"From north to south and from east to west, it seeks. A mere breath enough provocation, a sentence of the undesirable. Swiftly it ends the process, poisons the conscious and violates their bodies. Worry not as I pierce through with divine intention"
Most of the coin me and Dorlan made was used to pay for the carriage that would take us to the port city of Seaway. I wanted to go farther but we didn't have enough coin to cost it. I tried to remain silent but Dorlan could sense my guilt, "It's a shame but It was bound to happen. Roda's soldiers were going to leave at some point and there was a silent resistance in the city. As for the kobolds? Well, they were going to get killed at some point, I actually expected something like this happening. And, I was hoping for a change of scenery", He said, clearly undermining his predicament. It was because of me that everything unraveled they way it did, it was because of me he had to leave. No, I had to keep quiet… "You don't have to go with me to the next city. I'm going to keep causing you trouble", I told him but he just smirked, "Nah, nah. No need to apologize. Listen Tak, Franck was just a temporary stay. I lived in there for less than a year, you don't have to worry. And, the life of an adventurer is a nomadic one I reckon".
Dorlan kept a positive stance on what happened and for what may be ahead of us, then he asked about my sword. I did owed him a more detailed explanation. "My sword?… Is not a regular sword. It's called the Godsword. I don't know who made it. It was give- no… I found it in the Holy City of Mön. See, I'm not an adventurer, I'm a knight. A holy knight to be precised, actually I was… the Empress did stripped me of that rank", I explained and Dorlan was completely focused on what I was saying, he clearly wanted somekind of backstory, "The Holy City? I have heard about that place. 'The gate of the north' is what they called it in Centralia. So… why is the Empress after you? Did you… y'know", Dorlan made an up and down motion with his brows. "No. I did not fuck the Empress", I hope my answer cleared his dirty mind, "Oh… Because back in Centralia we call her "The Golden Whore", it is said she had sex with all the men she had knighted". It made sense, Centralia and Roda were never cordial to being with, a similar rumor must be going around the other territories were Roda is an enemy. I took the Godsword out to show him the blade, "The Empress wants this. This weapon. The problem is that I cannot relinquish it", Dorlan seemed confused, "Really? I mean, I saw your sword doing amazing stuff but I don't think it makes up for the trouble. If you give it away you can live freely. You can get any other sword you like", He clearly didn't understand so I'll show him, "It's not that simple. This sword is bound to my soul, I have to die first to allow another one to wield it. This sword will not leave my side", then I threw the sword out of the carriage. "You serious?! Y-you can get it back, no?". I sighed and stretched a bit, if he was going to accompany me any further then he needed to know my motivation, "The Godsword is a weapon that enhances its wielder. I'm stronger, faster and more durable than any regular man, that is thanks to the sword and its power. In exchange for all of that, I had to let it take my soul. See, I was part of the Holy Army that was set to liberate the settlements that fell to the Calamity. One of those being the Holy City of Mön, from which I recovered the sword", Dorlan nodded, interested in what happened to me and then asked, "What's the Calamity?", before explaining I had to think of how to describe it, "The Calamity… is evil, is just that. It spawns creatures that severe bodies. It lays roots on the earth and rots the soil, kills the wildlife and… many things. I was only twelve when I saw one of the Calamity's creatures, it is quite the sight, after that I could hardly feel fear in the face of others. Everyday the sword asks me to go north… to eradicate the Calamity, something I've been refusing to do for many years", I conveyed the best I could and he seemed to get it, "Oh… w-why I'm hearing about this now? Aren't the other kingdoms trying to do something about it?". I cracked a smile at his question, "I wonder the same. I've been taught about the Calamity since the age of two. But nobody in the outside world seems to care about it. Not even in some of the settlements on the north, those that are actually close to its reach".
We spent the rest of the trip discussing various topics, Dorlan was really interested in the history of the Calamity. Finally someone who actually displayed some semblance of worry in face of something so grave.
A sudden bump on the wheels of the carriage was the sign that the dirt road had become one of cobblestone, the entrance of the city of Seaway came into view. Different from Franck, Seaway didn't have any walls, the city itself being open; its buildings and houses spread along the coast, the breeze of the sea struck our faces. A change of scenery indeed. We dropped off just shy of the entrance of the city and we made our way inside, "It sure looks pretty. Alright, let's go to the guild", Dorlan led the way and asked around for directions; I noticed the large amount of sailors going around, and from between the buildings I could see the port that hosted many ships. The guild had the same frontage as the one in Franck, but it was larger; it had a tavern and an inn included, exclusive for those in the guild. Dorlan announced himself to the receptionist and was given two tokens, "Hey, stick this token to your chest, it will identify us as part of the guild. I booked a room too, but tomorrow we'll need to get some more coin. Now, let's get pissed!", He said, locking and arm around my neck and leading me to the guild's tavern.
Sadly, one of my weaknesses is drinking… a tasty one, the few years I wandered on the north, after getting the Godsword, found me discovering comfort inside the many taverns of Lindelen, where each sip made my tongue weaker, leaving part of me on those places; stories for the rest to hear, a mistake that led me to my predicament in Roda. We spent a while in the tavern, it was soothing after what happened in Franck, but I could sense someone glaring at me from another table. I could easily sense his gaze on me, it was an adventurer; a skinny man in full armor with frilly long silver hair, his armor looked expensive. After two hours he approached our table, "Huh… Look what the pestilent winds have brought, Tak of Sonnda", he muttered with a death stare, he knew me and seemed really pissed off, his gaze locked to the token on my chest. "Have you decided to become an adventurer? Ha! After what you said about them? After… A-after what you did….?", he continued lowering his voice, shaking with anger. "You know him?", Dorlan asked pointing at the man and I shook my head, the man became more pissed, "Y-y-you… Have you tell your friend what you did in Nalva? What you did to me?!", the man said, a hand on the handle of his sword. Unfortunately I couldn't remember who this guy was and what I did to him. But I had to find a probable cause for his anger… uh…, "Do I owe you money?", I asked, I mean, that was normally the reason people got angry at me. "M-money?! Hahaha, y-you don't actually remember? You don't even recall who I am?! No surprise for a brute like you. I am Serbos. Yes, that should be enough for you to remember". I still couldn't remember, shit. Well, even if he seemed like reaching for his sword, the fact that the Godsword hadn't appeared on my hands or sheath meant this guy wasn't a threat, or had the same threat level of a rat. "Oh! Yes, yes, Serbas, yeah. Uh… what do you need?", I asked but he snapped back grinding his teeth, "It's Serbos, Serbos, with an 'O'! Y-you… I-I… We'll meet again…", Serbos turned and promptly left, I could catch a smirk forming on his lips as he walked away, curious guy. "Wow, for a second there I was sure he was going to draw his sword, do you actually know him? Cause he was really pissed off", Dorlan asked with a chuckle, "Haven't got a clue. Probably some guy I beat up… maybe I stole some shipment from him. Part of the works I used to do was stealing shipments from the competition. Maybe something worst", Nalva, I have a faint memory of that town, I remember how snowy it was but I cannot remember any work I did there. We spent the rest of the evening in the tavern before resting in the guild's inn. I made sure to pray twice, as I didn't the night before. Then I felt the steel on my lap, the Godsword came to me again, like always.
The next morning Dorlan came in with breakfast and news, "Good morning! I went to the reception and they actually gave me a copy of the work board, look. It's filled to the brim with delivery work, if we make five of them today we can make double the coin we did back in Franck", He said with excitement and handed me the paper. The jobs were ordered by most paying to less and, logically, from hardest to easiest; Slaying jobs would usually leave you with the most coin but, besides pest work, there was only simply delivery jobs… except for one, the hardest and most profitable, my focus on its description must have caught the attention of Dorlan, who added, "Oh, you want to do that job? I asked about it but they told me it's too dangerous, so the mayor of the city will take care of it. They told me it would take a small force of soldiers to get that job done… and I know you want to make coin quick to keep going north but, if you do that job, you'll get easily identified… even if we're far from Roda, I think it would be better if we keep a low profile, don't you think so?", I didn't care for being identified again but I also didn't want to make this stay hard for Dorlan, "This work. 'Destroy a brawen den next to the main road'; brawens. Didn't know they could grow so far south… No doubt they'll need a small army to take them out, that is if they've been allowed to roam freely for too long", I muttered, biting my lip a bit, really wanting to take the job immediately and get rid of those beasts. Dorlan raised an eyebrow, "The receptionist told me they would allow an adventurer to take the job but nobody wanted to, what is a brawen anyway?", I stood up to get ready while explaining, "A brawen is a type of parasite. Most people describe them as dog-like creatures, but that's because the parasite usually takes dogs as hosts. Brawen can only infect male hosts, deforming the body and changing the mind, then they'll seek for food and a mate. A brawen infected animal can mate with any female animal, their offspring being horrendous hybrids. Any brawen hybrid can cause serious damaged", 'brawen' just the name brought a flood of memories, "I destroyed a den once, when I used to do slaying work in the north. I know I can do the job, but you're right. Let's leave this job for last, that way, we can get a ton of coin before leaving", I got ready but Dorlan seemed kind of shocked by my explanation, "Wow, you know a lot about these things… yeah, let's do the other stuff first, I don't want to see those things yet".
We spent all the morning and part of the afternoon doing deliveries, thanks to this we managed to see most of the city. Our last delivery was at the port, it was the second time I've seen a ship, the first time was eight years ago, when I saw a destroyed ship at the coast of the town of Cocsisborough; a town that fell to the Calamity. Ships amazed me, for many years I wished to be able to travel on one, across the ocean or just travel by the coast. Our last delivery was to a ship without banner, a pirate ship, and we met the captain of it, Captain Lans Nunku; who was from one of the many islands that exist on the east ocean, we got along and he offered us to go fishing with him on his ship, he was paying us quite the sum and I was excited to go on a ship for the first time, so we accepted immediately, next week we would meet him again in the port. I could hardly wait, every day felt like agony while doing stupid delivery jobs and, at last, the date arrived, the morning sun was beautiful and the sea breeze felt nice on my skin. Then we got to the ship, splendid work of engineering, beautiful wooden artistry and amazing cannons- suddenly I felt the first sway of the ship, I hate it… I began to feel so nauseous, I had to lay down just to avoid vomiting. Worst of all is that I couldn't get off, the ship left port too fast and we had to remain until the end of the fishing work, something that would take several hours. Obviously I couldn't do anything, Dorlan was the only one who could do any fishing work, he and Captain Nunku laughed at me. Screw them. At least, after he laughed at me, the Captain shared tales and information about his home, the Island Kingdom of Solandaba, he described it with beautiful beaches and delicious exotic fruits, a shame I cannot and will not be boarding any ship anymore. The Captain also shared a tale that caught my attention, he talked about the Island of Nisa, a paradisaical island in the north where many people fleet thanks to a disease that manifested as a mist, the same mist that hid the island from sailors... a mist? In the north? I was sure he was describing the Calamity.
Without noticing, we had already stayed a full month in Seaway, all this time doing simple deliveries for the guild. But that brawen job was still on my mind, especially after witnessing three different persons looking for they loved ones, asking on the plaza and on the port, from what I could hear, they all went close to the forest that surrounded part of the main road, the same place where the brawen nest is said to be located. The other night, while going out to drink with Dorlan, an old man entered the tavern we were in, "Night, sorry to interrupt, I am looking for any adventurers, please", he exclaimed and a group of adventures on another table approached him, the old man was a father and her daughter went missing two weeks ago, then his son, trying to find her sister, went into the forest and never came back. The adventurers gave excuses, nobody in the guild was willing to take the job and they've been told, like we did, that the mayor would take care of it… but when? I reckon my heart has hardened a bit through the years, but I knew I could do the job, get rid of the beasts… but surely that would mean leaving Seaway, a place where we made a good amount of coin and we were getting accustomed to. Yesterday I was decided to take the job, I was going to do it, take the coin and leave Seaway, continue my journey, but a fleeting thought struck me, "I'm going to bring Dorlan down with me…", that was a fact, I already damaged Dorlan's life and he was innocent of all the decisions I took in the past, but then, like he read my mind, Dorlan entered the room, "Hey Tak, ready to take down the brawen den? I think we've got enough coin so we could leave after doing it". Did he read my mind? Well, he convinced me.
We went down to the reception and I pulled the paper with the brawen job marked, "We'll be doing this", I said and the receptionist raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me, you are marking the brawen den job, is that correct?", then Dorlan tapped the paper, "Yeah man, we are going to do it. Me and him", the receptionist was in awe and pulled the registry book to find Dorlan's number, "Mr… Dorlan Limmer? This job is too dangerous to be carried out by two adventurers, besides, the city will take care of it in due time", I hit the desk as I heard that, "Due time? When is that exactly? Hasn't there been enough missing people? Hasn't this affected the city enough? Write his number next to the task, we are going to do the job". My words got to the receptionist, he reluctantly wrote Dorlan's number, officially giving us the job. "Alright. You got the job, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning, then we will give you the details". Finally, I had a slaying job once again. Me and Dorlan went straight to the tavern, we drank and laughed for hours, then I noticed the stares… the brawen job had been taken out from the board and many adventurers stole glances at us, I knew tomorrow would be our last day in the city.
We rose in the early morning and got ready to head out. Making our way down the steps to the reception, I immediately noticed the silence, the hall was practically empty and the receptionist was dutifully waiting, next to him, a middle aged woman; dressed in a dark colored armor, her blue eyes locked onto us as we approached them. "Good morning adventurers. Let me introduce you to Patricia, she's the chief of the city guard and will be at the location to ensure the job is done", the receptionist said and Patricia looked at us from top to bottom, gauging our strength I think. "Adventurers. I hope you understand you'll be facing a different kind of beast today. Brawens are creatures cunning as a foxes, deadly as a bears and with better teamwork than a pack of wolves. Their appearance can turn any stomach and make you piss your pants. But I do respect your enthusiasm, I reckon you two are brave. You must be Dorlan Limmer", she said standing in front of Dorlan who seemed weirdly intimated, "Y-yes ma'am!", then she turned to me, circling around me once, "And you… well I don't know your name, mind telling me?". I could sense it, she was strong, but still, I despised her demeanor, oozing with confidence and pride, "You don't need to know my name. We are going to help your city, so just give us some horses and lead us there", I stated and I could see the annoyance in her face, "Fine. You'll get your horses, but I won't be nannying you. You two may take the main road into the closed detour, it'll lead you straight to their den. Don't worry about me, I'll be there first", she said with a content smile and dismissed us. Outside, as promise, there were two horses waiting for us with some provisions inside a bag, the trip would take us half a day, so we promptly head for the main entrance.
"She seemed like a nice lady. Although dominant, even if I like that a bit", Dorlan chuckled as we made quick pace to the entrance and straight into the main road, "I don't trust her. Something changed last night. After this job, will get the coin and make a rush for our stuff, then we can go any other place, alright?", the demeanor of Patricia slowly confirmed what I feared. However, I needed to focus in the task at hand, getting rid of the brawen. "Follow me Dorlan", I told him, leaving the main road and into the forest. "Tak, what are you doing? Following the road will take us there in less time!", Dorlan complained and I looked around; the tress all looked the same and their roots made traversing difficult but I could sense something, after an hour of galloping, with Dorlan complaining non-stop, I finally caught it staring. I got off the horse and looked in its direction, "I know you are there. You can come out, we are in need of help", I said to the base of a nearby tree, Dorlan was dumbfounded, didn't know what I was doing. Then he came out; tiny as a cat, looked like an old man with a great white beard and red pointy hat, a gnome. "Aahh!!! What is that?!", Dorlan screamed like a child, scaring the horse… and me, "Shhh, be quiet Dorlan!", I kneeled and the gnome approached me cautiously, "You… you're not like the other humans. You knew where I was! Mmmm… are you trying to trick me?", the gnome spoke, his stance rigid and ready to flee at any moment, I needed to calm him so I stated my intention, "Sorry for entering your forest. I'm Tak of Sonnda. Me and my companion are in need of help, we need to cross your forest and locate a brawen den", the gnome smiled and stroked his beard, "Ohohoho, what an interesting human. I am Lorin, keeper of these woods. And, if you're in need of help in these parts, well, you couldn't have ask for a better host! Let me say, it looks like you've treated with me kin before", Lorin stood prideful this time and patted my legs, "And you came to take care of those pesky brawens? Agh… I hate those beasts with all me heart! They bring dead and destruction to me peaceful woods. I'll gladly help you, Tak of Sonnda. Hopefully you'll succeed, not like the other humans from the other day". I helped Lorin to my shoulders and resumed the trip, he snapped his fingers and the tree roots sank into the ground, helping to mark a straight path, "There ya go! Just follow the path forward and, in a few hours, you'll be smelling the brawen's den. Before leaving, mind if I ask you what's your magical connection? Cause I can feel it… your sword, it's speaking", I too could feel it, my sword reacted near magical creatures, "Magical connection? Well, I don't know if you can call that, but my sword normally does that around magic. Also, I met your kin before, when I stayed a few months in the town of Nederlim, next to the Magical Forest of Lim. All kinds of things I saw, among them, gnomes. I understand your purpose and respect it", Lorin looked ecstatic, "Ohhh, so you visited one of the primordial forest? I so envy you. What beautiful trees and plants you've must have seen… and the soil, you can only imagine. I should leave you both to it, facing brawen its hard work. I wish you success, I'll be watching", Lorin said and jumped, disappearing into thin air. Some memories came to me from the time I stayed in Nederlim, difficult times marked by encounters like these.
"So… care to explain what was all that about? You spoke to a literal fairytale", Dorlan asked, catching next to me. "Gnomes are keepers of the forest. They aren't bad… if you treat them well and their trees. If brawen roamed in this forest then surely a gnome must exist in it. Now we can make haste and be first to the den", I could feel the magic influence of the creatures, it was like a hum in the quiet, a white noise, since I got the Godsword its been that way, "The faith has a great dislike for these magical creatures, and I was once like that. My time in the northern settlements change that perspective, especially in Nederlim. Safe to say they made me question the faith more than once. The world is bigger and these creatures are everywhere but they fear us humans, they hide from us, at least those than can be reason with. Creatures like the brawen have to be slayed for our sake and for the other animals sake". The path forward was quieter and more tranquil, the gnome influence carved us an easy way. By noon we were almost there, the smell was the first thing I sensed; the strong smell of rotting flesh. We got off the horses and tied them far from the den so not to risk them, walking the rest of the way, we came to a clearing and, in the middle, a hole that led to an underground cave. "Alright. Dorlan you stay back and watch the horses, scream if you see any-", my words were caught short as a brawen wandering outside the den saw us; it looked like a dog but it had red eyes and its fur was lacking, it seemed mangy, the brawen made a peculiar loud noise and ran into the cave from where a pack of red eyes diligently watched us from the dark. "T-that's a brawen?", Dorlan asked as he took several steps back, "Brawens, many of them by the look of things. They know not to fight outside their den, preferring to attract victims into the cave and tear them inside its darkness. Don't worry about it though, I'm not afraid of them and they sense that".
Holy fire is the name I gave it, the ability of the Godsword to engulf itself in a fire that purifies and dispatches enemies with ease. I took my sword out and extended it forward, with two fingers I brushed the blade from bottom to top. Flames ignited from the steel, prompting those red eyes to hide deeper in the cave. "Here I go. Scream if something happens or if that woman appears", I made my way inside the cave, the smell getting more penetrating and the noises of the creatures louder. The darkness was absolute but the fire from my sword illuminated around me, just a few steps inside and a pack of brawens had already surrounded me, I could see more than half of them being human brawens; their skin gray with patches of fur, their face deformed and elongated like the muzzle of a dog, fingers sharp like claws and legs like an animal. One jumped at me and I impaled its chests and its body ignited with holy fire, from behind two tried to get my heels but I freed my sword and slice them with ease, the others were gauging me, trying to find an opening that would never appear. Then a group of ten, all at the same time, threw themselves at me, turning my whole body I let my sword cut all around me, arms, legs, faces, everything severed, every part my steel touched ignited in flames and the cave became more luminous kill by kill. Thanks to the light I could see their den better, the ground was filled with bones from many animals, including human's. As most of them fell to my sword, the rest tried to escape so I ran to the only exit and dared them to try and go through me. A sense of satisfaction filled me seeing these beast feeling so much fear. I rejoice as I pierced the heart of the last brawen, who squirmed and screeched in pain as its body burned. I made sure there was no brawen left, only one living being remained; a bitch laying on the floor half-awake, her belly two times the size thanks to the brawens growing inside. Once a brawen has mated, they take their mate into the den so that their offspring may grow, it takes only a few days for the brawen to be born, well… born is not the word as the offspring eats their 'mother' from the inside out, getting sustenance to survive from the motherly flesh. "May you find peace", I prayed as I struck the poor animal's head, killing it instantly and allowing the cleansing fire to get rid of the creatures growing inside.
Leaving the cave, I saw Dorlan with his back against a tree, sword in hand and shaking. "Are you good? Did something bite you?", I held a laugh at his frightened form, "D-don't laugh! Those things are scary! So, did you get all of them? Could there be more roaming around?", he asked, I kept quiet for a moment and payed attention to the surroundings, "No. Remember the first brawen we saw? It alerted not only the ones in the cave, but anyone that could be around. One call is enough to attract all of them back to the den, the call means that someone is close and works by telling that there's someone they can kill and eat, or better, mate with. Sometimes they kill each other for a mate, so if you saw no brawen outside while I was in the cave then there's no more of them left". I explained as I cleaned and concealed my sword, "Now we wait for that woman to come and check the work. I want to see her face when she sees us here before her". We sat and boiled some beans, it was noon by that point and shortly after Patricia arrived, her face already telling, "Huh, how did you managed to get here this fast… anyway, are all of the brawen dead, is the job completed?", she asked doing a tiny smile, surely thinking we didn't manage to do the job, "Yes, all of them, go check the cave if you want", I replied with a big smile and she rolled her eyes turning to the cave and then, lantern in hand, she disappeared into the cave, only to come out a minute later. Patricia just stared at us from the distance before calling her horse and hastily leaving, "Isn't she going to thank us at least? Leaving like that is rude!", Dorlan said and the way she left confirmed my suspicion even further. "C'mon, let's make our way back", I replied but, as we got on our horses again we noticed the path we took before became almost impassable again, "What?! It's full of roots again! Can you call the gnome?", He asked and I knew this could happen, "It's no use, Lorin got what he wanted, we got rid of the brawen. He doesn't want humans lingering in his forest anymore, let's get to the main road. We won't get there before Patricia but it doesn't matter". It took us a few minutes to make it to the main road, as we didn't know how to get there from inside the forest. Patricia already knew the exact location of the den and Lorin's remark of before, about other humans coming not so long ago, meant the city had already tried to get rid of them, I explained this to Dorlan, I was afraid of what was awaiting for us back at the guild but I cling to a thread of hope, maybe my gut was wrong.
It was getting dark by the time we reached the entrance of the city, "Listen. You stay here Dorlan, if I don't come back in an hour then leave", I told Dorlan but he gave me an estranged look, "Tak, don't you think you might be exaggerating? Even if that's the case, why would they want to hurt you? This is not Roda, so there's no reason for them to arrest you". He was right but my feeling wouldn't relent, something was wrong, "I know but… just trust me. I'll go straight to the guild and get the coin for the job, then I'll come back, alright?", I said, Dorlan gave a reluctant nod and handed me his adventurer token, "Don't forget this. I'm the one registered, remember?. I'll wait here". Dorlan hid with his horse close to the entrance and I went in with mine; making my way to the guild with haste and then slowing down as I got closer, I noticed the looks from the city guards that were patrolling around the streets, maybe I was paranoid… I tied my horse inside an alley, hiding it just in case. Outside, the guild was completely empty but inside was totally different, never saw it so full, as I went inside and took a few steps I heard a whistle followed by whispers, I counted forty… no, fifty adventurers at least, some watching from the first floor down to the hall, others on the entrance of the tavern, all around, all with their eyes on me. Maybe they were curious about me? Being the one that slayed the brawen, the one that completed the difficult job? I wondered, behind the reception desk was Patricia who glared at me, her words stopped me in my tracks, "Night', Tak of Sonnda", she knew how I was and I, instinctively, turned to give a quick look at the exit which was already blocked by some adventurers. No doubt, this was a trap. "Why didn't you tell us who you were? You know, you're kind of famous around these parts. You and that sword of yours", Her words were mocking, too full of herself, I bit my tongue, it was happening again and it seemed this wasn't going to be easy, "Hand over the coin we were promised for the job. Once I have it I'll leave, peacefully...", I told her while looking at my surroundings; all the adventurers seemed involved in the same conspiracy. "Coin?… Leave?… You seem to have mistaken the situation. I do have to thank you for taking care of the brawen, last time we tried we failed miserably. But I got orders from the mayor to arrest you. You won't be going nowhere", she stated with contempt.
In unison, from behind the wooden rails of the upper floor archers and crossbows pointed at me, and, all around me, adventurers of all sizes had swords, axes and even pikes out. I could sense it, I'd might die in this encounter but there was some sense of excitement, I turned towards the exit, gauging how many bodies I had to slice to get out… Dash, that's the name of another of the Godsword's abilities; it allows me to thrust my whole body forward at the speed of thunder, as far as ten meters. I was going to use it once I could make my way closer to the exit, the problem was the archers, my heightened senses would allow me to dodge a fatal blow but getting shot in my joints was a possibility, I needed a mistake from their part, I needed someone eager. I grabbed the handle of my sword, "Well then, want to see it?", lowering my body I unsheathed my sword from my back, the sound of the blade rasping the sheath sounded majestic in my ears, and I felt like giving them a little history course, "This is the weapon found in the Holy Crypt under the Monastery of Saint Mön, the weapon promised to destroy the evil known as the Calamity. This is the Godsword and it has a mission, one I will live to see completed. Come at me!". There, two of the adventurers blocking the exit came running at me, I had to close the distance so I also ran at them. With a simple sidestep I dodge the mace one of them held, it broke the wooden floor and allowed me to cut half of his face, the other rose his sword to hit me, and I just turned my whole body, sword extended, and allowed my blade to behead him, all in the same move. Then I sensed the arrows coming, staying on my feet and not stopping allowed me to dodge those coming from the sides, just enough distance I hoped, I could see the outside but there were at least five bodies blocking my escape. I counted my steps and just about the right distance, I felt the surge and my next step propelled me with a bang, my blade cutting flesh with abandon; arms, chest, bellies and I think one head. I fell rolling from the steps outside the guild and jump onto my feet as the sound of pained screams and command echoed behind me, I had to ran to my horse. The only good thing that Patricia ever did was giving us the horses, mine was pretty obedient, I jumped on his back and cut the rope tying him, immediately leaving to reach the main entrance.
Galloping through the narrow alleyways, I managed to avoid most of the guards and those that might've been following me, leaving the city through an unguarded section, slipping into the perimeter of the forest and going to where I would meet Dorlan again. I saw him staring at the city from afar, I approached him, "Dorlan! Let's go, we have to leave", he scrambled onto his horse, "Tak, what happened? The city has lighted up!", behind us, every corner and house of Seaway was lighted, searching parties moving through the streets, "Sadly, I was right, they were waiting for me and tried to apprehend me. For now, let's get as far as we can", we promptly left, not paying too much attention to what direction but trying to create as much distance as possible. With the moonlight behind us, we rode until we felt safe and spend the night outside. I spent that time reflecting about what to do next. I reached a conclusion, a decision I had to make.
With the sun of high morning welcoming us, the first thought that came to my mind was to tell Dorlan what I had to do, hoping I had a little more time to reflect but he was already up and cooking something, "Morning, morning. I'm boiling some beans… Also, I was thinking, we could try another town close to the coast, do some more work and then keep going north, what do you think?", he said with the same expression, that positive expression like nothing ever happens, how could he be like that? It annoyed me and gave me a feeling of, envy? I didn't replied, I just went to where our stuff was and filled one pouch with all the coin we had. "Dorlan, this is yours", I threw the pouch of coins at him, "From this point onward we'll be going our separate ways", I stated and he opened the pouch to see I was handing him all the coin, "W-what? What do you mean? We are fine, we can keep going, don't you want to keep going north? Defeat the Calamity and all that?", he said… with such normalcy, it was my mistake, he's been treating this like an adventure, "No. I cannot… I cannot keep you around. Don't you think is badly enough? What's been happening since you've been with me in this journey?", I reasoned but he seemed dumbfounded, "I-I don't understand? Did I do something wrong? Am I a hassle to you? I promise it wasn't my intention!". It was frustrating, how he didn't seem to see it so clearly, "No! It's me! It's been only a month and you're now a fugitive like I am, they'll use you to get to me! Don't you see? You cannot longer be an adventurer because of me! Every guild, from Xion to Londincom will not only not allow you to take jobs, but they will arrest you! I ruined your dream! A-and I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…", I can't believe how it hurts, why? Has it been that good?, "N-no, it's fine. I don't care at all, we can look for different ways. Fuck the guilds, fuck the Confederation, it's fine! I want this, I want the danger, that's what being an adventurer means!", he reasoned but it's useless, in the end I would have to leave him one way or the other, better do it now. "I cannot. This has come to an end. I cannot protect you and I will not take you to the same hole I'm going. The Calamity is no kobold, is no brawen and it's certainly no human. You- I will not let you succumb to it, and for that, you cannot accompany me anymore", Is not what I usually do, but I place my hand on his shoulder, as I saw, for the first time, his sadness. "I… It's fine… Tak, I understand. T-thank you, it-it's been a great month, probably the best of my life. Please at least, take some…", he placed ten coins in my palm and, with a forced smile, he looked into my eyes. I couldn't believe how much it hurts, worst than the bite of a creature or the cut of a knife. I took the ten coins and immediately got on my horse, I was afraid of changing my mind, before leaving I turned to him, "Goodbye Dorlan Limmer, I… it was nice meeting you, truly", I'm embarrassed at my own words; such a weak goodbye, then he waved at me, "Goodbye Tak of Sonnda, and, if encounter yourself in Centralia, ask around and tell them you're a friend of mine!"… will do, my friend.