The loud chirping and calls of several different types of songbirds roused Drystan from his deep slumber, the left side of his face firmly planted into the soil. “What…happened?” He groggily asked himself as he slowly stood up, his neck sore from the awkward sleeping position he had found himself in. As he attempted to stretch out his neck, his mind flashed back to what had happened the night before. “The goddess…did she really…”
Swallowing the lump in his throat, he held out his left hand and thought back to the feeling he felt the night before. Closing his eyes, after a few moments of concentration and remembrance of the night’s events, the sword manifested itself, its hilt having a golden hue with a purple gemstone embedded in the middle. The blade was exceedingly sharp with a silver-like finish, reflecting the sun’s rays. His body, along with the sword, glowed visibly despite the late morning sun. “It all wasn’t a dream…she really…”
Cutting off the flow of power, the glow emanating from his body disappeared, as well as the sword. He had heard of the stories of the heroes brandishing swords gifted to them from the heavens, able to manifest them at will and using powers given to them from the goddess. Their bodies exceed natural limits, causing any normal human to not stand a chance in a duel, though he had never seen it in person. Taking a deep breath, he bent down and picked up his canteen, drinking every drop from it.
“She said I needed to head to Alderton…” He said to himself as he lowered the canteen and began walking back towards the road. “That’s a half-day's journey to the north from where I am, I believe…and I’m going to need to find a river so I can refill.”
After making it back to the road, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly began tingling and standing on end, feeling as if he was being watched. Turning around and scanning the area, he couldn’t see anything, but decided to check to be safe. As he cautiously approached a patch of trees, Drystan could hear the sound of a large creature suddenly turn and scurry away. Upon reaching the small patch of trees, he looked down at the ground and spotted the large footprint of a three toed creature, a clear indentation of a large claw at the end of the footprint was visible. “Werewolf...” He whispered as he looked around him, hoping that the beast had long since departed. He may now have the strength of the goddess at his disposal, but he wasn’t in any hurry to try to test it out, especially against a creature that’s known to have a taste for human flesh.
Taking a deep breath, Drystan backed away to the road before resuming his journey, looking over his shoulders every few moments. Werewolves were intelligent and known to stalk their prey for days at a time, no matter the time of day or night, and the last thing he wanted was to be caught unawares.
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“How much farther away are we from Velmir?” Elara asked Valen as their horses trotted down the well-maintained stone road that connected all the major cities to the capital.
“About another day’s worth of travel. Are you implying that you’re already feeling tired and are in need of a rest again?”
“Certainly not, brother. You know how I easily bore during these long travels. Just…trying to pass the time is all.”
“Well you’ll certainly need to pass the time for quite a while yet. Tis unfortunate that Thalia was forbidden by Father from accompanying us as well. You two never seem to cease chattering whenever you two are assigned to the same mission. Always drove me mad having to escort you two when you were younger.”
“She and I do seem to get along well. Her tastes in fashion and sweets mirrors that of my own. She’ll always have my gratitude for introducing me to Osric.”
“You have never informed me of how you two met. It was because of Thalia?”
“Yes. She and Osric were paired during a sword fighting tournament during their time training at the academy. She told me how Osric and I would be a great match, arranged a meeting at a masquerade, and I’ve been smitten ever since.”
Valen chuckled. “Very interesting. She usually informs me of everything, so it’s rare for me to have been kept in the dark.”
“A maiden’s heart is precious, my brother. She knows not to spill one’s secrets without their knowledge and consent.”
“Indeed…no matter. There should be a river about an hour’s trot from here. We’ll stop and rest once we’re there. Do try to keep up.”
He teased as he refocused on the road in front of him. Elara sighed. “A whole hour…Seraphina…help me endure this…”
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“Are you certain you’ve been correctly informed?”
A priest, donning pure white robes, asked a layman who had rushed in to deliver some news. The layman nodded. “I am. The knights of the Order arrived at his residence early this morning to arrest him for heresy and inciting the people against the church and our saviors. However, he was nowhere to be found. It is assumed that he fled late last night to an unknown location. They’re scouring the city as we speak to ensure he is still not among us.”
“Interesting…I had only given the order late last night to avoid such a situation as this…this only confirms my suspicions that we have a traitor amongst our ranks who assisted him. Inform the knights that they are to return to their normal patrols at once. I wish to speak with their captain to implement some…countermeasures to flush this traitor out. Make sure you speak not a word to anyone else about this, or I’ll have you labeled a traitor as well. Understood?” 332Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VvL31IbqT
“Understood Father Ignasius.” The layman bowed before quickly leaving the cathedral. Ignasius stood up from his desk, leaving the open book of scripture on the table, as he walked to a window that overlooked the small city. “That man was certainly skilled in agitating the people…I’ll make sure that he’s to be made an example of, with the recent decree in effect. Can’t have the people here thinking that what he said will be tolerated.”
Turning back from the window, he sat back down and stared at the scripture in front of him. “Goddess Seraphina…I am in need of guidance concerning this heretic. Please, have mercy upon me and–”
The door to his office swung open. “Your layman told me you needed to speak with me?”
Ignasius’s eyes widened, not expecting to speak with the captain so soon. “Indeed I do. I was informed that the heretic had fled during the night. I request a favor from you to lure him back to the city. If you need coin, I’ll pay you the standard rate used in the past.”
The captain shook his head. “I’m not one who sets traps like a coward. If you want my cooperation, you need to pay me double.”
Ignasius sighed. “Unfortunate…but not surprising. I accept your terms. I’ll pay you just after the next mass after the offerings have been collected. Is that satisfactory?”
“It is. What do you need of me?”
“I am in need of your knights to…pay a visit…to a certain individual.”
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