Of Parcels and Partners
"Alright, everyone." A very plain man peeked his head in from the driver's seat of the wagon. "We've made it to Water Town."
Fencer Squire was relieved to have arrived at Water Town in such a timely manner.
She had tried to sleep for the majority of the trip, however, it seemed that her mind was still on the events that happened in that town. A nightmare of war the desolation it brought. Armies of tens of thousands clashing with each other on the battlefield and her at the forefront of it all. The sounds of steel clashing on steel and the smell of blood permeating through the air.
To say it was the first time she had a dream like this would be a lie, but in the past, they were always so fragmented. This was the first time one was that vivid as if it was occurring.
She had paid for passage on a caravan along with another group of travelers heading from the town on the Frontier in the early afternoon and arrived at Water Town two days later in the late evening. Dreams aside, the trip itself was rather uneventful, but she was almost certain they would arrive in the morning since it was at least a week and a half worth of travel by foot.
Perhaps I should travel more by horse-drawn carriage. She thought to herself as she stretched her legs. Hopping out of the wagon, she stood at the gates of Water Town, the reliquary tied to her waist concealed by wrappings.
She walked through town, the sounds of nightlife beginning to reveal themselves. Adventurers were constantly moving past her, crowding themselves into taverns to commemorate another day of surviving the trade, and many of the non-adventurers of the town were simply walking to their dwellings, shops locked up and their dealings are done for the day.
As the night grew darker, the town guard that patrolled the streets seemed even less vigilant than that of those in towns she has previously been to, as if they seemed certain that rogues and scoundrels alike were just a thing of myth.
This town seemed untouched by many of the concerns of the Frontier and quite shielded from the horrors of the ongoing conflict that ravaged much of the countryside.
Perhaps it had to do with the Temple of Law that could be seen from any angle of the town, which housed not only several relics which could level entire cities if attuned to the wrong hands but was overseen by a living legend that had been a member of a party which personally defeated the previous Demon Lord.
Continuing through the town, she could not help but get this odd feeling. That's weird. She stopped as she took in the strange aura. There was one feeling that was pleasant and made her feel at relative peace, however, there was another feeling which was reminiscent of when she was in the ruins that the Dark Elf Necromancer had called his base of operations.
Certainly, there aren't any dark elves in Water Town… right? From the darkness, an ear-piercing shriek could be heard. That sounded close!
Immediately, she ran to the source of the scream, and it seemed that fortune favored her, as she reached an alley, where a tipped over lantern lay.
I hope I'm not too late. Running into the alleyway and unsheathing her rapier she could see a small figure accosting a woman. With a kick, she pushed the creature away from the woman.
"Are you ok?" Fencer Squire asked while she extended her arm and put herself between the assaulter and the assaulted.
"Y-yeah." The woman managed to get out, visibly shaken from the experience.
Her eyes focused on the creature, that was now scrambling to get to its feet. Its garbled and unhuman noises cried out as it tried to move away. It turned to her and it became quite clear where she heard these sounds from.
Its stature, green figure, and golden goat-like eyes. It was a goblin.
Quickly, she beheaded the goblin, killing it with the swift strike. "A goblin in town?" She poked it with her sword. How is that possible?
She did not have much time to ponder it, for not too long after, the woman practically embraced the adventurer.
"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!"
"It's alright now, it's dead." She told the woman, now getting a better look. She didn't look like anyone from the church or an adventurer, but
Only a little while after the guards arrived to investigate the ruckus.
"What seems to be the matter here." The guard looked around at the scene, before rolling his eyes. "Oh, it's a Code Green."
"A Code Green eh? Third one this month." The other one, armor fitted for a woman, lifted her visor looking at Fencer Squire. "Ah good work there, you an adventurer?"
With a nod, she replied. "Yes, on a delivery to the Temple of Law."
"Quest form please." The male guard put his hand out, while the other one looked over the woman.
"One moment." She shuffled through her bag before handing the guard the form.
"Ah, a special request form… a seal from one of the bishops?" Lifting his visor, his eyes moved from left to right, voice clearly showing how intrigued he was at this form. "Well don't let us keep you waiting, we'll handle the rest from here." To make their point, the guard waved her off, handing her the quest form back.
Looking back at the woman, and back to the guard, she nodded. "Stay safe."
"Thank you again!" The woman called out as she ran off.
Upon reaching the magnificent Temple of Law, the dual moons were quite high in the sky.
Whew… made it before midnight. She looked up as she continued to climb the stairs. Looking to the many large windows, light coming out from within the temple. It seems that the servants of the Supreme God never stop their work. She thought to herself as she approached the large wooden doors made of some of the sturdiest ironwood gifted, apparently gifted from the elves who fought here over five hundred years ago.
I forgot how big this town is. She had heard somewhere that this town was nearing one-hundred thousand people, though that number might be inaccurate now.
As she approached the door, it was opened by a few paladins standing their vigil outside. They said nothing, but it was evident by the movement of their helmets that a silent warning was issued.
Upon entry to the building, she was greeted by one of the many attendants of the building.
"I have to make a delivery." She stated. "To one of the bishops."
"Let me see the form." The attendant put out his hand.
Once again, she pulled out her form and handed it to the official representative. After a moment of reading and looking over, realization came over the attendant's eye.
"Your package is to be delivered to the Relic Keeper directly… however she has stated that she wished not to be disturbed today." Handing her back the form, he stood up. "Follow me."
She was led up a set of stairs and eventually led to a single room with a bed.
"Rest for the night, and in the morning, she will see you." As he closed the door, the attendant peeked back in.
The room itself was quite simple, a bed, a small table, and a cabinet.
Upon the door closing, she looked around her room while she undid her armor, her eyes now focused on the bed. It was the size to fit a single person, which quality could match that of high nobility.
After setting her armor down on the small table, along with all of her equipment, she began to undo the large braid that she had. Looking to the bed, she ran her hand across the rich silken fabric. A wide smile grew on her face.
I haven't seen a bed like this since I was at home!
Making herself comfortable, she soon jumped onto the bed and sunk into the fluffy mass.
By the Gods I was right. She almost said out loud as she rolled onto her back. It's like I'm resting on the clouds of the heavens themselves!
As if the spell of Sleep was cast upon her, she soon found herself falling into a stupor of slumber.
The morning arrived quickly, for she was awoken by the sounds of knocking on her room's door, light peering through the window.
"I'm up." She leaned up, rubbing her eyes.
"Are you proper?" The voice of the attendant spoke from behind the door.
"Give me a minute." Fencer Squire called out. Getting out of the bed and putting on her ruffled shirt and a pair of pants. Once they were on, she walked over to the door and peaked out. "Yes?"
"When you have made yourself more proper and have had a chance to eat, I will be waiting down the hall to take you straight to the Relic Keeper." Soon after finishing up, he walked away.
Quickly making herself proper, she ate a meal at the table in the room. The Padfoot Waitress makes the best travel rations. Once she finished up her meal, she swished down the rest with some drink within her waterskin.
Looking out the window in her room, it looked slightly past dawn. Time to finish this delivery. Taking another drink of water, she capped her waterskin.
"I'm ready!" She jogged to the attendant at the end of the hallway.
"So it would seem." The attendant looked at her, before walking past her. "Off we go."
As the two walked down the many lit halls of the temple, she saw many of the daily dealings of the church. Following the attendant down a series of stairwells, they made it halfway down the hallway before they stopped. The door before them was made of wood and had a plaque that stated that it was an office of the Relic Keeper.
However, as she looked down the hallway, she could see a vault-like door with paladins equipped with the finest gear standing guard outside said door. Glints of runes and protective wards constantly hummed and flickered to life.
All she could sense here was nothing but radiant energies.
"In here, you will find the Relic Keeper." The attendant opened the door and beckoned for her to move in. As she walked in the attendant peeked back in very quickly. "Oh, and one more thing, this Relic Keeper has recently assumed full duties since the passing of our previous Relic Keeper, so she might be a tad bit" The attendant tapped his chin before finishing his sentence. "… eccentric."
Then the door shut behind her. Looking around, she could see what looked like a library, scrolls stacked upon scrolls, and books lined up by the historical ages.
Although a well-lit room, there was a single table, with a hooded individual hunched over. A trove of books surrounded this individual's desk, as did empty vials of ink. Slowly, she approached the desk.
"Excuse me?" She began, her hands on the covered reliquary. "I've come with a delivery."
"New inks?" The Relic Keeper spoke, her voice no louder than a whisper, her quill sliding across the paper. "Good, I've just run out, set them over there."
"Inks?" The raven-haired adventurer raised a brow. "I believe you have me mistaken for someone else."
"Really?" The woman did not look to her, continuing her work. "A message perhaps?"
"I have a package I am supposed to deliver, a reliquary."
The woman stopped midstroke. "A reliquary?"
"Yes." She placed the cloth-wrapped package on the table. "I was quested to bring it here after I found it."
The Relic Keeper took it and unwrapped it. Once the wrappings were off the package she could see the ornately decorated box. When she opened it and she let out a gasp.
After another moment of her looking at it, she unhooded her robe, and there she could see a youthful woman with a pair of long ears. Turning to her she could see the complexion of a human.
"By the Gods…" She began, almost awestruck. "This really a relic, I can't properly determine its age by looks alone."
Pulling her closer began the questions. "Wheredidyoufindthisrelic!Wasitinaruinoravillage?Aruinedvillage?Atomb?InthepossesionoftheServantsoftheDarkLords?"
"Um?" Fencer Squire was now confused, not catching any of the words spoken.
"Sorry." The Relic Keeper let go of the adventurer, letting out a cough of embarrassment. "The Gods above have blessed me to see not one item of antiquity, but two! And only this year alone!"
"I… see?" She raised a brow.
"It's even rarer that I don't know the item at first glance!" She gushed, her gloved hands delicately feeling every detail of the amulet. "This has to be quite old, maybe not as old as the Holy Sword itself, but just around the same age!"
"Really?" She replied, completely lost in this conversation.
"Well, let's start with the basics." She turned back to her desk, scrambling to make it tidier. Once a fresh piece of parchment and a half-filled vial of ink, she dipped her quill in, cleaning off excess ink. "Where did you find it?"
"In the possession of a Dark Elf Necromancer." She began, reorienting herself from the sudden barrage of questions. "He razed a town for this, the box was left behind, but the amulet was in his possession."
"In a town on the frontier?" She sounded intrigued. "What else?"
"It seemed like the Dark-Elf wanted to corrupt it, talking about being tasked to 'break it'."
"Interesting." The quill scribbled quickly, clearly intent on listening. "Anything else of note?"
"Well…" Her eyes looked up as she recalled the information. "It seemed to glow brightly when I was getting closer to it… I'm not sure if my party member noticed it, but he never mentioned it, I could feel it pulsate with energy as well."
"Energy?" Confused, the Relic Keeper pulled it out of the box, as if she wanted to confirm it herself. "Is that it?"
Fencer Squire nodded, and soon the Relic Keeper finished scribing the testimony of the adventurer. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a slip. "Take this to the treasurer in town, they will pay you accordingly."
With a nod, she took the slip.
"Another thing." The Relic Keeper turned to the Sapphire Ranked Adventurer. "I will have more questions later when I discern the true nature of this item… so please do not leave town yet."
With a nod, the adventurer gave a nod. "If our business is concluded." Fencer Squire politely bowed to the church official. "I will take my leave."
Goblin Slayer or any members of his goblin slaying entourage had not returned that night. To '05, that was nothing out of the norm, for Goblin Slayer was rather thorough in his dealings with the creatures.
The following day, the commando had spent the better part of his day at the Guild Hall, awaiting any goblin quests that might be filed or posted.
None were, which could be considered good if one didn't know the tendency of the vile goblin. It was likely that the creatures were either preparing to move on smaller hamlets or are being left to their own devices due to them not being numerous enough to be a problem to the local nobility.
When the party that had gone on a goblin slaying quest with Goblin Slayer returned without their exterminator, it piqued his interest to discover the status of his fellow guild member.
The Lizard Priest told him that the Goblin-Killer had opted to go home when offered to do so, and the High Elf Archer was quick to add that Orcbolg took a rather nasty hit from an ogre. The Dwarf Shaman added that Beardcutter seemed fit enough to walk back on his own, whereas the Priestess seemed unsure about that, but she didn't have any objections to her party member's state.
Seeing the uncertainty in the eyes of his most recent party member, he decided that he would check up on the Frontiers foremost expert on goblins. He was not entirely certain what drove him to check up on the local goblin exterminator, but he figured that it might be good to have someone who knows a great amount of information on battlefield trauma.
As he jogged on the dirt road, he made a right instead of the usual straight, leading him on the path towards the farm with a little homestead on top of a hill.
While scaling the hill, nearing the homestead, he heard metal making contact with the ground.
Speeding his pace up, he reached the front of the house on the hill shortly after. The sight that met him was a red-headed woman hunched over a clearly fatigued Goblin Slayer.
Her rose-pink eyes looked up at him, the worry quite clear in her eyes. She did not leave his side, however.
"Don't worry." He raised his hand, copying the mannerisms of his on-and-off partner. "I'm a… partner of his."
"Partner?" Her lips pursed as she tried to remember anyone of his statue or description before her eyes widened with recognition. "Ah, he's mentioned you a couple of times."
"Has he?" He quickly walked up to the downed man and crouched beside him. "I heard he took a nasty hit on his last quest, so I figured I would take a look."
"He often is reckless." Although there was concern in her voice, her tone indicated that it was no surprise to her.
'05 waved his hand in front of his visor. "He's out cold..." He snapped his fingers a couple of times as he tried to gauge the adventurer's level of consciousness. No response. He finally "Definitely not waking up anytime today."
"Are you a cleric or a paladin?" She asked as he carefully rolled him over to his back.
"I'm no holy healer." He lifted his hand to the side of his helmet, and after a few buttons pressed, he proceeded to initiate the scan. "My skills were taught to me."
"A doctor?" She asked, curious.
"Battlefield medic. You learn a lot in the field." He stated the truth of his occupation while the scan finished up, medical data filling up his H.U.D. "He's got a light concussion and a few fractured ribs."
Cow Girl winces at the diagnosis. "How can you tell?"
"My helmet tells me." His index finger taps the brim of his forehead. His eyes continue to skim over the medical data provided to him. His ribs and collar bone showing signs of rapid healing. The collar bone is all healed up, but whatever healed him only partially fixed up his ribs… could it have been those miracles that I've heard about? Deciding that he can ponder whether sorcery healed the man later, he gave his final opinion on his frequent partner's condition. "He will need to take it easy for a few days, bed rest for a couple of days should do the trick."
Exhaling a sigh of relief, a smile formed on her face as she looked at him. "Well, can you help me bring him inside?"
Nodding, he picked him up by the legs while she lifted from his back, and the two carefully brought him to the room that was his. Once lain on the bed, he got a peek of what his living arrangements were like.
Very spartan and minimalist.
"Thank you for helping me carry him in." She wiped some sweat off her brow. "Not sure I could've done it myself after a long day of work."
"It was no problem," '05 told her, turning to leave Goblin Slayers room. "I'll be back to check on him in the morning."
Nodding, she gave a friendly smile before extending her hand out. "I'm Cow Girl."
"Cataphract Errant." He returned the gesture, mildly surprised that her handshake was firm.
"Travel with him often?" She asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"Every now and then." He told her as he walked towards the door. "I help lighten the load at the Guild."
"Really?' She followed him, opening the door as they neared. "Well, I suppose I have more to thank you for."
"Just doing my duty." He responded, and with a nod, he turned from her. "Take care."
…
The next two days fell into a similar routine.
Wake up. Work on the forge. Check up on Goblin Slayer. Go to the Guild Hall. Check for Goblins. Return to the farm to report no goblins. Work on the forge. Rest.
It was slightly jarring how peaceful life seemed to be around here when not on contracts with the Guild. Sometimes he wistfully wondered if this is what life would be like after the war was over.
As if the war would ever be over for us. A frequent thought that always seemed to cross the commandos mind at the sign of peace, always sure of the certainty of his own and his brother's fate. Why would the Republic free them from their perpetual contracts of servitude?
Every clone knew that their duty only ended one way and one way only.
At the Guild, life continued. He had given Goblin Slayer his word that he would keep an eye out for those quests in his absence, and with his usual party member still in Water Town, he felt no need to take the usual 'adventurous' quests that his cheery partner would always push for.
He would simply wait for her to return.
The Blacksmith had finally received the shipment of tools that he had purchased. They were supposed to come the day after the Dark Elf Necromancer had been defeated, but
Normally, he would try to be frugal, but on the recommendation of the Blacksmith, he decided to go the extra mile. Three months' worth of pay had gone into acquiring it, and he hoped they would be able to withstand the heat.
Looking at the set of tools, they had the same markings as his pitcher, the only difference that they did not glow. The set came with the tools needed to create armor, a cast to turn excess into ingots, and also a smaller set for engravings.
The Blacksmith had also been nice enough to give him a few tips of the trade.
The Guild Girl was also curious about the absence of the local slayer. When asked, he simply told her how he was fairing.
When he visited the farm to check up with the recuperating slayer, and with the additional free time he would find himself engaged in conversation with the residents. He learned much more about his 'patients' personal life in these two days than he had out in the field in four months.
First, he had learned that Cow Girl holds Goblin Slayer in such a regard that calling it 'high' would not even come close to it, for it was like she was talking about the Hero of the Republic himself. Listening in to more of her ramblings of the adventurer, '05 learned much of their past and how they grew up alongside each other until they were separated.
She would stop talking for a moment before asking his own adventures with him, to which he would respond with how the work was not glamorous, but good.
Secondly, the Uncle of the cheery young woman seemed to hold Goblin Slayer in low regard despite all his niece's praises. It did not take long for him to deduce that this was because of the latter's view on the former.
Understandably so, as an adventurer is, in its simplest form, a glorified bounty hunter or mercenary, and anyone would be wary of one of those when their family is involved.
On the third day, however, it seemed that things were back to business.
The day started as it usually did.
With much of the forge now completed, he decided that it was time to test it. Checking the downed shuttles fuel supply, it was nearing halfway now, which could be problematic in the future, but for now, it was nothing too concerning.
Then, after initiating the fire up sequence while it was connected to the ship's power supply, it began to heat up, streams of fire rising from the repurposed thrusters. While the heat gathered, he prepared the smith's ladle, filling it with scrap duralloy.
Once the rudimentary thermostat read the optimal temperature, he held the ladle over the ship-powered forge, and in a matter of moments, the salvage began to melt. Halfway through the smelting process, the forge could not sustain its heat and promptly shut off. After pouring the molten duralloy into a single ingot. With some investigation, it was clear that a series of wires were not properly sealed, and the heat caused them to short out. It would be a relatively easy fix, but time-consuming to be sure that other wires would not do the same.
All things considered; this was a success.
He then had arrived at the outskirts of the farm, the fence where the eldest one on the stead stood. He told him that Goblin Slayer and his niece were not here and had left for the town within the past hour.
With this new information, he changed his course to the town.
Entering the Guild Hall, he scanned the area inside, looking for the overworked adventurer. He did not see him, however, he could see the slayer's friend speaking with the receptionist.
One of them would know where he is. He thought, walking towards the counter. Hopefully he hasn't left on a quest already.
As he approached the two, his presence did not go unnoticed, and the two women turned to him. The Guild Girl simply waved to him before continuing to look over the sheet of parchment handed to her by the girl of the farm.
"Oh hello, Cataphract Errant!" The red-headed woman greeted him with a warm smile on her face. "What brings you here?"
"Where is Goblin Slayer?" Straight to the point, he asked the woman. "I have not had the chance to clear him for further duty. It would be troublesome if he was on a quest already."
"He hasn't come by here yet." The receptionist looked up to the Steel Ranked Adventurer. "So he hasn't left town yet."
"Ah!." She pointed towards the exit. "He's unloading cargo in the back, maybe you might be able to catch him before he finishes."
With a nod, he turned to the exit and walked straight back out. Upon exiting, he made his way to the Guild's free space outback.
As he reached the cargo depot, he did not see the grimy armored man, but he did see the two of the three adventurers that worked alongside the man he sought three days ago. The dwarf and the elf sat at a table bickering as they did before.
Maybe they know? He headed towards the table.
"Excuse me." He interjected in their banter. "I'm looking for Goblin Slayer."
"So rude!" The High Elf Archer looked to him. "You could at least start off with a 'hello' Not-Orcbolg!"
"Have you seen him?" He turned to her and asked without much change in tone, which seemed to frustrate the elf to no end.
"Looking for Beard-Cutter eh?" The Dwarf Shaman looked to him, stroking his beard whilst chuckling. "He was here a moment ago, but he's bound to be around here."
"If he is not here, then I will continue my search."
"Perhaps if you wait for our last member, he will know his latest whereabouts." He gestured to one of the two empty seats.
Although he would prefer not to wait for the Trandoshan-like member of their party, he figured that there would be a better chance of finding their mutual friend if he waited.
"So, why are you looking for him?" The High Elf asked in a tone that seemed more like demanding.
"I have not had the chance to clear him from rest yet." He simply stated.
"Ah, so you are a healer and a warrior then?" The stout one looked at the man in silvery armor. "A rare combination, most either focus on one or the other."
"So." The Elf leaned in towards him as if she was trying to see into his visor. "How did you meet him?"
No words were exchanged, but he simply turned his head to her, the absurdity of the question. It didn't take a genius how one adventurer would meet Goblin Slayer.
"You're just as bad as him!" She shouted while tapping her finger on his helmet. "I bet you walk everywhere in that armor too."
"The armor wears me." '05 sarcastically told her. It seemed that the sarcasm was lost to her.
The Dwarf Shaman soon found himself in a full belly laugh as the High Elf leaned back into her chair, arms crossed in frustration.
"Speaking of armor." The Dwarf looked at him up and down. "In my one-hundred and seven years of life, I have yet to see metals in your armor and weapons.
"It's duraplast, it protects against most conventional weaponry, it will even protect against an energy sword for around thirty seconds at best."
"And what about your weapons?" He pointed to his Vibroblade and the DC-17m holstered to his side. "They're clearly unlike any other around here."
"The sword is made of an unknown space metal." He told the Dwarf. "And these blasters are ranged weapons that shoot energy. Both are likely to punch and rend almost any augmented armor in the world."
"A bold claim." The bearded one looked to him. "You must tell me how they work one of these days."
"Maybe someday. I don't trust you enough to share the secrets behind these tools." He replied honestly.
"Ah, your people's secret eh?" He did not seem to pry any further. "I understand."
"It seems you have invited a fellow adventurer to our table." '05 turned to see the Lizard Priest walking up to the table, wheel of cheese in hand. "You are that adventurer that we mistook for the Goblin Killer no?"
"Yes." He nodded. "Do you know where he is?"
"From what I recall, he was heading to the Guild Shop with a huge sack." He took a huge bite out of it with his reptilian jaw. "Sweet nectar."
"Thank you." He got up and with a nod, he looked at the two. "Talking with you two was… pleasant enough."
As he began to walk away, the Dwarf spoke. "See Long-Ears? His manners are slightly better than Beard-Cutters."
"Orcbolg has set a very low bar if I'm honest." The green-haired one quickly retorted as '05 moved farther away.
A strange bunch. He thought to himself as he walked to the front entrance.
Before he grabbed the handle, the door opened up and before him was the lithe figure of the Priestess.
"Oh, Cataphract Errant!" The Priestess exclaimed as she nearly bumped into him. Unlike her normally sheepish self, she seemed… happier, for a lack of better words. "My apologies… I was in a rush." She moved around him and bowed apologetically.
"Do you know where Goblin Slayer is?" He asked her, trying to get a more accurate location of their mutual party member.
"He's in the main room now." She straightened her back out and began to jog off. "May the Earth Mother watch over you!"
He gave a small wave as she moved farther away.
Entering the Guild, his head quickly turned to his usual standing spot, and lo' and behold, he was there.
"There you are." He walked up to the table that the goblin hunter stood at. "I've been trying to find you."
"I see." Goblin Slayer's helmet turned to him. "What did you need?"
"You should've waited for me to give you the all-clear." He lifted up his hand and pressed the familiar three buttons on the side of his helmet.
"The goblins won't wait for me to heal up." Goblin Slayer stated the fact.
"All the missions I've been with on and you don't think I don't know that." '05 grumbled as he turned his visor to the exterminator. "Stand still."
Goblin Slayer did as he was told, allowing for himself to be examined by his on and off partner.
"It looks like you've healed up for the most part." '05 scanned over the medical data. "What even did that to you?"
The aged helmet looked up towards the ceiling before speaking. "I don't remember, it was huge though."
"Whatever it was could've killed you." He sternly told the adventurer. "If you aren't careful, the Frontier won't have an adventurer to keep the goblins in check."
"That would be… problematic." Said the ever pragmatic voice of Goblin Slayer.
"Anyways, you're clear to continue working, although I doubt you'd listen to me if I told you to take even a day to rest properly," '05 grumbled, knowing well that Goblin Slayer was one to take duty over recovery.
"Thank you." The stoic voice of the stalwart voice echoed within his own helmet as he pulled out a bag of coins. "This should compensate you for looking over my health."
Looking down at the bag of coins, he pushed it back to his senior in the Guild.
"I can't take payment when I was looking after a friend." '05 politely declined the payment. "There are many better ways to use your hard-earned many."
"Friend." Goblin Slayer simply stated as if he was trying the word.
"I know it must be strange that someone other than the receptionist would consider you a friend," He began, gesturing with his arms, "but we've been through a bit in our short time together no?"
The Silver-Ranked Adventurer remained silent as he thought. Then he spoke. "I suppose we have."
"Use it for your equipment, maybe a meal with your party," '05 shrugged while listing out many different alternative uses for his excess funds, "or perhaps do something for your farm friend, she thinks the world of you."
"… I see."
"Now," He lightly elbowed the adventurer's breastplate. "Let's get back to business."
Fencer Squire found herself occupied with another job in Water Town. One specifically pertaining to the amulet.
Initially, it was believed that a simple identification spell would be useful to learn the properties of the relic. However it became quite clear that the item itself was non-magical, and thus, the spells known to the Relic Keeper would not be able to be relied on to discover more about it.
When this became clear, she was immediately called back to the temple, and the half-elf's thirst for knowledge offered a generous reward for aid.
The first day was filled with a variety of tests conducted on The Amulet, specifically between the raven-haired woman and the amulet.
First, the pink-haired cleric had Fencer Squire within the same area of The Amulet.
When not actively in possession of the amulet, the gem within it seemed to glow a beautiful blue only visible to the younger of the two.
The next test was to see what would happen when it was in her possession.
Not surprisingly, the glowing stopped, but nothing else occurred.
The Relic Keeper was quick to make the connection: Despite being an inherently non-magical item, it seemed attuned to the young adventurer.
The simplest course of action? The Relic Keeper recommended that Fencer Squire wear it throughout the day. Perhaps it would react with her?
They then moved to the archives, where the adventurer would help with searching through the archives of the knowledge they sought.
To be permitted in the library was one honor, but to be allowed unrestricted access to certain sections under the authority of the Relic Keeper was an honor in its own league.
Regardless of the honor, the second day yielded little results, for they had only the approximate age, the design of the amulet, and little knowledge on how it worked to narrow their insanely large query to narrow down from.
As the Relic Keeper had stated before, it was believed to be created around the time after the Age of Gods, known as the Age of Rebirth.
It was also postulated that the amulet was not made of any conventional metal, their best guess being gold adamantine.
So, since she picked up her payment from the local treasury, she had found herself combing through tomes and scrolls alike within the temple's grand library without rest.
As of now, the two of them sat at a desk in the archives. Piles of tomes surrounded them, and scrolls partially opened and closed sat idly on surrounding tables.
We've probably skimmed through over half of the tomes dating back to this historical period. Letting out a huge yawn, her hazel eyes turned to the Relic Keeper, who was voraciously looking through three tomes.
Whether or not she was actually reading them was unknown to the increasingly exhausted adventurer was unknown, but it was quite clear that the expert on this subject was growing frustrated.
She looked at the desk before her. Her leather gloves were neatly placed next to the books she had already skimmed through, and in her hands, the current book she was reading through.
Come on, give me something... anything.
Continuing to read through holy scripture and historical accounts in hopes of finding even a speck of information, she found her weariness getting the better of herself.
Don't sleep yet… Her eyelids feeling heavy, she found it increasingly more difficult to keep her posture upright as she read the book. Maybe some rest will do me some good… yeah… Closing the book in her hands, she found herself wavering as her head sunk towards the table. Closing her eyes she thought to herself. It'll only be a moment…
As her mind wandered to rest, it had to be but only a moment before light could be seen.
It had a blue glow, and it radiated of light energy.
She reached out for it, but it was always seemingly out of her reach.
Then she tried to pull it to her using her spell.
With her mind focused only on the glow, it slowly floated to her, its pure radiance feeling ever stronger.
Right as it was within her grasp, she felt the connection cut off as she was shifted towards a blinding light.
She found herself standing on top of a hill, the sky a grim shade of gray, the rain pouring heavily onto her.
Looking down from the hill, she could see nothing but bodies two or three piled high. Most of them wore armor painted white or silver. All of their helmets had a reflective surface on them.
Scattered sparingly around them were a different set of armor. Vastly different to the ones that surely numbered in the thousands, these sets of armor looked much bulkier, either the color blue or red, and the shape of their visors vaguely familiar, and a strange circular symbol on their pauldrons.
She could not help but feel mortified, tears welling in her eyes from the death and bloodshed that had occurred here.
Looking down at her hands, within them was a tube that looked of silver.
On it was a worn engraving of a star with a pair of wings surrounding it.
Shooting up from her seat, sweat beads developing on her face. She was back at the temple.
Putting her hands to her face, she felt tears, suddenly eclipsed by a rather painful headache.
Gods! That hurts! She gritted her teeth as the throbbing pain centered on her forehead caused her to exhale.
"You saw something… didn't you?" The Relic Keeper sounded excited. "A vision of sorts?"
"I need a moment." She leaned back and her chair, doing her best to tolerate the pain, the Relic-Keeper silently watching her with great interest.
What was with that dream? She finally thought as the headache slowly relented.
"Can you help me makes sense of it?" She looked to the Relic Keeper. "I was-"
The Relic Keeper put her index finger on her lip to silence her. "Whatever the gods showed you was for you alone." With a smile on her face, she passed her a small leather tube, sealed tight, the note on the outside directed to her. "
"I see…" She looked up at the Half-Elf, preparing herself to take it off.
"The amulet is attuned to you, it would be of no use here." With a smile, she looked at the box. "This can stay here, but the amulet is yours."
"Is that how this works?" Fencer Squire raised a brow, somewhat surprised.
"Why of course, the Gods clearly have seen it fit for you to be in possession of it." She bopped her nose with her finger. "Just be sure to send a letter or two when something happens, I would like to archive it."
"Excuse me." A voice cut in, and behind them was the attendant from earlier. "A parcel from The Cliffed Burg has come for you.
"The Cliffed Burg?" She asked, wondering why a parcel would be here. It was a small case that would be on the back of a pigeon.
Looking at the case, it became clear that this is the parcel of one of the mothers homing pigeons.
How'd she know I was here? The tube in her hand, she opened it and unrolled the letter, the seal on it unbroken.
Breaking the seal she pulled out the letter, written in the finest ink and best parchment that the Capital could provide.
As her eyes moved left to right, she was glad to see that her family was doing well for themselves. She was displeased with the obviously veiled threat within the letter, but she could not help but be interested in the quest proposed.
Couldn't mother be more tactful She scoffed whilst rolling her eyes. Looking at the final paragraph, she nearly dropped the letter. A… A dungeon?! Does she think I can handle a DUNGEON? She sat back down in her seat, taking in the implications of it.
"A dungeon?" The Relic Keeper now took an interest in her shock. "Might want to summon help for that."
"I said that out loud?"
"You exclaimed it." She chuckled. "Sounds like a dangerous quest no?"
"I'll have to think about." She pulled a blank piece of parchment from a nearby stack. And talk about it with my party member, I hope that the carrier pigeon is still caged.
As she prepared to write the letter, she found that there was another piece of parchment with the main letter. What's this? She shuffled the next sheet and what she saw made her grow pale.
On it was a rough sketch of the symbol she had just seen in her vision.
Well here's the next chapter!
It feels a bit wordy but hey it is what it is! Leave words of kindness or criticism and I'll do my best from here on out!
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Until next time
-Moonlight Talon of the Night