Marigold breathed hard clutching the snapped in half cudgel in her fists, no one in the village would argue that when she swung her father's old weapon that she lacked the ability to fell beast or man, she fought both in her young life and the wooden club had served her faithfully. Yet today as she brought it down on the creatures head with all the weight and force she could muster, it had actually snapped at the hand grip, while the creature had simply groaned and collapsed. Wait... groaned?
The young woman inched closer pushing at the slick body as she tried to get a better look, in the dim light she had originally though it a drake or earth dragon supping on the contents of the Lords Egg, yet now as she got a better look, it seemed this thing was some sort of beast man or demihuman. Running carefully through the muck, she darted outside to rummage through the offerings and finding the usual ceremonial knife, she returned to start cutting at the entry rope, hurriedly slashing off some crude bindings to tie the hands and feet of the creature. In a second thought she also added one over the things muzzle,she was taking no chances should the thing wake up and threaten her, when it woke up she'd get it back to the village and let the elder deal with this invader...
* * * * *
Some time later, Marcus gave a muffled groan and tried to sit up. Much like his 'birth', he once again found himself constrained. Blinking slowly, he felt and slightly saw the blurred visage of a rope over the end of his muzzle and wrists, muttering he reached up to pull the binding from his face when he felt a rope around his throat pull taut, his eyes bulged a bit feeling the strip of thick leather tugging at his throat, a soft warm voice came from behind him, "No ye don't bestie, we'll be leaving that rope there on yer mouth alright, I guess if he cant understand me words this noose should learn ye about what he should and shouldn'ta be doin'."
Grimacing his eyes turned to look to his captor, while the blur on his vision wasn't as bad as with the binding around his snout he could still barely make out the young woman that rested against the nearby wall. From what he could see, that flash of strawberry hair had belonged to her, and while not of model quality even Marcus could tell this woman of thick accent was a looker, he just regretted that she seemed inclined to make his life short and that his eyes seemed off. Sighing he let his gaze drift over her body, noting she seemed in clothing rather than armor so she was likely a villager rather than militia or adventurer, probably the only reason he was still alive.
"Are ye havin' a good enough lookie loo ya beastie? I'll have yer eyes less wanderin' over meself or I'll really be havin' yer eyes, do ye understand me beastie?" She snapped, less than impressed that this thing seemed to be eying her.
Marcus could only nod helplessly, returning his gaze to her face. He couldn't help the thought that she could really stun people if she only smiled a bit, still he tried to focus away from the fact his captor was a lovely woman and focused on the blade in her hand. Gesturing to it, then himself, then motioning a cut throat he gave her what he could only hope was a questioning look, better to find out now if she meant to kill him. Pretty as she was, he had no intention of dying again despite whatever intent she had.
"So ye can understand me can ye beastie? A'right this will make the trip back home a lil easier. Safe ta say yer in a heapin' pile o' shite for smashin' up our shrine. Dunno what ye'd want to be eatin' that slime for but in any sense ye done disrespected the Dragon Lord by smashin' his kin, it'll be up ta the village elders ta judge ye, meself ye'll listen to cause yer all bound nice an' tight, and this here pig sticker is a mighty blade from tha church, even on yer scaley arse I wager I can carve ya up like a feastin' boar. So get up beastie, I'll be walkin' ya back nice and careful like a'right?"
Marcus stumbled to his feet as he took the lead at the maidens behest, his arms tried the bindings on his wrists and found his strength returning swiftly, if there was an angry mob with pitchforks and torches waiting at her village he felt he had a decent chance of snapping the binds and escaping, but for now exposure to another being made him want to stay, something about her seemed to speak with him, and not just her looks. Her very scent seemed to make him calm down and believe her to not be as hostile as she seemed. Still regardless what his new body felt, being lynched by her village was not a plan he'd casually concede to.
The trip out of the cave and down the mountain path was an eye opener for Marcus, while closer details failed his eyes he could well see into the distance. He was certainly not on earth anymore. Untouched forests spread into the horizon along one side of the mountain, the other had rolling hills that had a rather quaint village sheltered in a gully, that must be where she would be taking him. As they walked neither spoke, or in his case was allowed to speak. When ever he glanced back at Marigold and began to gesture at the binding around his muzzle she'd give him a withering stare or tug on the rope noose around his neck. Thus they marched on in silence until they reached the forest, even the rough woman behind him started to jump at every sound as the setting sun bathed the pair in a blanket of crimson that stretched off into the forest canopy.
Suddenly both their heads turned to the forest as a young boy's voice wailed from the depths. Marigold hesitated for all of a second before clutching the dagger and dashing into the woods with cries of "Seth! Where are ye?!" every so often. Marcus watched her rush off into the darkening woods and casually snapped his bindings, unwinding the strips from his muzzle and slipping his head out of the now slack noose. Self preservation told him to run off as well, leave this Marigold and Seth to their fates, yet something tugged at him and before long he plunged into the woods following Marigold, how he did so confused him, he had not even been camping in his old life, wilderness tracking was so outside his comfort zone it wasn't funny, yet still every so often he could catch a flash of her strawberry curls through the trees, her voice crying out for her little brother.
It didnt take long for Marigold to find Seth with her brothers wail a constant guide. Bursting into a small clearing she dashed between her kin and what was threatening him, what she saw made her heart leap into her throat. "Oh Seth ye've done gone an' ended our family line this time ye wee fool..." Bolstering her resolve she held the flimsy blade before her, but her arms shook as she watched a pair of wolf-spiders stalk out of the brush. Magical beasts were rare out this way but every now and then stragglers emerged from the deep wood and threatened the village, and this time Seth had stumbled on real trouble. Wolf-spiders were as their namesake, crosses between timber wolves and tarantulas. They didnt tend to spin webs to catch prey, but they did cocoon prey for consumption... neither her nor Seth's end would be pretty.
The pair of monstrous beasts split and surrounded the pair, stalking them like wolves, mandibles on either side of their muzzles clacked in anticipation of the meals. Letting the child prey scream had been the right choice, they wanted it to attract more prey, whether it be beast or person they would no be picky, and while only a slightly bigger female appeared at least it meant they both could sate their hunger and hunt fresh again...
Or at least that was the plan before all four turned to regard the woods from which Marigold had came, roaring Marcus lunged from the tree line his scaled arms reaching out to grab the nearest beast that had tried to dart away yet found its speed lacking in the face of the enraged Marcus. When he had seen Marigold charge out his heart leapt into his throat and a red haze blanketed his vision, with a roar that surprised himself, he had launched himself at the nearest monster. His clawed hands dug into the mixture of chitin and fur, lacerating the meat beneath the hard, thick hide. The beast gave an anguished wail as a mixture of blood and entrails erupted from the vicious wound, coating Marcus in a morbid crimson paint. His head lifted, those red eyes staring at the remaining wolf-spider and the beast turned and fled into the deepening eve, yelps could be heard fading into the distance as the monstrous beast used its eight legs to run with all haste from the area.
Catching his breath, Marcus glanced to Marigold whom her younger brother was clutching desperately. Looking at his elder sister Seth swallowed slowly, "Sis what is that thing?"
Marigold watched Marcus unsuccessfully trying to wipe wolf-spider guts from his torso, for all his efforts all he did was smear the mess around, when his shoulders slumped he glanced to the duo waiting to hear her answer, he almost laughed when she pointed the dagger to herself, "It's me prisoner!"
Seth looked wide eyed at his sister, then looked to the bipedal monstrous beast, then back to his sister and exclaimed, "Bullshit!"
Marigold frowned and smacked her brother on the back of the head, "Watch yer language Seth, and it ain't no bullshit any ways." Glancing over to Marcus a narrow eyebrow raised, "I speakin' truth beastie?!"
Marcus gave a weak laugh and raised his hands in surrender, giving a knowing look at the young woman. For the moment he would give her face in front of her kin, but he gave her another look over Seth's turned back that told her in no uncertain terms he'd fight her next if she insisted on hog tying him again. Marigold smirked and rolled her eyes, seeing as this intelligent beast had just saved both their hides she could do at least that much for it, and intended to speak on the beastie's behalf for the village, she owed her brothers life, her only remaining kin, that was a debt she would not forget regardless if it had ate their shrine god or not.
The walk in the dark was quite amusing for Marcus, Seth kept poking at his body like he was some strange oddity, running around him with all the tell tale signs of a youth with far too much energy. The peril of the monsters had long been thrown to the back of the kids mind, but he could see that his elder sister was still jumping at every noise in the dark. Oddly enough, the dark didnt bother him, while the darkness was lifted to a great degree he seemed to only see in shades of gray unless he looked at the siblings, for some reason he saw them in outlines of heat, it reminded him of that movie with Arnold in the jungle with an alien hunter. Even as he looked around he could see the night animals keeping a respectful distance from the trio, he could have told her to relax but since he was still her 'prisoner' he decided to remain silent and let the poor woman work herself up, maybe he'd fill her in later.... assuming he felt suicidal at some point.
Now rather than dragging his feet it didnt take too long to reach their village, he could already see a mass of people heat in the center, some had cool temps others were vividly bright, the latter seemed to be arguing quite loudly for a rescue mission for their shrine maiden and her monk brother. The former obviously was coolly denying due to the risk it seemed. Still he glanced at Marigold and Seth, a shrine maiden and a monk? This pair? He almost chuckled picturing the woman in a maiden's robe and her brother shaved bald and chanting scripture, he had to pinch his mouth shut at the mental image, it was just not plausible.
Seth briskly ran ahead and the heated ones started to cool off, with the kid brothers intro, his sister advanced and began talking to the group about her adventure up the mountain. Those cooling bodies were quickly whipped into a frenzy all over again as he heard her talk of eating the Lords Egg, his face grimacing at the thought, he was born from it not eating it. Sighing the crowd was following with her story glancing to the village entrance warily, while the tale of his saving the pair had removed some anger but others could well seem ready to butcher him. Marigold slowly walked back towards where he hid in the shadow of the gate, reaching out to take his clawed hand to guide him towards the villagers.
As he stepped into the torch light, the villagers began to mutter at his morbid look, he had yet to clean himself and he could likely tell he looked about as friendly as he smelt. Still he tried to smile, nervousness in his eyes as he stepped forth amongst a mix of villagers. Now they were in the light the villagers were visibly taken aback, what looked like guards clenched their various weapons, the towns folk stepped back, the oddest reaction was from an ancient man standing alongside what Marcus could only assume was the chief, the old guy took one look at the beast and fell to his knees chanting something, some words Marcus made out, others were garbled but suddenly his scales started to glow, the blood and dried slime lifted from his body and fell to the ground around him.
As if expecting at much the old man prostrated himself and cried loudly, "Foolish be the who denies his coming, know ye that our Lord is borne anew, his majesty unblemished. Kneel before our god, our savior, kneel before that which has protected thine town for neigh ten generations. Bow before our lord, our god, our Dragon Lord!"
The old man's forehead kissed the packed earth with enough force that Marcus was sure he had likely brained himself, still the guys words had a rippling effect, the townsfolk soon dropped to their knees before Marcus, a wave of prostrating people spreading out through the crowd. Marigold and Seth both stood like statues, blinking naught at all staring at Marcus like he'd grown two more heads and two more sets of arms, before their neighbors grabbed at their arms and pulled them down as well. Seth looked like he could go another ten rounds with the wolf-spiders learning their capture was their deity, Marigold however was near in tears, her shoulders shaking trying to keep her sobs to herself as she thought back to how she had struck their shrine patron down and trussed him up, then on top of that threatened to gut him like a pig. Tears dropped from her eyes like rivers wondering why their savior hadn't simple smited her.
As for Marcus, he just stood there, his jaw had very well unhinged and dropped to the ground. His mental voice was screaming in panic, ' I'm not a god! When they see I'm mortal they're gonna butcher me and parade my head around as a chamber pot.' Glancing to the kneeling Marigold he sighed, may as well try to strut it before the likely damnation. Clearing his throat his voice boomed out, sounding much like some wise ass had hooked his vocal cords up to a loud speaker and cranked the column to MAX, "MY GOOD SHRINE MAIDEN, FEAR NOT, TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE I HOLD YOU NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR MISUNDERSTANDING, RISE AND WEEP NOT."
Coughing again Marcus shook the ringing from his ears watching the people squirm in discomfort from a reassurance that came out more like a shouted decree of the heavens. He resisted the urge to face palm, his first impression was digging an even deeper grave to bury himself with, adding on a cheesy line he heard from an old show where two con men pretended to be gods to the mayans, it would not go well if 'his' church was similarly inclined to sacrifice for its dragon god....
Sighing he waved his hand, careful this time to not shout, "Rise all of you, I shall stay with my shrines maiden while I get use to this mortal coil, do continue your daily lives as normal..." Glancing to the shock on Marigolds tear streaked face he quickly gestured for her to rise and lead him to where she stayed, as he left he couldn't help but glance back in concern at the old fanatic. Religious zealots, good or bad, were never welcome in his mind, movies or books, zealots always found trouble for the fake deity sooner or later that exposed them.
As Marigold lead him and Seth away the old priest had shakily risen and touched a bone charm at his throat. A whispered prayer sent news of their reincarnated god a great distance away and vast forces began to move.