The escape from town went well until they got past the screaming citizens and plagues of rats. Thankfully city guards were running towards the dock. A few concerned citizens tried to stop and ask if anything was okay. Unfortunately, a female assassin had no time for mayhem or bystanders.
She quickly incapacitated anyone who interfered with the escape.
The inn they were staying at was outside the city gates and still considered countryside. Between the Inn and the gates stood a small shed used for storing tools for this particular field. The lands between the inn and the gates of the City of Ark were mostly for sheep and other roaming creatures.
The shack was not large by any stretch of the imagination, barely 5 feet across and 10 feet long. It was just enough to get everyone inside among the buckets and field tools. The only benefit was the large bench that lined one wall.
Rennish put the bag with the corpse on the bench and stood back. He reached over his shoulder and rubbed the muscles that were aching from the constant slapping. Rennish bent his neck around until it popped and he felt the muscles slowly relax. He might be slightly less human now that part of his power was returned but his body was reminding him that it was entirely human.
"Who's this?" Erust quizzed as the Assassin stepped out from behind Rennish.
"One of Golliads lackeys I think." Rennish nodded towards her.
A hand came up and grabbed him around the nape of the neck. A foot went into his knee and he collapsed into a prone position. "I like it better when you are on your knees." She said to the air, ignoring his face.
Erust laughed. "Finally someone who can up put you in your place."
Ashra shook her head. She knew that Rennish was probably enjoying the rough play. He was too much of a coward to take this kind of abuse otherwise. "Enough horseplay let's get this over with. Where do we store it?"
The assassin shook her head. "You will do nothing. The corpse must be destroyed. It must be burned until even the ash is gone. I will make sure that it is consecrated back into the universe."
Rennish was rubbing the back of his leg and trying to get up. As soon as he got a knee under him she would shove him back down and hit him again. Deep inside Rennish was enjoying this. The assassin was smiling to herself. She had known Rennish before his return to the planet. He wasn't aware of who it was or he might have enjoyed it even more. At this point though he knew she wasn't using her full force so he accepted it. Up to this point Golliad had only ever been helpful, he wasn't going to spit on him just yet.
"Divine created bodies have to be removed from the world," Rennish said from the ground. "As you can see, they get abused if it is found out what they are. And as they are made from pure energy they don't decay like a normal corpse."
Erust sighed. "So we just leave it here with you then?"
She nodded. The assassin reached into a pouch tied at the back of her waist and pulled out a bag and a series of notes. She handed the bag and one note to Erust. She handed Ashra a sealed letter as well before she threw Rennish's note on the floor at his feet. Taking the time to humiliate him was making her giddy. She would fondly look back at this moment.
"I have been instructed to give you these as payment for your work. You need to read these letters and then follow them exactly. You will receive additional instructions as needed. This battle is over but there are other threats that the prophet must handle." Her face-covering moved as he talked.
She leaned over and put her hand on Rennish head and pulled it back so that he was looking up. She then put her head down near his ear so that all he could do was listen. The move was painful for him but he knew that his best means to survive when dealing with the divine was to take it.
She spoke softly into his ear, almost like a lover. "You must read yours carefully and think for yourself. You did well today. It's a shame we only meet on these kinds of terms."
His eyes opened wide. He didn't realize he had met this woman before. Before he could get up and look at her face she had opened the back with the corpse and with one arm scooped all the trinkets that they had laid out on the bench. She strapped it around her chest and took off out the door. With her cloak pulled around her she looked like a pregnant woman walking through the countryside. The whole process took no time at all. Years of training had given her reflexes that surpassed most humans' abilities to see.
Erust shook his head as he watched the ballet of skills before they walked out the door. "You know some interesting people Rennish."
Rennish finally got his feet under him and staggered up on his feet. He leaned against a wall and rubbed his neck where she had been squeezing. "I can't remember where I've met that one though. Something tells me I am sure I should have."
Ashra chuckled, "You surprise me Rennish. I was certain for a second there you were going to beg for more."
Rennish made a face and snorted. "Not today. I'm too sober for that and I hurt too much."
They all walked out of the shed in a single file. Rennish closed the door behind them and gave it one pull to make sure it was secure.
They walked back to the Inn quietly. The mood ruined by the blowing wind coming across the plain of rock and sheep. Rennish was racking his brain trying to remember that voice of the way she moved. He was good with faces, too bad he never saw that one.
They went back to their rooms and rested for the remainder of the day. They had meals downstairs and ate them quietly. The bag Erust had been given contained a small trove of gold coins and the Finder. It had been taken by them by Golliad before. To have it returned was a new development. To Erust that meant whatever he was afraid of had been undone or was no longer important.
The notes were from the goddess Ysennia. She had penned out instructions to each of them. Rennish had received a letter from Golliad. He had informed Rennish that Ysennia was pleased with his actions so far and to keep up the good work. Golliad reminded him to make sure he was prepared to save Ed. It bothered Rennish that the god wouldn't refer to him as Erust. Seeing Ed's name written down made him sad. Like he was missing an old friend. He sighed and cursed their cryptic nature.
Ashra had received a note of praise for her work on keeping them all safe. It had given her other platitudes and was devoid of other information. It just urged her to keep supporting Erust and to a lesser extent Rennish.
Erust however had the largest letter. Ysennia had written out instructions on their next task. She stated that she was sorry for not meeting in person but she was dealing with the creator and trying to prepare the world. She went on to explain that the finder had been returned. They were going to need it. She listed out that other imposters were in the world who were out to harm the divine and hurt the world. She told him that they were in league with The Oracle and that they needed to be stopped. She listed out 14 names and told him that each one needed to be dealt with before they could be used to damage the world. She thanked him for preventing a further disaster and told him that she expected further great things from him.
Erust put the letter down with a concerned look on his face. He took the finder out and put it in the palm of his hand. He concentrated on the first name on the list. The compass spun rapidly and settled in the northern direction. He shook his head. This was going to be more difficult.
The last page gave the location of someone she wanted them to meet. According to their map, it was only a few days ride away from the current Inn in the south. She assured him in the note that he was a human who would love to preserve the current peace and not see anything happen to the people of the southern lands.
"Well, that settles that," Erust said. Ashra was laying in bed, her coverings removed as she spent time coming through her pelt and grooming her hair. She had pulled the hair on her head back into a braid and was laying across the bed.
Erust peeled his shirt off and laid down next to her. "We resume our travels in the morning." He said looking up at the ceiling.
She smiled and stopped to put one hand on his chest. She played with the few hairs he had on him there. She patted him after a few seconds. "It will be okay. We will move forward as always. We will protect our home and way of life." Her smile was genuine. She had grown fond of him more and more as of late. Now she felt more like his wife and less like a servant. She may still be here to do his bidding but she knew that wasn't where she fit into his life.
He smiled and rolled over. "Yes, as always you are right." He reached over and touched the flat of her stomach. He saw her hair move as she smiled. "What do you say we rest up before tomorrow?"
She smiled. For the first time in a long time, she felt like doing something else. "Maybe, or maybe we just lay down and see what happens."
For Erust everything was good in his world today.
In Rennish's room he was trying to sleep and failing. He had gone downstairs to blow off steam by playing out every ballad he could think of. He had been paid in mead and any normal human would be a blubbering blacked out mess. His mind was trying to figure out what Golliad was thinking. Something here was wrong, he couldn't put his finger on what. Plus he was having day-dreams about that assassin woman again.
Earlier in the evening, across the seating area, a thin woman in peasant's clothes was sweeping the floor. She looked at Rennish as he downed an inhuman amount of booze. She shook her head. If her job wasn't to keep him safe, she would have revealed herself. She just smiled and resumed cleaning. The bartender was trying to remember when he had hired her but she was doing her job so well he didn't question it, plus if he didn't hire her she was working for free.