Been-jammin's page

Faltar lay there, skin too white, a tiny hint of blue. Faltar had always wanted blue skin like Merissel’s. It was unfair that it only happened in death, when it was marred by the knife wound in his back.

Faltar is . . . was a wonderful man. He was often smiling and joking. He had employed Merissel as a guard for his store many years ago. Faltar’s job is what helped get Merissel and his brother, Deredel, off the street, where they had lived since their mother died. Since then, Faltar became more than just an employer. He became family.

Merissel looked up. Then he remembered why he had been looking at the nearly unbearable sight of his dead friend. Mercia and Donna stood, tears streaming down their face. The grief of the living. Beyond unbearable. But he could not look at Faltar again. He turned, and walked away. He found a corner of the house with no one there—Faltar’s room. He grieved.

***

Merissel followed quietly. Deredel—who had been acting erratically for a few years now—had been acting even more strangely ever since Faltar was killed. Disappearing for days on end, then coming back filthy, refusing to answer any questions, simply acting like nothing had happened. He turned the corner. Deredel wasn’t there. Had Merissel missed something? He ran ahead, checking down the side streets. There were several doors along the way, Deredel could have entered one of those. But this was Old Korvosa. This was not a place for Merissel to go knocking on doors. He wandered for a while. But found nothing. Deredel had to have entered one of those buildings. He went back and knocked on the first door. A man cracked the door. Funny seeing you here. Aren’t you shivering out there?

Merissel was dumbfounded. He had never seen this man before, yet the man acted as if he knew Merissel. What? No. It’s rather warm out here.

Oy, then. Get lost. Then he shut the door. Locking it. Merissel had no idea what had just happened. He was not about to try that again on any other doors. So he found an out of the way alley, near where he had last seen Deredel and waited.

Two hours passed with no sign of anyone or anything, when he heard someone knock on a door down the street. He peeked around the corner. It was the door he had knocked on before. He heard the man saying the same words again, Funny seeing you here. Aren’t you shivering out there?

Not yet, but I will be soon. The door opened all the way and the man went inside.

Merissel sat back down and thought about the exchange. It didn’t make sense. His thoughts were interrupted by another knock. Peeking, he saw it was the same door.

Another two hours passed and nothing happened. Finally Merissel had to go home. He returned to the studio in Midland that he shared with Deredel and Semond, Deredel’s lover. When she looked up at his return, he shook his head. I lost him in Old Korvosa. He told her about the strange conversation at the door. He felt there was something there, but neither of them could figure it out.

Semond looked down at her stitching, but Merissel could tell, she wasn’t really looking. He left her, and went to bed.

***

Merissel went back every day. He found nothing the first two days. The third day he saw a flash of blue convulsing under a blanket as he walked the streets. He bent down, quickly removing the blanket and blinked. Deredel lay convulsing. Merissel had no hand for healing, He began dragging him through the streets. Help! Help! I need a healer.

***

The convulsions lasted for three days. Merissel passed the time at his brother’s bedside, thinking about the past. About his failures.

His father had died so long ago Merissel barely remembered. All that was left was the feeling of guilt. He still knew the story, his mother had told him about it afterwards, while continually on the move.

Cornal and Triadel, Merissel’s parents, had grown up in the Mwangi Expanse. They were part of the Alijae, an elven tribe in the northern part of the expanse. The tribe was dedicated to protecting Nagisa, an ancient elven city. Cornal and Triadel were tricked by some Chellish treasure hunters, lead by a man named Struden Mantrim, into leading them to the city and through the traps that surrounded it. Triadel realized it first, but it was too late. He and Cornal abandoned the Chellish group in the middle of the city.

The Alijae were furious when they discovered the treachery, despite the fact that most of the group died on their way out. Cornal and Triadel were chased many miles before the tribal warriors caught up with them. Chance would have it though, that they caught up in the Mana Wastes, and these warriors depended too much on their magic. Cornal and Triadel were able to get away and make their way to Alkenstar. Cornal joined the military there, learning how to use firearms. They had children, first Merissel then Deredel. Everything seemed to be going well. Until Struden Mantrim found them.

When Merissel was 10 years old, Struden Mantrim, one of the few who survived from the group of treasure hunters, lead a small group to find and punish the elves that left them stranded in the middle of the city. Struden found the family but was preparing to trap them all. However the family was alerted to his presence. They began preparations to flee, but Merissel refused. He did everything he could to keep from leaving their home. Till he finally ran away. Triadel went out to find Merissel. But they were accosted by Struden. Triadel was killed, but Struden underestimated Merissel, and he managed to escape. Barely. Merissel arrived back hom and Cornal was able to escape with her two children and one of Triadel’s pistols, but not much else. That was Merissel’s first failure to his family.

The Corliss family moved often, only stopping in any given place for a few years. But things settled down and eventually they were staying in a given town for longer and longer. Finally they arrived in Korvosa. They settled there permanently, believing the threat from Struden to be over.

Merissel was 50 by this time. Still technically a child under his mother’s hand by the way she made them live. Six years later though, he failed again. He came home one day to find her gone. He assumed she was at market, till the guard came to announce her death. She was killed and robbed. Merissel began by blaming the gods. But before too long, he determined that they don’t care and he blamed himself for not being there.

He and Deredel were thrown out to live on the street. Merissel began learning how to use the pistol his mother had brought with them. After many years of hunger, he finally learned and began taking a few jobs here and there as a caravan guard. It did not get them a place to live, but it fed Merissel and Deredel. This was the way until Faltar.

***
Deredel eventually woke. But he was an invalid. Merissel took him back to their home. Will you take care of him Semond? Merissel had to find who had done this

Of course I will. But where will you be? She sounded scared.

I failed him. I won’t fail again. He left a small amount of gold—the remainder left to him from Faltar. Then he walked out.

Is that alright?

There's more to the background and, like I said, this is the shortened version of that. I'll have the full thing up soon, but there's a lot bouncing around in my head, so it might take a little bit.