![Bone Daddy [Archaeological Excavation] J5ve7oy](http://tinyurl.com/j5ve7oy)
words: 1625. tag: @Marshy notes: panther hanyō, Black Rose mage. |
The next job on his list was to head out to Forgotten Deserts, to help a man dig up some special thing he had found. Marschal wasn't entirely aware of the value of the thing that the man had found, but what was one man's trash, was another man's treasure. Anyway, the letter merely said something about an ancient creature, so it could be entirely anything at this point. He shrugged at the letter though and stuffed it into his pocket, not bothering to fold it up nicely and place it back in the envelop. Marschy would turn on his way and head out to the Forgotten Deserts, wondering exactly what it would be like out there. After all, the name of the place sounded quite unpleasant to him, for why would the deserts be long forgotten? The thought lingered in his head for a little while longer, then dispersed into nothing as he concentrated on getting to his destination.
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By the time he had reached his destination of the Forgotten Deserts, it was already high past noon, and the sun blazing. On top of that, the sun beating down on his back left an unpleasant feeling of overheating in the rays. Who the hell wanted to be out in the desert was beyond him. Why did it matter what was buried beneath the sands? For all the mage cared, he would have left the damn creature in the sand and let the dust eat away at it. No time to sweat to death in the desert, just to find some stupid creature that was likely already discovered by someone else. However, he trekked onward to the campsite that the requester had been staying at, simply to dig up his treasure. He rolled his eyes at the thought of being swamped out in the desert, trying to dig up some bones for the weird man.
"Hello there, my boy!" a man shouted out, who looked to be in his early thirties or so, maybe a little more. "You must be the mage who replied to my letter about helping me out with the dig site! I thank you for your help!"
Marschal shrugged in response to the man, not saying a word as he was approached by the scraggly-looking dude. Actually, to him, the man looked to be in his fifties, what with the balding head of white hair and his white beard and mustache. Maybe it was the strange khaki clothes, the shorts and boots, and tee-shirt, that made him look like he was sweating. Whatever the reason, Marschal didn't take too fondly of this guy; be it his age or hair or clothing, who knew.
"Here's the plan," the old man stated, eyes wide as he waved his hand across the empty space in front of them. "You're gonna go down there and help the others dig up that damn creature body because I need that thing right now." His crazed eyes looked to Marschal, staring at him with the evil intent of a predator watching its prey. "You understand me? I want those bones and I want them perfect and unscratched, and absolutely beautiful."
Marschy cocked his eyebrows at the man, but said nothing nodded; what harm was there in dying out in the desert anyway?
The man patted him on the back and pushed him in the direction of the dig site, caring less what was about to happen. He would turn on his way and hide himself in his tent, staring down at a map that likely had nothing important on it. Marschal found the man strange, but maybe it was because the man was a weird archaeologist/paleontologist guy.
With an unwilling sigh, the mage descended the stairs to the dig site, grabbed few digging utensils and settled down amongst the others. He took up a brush and began dusting away the sand grains, first meticulously, then at random and out of boredom. He wasn't really sure what to do other than to dust away and reveal the bones that would be encased in the packed down sand. In fact, he had no experience in even digging up bones, so it was very likely that he would end up breaking them. Marschal yawned and grabbed a tiny shovel thing and began picking away at the edges of the bone, digging a hole to take it out. What he figured was that the creature would be quite large, and would take a few hours to even make a dent in. That, or a few days, depending on how long it would take for everyone around him to help get the bones out.
What was worse for him, was that his black hair easily soaked in the heat of the sun and made him sweat. He wanted to swipe away the sweat that dripped down his face, but dirt covered his arms and he didn't want it on his face. If it had been his choice, he would've found a better way to get this creature out, but he didn't know any other. Marschal grumbled a few words under his breath and picked away at the dirt, dusting and cleaning until the bone could be seen. The mage would then gently grasp the bone with his fingers and tug it upward until it slid nicely out of the dirt. That was one piece down, and about hundred more to go if he had to guess or he was merely exaggerating. Heaving another sigh, mostly from exhaustion of heat, he scooted somewhere else and began working on that part.
A few hours had passed by, a couple slurps of water here and there, and Marschal and the rest of the people had the creature nearly out. However, it was beginning to get late out, and before long, they would lose the light that they were using from the sun. Surely though, the people had the job set and ready, so that lanterns could be used to light up the area. Leaving it at that thought, the mage continued to pick away at the sand, and work and whittle, raising the bone higher each time. At the least job was almost done, and all that would be left was for him to bring all the pieces to the old man. That was the scary part though, as he wasn't entirely sure how the guy would react upon seeing all the pieces.
At long last, Marschal pulled up the final piece of bone and placed it amongst the other bones in the pile they had created. He was staring at the pile though, wondering what they would do with all of the bones now that they had been collected. It was odd to him that the man wanted these old things, especially since they were disturbing a grave of a dead creature. Who knew what havoc could be wrought upon them from the spirit that they had juts disturbed the resting place of. Marschal swallowed, though his throat and mouth were parched from working for hours and drinking very little. Perhaps he should rest a little bit before giving these bones to the man, but that also didn't sound like a good idea. The Black Rose mage took up some of the bones and brought them to the tent that the old man was in.
"We've finished digging up the bones for you, sir!" he called out, extending his arms out toward the tent entrance.
The flap flipped open and the man stood in the doorway, eyes wildly looking around until they landed on the bones. "Oh, they are so beautiful! Please, go put them somewhere safe and I'll give you your pay for helping me out!"
Marschal's lip twitched slightly and he turned away from the man to bring the bones back to the pile he retrieved them from. That had been a complete waste to even bring them up there if the man told him to bring them back down. Why hadn't he come out a single time to check up on his workers? What if they had gone rampant while working? He was a horrible archaeologist, but what was Marschal to do when he had finished the task given to him. The mage placed the bones back where he had gotten them from and returned back to the man's side empty-handed. "They are with the rest of the creature's body, so I hope you don't happen to lose them to the wind or anything. Since I have finished what was asked of me, I'll be taking me leave, as it's getting quite cold here now."
"By all means, you may leave now, I was given what I wanted in a timely fashion, and need you no more," the man responded. He dug into his pockets and handed Marschal the jewels that he had said were up for grabs in his request. Once again, he patted the mage on the back, thanked him, and disappeared into his tent to do who knows what.
Without hesitating, Marschal turned from the tent and began his trek back to the port that had brought him there. Forgotten Deserts was a creepy place to him, and he had been in the Spooky Forest not long ago, so that was saying something. It was more than likely the man causing him issues, but the man had been nice to him the entire time there. The only thing strange he had found was that the man never attempted to help them dig the bones out. He had remained hidden away in his tent, which had made Marschal curious while he was digging up the bones. Shaking his head, Marschal blocked the thoughts from his mind and continued home.
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by Guest 29th December 2015, 9:33 pm
