One More Mug: Early to Dead, Early to Rise

In a newly built tavern sits a woman slumped over with a pile of mugs near her. The middle age woman holding her ring stares as she ask the one beside her

“Will it get easier?”

The older woman beside her lowers her drink as she looks at her with sympathy

“No,,, but you will live with it:

“...I don't want to…”

The old woman stood from her chair and patted her back as she left.

“It's ok, take your time… but I have to go, you told me yourself before not to stay up late and my liver isn't as strong as before… If you need someone to grieve with, you know where to find me”

“Thank you, but I think I'll stay for a while…”

The old woman stares at the doctor who still held her ring close to her, looking as if it was the only thing left.

The tavern keeper watched from a distance as he kept an eye on her. Days pass as she keeps returning, drowning herself in different bottles yet her clothes stays the same but dirtier than the last.

Eventually some patrons asked her to come back, but she never budged, and he had to be involved. He didn't come to her with annoyance, or anger, but with understanding as he sat in front of her with a picture.

“Huh? I am sorry if I am interfering with"

The tavernkeeper raised his hand and showed her a picture of him and someone.

“That's me, and my wife…”

“She looks lovely, but…”

“It’s ok… she passed away long ago…”

She looks guilty and down on herself.

“What I am saying is, I know what you are going through, Doctor… but it's unhealthy.”

The Doctor sighs in disappointment as she lowers her mug as she looks away from the picture.

“But I don’t want to help anyone anymore… I can't even help him to be better… he would be here if I did what I was supposed to”

The tavern keeper asks one of his staff to bring the unclaimed lost and found chest.

“Me, the old lady, and many more are not asking you to help them, they are asking to take care of yourself…”

He placed the chest in front of her and multiple books are scattered, toys, swords and many more are placed.

“Here, I'll let you borrow this and you can pick anything out of this, but only one, getting a new hobby helped me when I lost her. Maybe it can with you.”

“Thanks…I'll try to see what I can do”

She didn't let go of her mug but when she saw the tavernkeeper looking at her with hope, she lowered it and pulled the chest towards her.

“I'll go now, you can leave the chest here when you get something, and don't worry, I'll catch the bill on this once, I know what a fellow widow can do, at least this is the best I can help with.”

For the first time in a while, she smiled as she knew she wasn't alone for a moment, and as he went back to the counter, she began checking each item to see what could pique her interest until she saw it.

“Golem handbook…a guide to make golems and servants…”

She puts it back and searches for more but many are not as interesting as that one, she finally looked at every book, but she still went with the golem handbook.

“I guess you will be the one to keep me busy.”

She opens the book and skimmed through it, and from the distance, both the tavernkeeper and the old lady clink their glasses as they see someone familiar again even though they are unsure what book it was.

Time passed by, she regained her color back, she was cleaning after herself again, and she came back to the tavernkeep and old lady with something in hand.

“Hey! Guys! Look what I made!!” she hurriedly yet excitedly joined them by the counter while carrying something in her hand.

“Seems someone's back” the old lady the tavernkeep as they shared a laugh.

“So what have you been up to lately, Doc? The tavern keep ask while handing them both a mug of ale.

“SO! Last time you told me for a new hobby, and I found a book about golems! But you know I practice medicine so it was hard and all, but I managed to try and make one and here's what I did, be quick tho!”

She placed the basket and while the two focused there, she pulled the towel off revealing a mud doll.

“Hey! That's cute!.. But aren't golems supposed to move?”

The doctor raises her finger and with a gesture and incantation, she makes the golem stand.

“She made it move!! Tavernkeep, she learned to make a golem!! Hahaha!” The old lady laughed with glee as it was a surprise to her while the tavernkeep looked in bewilderment.

While the golem tries to walk, it slowly fell apart, yet the doctor is smiling but a little disappointed.

“As you can see, I managed to make it move!... but I am having problems”

The tavernkeep chuckled as he cleans up the dirt of what was once the mini golem.

“And what's the problem?”

She revealed multiple piles of dust. “Well it always ends in the same… I need spirit or elemental volunteers to come in the body, but nothing…They told me I reek of blood and death… do you think it’s because of…”

The two saw in the face of the doctor she seemed disappointed as she hit a roadblock so the old lady consoled her while patting her back.

“No, it’s not because of him, remember you are a doctor, you handled patients, even mystical illnesses. Take it easy…”

The tavernkeeper feeling a bit pity, she refilled her mug and asked. “Maybe you can use a different source of volunteers?”

With a deep sigh, the doctor drank the ale and just shot anything out. “You could be right, maybe humans can be? I mean we do have spirits right? O-or the blood, maybe that's an element? Or death? Life?” she groans in annoyance as she has a lot to ask but she doesn't even know who owns the book to ask about. 

The tavernkeeper looked at the lady unsure what to say, and he eventually asked her. “Did you… use blood?”

“No? Why would I?”

The lady took the pile of golem dust and place it on the counter.

“Well, experimentation is part of learning, you said it yourself, blood, life, death, is that element? I know for sure we have spirits. My previous lover still haunts the manor” She chuckled but the two were concerned and confused.

“Oh please, he is just wondering and harmless, even woke me up early to meet you two”

“Uhhh sure” The tavernkeeper bit uneasy, while the doctor is in awe and a bit envious “Awwe, I wish my husband was a ghost”

The old lady chuckled as she felt flattered while the tavern keeper looked at horror.

“Now now, as much I want to tell you what benefits of a ghost partner is, we are here to help you with your golem”

“Oh yeah, well they did say blood and death… maybe we can start using blood?”

The three look at the pile and with a stoic expression, “Tavernkeep, hand me a knife”

“Woah! Woah woah, are you sure?”

“Well it is an experiment” she replied unsure.

The tavernkeep took a knife, and while against what she was planning, he gave it still, and she pricked her finger to drop a tear of blood. As it seeped into the dirt, it slowly came back piece by piece till it became one.

“It worked!”

Then the lady bust her bubble after she checks it “I think you made a paralyzed one, it isn’t moving but the eyes, its following”

The Doctor groaned in frustration.

“Ughhh we got it to work but it’s not even moving… maybe I should give up…”

“Kid, take it easy, I think I know what's wrong” the tavernkeep console her but the two ladies looked at him bewildered.

“Don’t tell us you know how to make one secretly!” the old lady jest.

“No not like that, but it’s something like the drinks here, you don’t put wine in a container made for beer, same goes for beer, you don't put them in a wine bottle… it may work but may not bring the full potential.”

The doctor looked at them confused but the lady got it.

“I think what he means is that it’s the right ingredients in the wrong container, for dirt, you need earth elemental volunteers, while on blood… I don’t think its a good idea but it should be something taboo.”

“Ohh, so that's what you mean, but as well it does make sense now, so I need to talk to an earth elemental?”

The two nodded.

“Exactly, Doc, maybe do some offering? Tell them your job, that's why you smell like blood?”

“Mhmm, my late lover told me back then when he poses like inanimate objects, the best he can do is move because it’s stiff, but if it were something that for him, it can be articulate, so the same applies.”

The doctor went quiet as she thought what they said, and as her face lit up, she hurried, and left a coin.

“I got it! Thank you, you two, and tavernkeep, here's for the trouble and is it ok if I leave the mini golem there? Thank you! See you two tomorrow!”

As the doctor left, the two were confused but the lady was a little exhausted.

“Sigh, were we like this? Before”

“You were lucky he came back, mine didn’t… but I think it’s healthy for her”

Time passed by and days went by, they started to grow worried.

Night fall comes, weeks since they last saw the doctor.

“Sigh, it's raining again, Tavernkeep, is your guest room available? I might spend the night here.”

“Yeah, it’s-”

Suddenly, the door slammed open. The doctor stumbled inside, soaked from the rain and a little dirty, but her face was brighter than they had seen it in weeks.

“Barkeep! Lady! Look!”

“Doc’s back!”

“Hey, why are you so excited?”

A huge cloaked bastard stood outside. The earth trembled wherever he stepped, each footfall landing with a heavy yet squishy thud. Fluids leaked from the seams of his cloak.

The giant ducked down and peered through the window.

The old lady immediately hid beneath the table.

“He’s back! He’s alive again!”

The two stared in horror.

They knew that face.

It belonged to a man who had been six feet beneath them only weeks ago.

“…Oh no.”