The Villages Fate

"It was attacked, Jeff...we tried to fight them...but with the four of you gone..." She looks away, "I tried to fight the monsters....so did the elder...but there were too many....he told me to flee....head north to the tundra...but as he turned..."

The elder bitten by a zombie.
The slow mottling of the skin.
The soulless eyes of a man she once knew.

"I ran....as the village burned....I was the only one...the only one that made it...the rest are....dead...or worse..."

His embrace tightens as resolve crushes his sadness. "We will save them, Kim." She looks into his eyes, tears finally drying on his face, "How? They are probably all zombies now. Would there be anything left to save?"
Jeff had fire and conviction in his eyes now, "I can save them, Kim. The dragon Vossi and I slayed gave me knowledge. I know how to turn the undead. But we need gold to accomplish it. And better equipment. We can do this, Kim..." Their eyes lock, "Very well....but please....please don't leave me again..." Their embrace tightens as they try to remove the dark aura of memories.

Their friends dead. Their village destroyed.

Something clicks in Jeff's mind at the end of the painful memories, "Your strength...its from the Iron Bear, isn't it...how did..." She brings her right arm in front of her and he is stunned to see that part of her arm is now iron cased, "When you four left, it was up to me, him and the elder to protect the village. The Iron Bear simply touched my arm and its strength became mine. That's why my grip is so strong..." She flexes her fingers, "but even with it...I couldn't...save anyone..."

He brings her closer, rubbing his cheek against hers. "You did all you could, Kim. I should have listened to Vossi and stayed in the village instead of going on this quest....so much pain could have been avoided...." He licks her cheek lightly, "But we will make it right, ok?"

"Jeff..." she whispers, "Please...I need you now..."