@cherry-cove , Epithet Erased is a webshow! The first 7 episodes are free on Youtube, and the sequel book, Prison of Plastic, is available as an audiobook on soundbooth theatre.
In the world of Sweet Jazz City a lucky few are born with powers attached to their very souls known as "Epithets". An Epithet stems from a s
In this world, a lucky few are born with special powers based on a single word. That word is called an âepithet.â Each epithet is linked to
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Genre: Angst/Fluff
Characters: Doc, Beef, BDubs, Etho
Summary: The nHo are gone, but never forgotten... and not quite gone
Word Count: 4178 (yeah. I might have gone ham)
Author: Mod Lori
In time, Doc came to refer to the event as the Incident.
The Incident that had taken the lives of his closest companions, the Incident that had left him alone and lost, the Incident that had sent him into a life of isolation. It had been a year since the Incidentâin fact tomorrow would be the exact anniversary. They were dead, and to the world, he was dead along with them.
He wished that were true.
In the back corner of a dingy, dank tavern, he sat at a table with a mug of ale in his hand and three empty chairs before him. It was far later than he should have been staying out, so late that he was one of only three remaining patrons.
Hee downed his drink and then rose to his feet, body heavy. He wanted nothing more than to stay here and continue to drown his sorrows, but, if he remained in one place for too long, he risked being recognized. So, he lifted his hood and exited the dim light of the tavern, stepping into the night and keeping his head downâthough that did little to hide just how much space his half-orc body took up.
He couldnât be recognized. If he was, he didnât have it in him to explain, hadnât had it in him since his friends had been killed, and he thought that maybe he would never have it in him to do anything ever again except carry on as he had been, wandering from town to town.
His friends were dead, and yet, he was still here. Why? Why was he still here when the others were gone, wrenched from his life unceremoniously like they were nothing?
They werenât nothing, and they never had been. They were his companions, his best friends, his family, and for the longest time he couldnât have imagined his life without them.
He wished that were still true.
He was out of the town and along the beaten forest path within minutes. A lesser man might be nervous walking through a forest at night with all that he owned on his back, but it was a rare and impressive feat to find someone who could pose him any true threat.
Besides, even if he stumbled across someone like that, it wasnât as if he had much to live for.
Now that he wished wasnât true.
It was a dangerous thing to be alone with his thoughts, but he couldnât stay anywhere for very long, and especially not in such a small town that would immediately know about a half-orc stranger come morning.
Because of that, he had to leave. Maybe someday he would build himself a house in the middle of a thick forest and live there, where nobody would find him. The hermit life sounded good. It was alone, unbothered.
He walked for the entire night, not bothering to stop to rest. By the time dawn broke, he was in the middle of the forest, still trekking along the winding path. Heâd seen a few people as morning approached, mostly lone riders or merchants with carts.
Heâd paid them little mind until he came upon an upturned wagon. It was blocking the path entirely, and a good ten or so people were surrounding it. Once, he would have stopped to help. Even now, had he been in a better mood, he might have still done it.
Instead, his heart hung heavy within his chest, and the last thing that he wanted to do today was help turn a cart right-side up. Ignoring them, he turned, venturing off the path and into the forest proper before any of them saw him.
Heâd only just lost sight of the cart when his foot slipped.
It was stupid, really; a misstep on a loose stone, but sure enough, the stone fell out from under him, and then he was slipping uncontrolably down a hill that started gentle but, as he soon found out, eventually became steep and then dropped off to a vertical cliff.
He scrambled for purchase, mind blank with panic and limbs flailing wildly for a branch or a root or something to stop his fall. Unfortunately, he found nothing, and then he was free-falling off a cliff so high that he couldnât see the bottom. It would come eventually, though, and so he closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate and bracing for impact.
But, before he hit the ground, his armâthe one made of wood, not fleshâwas yanked upward. A hand grasped it and lifted.
There was light; searing, blinding, brilliant light that burned into his mind even through his closed eyes, and as the light surged and then faded, he was surrounded by a familiar feeling.
Heâd recognize Beefâs spell to reduce fall damage anywhere. Even a year later, even in the last place and time he would expect it, even with Beef dead and gone. The magic coated him like a warm hug, undeniably Beef; it was the immense, overwhelming power of a fireball and the soft, reassuring touch of a heal. It felt like companionship and inside jokes, cozy and safe and there to catch you when you fall.
As his feet slammed into the ground below he felt tears spring to his eyes not from painâno, the spell negated any painâbut from sheer, unbridled emotion, emotion that increased infinitely as Doc looked up. Beef was there, right before him, face awash in terror and confusion and excitement all wrapped up in one, hand still grasping Docâs wooden wrist.
âHow-â
âYouâre dead,â Doc said.
Beef blinked. It was at that moment that Doc realized he wasnât⊠whole. Beef was a ghost; there was no other way to put it. He was translucent and pale, with the slightest tinge of washed-out blue. His torso could be seen but his legs faded into nothing, and he was just hovering there, dressed in the very clothes Doc had witnessed him die in.
âI donât think I am.â
âWell, youâre not alive.â
âThatâs true,â Beef conceded.
Docâs heart was pounding in his chest, his ears ringing and mind whirling with a cocktail of emotions that dashed through his conscious far too fast for him to grasp or comprehend.
Impossible. It was impossible. Beef couldnât be here, and yet, and yet, the feeling of the spell that had saved Docâs life was fresh and full in his memory. There was no way of faking that; it was uniquely Beef, his magic a fingerprint that left no room for doubt. It was him, there was no way around it.
But it was impossible.
Doc told him as much. Before him, Beef shrugged transparent shoulders. The smile that the human gave was some odd conglomeration of sheepishness, confusion, and relief.
âI canât tell you anything except that I am very glad to be back here. Well,â he glanced down at his body, briefly inspecting it, âmostly here, anyway.â
It hit him then, so sudden and elating; it was no wonder that it took so long to sink in. Beef was here, with him, somehow, by the hand of some benevolent god or fortunate magic. The realization forced tears to his eyes once again, and he named a few of the emotions that eddied within him: elation, sheer joy, overwhelming relief and excitement because Beef, his friend and longtime companion, a man he thought dead and long gone, was back, returned to him from beyond the grave.
Beef didnât leave, mostly because--as they soon found out--he couldnât; he was present, but he wasnât corporeal, and he was unable to go much further than Doc could see. Doc was also the only person who could see or hear him, a fact they learned quickly when they came across a town, and one which Beef just as quickly used to his advantage, loudly interrupting Doc or talking smack about the people they interacted with at every opportunity. They fell into an easy dynamic within days; theyâd spent too much time together for that to be difficult.
Beef couldnât touch anything, either, save for Docâs wooden arm. They werenât sure why that was, exactly, but Beef had a few theories. Strangest of all, though, through some connection they shared, Beef could somehow cast spells through Doc. They were limited, of course, and immensely draining, but the power that rushed through him was unlike anything heâd ever experienced.
The month following Beefâs return was filled with experimentation. They tested the limits of his capabilities together, and Doc was happy beyond belief that, not only had his friend returned, but that he had a purpose once more.
Most troubling of all, though, was that they still didnât know where Beef had been.
Beefâs running theory was that the artifact a year earlier had banished him to another plane. He didnât like talking about it; whenever Doc mentioned it, even in passing, the man grew distant and quiet. On the rare occasions when Beef mentioned it, Doc got the feeling that it wasnât entirely in the past tense.
There were times when Beef faded, times when he wasnât quite there. It was terrifying. Every time it happened, Doc could only watch as the manâs form grew thinner, as his eyes began to focus on things unseen, as he ceased responding to Doc as if he werenât really there. And every time it happened, Doc was convinced that that was itâthat Beef would fade away entirely, and that this strange sort of being had been temporary, fated to be whisked off within months.
But Beef would return, and all would be well, and Doc didnât ask where heâd gone. Maybe they would get to that point some time in the future, but he didnât want to push anything. He was all Beef had at the moment; he didnât want to make the man uncomfortable.
So they settled into a routine, and it wasnât long before it felt like it had a year prior, even though they were still missing half of their group.
It was about three months after Beefâs appearance that that changed.
Doc was well used to getting in trouble. He was half-orc; there were few races that faced more vitriol than him, and he was well used to the prejudice that came along with it. Because of this, he wasnât particularly surprised when he found himself arrested one day.
It was a small town, the kind which tended to be insular and not particularly welcoming to outsiders. Beef had been particularly brutal in his commentary that afternoon, and that hadnât helped Doc with any attempts to remain inconspicuous.
They hadnât intended to remain very long, but they did stop by the tavern for a drink (one drink, for Doc, seated at an empty table because Beef could sit but could not drink with his friend). Heâd been getting up to leave when he had passed by another table and had overheard a human man saying something downright foul to the (extremely uncomfortable) tavern maid giving him his ale.
Heâd grabbed the man by the shirt, lifting him from his seat and then throwing him to the ground. Beef had cheered him on, but he would have done it even if he hadnât had someone encouraging him to.
The fight that ensued was completely one-sided. The man had three friends, but all four were dispatched and running off with their tails between their legs within minutes.
Doc had stayed longer than he should have, making sure that the woman was okay and apologizing for reacting on impulse (he should have made sure she wanted his help from the start, but Beef had egged him on and the manâs actions had left him in such a rage that he hadnât thought that part through). She was fine, fairly thankful, and the owner of the tavern had come out to assure Doc that the men wouldnât be welcome back.
He left the tavern and intended to go on his way, Beef floating along beside him pantomiming the fight and describing it in hilariously excited detail. He was met by guards before he even neared the edge of the city.
As it turned out, one of the disgusting men had been the brother of the captain of the guard, and so, with little ceremony, Doc was thrown into a small cell and abandoned to await his punishment
Beef found the whole thing hilarious, and if Doc could float through walls and didnât have to touch anything in the cell, heâd probably have found it amusing too. As it was, he was less than enthused. Still, he had no regrets. He was just waiting for the right moment to activate his barbarian rage and get out.
The sun was beginning to set when the captain of the guard came up to his cell.
âI donât suppose you know what you did wrong.â
âEnlighten me,â Doc drawled.
The man huffed, speaking slowly as if Doc didnât speak Common. âYou assaulted four men completely unwarranted in a tavern.â
âWouldnât call it unwarranted.â Doc rose to his feet. âThey were harassing a tavern maid.â
âIt wasnât your place to intervene.â
Docâs hand clenched into a fist. He was beyond tired of this. âMan, I donât know who raised you, but I was raised to respect women, which includes not making lewd comments at them when theyâre just doing their jobs.â
âShe was a tavern maid, theyâre there for-â
Docâs fist was already in the manâs face. The noise that resulted was undoubtedly the sound of his nose breaking, and he toppled to the floor, blood gushing down his face and completely unconscious.
âDamn,â Beef said, drawing out the word as he hovered over the body. âOne hit. What a punch!â
Doc stepped out from his cell, over the manâs body and into the hallway. Then he heard a gasp.
His head snapped towards the source. At the end of the hallway, a young woman stood with wide eyes and a hand over her mouth.
âUh.â Doc looked down at the unconscious man next to him, then at the cell behind him, and then finally at the blood on the floor and his fist, which certainly didnât look good. He returned his gaze to the woman, lifting his hands immediately and opening them to show that he held nothing in them. âIt was self defense?â
The words had just left his mouth before a luminous light shone through the room. It was white-hot and familiar, and he recognized it as the very same that had heralded Beefâs return.
The magic that flowed through him this time was boisterous and jovial. It was the smell of a summer rainfall and the sound of a wild wind through trees; the feeling of family, of home, of belonging.
When it faded, the woman made no acknowledgement that it had occurred. She blinked once, eyes glazed over, and then murmured âself defenseâ before nodding absentmindedly and then turning around to walk off.
Docâs jaw was on the floor. âThat worked?â
âNot at all!â
Doc whipped about to see the source of the voice. Heâd recognize it anywhere. BDubs. There he was, floating next to a wide-eyed and grinning Beef, with an endearingly arrogant half-smile plastered on his face and hands raised in a fashion that resembled a performer having done some impressive trick.
âI, however, worked beautifully.â A charisma buff. The kind that BDubs would give back when they were alive and getting into the same shenanigans Doc had gotten into now.
Beef, suddenly free of his shock, let out a whoop of excitement. He was laughing, all but manic, joy and surprise evident on his face and in his laughter.
BDubs was grinning, more genuine and relieved this time. He was laughing with Beef and his eyes were shining with tears and it wasnât long before translucent drops were falling to the floor, dissipating rather than remaining.
Doc ran out of town with his companions flying behind him, the duo even louder and more chaotic than Beef was on his own.
The routine theyâd fallen into picked BDubs up without issue, and now even more experimentation could be done thanks to the inclusion of another ghostly planar-stuck mage.
BDubsâ presence brought the groupâs morale up even higher. Heâd always had a way of doing that, as if his simply being there lifted spirits and created happiness. Doc had thought heâd never feel it again, and yet here they were, Doc and Beef and BDubs adventuring again.
But there was one part missing.
He felt guilty for it, selfish, as if two friends miraculously returning from the dead (or whatever plane they had been imprisoned) wasnât enough for him. Why couldnât that be enough? Why couldnât he be happy with that?
But it was impossible to deny the palpable hole in their group. They were three-fourths of a quartet, not a trio. It felt wrong. They all missed Etho, he knew it. There was a part of him holding out hope that Etho would show up, just as Beef and BDubs had.
Days had gone by; days which became weeks, weeks which became months. Still no Etho. Still some glimmer of hope remaining in Docâs chest, every breeze and odd occurrence sending him into a bittersweet whirlwind of emotion.
It was times like these when the disparity was most felt: Doc was in the middle of a battle to enter an ancient temple, one which he, Beef, and BDubs had hoped might help them on their quest to return to their home plane. It was the kind of fight Etho would have reveled in, but despite Beef and BDubs at his side, Doc was not winning.
His chest heaved with the heavy breaths he was taking, and he was practically using his battle axe as a crutch. Blood was gushing from wounds all over his body. His energy was giving out, he could feel it.
BDubs and Beef were doing their best, and Doc was eternally thankful for it; the magic that flowed through him could never replace what it had been like to fight with them by his side, but their familiar and combined presence made him feel more calm and capable.
Before him, two frost giants approached. Heâd used his battle rage to take down their three companions, and heâd thought he could finish them off.
Heâd gotten far too comfortable. Back before the Incident, he and the nHo could have taken these buffoons without any trouble, but BDubs and Beef werenât really there, not physically, anyway, and Etho was stillâŠ
There was no time to think about that now. The frost giants were fast approaching, and Doc knew that he wouldnât survive the encounter.
He looked up, and saw Beef and BDubs hovering above him, watching over him with magic at the ready. He couldnât bring it in himself to say anythingâhe wanted to apologize, to thank them, to say something, and yet nothing came.
His heart ached. After everything, after all that they had done, this would be the end. At least, he thought, heâd been able to spend these last few months with Beef and BDubs.
He only wished Etho had been there, too.
He hefted his axe and strode forward to meet his enemies. The familiar, comforting feeling of Beef and BDubsâ magic surged through him, and he turned and faced the giants head-on.
The first swing of his axe hit home in a giantâs ankle; frost began to creep outward from the connection, spreading quickly towards the handle and Docâs hands. He pulled it out before the cold reached leather, leaping backward and ignoring the screaming pain in his knee as he narrowly avoiding the swing of a huge club.
He wasnât so lucky with the second one. A wooden cudgel the size of a large tree met its mark in the middle of his chest, sending him flying. One of Beefâs spells cushioned the resulting collision he had with a pillar behind him, but the sickening crack of his head slamming into it wasnât dampened, and he fell to the ground in an unshakable daze.
Still, he scrambled to his feet, determined to fight for as long as possible, and ducked blindly downwards and to his left with his vision still blurry. The deafening sound of one of the giantsâ clubs smashing the enormous pillar to dust made him immediately thankful that he did so.
In his peripheral vision, he could see BDubsâ spectral form beginning to materialize and brighten. Beneath Docâs feet, the grass became greener; the trees around the clearing rustled in nonexistent wind. Knowing that it was the work of his friend, Doc allowed his wooden arm to raise and point, palm open, towards the giants approaching.
There was a scorching heat; fire erupted from the very air around him, surrounding the giant that had thrown Doc into the pillar and closing in, whipping about in enormous flames to envelop the creature. It was gone within moments, reduced to steaming ash.
Doc had no sympathy, and unfortunately, he also had no strength. The spell, cast by BDubs and channeled through the arm Doc had been gifted by all three of his friends, had drained what little energy that had remained in the half-orc.
He fell to his knees, grasping his battle axe desperately, only barely able to keep himself from collapsing to the ground entirely. The sole remaining frost giant advanced. Beef and BDubs hovered above him.
Doc blinked once, twice, eyes burning with tears that would never fall. Heâd shed them all months ago, anyway.
Iâm sorry. He didnât even have the strength to say it; could only mouth it. Heâd failed. They wouldnât come back. They wouldnât even know if it had been possible.
If there were one consolation, at least they would be together again, really together, at last.
Doc wondered what he would say to Etho.
He dropped his head, unwilling to watch as the giant lifted its club to drop upon his weak, broken body. He could feel the air displaced as it swung.
What happened afterwards was a confusing blur of broken memory and pain. He knew that the club met its mark; he remembered feeling it, remembered hearing the sound, but he couldnât recall what it had actually felt or sounded like, even if he wanted to. The gap in his memory was a small gift for which he would always be thankful.
He hadnât died, that much he knew, though he had been well on the way. There had been mere seconds of time between life and death, moving quickly closer to the wrong direction; he was fleeting and unconscious, but he saw the light.
There was a white light, warm and radiant, the kind heâd seen only twice before, only this time it was brighter and stronger and accompanied by an unknown and otherworldly but comforting feeling that sank into his very bones. He felt his body heal, felt wounds seal up, felt a spectral hand pull him firmly and brisklyâthough not without affectionâfrom his place between life and death. He was back within his body, which was whole and strong once again, healthy like he hadnât been in years; even scars as old as his time as an adventurer were smooth and clean.
He opened his eyes, still kneeling, to find a hand in his face.
âStand up, Sir Doc.â
Doc looked up into Ethoâs phantasmal face, the scar over his eye stretched white as his eyes crinkled in a grin that was covered by his mask, and took his hand.
His hand, Ethoâs hand, there and outstretched for Docâs wooden one to grasp, covered in the gloves he always wore but firm on his prosthetic despite the fact that he could see through it. After all these months of hoping, after two years of mourning, his best friend had returned.
He should have known. The magic was the rattling of glass bottles, the ring of dulcet laughter, the sight of mischief dancing in mismatched eyes. It was soft and proud, a quiet kind of power that left ripples of enchantment in its wakeâit was Etho.
He didnât even care about the dig. Etho was back, they were all back, everyone was together again and they were here and he wasnât aloneâand Doc was alive, he realized at the end of it all, alive and healed despite best efforts otherwise.
âEtho!â Beef shouted, voice positively jubilant. He sped over to the man only to fly straight through him, and Etho began laughing, and BDubs shouted something of a celebratory expletive. The three had already fallen into boisterous conversation, and Doc had no choice but to join in loud, raucous chortling, eyes filling up with tears of pure joy.
They were together again; not realized, not safe, not nearly whole, but together, and he had them back. Heâd bring them back for real, he swore. He wouldnât stop until he managed it.
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