The Raine of Strahd

Chapter 2

Raine continued to walk the path, or what was now more of a trail. The road had died off long ago, now looking like a beaten-up path rather than a nice gravel lane. Raines' multi-colored hair shined lightly on the soft brink of day."So why do you need to find this party again?" Vinny asked."I have told you already that I will request to help them on their quests to achieve the same goal." She explained as if she had already given the speech."But I don't understand..." Vinny mumbled as he reached into his pockets, pulling out 3 colorful balls. "What are these similar goals?" He asked and began to juggle as they walked.

Raine stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. When he ran into Raine, Vinny continued to walk and juggle, more focused on the juggling. It was a soft bump, but enough to catch Vinny's focus, to which he dropped all three small balls onto the ground.Vinny cursed under his breath as he picked up his juggling balls. Raine slightly glared at Vinny. She rolled her eyes and continued to walk. "How much farther away is it?" He asked in a whiney tone.Raine pondered, did the math in her head, and looked toward the end of the road. "We've got at least another day ahead of us." She answered. Vinny's face fell in disappointment. "Could we at least rest soon?" He pouted.

Raine shot him a look at that request."It's not even mid-day." she huffed, annoyed.Vinny's hope died dramatically, and he exaggerated a sigh. "Alright, well, at least we keep on walking." He mumbled.Raine rolled her eyes, fixed the collar of her cloak, and marched after him.

As the day progressed, the sky started to lose its brightness, and the cloudy sun was preparing to set behind the horizon. Raine and Vinny continued walking, their footsteps crunching the leaves that covered the ground. The air was still and silent, except for the occasional chirping of the birds and rustling of the leaves that surrounded them.

Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was shattered by a loud rustling noise. Raine immediately stopped in her tracks and turned toward the source of the disturbance. Her hand gripped the sheath of her sword tightly, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Vinny, sensing her companion's unease, stood behind her, peering over her shoulder.

As the rustling grew louder, Raine took a few cautious steps forward, her sword at the ready. Suddenly, a creature leaped out from the bushes. It was a small, ferocious-looking beast with razor-sharp teeth and claws. Raine's instincts kicked in, and without hesitation, she drew her sword and slashed the air, hoping to strike the creature before it could lunge at her.

"Wait!" The man shouted hoarse, but it was too late. The target fell to the ground, blood covering the dirt and gravel. Vinny's eyes widened as he soon saw what the creature was.Raine's eyes also widened, but her face fell shortly after. She studied the humanoid closely. It was an adult male littered with cuts all over his body. The most noticeable thing was a chunk of his skin bitten from his torso. Raine felt pity for the man but realized there was nothing she could've done. Even if she hadn't swung her sword.

"He's dead..." She mumbled barely in a whisper. Vinny's eyes watered with sadness and shame. "Y-you killed him!" He accused.Raine did not blame him for this reaction, but it was not her fault. "No." She shook her head and gently rolled the body to their back. "He was dead before I hit him." She gently tapped her boot to the bite mark that was still fresh."Werewolves," Vinny whispered, recognizing the injury. Raine nodded and sighed and gently began to pick up the fresh corpse. "Wh-what are you doing!?" Vinny panicked."We're going to bury them," Raine answered. "They don't deserve to rot in the road." she shook her head and walked through the bushes, not caring if the branches scratched her face or clothes.

The cloaked rogue carried the limp humanoid into the woods, far enough so that the grave would not be desecrated yet close enough to be seen by the road by passerbyers so it would not be forgotten. Vinny followed Raine into the woods, hoping he or she would not get lost or hurt by any creatures lurking. Raine pulled out her pocket shovel and began to dig. This was going to take a while.

For at least an hour and a half, grunts of exertion could be heard as the young half-elf dug into the ground. Once it was at least four feet deep, she stopped. Satisfied with her work, Raine gently lowered the body in and began to cover him up.Vinny watched intensely. A sense of peace washed over him, yet he was intrigued. He was not expecting this. The average person would've shrugged and moved on, but not this character. It was abnormal.

Raine soon straightened up and dusted her hands off. "I hope the morning lord blesses thy." she huffed, exhausted. Raine looked around tiredly, pulled out her waterskin, and took a sip, letting the cold water wash away her thirst. She wiped the sweat from her brow and sighed amusingly."Well, I'll admit that took longer than I had imagined. I suppose we can find a better spot and set up camp." She planned out loud. "You want to keep moving after that?" Vinny asked, surprised."Do you want to sleep next to a grave?" She raised her brow rhetorically. Vinny shook his head fast. "Then we better get moving. It's only a matter of time before we've baited ourselves."