My party members and I walk through the narrow hallways of the massive underground complex underneath Heafdes. Cesre's lights make navigating easy, and if that were to go out under some grave circumstance I have my connection with Mamasso.
Behind us, I occasionally sprinkle a reflective powdered substance. It's completely unnoticeable in the dark, but it should be extremely easy to see if we shine light on it. This is to keep us from getting lost.
We walk slowly. I try my best to have my hand on my new sword at all times. Unfortunately, it's yet another one I had to buy off a blacksmith because I had to return the one Inell lent to me. I still don't feel safe without it.
Cesre on the other hand looks extremely tense. She's probably ready to fire all sorts of spells at the slightest noise. Freware also looks on edge. She's grabbing her staff so tightly I can hear the tightening of her grip. Although, that's also probably because all of us refuse to make a sound.
Clank!
All of us freeze. I let go of the bags of powder and hold onto my sword handle for dear life.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
It slowly gets quieter and quieter. After a while it becomes silent, and after a while of that silence the tension finally disappears.
"That was… that was probably the armor. We need to head after it. Cesre, have lightning ready."
"Believe me, I most definitely have lightning ready." Cesre says.
"Come on, let's just chase that stupid armor down and get this over with…" Freware says, sweating before we've even fought down here.
"Alright, let's go."
I lead the way, and Cesre and Freware follow behind me. I walk past a corner, and to my right is a massive suit of knight armor, a few inches taller than me, holding a sword in a position ready to strike.
Clinging rings through my ears, as I just pulled my sword out fast enough to block it. Then as soon as that strike ends a huge lightning strike hits the suit of armor, blasting me and it back with the shockwave.
As I come back to my senses I realize I'm on the floor, and that I somehow held onto my sword. I have bruises on my arms, I think that burnt me a bit, I can hardly see after all that sudden light and my ears are ringing like crazy.
I try and blink to get my sight back and when I do I see Cesre firing wind blades all over the place, and Freware basically swinging in every direction. That lightning strike probably kicked up too much dust to see so Cesre's trying her best to hit it at all. As for Freware, she also probably got blinded by the flash of light.
><><><><
"Well, that took way too much effort but we finally got to this point." I say.
That stupid suit of armor is laying down in front of us, desperately trying to struggle out of the ropes I had tied all around it. It's dented all over, mostly by Freware and Cesre, but I did manage to cut it open a few times with Frighin's help.
"Alright… so… now what? It's clearly not dying, or whatever…" Freware says.
She's right, no matter where we cut it or what damage to it, it won't stop struggling. They did say that this armor was possessed, so maybe…
"Hold on, I have an idea." I say before walking over to the suit of armor.
Mamasso! I imagine a white and elegant light dragon, watching over me. Let me see the soul of whatever's possessing this armor! Sure enough, I see a splotch of colorful light around the stomach piece of the armor.
I pull my sword up. Frighin! I imagine a feral dragon so berserk it can do nothing but fight. Give me strength! Enough to put this stupid thing down! I imagine all the strength going to my arms and shove my sword into the armor.
It goes right through, out the other end and several inches into the ground, but the splotch of light I was trying to hit dodged just in time and moved to the shoulder. I tried this three more times before I gave up.
><><><><
Freware is dragging the tied up and struggling suit of armor through the streets of Heafdes as Cesre and I are ready to attack it on the spot if it looks like it ever starts to wriggle itself free. We get quite a lot of weird stares, but we have to get to the adventurer's guild, hopefully to find someone who can finally put this thing down.
As we walk through the streets, I notice a blonde woman wearing all white clothes sitting on the dirty sidewalk. There's dirt all over her clothes, and some clear food stains. She's holding out a large cup, waving it at people who walk by, who all ignore her.
We pass her, so I take a look at her when we walk up to her. Her eyes are beautiful sea green and her hair is extremely well kept for what I assume is a homeless person. When I get up close to her though I realize she stinks. She actually smells awful.
"Oh kind person of Heafdes, could you spare a coin for a poor, destitute woman such as myself?" She says, in an almost angelic tone of voice as she holds her cup out to me.
I notice that her cup is totally empty. Feeling a bit bad, I reach for my money, but before I can someone grabs my arm. Looking over, I see Freware holding onto my arm in one hand and holding onto the rope and the other. She's looking at the woman with disgust.
"You… you're that paladin that came into town yesterday, aren't you?" Freware asks.
The woman stands up and dusts her robes off. "Yes, I am Cece Giugovaz, a paladin from the holy nation Lanaon. I graduated 4th among my class in Saint Miriam's Private Academy, and have taken my oath of allegiance to the Seraphim of Kindness, Emer. I have come to Uclait on a journey to rid the world of all evil and injustice. I am the pope's holy sword, ready to chop down all enemies of the angels."
Freware and Cesre both recoil in disgust, but I don't know why. I mean, the whole droning on about her backstory is very annoying, but it doesn't warrant that kind of reaction.
"Um, so Cece? You're on that journey to "purge the world of injustice," right? If that's it, what are you doing on the street begging for money?" I ask.
"Ah, you see, I had intended to join the adventurer's guild since I was well aware no knight guild would accept me due to Uclait's prejudice against my religion. When I had attempted to enroll though, I learned that there was an application fee and had no means to pay it."
"It's… it's a few copper coins… Can you seriously not pay that?"
"Alas, I spent all my money just getting here. It is quite the long trek from Izrailon to Uclait after all."
"Don't you have that fancy armor and sword and shield you can sell?" Freware asks.
"You might as well tell me to sell my soul. Those were gifted to me by the highest orders of our church, there is no way I could possibly sell them. Of course, I did, the whole total would likely come out to about 1500 of your gold coins. But I would rather die than sell one bit of it!"
1500 gold coins?! What kind of equipment are you using?! I've never ever had to consider a sum anywhere near 100 gold coins before, and your equipment costs 1500 total?!
"Hm? What's this?" Cece says, walking up to the possessed armor.
"A commission from the guild. We were supposed to get rid of this thing, but we can't figure out how to really do that. The soul of whatever's in there keeps dodging whenever I try to stab it."
"So you're a group of adventurers? And you can see the evil spirit possessing this armor?"
"Well, I need a spell for that…"
"Oh honored Oraphim Laviniel, dimqui hunc sua vita haeret." Cece says before the armor is suddenly bathed in light.
It starts to struggle as if in extreme pain, and then falls limp. It just lays there, doing nothing for a concerningly long time. I tell Mamasso to show me the soul, and nothing happens. Freware pokes it with her staff and it doesn't budge. Whatever it was, it's dead now.
"There, it should be exorcized now." She says, casually.
"Um… are you not going to ask us for anything in return?"
"What? No, of course not. I do not want anything you have. Envy is the ultimate enemy of kindness, and so I must restrain that horrid, demonic emotion."
I look over at Freware and Cesre, they also seem to have no idea how to proceed.
><><><><
"Yum! Yum! Yum! So this is legitimate Uclait cuisine! Not at all like all the things I had to resort to eating in the woods. It's truly amazing that a nation of savages could create cuisine as exquisite as this…"
Well, I invited Cece to dinner… and I think I get why Freware and Cesre were acting so wary about her. She's been doing nothing but preaching from what I assume is this religion's equivalent of the bible, and making backhanded compliments about Uclait culture. Are all angel worshipers like this?
"So, since yesterday all everyone's ever done for me is look at me disgusted and throw food at me. Not only have you bought me food, you also paid my application fee for me. You are a truly charitable man, Aubrey."
"No, seriously, it's just common courtesy…"
Freware and Cesre sit beside me, looking just as annoyed as I am.
"So… people have been throwing food at you? That explains the food stains. Is it really that bad for you people here in Uclait?"
"Is that why you smell awful?" Freware asks after me, before she can answer my question.
"Oh, no, that's just because I refuse to take the baths here."
That also shocks the three of us. "But… but why? They're free?" Cesre asks.
"Yes, but you also bathe together. As a pure maiden, I couldn't possibly do anything so risque. I must protect myself from the gazes of men, after all. What's more, in this country I can't even be certain that the women won't be interested in my body! I could hardly believe that when I first heard it."
"It's just your body! There's nothing even sexual about that!" Freware says.
"Hm… how fascinating. How fitting. One of the Archons you so dearly worship had well over a hundred wives, and here is an ordinary citizen saying there's nothing sexual about the human form."
Wait? Over a hundred wives? Which Archon? I've never heard that,
"Please, keep Kari's name out of your mouth." Cesre says.
Kari? Isn't he the one that Azariah worships? Is she even aware of that? I couldn't imagine her being OK with that.
"Right, I apologize. It's rude of me to speak of your equivalent of Gods in a way that offended you. Although, he also had nearly a hundred husbands, I must ask about that. You seem to be one of his followers, does that really not fill you with any sort of disgust?"
"Of course not." Cesre says, clearly getting really angry at this point.
"How interesting." Cece says, looking at Cesre like she's some sort of never before seen specimen. Alright, I need to end this now.
"Um, Cece. Dinner's almost over, and I believe that it's time for us to leave. Good luck with your journey, I hope that we run into each other again someday."
"Oh, Aubrey, I am so incredibly sorry, but I have but one selfish request to ask of you."
"What is it?" I have a really bad feeling about this.
"Please, let me join your party."
I very nearly grab Freware and Cesre and run. I doubt either of them would have minded.
><><><><
Freware and Cece stand across from each other in the alley by the restaurant we had just been eating at. Freware holds her staff out as Cece just stands there, as if nothing's wrong. Cesre and I just watch.
I had tried so desperately to turn her down, and she wound up picking a duel because she wanted to experience Uclait culture. I'm probably too weak for a trained paladin, even without weapons and armor, and Cesre would likely destroy an entire city block if she got serious. So that just leaves Freware.
Come on Freware, you're tough as bricks, please beat her. She insisted that she didn't even need her armor or weapons. She's handicapped, you can do this.
I begin to count down. "3… 2… 1… fight!"
Freware grinds her feet into the ground and sprints at Cece. By the time she does that though Cece's already under her. Freware tries to swing down but Cece hits both of her wrists, causing her to throw her staff. Cece then goes for a roundhouse kick at Freware's head but she grabs her foot mid air.
"By Diana…" Freware says, looking terrified.
Um… Freware what are you doing? You aren't exactly filling me with confidence here. Come on, none of us want this woman in our party.
"As you can see… if I had my sword and shield, you would be dead. Will you resign?"
What kind of backwards logic is that?! You're the one who insisted on fighting without them!
"Y- yes… I resign."
Freware?! What are you doing?!
"Alright… now, if you could just let go of my leg. It's nothing I can't handle, but it is rather uncomfortable."
><><><><
"You… seriously couldn't have kept fighting? You had a hold of her leg." I complain.
"If she had her sword I would have lost that duel. When we're both fully equipped, she will definitely be stronger than me. You probably wouldn't be able to either, unless if you did something really clever. As for Cesre if she had a lot of range… I'm not sure."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Duels are meant to show off who's stronger, and she proved that she was stronger than me. As a worshiper of Diana, I couldn't possibly abuse the fact she wasn't at her best… even if she's an angel worshiper." Freware gags.
"Um… guys, this is the first time I've run into one of those people. Are they all like that?" I ask. Freware and Cesre look at me in surprise.
"Yes! They go on and on about their stupid values and how the angels are so much greater than any humans!" Freware says.
"What's more, they believe that…'' Cesre makes a face of anger I've never seen on her before "That the Archenemy Michael's actions were justified. As well as believing that Uclait is some backwards nation of savages. As you could see."
"Yes, I understand why you two were so hesitant around her now. I'm sorry for getting her into our party, I didn't know."
"Eh, if you didn't know that was probably just some poor homeless woman to you, don't worry about it." Freware says.
"Yeah, from what I've heard about the angel worshipers, Cece seems to be somewhat tame. It could have easily been a lot worse. She worships the Seraphim of Kindness too, so it isn't all bad. Now if it was the Seraphim of Chastity she worshiped, or worse, the Seraphim of Temperance, then we would really have a problem."
Alright, I know that the holy nation is really far away, and it seems like it's kind of acceptable for someone from Uclait to have no idea about them, given their reactions. I should probably ask, they probably won't find it weird.
"So, I've heard of the angel worshipers before" I lie, "But, I have no idea about what the angels they worship really are. You said Seraphim?"
"Of course, angels are spiritual beings that live in heaven that are born under one of seven virtues, the opposite of the demons. They exist in a very rigid hierarchy with the seven Seraphim at the top, the progenitors of all angels. Think of the Primordial Demons, this is the angel equivalent." Freware says.
I don't know a thing about demons, but I don't mention that.
"As for something you'd understand Aubrey… let's see the Seraphim of Kindness that Cece worships… its Uclait equivalent would probably be Proteus, the Archon of Water." Cesre says.
We enter the adventurer's guild, with Freware hauling that suit of armor on her back. Alright, time to go claim the reward.
We walk a bit into the guild, when some short person stands in our way. They have a bag over their head with a crude and creepy face on it and a shackle locked around their neck. They're dressed in all black and have potion bottles tied onto them like grenades.
"Three, bring that armor?" She asks.
She's definitely female, but her voice is a bit strange. The tone is all inconsistent, like she's only just recently learning how to speak.
"Um, I don't understand the question." I say.
"Primrose take quest, supposed exorcize armor under Heafdes. Primrose go looking for armor, loud boom. Primrose checks noise, two adventurers attacking armor. You three?" She asks, pointing at us and tilting her head, clearly trying to indicate her question.
"Um, can you not see that Freware's carrying it? Actually, can you even see at all in that mask? Why don't you take it off?"
"Mask meant to scare monsters. Sight… Primrose can't see. With mask or no mask, Primrose still can't see."
"Uhh, yeah…" I start. "Yes, we were the ones who took care of that armor. What about it?"
"You said gave up. Thought you'd be scared if came up to you in dark so waited here. Primrose has potions ready to exorcize armor. Only want ¼ reward."
Yeah you're damn right we'd be terrified if you walked up to us in the dark looking like that. I slowly explain all of what happened with Cece to her, and that we don't need her help.
"Ah, Primrose sees. Still, letting people into your party?"
"Um, she was a bit of a miscalculation on my part. Why?"
"Primrose normally does debt collection for adventurer's guild. People who refuse pay debts, Primrose walks up to them in middle of night, doing this."
Primrose suddenly manifests a spear and knife out of thin air. She bangs the tip of the spear against the knife, making a clang noise. The exact noise we heard when we were underground.
"Primrose says "money" over and over in low, scary voice and people throw money at her. Turns into guild for salary. Not many debts now, and debt season still two months away. Primrose tried selling potions, no one wanted to buy poison from Primrose. Primrose wants to join party for money."
I look over at Freware and Cesre, who clearly have no idea what to think.
"Um, that depends, how strong are you? What are you bringing to the table? You said you were blind, right? How do you even get around?"
"Easy, Primrose goes by reverberations in the ground and by weight of people."
"Eh, what?" I say.
"Oh, a connection with Ceres?" Cesre asks.
"Connection with Earth Archon, yes. Also crawl underground like mole, make spears of earth from under enemies. Also makes poison. Primrose very good at making poison. Primrose also very good at not dying.
"Um… you're blind, how do you even make poison without killing yourself?" Freware asks, stealing the words from my mouth.
"Primrose goes by smell. Primrose very hard to kill. Primrose can be sent to very dangerous places and be fine."
I look over to my party members again. "Well, what do you think guys? She's probably going to be more fun to be around than Cece."
"She keeps saying how hard she is to kill. I'm honestly really curious at just what she means by that, I'm not against seeing her in action."
"Well… she seems like she'd be good at traps, and defending people. Having her protect me when I'm casting a rather large spell would do wonders, I think."
"Alright, Primrose? That's your name, right?"
"Primrose is Primrose, yes."
"We'll let you into our party. My name is Aubrey Hayles. This is Cesre Crimson, and this is Freware Vale. We're expecting good things from you."
"Please step towards members introduced. Or have members introduce themselves. Primrose can't see."
Ah… crap, that's embarrassing. She didn't seem to be too upset about it though.
"I'm Freware."
"And I'm Cesre."
"Um… Primrose, are you going to be able to tell us apart? With you… being blind and all?" I very awkwardly ask.
"Primrose can tell by weight. Cesre lightest, Aubrey in middle, Freware very heavy. Probably carrying armor, right? Primrose also very good with voices. No issue."
><><><><
I slowly get up out of bed. Alright, another day, another piece of hard work. First thing's first, show up at the adventurer's guild so that I can get a quest to test out Cece's and Primrose's abilities
"Oh, hey Aubrey. You're finally up, huh?"
Huh? What is Kiaran doing here? He's normally still asleep when I get up. What is he doing in the hotel room. Azariah's still asleep though. If she was up, this would be incredibly unusual.
"Kiaran? Why are you up? Shouldn't you still be sleeping? You have work, right?"
"Um… no, I quit that job. I did it with good reason in mind though. And I did consult Azariah first, so don't worry."
What? I'm… confused? Well, he did talk with Azariah about it, so I'm sure that it wasn't for anything stupid. Kiaran hasn't done anything stupid in a while though, so I really shouldn't be worried. I am confused though.
"OK, why are you even up this early though?" I say as I get up and start stretching.
"Um, I just needed to tell you something. I had Azariah wake me up when she went to sleep. It's something really important, so don't get mad, OK?"
Alright, now I'm nervous. The last time this happened, it was because Kiaran nearly died to an assassin, and I wound up scaring Azariah. What could be important enough to get up as early as Azariah goes to sleep though?
"Alright, I'm listening." I say.
"To cut to the chase, I'm going to be leaving Heafdes."
What? Where is this coming from? Why is this important. I've been leaving Heafdes regularly for a really long time now. I guess that he's going to do quests for the adventurer's guild?
"It's just that I have a lot to think about, and I wanted to wander around for a bit. Azariah's also going to be flying around the country for a bit to find a place for the both of us to settle down."
Huh? What? Settle down?
"Kiaran, just what are you talking about?"
"I'm leaving Heafdes, and I'll be wandering around for a bit to collect my thoughts. When Azariah finds a good place to stay other than Heafdes I'll move in with her. After that, we'll… well, I haven't really planned further than that. But I've spoken with Azariah about this, and we'll speak about it again."
"Kiaran, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I'm going to be leaving soon. I don't really know where, but I'll be leaving. After that, I plan on moving in with Azariah. So this will be goodbye for a while, but if you really want, I'll have Azariah find you to tell you wherever we decided to settle down."
"You… you keep saying "settle down." Kiaran, you're 15."
"Well, yeah, that might not be the right words, but we do plan on moving in together. We'll see how much that works out. Before you say anything too, this was her idea."
Azariah's idea? I have… no real clue at what I'm meant to be thinking right now.
"So, yeah. I'll be leaving Heafdes, and I'd like to try and leave today. I just wanted to say bye before the three of us all split up, since I knew Azariah probably wouldn't want to say anything about it to you."
My mind… my mind is blank.
"Um… yeah, goodbye, Kiaran. You should… you should be able to handle yourself." I'm not lying at all.
"Thank you for being so understanding. Bye, Aubrey." Kiaran says in the most heartfelt voice I'd ever heard from him.
I watch as he leaves the inn, leaving me and a sleeping Azariah alone. What… what is this feeling? It isn't good. Inadequacy? Self hatred? Disappointment? Loneliness? Depression? Why… what… what the hell am I even meant to do now if these two are leaving. I don't know.