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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerulean_Wings" data-source="post: 4045608" data-attributes="member: 55060">Heeeeeeeey! I bet you didn't see this coming, huh? An update in two consecutive days?  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f60e.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":cool:" title="Cool    :cool:"  data-smilie="6"data-shortname=":cool:" />I have more energy and time than before, and thus there will be more frequent updates. Let us rejoice. I'm taking my time to write each chapter at a slower pace, rather than rushing scenes and leaving stuff unfinished or vague. Let's see how it works. Or rather, you tell me if it works, how about that?  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />   Chapter 24Unforgotten deedsVincent kept running beside Mountaineer Graybeard’s lizard mount and was beginning to find it difficult to breathe after merely sixty feet of such exercise. The old dwarf had offered to give the squire a ride, but he had refused and now he was paying the price of putting his pride ahead of his bodily limitations; his heavy armor didn’t allow for much running. “How far ‘till the center of the town?” Vincent asked the Mountaineer as they went. They had heard reports from several villagers of a fight going on in the abandoned guild house by the center of Wellspring, and it had taken a mere minute for the Mountaineer’s to get organized for the investigation. In the waning day, as the twilight enveloped the town in partial, Vincent could spot at least fifteen other lizard riders moving in the same direction in groups of four and five. “Not much, lad” the Mountaineer replied in a serious tone. By the looks of it, Wellspring didn’t have many dangerous confrontations going in within its walls, and thus the call from several townspeople drove the guards to exterminate whatever potential trouble had risen. Or at least that’s what Vincent figured. To the elf’s eyes, even without the help of the torches carried by the Mountaineers, it was easy to tell what was going on in the scene ahead. There was a robed man talking to another in leather armor by the temple stairs, while a third lay down on the floor nearby, his hands bound by ropes. Vincent felt his throat constrict a bit, seeing that this involved a member of his group, Gon, who was talking to the priest.Many things happened at once after the whole Mountaineer troupe reached the very center of the town. A squad of four dismounted their lizards in order to rush into the supposedly abandoned guild house. Another group of five guards moved over to the temple’s entrance in order to converse with the priest and Gon.  The third squad started patrolling the perimeter of the area, not stopping even for concerned citizens that approached every now and then to inquire what the matter was.Vincent didn’t know where to go, and so he stayed in between the mayor’s house and the guild house until he could find a task to assist with. He couldn’t spot Gilliam, Kahleen or Darius anywhere, and hoped that they would be there soon. “We need a healer!”.Coming from the guild house were two Mountaineers, and in their arms they carried an unconscious armored man whose blond hair looked like spikes, as if he had been electrocuted.“Darius!” Vincent cried, surprised and worried to see the soldier there of all places, and very much wounded to boot. He had practically reached them when he realized what the Mountaineers carrying his friend had asked for. “Are you a healer, lad?” one of the pair inquired with some suspicion, as Vincent looked more like the fighting type. Vincent stopped dead in his tracks and stood there awkwardly. “W-well, no, but he-“ he began to say, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and stopped. It was Kahleen. The shaman nodded to the two men carrying Darius and they placed him down on the ground face up without a word. Chanting softly and moving her hands, Kahleen summoned an amber glow that moved from her onto Darius’ body, healing some of his wounds in the span of a second. Darius opened his eyes and practically attempted to jump up as if to defend himself. When he saw the guards, Kahleen and Vincent, he relaxed, slumping back on the floor, exhaling a deep breath. “Rest” was all that the shaman instructed him.Seeing that there wasn’t much to be done with the soldier of Seawall, Vincent nodded to himself and headed towards the temple. He heard the other guards drag a pair of bodies from the guild house as he left. Mountaineer Graybeard and four others were conversing with the priest, and Gon stood there mutely a couple of feet away, a forlorn look on his face. “Gon” Vincent called, as his first impulse was to talk to his companion. “What happened? Who is that bloodied man lying on the ground?” he asked. The usually cheerful man merely shook his head and sighed as a response. Since it looked like he wasn’t going to be talking much at the time, Vincent didn’t press the issue and turned to the conversing priest and guard. “I’m telling you, Mountaineer Graybeard, that this man isn’t who you are looking for” the priest was insisting, his hands moving about emphatically in Gon’s direction as he did. The dwarf snorted in return. “Ye jest, Han! I know ye’re nice to people an’ all, but this be too much; ye can’t just allow this man, this felon, to walk away without paying for what he did all those years ago!”. Wagging a finger in front of his face, Graybeard added, “That ain’t justice”.Rolling his eyes, as if it was too obvious for him, the priest sighed. “Didn’t you hear my words, just now? By Berethor, if I’m saying this isn’t him, then it isn’t him! I have a long memory, Mountaineer Graybeard, and I most certainly would recognize one of my own order if he were to stand close to me”.   Both dwarf and human stared at each other in silence, and after what seemed like an eternity the dwarf nodded, almost reluctantly, and began to move away. One barked order sent the Mountaineers close to him to start patrolling the area. Once the dwarf was out of ear shot, the priest appeared more relaxed. He was about to say something to Gon when he noticed Vincent, who had stood there listening intently. “What is it, young man?” the priest asked in a soft voice. He was over fifty years old, but clearly below seventy. Maybe somewhere in between, Vincent judged.“Ah, yes, of course” the squire replied, not having expected the man’s attention so soon. “I am Vincent Ender, squire of House Kashtar, and my group and I have traveled from Seawall in a mission of importance to my House. This man-“ he gestured towards Gon with one gauntleted hand, “-is one member of the group, and thus I feel compelled to ask how he’s involved in this conflict that occurred here”.  A small smile formed on the priest’s face. “House Kashtar, you say? You have my blessings, young squire; the House of Honor is more than an ally to the church of the God of Clarity. My name is Hantel Raft, although people call me Han more often than not” the man said in greeting. His face turned more serious when he was about to embark on the next topic. “There was a fight in the guild house involving members of a criminal group that has been pestering our fair town for ages” he explained, looking at the bound unconscious man that lay on the floor nearby.“This one is Faren, one of the mages of the group. The town guard had had suspicions about his shady deals for a long time, but until now they didn’t have enough evidence to do anything about it. When they attacked Gon, and his friend, the blond soldier, they pretty much gave themselves over”.“The blond one would be Darius, good priest” Vincent clarified for him.“I see. In any case, the thieves were involved in many illegal transactions of items in Wellspring, which obviously caused its own fair share of troubles for all of us as we tried to prevent this from happening. Alas, the group won’t be fully weeded out, but your friend’s efforts certainly have caused improvements in the long run”. Hantel looked at Gon for a moment, as if to see if the man had heard his words of praise. Vincent glanced at the red-haired soldier as well. “Why did the group target him and Darius, though? And what were you saying earlier on about a member of your church, priest Hantel?”.“Years ago, what seems like decades, there was a very loyal acolyte of Berethor living here in the temple with the rest of the order” Hantel explained, taking his time to pronounce each word with care. “The man was quite energetic, and people couldn’t help but feel more cheerful as well, contagious as his mood was. The temple needed funds for its projects, and needless to say Wellspring didn’t-and still doesn’t- have spare coin for even that. This acolyte, he… he struck deals with the group of rogues, in order to obtain this money for the temple”.The squire looked blankly at the priest as he digested the information. After a moment, his expression turned to one of disbelief. “Surely you can’t be saying that-“ he said slowly, looking from Hantel to Gon and back to the aged priest, not willing to state out loud what he had just understood. “I’m afraid so” Hantel replied with a grave nod. “Gon was the acolyte that I’m speaking about. He left right after he and I had a-ahem-discussion with regards to his dealings with the shadowy group”. One glance at the soldier said it all, for he was pointedly looking away, arms folded across his chest. To say that Vincent was flabbergasted would have been an understatement. “I-I would never have known…” he mumbled. “I’m sure he kept the secret safe, like he always did with any other secrets of his” the priest said with a knowing tone.Vincent was about to approach Gon when he heard a voice behind him calling his name.“Vince! There you are!”.It was Gilliam. The squire’s bodyguard approached at a light trot, looking relieved to see him in one piece. “Thanks goodness you’re here. I would’ve killed myself if you were one of the several bodies found in the guild house!” the man exclaimed. Just then, he noticed the awkward silence that his words generated. The mercenary offered a hand to the priest, and they exchanged greetings swiftly.“What have I missed?” the mercenary inquired. Vincent patted him on the shoulder and moved him in the opposite direction of Gon. “Here, let me tell you what I just heard…” the elf said as they walked away. This left Hantel and Gon by themselves at the steps of the church. “Would you mind helping me carry Faren inside, acolyte?” Hantel bade Gon in a soft voice as he bent down to lift the mage’s body off the ground. Gon seemed startled by this request, but the soldier accepted wordlessly after a second.Together, they started to carry the unconscious man inside the temple.“Just like old times, yes?” Hantel inquired.Gon did his best to look uninterested. “It will never be like old times, Seer Raft”.</blockquote>

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