The Journal of Renault, Bishop of Valor

Chapter 15

So I decided to look over Chapter 14 before I started writing this chapter and I have to say, writing the tavern girl character…probably didn't need to do. Basically, I HAD an idea for a side character and tried to write her in, only for it to look worse on paper than I had originally thought. But hey, what can you expect from a man who hasn't been keeping up with his writing for the past couple months.

Don't you worry though, I WILL find a way to remedy it. In fact, she's gonna play a slightly important role in this chapter (emphasis on slightly). I hope you enjoy this chapter!

The transition from Edina to the Nabata Desert was, to say the least, slow. It took us many days before we reached the border of the desert, during which I began to think about the events leading up to this moment. The events in Armagh, in Eburacum, my time with the Baron, my escape from the Black Fang, the visions I had of Nergal, something tied these events together. Was it my destiny to experience all this firsthand? Was this some sort of sick game that the gods were playing on me, for the lives I had taken, for the blood I have shed fighting for Caelin, for the sins I had committed in their name? Everywhere I turned there was only more pain, more anxiety, more agony, just waiting to grab me by the shoulder. I was exhausted, mentally and physically, but I had to press on. I would not stop until I had gotten the answers I needed, until I found Archsage Athos.

Soon, we crossed into the Nabata Desert. No more were the cries of seagulls or the crashing of waves from the sea heard. No longer did the sea breeze blow at us. Now there was only a faint silence, save for the soft shifting of sand at our feet. The temperature rose greatly, and soon I found myself sweating in my robes. I slowly drank from my canteen, making certain that I did not waste any water. It was a precious resource now; the next source of water would not be for another few hundred miles at the very least. As we walked through the blistering heat, I noticed that some of my traveling companions began to crumple one by one, falling victim to the harsh conditions before us. I too began to feel rather ill, if not for the heat then at the sight of these men slowly dying around me. I watched them struggling to breathe, move, and speak, thinking of the agonizing pain they were putting themselves through. The leader of the group urged the rest of us on, for we could not linger in one place for too long lest we join the many skeletons strewn around us. The deeper we penetrated the desert, the harder it became to go on. Then, out of nowhere, came a faint rumbling sound. I forced my head to turn to one side, and it was at that moment I saw what looked like a large cloud of sand slowly getting closer and closer.

I stumbled towards the leader of our group. "There's a sandstorm coming," I wheezed, pointing in the direction from which I heard the sound.

The older gentleman nodded. "Then we must make haste," he declared, pulling the hood of his robe up over his head. I followed his example, pulling my hood over too.

At last, the sandstorm had caught up to us. I felt myself being battered by the wall of dust and debris as it sailed over us, breathing down my robes so as not to inhale any of the sand. It was no good. I found it harder to breathe now than I did when we first entered the desert.

And then, it got worse.

With an audible moan of pain, one of our companions fell dead to the ground in front of me. There was something unusual about his death though. It wasn't caused by the sandstorm, but upon closer inspection I found that it was caused by an arrow.

"We're under attack!" I cried out. And sure enough, I was right. A small group of bandits had jumped us out of nowhere, ransacking and killing the other men around me. At this point, there was only one option to ensure my survival: run. I silently apologized to St. Elimine, and to the others, for my cowardice, turned, and ran as fast as my legs would let me. But no matter how hard I tried, the sandstorm, in combination with my lack of physical energy, made it hard for me to move. I tripped over my own feet and fell forward into the sand beneath me with a dense thud. Try as I might, I couldn't lift myself off the ground.

"Where do ya think yer goin'?"

I slowly turned my head, only to find one of the bandits standing over me, menacingly. This seemed all too familiar, like a sick sense of deja vu. Then I remembered: I was in this same exact position before, except this time instead of a Sacean warrior standing over me, it was a brutish thug with an axe almost as large as me. Never mind, I thought, I've been in this kind of mess before, and I can get myself out of it again. I reached for my bag, struggling to open it as the bandit grabbed the hilt of his axe. My bag opened up, and I plunged my hand in, looking for my-

Wait a moment…something's wrong.

My hand fumbled inside the bag, searching for my Divine tome. But it was no use. It was…gone. How, I thought, could I lose it? I was absolutely sure I had packed it before I left Edina. Yes, I know I packed it. I could see myself putting it into my bag when I was staying at that-

No, I thought. Could it be? That tavern wench. It all made sense now. She took my Divine tome. But…why? And how? How did she grab it without me noticing? Panic slowly began to take me over as the bandit drew his axe above his head. It's all over, I thought. Everything that has happened until now has been for nothing. I failed. I failed Bishop Yoder, I failed the Baron, I failed Reiner…

I failed Briar. My dearest friend.

My concentration was broken by a bloodcurdling howl. I looked up to see the bandit above me fall to the side, a Hand Axe lodged inside him. Then came another bandit, this one much younger than the other but just as strong. He pulled the axe out of the corpse beside me effortlessly, then turned to gaze at me. Why? Why would he kill one of his own? Perhaps he wanted to be the one to end my life, and that he didn't want anyone else getting in the way of his prize. I silently counted my blessings, but not before he grabbed me with a tan, muscular arm and pulled me to my feet. "Go! Now!" he growled, and shoved me in the opposite direction. "That way, towards Arcadia! Go!"

Arcadia? Did he just say Arcadia?

"Go!" he yelled again, turning his attention to the bandits now charging him. I turned and ran as fast and for as long as my legs would let me, not even getting a chance to thank this stranger.

The sandstorm slowly began to die down, and a great figure appeared before me. It was shaped like a large temple, with palm trees strewn along the outside the wall encasing it. I thought I was hallucinating for a moment, but as I slowly approached the figure it became more and more clear. This was no mirage, nor was it a dream. This must be what I had been searching for these past several days. Arcadia…

As I stumbled past the walls and into the great oasis, I noticed several people turning to look at me in confusion, baffled at the sight that had just entered their great village. My robes were torn and tattered from the sandstorm, my face pale and sickly, and my hands dry and shaky. I breathed heavily as I walked down the street, looking at the odd mixture of people before me. Many of them looked rather like normal people, but there were a select few that stood out to me. Their skin was of a different shade, their eyes more fiery, robes covering them from head to toe. These people must have been from a different part of Elibe, or maybe they weren't of this plane of existence. Perhaps they were…

I stepped into the great temple, and suddenly everything changed around me. Gone was the drab sight of the desert, the unbearable heat, and the dry taste of desert air. Now, before my very eyes, was the most holy sight I had ever laid eyes upon. Everywhere I looked, there was water flowing smoothly through the canals of the temple, columns and walls sculpted out of marble, and a refreshing atmosphere that brought me a warm sense of life and renewal. Just gazing upon this sight was enough to help me recover from the events that had unfolded not long ago. I slowly shuffled inside, standing in front of a large statue. It was a statue of a beautiful maiden standing next to a dragon, caressing the scaly back of the large creature as it lay beside her calmly. Something inside me forced me to reach out and touch the face of this creature, but not long after I was approached by two guards pointing their spears at me. Not again, I thought sadly.

"Halt!" one of them cried out. "Who are you to enter this temple unannounced and commit the great crime of sacrilege upon our holy statue, especially one who wears the garment of the holy man?"

"Sacrilege?" I spluttered. "Oh, my apologies. You must understand, I am a priest of-"

"Silence! You should know very well the punishment for sacrilege, priest. And through the power given to me by the Archsage Athos, I hereby sentence you to-"

"Enough!" called a voice from behind me. I turned back to find a gentleman approaching us. This man wasn't dressed like the guards, but instead he wore the garments of a sage. He brushed his silver hair back away from his face as he approached us, gesturing to the guards to lower their weapons. "You really must forgive them. With the recent uptick in bandit attacks in and around this village, we can't be too careful. I see you have interest in this statue."

"Yes," I replied. "It's a very beautiful statue."

"This statue depicts the Archdragon Melitha, wife of the hero Hartmut, in both her human and dragon form. Her story is one that we hold dear in Arcadia. But that's a story for another time. For now, I must know who you are, and why you have come here."

Just then, a woman emerged from behind him. She was almost as beautiful as the woman from the statue, with long locks of gold flowing from her head. Unlike the man, she was dressed more like a knight than a sage, but upon further inspection I found that she was carrying a bow. An archer perhaps? No, I thought, mustn't distract myself. I already made that mistake one too many times. "My name is Renault," I answered, "a priest from the church of St. Elimine. I have come seeking the Archsage Athos."

"As do many who set foot inside this village. But why?"

"My reasons are my own and mine alone. Surely you understand."

The man nodded, gently taking the hand of the woman who appeared behind him. "Archsage Athos does not usually grant an audience to those that come before him unannounced and uninvited. However, I sense that you have something of great importance to tell him. I shall speak to him, but first, you really must get yourself cleaned up. Guards, give our guest here a bath and some proper robes. I shall notify the Archsage of his arrival." The guards urged me out of the corridor, and I watched as the man and woman, hand in hand, walked out of sight.

Just who is that man, I thought.

Thank you for bearing with me on yet another chapter in this series! I will try my very best to start getting more of this story written while I get settled in at my new job, so please be patient and I hope you enjoy the next chapter in this series!