Day 15 / Commencement

"I'm sure Catherine is looking down on you as we speak. She lived a righteous life and fought until the very end, there is no doubt in my mind that she was not welcomed into heaven."

Father Sullivan laid a hand on Garret's shoulder.

"But you, my son, need to keep moving on. She would not want grief over her to shackle you."

"I know… Thank you again, Father. I appreciate your time."

"You are more than welcome, Garret. If ever you wish, you may visit us any time."

The priest said a quick prayer for him before allowing him to leave. Outside the cell, Annika was leaning against a wall, waiting for him. She must have finished her talk with one of the church's sisters faster than usual. Normally he'd be the one waiting for her.

"All finished, Garret?"

"Yeah… Lets go."

Aside from the priests and priestesses, the cathedral was deserted, and their steps echoed around the silent interior as the two walked towards the entrance, hand in hand.

"Are ya feeling any better, Garret?"

Her concern caused him to smile, and he pulled her into a quick hug.

"Now I am. What about you? I should have been the one to ask that question."

"Better now than last week."

"That's good…"

In truth, Garret didn't know how much of his 'recovery' was due to talking with Father Sullivan versus his own will. Annika and he had met with the priests every day for the past week at the Father's suggestion, and it seemed to help a bit, but… well, it was such a gradual thing, he wasn't really sure. At least the priest gave good advice. During their first meetings, he just let Garret talk, vent and express his grief, offering words of consolation and comfort. Towards the end of the week, though, when the pain wasn't as fresh, he began to speak more philosophically about what happens after death, how it shouldn't be seen as 'the end', but as the closing of a single chapter in a soul's story. That part probably helped Garret more than any kind words could have. Sure, he believed in the chief goddess and her perfect heaven, but having those beliefs affirmed by the priest… it did a lot to help put him at peace. As Garret mused over this, he couldn't help but think maybe his initial assessment was a little unfair. Meeting with the priests had helped a lot.

Outside the church, the city was abuzz with activity. Soldiers were hustling everywhere, cartloads of equipment were being hauled around, and a very busy corps of officers were directing the whole operation. With the Crusade departing tomorrow, everyone was hurrying to get last minute preparations done.

"We've gotta finish our packing."

Garret nodded in agreement as they walked through the crowds.

"Need to get our assignment too and find out where we'll be stationed. Maybe we'll work with Eric and Aisha again."

"Hopefully!"

After what had happened with Catherine, if he was going to be fighting, Garret wanted it to be alongside the few friends he had.

"Think we'll need a lantern?"

"Annika, I'm a walking torch."

"But what if I have to stand guard without you?"

"I think you'll be able to borrow one. We might have to carry all of this on our backs, you know, I don't want to cart around extra weight."

"Fiiine…"

Mess kits, soap, spare sets of clothes and a kit for armour maintenance all went into their packs. Being part of a proper army meant they had a bit of a luxury when it came to leaving things behind. They didn't need rope or a crowbar like most adventurers would, for example, the supply carts would have those to spare. Basic wilderness survival stuff like knives, a compass and tinderbox probably weren't needed either, but Garret insisted in case they got separated from the main column, his paranoia forcing them to pack at least a little more than what was needed.

"… A hatchet?"

Garret thought for a moment. He didn't need one, he could probably sever tree branches with a spell for roughly the same expenditure of energy.

"I don't need it, but you might? Bring it if you want, I guess."

He threw a small sewing pouch into his own pack so that he could mend his robes on the road. With that, though… he couldn't really think of anything else. He strapped his bedroll to the top of his pack, buckled down the rest of it, then clipped a few waterskins to the side. That should be everything.

Lunch was… lunch. The mess tent and its accompanying tables were packed, even more so than usual, so it took them a while to find a place. They eventually spotted one near the fountain and sat down, barely noticing that its damaged center piece had been removed. Slowly picking away at their meals, they ate in silence until someone called out to them.

"Hey guys. How're you doing?"

Eric's appearance was not echoed by Aisha's usual sing-song greeting, though she was with him. The melancholy that hung over Annika and Garret seemed to be affecting them too.

"We're ok. How about you two?"

"We're holding up. It's just going to take a bit of time, that's all."

Eating together like this raised the group's spirits a bit, though Garret couldn't help but keep coming back to the unpleasant thought that they used to have one more among their number. "Come on, Garret… you can't keep thinking like that. Got to let it go and keep moving forward."

"Are you two coming to the church service tonight?"

Annika nodded at Aisha's question, but Garret was left perplexed.

"Yeah, we should."

"… There's a church service tonight?"

"Mhmm."

Aisha slid a note onto the table, apparently an announcement that Garret had either not received or forgotten about.

"They're doing prayers and a sermon for the crusaders about to depart. You should definitely come! There's even going to be a hero there!"

"A hero?!" Upon hearing this, Annika immediately leaned forward, grasping Aisha by the shoulders, begging her to tell her everything she knew, before turning to Garret.

"Garret, you're not getting out of this, we're going to the service."

The display of enthusiasm brought a smile to both his and Eric's faces. It wasn't difficult to understand where this sudden interest had come from. The heroes, holy warriors personally blessed by the goddess, had been elevated to celebrity status amongst the rank and file of The Order's armies. Rumors about them abounded, that they could slice a monster in two with a single blow, that their wills were nigh incorruptible, and that no magic or weapon could harm them. Garret doubted the truth of many of them, but he at least accepted that they must be formidable soldiers. Regardless, they were rare and only appeared in times of great conflict. It wasn't uncommon for a soldier to go his entire life without seeing one in the flesh, so when given the opportunity, one had to leap at it.

"Well I guess that answers that… Yes, Aisha, we will be going to the service." Hero or not, the distraction would still be welcome.

As Annika interrogated Aisha for all the juicy details, Eric and Garret concentrated on their food. Eventually, though, Eric looked up and broke the silence.

"So how are you feeling, man? Have you been sleeping?"

He nodded in reply. "Yeah, got plenty of sleep and managed to refill my energy crystal. I'm fine, why?"

Eric shrugged. "Aisha had a hard time of it last week."

"I suppose she would have… but I'm fine. So is Annika."

"Good. Glad to hear it." He took another bite of his food, chewing thoughtfully for a moment. "We've got a few hours to kill before the service. Want to practice your swordsmanship?"

Garret smiled at the suggestion, remembering with fondness the fight they had. Who knows, maybe the practice would come in handy on the crusade. "Sure, I'd love to."

After they finished eating, Eric informed the girls about the plan. Aisha said she hadn't finished packing yet, but Annika volunteered to come as well. The next few hours were a blur of swords and shields as the gang focused on refining their techniques or, in Garret's case, just learning the basics.

The cathedral was abuzz with excitement as the hour of the service drew near. Whispering questions echoed around the stone hall as the assembled soldiers chatted among each other.

"Who do you think it is?"

"Do you think he's cute?"

"Is he even a guy? Maybe it's a woman!"

"I wonder what they fight with."

By some miracle, Garret and co. had managed to nab a set of seats reasonably close to the front where they could clearly see the empty stage and pulpit. Beside him, Annika and Aisha were gossiping like a pair of schoolgirls – something amusingly out of character for the first. Beyond that sat a smiling Eric, no doubt happy that his partner was happy. Garret himself sat there in silence and quiet contemplation. The spectacle of having a hero lead the church service was a welcome distraction, but he couldn't stop wondering if there was a more sinister purpose behind it. Not every crusade was preceded by an event like this. Did the officers organize it because it was convenient this time, or because they anticipated high casualties and wanted to boost moral? His thoughts started to drift back to Rin and Catherine, and he bowed his head for a quick prayer.

The service began an hour later with a priest stepping on stage, welcoming everyone and leading an opening prayer. Throughout this, the hair on the back of Garret's neck slowly rose and he felt a slight charge in the air – ominous, powerful and increasing by the minute.

"… Amen." Upon finishing, the priest stepped forward, opened his arms and looked towards the massive, stained glass crucifix on the cathedral's roof. "My brothers and sisters, soldiers of The Order! Your devotion in this dark time for humanity has not gone unnoticed, and your struggles are not in vain! The Chief God has heard your plight and has blessed your crusade with a hero! Tonight, we welcome Lukas and Brynhild Strom amongst our number."

At the end of his speech, a light sparked into existence, floating a few feet below the cross on the ceiling. Flecks of divine light splintered off from it, showering the congregation below before it exploded into a portal. From it, a young man, supported by a winged woman fell into the air. They flew around the cathedral's interior once, the spectacle causing cheers to erupt from the audience, before landing just behind the pulpit.

Annika let out an impressed whistle. "They sure know how to make an entranc-Woah, are you alright, Garret?"

The majority of the audience kept cheering and applauding the hero, but the aura of sheer power literally knocked the breath out of the more magically sensitive people when the pair entered. To Garret, it felt like he had just been plunged into a lake of ice-water, the power and energy causing him to go weak in the knees and hunch over as his body adjusted to it. When he felt strong enough to straighten up, he saw that most of the other mages or clerics in the audience had been similarly affected. So this was the true power of a hero…

"Yeah, I'm fine." He assured his concerned partner, though his breath was still short from the shock. "Just overwhelmed, that's all." He brushed the hand she had laid on his shoulder off of him, then took it in his own.

In front of the audience, Lukas and Brynhild bowed in thanks to the priest, then walked to the podium and waved, bringing forth a renewed round of cheers. Lukas himself wasn't too remarkable – well, remarkable for what a hero was supposed to be. His armour shone with divine radiance, his sword thrummed with energy, and when he began to speak, his voice was powerful. Impressive, yes, but every legend spoke of these traits, so though he admired them, the only thing that struck Garret as odd was how young the man was. He looked to be only a few years older than him, not the gruff, almost-middle-aged man he had for some reason been expecting. Brynhild was much more interesting, and not just because she was a beautiful woman. Wings, feathered hair, a divine radiance that shone seemingly from within her, and the otherworldly craftsmanship of her golden spear and shield betrayed her as being something more than human – a Valkyrie.

A Valkyrie paired with a hero… Suddenly Garret felt his worries disappear. A hero was a powerful force against the monsters, but if he was paired with one of heaven's warriors, they might well be unstoppable. This feeling of invincibility was further stoked by Lukas' preaching. While most priests tried to instill good morals within the population and encourage people to further their devotion with God, Lukas' sermon was one of fire and brimstone. He condemned the monsters for their evil, hedonistic lifestyle – a lifestyle he claimed was only possible because they built their society on the remains of the towns they had conquered! A lifestyle that stripped their partners of freewill and self-determination! A lifestyle that physically, magically and spiritually corrupted the surrounding areas to such an extent that the land itself could change people! He told personal anecdotes of men being captured and changed – pious soldiers whose minds were broken by the monster's corrupting influences. He spoke of women unlucky enough to be fully aware as they watched their body morph and change into something obscene, and of children who hadn't even had a chance to live a normal life before it was stolen away.

His speech definitely had magic woven into it. The emotions it elicited were beyond what base demagoguery could do and everyone found themselves motivated by a cold, calculated rage, utterly convinced that there was no other solution to the problem of the monsters than to kill, kill, kill. Well, seemingly everyone. Hearing the hero describe losing people in the exact same method he had lost Rin and Catherine put an unpleasant damper on Garret's mood, despite what the magic was trying to do.

Once he had finished, Lukas bowed to thunderous applause and let Brynhild step forward. She in turn gave her own speech, though this one was more somber. She spoke of the horrors of war and did little to mask the truth that many of them would inevitably be lost, either in this crusade or the next. What she did do, though, was speak of how their sacrifices protected thousands and how every mission bought their country and fellow citizens a bit more time to live a normal life and held off the subjugation of humanity a little longer. She preached that offering one's self for such a noble cause would grant them great rewards in heaven, and how Chief God would ensure that if they fell, each and everyone one of their deaths would have meaning. Everyone around him nodded along, even Annika to his surprise, but Garret couldn't help but feel like what he was hearing was one big lie. Well, at least the part about the deaths having meaning. What was the meaning in Catherine's death as she watched herself be slowly corrupted by a slime? What of Rin, who was reduced to a moaning mess of hedonistic lust before eventually losing her mind? What of the soldiers he killed that were trapped in the slime queen when he first arrived in Naton? It certainly didn't seem like those had any significance or meaning to them.

As he thought this, he locked eyes with the Valkyrie… or rather, she locked eyes with him. Suddenly, Brynhild's gaze made Garret feel very, very small. She continued to preach, though it almost felt like she was speaking directly to him with the way she stared. Did she know something? Hear his private doubts? The thought of that was unsettling, and all but confirmed by her reaction to something he said mentally. "Get out of my head! You don't get to poke around in it." She suddenly returned to sweeping her eyes across the audience as she had done throughout her sermon, and though Garret really hoped that was a coincidence, he had the sinking feeling it was something more.

"Oh. MyGod. He was so cute! And Brynnild! She was beautiful! They make such a nice couple. Did you feel that little tingle when they entered the room? Did you see how his sword was shining? Ohmygod it was just too much. And their sermon! It was amazing! Why can't the other priests speak like that?! It made me feel like I could take on the world! 'to offer one's self for the Chief God is the greatest gift one can give', mmmh, they get it! They really get what the teachings are all about!"

After the service was over, the group was treated to an unending stream of adoration gushing fourth from Aisha. Based on the way she usually talked, Garret was surprised that she wasn't trying to form some sort of rhyme out of it, but apparently some things just couldn't be expressed like that effectively.

"Yeah, they were something. …but calm down, girly, you'll get to see them plenty more."

Eric tried to quiet her but mentioning the prospect of fighting along side them only stoked that fire and kept the babbling going. With bemused looks on their faces, Garret and Annika picked up the pace to get away from it a bit.

"That was quite something…"

"Oh yeah, they were pretty impressive. Have you ever seen a Valkyrie before, Garret?"

"Can't say that I have. She's beautiful… and terrifying. I'm glad she's on our side."

Annika gasped and took mock offense to his comment. "Beautiful, hmmm? Do you think she's prettier than me?"

Garret just smiled and shook his head. "Of course not."

She threw and arm around his shoulders and squeezed affectionately. "Good answer!~"

With the service over and the crusade beginning tomorrow morning, the pair decided it would be wise to get to bed early. 'Sleep as much as you can, you never know when you'll next get the chance during a crusade' was the advice the older guys in Northreach often gave, and Garret had no reason to doubt their experience. When they turned to speak with the others, they saw that Eric was still being harassed by his partner. Poor guy. The expression on his face was about as close to a cry for help as one could get. … Unfortunately for him, Annika found that watching his predicament was more entertaining than the prospect of helping him, so they quietly waved him goodbye and left him to his fate.

Day 16

"Sergeant Markov! Get your group together and take up position here. Sergeant Vlack. Your group will lead the column. Sergeant Evans! Some of the men from Northreach haven't received assignments yet. You'll command them for the first phase of the crusade, and we'll fold them in with others as need be. Commander Harald, you'll oversee the ranger squads. I'm sure you know what to do."

Normally an officer would be in charge of a military operation, but a hero of the chief god was gifted with a near prescient understanding of battle tactics. In practice, he outranked everyone and was in charge of organizing the entire operation. Around the main square, carts were scattered about, filled with supplies and waiting for horses to draw them. Between them milled soldiers who lazed about until a sergeant assigned to them got them moving into some semblance of a formation. Over the span of the next few hours, the thousands of men and women composing the crusade's main force were organized for the long march.

"Fax! Nyman! Get your bags sorted, we're moving out!"

Garret and Annika hadn't been given an assignment, so for now Sergeant Evans was their defacto commander. They hurriedly tossed their packs into the cart assigned to their group, before taking up position in formation with the fifty other Northreach soldiers and marching out of the city. Unfortunately, they had been split off from Eric and Aisha. Outside the gates, a massive column had begun to assemble, nearly a dozen wide and soon-to-be hundreds of men long, with supply wagons distributed throughout it. Beside it, nearly thirty smaller ranger squads organized at its flanks. They'd probably be sweeping the forests near them as they marched through.

"Incredible… I've never seen so many soldiers before…"

Annika was likewise impressed; the scope of this operation was easily twenty times larger than anything the theocracy of Northreach could muster. It took until almost noon for everyone to get organized, but once they were, the march began. As Garret had suspected, the ranger squads quickly disappeared into the forests once they began moving. Throughout the day's travel, the screams of monsters and sounds of combat could be heard from within the forest.

None of the towns along their way had enough room to house several thousand tired soldiers, so the army marched all day until they reached the start of the great plains, where they set up camp. Once again, the organization of so many troops was closer to organized chaos than orderly direction, but somehow the war camp managed to get set up reasonably quickly. Rows upon rows of tents were quickly pitched and the ranger squads were dispatched to gather wood and hunt. Once they returned, Garret was quickly put to work, helping to light and maintain fires for the cooks. It seemed that grabbing the closest flame mage was easier for them than fiddling around with flints, steels and tinder.

Dinner was surprisingly nice, probably because they had fresh supplies. Additionally, the rangers had managed to kill a number of deer and wild boar which, while there wasn't enough to feed even half the army, did help to reduce the number of rations needed that night. Being the one of the people helping the cooks meant that Garret was able to get into line early and secure some fresh venison before it was gone – a boon that he was more than happy to share with Annika, as well as Eric and Aisha who visited their tent during dinner.

The night and next day were uneventful. Guard shifts were rotated around between different guard groups, but theirs didn't get one assigned that night. In the morning, the last shift of guards ran through the camp waking everyone at the crack of dawn to begin tearing down the tents and continue marching towards Naton's borders.

A few hours down the road, Garret spotted smoke in the distance, and later, discovered the source: a burning hamlet. The army didn't stop, though, and kept moving. When they passed, Garret stood on his toes and tried to get as good of a look as he could. Stacked against the buildings lay the bodies of a few dead families, no doubt with the intention that they would be incinerated with the building as it continued burning. Amongst the corpses, Garret spotted a holstaur and a couple weresheep. The ranger squads scouting ahead must have dealt with them. He shook his head at the family's foolishness and kept marching. No mercy for traitors or collaborators.

That evening, the energy in the camp was different. They had arrived at one of the wooden towers that marked the edge of Natonian territory, and the border guards inside had invited the officers and their hero in to discuss... something. Probably battle plans. Though the usual duties of hunting, cooking, pitching tents, and setting up guard shifts remained unchanged, the soldiers were ordered about with a greater sense of urgency than the night before, and several additional groups of soldiers were pulled for guard duty. It seemed that things were much more dangerous on the borders, even with a guard tower watching over them.

During dinner, once he had come back from the meeting, Sergeant Evans summoned Garret, Annika, and the rest of his soldiers to discuss tomorrow's events. The older man called them to gather 'round a table that had a few maps unfurled on it and pointed to a pin stuck into one of them. "Here's our current position." There was some bustling as the shorter soldiers squeezed their way to the front to get a look. "You're all from Northreach, right? I'm not sure what it's like up there, but beyond our borders, it's teeming with monsters. We need to deal with them before we move on." He pointed to a few different spots marked along the map. "These towns were overrun by monsters several years ago, when an incursion pushed our border back a hundred miles. We're going to attack them and kill every monster or corrupted human we find. From there, the crusade will spread out and sweep across the plains until we reach the Stowald forests and the mountains beyond them, reclaiming our land for the glory of humanity. Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good. Our assignment is to attack here." He pointed to one of the previously marked towns on the map. "Four other groups will be joining us, and several more will be covering the areas around the town to prevent anyone from escaping. The same will happen for the other towns. Once we've swept and secured this area, the border guards will move up and the crusade will reform. Make sure you get your rest tonight; we've got a lot of ground to cover." With that, he dismissed them and headed back to the other sergeants and officers.

"So it begins."

Annika nodded. "Yeah, now we'll get some real action."

That comment caused Garret to cock his head. "The slime queen and gate attacks weren't real action?"

"Nah… This is much bigger than that. Aren't you excited, Garret? We're taking on an entire town and actually making a difference! One less place for monsters to live and one step closer to being rid of them entirely!"

"Hmm, I guess I should be. Another step forward, eh?" So long as they didn't fail and get slaughtered in battle…

Day 18

Sergeant Evans meant it when he said 'they had a lot of ground to cover', Garret mused to himself as his group marched down the road at double time. Apparently, the battle for the village wouldn't actually happen until tomorrow since it was at least a day's march away. As such, they were nearly jogging down the road with a full pack on each of their backs, only aided by the performance of their spellsingers to keep their speed up. At least they had lucked out with the group assignments. Eric and Aisha's group was also assigned to take the village, so they'd be fighting together.

Behind them, moving at a much slower pace were the other groups of soldiers who spread out across the plains to deal with any mamono away from the road. Occasionally a herd of weresheep or holstaurs would be spotted, and the group closest would descend upon them. Sometimes the herds were guarded by minotaurs, in which case, two or more of the flanking groups would organize before attacking to limit wounds and casualties. Most monsters didn't kill humans, but some of the more vicious ones were certainly capable of it, especially in a life-or-death situation.

When the village they were supposed to attack began to come within view, the column of soldiers diverted off the road, using the rolling hills of the grasslands to get closer without revealing themselves. Eventually, they could go no further and set up camp in a low spot between one and two hours from the town. Unfortunately, due to their proximity, fires and hunting were forbidden, leaving the soldiers to subsist on hard-tack and raw vegetables. That was when something interesting happened.

Just as they were about to head to bed, the guards on duty spotted a herd of centaurs approaching their camp and sounded the alarm. That lead to half the camp scrambling for their weapons, archers taking aim, and the magicians readying their spells.

"No, stop! Stand down! Everyone stand down, if you attack them, I'll kill you myself!"

The sergeant pushed his way to the front of the makeshift formation, calling for peace. Confused, Garret looked around and found that of the soldiers in the four groups, only the ones from Northreach had mobilized. The rest of the Natonian soldiers (including Eric and Aisha) were milling about, but certainly not combat ready in any way shape or form.

"The centaurs on these plains are neutral in the war. Return to your tents, there will be no fighting here!"

Most of the soldiers from Northreach begrudgingly followed through with the order and dispersed, leaving the sergeant and a few Natonian guards to face the oncoming group of monsters. Garret stuck around though, his paranoia not letting him believe that they truly had peaceful intentions, as well as Annika, who wanted to stay if her partner was staying.

The herd, numbering at least thirty, came to a stop about five meters from the guarded perimeter of the camp and their leader, a wise looking centaur sage dressed in old robes, stepped forward. Garret couldn't hear the conversation between her and the sergeant perfectly, but it seemed to be about what they were doing, if their treaties would be kept, if their people would be safe, the usual things that a community would be concerned about in war time. As they spoke, Garret spied a number of curious foals within the herd. Were they that trusting that they'd bring their children with them to talk? Or was the tribe inseparable, always travelling together? They were certainly armed with enough bows and lances that they could probably protect them long enough to escape if the worst came to pass.

Eventually, some of them trotted out from the protection of the adults when it seemed like there was no danger, curious about the soldiers. One of them, a cute, brown-haired girl who looked to only be in her early teens walked up to Garret and Annika and looked them over, as if sizing them up. The way she carried herself was similar to an aristocrat, or maybe a knight proper. She was self-assured and proud, a strange deviation from usual monster behavior. As she stared at them, Garret glared back at her, distaste clearly present in his gaze. Neutral or not, young or not, she was still a monster, and monsters had no place in this world. Eventually she trotted back to the group and, once their dialogue was complete, left with the rest of them.

When he returned to the tents, Eric noticed his dark expression and called out to him. "What's wrong, Garret? Never seen a centaur before?"

Garret sat down on the ground next to him and shook his head. "What the hell is going on? I thought we were supposed to be slaying monsters, not talking with them."

His friend looked like he had a bit of trouble understanding what made him so upset. "We are, but centaurs aren't a problem. They don't attack humans and can be reasoned with. They help us transport supplies across the plains or act as guides."

"But they're monsters!"

"… and?"

"They scatter demonic energy wherever they go, they corrupt the land, they change the men that they lay with, and with every breath they empower the demon lord! We should be killing them, not making a damn peace treaty!"

Eric furrowed his brow after hearing this. "Garret. Did you feel any demonic energy around them?"

That caused him to think back… surprisingly, he hadn't. But that didn't mean anything, a monster was a monster! The thoughtful expression on his face, though, answered Eric's question for him.

"You didn't, did you? Supposedly they don't scatter their energy around. They keep it inside them and, so long as they keep in control, don't cause any harm. To get mates, they negotiate with us for men to 'use' temporarily and the priests cleans them when they come back. Sure, it doesn't follow the teachings to the letter, but without them, keeping our border outposts supplied would be much more difficult."

That didn't seem right. That didn't seem right at all! Monsters were an abomination that shouldn't be allowed to exist. How could they be anything else? Seeing that Garret was still not accepting this at all, Eric gave him a warning.

"Dude. I'm not sure how you did things up in Northreach, but we're a little more liberal down here. We treat the centaurs like elves. You don't kill uncorrupted elves up north, do you?"

That was true, they didn't.

"Then just imagine them like that. People won't like you too much if you start yelling about killing them in public."

"I suppose…"

Throughout the discussion Annika had kept quiet, but she spoke up at the end.

"At least it means less fighting."

"That way works too!" Eric laughed and then wished them good night. It was getting late. So much for the grand speeches about slaying monsters for the good of humanity…

Laying awake in his tent, Garret couldn't sleep. He kept coming back to the damn centaurs. Naton's priests and officers had preached about killing monsters, but then changed the definition so that despite centaurs very clearly still being monstrous, they were no longer considered as such… Where was the sense in that, even if it did make logistics a bit easier?

"Hey Annika?"

Beside him, his partner yawned and rolled over. Apparently, sleep had come easier to her.

"Nyung… Yes, Garret?"

"What do you think about that? The centaurs?"

"I, uh…" She yawned again, still mostly asleep. "It's different. We wouldn't treat 'em like that in Northreach, but… Eric's right I guess… They seem harmless. Just roll with it… We're not in Northreach anymore."

She inched over and snuggled up against him. Well it was true… different nation, different customs, even if he did find that particular one heretical…

"I guess you're right… Good night, Annika."

"G'night, Garret."

Author's Notes: That was by far the worst case of writer's block I've had in a while… But no matter, I managed to get a chapter written, even if it took waaaay longer than I intended. Thanks for waiting! Unfortunately, though, I really don't have anything nuanced to say about it. My writer's block has moved from the story to the explanation of my creative choices, and I'm not going to delay the chapter so that I can work on the damn author's notes.

Once again, thanks for reading, and…

Until next time, Sayonara!