Chapter 20: Gorgon

"For thirteen ages, the Dread Dragon and his Fiend Generals ravaged the world
Until a boy of thirteen was chosen to free man from his oppressors
For thirteen and thirteen years he journeyed, to gain the blessing of the thirteen gods
Thirteen numbered his companions, and thirteen mighty foes fell to his blade
And for his deeds he would be remembered forevermore: his name engraved
Apollo."

So read the opening lines of The Song of Apollo, not the first ballad sung to glorify the man who would one day be known as the Dragonslayer, but certainly the most famous. For many, the existence of Alondight and his deeds is accepted as fact, as immutable as the sun's rise or the turning of the seasons. But as memory fades, and the fog of ages sets in, so too does doubt. After all, such feats beggar belief, even for a Hero. Could one man truly accomplish so much?

Some say yes, the Church among the most prominent. Others, however, are not so easily swayed. While some scholars believe Alondight was very much real, they claim that as his story was told and retold through the ages, the myth far outgrew the man it was born from, until the two bore only the faintest resemblance to one another. Others claim the Dragonslayer was not a single man, but several, whose deeds were woven together to form a larger-than-life whole. And still others go as far as to say that a man named "Alondight" never truly existed at all- that he was merely a parable, a beacon meant to bring hope to a world so eager to stamp it out?

When I first set out to write this book, it was merely to compile as much factual knowledge about the Dragonslayer as was available, free of omissions of detail that contradicted expectations- one of the most deadly faults in scholarship. I had no idea the effort would be an undertaking that would parallel the Dragonslayer's own quest in length, spanning over twenty years as I met with experts and reviewed writings and historical records that could shed light on Alondight's journey, whether it corroborated or contradicted the commonly-accepted narrative. The journal of Lescatié is readily available, and served as an excellent source, but not all of Alondight's journey was recorded in its pages. And for those events that did not reach the pages of any journal or court record, I turned to experts, men and women who had devoted their lives to unraveling the Dragonslayer's mysteries, whose experience could provide insight into his movements, his thoughts and his feelings. And it is to them that this book is dedicated, and with it, my unending gratitude.

While I would not presume to say that what follows is the definitive biography of the Dragonslayer, I can say with confidence that it is the most complete. I have made every attempt to separate fact from fiction, the truth from the myths, to provide the most accurate representation of Alondight possible. While the details are as close to verifiable as I could make them, I must acknowledge that some details remain speculative.

And with all of this said, we shall begin… at the beginning.

Asterion Feld
Dragonslayer, Foreword

The Princess Louvia slowly drifted across the harbor's waters, towed behind a smaller, stout ship. There was a good reason for its slow progress, two in fact: the two large holes torn in the sails. Two weeks had passed since the Louvia set sail from Aglis, stopping for a brief port call in Fueno. But just a day after setting out, she had run into a fierce storm, with waves taller than her highest masts and winds which not only tore through the sails like a knife, but also carried away the supplies the crew meant to use to repair them. For two days they drifted- every attempt to make the Louvia seaworthy again failed, until another vessel happened across them. The captain of the other ship had agreed to tow the Louvia to the nearest port for repairs, but not until a hefty sum of money had changed hands.

According to Abel's map, the nearest port was an Ermisian town called Hesperis, and once the Princess Louvia had dropped anchor, disembarking to ask around confirmed it. It was small, closer to Lescatie in size than Aglis or Lohan, but much livelier than the holy city, and more natural in its layout, its buildings of plain, unpainted wood reminding Abel very much of the Promesteins' manor. Unfortunately, the problem they faced had not been solved, but merely replaced with an entirely different problem.

"Dammit…" Captain Baird muttered, for what must have been the hundredth time since the storm, watching as the ship that had towed them sailed on its way… along with all of his money.

"I say we should've gone with my offer- 'tow us to a port, or we hang your heads from our prow as new decorations,'" Cinquedea replied, looking up at the Louvia's tattered sails.

The co-captain's words elicited a small smile from Baird. "Can't lie, Miss Cinque… I'm starting to regret not takin' yer side."

"I for one am thankful we were found by another vessel," Violet replied. "I have read stories of people descending into madness if left adrift at sea for too long. Hallucinations, murder, cannibalism…"

Seth looked at the ship with her arms folded over her chest. "But now what? We don't have enough money to cover repair costs." The thief looked to Lailah. "When we were stranded before, you communed with Poseidon to get us to Lescatie. Couldn't you have done that again?"

Lailah looked reluctant, but Captain Baird spoke up before she could respond: "Poseidon ain't that sort of god. Ask 'im fer help too many times, and he's more likely curse us fer botherin' him than give us a hand. We were better off fixin' things ourselves."

Seth looked at Baird, arms folded over her chest with a decidedly unimpressed expression. "Well, what should we do?"

"This seems like a decent-sized town, so we can always hit up the local Fighter's Guild branch," Raine suggested. "I'm sure they've got at least a few bounties out for-"

The air was split by a deafening sound- three pairs of reverberating sounds that echoed across the entire town, loud enough to send flocks of bird scattering and making the very ground under their feet tremble. "What was that!?" Abel practically shouted, his ears still ringing.

"That was a hunting horn," Seth replied. "The Fighter's Guild sounds them when they receive an emergency bounty. We should go see what's going on."

The group quickly moved into the town's depths, leaving the Princess Louvia and its crew behind, searching for a building draped in familiar red banners. But by the time the group reached the Fighter's Guild hall, there was already a large host of people gathered outside- warriors clad in all manner of armor, carrying weapons of seemingly every type imaginable. And of course, Abel and his group were at the very back of the throng. Holly rose up on the tips of her toes, trying to see past the crowd. "The guildhall's so far away," she said.

But the uproar from the gathered crowd was suddenly silenced when a voice called out, "Brave hunters!" Standing on a platform raised above the crowd was a thin man in a red jacket, his grey hair slicked back and tied into a short tail. Despite the distance between them, Abel could see the man's face was covered in scars, and his right eye was covered by a black strip of cloth.

As he stood before the crowd with his arms raised, the man continued, "To those who answer our call, I thank you. The scouts sent forth to track the foul beast that lurks in the woods to the north, laying waste to the nearby villages and slaughtering their inhabitants, have at last identified the culprit. And they have confirmed our worst fears: the beast responsible… is a gorgon. But fear not! The scouts confirm that the beast is yet to be fully grown, and when faced with a host such as this, not even the foulest monster could hope to escape its doom!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd, so much that the man had to shout for his next words to be heard: "The one who slays this foul beast will be rewarded with a hearty sum of two hundred silver marks! Now all who would claim this prize, step forth! Record your name in our logs… and good hunting!"

Another roar of approval rang out from the crowd, and they began to surge toward the stage. Fiann started following them, but Lailah reached out, grabbing her by the wrist to stop her. "Hold on," she said. "We shouldn't just rush into things. We don't know anything about this monster we're supposed to hunt!"

"A gorgon…" Abel began. "Never heard of it."

Claire scoffed. "Typical. Your ignorance never ceases to surprise me."

Raine's eyes cracked open, shooting Claire a venomous glare. "Well do you know what it is?"

The president stammered, "Wha- well, no, but- th-this isn't about me!"

"Gorgon…" Holly mumbled.

Abel's attention turned to the mercenary. "Do you know something about it, Holly?"

"Maybe," she replied, adjusting her glasses. "In Vulkan, there's legends about monsters that lived near my hometown with a similar name- gurgoni. They're said to resemble a giant bull, with skin as hard as steel. M- …the local lord uses a gurgon as their emblem."

Raine clapped a hand on Holly's shoulder. "That's not too far off the mark, Jugs. Gorgons are a species of monster that lived in the west- right around where Vulkan is now, actually. They were driven out of that region, but every time scholars try to declare them extinct, a new one pops up somewhere."

"So the bounty is because some noble wants a rare trophy to hang on his sitting room wall," Seth said dryly. "Charming."

Raine's eyes cracked open again as her gaze turned to the thief. "There's a good reason why people would want gorgons dead, Madame. They're massive, constantly pissed off, and covered in plates as hard as steel. But that's not the worst part. They can also breathe out an enchanted smoke, and if you breathe it in, it petrifies you."

"Petrify?" Violet asked. "As in, the gorgon can turn you into stone?"

"That's right, Bottles," the witch answered with a nod.

Claire shook her head and stepped back. "I think I'll skip this one. I have no intention of spending the rest of my life as a statue."

"The effects of petrification are temporary," Minze then said. "However, there are a number of remedies against it. It may be prudent to prepare some in advance before taking the field."

Fiann hastily scrawled in her journal: [We can't wait that long! Someone else'll beat us to killing that gorgon! And we need that reward money!]

Lailah turned to Abel. "This is your decision, Abel. Whatever you decide, I'll accept it."

Abel frowned as he weighed his options. A monster that could turn someone to stone… it didn't sound like something to be trifled with. But as Fiann said, they needed the money. Even with the danger, it would be foolhardy to pass up this opportunity. But they needed to approach this carefully. And after a moment, he made his decision.

"Violet, Minze, you two should stay behind and start working on that petrification remedy. Claire, if you're not up for this, then you should stay with them." Abel looked to the others. "That goes for anyone else. If you think this is too dangerous, then I won't make you come with me." His gaze turned to the others in turn: Lailah, Seth, Holly, Fiann, and Raine. But while some looked nervous- Holly in particular- no one else backed down. After giving them one more moment to reconsider, Abel gave them a nod and said, "…Alright then. We've got a beast to hunt."

The forest surrounding Hesperis was eerily silent, save for the odd rustling or crack of branches as Abel, Raine, and Holly made their way north, in the direction the gorgon had been sighted. They decided before setting out to split into two groups, that they might have better luck finding their prey- Abel's group heading directly north, with the others- Lailah, Seth, and Fiann- going slightly northwest. Towering pines stood all around the group, casting deep eerie shadows over the forest floor, but other than the crunch of dead needles under their feet, there was no sign of life. They heard no birds, nor the scurrying of squirrels or other animals through the brush. Even the trees were silent, save for a faint rustling of branches. It was as if the whole forest was holding its breath, as if it were trying to avoid calling attention to itself.

The air was warm and thick with the trees so close together, but even so, Holly shivered. "This is creepy…" she said faintly. "Where is everything?"

"The gorgon would've driven them off…" Raine replied. "Or eaten anything that tried to stay."

Abel kept his silence. He strained his ears, trying to hear any sign of approaching danger, his grip fixed so tightly on the hilt of his sword that his fingers began to ache. So when Raine spotted something ahead, it almost came as a relief, and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in.

Ahead, a clearing had opened in the trees, revealing a small hill- a mound really, only about as high as Abel was tall. But as they drew closer. Abel realized the mound wasn't natural- it was as if something had scooped out the earth. And the clearing, he realized, wasn't natural either- on all sides were felled trees, broken stumps still standing in the ground where they had once been.

Holly took a few cautious steps forward. "What… is this?" she asked warily. All of a sudden, there was a noisy crunch under her foot. Not the crunching of dead pine needles, but a different sound entirely. She looked down, only to recoil with a cry and fall back.

She'd stepped on what was unmistakably a human arm, stripped almost to the bone, save for a few sinews of flesh at the ends.

Holly retched, bringing her hands up to her mouth. Raine hurried to the mercenary's side, grabbing her by the shoulders to help her back to her feet. Meanwhile, Abel looked around, and spotted other bones and rotting carcasses laying about- some belonged to animals, but more than a few were unmistakably human. His heart hammered in his chest. This place… the gorgon must have claimed it as its lair, bringing back whatever prey it found to feed. And that meant-

A deep rumbling sounded. Abel felt it more than he heard it, more like the rumblings of the earth than the growls of a beast. In an instant, he whipped around, sword flying from its sheath. And found himself face-to-face with a creature unlike any he had seen before. It looked like a bull- it had a pair of long horns, and a bull's shape overall. But its body was covered in scales- or perhaps, plates, which glinted with a dull silver gleam. And its eyes… they burned red, like hot coals.

Abel had never seen a beast like it in his life. But there was only one thing it could have been.

The gorgon.

Abel took a step back before he could stop himself. Raine and Holly hadn't been exaggerating. It was massive- easily as big as a house.

The gorgon's burning red eyes locked on Abel. Then, letting out an angry bellow, it lowered its head and charged. In just a few seconds it closed the distance. But with ease, Abel's wings flared to life, and he flew up out of the monster's path. Then, he dived, thrusting his sword toward the beast's head. But his sword glanced off with a spark, as if he'd hit a wall. And the beast took advantage of the opening, swinging its head and batting Abel aside with its horns.

Abel hit a tree with a loud crack- from the pain that surged through his body, he couldn't say if it was the tree or one of his bones. He tumbled down, hitting the forest floor with an unforgiving thud. But in an instant, the beast was charging again. Gritting his teeth, Abel tried to stagger to his feet…

…but then the gorgon was struck in the side by a pair of fireballs. Skidding to a halt, the beast turned its attention in the direction the fireballs had come. Raine stood, hand extended, the brand on her palm glowing. She quickly traced a sigil in the air, which sprayed a torrent of fireballs across the clearing. But undaunted, the beast began to charge at Raine, the metal plates covering its body glowing red as the fireballs pelted it.

It was enough to give Abel an opening to get back on his feet. His wings flared to life again, and he darted forward, landing on the beast's back. Summoning a sword of light into his free hand, he stabbed it deep into the gorgon's body. The blade plunged through the gorgon's armor plating with ease, as if it were made of paper. Abel was so surprised he lost focus and the sword vanished- it felt like an eternity since he'd encountered something that couldn't resist his magic. But then, the gorgon reared, letting out a furious bellow, and Abel was thrown from its back.

As Abel stumbled to his feet again, the gorgon turned his way, eyes blazing. It let out an odd sound- almost a hiss- and a dark cloud of smoke rushed out of its mouth like a river. "Shit! Everyone get back!" Raine shouted.

Abel didn't need to be told twice. He leapt to the side, his wings giving him an extra push to safety, as the smoke flowed where he had stood just moments before. But the cloud of smoke kept coming, spreading out through the clearing, engulfing everything in its path. Again Abel took flight, covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve, desperately trying not to breathe it in.

When Abel landed, the hissing had stopped, but the smoke still hung thick in the air around the clearing. Fortunately, it seemed it wouldn't spread too far. But the moment Abel touched the ground, something was amiss. His ankle…he couldn't move it. As hard as he tried, it wouldn't bend. He reached down, pulling up the cuff of his trousers, but rather than skin, what he saw beneath was… grey stone.

"Remedium!" Abel laid a hand on his leg, and there was a flash of light… but the stone remained. In fact, the stone had spread to the fingertips on his hand, climbing up both his leg and his arm.

From somewhere beyond the smoke, there was a roar of flames, and a wave of heat. The smoke was still too thick to see through, but that could only mean one thing- Raine was in trouble. The stone was still creeping up his hand and his leg- slowly, but it would only be a matter of time before they became unusable. So he had to make what time he had count. He only hoped his stamina would last long enough.

Wings of white flame surged from his back. He circled around the cloud of smoke, until he spotted the gorgon facing down a familiar figure. The large beast swung its horns at Raine, but she nimbly ducked under them, tracing a sigil that sprayed the gorgon with a long jet of flame. The witch then retreated, drawing her baton which shifted into its longer and far deadlier form. Bracing it against her shoulder, fire erupted from its end with several deafening cracks… but the shots simply bounced off the beast's plates with a shower of sparks. Undeterred, the gorgon charged through Raine's fire, before swinging its head again and batting her aside with its horns. She tumbled over the ground, before coming to a stop some twenty paces away, sprawled out and unmoving. With an angry bellow, the beast began to charge at the fallen witch.

"Raine!" Abel surged toward Raine. He'd hoped to pluck her out of the gorgon's path, but it was much closer to her than he was, and faster despite its size. But then he realized he didn't have to save Raine, just stop the gorgon from reaching her. He flew at the beast, calling a sword of light to his good hand, and slashed it across the face. The blade cleaved through part of the beast's snout, one of its eyes, and completely severed its horn. Bellowing and thrashing its head side to side, the gorgon began to waver, before it crashed through several trees, its legs tangling with the branches and trunks, and it fell.

Abel hovered over the ground, breathing heavily, quickly sinking back to the earth. He was nearly at his limit. He needed to end this now, before the beast could rise again. He tried to call his sword of light again… but nothing happened. He looked down, and saw to his horror that the stone had spread to his other hand. And with both his hands petrified, he was seemingly unable to use his magic.

But at that moment, as the gorgon rose back to its feet, there was a tremendous clamor, and from out of the surrounding woods, a flurry of fireballs, lightning, and arrows fell on the beast. None were able to breach its plating, but it was enough to draw its ire, and with another angry bellow, it charged, away from the clearing. It must have been another hunting party. He only saw one of them- a massive man clad from head-to-toe in red plate armor, wielding a hammer as long as Abel was tall, charging to meet the gorgon head-on.

Abel hobbled awkwardly to hide behind a nearby tree, to take advantage of the opening. The gorgon was distracted for now, but there was no telling how long the other party could hold its attention, and it might choose to ignore them to go for easier prey. He almost didn't make it. The ankle on his other leg had suddenly stiffened and refused to move. And when he tried to use Remedium again, the spell simply didn't work, just as it had when he failed to summon his blade of light.

Stiffly, Abel leaned out from behind the tree, looking toward where Raine had fallen. He could see her chest rise and fall, so she was alive… but he couldn't help her. Not in his current state. And… what had happened to Holly? Was she okay? Had the gorgon gotten her as well?

But then, he heard the crunching of pine needles. Someone was coming. He tried to look over, but he couldn't- his neck wouldn't turn. He had to awkwardly shift his whole body until he faced the direction of the sound. It was Holly. "Abe-" She abruptly stopped when she laid eyes on him, and recoiled in horror. "O bohy…"

She was okay. Abel breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, Holly," he said weakly, trying to put on a brave front, though it was more for Holly's sake than his. "Go… help Raine. I'll b-" His voice abruptly cut off as he felt a cold chill pass up his neck.

Then, his vision went black, and the world became silent.

Abel awoke with a gasp. He bolted upright, looking around, breathing rapidly. He expected to still be in the forest, but instead, he was indoors, in a room he didn't recognize.

"Hey," a familiar voice said. He glanced over to see its owner- Raine, seated on a chair next to his bed. "It's okay. You're safe." She had a massive bruise, one that seemed to run all the way from her left cheek down to her waist, but that aside, the witch seemed to be okay.

Abel looked down at himself. A cursory glance told him he was alright, and all of his limbs moved in whatever way he wanted them to. "Wha- …what happened?"

"The gorgon's breath got you," Raine replied. "After we went down, Jugs carried us back to town herself, after downing a double dose of that medicine of hers." She looked over her shoulder to something behind her. "Make sure to thank her later, got it?"

Abel looked over. Behind Raine, on the bed next to his, Holly was sprawled out, stripped of her armor, glasses set aside. She was asleep, but from her shallow breaths, flushed face, and the way she was sweating, her sleep was not a particularly restful one. "She'll be fine," Raine said, seemingly sensing Abel's concern. "Taking too much of that medicine causes some nasty side-effects, but Miss Maid says Holly's gotten past the worst of it. Now she just needs to rest."

Abel climbed out of bed, and headed for the door, ignoring Raine's protests that he shouldn't move around yet. "…How long was I out?" he asked, as he made his way down the hall outside.

"A couple hours, I'd say," the witch answered as she caught up to him. "You should thank Bottles for making a petrification remedy for you also. And before you ask, everyone else is fine. You were the only one who got hit."

At the end of the hall, Abel stepped out into a small common room, with a number of tables set out. It seemed the others had brought him to an inn to recover. And speaking of the others…

"Abel!" "You're awake." He was quickly surrounded by his companions, all expressing relief he was alright, and asking how he felt. After answering them in turn- and freeing himself from Fiann's crushing embrace- he looked them over for himself. Everyone seemed alright- a few more cuts and bruises than he remembered, but at least no one had been seriously hurt.

"I'm glad you're all okay," Abel began. Then he asked, "But… what happened to the gorgon?"

"It's dead," Claire answered. She hadn't approached Abel, instead remaining seated at one of the tables nearby, glancing over at him with mirthful eyes. Abel recognized the expression. Whenever Zechariah and the other boys decided Abel's torments were done for the day, they would look down at him with the same eyes. "I thought after slaying Guillaume, a gorgon would prove easy prey for you. But perhaps you aren't as strong as you think you are."

Abel frowned, the muscles in his jaw tightening. He wanted to shout at her… but, he managed to maintain his composure. "Who killed it, then? It certainly wasn't you."

The president scowled, and turned away. "That honor goes to the man at the tavern a few doors down. He's been celebrating ever since he returned with the gorgon's head."

There did seem to be some kind of commotion outside, now that Claire had mentioned it. No doubt emanating from the aforementioned tavern. But if the gorgon was truly dead, and by the hands of another, then that meant they'd lost out on the reward money. But they could address that once everyone had recovered. For now, he was just glad they had all survived. …But with that thought came a realization. And after giving the group a second look over, he realized that one of their number was missing, and not accounted for. "…Where's Lailah?" He tensed. "She's not-"

Raine quickly gripped Abel's shoulders. "Hey, Blue, relax," she said quickly. "Sis made it back to town just fine. Just stepped out for a minute. Think she was headed over to the Guild to see if there were any jobs left over." She released Abel, turning away to scratch her head. "Not that I expect there'll be much work for a while. The gorgon would've driven off any marks for the normal billets."

Abel stepped toward the door. "I'm gonna go look for her."

"I'm certain your friend is more than capable of looking after herself, degenerate," Claire said firmly, still not rising from her seat.

"Let him go, Prez," Raine said back. "Otherwise he's just gonna sit around here worrying about her."

The president looked away and scoffed. "Fine. He can do whatever he likes."

With that, Abel made his way out. The moment he stepped outside, he was immediately overwhelmed by the noise coming from the tavern. He spotted the red banners of the Fighter's Guild draped on a building further down, so he began to make his way down the street. But as he passed the tavern, the revelry was interrupted by a loud crash, screams, and angry shouts, followed by a woman shouting angrily, "Why don't you say that again, I dare you!" Abel stopped, but only for a moment. With such a prize on the line, he didn't doubt that tempers would flare as hunters accused one another of sabotage and stealing glory. But the woman inside shouted again, as if in reply to an unheard remark, "We'll see how clever you think you are after I rip your tongue out!"

And that was when Abel was struck by a realization. The voice… it was Lailah's

He quickly rushed to the tavern door and pushed it open. Within, he was greeted by a scene which left him stunned. Lailah stood near one side the tavern, her fists clenched and her teeth bared- they seemed… unnaturally sharp. In front of her was a long, heavy-looking table, one that had been flipped over, scattering its contents all over the tavern, among them, the head of the gorgon, still bearing the wounds Abel had given it. Nearly everyone else in the tavern was on their feet, surrounding Lailah in a circle, hands laid on their weapons… all except one. A grizzled man with greying hair, sharp golden eyes, and a short beard, clad in dark armor that was a mix of leather and steel chain. He remained seated at where the head of the table had once been, a woman seated on each side of him, clinging to each arm in fear. And more importantly, Abel recognized the man. He was one of the Heroes that had been summoned to Lescatie.

Cavall mac Olwen.

The older man's sharp yellow eyes turned to Abel. "The Champion of Bacchus," he said, practically growling. "How kind of you to grace us with your presence."

"You're the last person I was expecting to find here," Abel replied, taking a few steps into the tavern. Lailah spun, but the anger instantly drained out of her when she laid eyes on him, as if someone had pulled a stopper out of her.

Cavall leaned forward. "I could say the same. I was sure a whelp like you would've turned tail and run home at the first signs of danger." Though speaking of whelps…" He leaned forward. "You should keep yours on a shorter leash."

Lailah whirled around to face Cavall again, the fury returning in a flash. Her fist clenched and took a step toward him, but Abel caught her wrist. "Lailah," he began. "What happened here?"

Lailah opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, Cavall cut her off. "I was here, enjoying a few drinks and a few companions, when she came barging in and calling me a thief."

"That's a lie!" Lailah snapped. "Tell him what else you said!"

But Cavall ignored the priestess's words, looking over his shoulder to the bar. "Ale," he said simply. And waited until the tavernkeeper came to his side with a fresh tankard of ale. After taking a long drink, he finally deigned to continue. "As I said, I was having a drink, when your pet stormed in and started making baseless accusations."

Abel took a step forward, tensing. "Tell me exactly what you said."

Cavall leaned back. "I simply stated facts. The gorgon had died the moment it became my prey. There was no other way this hunt could have ended." He took another drink from his tankard. "Just as your failure to kill it was a matter of course."

Lailah bristled, but Abel spoke up first. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly as I said." The older man took another drink. "…Normally, I'm of the mind that a man should stand or fall on his own. So I've never been one to give advice. But I will give you a recommendation, boy: go home. Be content with what meager glory you've won for yourself, and leave the slaying of the Overlord to men of true mettle." He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "The last thing we need is a boy and his nursemaids playing at being a Hero while the men work."

Abel seethed. "Playing? Is that what you think I've been doing this whole time!?" He took a step forward. "I found one of Alondight's altars, and killed one of the Overlord's generals! I'd bet that's more than what you've done!"

Cavall was unmoved. "I will admit, for someone as unremarkable as you, finding an altar is a commendable feat." He took yet another drink. "But I've already found three of mine. Perhaps if you'd spent less time cavorting with women, you might have made more progress." Those were bold words coming from someone with a woman hanging on each arm, Abel thought, though he chose not to voice it. "And as for this alleged encounter with the Black Hand general… I'm certain the princeling was too humble to claim credit for the deed. He has enough accomplishments under his belt as it stands- I'm sure he could afford to give away one or two."

White fire erupted from Abel's back. "I'll show you-"

"Show me what, exactly?" Cavall's voice asked from behind Abel and Lailah, as something sharp grazed the side of his neck. In less time that it took to blink, the older man had slipped behind Abel, and cut him with his axe- the wound wasn't a fatal one, but it was enough to draw blood.

Abel hadn't even seen him leave his chair.

Lailah began to turn. But Cavall quickly turned his axe to her. "You stay right where you are. If you so much as twitch a finger, your head will be the next one to roll across the floor."

Lailah stood, frozen but tense. But Abel… what strength he'd regained failed, and he collapsed to his knees. If Cavall had truly meant to, the older man could've killed both him and Lailah, right then and there. Forget not being able to defend himself, Abel would've been dead before he'd even realized he was in danger.

Cavall circled around the table, back to his original seat. Taking up his tankard, he repeated, "Go home, boy. And take your nursemaid with you. If it's what you desire, I'm sure she'd be more than willing to fill your ears with empty platitudes on the road back to whatever hole you crawled from."

Lailah started toward the older man. But Abel reached out to stop her. "No…" he said faintly.

"But-" she said harshly.

"Just… let it go. Please?"

She hesitated, glaring at Cavall. Finally, she let out a huff and turned away, helping Abel to his feet. "Come on," she said softly. "We should leave."

They made their way out of the tavern, Lailah casting one last glare over her shoulder at Cavall as they left. As they passed, the others in the tavern began to speak out: "Ha, he's running! Some Hero, right?"

"There's no way that charlatan could've slain a member of the Black Hand. It must've been Sir Roland."

"He's just walking away? How pathetic. I'd never let anyone talk down to me like that."

"I don't blame him. If he'd tried something, he would've been dead before he knew what'd happened."

"I bet he's never even set foot in Mavors…"

The jeers continued until Abel and Lailah finally stepped outside the tavern. After a few moments, the sounds of revelry resumed, as if he'd never set foot inside at all.

Abel stepped away, standing on his own, shaking legs. "Lailah-"

"I'm sorry," she said, cutting him off. "I was on my way to the Guild when I saw him passing by with the gorgon's head. I'd meant to congratulate him, but then he started insulting you, and…"

Abel shook his head. "No, it- it's my fault. I… I was the one who was too weak to protect you." He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, before he reached up, and touched the wound on his neck. It stung faintly, the blood leaking from it not quite dry.

That… that was what a Hero- a real Hero- was truly capable of.

So… what did that make him?

Slowly, dragging his feet, Abel stepped out into the road. "Abel, where are you going?" Lailah called out.

"I… the Fighter's Guild. We need to find another job to pay for repairing Captain Baird's ship."

"Let me go with you."

"It's fine." Abel didn't look back. He didn't even stop. "I should be able to handle this much on my own. Just head back to the inn. I won't be gone long." And he trudged down the street, ignoring Lailah's protests.

The sun had set, and the only lights to guide Abel were a handful of burning braziers along the side of the street, and the stars glittering overhead. As he pressed on, struggling to find the guildhall in the flickering firelight, a voice called out to him. It wasn't Lailah however, but the voice of someone he didn't know, smooth and sultry: "You aren't weak, you know."

Abel tensed, hand flying to the hilt of his sword. He glanced around, but didn't see anyone at first. "Come on out."

"I saw what happened, at the tavern," the voice continued, before a figure stepped out of the dark alleyway between two buildings. Abel could see now that it was a woman, with dark eyes and pale hair tied into two tails. Her dress was as dark as night, accented with red ribbons, and she moved with a sinuous grace that seemed almost unnatural. She was around Abel's own height, but her voice, the way she carried herself, gave the impression that she was much older than he was. Stopping a few steps away, she repeated, "You aren't weak."

Abel relaxed, taking his hand off the hilt of his sword, and sighed. "I am compared to him."

The woman tilted her head. "Cavall, you mean? I suppose he is quite powerful. But he was already a veteran of many battlefields before Ares chose him to be his Champion."

Abel sighed. "Are you an admirer of his?"

The woman scoffed. "Hardly. I'm simply a woman whose job is to know things. Cavall mac Olwen included. But I will say this: his strength isn't one to be admired. He may be a Hero, but only in the old Cybelian definition of the word."

"What do you mean?"

The woman responded to Abel's question with one of her own: "Do you know where the word 'Hero' comes from?" When Abel shook his head, she answered, "It came from Old Cybele. It means, 'one who is known by their deeds.' That would include Heroes as we know them today- valiant knights and powerful sorcerers… but cunning thieves and ruthless tyrants would be known as Heroes in old Cybele as well. And Cavall very much falls into that latter category."

Abel frowned, becoming wary. The way this woman was talking him up while breaking Cavall down… "Why are you telling me all of this? And who are you?"

The woman turned away, heading toward the alley where she'd emerged. "My benefactor has a vested interest in your development as a Hero. As for who I am…" She glanced back, eyes glinting with a smile on her face. "…Call me Joanna."

With that, she vanished back into the darkness of the alleyway. "W-Wait!" Abel raced after her, but… she was gone. He looked up, just in case she'd climbed up and bridged herself between the buildings, but the strange woman was truly gone, as if she had never been there.

…What had just happened? Who was that woman, and the "benefactor" she mentioned? Had the stress caused him to imagine the entire encounter? Shaking his head, Abel continued on toward the Fighter's Guild. Whatever had just happened with Joanna, he couldn't let it distract him from what was important.

But once Abel was well out of sight, the shadows coalesced, and Jonanna emerged from the darkness. Letting out a long breath, her back hit the alley wall, and she sank to the ground. She'd meant to engage with the boy for a bit longer, but had to cut things short when she was overwhelmed by a most curious sensation. It had been so long, that she'd actually forgotten about it.

Her heart…

…It was actually beating.

She closed her eyes, trying to quell the sensation. Once upon a time, she would have balked at the thought of a mere human making her heart race like a giddy schoolgirl… but she now fully understood what it was that her master's daughters saw in the young man. It seemed Lady Luxuria had been right. But then… she always was.

Slipping a hand into her pocket, she pulled out a mirror of polished black crystal. She spoke the necessary words, and her reflection was replaced with the light of Lady Luxuria's parlor, her master already seated in front of her own mirror, waiting for her call. And Joanna wasted no time in giving her report. "My Lady," she said. "I made contact with the Hero, just as you requested…"

Raine looked down at the body laying before her. Its head was completely gone, crushed into a black paste coating the bottom of a small crater-like hoof print. But the red armor he wore matched the description in the billet. And so did the hammer clutched in the headless body's hand. "…I think this is our guy."

"Alright." Abel reached down, and wrenched the hammer from the corpse's grasp. It was nearly as long as he was tall, and wouldn't be surprised if it weighed just as much as he did as well. "Fiann, take… this-" He hefted the massive hammer in his hands, holding it out to the bard. "…back to the Guild. Holly, go with her. Tell them we found Crusher."

Raine had been wrong about one thing: the gorgon's presence didn't mean the Fighter's Guild had a shortage of jobs. If anything, the Guild had been overwhelmed with requests literally overnight, asking for help in searching for those who had gone out to hunt the gorgon and had yet to return. Requests came from both concerned citizens, and from hunting parties separated from their companions who were too injured to search for themselves. Cavall had already moved on, uninterested in helping with recovery efforts, as had the majority of the other hunters. The only ones who chose to stay were those looking for someone, or- like Abel's group- those with no way to leave.

Fiann left his side, hammer in hand and Holly in tow. Next to him, Raine rifled through a stack of papers: billets from the Guild, with descriptions of people who hadn't returned. "Looks like that was the last one," she said. "Let's head back to the Guild and turn in these billets."

"Yeah," Abel said absently, his eye falling back on the headless man's body.

Abel could easily have ended up lying where that man was. Hurt as his pride may have been, at least he was able to walk away from all of this with his life. There were plenty who hadn't been so lucky. The body in front of him was proof of that. As were the stack of billets in Raine's hands- of the people they'd been sent to find, not a single one was still alive. Trampled, gored, petrified and shattered to pieces… it could have easily happened to him. Or to Holly. Or Raine. Or Fiann. Or-

"Hey, I found another one over here!" Seth called.

Abel and Raine went to the thief, kneeling next to a petrified body. This one was largely intact, at least at first glance. They were on her knees, looking to their left with a surprised expression, the remnants of a small fire in front of them. Presumably, they had been starting a campfire when the gorgon found them. But something more concerning was the petrified person's appearance- it was a girl, younger than Abel, if he had to guess. "It looks like a kid," Seth said, after looking over the petrified girl herself.

Raine rifled through the stack of billets. "Strange… I don't think anyone reported any missing children to the Guild…" She then stuffed the papers into the inside of her jacket. "Well, whatever. Let's bring her back to town. Someone might recognize her."

Seth looked down at the petrified girl hesitantly. "Is it… safe to move her? Maybe we should ask Violet and Minze to make us more of that de-petrifying potion. Or at least, wait until Fiann comes back."

"Hold on. I should still have some." Abel searched his pockets, before pulling out a small bottle filled with a blue liquid. After what had happened the day before, Violet and her maid had stayed up through the night to make more of the potion that cured his petrification, and gave Abel a whole bottle's worth, to free anyone they found who might have been petrified as he had. So far, he hadn't needed to use it- while they had found some petrified victims, all of them had been shattered into pieces, and thus beyond the potion's help to save.

Opening the bottle, Abel poured a few drops onto the petrified girl. The stone encasing her began to fade, and all at once, she screamed and recoiled, falling on her rear. She raised an arm as if to protect herself, glancing around. Then when her gaze fell on Abel and the others, her eyes widened, she let out a gasp, and began to rise. But Seth was instantly at her side, kneeling down and taking hold of both of the girl's wrists. "Hey, relax!" she said quickly. The girl struggled, but Seth held her firmly.

But quickly, the girl calmed down- or at least stopped struggling to escape Seth's grasp. "…Wha- what happened? Where are we?" she asked shakily.

"Just outside Hesperis. You were petrified by a monster roaming the area." Seth let go of the girl's wrists. "How do you feel? Can you move on your own?"

"I'm fine!" the girl replied, clambering to her feet. She began checking through the pouches on her belt, as if to make sure she still had all her belongings. Now that she was still, Abel could get a better look at her. She was every bit as young as his first glance suggested, probably a few years younger than he was. Her short, messy brown hair was pulled into a short and equally messy tail, her eyes a bright shade of blue, and she wore simple traveler's attire: a knee-length dress of red-and-white, with a thick, worn leather belt with many pouches over her waist, along with a pair of boots that looked well-worn from use. As she searched her belt, the girl asked. "Who are you people? Are you local?"

Seth stood, taking a step back. "No we're not. We're travelers passing through the area. My name's Seth. Those two are Abel and Raine."

The girl turned her attention to Seth fully, seemingly satisfied with her search. "…Liz. I'm a trader from Hellena."

Seth tilted her head. "Hellena… you're from Proserpina then."

Raine stepped forward, looking the girl over. "Aren't you a little young to be a trader?"

The girl- Liz- glared up at Raine, putting her hands on her hips. "Hey! I'll have you know I'm a fully-vested member of the Amorenya Trading Company! Got my own charter and everything!"

"Oh well that changes everything," Raine said mockingly, before bowing low in Liz's direction. "Please forgive our rudeness, madame. How may we humble servants aid you?"

Liz huffed but didn't rise to Raine's bait. Instead, she turned to Abel and Seth. "…You wouldn't happen to have any food on you, would you?"

Abel and the others reported to the Guild to receive their reward: five silver marks for every person they'd found, for a total of thirty-five. They also inquired if anyone had been looking for the girl they'd found, but no one recognized her. While her story seemed a bit questionable, at the very least, she wasn't local. So Abel and the others brought Liz back to the inn to tell her story to the others.

"So… you said you were a trader?" Lailah asked. "The… Amorenya Trading Company, was it?"

"That's right," Liz replied with a nod, barely looking up from her bowl. The inn's meal was simple- a pot of rice and stewed vegetables, but the young trader had already eaten three bowl's worth, and showed no intentions of slowing down. "Now that the Vargo Group's been dissolved, one of their rivals in Lohan was looking to set up a partnership, so I was headed down from Kazas to handle negotiations. I was setting up camp for the night when I heard something creeping up on me." She brought the bowl to her lips, slurping down the last of her stew. "Then the next thing I know, those three-" She pointed at Abel, Seth, and Raine. "-are staring down at me." Liz then looked away, as if remembering something. "Hang on… what day is it today?"

"Huh?"

Liz jumped to her feet, knocking her chair over. "The date! What's the date today!?"

"It's… the twenty-sixth of Molioris," Seth replied.

"Dammit! …the Company booked me passage on a boat to Lohan, but it was supposed to leave on the twenty-third. I doubt they hung around to wait for me." She turned away, hand on her chin, grumbling to herself.

From what Liz said, Abel surmised that she must have been outside Hesperis for at least a few days. And that realization brought a troubling thought. Minze had said petrification would wear off in time, but neglected to mention how much time it would take. If he and the other's hadn't found Liz, how long would she have been stuck out in the woods? Days? Weeks? And she would have been completely vulnerable to any monsters or bandits that passed by.

But any further ruminations were interrupted when Raine spoke up. "We have a boat," she said. "And we're headed to Istar. We can give you a lift to Lohan."

"It's not really our boat, Raine," Abel said quietly. "It belongs to Captain Baird."

"You helped pay for it, Blue- it's totally your boat!" She touched her chin. "Well, it's at least one-third your boat. Or… maybe, twenty percent?"

Seth stepped forward with a huff. "…We have a ship we came here on. But its sails were damaged in a recent storm, and we don't have the money to pay for repairs. We're trying to gather funds, but-"

But then Liz cut in with a smile. "Money troubles, eh? Well, you just let me foot the bill in this one, alright?" Without hesitating, the young girl grabbed a pouch from her belt and dropped it on the table- a dozen small golden coins spilled out. And judging from how the pouch bulged, there were plenty more still inside. "I think two hundred florins should be more than enough."

"Two hundr- what's a kid like you doing throwing around so much money!?" Raine stammered, reaching for one of the coins.

But Liz slapped the witch's hand away. "It's a perk of being a chartered Company member. Whenever they send us out for a job, we're provided a decent chunk of change- y'know, to cover travel costs, hire bodyguards, and just in case we need a little something-something to sweeten the deal in negotiations." She picked up one of the coins, rolling it between her fingers. "So I don't think the Company will mind me spending some of their florins to get your ship seaworthy again. So how about it? I pay for your ship to get fixed, and you give me a lift to Lohan." With her thumb, Liz flipped the coin into the air, snatching it out of the air with a grin.

"Seems like a fair deal, don't you think?"