Scavenging

They passed out of the Blood Moor in a matter of days, Elly never referred to the conversation they had held by the campfire, but it didn't leave her mind. As they walked they rarely spoke, him from long habit and her from a lingering reticence to have any questions she might ask answered. Her silence broke as she hailed Flavie, the greatest archer to come from the Rogues in three generations, who now stood solitary guard against the flood of evil that threatened to overwhelm the encampment. To Flavie's credit her presence on the threshold of the Cold Plains was the only reason that Blood Raven had never dared an assault on the Rogue Encampment.

"Greetings Sister," Elly called with the relief of a drowning man breaking the surface and gulping air. Elly was astonished to see how worn her sister looked. This constant vigilance had clearly taken its toll.

"Greetings, Sister, welcome back Hero."

To her astonishment Elly watched as the Necromancer inclined his head in respectful acknowledgement of Flavie's greeting.

"Evil lies beyond, may your path be watched over."

It was not much, but Elly was grateful for any friendly conversation, even if the subject was the dangers that lay ahead. They had just gone far enough that Flavie had passed from sight when they were set upon by a gang of corrupted rouges. The skeletons did as they were bid and attacked with indiscriminate fury. Elly knocked an arrow on her bow and drew the string, but hesitated. She recognized one of their attackers. A young woman, nearly her age, Aegtha, Elly remembered taking shooting lessons with Aegatha. She paid for her hesitation as Aegatha closed the distance and stabbed wildly with her spear. Elly swayed, just enough to stop the point from piercing her right eye, it skipped off her brow ridge tearing the flesh to the bone. Elly loosed the arrow by reflex and it buried itself deep in the woman's chest. She watched as the woman arched back her body falling to the ground. A sudden clatter from behind her brought Elly back to the moment, she turned, another arrow on the string, but one of the skeletons had just felled the last of the corrupted ones who had apparently tried to stab her in the back as Elly stood stupefied.

Elly felt the barest moment of relief, even gratitude to the Necromancer and his thralls, this feeling evaporated a moment later as she watched the Necromancer sink to the ground and begin pulling the armor off one of the corpses.

"Of all the depravities to which we can sink are you going to become a robber of the dead as well as-" Elly trailed off trying to think of words evil enough to describe what he had done to the bodies of the Fallen Ones.

The Necromancer's face finally showed an emotion, and Elly sank back in fear at the horror of it, "I have had enough!" He shouted.

"Enough of your too polite loathing of me, of what I am and how I survive," he held up the armor that he had just pulled from the Corrupted Rogue, "I am a Hero, I did not ask to be one I am one. I am saving this damn world, which has never been kind to me and has given me little enough reason to wish it prolonged. This armor is slightly better than the armor I currently wear. It will protect me from a slightly harder blow, maybe just enough so that I am able to complete my task. I will not have you degrading me for saving your world, and if you cannot find your way to come to terms with me or my task , then off you go, back to the encampment, I have had enough saving the people who damn me!"

The gaunt figure moved jerkily away, his rage still unspent. Elly watched stunned. After a few moments thought she moved over to where the Necromancer had continued his scavenging. She went to her knees and began combing the corpse he was searching for anything of value.

He looked at her, his black eyes still burning,

"I apologize." She said with as much sincerity and contrition as she could put into her voice.

She meant it, he looked up at her again, the fire dying from his eyes, as he spoke, his voice almost gentle, "No one have ever apologized to me before, thank you."