Pan never expected to be exiled in the first place! He was strong, or was it brave? and he hadn’t done anything wrong!

On the contrary, Pan had been an exceptionally obedient slave in Stygia, had always loved his life, and was happy serving the Ptelomaes family.  The Ptelomaes were not Stygians but for some reason- a reason unknown to Pan the slave child- were allowed to live among the Stygian Nobility at Luxor.

But the story of Pan’s life as a boy in Stygia must wait until another day! For now, the story is about Pan, living and working at the Worldly Pleasures Tavern, in exile; it is the story of Pan, the free man, who is still a slave boy in attitude, maturity, and spirit.

When the undead began their attack on the Tavern Pan felt terrified until he spotted Lord Faust, standing like a stone wall, confident and ready to defend his Tavern and the people who live their lives bound to his patronage.

So seeing that his master was strong and courageous Pan said to himself, “I will help Lord Faust, I have been practicing my archery every day!”

And then Pan said out loud: “I will help you turn away the minions Lord Faust!”

“Then take your position upon the parapet while I drive away these undead from the porch!”, replied Sir Faust.

Pan didn’t know very much about Faust, except that he appeared to be was a mighty warrior, and was apparently of Noble birth… though he wasn’t sure about the noble birth part exactly… but Pan always assumed anyone who wasn’t a slave was a noble, “in this way nobody would ever be offended or angry with me”, he reasoned.  But Pan was greatly impressed with the older man, Faust, the man that he now considered his master, even though he was “free”– “whatever that means?” thought Pan. 

So after hearing Faust command him, Pan ran up and into the keep and then onto the roof of the tavern.  From that vantage point, Pan could fire down at the undead beasts with his bow and help drive the wicked swarm from his, now beloved, tavern home.  Pan fired his arrows over and over again at the minions and only once accidentally hit Faust.

“Damnit boy! Watch your aim!”, yelled Faust as he narrowly, but expertly, blocked the arrow, “Slow down if you need to, do you hear me!”

“Yes sir, sorry sir!”, replied Pan as he tried to obey and fire straighter through his feeling of embarrassment after being chastened.

“No time for feelings,” thought Pan as he said out loud to himself: “I am brave and I am a good shot, and I will not accidentally fire an arrow and hit my Lord Faust!”

Wooossh, thunk, thunk. thunk, woosh!

Pan began again to fire arrows at the undead in a steady motion, and as he focused on his timing and his training, his accuracy began to improve.

“Lord Faust! Lord Faust! they are beginning to withdraw! you have saved us!”, cried out Pan, feeling confident and happy that his home was safe again, if only for a little while.

But Pan did not hear the reply because only a microsecond after he said those words of confidence he was, suddenly and quickly, knocked out and captured. One of the Necromancer’s minions climbed had onto the roof in silence and had then easily overcome the young man… and then slipped away…

(To be continued)