"Heretic!"
The shout echoed off the stone walls as the young priest, and Lucas stood before the remains that had once been a God's Eye. Lucas was confused as to why the young priest would suddenly cry heretic. Then again, Lucas seemed to have broken an item they were calling the eye of the gods. Perhaps an apology was in order?
"Sorry about that," Lucas offered with a small smile, "I had no idea that-"
"GUARDS!"
The priest went screaming from the room, darting deep into the temple's interior. Lucas suddenly realized exactly what the priest was saying. This was a world in the medieval era, and the priest was declaring Lucas a heretic! While not a history buff, Lucas had heard about the Spanish Inquisition joke too many times not to start panicking. Lucas was just an apprentice, while his accuser was a priest of the largest temple, the Temple of the White Lady. He was currently headed to a dungeon cell to be forced to 'confess.'
Lucas needed to leave and fast. He adjusted the oversized robe, ensuring it concealed his frame as best as possible, and started retracing his steps toward the temple entrance. Mindful of not drawing attention, he paced his steps, striving to leave swiftly without appearing as if he were fleeing. Navigating his way back to the entrance, he managed to join a group of robed men who were also leaving. Among them was Mr. Roget, the rainbow elder he had entered with.
To Lucas's great remorse, it became apparent that the group he had joined had no other plans for the day as they leisurely strolled down the path. They frequently turned to each other to chat, further slowing their pace. Lucas found himself taking deep breaths to refrain from urging them to move faster. However, his desire to remain unnoticed until he had completely left the Grand Temple went unfulfilled.
Mr. Roget's group had almost made its way to the last gate when a pair of large horns sounded. Almost as one, everyone turned their sights back to the entrance to the Temple of the White Lady. Two young lads in pure white robes stood outside the entrance with horns. As the horn blast died down, a new sound reached throughout the courtyard. The sound of marching feet. Rows of armored guards flooded out the temple entrance, clad in matching white gleaming sets.
"Don't let the heretic escape!"
The Grand Temple's entrance guardians drew their swords and started advancing towards the group. Mr. Roget and the rest of the group stood frozen in shock and confusion, unsure of the heretic the guards were referring to. Sensing the opportunity to aid his own escape, Lucas quickly disguised his voice before shouting out while pointing at Mr. Roget.
"The rainbow-robed heretic is trying to breach the gate! Stop him in the name of the White Lady!"
The accusation sent a shockwave through the group. Mr. Roget looked at Lucas with disbelief, his expression a mix of shock and betrayal. However, before even a moment could pass, the guards pounced on Mr. Roget, tackling him to the ground. The rest of the group, taken aback by the sudden turn of events, quickly backed away from the scuffle.
"I'm no heretic!" Mr. Roget exclaimed, struggling against the guards as they forcibly pulled him back to his feet. "I am friends with the Archbishop!"
While everyone's attention was focused on the commotion, Lucas took advantage of the chaos. He slowly began to back away, inching towards the main gate. But just as he was about to reach the gate, another shout echoed through the air, causing a new wave of panic.
"Don't let the black-robed fiend escape!"
Mr. Roget and the guards froze, their eyes fixed on Lucas. Sensing the urgency, Lucas didn't hesitate. He burst forward, sprinting towards the gate with all his might. The guards scrambled to block his path, but Lucas managed to slip past them and burst out into the crowded Grand Market.
The bustling Grand Market was filled with merchants hawking their wares and townsfolk bartering for goods. As one entered the market by the side closest to the Temple of All Gods, one would be greeted by a symphony of scents: a whiff of spiced incense, the trace of fresh-turned earth brought by fresh herbs, and the unmistakably foul odor of various animal droppings mingled together. The merchants were no strangers to the merchandise that the townspeople sought before entering the temple.
Without delay, Lucas rushed to merge into the crowd. Passing by the cloth merchant stalls, Lucas joined a small group of people entering the animal stockyard. As Lucas mingled with a group of men examining a few selected horses, he caught sight of a wave of white gleaming armored guards entering the market en masse. The temple guards waved their swords in the air while shouting for the crowd to make way.
Lucas was not sure if the guards currently knew his location, but they must have seen him escape into the crowd from the temple gate. However, it didn't make sense to wait and see if they knew his current location in the market. He turned and continued to navigate his way through the crowd trying to flee the approaching guards. Unfortunately, the guards were making headway through the crowd with their appearance, while Lucas was forced to minimize the crowd's attention on himself. This was clearly not going to work.
At this point, Lucas had almost made his way to the halfway point of the market. In the center of the market, there stood a statue fountain, creating a small clearing amidst the bustling merchants and crowds. Legends told of some heroic feat the statue had accomplished in the past, but the details had been lost to time. Nevertheless, everyone respected the tradition that kept the area clear of merchants and stalls in honor of the giant statue of a man.
If Lucas was going to escape the guards completely, he would need to act fast before the clearing. On his left, merchant stalls of fine robes and other temple garb were displayed. To his right, young calves and lambs were corralled, awaiting customers. Lucas eye's lights up with an idea to create a pathway out of being pursued. He quickly approached the wooden corral, noting the absence of a merchant or owner nearby. With a burst of determination, Lucas flung open the wooden gates of the calves' enclosure. He managed to release the calves without being noticed and almost had the lambs' enclosure fully open before a merchant started shouting at him.
"Hey! What do you think you are. . ."
Before anyone could get close enough to stop him, Lucas raised his arms and went screaming into the herd of lambs as if he was the evilest fiend known to lamb kind. To the surprise of no one, the lambs were startled and quickly fled the corral in a panic. Lucas was not satisfied with only this, so he quickly climbed the barrier to introduce his screaming act to the calves. The calves rushed out of the corral much more quickly, having already seen what happened to the lambs. As the last of the calves left the corral, Lucas looked out to see what chaos he had caused.
In a sudden flurry of hooves, the herd of lambs and calves had made themselves known to the crowd by spreading through the startled crowd like wildfire. The once civil marketplace transformed into a spectacle of swirling dust, flying debris, and townspeople diving for cover. As the herd fled the corral, no merchant stall was sacred in their sights. Many of the beasts knocked over stall poles, got tangled in displayed merchandise, or ran into merchant carts seeking a safe haven. The advancing guards were suddenly faced with a four-legged stampede that quickly brought them to a halt.
With the crowd and guards occupied by the herd of escapees, Lucas dived into the crowd fleeing the area. On the edge of the central plaza, Lucas found a merchant cart positioned close to the side of a building. He walked around the edge of the cart, losing sight of the crowd before locating a hideaway behind the cart. He stripped off the black robe he had been wearing and pitched it into the cart. Lucas straightened his clothes and waited for a good chance to exit his hidden refuge.
A young group of men were slowly making their way through the plaza. Lucas didn't recognize any of them, but the clothes they wore told him what he needed to know. Their clothes were similar to his in that they had all seen better days and were clearly patched workmen outfits. Lucas waited until they had walked to his side of the plaza before stepping out casually and started following the group. One of the men noticed him trailing behind but lost interest when he saw Lucas was wearing similar clothes.
While observing the sights with the group, Lucas noticed the crowds were beginning to shrink. Temple guards were located in various spots throughout the market, keeping watch, but there was no longer any problem with walking unhindered through the market. Many of the merchants were starting to collect their stall merchandise and pack their carts. Lucas didn't know if this was the normal time for the market to end or if the herd stampede had brought the market to a close early. He had to admit that the random piles of animal droppings did little to encourage him to shop further. Evidently, the group shared his sentiment.
The group began to make their way to the gate to return to the merchant layer as Lucas followed along. Since everyone was exiting the market around the same time, it seemed to be rush hour at the gates. The large crowd waiting to pass through was also under the watchful eye of two temple guards clad in their white gleaming armor.
As Lucas's group approached the gate, the gate guards took one look at their clothes before permitting them through. Lucas could sense a subtle contempt in the guards' attitude. After passing the gate, Lucas took a deep breath as a nearly imperceptible weight lifted off his shoulders. He continued to walk with the group until they reached the next street corner and then broke away, heading back to the shop.
Lucas entered Hammered Glory, relieved to be back in the familiar surroundings of the shop. As he took a moment to gather his thoughts, he reflected on what he had learned throughout the day. It seemed that in this world, everyone had a system that granted them skills and abilities, along with a predetermined path or career. To understand their status and path, individuals had to visit the temple and look into a "God's eye."
However, Lucas had no memory of awakening a system or possessing any special abilities or skills. His visit to the temple had only resulted in chaos and being labeled a heretic. The trail to obtaining information about his situation had seemingly come to a dead end.
As he pondered his next move, Lucas's stomach reminded him of his hunger. It had been quite some time since he last ate, and the adrenaline-filled chase through the market had worked up his appetite. Remembering that he still hadn't cleaned the pot in the kitchen or fetched any ingredients, Lucas decided to visit the Drunken Squirrel once again to satiate his appetite. Lucas made sure to have his coin purse and quickly made his way down the street. The escaping aroma of a finely crafted meal reinforced Lucas's decision in that he made the right call.
Lucas barely made it past the front door before John caught sight of him.
"Howdy, Lucas!" John hollered his customary greeting with a smile, "Two visits in one day? Are we celebrating something, lad?"
"No celebrations today, John." Lucas answered with a grin while continuing his way to the bar. "Hard to justify cooking dinner when its just myself. With Master Barlet gone its almost the same price as one of your specials and the company here is much better!"
"Hahaha, you got that right!" William and his companion agreed with Lucas's statement with a cheer.
John finished wiping a spot clean and gestured toward it. "Here, have a seat Lucas and I'll give Amber your order."
Lucas walked over to grab his spot. He was barely settled before the kitchen door opened and Amber walked over with a tray. She dropped off a small plate of mini bread rolls and a bowl of soup with a smile before heading back to the kitchen. Lucas helped himself to the food and once again was amazed at the taste. As Lucas took his time eating while listening to the local news.
"The goblins are becoming a problem, I hear."
"You hear correctly. The lord's troops keep clearing out one nest just to find two new ones. They are spreading everywhere."
"Think the trade to Windhaven will be affected? Tis almost grain season after all."
"No idea. I hear the lord is requesting adventures from the capital. We will have to wait and see."
Lucas finished his meal and started to dig out his coin purse to pay when a loud knock sounded. Master John and the customers halted their conversation to see Mr. Hudson with two other guards enter.
John put down the glasses he had been wiping out. "Welcome to the Drunken Squirrel, Captain Hudson. What brings you around here this fine evening?"
Lucas noticed that Master John customary grin seemed a tad false compared to his normal behavior. If the captain noticed it, he gave no notice of it.
"Good evening, Master John. There has been a troublemaker terrorizing the upper layer. Starting a stampede in the market and attacking the temple guards. I have been sent to locate and arrest this fiend."
John looked puzzled at Captain Hudson. "I wish you the best of luck with the hunt. However, I don't understand what that has to do with us here at the Drunken Squirrel."
Captain Hudson gave a small grin before turning to Lucas. "Well, apprentice Lucas. Do you want this to go the easy way or the hard way?"