Atridis Amulet

Nick was a young hunter. He came from the island of Kerlanoh. He thoroughly enjoyed his life. He could butcher a wide variety of animals, from wolves to foxes, deer, and even bears. His regular source of income was selling his pelts, claws, and fangs in town. Despite this, he didn't live there himself. He disliked prying eyes or the deceitful townspeople. He preferred to spend his time in his tent, pitched right next to the Two Billy Goat Inn. He frequented it frequently. His favorite pastime was playing dice with trusted comrades, listening to the music coming from the lute played by the beautiful Katrina from the island of Karwenbon. He also loved friendly fights among friends and the soft beds in the inn's rooms, where he used to sleep when he got too drunk or his friends overdid it and beat him senseless. He didn't take such situations seriously, however, and had no intention of changing his compatriots. Nick was content and fulfilled in his life, but he felt he was destined for something more. Something greater. He craved adventure.

One day, Nick went hunting, as he did every day. That day, he managed to kill two wild boars. After he had butchered the animals and collected the meat in a bag, he saw a bear. The large animal was standing only 50 meters from the hunter. Nick couldn't miss such an opportunity. He began to sneak as quietly as he could after the dangerous animal with its valuable hide, leaving behind a bag filled with meat and boar hides. Unfortunately, the animal quickly realized what awaited it and immediately lunged toward the aggressor. Of course, Nick had his bow ready. Before the bear could even reach the hunter, it was pierced through the stomach by a sharp arrow and fell dead. Returning home with his prized trophy, the hunter saw movement in the bushes. He had already readied his bow, thinking he had struck another lucky shot. He drew back the string and fired. Unfortunately, the shot was off target, and the animal, which turned out to be an ordinary owl, fled. Nick began chasing the animal. He had been chasing them for a good 15 minutes when the animal disappeared into an oak tree. Nick, with a single well-aimed shot into the nest, sent the owl into the afterlife. Suddenly, something fell on Nick's head. The young hunter thought it was a bird's nest, but he was wrong. It was something metal. It turned out to be an amulet. However, it didn't look normal. Inside the gem, which was located in the center of the gilded disc, a tiny flame could be seen. Nick, carrying his trophies to regular buyers of pelts, decided to visit a local magician, whom both the hunter and the entire town held in high esteem and trusted his vast knowledge. This magician came from beyond the mountains to the west. The local people are known primarily for their knowledge, both in history, mathematics, natural science, and magic. Therefore, every resident of the town came to the magician with their problems. Nick wanted to ask about the mysterious amulet he had found during his last hunt. When he entered the small shrine, he saw a large statue of the god Mekrnon. He was one of the four gods known to the culture of the island of Kerlanoh. Mekrnon was the god of wisdom. His brothers were Gratnom, the god of earth; Astrik, the god of space; and Venom, the god of humans. All four had their own shrines, festivals, and even worshipers. A mage knelt beneath the statue, offering prayers. Suddenly, he spotted Nick.

-What brings you here, child? - asked the magician.

"Greetings, magician. As you've probably guessed, I have a case for you. However, this time it's not a dispute, a mathematical problem, or even a matter of God. This time, curiosity brings me to you."

-Namely?

"During my last hunt, I stumbled upon an interesting find. I found a strange amulet. There shouldn't have been anything strange about it, except for the flame shimmering from the center of the medallion's gem."

"I don't really know what to think about this. I'd have to take a closer look. Please give me this amulet and I'll test its power."

-Of course, here he is.

Nick turned on his heel and returned to his house.

 The next day, Nick went on another hunt. This time, he was very lucky. He acquired three wolf pelts. He could already taste the beer he would drink with his friends at the inn. As usual, he entered the city to sell his catch. However, this time, he was not greeted by the regular merchants. He was stopped by the guards.

"Murderer!" the guard shouted.

-What! - asked the surprised accused.

"The victim died from a stab wound to the abdomen. Your name is on the knife," the guard said, showing Nick the bloody murder weapon.

-It's indeed my knife, but it couldn't have been me! Who was murdered?

"A mage has been murdered. In his own shrine! May the gods have mercy on his soul."

-I would have no reason to kill anyone, especially a venerable magician!

"Don't try your tricks! We know full well it was you who saw you talking to him. You gave him that amulet," he said, throwing the trinket at Nick, which the hunter caught with a deft movement of his hand and, despite wanting to throw it all the way to Astrik's kingdom, still held on to it. "It was probably a financial matter. You couldn't bear to lose the jewelry, you vile materialist. Besides, we have eyewitnesses to prove it. They saw you leaving the shrine at night and then you started running away."

-It wasn't me!

Nick fled. He pushed the accuser aside. He passed the remaining guards and before he knew it, he was outside the city gates. The guards were far behind. Fortunately, as a hunter, he didn't have to wear heavy armor, which hampered the slow guards' movements. Fortunately, he was stopped right at the gate; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to outrun the overwhelming number of guards. Nick decided to flee, preferably far away. He hurried to his tent. He gathered his belongings and packed them in a bag. He had to hurry, as he could already hear the clanging and clattering of the guards' armor. He ran as fast as he could to the beach. The fisherman quickly began chasing the hunter, wondering what kind of man was stealing his boat. However, he didn't catch Nick as he set sail. All Nick could see from the boat were the guards cursing and throwing stones at him to no avail. The hunter set sail into the world. Fortunately, the fisherman kept a rod and bait in his boat. Thanks to this, along with childhood fishing trips with his father and the experience he had gained, Nick was safe from starvation. With each passing day, he began to wonder more and more who could have killed the venerable mage. After all, he couldn't give his precious knife to anyone. Nick's father was also a hunter and had passed it on to him when he became a man, so Nick would pass it on to his son. He wouldn't give it to anyone else. Not even to Katrina of Karwenbon, whose songs he missed so much while playing the lute. Besides, when he went to bed, he hid the knife in his chest. Every day of his expedition, the hunter wore his magical amulet around his neck. One day, he woke up on the shore of a cove. When he asked around, he learned that he had sailed to a land called Krin. This land was so far from Kerlanoh that no one there had heard of Nick's alleged crime. After settling into his new land, the hunter continued his work. He continued to hunt animals. With the money he earned in Kerlanoh, he bought himself a small house in the town, which, unlike his previous one, was a very pleasant and peaceful place. He gained the respect of the local population and enjoyed considerable success. This was a true blessing in disguise. When Nick went hunting again, he was once again very lucky. He bagged eight rabbits. He could already taste the fried rabbit meat in his mouth. He had already collected enough money that for the first time he would be able to taste meat seasoned with salt, which was not cheap. As he walked home, he tripped and hit his head on a rock. He saw a strange figure. It looked like a middle-aged man, but with very strange scratches on his face. When he took a closer look at the strange figure, he saw someone familiar, someone he should recognize, but for the life of him, he couldn't recognize the person, who looked as if he had just clawed his way out of the grave. Nick's amulet suddenly began to glow with a strong light. The figure had already come within striking distance of his sword when he suddenly stopped.She looked Nick straight in the eye and made a sound that resembled the words:

-I will come for you, I am the former owner.-

Nick suddenly awoke next to the rock that had knocked him unconscious. The hunter had a rather large head wound. When he miraculously reached the town, the townspeople immediately rushed to help. He was treated by a medic and sent home with a leave of absence. Unfortunately, he couldn't get rid of the salted hare. Nick rested from hunting, as recommended by the doctor. However, when the wound healed, he went on another game hunting expedition. This time, he had to go longer to catch more game. While chasing another hare, of which he had already caught five, and two partridges, he failed to notice the low ceiling of the cave where the animal had sought refuge. He hit his head and fainted again. After five hours of unconsciousness, he awoke in the cave in question. It was already dark. He looked around. A small leather bag caught his eye. Covered in dust and dirt, but still noticeable. When he searched it, he found only a mysterious journal. Nick likely would have discarded the scraps of paper and continued his search for hares, if not for the image on the journal's cover. It was his amulet.

He began to read :

...Another day has passed, and that damn Huno still hasn't driven himself away from my beloved Marianna...

… She doesn't notice me at all, I hate that fat Huno...

…He kissed her, right in front of my eyes…

…I have to get rid of him…

...I can't do this, I just can't! I'm not a monster, I have to find another way...

...My enchantment skills should come in handy...

...Maybe a self-defeating sword? No...

...Maybe I can magically force someone else to kill him? Hmm...

...maybe an amulet?...

...I created an amulet, thanks to which my sword will reach him, and best of all, I won't even feel it...

...it causes the current owner to die at the hands of the previous one...

...Ha! Finally, revenge is complete...

...She inherited all his belongings. After all, as his wife...

...No! She... She... why was she murdered?...

...she couldn't have died by his hand, he's dead...

...He's dead...

...as an inheritance, as the only friend of the family, I received an amulet...

...Oh no, he belongs to me now!...

...but not that, Marianna!...

...NO!!!

After these words, clearly marking the end of the author's life, something else was added. This time, it wasn't his handwriting.

Atridis Amulet

The journal ended here. Nick began to wonder. After all, the current owner was killed by the previous one. If Nick had found the amulet in the foxhole, what happened next? He went to the city... then he went to the mage... The mage! He'd taken it in for the night! Nick, under hypnosis, had killed him as the previous owner, which is why his knife was embedded in the mage's body, but he had regained the amulet, becoming its owner again. Which meant that now the mage wanted to kill him! Even if he was dead. He was the one he'd seen in his dream. And now he was trying to kill him. Nick had to do something about it. Nick's amulet began to glow. Unfortunately, before he could even think about it, he saw the dark figure entering the cave again. It was the mage. The same one from the dream. Scratched skin, dusty. Torn rags. He looked as if he'd been unearthed from the grave. Which was true, of course. His face was covered in scratches and bleeding. Amid the gallons of pouring blood, the ruthless expression of the undead could be seen. Despite his pleas and entreaties, Nick was attacked. The reanimated creature swung, but Nick was faster. He dodged the blow and counterattacked. The mage fell to the ground. However, he rose again. With his last vestiges of memory and intelligence, he knew that, as a former mage, he would be no match for the athletic and agile hunter. He uttered the worst spell he could remember. It was an implosion spell. The hunter, knowing he stood no chance against such a powerful spell, panicked. He looked around frantically, searching for a solution. He couldn't run away, after all, because the implosion spell was long-range; once cast, it was impossible to escape. On some impulse, he began searching through the journal. He searched for something that could help him. The chances were slim. The mage was starting to finish the formula. When suddenly, the hunter remembered the words from the end of the journal.

"Amulut Atridis," he uttered. Suddenly, he lost control of his legs. Some mysterious force prevented him from moving. He stood paralyzed. Unfortunately, with paralysis came falling. A painful fall. But before he hit the ground and lost consciousness once again, he saw something magical. It was an implosion, but it wasn't Nick imploding; it was a reanimated mage. Nick fell to the ground, unconscious.

He awoke in his home. His body was now fully functional. He wondered how on earth he had found himself home. After all, he had witnessed the magician's death again, this time final. Thinking it was all just a dream, he got up and, about to go to breakfast, saw something unexpected. A journal lay on his nightstand. The same journal from the cave, but this time, there were no words or entries from the unfortunate magician who had created the amulet. This time, on every page were the words: Amulet of Atridis.