The horses are lathered, their breath coming in heavy heaves as Aki and Merlin
crest the rise.
Niflheim is far behind them. Ahead, the town of Riverstone sits nestled against a wide, muscular river that cuts through the grasslands.
"Let me check where we are." Aki pulls the wrinkled and stained map. "Just after
Niflheim. This should be Riverstone."
They rode and the horses' hooves transitioned from soft turf to the hard-packed dirt
of the town's main vein. Houses appear, then faces, people living quiet lives
in their town.
Aki slows his mount near a man walking on the roadside. "Excuse me, sir. Do you
know where we can find the Priestess?"
The man doesn't ask why, rather he points a finger toward a structure that looms
over the local hovels. "Check the Church."
"That one?"
"Yes."
"Alright,
thank you." Aki nods, and they push on.
They pass the market. a blur of noise
and the smell of raw meat with spices, until the Church compound rises to meet
them.
The fence is high. They enter the grounds and are immediately intercepted. A
Paladin circles the perimeter, his armor catching the light. He's definitely a
study in contrast: black plate with gold trim, a sunburst etched onto his
chest. He looks like a man who hasn't smiled in a decade.
"You don't look like you're from around here,"
the Paladin says.
"We're
looking for the Priestess," Aki says, not wasting time with any pleasantries
"Is she here? Our friend is in critical condition. We need her."
"She
went to buy foodstuffs for the children," the Paladin says, his voice flat.
"Wait inside."
He
leads them toward the main structure, a massive white-and-yellow pile of stone
with the symbol of light perched on the roof like a sentinel. He ushers them
through a heavy yellow door.
"Don't
worry about your friend in the carriage, or the beasts," the guard says as the
door begins to swing shut. "I'll watch over them."
The
latch clicks. The silence of the church settles over them. "Just so you know,"
Merlin says, his voice cutting through the gloom, "I'm not the religious type."
He doesn't wait for a reply before sinking back into a brooding silence.
"I'm
not religious either," Aki replies. He's looking at the high ceilings. "But I
respect beliefs... unless they conflict with my morality."
The
door at the far end swings open. The Priestess— she walks with the
quiet, purposeful step of someone used to being busy. Her dress is white and
gold, the fabric thin enough to hint at the frame beneath. She carries the
weight of the day; two bags of groceries in her left hand, a white-and-gold
staff in her right. A veil hides her face.
The
Paladin whispers in her ear. She approaches the two strangers.
"Hello.
My name is Aki. Please, I…we desperately need your help." Aki stands, his knees
popping after the long ride. "The healer at Niflheim sent us. My friend... he's
in critical condition."
She
reaches up and pulls back the veil— dark skin, smooth as polished stone. Yellow
irises set against black pupils. Her hair is a cascade of long black locs,
weighted down by golden beads that clink softly. Her face is round, her lips
small and set.
Aki
stands there, acting stunned and speechless.
"Um...
sorry," Aki stammers. "You just surprised me."
"There's
no problem," she says. Her voice is calm, professional. "Just bring your
wounded friend and follow me." Merlin doesn't need to be told twice— he hauls
the gunslinger from the carriage, carrying his limp weight into the heart of
the building.
They
move deeper into the Church. They pass a wide courtyard where children are a
riot of noise and movement, some playing, tending a garden, huddled over books. They continue to follow
the Priestess down a side walkway to a small room.
Inside,
the air is crowded, an elderly priest, a young priest, another priestess, and a
pair of clerics stand ready. It's a guest room, beds, a bathroom, the smell of
clean linen.
"Please
keep him on this bed," she says.
Merlin
drops Lee onto the mattress. The Priestess sets her bags and staff aside. She
hovers her hands over Lee's injury. A bright, harsh yellow light ignites in her
palms, it's a focused energy that reflects off the gunslinger's skin like
sparks. Slowly, the light eats away at the poison, destroying it, inch by inch.
She stops, the light fades.
She
looks at them. "Your friend will be okay. He should be awake in a few hours."
Aki
collapses onto a nearby bed, the air leaving his lungs in a rush. "Phew."
"You
can rest here till he wakes," the younger priest says. He gestures to the
Paladin standing by the door. "He'll watch over your group."
The
Priestess pauses at the door, picking up her bags. "Oh, and I'm so sorry, I forgot. My name is Awia." She offers a hand and a subtle smile.
"A-we-ya,"
Aki tries, tripping over the syllables.
"Ah-wee-ah,"
she corrects him. "You say it like that."
"Okay."
"You're
funny." She turns and heads back toward the noise of the children in the
courtyard.
Aki
looks at the ceiling. "After journeying for two nights, I really need to
sleep." He looks over at Merlin. The big man is already out, snoring on his
bed. "I guess it's just me then."
Aki's
eyes grow heavy. The adrenaline is gone. He curls into a ball and lets the
sleep take him.
In the dining
hall, the atmosphere is different. Awia is working again, helping Olive
and the young priest, Xi, ladle out portions for the orphans.
"You
did great," Olive says, bumping Awia's shoulder.
"I'm
still the most inexperienced out of all of you," Awia says, her eyes on the
soup.
"But
you've got the talent," Xi adds.
Awia
sets the ladle down. "It's not enough. There are people out there who really
need help. I'm not like you guys, I grew up here. I don't want to stay here
forever."
"How
about the kids?" Olive asks.
"Don't
say that," Awia snaps, then softens. "I love them like a sister. I've
cared for them like a mother. But I can train myself outside. See more people.
Learn things that could benefit all of us."
Xi
shakes his head. "We've been out there, Awia. Trust me, there's not much you
don't know."
"Knowing
is different from seeing." Awia turns back to the children.
Her heart is in the Church, but her mind is in the guest room with the strangers
who brought the smell of the world through her front door.