While Gourry did not know enough about Sairaag to say that it was the best inn in the city, he knew enough about inns in general to know that the Shrine Maiden was right about it being a good one. It was clean and well maintained and the innkeeper's wife was friendly as she signed him in and directed him to the dining hall for some lunch. For once Gourry decided to eat there in the hopes that he would hear something about his ancestors in passing. He wasn't sure how to start asking questions without sounding like a braggart like Gunther.
The dining hall was fairly busy, but a meal was brought out soon enough. Gourry scanned the background noise hoping to something about zanaffars and the Swordsman of Light, but it was predominantly local gossip. He took a bite of his stew and his eyes widened appreciatively as the innkeeper's wife shrieked, "It can't be true!"
"I'm just telling you what I heard, Dottie!"
Dottie lowered her voice, and while most people would have been unable to hear her, it was easy enough for Gourry to continue to follow the conversation, "I know High Priest Uruk well. He's no murderer! And if you're going to spread such trash then you can leave."
"I'm not saying he did it, only that he's being detained and questioned."
"I don't care! It's not right to spread gossip like this."
"I'm just a messenger! Honestly if you don't hear it from me you'll hear it from someone else." The other woman said as she turned and stormed off.
"What was that about?" the innkeeper asked.
"Some ridiculous gossip about how Uruk is behind the spate of disappearances! Have you ever heard something so ridiculous?" Dottie replied.
"What?"
"Yeah, that nasty Priest Keith goes missing and people start assuming foul play must be involved just because he exchanged words with Uruk! And after all Uruk has done for this city you'd think people wouldn't be so quick to assume some political ploy at play. Anyway, that's the last I'll spread of this trash."
Gourry continued to eat in silence as he looked out at the window and reflected that no matter where he wandered petty squabbles for power seemed to follow. He sighed and wondered where he should start looking for information about the Swordsman of Light, but it felt so daunting. Part of him thought he was being stupid. Surely questions about the Swordsman of Light were common enough that people wouldn't think twice if he started asking about her. But then, what if someone did ask why he was interested? How honest should he be?
The image of Gunther strolling into the city, full of braggart and acting like the returning hero rose and he cringed. No, he didn't want to mention his connection to the Swordsman of Light. But he also didn't want to lie.
Suddenly his father's voice rose through him, you are pathetic!
"Enjoying the stew, dearie?" Dottie asked as she refilled his drink, bringing Gourry abruptly back to the present.
Gourry nearly choked on it, but managed to compose himself enough to say, "It's excellent."
"My stew is the pride of the city if I do say so myself. And considering the competition that's no small boast. Now, do you know what you want to see, is there anything I can point you in the direction of?"
Gourry relaxed a little at the opening. "Do…do you know where I might find any information about the Swordsman of Light?"
Fortunately she asked no questions as she launched a spiel that had been well honed, "There's a nice archive in the library, but I'm afraid they're closed today. You'll have to wait till tomorrow. And if you're the adventuring sort you can check out the cabin that she lived in."
"No one currently lives there?" he asked.
"Too far on the outskirts of town." Dottie said, "Strange things happen around the Miasma Forest. Now the Gabrievs could handle it. They were fighters afterall. But once they left no one else could survive there."
"So none of the family stayed behind?" he asked, marveling at the fact that his surname was still tied to the Swordsman of Light here. Nowhere else he traveled had seemed to make the connection.
"Oh, some of 'em stayed after Lucia ran off."
"Lucia?" Gourry repeated in surprise as he wondered if she meant Grandmother. But then, it was common to name people in honor of certain family members. But still…if it had been Grandmother he wondered why she never told him that she had been born in Sairaag. Or that she had taken the Sword of Light herself.
Dottie cocked her head as she looked at him, "You do have an air of familiarity about you. What did you say your name was?"
"Gourry." He said softly. She met him with a piercing gaze and he sighed, "Gabriev."
"Are you one of Lucia's children?"
"My grandmother was called Lucia Gabriev."
"And Gabriev women pass their name on, along with the sword." Dottie said as she looked down and he squirmed as he realized what she was looking for.
"I'm just trying to connect with my history." Gourry said as he turned red, "I'm not wanting to cause a scene."
"A modest Gabriev!" Dottie said with a laugh, "Who would have thought?!"
"So the others here aren't like me?" he asked as disappointment crashed through him.
"No, that lot acts like they own the city because of what Hikara did nearly two hundred years ago now. You know how wealth can ruin a clan."
"Oh," Gourry said as he finally realized why he had been so desperate to go to Sairaag. He had been hoping to find other Gabrievs like Grandmother that he could be proud of. But it seemed as though his family was a rotten lot.
"I'm sure it don't reflect on you, dearie." She said as she looked at him with a motherly concern that he'd not felt since Grandmother had died.
"You said that I can still see the home." He said quickly, desperate to get to a place where no one could see him so he could compose himself.
"Yes, but stay clear once night falls. I reckon you're a swordsman and can hold your own but you don't want to tempt fate, and some nasty things roam the forest."
"I will." He said. "How do I get there?"
In its prime, it would have been the type of home Gourry could only have dreamt of owning. It was so large, especially when he thought of the tiny mud brick hut that he had grown up in. He wondered what people did with all of that space as he walked around the abandoned house and admired the detail put into the woodwork as he wondered what it would have been like to have grown up in such a home.
Unfortunately, people's fears about the Miasma Forest hadn't stopped the looting. Whatever was left behind by his ancestors now consisted of the house itself, which while bare had fortunately been well preserved with beautiful murals decorating the walls. The first one he came upon was the largest and most grand and showed a woman riding a golden dragon holding the Sword of Light as she fought the zanaffar. Gourry quickly deduced that she was the legendary Swordsman of Light, Hikara. He spent longer staring at that one than he should have, wondering how accurate of a depiction it was and trying to determine how much he resembled her.
They were both blond. But that wasn't too surprising. Aside from that he was at a loss to say. So he studied the picture and tried to ascertain what she was like and how they would get along and if she would have any words of wisdom to give him and how she would have felt if she had known what the Sword of Light had cost her descendants.
What light streaming into the house from the sun was getting low when he moved on from the mural. But he continued to explore anyway. There were other murals, some of which depicted Hikara but others depicted other relatives who wielded the Sword of Light. None held the allure of the first mural though, and without any written word he was at a loss to say much about the battles they depicted or whether or not the people in them were good people.
Gourry continued to explore the house in silence until the light vanished, and with no candles or torches, the darkness proved an effective deterrent to further exploration. He resolved to be back early the next morning as he headed out, Dottie's warning echoing through his mind as he wondered just what dangers lurked in the forest. But then, even if something did kill him, it wasn't as though there would be anyone to miss him. He stepped onto the large wrap around porch and remembered the dream with the nameless woman. Damn, but it would be nice to have someone who cared and loved him!
How did the dream start? He asked himself, conjuring details from it to keep him company on the walk back to the inn. He stepped off the porch and oriented himself and took a few steps back towards the inn, lost in a fantasy. The snapping of a twig from the direction of the graveyard rudely pulled him from his reverie, and he glanced ahead of him to see a tall man walking hand in hand with a child.
Something niggled at the back of his mind. Given Dottie's warning it seemed strange to see an adult there, much less one with a child. Further, they were walking away from town. He remembered the talk about missing people from earlier in the day and wondered if he should check it out. But then, it wasn't as if he was great at saving people. Knowing his track record it was just a father running a little late getting home with his child and he'd only cause trouble by interfering.
No. That couldn't be right. There were no homes in the direction they were walking. Just Flagoon.
Gourry headed over to the graveyard. It was the quickest way back to town and their paths would just happen to intersect so he could put his mind at ease. Gourry kept his gaze steady as he walked forward but kept the two comfortably in his vision. The child wasn't fussing or protesting, so surely it wasn't an abduction. But then gooseflesh formed on Gourry's skin as a familiar twinge charged the air that Gourry remembered from when Master Janawes had him train with a sorcerer. A spell was being cast!
But Gourry didn't have enough time to take the blade off the Sword of Light and going against a spell with the metal blade would have been suicide. So Gourry dove just as the air grew hot and sought cover behind a gravestone as a burning sensation enveloped his foot, which had been hit by what Gourry guessed was a Flare Arrow. Fortunately the gravestone protected him from the rest of the volley, but it also caused the brittle stone to explode. Rubble pummeled Gourry as looked at his foot, which was burned and bleeding but it wasn't bad enough to stop him. Gourry quickly detached the blade and got to his feet, still releasing his breath. But thankfully the air was clear up from where he was standing. He inhaled and moved forward as he ignored the pain that stabbed his leg as he did. He would just have to tend to the wound later.
He looked around and panic gripped him as he realized he could no longer see them. He took a deep breath to calm himself as he looked around and became aware of a new presence. "Are you okay?" a woman asked, and Gourry looked to his right to see the shrine maiden he'd met while coming into town.
"Did you see where they went?" he asked, glad to see that he wasn't alone.
"The Wilhelm Family Crypt." She replied. "Follow me."
Gourry ignored the pain that shot through his leg as he followed her through the cemetery. If they were going to save the boy there simply wasn't time for a healing spell. The shrine maiden started walking towards what had to have been the creepiest crypt Gourry had ever seen. Robed skeletons stood at the door as though warning the living against entering spaces reserved for the dead. But the door was left open, almost as though death was begging them to try their luck. Gourry's unease grew as they drew closer and the shrine maiden cast a light spell, throwing the grotesque smiles on the stone skeletons into stark relief.
Gourry took a deep breath and walked into the crypt. To his disquiet he realized that the walls were lined with bones that looked eerily human. Gourry decided that questions about what sort of family the Wilhelm's were could wait as he focused on channeling all of the fear he was feeling to opening his senses for any sign of his enemy. And then up ahead he heard the sound of a child weeping. Gourry inhaled and carefully moved forward when the floor collapsed beneath him and he went sliding down and landed on a casket.
The wind was knocked out of him and pain erupted on his shoulder as some shrapnel impaled him. It warred with the pain in his foot as he allowed himself a moment to gather his bearings. But then he scrambled up as he heard the sound of an attack from above, followed by the sound of the shrine maiden casting a spell. The air became filled with the tinge of spellcasting, and Gourry looked around to try to find someway to get back up.
Fortunately the drop wasn't too steep, and Gourry stood up on the coffin and looked up at the ledge above him. Ordinarily Gourry would be rather confident in his ability to jump, grab the ledge and pull himself up, but with his injured dominant shoulder he had some doubts. Still, the sounds of fighting intensified and Gourry knew he needed to get up there. He sheathed his sword and took a deep breath and jumped.
Pain erupted but he managed to grit his teeth and bear it as he pulled himself up, only to cry out as someone stepped on his hands, and then dug their boots into his fingers. He closed his eyes shut as he felt as though the bones in his fingers would snap when the shrine maiden cast, "Diem Wind!"
The rush of wind echoed through the chamber as the pressure was released from his hands, and Gourry seized his opening and managed to pull himself up. Soon someone was grabbing him but he relaxed a little when he realized it was the shrine maiden and that had the situation not been life or death he might have even enjoyed the feel of her arms around him. But as soon as he was back on the ground floor they stood up and he unsheathed his sword and called, "Light come forth!"
"The Sword of Light!" The shrine maiden gasped.
Gourry ignored her as he charged forward, and leapt over the area that had collapsed. His foot protested mightily as pain erupted when he landed but he managed to keep his balance as he ran towards the sorcerer, who was back on his feet and chanting a spell. A volley of flare arrows was released but Gourry was able to deflect them easily with the Sword of Light and the sorcerer paled as he took a step back.
Gourry caught up to him and put the sword to his neck, "Where's the boy?"
Beads of sweat formed on his brow as the shrine maiden came up behind him as she said, "Lafas seed."
Magical ropes formed around the sorcerer, binding him in place as she said, "There now. He won't be able to cast spells for the next thirty minutes. I'm sorry, Sir Gabriev, but I must search for the child and then I will come back and heal you."
"I understand. And my name is Gourry."
"Sir Gourry, it is an honor to meet you. I am Sylphiel and I will return as soon as I can."
"Is there anyone else in this crypt?" Gourry asked as Sylphiel continued down the hallway.
"What makes you think I'll tell you that?" the sorcerer spat as Gourry considered whether or not to lean against the wall. His foot was aching and he very much wanted to take his weight off of it, but he also wasn't particularly keen to cozy up to the skeletons embedded therein.
"Well, if you'd rather you can tell me what you were planning to do with the boy."
From down the hallway he could hear Sylphiel say, "There now. Everything is okay now. We took care of the sorcerer, you're safe now."
"My mama is going to be so mad!" the boy cried, "I knew I shouldn't have gone with him but…"
"You were likely under some sort of spell. I will explain it to her, she won't be mad." Gourry felt a stirring within him as he listened to Sylphiel comfort the boy, saying things he'd longed to hear for years, "You're safe now. I'm going to take you home and your family will be so happy to see you safe that they won't be mad. I promise. What's your name?"
"Kevin." He said.
"It is good to meet you. Are you hurt?"
"I don't think so."
"Good. Please come with me. The sorcerer won't be able to hurt you anymore and I need to cast a healing spell on Sir Gourry, the man who saved you."
Gourry relaxed as Sylphiel came back into view with Kevin. And then she smiled at him and he felt his heart do a flip. "I see the descendants of the Swordsman of Light have returned."
He reddened and put the sword away. "I'm just passing through."
"It's lucky for us that you were. Thank you, Sir Gourry, for helping us."
"I'm happy I could be of use." He said, and then he felt his breath catch in his throat as she drew closer to look at his shoulder.
"I'm afraid it will hurt when I remove the splinter." She said.
"Nothing I can't handle." He said.
She nodded as he looked away as she grabbed and removed the shrapnel from his shoulder and then felt himself go a bit faint as the blood poured out of him. She quickly started chanting a healing spell and Gourry felt his shoulder grow warm as he slowly turned his head back to look at her. She was beautiful! And competent and caring, and beautiful! He started to grow warm in other places as well.
"How is that feeling?" she asked as she touched his shoulder.
"Much better." He said.
"You're going to have to rest for a bit before we take this man to the authorities. Are there other places you're hurt?"
"My foot." Gourry said.
She looked down and her eyes widened as she knelt down, "Oh dear. I'm impressed you were able to walk on this."
Gourry shifted uncomfortably. He never liked to explain about the changes that training with the Sword of Light had wrought on him. "Well, people who know me know I'm too stupid to worry much about pain."
She started casting another spell, and Gourry felt warmth run through his leg as the pain ebbed away, "Once we get you back to town you'll have to stay off your foot for a few days. Even with a healing spell burns take a bit of time to recover from I'm afraid." Sylphiel said, "Are you staying at the inn I recommended? I'll be sure to check in and make sure you're recovering well."
"I am." He said, "And I'd like that, thanks."
AN: OMG, writing this last bit was hard and I swear I had to write and delete four different versions before I hit on something I felt was right. Still not at my usual happy range with this but right now I'm wanting to be done with it so I can move on, and I also thought it ended up fitting a Halloween theme even though it was not intentional at all. Really, I thought I was going to get this posted two weeks ago but it took awhile to get the threat level in the last scene right.
Anyway, I usually love October, but this has been a hellacious month that involved a series of stressful events that caused my health to collapse for non-covid related reasons. Lupus sucks ya'll. I'm hoping I finally have it under control but I do have some diagnostic surgeries coming up. Basically I did not get the vast amounts of writing done this month that I was hoping to. But hopefully this will do as a Halloween treat and November will be a bit kinder.
Regardless, I am looking forward to Trick or Treating with a creeper and Spider Gwen. Happy Halloween ya'll!