Written in Blood

A Blessing or a Curse? part 3

"Child."

"Child!" A weak voice broke entered Au Ruang's ears causing him to sit up immediately.

"Who is there? Who said that?" Ao Ruang remembered the decrepit body from earlier and he looked to see the body slowly withering away into dust.

"No time" the body said "I gave you the last ounce of power I still had and gave you my blessing...when this body fades to dust there will be a crimson crystal...take it in time you will know what to do with it. Do not lose it no matter what the cost."

As he finished those words his body collapsed to dust and a red crystal roughly the size of his fist remained. Grabbing the crimson crystal, Ao Ruang examined it closely. It was dark red like blood and roughly the size of a human heart. A deep and unfathomable power radiated from it giving Ao Ruang a sense of connection with it.

"A blessing? What sort of blessing hurts so badly? I am alive I suppose." he thought as he shoved the item into his satchel.

Standing up, Ao Ruang stretched, the moon was lowering slowly and the dark night was slowly turning brighter outside. If I am alive I can return home, but first I need to find someplace I can ask where I am.

Walking along the river bank Ao Ruang felt thankful towards the creepy...whatever he was, but it had saved him and he was thankful regardless. Soon a path that led to the top of the river bank appeared. It looked like a path beasts used to get to the water.

Taking a moment to collect himself, Ao Ruang plunged himself into the forest, but kept an eye on the river and walked down stream. If he wanted to find a town following the river was his best bet. Plus even if he managed to get back to town there were those who would kill him the first chance they had to shut him up. So Ao Ruang knew he had to get stronger before he even considered going back to YinWu.

Several hours passed as he wandered along the forest edge his stomach was completely empty and he was starting to really feel the deep hunger in the pit of his stomach or perhaps it was a thirst. As he walked along he found bushes with some edible berries, but they didn't help with the constant thirst that he yearned for. Ignoring the pannes of hunger and thirst he continued on his journey until a sharp crisp sound entered his ears.

*thwak*

*thwak*

*thwak*

The Sound was heaven to his ears it was clearly woodsmen. Bordering on delirious Ao Ruang's eyes dilated from excitement. Running towards the sound desperate to find someone with some sort of food and drink he threw caution to the wind.

As he burst into a forest clearing he stumbled into what appeared to be a logging camp. His eyes landed on roughly a dozen burly men. They all save a few apprentices were veteran woodsmen who were at least middle aged.

"Fo--" Ao Ruang managed to speak a couple of words before he passed out from the ravenous hunger he had.

…

"Who do you think he is?" a concerned voice said clearly the sound of a young female.

"No idea, his clothing isn't from around these parts. All I know is he came stumbling into the camp and said something about food before passing out. Da Qiao...don't get too close to the lad until we can determine who he is and where he is from. Come get me as soon as he wakes I will be in the other room."

"Yes, father I will tell you as soon as he wakes."

"Good girl" the low, but gentle voice said before the soft clack of a door could be heard shutting.

Ao Ruang had already awoken mid conversation between the two people one who had a middle aged gruff voice and the other one of a young lady who couldn't be much older than himself. The two clearly belonged to the group he had approached.

As soon as the two left to continue their conversation Ao Ruang opened his eyes and looked around his surroundings. The room was quaint and well furnished it was clear this family were from a line of carpenters all the furniture looked hand built. His eyes drifted around until he paused at a mirror that faced him. The person looking back did not look familiar at all looking back at him was the same young boy he remembered back at YinWu, but gone was the previously dark brown hair and brown eyes. Gone was the tanned skin from living in the wilderness and in its place was white hair, crimson eyes, and fair almost ghostly pale skin. Despite the slightly otherworldly appearance he knew that his looks were now not just average like before, but stunning not a blemish could be seen on his face.

"What the hell...how am I to go out into public with those eyes." he said to himself aloud.

"Father I think I heard something come from the room he may be awakening." the young lady's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Shi--" Ao Ruang cussed at his carelessness. Laying back down in bed he closed his eyes acting like he couldn't open them yet.

The door creaked open and heavy footsteps could be heard "well young lad it looks like you are finally coming to. Sit up, come with me. We have food ready."

The fact that he said food enticed Ao Ruang deeply, but he quickly decided to act like he was blind. "I'm sorry sir to interrupt you and intrude more than I have, but...you wouldn't happen to have a veil to cover my eyes with or anything really?"

"Err I do, but is there a problem."

"When I was a child I had an illness that caused my eyes to be extremely sensitive to light so I need a thin veil in order to properly see where I am going or the light will be too strong for my eyes." Ao Ruang was extremely impressed with his skills at lying.

"Of course! I can help you with that. Da Qiao go fetch one of your veils and cut it in half to cover this young man's eyes. Now as for you coming here I will help you to the kitchen at least." gripping Ao Ruang he lifted him up from the bed and led him into the main living area leaving him by the edge of a table he knelt down and waited for the veil.

Only a few minutes passed before the young lady known as Da Qiao came rushing in with the veil and helped him put it on. Once the veil was in place he opened his eyes. While everything was blurred and not extremely clear he could still walk around should he need to which was good enough for now until he figured out why his eyes were crimson.

Across from him sat a large bear-like man with a burly beard and a tunic that fit onto his white chest which was almost double the width of his own. Besides him was the girl known as Da Qiao she was pretty, but in plain clothing and a simple robe she clearly wasn't from some rich family, but despite her simple attire she still would be considered quite the beauty.

"I'm sorry for how I came here. I honestly am not sure where I am." Ao Ruang decided to break the awkward silence first.

"Well I guess let's move into introductions. I am Da Man and this is my daughter Da Qiao. You find yourself in the Da tribal village near the southern edge of the mountains of mist, part of the Liao empire. We found you not far from the Yin river where we do logging and water the Oxen. Honestly you were lucky to find us when you did." Da Man's gruff voice had a friendly tone to it which disarmed Ao Ruang immediately.

"I am Ao Ruang. I came from a town deep in the mountains and found myself to have fallen into the Yin river and swept downstream to here."

"Hmm. I don't know of any towns in the Mountains, but they are a large place and we don't worry ourselves over small places like that. Well Ao Ruang you are welcome to stay here for now, but we have no way of taking you back to your town. Honestly...your best bet is to go with us in two days to Firedawn city which is a four day trip by horse from here. There you can find someone that may be able to help you."

"Thank you very much." Ao Ruang bowed to Da Man before taking the tea that Da Qiao was pouring and drinking it rapidly.

The food had just been served and he was famished after they all ate their fill. Ao Ruang still was hungry, but not quite as bad as before, but he still felt an unquenchable thirst that simply wouldn't go away.

"Well, the meal was good thank you Da Qiao. Ao Ruang you can stay in the same room as before. Tomorrow I will let the rest of the village know what is going on with you and you are welcome to look around our humble village, just try to keep your nose clean. The village elders are rather unforgiving old men and untrusting of strangers."

"I will keep that in mind, thank you!" Ao Ruang bowed again as Da Man stood up to go into his room. Which left only himself and Da Qiao alone.

"Err. How are you? We didn't get much of a chance to speak since the meal started." Ao Ruang wasn't too adept at speaking to girls since no girls in YinWu town bothered ever talking to him.

"It is fine. My father likes to jabber when company comes over and can talk the ear off a donkey." Da Qiao giggled. "I'm curious what it is like to live in the mountains. I don't get to hear much about other places outside the empire."

"Nothing much to say honestly we are far more isolated than even your small village so we are constantly short on news of the outside world."

"I see." Da Qiao said, downcast clearly disappointed. Ao Ruang knew her feeling being trapped in a small village isolated from the fantastical stories from the outside world was something he knew all too well.

"Well it is late you woke up quite late. I recommend you rest a bit more so that you are fully recovered." with a bow, she got up and went to her room which was right next door to his own.

Ao Ruang was still thirting, but knew that no matter what he ate or drank the feeling would still be there so he got up and made his way onto the spare bed.

"Maybe my luck isn't as bad as I thought." Ao Ruang thought as his eyes slid shut his last lingering thoughts were on his mother...who was surely heartbroken by now.