Show Me the Way

As Mhenlo was walking back to Ashford Abbey, he looked back and noticed that Aidan was walking towards a cave, and the two women were running towards the woods. "That's weird," he thought to himself. He turned back around and continued walking, when he noticed a little girl picking flowers by the pig pen. She looked to be no older than ten, her hair shoulder length. She wore a wreath of flowers and had a red cape on. "You know, its almost dark out," Mhenlo stated. The little girl turned and looked at him. Smiling she ran up to the monk.

"Hi. I was just picking these flowers over there. Do you want one?" She asked politely.

"Sure, but do your parents know you're out here?" Mhenlo asked.

"Yeah. My dad lives just up the hill over there," she pointed to the south. "I was just picking these flowers for him. He's a little sick and I thought this would cheer him up."

"Ok. I would think about heading back home soon, before…" Mhenlo's eyes wandered from the girl, to the hills, where he thought he saw some grizzly shadows. "Just a second. Stay here," he said to the kid. He started walking towards the figures, and as he got closer, he started picking his pace up, for he noticed that the figures were those of Charr. "Darn. Not again," he whispered to himself. He started praying to the god of fire and war, Balthazar. A minute later, his hands were glowing blue, with the god's favor on his side. Seeing this, he ran at the charr, and punched one of them in the face. The two stood there for a moment, frozen in time, and then the next second the monster flew back from the force of the hit. The other charr looked down at the fallen one, then grabbed their weapons and charged Mhenlo. He grabbed his staff, and it too became blue. He stood his ground, and when one came within range, he swiped at its feet, and fell on his back. Another charr slashed at him with a sword, and Mhenlo blocked it with his staff. He then circled the sword out of the charr's hand, and he caught it as it started glowing a red color. The disarmed charr swiped with his claws, and Mhenlo easily blocked it. He then stabbed the sword into the monster's gut, and kicked him away. Two more charr appeared and he hit one in the side, and then spun around to hit the other. Seeing that all the surrounding charr were laying on the ground, albeit looking a bit decayed, he turned to walk away when he stood in shock. He moved his arm into full view and he saw an arrow, straight through it. His hands had returned to their normal color, and he pulled the arrow out, flinching in pain all the while.

He then heard a shout to duck, so he fell face first to the ground as he noticed an arrow narrowly avoided his skull. He rolled over to his back and saw a woman with skeletons ganging up on a lone charr. As the dead bodies mauled the charr, the lady walked over to Mhenlo, helping him up. "Looked like you were in some trouble. I was thinking to myself, that person is crazy fighting all those charr. Then you beat down almost all of them," the woman explained.

"So that explains the burnt bodies. Minion master, I presume," Mhenlo asked. He hit his head with his hand in forgetfulness, when he felt a jabbing pain in his arm. "Oww. I forgot about that." Mhenlo concentrated his focus to his injured arm, and as it started glowing a faint blue color he put his hand over the wound, and when he took it away the wound had stopped bleeding.

"Amazing. Simply amazing. Never thought I'd meet a monk," the woman said in awe. "And yes, I am a minion master. My name is Eve."

"Hello. I'm Mhenlo. I've got to get going, but it was nice to meet you." He turned around and started running back to the little girl. By the time he had reached the pig pen, it was sunset. "Sorry about that. There were some monsters I had to take care of," he explained.

"It's ok. I saw some more of the monsters going towards Ashford Abbey," the girl said, smiling all the while.

"Oh great. How long ago did you see them?" Mhenlo asked hurriedly.

"A while ago. There were a lot of them. Are they bad or something?" the girl asked.

"Yea, they are bad guys. You go get your dad and head for Ascalon, ok? You know where Ascalon is, right?" Mhenlo questioned. She nodded her head. "What's your name?"

"It's Gwen," she said. She started walking to her house in the hills when she heard Mhenlo tell her to run faster. So she started jogging quickly. Mhenlo turned and remembered Ashford Abbey. He quickly went there, when the whole place was a burning ruin. He looked at the ground in dismay, as if the dirt would tell him what to do. He brought his head up, thinking he heard something.

"Go…

"Go to him…"

"Go to whom?" Mhenlo asked. "Wait, I'm talking to myself." He turned around and he saw an iridescent lady.

"Go to Rurik," the faint woman said.

"You're…an avatar…of Dwayna herself?" Mhenlo asked bewildered.

"Go to Rurik," she repeated.

"Right. He'll know what to do," Mhenlo thought out loud. "Thank you, Dwayna," he said as he bowed to the messenger. The vision faded with the wind as he went past, and he hurried off to Fort Ranik. "I've got a story to tell when I see Devona again," Mhenlo thought to himself.