After about half an hour, Drake leaves the camp, heading back to town, stopping to buy some hot food; at a small shop that doesn't look too bad. He sits down to eat at one of the tables in that stall. They serve him a chicken and some cider; he's not good with alcohol, it makes him dizzy, he doesn't drink unless he's feeling really hard pressed.
For the guardian, eating alone is a bit sad. He misses Alice and Lance. However, from the former he hopes that when he sees her again, he will be able to apologize, and not receive a very strong reprimand.
Some time ago, Drake was traveling with Lance and Alice, along the roads of Santus' territory. Discovering the flyer on the chimera along the way, at one of the rest stops. That contract deeply caught the attention of the trinity of guardians, so they decided to accept the job.
On the way to Palistria, the guardians stopped in the city of Vomiza, staying two days to rest from the trip, and have some fun, either in the brothels that are their most visited places by Drake and Lance, in every city where they make a stop, after a contract as a kind of celebration. On that occasion the town where they have stopped, was holding a horse racing event, adding betting to the equation, by Lance himself, believing he would get easy money for his experiments with magic.
Drake, although he likes horses a lot, for him gambling, is a brutal waste of money, so he decided not to get involved in that campaign. Alice, not being attracted by prostitutes or gambling, was looking for spare parts for her mechanical implants, armor and motorcycle, because she and horses do not get along at all. The three of them arranged to meet at midnight at the tavern, to have dinner and make a plan against the chimera.
After a series of unfortunate events, Lance accumulated a huge debt when his "instinct" failed after the horses he had put his money on failed to win any of their races in five consecutive races. Drake had locked himself in with a prostitute he hired for a whole day, so he wasn't there to control his friend's follies. It was almost nightfall when it was confirmed that his partner had been locked up and threatened with death for not paying what was owed.
Forced by the circumstances, the crimson guardian had to sell his horse "crow", in order to help him pay off what was left of the debt. In any case, they had to flee the city, because that same day, shortly after the debt was paid, Lance wanted to visit a woman he had met in a bar and with whom he had a romp, before going to the tavern to meet Alice.
When they arrived at the woman's house, they discovered that she was the wife of the owner of the farm where the races were held, who had recently learned of his wife's infidelities from the maid, who recognized Lance as soon as she saw him near the entrance. As expected, the race organizer did not take it well and turned out to be a very dangerous and resourceful person in the city.
The two guardians separated on the road, managing to lose their pursuers, agreeing to meet in Palistria in four days, or at worst in Trisary. Drake only hoped that he had not been killed, or caught some venereal disease in some brothel on the way, or both.
Drake wished to meet Alicia in this town as well, to fulfill the chimera's contract and to be able to apologize for standing her up, however, as he found no sign of either of his two companions, he has decided to take the lead. It is the first time he has been alone in a long time, after the incident some time ago. A slight feeling of nervousness invaded him, like a very strong knot in his chest.
When he least expects it, he realizes that he has a bunch of peasants behind him. Drake simply makes a nervous face. He has always been unnerved by being in the presence of many people, for him it is something claustrophobic, it makes him feel quite uncomfortable. These areas of the country of Santus are among the poorest and most technologically unsophisticated places. Just on the way, the guardian could see a tractor when he arrived.
"Is it true what the rumors say? Are you a guardian? "asks one of the farmers.
Drake can't help but feel harassed, he tries to keep calm by swallowing saliva. He is about to activate the helmet of his armor, overwhelmed by being surrounded. He dismisses the idea as it might be a shock to these villagers; although rumors of what happened in the tavern must have already spread.
Some time ago, Drake was traveling with Lance and Alice, along the roads of the Santus territory. Discovering the flyer on the chimera on the way, at one of the rest stops. That contract deeply caught the attention of the trinity of guardians, so they decided to accept the job.
On the way to Palistria, the guardians stopped in the city of Vomiza, staying two days to rest from the trip, and have some fun, either in the brothels that are their most visited places by Drake and Lance, in every city where they make a stop, after a contract as a kind of celebration. On that occasion the town where they have stopped, was holding a horse racing event, adding betting to the equation, by Lance himself, believing he would get easy money for his experiments with magic.
Drake, although he likes horses a lot, for him gambling, is a brutal waste of money, so he decided not to get involved in that campaign. Alice, not being attracted by prostitutes or gambling, was looking for spare parts for her mechanical implants, armor and motorcycle, because she and horses do not get along at all. The three of them arranged to meet at midnight at the tavern, to have dinner and make a plan against the chimera.
After a series of unfortunate events, Lance accumulated a huge debt when his "instinct" failed after the horses he had put his money on failed to win any of their races in five consecutive races. Drake had locked himself in with a prostitute he hired for a whole day, so he wasn't there to control his friend's follies. It was almost nightfall when it was confirmed that his partner had been locked up and threatened with death for not paying what was owed.
Forced by the circumstances, the crimson guardian had to sell his horse "crow", in order to help him pay off what was left of the debt. In any case, they had to flee the city, because that same day, shortly after the debt was paid, Lance wanted to visit a woman he had met in a bar and with whom he had a romp, before going to the tavern to meet Alice.
When they arrived at the woman's house, they discovered that she was the wife of the owner of the farm where the races were held, who had recently learned of his wife's infidelities from the maid, who recognized Lance as soon as she saw him near the entrance. As expected, the race organizer did not take it well and turned out to be a very dangerous and resourceful person in the city.
The two guardians separated on the road, managing to lose their pursuers, agreeing to meet in Palistria in four days, or at worst in Trisary. Drake only hoped that he had not been killed, or caught some venereal disease in some brothel on the way, or both.
Drake wished to meet Alicia in this town as well, to fulfill the chimera's contract and to be able to apologize for standing her up, however, as he found no sign of either of his two companions, he has decided to take the lead. It is the first time he has been alone in a long time, after the incident some time ago. A slight feeling of nervousness invaded him, like a very strong knot in his chest.
When he least expects it, he realizes that he has a bunch of peasants behind him. Drake simply makes a nervous face. He has always been unnerved by being in the presence of many people, for him it is something claustrophobic, it makes him feel quite uncomfortable. These areas of the country of Santus are among the poorest and most technologically unsophisticated places. Just on the way, the guardian could see a tractor when he arrived.
"Is it true what the rumors say? Are you a guardian? "asks one of the farmers.
Drake can't help but feel harassed, he tries to keep calm by swallowing saliva. He is about to activate the helmet of his armor, overwhelmed by being surrounded. He dismisses the idea as it could be a shock to these villagers; although rumors of what happened in the tavern must have already spread.
Some members of the agglomerated crowd, look at him with fearful eyes, shielding themselves with the man who serves as spokesman, while other peasants look at the guardian with disgust and suspicion, in a disguised way. Drake can't blame them for everything, due to the bad reputation the cursed have for the Templars, however, the crimson warrior is untouchable for the inquisition given Trisary's protection by being a guardian, as long as he doesn't commit a heinous crime or break the code. What happened in the tavern was self"defense, plus this city was conquered by The Freethought, who will forgive him, as long as he fulfills the contract.
"Could be said so. If it's about the chimera, I'll leave right away; I just wanted something to eat. One can't go to get their hands dirty on an empty stomach," Drake says, flashing a nervous smile. He has never known why he dislikes being surrounded by so many people; he makes a brutal effort to keep his composure. "If I mess up, and stain the name of the clan; they'll put my head on a spike," he thinks nervously.
"We are very relieved that a professional comes to our town to kill the monster even though you look so young," the old man says, relieved, with a hopeful gleam in his eyes, a bad sign for the guardian. "We would like to offer you a separate job. A discreet one," he says the latter in a fearful whisper, looking around as if trying to hide something.
"¿Will there be another monster around here? No, the soldiers would have told me by now; I think I know what they want," Drake frowns, looking disdainfully at the peasants, foreseeing the nature of that mysterious request.
"See, we...
"Please, kill Commander Forge! "desperately interrupts one of the peasant women, on the verge of tears. "That man is a real monster!
The woman's breakdown is the catalyst for a chorus of distressing and incomprehensible requests from the farmers. Drake can't even hear his own thoughts until the first man who spoke silences them.
"We all have problems here, but we can't burden the young guardian with all that, I'll give a brief summary of what Commander Forge does. "The man takes a deep breath and clears his throat. "He raised the tribute we pay disproportionately; if we don't pay the tax, he takes everything we own, and those who resist are thrown to the beast.
"Now any crime is sentenced to be devoured by that monster. "Another villager approaches, continuing the anecdotes of Forge's administration. "He defiled our beliefs. Our dear pastor, who had such wisdom and great kindness, was thrown into the lair of that monster. Maybe he was the one who opened the door, however, he didn't want this to happen; please, we'll give you all the remaining livestock we have, we'll even let you spend a night with our daughters or sons as you prefer. Please help us! "He breaks down in tears at making that request.
"Do they hate that man so much as to give me everything they have? "Drake thinks, quite surprised. Upon hearing about the livestock, he feels a temptation. The code he swore to follow echoes in his head, dispelling those thoughts. Before he can speak, an old woman approaches, taking his arm.
"Please. Avenge my grandson.
"You are misunderstanding me..."Drake carefully moves away from the old woman, getting up from the chair and stepping back a few paces. His incredulous face changes to a creepy, shameless smile. "Guardians have a strict code of conduct, and the truth is, I'm no hero; I'm a professional monster hunter, and I don't kill that kind of monsters. Besides, you know that the pastor released the monster, yet you still paint him as an innocent dove; guardians don't get involved in conflicts of faiths, now if you'll excuse me, I have to work. "Drake's words are blunt and tactless, igniting anger and hatred in the villagers.
"You damn pig! And you call yourself a knight?!" exclaims the old woman who had taken him by the arm.
"I never called myself a knight."A cold expression appears on his face before he leaves for the dungeon. "I'm going to rid you of what your pastor unleashed, goodbye, and may the traveler bless you all.
The insults of the villagers are present, cursing and wishing him death. Drake simply withdraws. He doesn't mince any words with these generic provocations, which don't affect him much. He walks to the outskirts of the city, following the dirt road until he reaches a broken stone door at his feet. The door has strange symbols, which, according to what he learned in the Dark Fortress, can be magical seals. The entrance is two meters long and wide. Forge, accompanied by four soldiers, awaits him at the door.
"We'll be here waiting for you to come out and prevent anyone curious from getting close. Does that bother you? "Drake turns around, just to coldly shake his head. Forge's men start moving in various directions, covering key points where people might approach, and the commander looks at the guardian for a few seconds, putting on a face of strangeness.
"All right, if you excuse me, I have a chimera to deal with, I hope you have the money when I come back. I need it urgently. "Drake emphasizes this, harboring impatience.
"Don't worry. "Forge intervenes, in an animated voice": you will be well rewarded; you just have to bring the beast's head as proof of your victory.
Drake doesn't look back and prepares to enter that dungeon. He descends a stone staircase, feeling a long journey as he descends, each step in the cavern sinking into a damp darkness.
Finally, he arrives in a sort of corridor, thanks to the green"eyed lights of the helmet, he can see perfectly in the darkness. The first thing he encounters is skeletons, several wearing what were once armor from both Free Thought and Templar, as well as regular people. Bodies pulverized and torn by what can be assumed were the works of huge claws, from a very powerful beast. The ceiling is fifty meters away from the ground.
As he walks through the hallway, he comes across two different paths. Suddenly, he begins to hear heavy footsteps coming from the right, quickly running to the left, reaching an altar with several graves around it. He prepares with a newly created sword, wielding it with both hands and hiding behind the altar, on alert. The footsteps shake the floor.
He hears it growling along with the sound of droplets falling; it is undoubtedly the creature's saliva, indicating its hunger. Drake peeks just enough to see it; the chimera has scaled purple reptile"like skin; it has the head of a lion with a red mane, black eyes; its hind legs are eagle"like, and the tail is that of a scorpion.
The guardian feels a slight relief for not encountering a multi"headed chimera. As he distracts himself, he becomes careless; the beast sees him and pounces. Drake manages to perform an evasive maneuver, rolling on the floor. The beast collides with the statue, breaking it.
The red warrior takes an attacking position, firmly gripping the sword's hilt. The chimera turns, stalking its prey, walking slowly, fixing its hungry gaze on Drake.
There is eye contact between the two, the seconds of waiting become eternal in anticipation of who will make the first move. The chimera lashes out with its tail, agilely avoided by the guardian, moving to the side and dropping a sword strike on the whip"like limb, cutting it in two, rendering the tail useless, its tip falling to the ground in a stream of blood.
The chimera roars in pain as it moves its tail frantically, splattering black drops on the floor. Furious, the beast ignores the pain and attacks again, stretching its claws towards the warrior. Drake moves away, , sidestepping to the left, positioning himself on that flank of the creature and delivering another slash, this time to the torso.
The sound of flesh being torn raises the guardian's morale, seeing a near end to his battle. Steel slices through the tough, scaly flesh, lacking momentum, pulling him away from the mortal blow. The chimera groans in pain, swiping at him, which misses. Drake jumps back with a hop, increasing the distance.
The creature rises, anger visible in its eyes, preparing again and charging towards him. This time, as the guardian is about to move to the right side, the chimera roars, stunning him, and with its claws, it hits him, sending him flying. Drake crashes into the wall, cracking it upon impact. In the midst of thick dust clouds, he gets up again, staggering. The beast shortens the distance, lunging at him with a bite.
Drake halts the jaws of the beast, holding them in its mandibles. He feels the muscles tearing as he strains to stop the beast. He clings to the cobblestone floor; he combines the strength of arms and feet in the grip. He forges the heavy gauntlets and pants when doing so in an energy"draining effort. His weapon forging is not as efficient as it used to be. He can endure; however, creating even simple constructions takes his breath away for seconds, not meeting the compensation of the contract to which he has bound himself.
The voices in his head complain, but he ignores their screams. He leans on his right leg and uses all the superhuman strength of his legs, diminishing that of his arms. Before it knocks him down again, he manages to knee it in the nose, freeing himself. The chimera recovers and runs toward Drake, who moves to the left, regaining his posture to then shoot two chains from his palms; the metals wrap around the creature's neck.
He tries to suffocate it, making the chains as tight as possible; however, the beast breaks them with a swipe. Drake takes advantage of the creature's recovery time, throwing a dagger at it, hitting one of its eyes, injuring it. In pain, the chimera flees the room.
Drake, on the other hand, leans against the wall, taking a short breath. His vision is somewhat off; the blows have dazed him too much; his left arm is injured, with marks of the beast's claws on the battered vambrace and cracks in the bracer. If he had been careless, it would have torn his arm off.
He takes a potion from his belt, opens the helmet for a drink; it tastes like apples and grapes, and when he takes it, he feels a strong pain as if something broke. Veins are marked for a moment.
As the pain subsides, regeneration accelerates; now he can move the arm, yet the wound does not fully heal. He can wait for the armor to regenerate the wound; however, it will take a long time. He has to hide for a few minutes, during the time the defense decrease lasts due to the slight healing.
"I shouldn't be using my potions; they are valuable, and in this damn town, there is nothing to prepare or buy them. "Since he left the compensation, creating constructions with greater speed has become challenging. It's better than going through that precarious situation again. After the defense decrease period expires, returning to normal, he walks through the dungeon to the crossroads.
This time he goes to the right side; he hears voices, only they are not from ghosts or something similar, they are from living people, and one of them is familiar. He finds some stairs and notices a torchlight.
Going down, he reaches a balcony and below two men, one an old man wearing a white robe and a circular white hat, holding a staff with the image of a cross in his hands. The companion leaves the guardian paralyzed, bombarding him with a thousand questions.
"Forge..." he whispers almost on the verge of shouting the name, covering his mouth as a precaution, then approaching with the intention of hearing the conversation more clearly.
"I brought the tax money; a little more, and we can get out of here. I really didn't expect him to have those ideas, Pastor Michael; I truly admire your intellect," Forge says proudly as he opens the heavy loot bag he carries.
"To be honest, I had grown tired of this town and its miserable people for years," the old man says, putting his hand into the bag, caressing the coins with an almost sexual gesture as he feels pleasure touching the gold. "They always pray and scream for blessings when they never give anything in return; they never give alms to my church. All my helpers left me, leaving me alone; now they receive their well"deserved punishment."
Drake sees the wad of coins they have in that bag; he can't even imagine how many golden crowns that thing has, his heart burning with greed, and drool escaping his lips just thinking about what he would do with all that.
"I would go to the best brothels, buy better equipment, animals for the farm; goodbye to worrying about rent. Something nice for Alicia, going to more brothels! The world can be mine with that." That feeling fades when he remembers where that loot could have come from. He can't think of those things at this moment. Unintentionally, in his musings, he steps wrong, stumbling, and falls off the balcony. The duo turns around, startled to find the young monster hunter. Forge puts the bag aside and takes out his rifle.
"¿What are you doing here, idiot? You should be killing the chimera."
"You told me the kid was a nobody. How is he still alive?" the old man asks angrily.
"You're supposed to be a pastor. "Drake gets up again. A shiver of disgust runs down his spine, giving them a disdainful look. "What would God think of you when he sees your repulsive acts?"
"These people don't deserve any gratitude; I gave my all to him and this people. And what did I get in return? Nothing! My best years are gone. But I have a chance to change that!" he exclaims angrily. He reveals the right arm, showing a series of black runes, marked like a tattoo.
"That's a familiar's seal! ¡Old son of a bitch! "Drake exclaims upon recognizing the nature of the tattoos.
"That magician was an arrogant idiot... the years of studying holy magic were not in vain. I could easily take control by using him as a distraction... "He boasts of his prowess"fortunately... dividing the loot in two is much better. What are you waiting for? "He rhetorically asks his companion": ¡kill him! If he manages to get out of here alive, all our efforts will go to hell.