Okay, after a much more intense competition than before,
swearing the oath and not sleeping with Cu won. Some promises were made, other remained unbroken. What follows is a very short update, but sadly to make it any longer would require intensive padding, which I would rather avoid. And so, I am a bit apprehensive about that one, but hey, there it goes. Enjoy!
3.5 Do Not Look
In the dark that befell you when the fire went you, you made the promise to him; and you swore by the names of all the Saints, and particularly by the name of Saint Odo, and you swore to the sun and to the moon, even if they were not there to witness it, and you swore it to the ground beneath your feat and the sky above, and to the seas that are deep, and to the mountains that are high, that you will not cease nor abandon your quest, wherever the road may take you. And a certain weight came over you, for such words are not to be idly spoken, and Cu recognized that, and bowed his head to you.
And to his request, you said no, and reminded him that he could not sleep with a woman, for such was the restriction he imposed on himself to be strong. He seemed taken aback by that notion, but as the night gives way to the day, surprise gave way to understanding, and he said:
"I see now plainly that which was obscured from me."
And he explained to you that you were right, and that he would not need to sunder oaths made to meet the future he had promised. And he took into his hands the spear which was called the Rye-stalk, and he cautioned you to three things: that you should not follow him, that you should sleep in the ruined shrine, hidden behind a wall, that in the morning, there would be a great much of shouting and screaming, and that you must not look at it until all is silent and the crow caws.
Then, he kissed you, chastely and on the cheek, and left you, and although great dread came over you, you slept, and there were again dreams and visions, and of them, and again you remembered none of them, but only for the sense of severity around them. But as you woke up, you noticed that on one of the walls of shrine there was a preserved painting, and although colours were faded, you could clearly see on it a pilgrim on a very narrow bridge over a very deep chasm, and behind her was the city of the temporal and ahead of her was Step everlasting, and below her was damnation.
But before you could consider the meaning of it, a terrible sound reached your ears, as if a howling from a dozen throats, and the sound did not cease, and others joined it; there were screams and shouts and there was also the ringing of steel, and it was by the sound alone that you were rendered sick, for with each howl repeating, it sounded even more terrifying than before; and if the Malefactors could walk the earth, that would be the sound of it weeping under their feet.
Mindful of Cu's warning, you…
[ ] Nonetheless tried to look.
[ ] Waited for the crow to caw.
