How Brutus Met Krysa
Brutus once lived by himself in a cabin by the mighty River Rone. While he did not dislike people, he found life was simpler for a healer if one did not spend too much time in the city. For a healer is always in high demand, and while he found the work rewarding, it was also exhausting. Knowing he could retreat to his cabin helped Brutus get through the long days in town. That isolation ended, however, the day he met Krysa the River Rat.
It began as a day like many others. As he often did, Brutus woke early before the sunrise to drink his tea and read for an hour before heading out to begin his day. When the sun was just above the horizon, it shone through the window creating playful rainbow shapes on the floor. That rainbow let Brutus know it was time to go catch the day’s fish and then head to town to carry out his duties as a healer. It was an unusually pleasant warm morning, so Brutus decided to leave his coat, take only his fishing tackle, and make straight for the dock as he had thousands of times before. The River Rone was deep and wide and was rumored to hold some truly frightening beasts in its depths. Brutus never gave those legends much thought, though, as the biggest fish he’d ever caught in that river was scarcely bigger than a house cat – and that one had fed him for days. He preferred to spend his time casting along the banks where smaller, more foolish fish swam.
He decided to try his luck for a bigger fish this morning, though. He laid his staff up against a post, tied on his favorite lure, and cast far out into the channel of the river, working the lure slowly back and forth to imitate the movements of a small fish. He thought he felt a hit, but no luck. Again and again he cast out into the deep water, but returned no quarry. “Well, it’s getting late. I’d better cast along the bank for a quick catch, and then hurry to town” he thought. Brutus turned and tossed the lure out parallel with the shore, slowly trolling it in while skillfully mimicking the movements of the small minnows that played among the reeds. Splash. “A hit! And a big one!” Brutus exclaimed to no one in particular. He set the hook and turned the crank on his fishing rod. As the mighty fish struggled against him, Brutus saw the tail of what could only have been a gargantuan spearfish – a terrifying ancient toothed fish that was not particularly good for eating but could certainly ruin a fisherman’s day. This monster must have been the size of a horse, and it would certainly take all Brutus’ skill and a good bit of luck to land the behemoth.
He struggled against the fish but it was clear he was losing the battle. The rod and the crank strained against the fish’s powerful tail as it pulled the line further and further, striving for the depths of the Rone. In all the excitement, Brutus did not notice that the rod had lodged in his belt, and the fish gave a mighty tug, pulling Brutus off the dock and into the water. Brutus was no fool and knew that he could not win now that he was in the river. He let go of the rod. And to his dismay, he found himself being dragged down by the rod lodged in his belt. “This is it, then” Brutus thought. “I shall drown in the river and no one will know what happened.” He felt oddly calm. And wished only he were back by his fire reading with the playful rainbow prisms dancing on the floor from the morning sun.
Suddenly he felt a small creature at his side. He looked down through the clear water and could barely make out a small blue river rat gnawing at the belt that now held him under the cold water. The rat’s sharp teeth made quick work of the belt, and Brutus found himself free! He swam to the surface, the seconds had felt like hours but he found his breath returned quickly. He swam for shore with his new companion in tow. He sprawled out on the shore panting. “Thank you my blue friend” he said to the rat. The rat nodded and chirped, acknowledging Brutus’ thanks. “I owe you my life. Would you come back to my cabin and I can thank you with a hardy seed cake?” Again the rat nodded and chirped. Brutus grabbed his staff from the dock and they made their way back to his cabin. Once home, Brutus stoked the fire and gave his new friend a towel. “Wait here and warm up by the fire while I change and fetch us some seed cakes. I’ll be back in a moment” he said. He half expected the rat to be gone when he returned but indeed the creature was still there. “I shall have to give you a name, my little friend, you seem like an excellent and stalwart companion! I have never taken a familiar, would you work with me?” The rat again squeaked in excited agreement. He set the cake down in front of the rat and said “I think Krysa is a good name for you, don’t you?” And the rat agreed. In truth it was a lazy name, for Krysa was simply “rat” in his grandmonther’s tongue. But it had a nice ring to it, and Krysa seemed to appreciate her new name. The two sat by the fire enjoying its warmth as they ate their seed cakes.
“Would you care to accompany me into town this afternoon? It would seem I need to buy a new fishing rod,” Brutus chuckled as he said it. Krysa chirped her approval. “Good,” Brutus said smiling “I’m glad I have made a new friend.”
Entered by: 0x40d7…D27a and preserved on chain (see transaction)
