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âWhy donât they want the word of the gods to be shared and persecute all who arenât in the favor of their two gods? For what would it be? So if you spoke loud of what happens with you, would your head roll on the floors? There is no meaning for denying them if you know them to be real.â
The floor moves toward a more thick one, filled with wild.
âYour teacher was a paladin, by what you told me. I used to be a priestess. Shall we reunite?â
Considerating that you also have said of him being executed by your own hands many years ago, it was an unsettling question.
The sheathe had been burnt away, but the sword still stays.
Brandishing the sword, her focus sharpens and her movement becomes quick and silent, as if she were floating.
Leaves should crunch and make a sound, but her steps defied that logic. Silence in the forest, a true walker of experience and nature.
Addison is brought in to a sentry station in Adiart after his capture. The station has a holding cell for temporarily housing prisoners, and there is where Addison is locked. Maybe itâs because the knights are in a hurry, but they didnât search him. His crossbow was taken, though.
Writing reports have been Faris usual pastime when it is his turn to guard the station. Apart from keeping an eye on the new prisoner and giving him meals later, he has nothing to do apart from writing the reports and taking care of the usual street boys caught for stealing.
The cells, two of them, are right beside him. The others also leave writing their reports to him in exchange for some food. The boy caught stealing from a bakery is sobbing in a corner, but he canât do anything for him.
Faris starts writing the reports.
Nodding, he smiled slightly as he spoke âYou mean speak to himâŚ? Speak to my late teacher? He was such a holy man, the one who caused me to hear the voices. If people knew Iâd be dead where I stand, well, except for the help of my companions. I have his body in my house as a warning to othersâ His door was normal looking and yet marked using the blood of those that were hunted. Communing with the dead was frightening and yet comforting, it would be further proof of the cultâs power and the existence of that which he had to deny
âYes. A long time ago I was able to communicate with the dead. I thought it was my old gods who did that, before realizing the shadow of the one had been scouting me all along. They always had greater plans for me, and I believe to be the same for you. Mithras then wanted me to trade my ability to channel the dead into the ability of channeling the own gods, and so I did. For the communication we would need a ritual and one of our apostles, as I used to be.â
The floor starts to swift again, getting more obstacles. You were either in deep wilderness or amongst ruins.
âSo your fellow Blue Dragon wouldnât help you upon telling the truth, and you can only count on yourself and your personal friends. Are you still aligned with them, or are you a survivor who is merely a spectator?â
His body instinctively shuddered, it wasnât often that people spoke about talking to the dead so it was surprising still âThen we should prepare I guess. I hope that this will work well, thank you for guiding me so far. I have no doubt we are not done yet though!â A small tear emerges from his eye, his teacher had meant a lot to him so the memories were slowly flooding back to the day of the incident âI cannot count on them all for safety, there are good and bad people as there is everywhere. Some people I can grow to trust but at this time⌠Iâd consiser myself only allied to them for survival. I follow their rules and teachings but I cannot accept some of the things we do. Executing others for the smallest of things, it saddens meâ
âShhould be quite obvious for me to communicate, but only followers of our dark god can communicate with the dead by the interference of our apostle, reuniting the fallen ones by the words. No cultist fears death if our gods say that it is needed, as not only they are in the greater scheme of things the true gods have planned, but also that neither the barrier of life can overpower them.â It probably wasnât leaking too much, as she could also contact the dead when a priestess of the fake gods.
âIf you donât accept them entirely, are you really a part of them? If you only pick up the parts that bring you benefit, it isnât loyalty â it is holding the name of a powerful community when you donât even want to join itâ
Though thereâs still quite a ways off, she moves quickly and deftly.
You canât ever be too sure.
She spots a couple up ahead.
It seems like the female is leading the male around.
She would be a good person to double check on the capitalâs whereabouts!
In the corner of your eye, you also seem to notice a figure up in the trees? Looking again, it seems as if it disappeared.
Huh� Just my imagination⌠I think.
âHoi! Ya two! Do ya know where the capâital is?â
She hollers from behind them.
Itâs a robed lady with an unsheathed sword. HuhâŚ
âFollowers of your god? Then sadly it wonât work with me, right? Unless this marking I possess will serve as following them. If you guys have power over life and death then if I let you into my house, what would happen with all the bodies of the fallen?â A slight panic started to appear, he wasnât ever planning on betraying the Blue Dragon but he would do whatever is needed to learn other than that
âIt is loyalty⌠I ended up killing many cultists and assassins just because thatâs what us Blue Dragon killers have been allowed to do. If I wasnât loyal many of their heads would roll. Some knights are absurd and the royals enfuriate me. I follow them strongly, I just donât agree with everythingâ He hadnât realised the other lady was there but he was speaking quietly and letting himself be led around
âIt would depend on the wish of our gods, naturally. All shall be made as they command us so.â
âAnd since you speak of it to me, I deduce that you are at the minimum ashamed and at the mosâŚâ Startled from the stranger, she violently turned her head on the other side, a hand covering her eye and what seemed to be ritualistic clothes. âStay quiet, I hear somethingâ She says as she stares at the figure of the mercenary.
What the hell is someone doing near here? She looks quite worn off, but not enough to be lost in wilderness for days. A traveler, maybe. Yes, travelers usually hold swords although not unsheathed. or maybe, because they just are really lost⌠âThe capital is to the northeast. Use the road to the village that should be west from there and you shall find, as it should connectâ
âAh! Thanks a lot!â
I have confirmation. Shortcut to the capital, here we go!
She dashes past the two.
The cultist however, feels the lingering presence of the god itself inside of the swordswoman. Like the hunter⌠but this however seemed to be a shallow imprint. Fresh.
Soon sheâs away from sight.
âI cannot deny being ashamed⌠At some parts at least. It is important to be honest with you especially since I cannot really see at this time, you are my guidance. We shall see what the gods say but surely they are pleased with my lack of fightingâ He sighed deeply, unsure of what to say or how to feel, was he favoured by the cultâs gods or was it mere a ploy to trick him. Thoughts raced around his mind, yet he wouldnât run. His face however gave away some sort of distress
She had to countain herself not to call the mercenary back, but the common sense of not holding two hostages at the same time was greater. Foccused on finding way, the aura of the woman didnât pass without notice. She waited until the mercenary was away from sight to reply âYes, we should be safe now.â
Palie took a while to look at the boyâs state â something not normal was clearly happening, as his eyes were fully blank. âReturning to the discourse, I know nothing of their whishes as you have said that you killed their followers just for their being.â
Vilhelm woke up late in the morning by his own inner clock, for what should be the Terce, the windows blocked for a heavy courtain exactly for this purpose. As he usually woke up with the sun and with open windows, it was uncommon behavior.
A deep concern was sowed in his mind, the main matter of concern earlier. Checking if the cursed box was still there â and for his relief, it was â he again closed the door (to the confusion of the servants) and proceeded to seek for Richard again for some talk and maybe going to the capital together.