Must be some kind of poison." He said to himself as he looked around the room. He then found a crack in the wall with the orange liquid seeping out of it into the water. "Yeah, looks cursed alright." He said to himself sarcastically. He found an empty glass bottle in a crate and filled it with the poisoned water. He put a cork in it and placed it in his satchel.

He shot up when he heard a movement come from the way he came in. He saw someone taking off. "Who's there? Yeah I see you over there! The games up, there's poison in this mine!" Liam yelled, going after the figure. He was sure it was the Shaman. As he ran back to into the shaft, an explosion blasted him back. He flew and hit the ground in the water. He grunted and quickly got back up to find the shaft had imploded from the explosion. He coughed as the fumes seemed to worsen. "Goddamn you! I'm getting outta here!" He yelled as he found a large crack in the wall he was able to get through. He coughed again, trailing the cave. He found a dead body. He checked the pockets to find a gold nugget.

"Won't be any good if I don't get the hell out of here." He said as he moved through the path of the cave. "Where's this runoff heading?" He asked himself, noticing the orange water slightly flowing. He followed the water. He felt like he was being choked by the fumes. He ran through the cave until he saw another opening leading him into an open part of it. "Gotta go somewhere." He said to himself as he climbed down the rocks, following the water. He was reluctant to go back into a small opening but did it anyway. He held up his lantern and noticed the huge drop off he'd almost stepped on. He made sure to be extra careful as he trailed the cave way.

As he ran through, he saw light. "Light? Light." He said to himself with relief. He made his way down the ledge and came out through a waterfall. Two men were drinking from the water of Elysian Pool. "Hey, shoo! Shoo! Get outta here! It ain't safe!" He yelled to them as he walked out of the water. He whistled for Colter who came running not a moment too soon. He jumped on and raced to Butcher Creek. When he arrived, he saw the Shaman talking to Obediah and a few other villagers standing around a table.

"I told you I would save you. I said I would lead you out of the darkness." The Shaman preached. Liam rolled his eyes again. "Show us the light!" A villager yelled. "I shall, but first, you have to mark your signs on this paper. It's a powerful magic... that will protect you... on your journey." The Shaman said, making it up as he went along. Liam stood back and watched for a moment. "I-I-I hereby r-release, absolve, a- and indemnify the aforementioned Roanoke-" Obediah read, being cutoff by the Shaman snatching the paper from his hands. "Fuel company?" Obediah asked, confused. "Stop reading! You didn't tell me you could read." The Shaman said.

Liam came up and busted up the group. "What kinda trick you pulling now?" He demanded from the Shaman. "Oh! You're back, we thought the curse had got you." Obediah told Liam. "Nope, but he nearly did." Liam told them, pointing at the Shaman. The Shaman tried to leave. "Don't you go nowhere." Liam demanded. He looked to the villagers of Butcher Creek. "I was down that old dig and I found this, leaking all the way into the lake. You've been poisoned." Liam said, showing Obediah the bottle of poison he'd collected from the mine. "N- now we were warned not to heed what you say." Obediah said, unsure of himself. "Let him tell you then. What's this?" Liam growled. "It's nothing." The Shaman insisted nervously. "Nothing? Oh, then you won't mind taking a drink!" Liam yelled grabbing the Shaman and forcing him on the ground with the villagers' protests.

"Don't, no!" The Shaman yelled as Liam forced the poison down his throat. "You've killed me. I'm poisoned." The Shaman sobbed. "Poison now, is it?" Liam asked again, making sure the villagers heard. The Shaman cried in agony. "The dig... all they found was arsenic and lead. They dug down into the cave system, it spread, it was meant to get you all to go." The Shaman said, holding his stomach in pain. "Now you heard it." Liam told the villagers of Butcher Creek. "It's taken me!" The Shaman yelled, crying in pain.

"Oh dear, dear God. There's no arguing, it's clear as day! We're cursed!" Obediah yelled to everyone as the Shaman groaned on the ground. "Cursed? What are you talking about?" Liam asked in disbelief. The Shaman cried out loud, holding his stomach. He stood up, still hunched over and started to run around. "Powerful forces have taken on this town." Obediah told everyone. "It ain't spirits, it's a mining company!" Liam yelled. "No, it is spirits! Spirits taking through a mining company. Brothers and sisters, we got some praying to do." Obediah said as the group rushed off. "Don't pray, do something! You'll die, or worse!" Liam yelled to him. "Just go, it's our curse, it's ours to deal with. Now the medicine man left some money, just take it if you want it." Obediah said returning to the group that had wandered off. Liam shook his head in disbelief. He still heard the Shaman's cries as he ran around manic.

Liam walked to the table and picked up the bill stacks. It was around fifty-five dollars. He then picked up the paper Obediah was supposed to sign. He read the liability agreement. He folded up the document and put it in his satchel. "It's in me! It's in me!" The Shaman screamed, running like a maniac through Butcher Creek. He then fell and stopped breathing. Liam shook his head and rode off.