Death of the Hill’s Son
It was just an ordinary night along the roads leading to the mighty nation of Norland as Bo Jam sat playing his banjo beside a fire. The young man's fingers danced across the strings until a young boy stumbled across Bo, a warm smile and hand gesturing for the boy to take a seat.
“Come an take yerself ah seat fella, ain’t no problem. Ma music is free ah promise!”
The young boy without a word took a seat beside the homeless looking man, glancing toward the many empty mason jars nearby.
“Yer thirsty aint ya!” Bo then handed the boy a jar of moonshine with a wide smile, “Make sure ya give ah big ole, YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO befer ya drink or it aint gone taste so good.”
The unsuspecting boy followed the words of Bo Jam, only to find himself spitting out the rather high-proof moonshine. Moments later Bo began to strum the chords of his banjo once more.
“So fella, ah might’ve lied ta ya. There do be a price fer ya ta hear me songs…..” Beneath the unkept beard of the hillbilly, a set of fangs began to slowly protrude, “Ya got ta tell me what makes ya happy.”
“I.. I guess meeting new people like you makes me happy mister...”
The musical strum of Bo’s banjo then ended abruptly, the hillbilly rising to his feet as he stared into the campfire before him. The memory of why he first traveled from his home flooding his mind, a single tear falling to the earth as a result. Without another word the redneck moved beside the boy, placing a hand atop his head, “Tha be ah good thing fella… real good.” Bo then took a mighty gulp of his nightglow moonshine, drinking the entire jar in one go, “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, ain’t nothin like some moonshine… Ya stay safe now fella, ah got somethin ta do.”
Bo then set off into the forest, it was time he stopped letting his past control him. Stop letting others dictate what he was meant for. It was time for Bo to rid himself of the curse that plagued his blood and mind.
"The idea of redemption is always good news, even if it means sacrifice or some difficult times."
Patti Smith
Step by step Bo continued to wander the untouched wilderness blessing the lands of Almaris. Time, determination, and hope breaking the enthrallment brought upon him many months prior though at a cost. The hillbilly that once held an unbreakable smile, soon fell to his knees in tears as he thought of the many egregious acts he had committed over the course of his life. “Ah ain’t never hurtin anotha fella, never…” The hillbilly speaking himself into a small depressed slumber. When Bo Jam awoke, his body was no longer his own as he fought the urge to feed upon his friends.
The blood of corcitura ran rampant within his veins for the next few years, slowly taking control of his mind in hopes of garnering a feast. Though the heart and mind of Bo remained strong, guiding his body far from any descendant home capable of being harmed. On one fateful night, Bo made a grave mistake and found himself at the gates of DuLoc. The scent of man filling his nostrils as he dashed into the city, a figment of what he once was as he rabidly threw himself toward the first man he came across. In a movement bound by fate the man stepped to the side, sending Bo Jam’s mind into an unconscious state as he collided with a stone staircase.
Bo was then bound, dragged, and beaten within the forests surrounding the city of Du Loc. The rabid hillbilly attempted to free himself to no avail as the man he sought to feed upon began to carve a set of runes into the body of the poor redneck. A depiction soon finding a home beside Bo as the man used his blood as a tool for the art. Moments later a blade found itself along the neck of Bo Jam, a simple set of words following, “Why me? Of all the people in this world, why me?”
“I never wanted to… I- I- needed to…”
Slice
The blade swiftly cut the skin it sat atop, the crimson ichor of Bo covering the earth beneath himself before the man began to speak an ancient tongue. The runes and art soon came to life as the soul of Bo was ripped from the mortal plane. Silence then filled the forest, nothing but a futile pile of dust remaining of Bo Jam. It appeared, the time of this hillbilly has come to an unlikely end.