The Divine Ritual of Champions; a sacred ritual in which a temple seeks, summons, or appoints someone as the newest Champion of their God or Goddess. The Champion-to-be is sometimes already in their midst but requires training and or upbringing into the ways of being a Champion. Other times the next child to be born into this world is deemed “The Summoned Champion” and is trained and schooled as soon as they’re capable. Otherwise the ritual is used to appoint someone who has already been going through the training as a sort of formal inauguration into the position of “Champion”.

            My story’s a bit different. Before I was born the elders of my temple performed The Divine Ritual of Champions but, much to the elders’ dismay, none were appointed or found within the temple’s precinct. It was decided that the next child born would be raised up as the next Champion. That’s when my poor pregnant mother, bless her soul, was just entering the town closest to the temple. She was barely there for a week before going into labour. My father was sent out to fetch a Priest while the inn-keeper’s wife assisted my mother in birthing me. As he returned, the Priest in tow, I had already been born; unfortunately, though, my mother was suffering severely and was in danger of not surviving the ordeal. The Priest my father found had not been trained as well as he probably should have been in the medical arts, or so everyone thought. My parents, and in turn, myself as well, were Airenian; a race of people similar to humans but with Elf-like ears and glowing-Draconic eyes. My race of people are also considered to be the origin of Humanity's blood-lust and corruption; which lead to our people, even those who could be considered saints, to be hated and discriminated against by humans.

It is still unknown if my mother died after childbirth due to intentional malpractice by that Priest or if he just was truly unprepared for such an event. Regardless, my father couldn’t take care of me on his own, he was a merchant and thus couldn’t look after me while conducting business; let alone feed me at such an early age. He decided quickly after my mother was declared dead that I would be given to the temple to be raised there by the nuns, monks, and other priests.

Rumours of my birth spread quickly;

“The newest child of the region, an Airenian girl!”

“How could such a monstrosity be born here, now!?”

“Maybe this is the work of Idor, humbling us with this child?”

“I hear she’s being raised at the temple!”

“What will the elders say!? Will they accept this child as the next Champion!?”

From what I’ve been told the elders didn’t accept my birth as one of the ritual’s options and so they waited a year before performing it again. Immediately it was revealed that the next champion had already been born a year ago and was already in their midst. Quickly the elders began fighting amongst themselves, some saying that I was clearly the next Champion, the others arguing that it’s impossible that ‘That thing’ could be the next Champion. By the time I spoke my first word some of the nuns and priests decided to start teaching me; some even going as far as teaching and preparing me for for my role as Champion in secret. When I became old enough to be deemed ‘ready for combat training’, I began sparing. My schedule was always packed; if I wasn’t studying, I was sparing, if I wasn’t sparing I was practicing my magic. I barely had the time to eat and sleep, let alone play and be a kid.

Though sometimes, on very rare occasions, a traveling group of adventurers would stop by the temple requesting healing, shelter, or other assistance. Even rarer than that, a group of adventurers would have a Performer accompanying them! They’d play music, dance, put on small plays, read their literature, or tell of their many adventures in the world! Because it happened so rarely, I convinced my mentors to let me watch and listen to their performances if and when they popped in. I instantly fell in love with the idea of performing; it was such a beautiful way to tell stories and live! I would even have dreams about traveling around the world, performing plays, and singing songs of my adventures. It got to the point where when I’d hear of the elders still arguing about whether or not I was truly the next Champion that I’d hope they were right and that I could abandon my studies to become a Performer.

When I was around the age of thirteen, the elders performed the ritual one more time- who knows how many times they’ve performed it since I was born out of arrogance- and was given the equivalent of a slap in the face, or so I assumed, because the next day they declared the next Champion has been confirmed! It really was me! A surge of emotions ran through me; on one hand I was finally accepted as the next Champion and could study and spar more openly, but on the other hand it meant my dreams of becoming a Performer would never come true. I decided to accept the title of Champion, though, because I knew it was my destiny and that trying to work against it would only spell trouble for myself and those around me.

For the next few years my training got incredibly more difficult, and my studies followed equally as strenuous. The elders even stopped allowing Performers to perform in or even enter the temple so that I wouldn’t be distracted. While that did help my studies and training, it did make my heart mourn for the loss of that art in my life.

When I turned eighteen, I was given my first actual set of armour and my first real weapon! It was all very heavy compared to what I’ve been training with my whole life, but I got used to it quicker than I thought I would. I was told it was “of the highest quality the temple could afford”, and genuinely I had no complaints; it fit nice, wasn’t too hot or too cold even when worn in the sun, and didn’t weigh me down. The armour consisted of: a pair of steel bracers engraved with a prayer each, a chainmail overshirt, a padded-leather undershirt, a padded-leather pair of pants, and some good quality boots to go along with it all. My first weapon I received was a javelin made of hard Stylbirch and tipped with steel! I could easily throw it fifty meters, despite its impressive weight; though my mentors have advised me to only do so if I have a second weapon at hand as to not disarm myself.

Once I mastered my new equipment and was moving at the same speed as I had been before receiving it, I was given my primary weapon, a flail and shield! The flail consisted of a Stylbirch handle connected, by a hefty chain, to a medium-sized metal sphere covered in spikes. The shield, also made of Stylbirch, had my temple’s symbol on the outside surface, so others may easily identify me and understand where I come from, and another prayer engraved on the side that faces me. As to why I wasn’t given my primary weapon first, I asked my mentors and they told me something along the lines of,  “If your main weapon fails, you need to make sure your backup weapon will resolve the current situation no matter what.” Mastering my new flail and shield combination didn’t take long seeing as it was similarly weighted and sized as my training weapons.

When I turned twenty years old, the elders of the temple performed the ritual one last time to recognize, appoint, and give me the official title I had been preparing myself for my whole life. During the ritual I was crowned with a circlet made of silver and headed with a green emerald so that my prayers may be amplified to those around me. I was also given a cape that had my temple’s symbol on it as well to represent Idor’s comfort and guidance when in hard times. Finally I was adorned with a medallion that had the symbol of Idor on it; this, I was told, was to make sure I kept his grace and image close to my heart while also displaying openly whomst I served.

My weapons and armour were blessed and my name was engraved onto a brass placard and placed in the temple’s prayer-room so that I may receive constant protection from those who pray there. I retrieved my few personal belongings from my room and placed them in a leather backpack: a thick wool blanket, an ornate lantern I bought at a festival in a neighboring town when I was a young girl, and my journal.

Once I had my things gathered I said my goodbyes and was on my way out of the temple when one of the nuns stopped me at the gate, “Here, dearest,” She said warmly, “To get you started on your journey.” She gave me as big of a hug as she could placed her wrapped gift in my backpack. “Oh, and remember, ‘Rae’, the only thing scarier than a wolf or demon is the unchaste!” She wore a kind smile, though if you looked past the smile you could see the sadness of that equal to a mother saying goodbye to her child.

“Goodbye, Sister Myrn,” I reverently replied, “I’ll return at least once a year. I promise!”

She stepped aside and waved as I walked valiantly through the outer gate of the temple grounds and down the twisting mountain trail towards the closest town, ‘Creya’. It was early spring when I first set out, patches of snow still remained where the sun had yet to shine, though it probably wouldn’t be the last of it for the season, especially this far north. Creya wasn’t too far from the temple; I’d gone there several times as a young girl for various festivals, errands, and the sorts, only takes the average person around an hour to go to or from the small town. Along the path there were always torches lit every ten meters or so, so that none would get lost no matter what time they ventured to or from the temple. I’ve never seen anyone light them before, so I always assumed it was a magic spell one of the elders used or these were the kind of torches that never burned out.

Once I arrived at Creya, I made my way to the center of town where the local bulletin board was stationed. Adventurers use these to get a sense of what a town needed, be it items, tasks carried out, or missing or wanted people. It was also a place to get the latest news of the region.

The bulletin board was cluttered, as usual, with plenty of tasks to do:

• Frost-head Princess missing: 5 Iridium reward for her safe return, public execution if she’s returned harmed or dead.
• Dozen apples needed: 15 copper. -Greda
• Lousy sheep-eating wolf: 1 silver for its head. See Jako when it’s completed.
• Nanny for hire: 5 copper per day. Ask about this flier at the Inn.
• Wanted ‘Doctor Strangelove’ for leveling several buildings in the region: Bring to Snowmelt’s king alive for 1 platinum, dead gets you 50 gold.
• Party member needed: Adventure, glory, gold, and all the ladies your heart desires. Ask about this flier at the nearby Inn.
• Farm hand needed: Food and shelter as well as pay based on farm’s income per month. See Jako for details.

            Lots of variety… I need something that’ll let me spread the good name of Idor while not making myself out to be some paid assassin. Reaching for a few of the fliers, I collect the one about the missing princess, the wolf, the wanted doctor, and the party member. I’ll go ask Jako about this wolf problem, I decide turning to one of the few children playing in the road. I kneel down, as to not look down upon the children I ask, “Do any of you know where I can find a ‘Jako’? Supposedly a farmer, has a wolf problem?”

            “Woah!” One of the kids explains rushing over to me, “Is this real armour!?”

            “It’s really here isn’t it?” I joke, but it must’ve flown clear over their low heads as they just give me a puzzled look. “Yes,” I finally say after a pause, “It’s real.”

            “That mean you is an adventurerer?” One child asks strangely.

            “I-in a sense, sure,” I pause looking for an adult to ask instead, “Although I just started my adventuring today.”

            “Woooah…” The children unanimously chant in awe.

            “So… No Jako then?” Attempting a second try at the question at hand.

            The kids look at each other then around the small courtyard then back at me, “He’s over there!” The tallest boy shouts, “Just past the Inn and to the lef- no, right!”

            “Past the Inn and to the right?” I confirm hesitantly.

            The kids all nod still giddy about my real armour. I guess they’ve never seen chainmail before? “Well thank you for your help, Idor bless you all.” My departing words rolling off my tongue as naturally as any other phrase; though it felt different, as I’ve rarely said that to anyone outside of the temple before…

            “Idor bless you too, lady!” One of the kids shout as I turn to walk away before going back to whatever chaotic game they were playing.

            I pass the Inn and head to the right and notice a meadow between myself and the next house. Within the meadow there are three sheep, wool freshly shaven and munching on the tall, plentiful grass. As I approach the house, I notice an older man with a thick white beard sitting on a rocking chair observing the sheep in the meadow.

            “Did yous kill that darned wolf yet!?” The man shouts at my general direction.

            “That’s what I’ve come to speak with you about, sir!” I reply, trying my hardest to make my voice carry the distance without sounding aggressive. I quicken my pace and greet the man on his porch where he sat, “I take it you’re Jako?”

            “Depends on who’s a askin’!” The man snaps, “I don’t need me some trouble ‘round here ‘nymore than I already gots!”

            “Yes,” I say with a forced smile, “That’s why I’m here, Jako. I saw your flier on the bulletin board?” I pull out his flier and hand it to him.

            “This ain’t a wolf head, what’d you do? Get up on some wild shroom or somethin’?” He angrily asks throwing the flier back at me.

            I pause to collect myself, “Where did this wolf come from? Or go even? Do you have any clues? Or do you just want any wolf’s head for the bounty?”

            The man thinks to himself, stroking his beard and rocking lightly in his chair, “Alls I know is that darn vermin came from back yonder,” He points to beyond his small barn where I assume his sheep sleep, “He done did took one of my sheep and dragged its bloody body somewhere off into the woods, didn’t get a good look at the thievin’ creature… But I’m sure the blood trail’s still fresh if yew wanna look for it yerself!” He sits back in his chair and continues to rock in it, waiting for me to ask another question or to go away.

            “Thank you,” I say politely, “I’ll go take a look and see what I can find.” He shoos me away with his hand before turning his attention back towards his sheep.

Back behind his small barn, I notice the blood trail; it had since dried up, but it was still noticeable, even in the shadier parts of the woods. I followed it some ways off from the meadow and noticed it led to a small cave, bingo. I light up my lantern with a click of its starter, ready my flail and shield, and step into the cave. My steps echo throughout the cave with only the faint dripping sound of the stalagmites replying to my movements. Deeper into the cave I stop being able to see the mouth of this cavern and begin feeling something underneath my boots… Something crunchy. I squat down to get a better look and notice what I’m stepping on are bones! I quickly jump back a few paces in a panic before collecting myself. Calm down, Rae, it’s just bones… This likely won’t be the last time you see them. Whatever brought the sheep here has probably been bringing all of its meals back here. I look around at the bones to confirm that this is actually a wolf and not something… Larger.

As I search the remains I find a rib cage and what I think is a pelvis covered in teeth-marks; but these teeth aren’t that of a wolf, no, I’ve seen how a wolf gnaws at a bone, this is something different. I search around some more, trying to find more clues. Some bits and tufts of fur and wool, a farming implement, and… Skulls!? What on the material plane did I just discover? I shine my lantern onto the neatly piled skulls; the pile varied from sheep, to deer, to human, to a Hum’Dova’s. I can feel my heart starting to pulse faster, but I have to remain calm, ‘losing one’s self is an easy way to be defeated by anything’ after all. Upon closer investigation, I notice some unlit candles adjoined to some of the skulls, It’s an altar! Whatever is here, it’s definitely NOT a wolf… Just as I make that connection, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I sense the presence of something… Vile... Impure… Undead. I say a quick prayer in my heart as I turn towards where I sense the abomination coming from, raising my shield and giving my flail a bit of momentum.

“Ah…” The vile thing manages to gargle, “It is so nice, for my food to come to me, for once…”

It’s clearly somewhat intelligent, so it can’t be a wraith, or zombie. My mind races. We’re too far from water for it to be a drowned… And its speech is too dull for a vampire or one of its spawn…

Its steps grow closer as it hobbles just at the edge of my lantern’s light, “It is, unwise, to fight back, girl.” Its words rough and rigid like the cave it dwells in.

A ‘Null’! I know how to handle this. Just like my books said, it’s weak to divine magic! The Null dashes at me at incredible speed, but I manage to deflect its attack with my shield, diverting its momentum to my left and following up with a heavy blow from my flail. The Null drops immediately to the ground with a thud, its spine- or what would be, had it not been for my flail- now glowed a radiant yellow-white as the glory of Idor surges through the Null.

The radiant light begins searing the Null’s remaining flesh before slowly turning it to ash. As it disintegrates, the Null does what every Null does when it takes damage, release spores. After all, it isn’t the Null you have to be worried about, too much, it’s the fungus that creates the Null to begin with. If it is allowed to take root in a host, in a matter of days it will take control of the host and use the new body to gather nutrients by any means, usually by taking livestock or innocent people wandering a bit far off the trail. Once it gains enough nutrients, it will lodge itself on top of the tallest thing it can find, a tree, mountain top, a house, anything and work overtime to produce as many spores as it can; releasing them out into the world to spread onto as many things as possible. Luckily, if one get treated by a Priest or Champion, such as myself, before it takes root, there’s nothing to worry about! Priests and Champions are immune to their vile spores as apart of the rituals that are used to set these people apart; Undead magics and ailments do not affect us in the slightest, unlike the unholy folk.

As this was my first time encountering a Null in-person, I didn’t know that the spores would literally incinerate if they got too close to my skin or armour… Now what was that altar all about??? I start examining the altar and to my surprise I don’t recognize the symbols, so it isn’t one of the Nine Divines… Which means it’s either a lesser-god, a demon, or an evil spirit. This wasn’t the work of the Null I fought earlier; while they generally have some kind of intellect, they’re not complicated enough to build anything, let alone worship anything. They’re just fungus, after all… Unless…

I decide to return to the farmer, Jako, to update him on the situation. Walking back to Jako’s I can feel the hair on the back of my neck stand back up again. Is there another Null nearby? The though echoes in my mind as I ready my flail and shield again, giving the flail a light flick to get its momentum going.

Crack

A branch snaps beneath something’s weight; they’re to my left, about twenty meters out. My medallion, still radiating the warm divine light of Idor, filled me with reassurance as I prepared for the Null to show itself. A figure donning a white beard emerges from behind a tall bush, it’s Jako.

“What in the name of Mara are yew doin’ sneakin’ ‘round like that!” He demanded fearfully, “‘Bout gave me a heart attack!”

Scanning him with my eyes, ensuring he wasn’t affected by the Null’s spores I can tell he’s the same old man from earlier. “I investigated that ‘wolf’ problem, like you asked. It wasn’t a wolf, but a Null.” The name of the creature alone was enough to stun the old man, “I was going back to warn you when I heard something coming.”

“Well it weren’t a Null!” He says, shaking a finger at me accusatively, “I’d seen it with my own two eyes! A wolf, woman! It was a wolf!” The old man seemed a bit shaken, but it seemed like he was hiding something…

“I found the remains of several sheep, deer, and even people in a cave nearby,” I explain, “I can assure you it was no wolf. What are you doing out this way, anyways?”

Jako looks around nervously, “I-I-I thought you were a goner, so I came to investigate the problem, myself…” He scratched the back of his head, “Y-you see, I’ve sent at least two other ‘venturers over the past few days to look into the matter… A-And neither them came back. I don’t know where they got off to, but I-I was just makin’ sure the same fate didn’t fall onto you either…”

So he’s sent two other adventurers, at minimum, to their dooms? Holstering my flail onto my belt again, I think back to the altar. Why didn’t I see their gear? The fungus doesn’t affect metal or things like leather… Something fishy is going on here.

“Let’s head back to your cabin for now,” I sigh, “I’ll need to look into the matter more.” I reach to pat him on the back as a sort of signal to get going as I walked past him but he jumps away from my hand in fear. “Are you okay? You seem a bit… Jumpy.”

“I-I’m f-fine,” He assures me, “Just worried about the state of thangs.” I walk past him and hear him start to follow me back to his cabin.

“I’m going to come back after I ask some others about what they’ve seen, if at all,” I confirm to Jako as we step foot onto the patio of his cabin near the meadow, “Shouldn’t take too long, but I’ll return to you with my results in a few hours.” He gives me a questionable, yet worried, smile before taking a seat in his rocking chair again. The Inn is probably the best place to start, see what any travelers or common folk have been seeing, if anything at all...

Upon entering the Inn, the dark atmosphere- lit by only a central firepit and a few offset windows no bigger than my head- gives me a cozy, yet buzzing feeling. I ask around to a few of the patrons if they’ve seen anything suspicious as of late but with no luck. With a growl, my stomach makes it clear to me that it’s been a while since I last ate so I take a seat at the closest table, setting my shield up against my chair, and set my backpack on the dark and dusty surface. Unbuttoning the top flap, I remember Sister Myrn’s package and decide to open it; a few small loafs of lembas bread, a coin pouch containing thirty gold coins, a note from Sister Myrn, and an empty notebook.

“Rae’Nör:

I hope this helps kick-start your adventures!

Remember to only take a small-bite’s worth of the lembas bread, that alone should fill you up, so don’t eat more than that in one sitting! On the back of this note should be the recipe for it in case you run out and are unable to buy more. I should have also included thirty gold coins in case you need supplies or lodging, I know you’ll be able to make the most of it. Included should also be an empty notebook, make sure to log all of your adventures and to update it daily about your day! I look forward to your eventual visits and pray for your safety. Remember to say your prayers, keep your oaths, and to trust your instincts; there are a lot of bad people in this world, don’t let them take advantage of- or hurt- you!

-Sincerely,

Sister Myrn”

I tuck the note into the notebook before saying a prayer on my little piece of lembas. Just as I finished, I opened my eyes to three strangers I hadn’t seen earlier, making me jump a little in fright.

“Woah, didn’t mean to scare ya, lass,” The first one apologizes. He was an averaged-height gnome wearing dark-leather clothes, a dagger- that was big enough for him to be his sword-, and a loaded crossbow strapped to his back. “My name’s Bry, Bry Gree. What’s yer name?” He extends his little arm expecting me to shake it.

“Rae’Nör.” I reply, shaking his hand with mine before consuming my piece of lembas.

“So… What brings… You here?” One of the others ask painfully slowly. This one was a Ent, I could see no weapons on him, but I could feel the natural magic pulsating off his bark like a heartbeat.

“Oh, I was anointed the title of ‘Champion’ today and began my journey to fulfill my oaths,” The group of people before me seemed to be more at attention than before, “As well spread the good name of Idor.”

Bry punches the Ent only to painfully regret it, “Don’t forget to tell ‘er yer name, mate. Don’t be rude!”

“They call me… Oakenson...” His voice is rough and carries like sandpaper.

“Is that because you’re an oak tre-”

“No no,” Bry interrupts holding his hands out as if to stop a rampaging rabbit, “That just be ‘is name…” He hops onto the table and whispers in my ear, “He’s a tad sensitive ‘bout that sorta thing, ya know?”

“Ah okay,” I nod in understanding, “What your pet’s name?”

Oakenson and Bry look at each other confused then Bry comes to the realization, “OH! Yew misunderstand, lass…” He gestures towards the orange house cat wearing a little hat an cloak sitting on the table, “This is Jerry.”

“Nice to mewt you!” Jerry says with a wink before going back to licking his paw.

“Jerry’s a Nek’ko, if you’ve ever heard of one of ‘em before.” Bry clarifies after seeing my confusing and horror when Jerry spoke, “No one knows where they come from, or how they differ from normal house cats beyond their ability to speak and use magic, of course… All anyone really knows is they’re somewhat common in the Vas’ki Deserts south east of the Ascensia kingdom!”

My face shows clear concern at the dynamics of this group in front of me. None of them are what you could consider ‘normally-sized’, and they look like the kind that’d start something over a simple misunderstanding. “So, are all of you a party or something? Or did you just get acquainted while individually resting here?” My words attempt to be gentle, seeing that I barely avoided offending them twice in a matter of seconds.

“Mhm,” Bry hums, “Indeed we are, though we’re not all here…” He points upwards, “We got one more in this here Inn’s attic waiting for us to find another party member.”

“Oh, so you’re the group that posted the flier?” I inquire curiously as I pull out the flier that I grabbed earlier that day.

“Yes! You look to be in need of a party as well, yourself, no?” He gives me a sort of devilish grin that makes me mildly uncomfortable. “I think we could use someone like you, you know? An up-close and personal kind of fighter for when things get, well… Messy. We’re all very ill-equipped to handle close quarters threats, after all.”

He makes some good points, but the way he’s posing and the way his words spill out of his mouth make me uneasy. “I’ll have to give it some thought, I’m in the middle of helping someone at the moment and would rather not leave the matter unresolved-”

“That’s wonderful! We can help!” Bry shouts gleefully, “Who’re ya helpin’? What’re the ‘deets’???”

“Well,” I start, scooting my chair back to maintain my personal space from this guy, “What started out as a ‘hunt a wolf’ inquiry from a local farmer quickly escalated into something… Worse.” Originally it seemed that only Bry was interested in what I had to say, but now I even had the attention of the Nek’ko, Jerry. “I think there’s some undead shenanigans going on here… I found an altar of some kind-”

“An altar?” Jerry chimes in, “Of what kind, if ya don’t mind me askin’?”

The thought of a talking cat still bothered me but I continue after a short pause, “It was made of skulls. It also had some symbols that I’ve never seen in my years of religious studies. So whatever it is, I have no background in it.” The look of the others was that of concern but with a hint of morbid curiosity, “There was also a Null that confronted me, I made quick work of it, didn’t even have to hit it twice. Though it does raise more concerns because-”
            “Wait... what did you... say you encountered... again?” Oakenson dragged on.

“A Null?” my words seemed to literally push the group back about a meter before they slammed into the wall of the Inn. “What’s wrong?”

Bry pulls his shirt over his mouth and nose quickly, “You know you’re infected, right!? You’re gonna turn us all into Nulls! We need to seek help-”

“Calm down.” I commanded sternly, “Do you not remember what I am? I’m a Champion. Undead and unholy things do not affect me. The spores that got close to me burned before they even made contact with myself or my equipment.”

“Ah… Right... “ Oakenson relaxes and returns to his chair, “We apologize… For our behavior…”

Bry looks at Oakenson and Jerry for some sort of confirmation before turning back to me with his stupid little grinning expression, “Oh we could most definitely use that sort of powerset in our party. It just so happens the reason why we’re even here- and why we’re in need of people- is because we lost a party member who went out to help the people in this town while we got shit-faced drunk…”

“Excuse me?” I couldn’t help but feel offended and confused by what he just said.

“Oh, my mistake, lass,” Bry clears his throat, “We stopped by this town and decided to do a bit of drinking-”

“As ya do!” Jerry squeezes into the conversation with an unnaturally happy face on.

“But one of our party members decided to go do a few tasks for the locals for some spare coin… ‘Twas the last time we’d seen the fella…” Bry’s face changed from what I could only assume to be his ‘normal face’ to one of mourning. “I-I wouldn’t be surprised if he was gotten by that thing you encountered. I’m glad the same fate didn’t befall ya, too…”

Their party member must’ve been one of the two or more adventurers that Jako sent to investigate the ‘wolf’ problem. “You know… Now that I think about it, something doesn’t sit quite right with me. When I was returning from the cave where the altar was, I bumped into the guy who put out the help wanted flier. He seemed shocked to see me… Especially unharmed.”

“What’re ya gettin’ at?” Bry’s cheerful appearance returned.

“Well, as you know, I’m a Champion; I can detect the undead and the unholy. And when he was approaching me, it felt as if an undead had been approaching me instead of a normal old man…” I pause to collect my thoughts before continuing, “He also wasn’t armed, but claimed he was investigating ‘the wolf problem himself’, as if he could take a wolf on in his old age without a weapon. Especially since most wolves around these parts are Dire Wolves.”

“So an unarmed, old man, who alerted your undead-senses,” Jerry wrote down in a comically small notebook, “Did he set off your senses when you first met him?”

I think back to when I first talked to Jako, “Come to think about it, no… Though, there is a small caveat to how my detection senses work. I have to say a short prayer, either mentally, or verbally, and for a few hours I’m able to detect the undead or unholy.”

“Well, that’s a bit stewpid, innit?” Bry laughs, “What good is a detection spell or prayer if it isn’t constantly active?”

“Because when your senses are heightened for such a detection, you can be overwhelmed if it’s going for too long!” Jerry butts in again, “Because you’re getting a lot of useless information to yer noggin’ and for extended periods of time where it’s not in-use, that can create fatigue, migraines, or even a loss of consciousness!” Jerry’s small cat face bares an incredibly smug look of superiority towards Bry, “Obviously, I don’t expect your pea-brain to understand that… Also, most detection spells or prayers can have their durations increased or decreased upon ‘casting’ just for this reason.” Jerry turns to me for confirmation so I nod in agreement. He then proceeds to stick his tongue out at Bry.

“Why you-” Bry pulls out his dagger in frustration. Before Bry could even fully unsheathe his dagger, Jerry was already sitting happily on one of the rafters above us making a taunting face. “Come back down here and fight me like a man!”

“Guys… Stay focused…” Oakenson tries to stop their bickering, “You’ll scare her away… Like you’ve… done plenty… already…”

“Regardless,” Jerry pipes up again, “I think the old man’s the cause of this… Either he’s a strange example of a Null, or he’s the one behind their existence to begin with.”

“Yes… I think so… As well…” Oakenson agrees slowly.

“Seems quite like it, dunnit?” Bry states, sheathing his dagger, “So what’re we to do ‘bout ‘im then?”

“I say let’s kill him!” Jerry shouts with a bit too much excitement and a mildly-concerning laugh.

I knew I was right about these guys… Loose cannons with minimal reasoning or diplomatic skills. I should leave while they’re distracted. I start packing up my things and reach for my shield that’s still to my side.

“You headin’ out already?” Bry says excitedly, “We’ll come with!”

I sigh internally thinking they wouldn’t notice and after some internal conflict- and against my better judgement- I agree to let them come along. “What about your other party member? The one in the attic, aren’t they coming with?”

The three of them look at each other before looking back to me, “Ah, no, he’s a bit… um… Ill, for the time being and needs the time to ‘imself, ya know?” I’m skeptical, but I don’t have time to be concerned about it. “So what’s the plan?” Bry asked, suddenly sitting on top of Oakenson’s shoulder.

“Well, I’m going to say that prayer here in a bit, and we’ll talk to the old man,” I point out which cabin is his, “I’ll let you know if I sense something. But we’ll then head over to where the altar is and you guys can have a look.”

“Okay,” Jerry jumps from Oakenson’s other shoulder to mine before casually taking a seat, “But what about us? We’re not immune to the Null’s spores.”

“It’s fine,” I reassure them, “You have several days before the spores take root, and I can purge them from your system long before that’s the case.”

As we approach the cabin, I say the prayer in heart again and can feel my senses heighten. Weirdly enough, however, I don’t sense anything abnormal. I motion to the others that nothing seems to be amiss and they decide to look around the outside of the cabin while I knock on the front door.

Knock knock knock

Nothing.

“Jako!?” I yell, “Are you home?”

Still nothing.

I try peeking through one of the few windows of his cabin, but it’s too dark to see anything. “Guys!” I whisper, “Find anything?”

Jerry comes bounding around the corner of the cabin and jumps onto the window sill I was looking into, “Nothing. No livestock. No ‘Jako’ fella. No signs of distress. Nothing!”

“Where are the other two?”

“Bry and Oakenson went to the smallish barn ta see if anything’s lookin’ strange over there. They told me to come and grab ya, though!”

I begin marching towards the small barn where the one sheep was assumedly dragged out of; but while I was trying to walk, Jerry kept running between my feet as if trying to trip me. “Hey, must you?”

“Oops, sorry, miss!” Jerry apologizes, “Force ‘f habit!”

“There you… are…” Oakenson calls out to me, “We’ve found… No sign of… The animals… that-”

“Oh my you’re such a bore!” Bry interrupts impatiently, “There’s no sign of the livestock that used to be here. We saw them when we entered town a few days ago, they weren’t old enough to slaughter, shave, or sell. So they should still be here!”

“Any blood trails, tracks, or anything?” I ask, making sure we check everything before jumping to a conclusion.

“No… No tracks… No blood…”

            “That’s weird…” I lean against one of the barn’s posts, “There’s no trace of the man, nor the animals… Let’s go check the altar. I have a bad feeling about this.”

            “What is it? You sense something!?” Bry asks, almost too excitedly.

            “What? Oh, no. I just don’t think this is going to work out as nicely as I was hoping it would, going into this.” I begin leading the way through the brush and trees, the dried blood long gone, so I’m working off memory. Every few paces, I barely avoid stepping on Jerry, “Hey, can you like, not be under my feet?”

            “I’m sorry!” He puts his fluffy paws up to his face, “Can I ride on your shoulder so you don’t have to worry about me being in your way?”

            “Ugh, fine. Just don’t move around too much, my equipment isn’t exactly light, so I don’t want you throwing off my balance…” Jerry happily jumps onto Oakenson then onto my shoulder and sits with a victorious look on his face.

After a bit of hiking, I can see the cave. The fiery-orange and pink sky reflecting overhead signals the eventual arrival of the night. “I can see the cave, now remember, if we see the old man, don’t immediately try to harm him! We need to know what he’s doing…”

            “If he’s evil, then can we nuke him?” Jerry’s excitement for blood-lust worries me.

            “We’ll see…” I sigh, “If we can, let’s take him alive and bring him to the authorities, we’ll probably get a decent reward instead of nothing.”

            As we approach the mouth of the cave, I sense something lurking nearby and signal to the others to keep their eyes open and be ready for anything. I light my lantern with a click and ready my flail and shield. Once we get to the altar, I notice it’s now radiating dark energy. Jerry definitely feels it too, as I can feel him growing uneasy.

            “Was it doing this before?” Jerry whispers.

            “No.” I confirm, “It was just a pile of bones and skulls earlier.”

            From deeper within the cave, I hear foot steps; but not just foot steps, but those of several entities marching in a sluggish manner. Stepping into the light of my lantern was a Null! Not one like I fought earlier, who had been a human at some point, but that of a deer!

            “Oh deer…” Oakenson’s humour was as dry as his speech.

            Another animal-turned-Null steps into my light, a fox. Then a rabbit. Then an elk! Quickly we realize we’re outnumbered and we start backing out of the cave. Once outside again, the light of the fool moon illuminates the cave entrance and the army of fungal-undead hobble out and one by one they start making their way up the mountain that the cave is carved into.

            “Can I blow them all to hell!?” Jerry eagerly asks.

            “No,” I immediately shoot down his idea, “We need to know what they’re doing first…”

            “And then I can blow them all to hell?” I see an excited look on his face as I turn towards him.

            I don’t give an answer and begin up the mountain with Oakenson shortly behind me, growing his branch-like arms and legs like living-grapples to climb the face of the mountain more quickly. Once we near the summit, we see the undead clumping together and seemingly fusing together under the command of one person.

            “Hey!” I shout at the figure controlling these drones, “I command you to stop!”

            “Oh, great job,” Jerry sarcastically tells me, “No, really! Only the smartest people would’ve tried that first… We need to get rid of those bodies before they start releasing the spores into the air!” Jerry leaps off my shoulder and stands in front of me, “Hey, Bozo!”

            The commanding figure finally turns towards us; it was Jako! “You dare Interrupt my precious ritual!? With this I shall-”

            Just as he began speaking, I notice Jerry aiming a little wand at the sky from which a large, streaking fireball begins descending from the sky. “Twinkle twinkle little star. How I wonder HOW MUCH DAMAGE YOU’LL DEAL!” The falling star SLAMS into the top of the mountain incinerating the jumbled mass of undead and sending Jako and countless bits of debris towards us. “AHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Jerry starts cackling.

            This was definitely a bad idea to let them come along.

            “Why’d you do this, Jako!?” I grab him by the shoulders, and give him a heavy shake.

            “The final form of this miserable planet…” He begins, as his shoulders start glowing and quickly he begins to disintegrate, “Will be-” And just like that, Jako turns to dust, spores and all.

            “Didn’t I tell you not to immediately kill!?” I shout, picking up Jerry by his scruff, which finally stops his incessant laughter.

            “Hey hey hey!” He screams, “Don’t handle me like this! It’s demeaning!”

            “Because of you, we couldn’t get any information out of him, nor do we even know what was going on!”

            “T’ be fair, lass,” Bry chimes in, “You were the one that disintegrated him… Plus ‘e was definitely evil. ‘Ve seen this far too many times now; ‘Evil guy has massive army, plots to take o’er the world.’ Same ol’ same ol’.” He was smugly leaning against my leg while inspecting something on the back of his hand. “Now release the Nek’ko… He’ll behave now, won’t he?”

            “Hmph!” Jerry folds his arms with unprecedented levels of sass. I release my grip on his scruff and he falls back to the ground before licking where my hand just was.

            “As for what he was,” Bry continues, “He definitely wasn’t a Null. Too smart fer that t’ be the case. I wonder if he was some sort of cultist… As for what the altar was for? My bets are on it bein’ his source of power. A way to summon the fungus or somethin’ or other.” He pauses while the other two look around the shattered mountaintop for something. “Either way, I think it was a good idea fer ‘im to be dead than alive right ‘bout now. Let’s head back to his cabin and see if we can find anything else that can confirm our theories!” He climbed back onto Oakenson’s branches along with Jerry and they started to head back.

            We stopped by the altar again to take notes, but found nothing new except that the altar had stopped radiating energy. It was decided it would be best to destroy it, that way no one else could take advantage of it, if at all. Before departing, I try looking for more spores, but to no avail, they all must have been used on that mass of creatures. When we reach Jako’s cabin, Bry decides to dubiously ‘find a way inside’ before letting us in. We search all over, but can’t find anything.

            “What ever ‘e was hidin’, ‘e did a good job doin’ so!” Bry was completely unfazed by the events that just occurred not even two hours ago, “I say we tell the lord of this settlement of our deeds, collect a potential reward, and waste it all on the finest alcohol we can buy with it!”

            I give him a questionable look, “We don’t have any evidence, nor do we have anything but our word to go off of… How do you think they’re going to believe us!?”

            “Oh, that’s th’ funny thing, right?” Bry says cheekily, “We aren’t going to tell ‘im anything… You are.”

            “Why me!? That was your idea.” I object furiously.

            “You’re an honest gal, no?” He claps back, “A brand new adventurer with no idea how cruel this world can be; and a Champion to bat! They’ll believe you easily. Plus, we’re not lying, are we?”

            “I suppose so…” I hesitate to agree, but ultimately he wasn’t wrong. We split off with Bry, Jerry, and Oakenson waiting for me at the Inn and me heading to the local Lord’s building. As I approached it, I noticed it was the only building made of brick and a peeling layer of white paint- as compared to that of the cabins and houses of the average person which was made of logs and thatch roofs. I make my way inside and inform the Lord of my deeds, making sure not to miss a detail. I didn’t expect much, if anything, in all honesty mainly because of the lack of proof I had; no blood was spilt on me, no spores survived Jerry’s chaos, nor did anyone but Jako not make it out unscathed… I was given a ‘higher than average’ payment for that of a few Null- just five silver- but the Lord said he’d have one of his advisors investigate the matter and if or when they found proof of the matter, they’d send a real award. I bowed and gave my thanks and departed back to the Inn to rendezvous.

            “So!” Bry gleefully shouts upon my return, “How’d it go? How much loot’d we get?” I quickly split one of the silver coins with the Inn-keeper then tossed a singular silver coin towards each of them, except for Jerry and I who got a fifty-copper piece as well.

            “That all we got!?” Clearly upset, Bry pouted and shoved the coin into his tiny pocket, “The Lords of these lands get cheaper by the day.”

            “They’re going to conduct a proper investigation,” I stated, “If they gather any proof that our claims were true, then they’ll send us a real reward. Besides, I told you we probably wouldn’t even get anything at all, so be happy you got something.”

            “I’m going… To order… A drink…” Oakenson slowly reveals, “Do you… Want anything…?” He motions to us, expecting some sort of answer.

“Get me my usual, Oakenson!” Jerry chirps happily.

“Mine, too, I suppose,” Bry scoffs.

Oakenson turns to me expectantly, “Oh, no.” I politely decline, “I don’t drink.”

“Suit yourself…” He drags on before stomping to the counter where the Inn-keeper stood ridding a dish from the food previously eaten from it.

“So where’s the ‘mysterious’ fourth member of your guys’ party?” I ask to finally break the silence, “Still up in the attic?”

“Aye,” Bry nods, “We’ll take ya up to see ‘im after our drinks, how’s that sound?” I nod in agreement, curious as to whom this ‘fourth horseman’ could be. My mind races, thinking of all kinds of wild, tame, and in-between people that this bunch would carry along. Sometime into my train of thought I notice Jerry and Bry going at it again only broken up by the heavy footsteps of Oakenson’s return.

“Your beverages…” His molasses-like words never quickening. He extends his branch-like arms to place Jerry and Bry’s drinks on the table before tearing Jerry off the rafters.

“Thanks, lad,” Bry raises his glass, preparing for a toast, “To the newest member of our party! To Rae’Nör!”

“To Rae’Nör!” The other two echo, clanging their glasses together before taking a big swig from them.

We sit and chat for the next few hours as the three of them, namely Bry, gets increasingly more drunk; listening and telling stories about our adventures, our upbringing, and what we want to see and do in life. After being refused a refill for the third time, Bry decrees that it’s time they pay their tab and go up to their room in the attic. We shuffle up the rickety stairs with Jerry weaving under our feet- nearly getting stepped on countless times along the way- and turn the corner to a small room.

“Here we are!” Bry drunkenly announces to me, “Now, I know what you must be thinkin’, ‘BuT bRy, ThAt RoOm’S a BiT SmAlL fOr FoUr PeOpLe!’, ‘nd normally, you’d be right! But...” He pauses, losing his train of thought, “Our fourth member is quite somethin’, if I do say so myself!” Twisting the knob of the door after giving a bizarre knocking pattern on the door, he opens it into an expansive room and impatiently gestures for me to enter.

The room is divided into smaller sections by use of paper-walls like I heard they use in Snowmelt. One section has a dinning table and what I’m guessing by the pots and pans on top of it is a stove-top. Another has a few large bunk beds each equipped with their own storage chest. And the last one, which was the largest of them, appeared to be a sort of workshop, where there lay bits of metallic objects strewn about, pieces of blue-parchment rolled rolled up, laid out, and shredded, and a human man fidgeting with something hidden by his body.

“Come in, come in,” The man shouts while not taking his attention off of the object he’s working on, “Make sure you wipe your feet before entering this time, Jerry.” Jerry looks down at his paws, inspecting the prints he’s tracking into the room before appearing back at the doormat without a trace of his paw prints.

“Uh, Faust?” Jerry attempts.

“Not now, Jerry. I’m very busy!” His voice radiates irritation and frustration.

“We have… A visitor…”

“Yes yes, I’ll chat with them in a second…” He replies, “Let me return the room back to normal so no one gets suspicious though-”

“Yeah, ‘bout that,” Bry sheepishly scratches his head, “She’s already inside…”

The thing the man is working on explodes, sending smoke and bits of metal flying in all directions. The man emerges from the smoke, pulling Bry by the ear outside of the smoke-filled enchanted space, “Give us one moment, would you?” He says as politely as he can through his frustration before slamming the door. Jerry and Oakenson put their ears to the door and encourage me to do so. I refuse, but I’m still able to hear the countless curses and anger from where I stood anyway. “My apologies, miss,” He extends a hand offering to shake mine, “My name is Doctor Faust Strangelove, I am an inventor- ‘Tinkerer’ as they say around here- and these are my… Er, ‘colleagues’, if you would…” I shake his hand as he gestures to the other three, “I’m sure you’re well acquainted with them by this point, yes?” I nod questionably as I try to figure out where I’ve seen or heard this man’s name before. “Fantastic. Welcome to the team. This is my own personal dimension, feel free to use what you will, if you need anything let myself or the others know.”

“Yes, um…” I begin, looking around nervously, “Where can I sleep?” I give a certain untrusting look towards Bry who’s already passed out on what I assume is his bunk.

“Ah yes,” Faust thinks to himself, “I figured that was going to be a question, especially for someone of your… Er, background.” He whips out a small piece of paper and begins scribbling on it with a coal pencil he had tucked over his ear, “Here. This is the knocking pattern to access this room. We have it currently bound to the door you used on your way in- which coincidentally is also the room we have rented out. You’re more than welcome to stay there for now until we figure something more permanent out. We usually eat breakfast in the Inn’s common room at three-hours-past sun-up as to not draw suspicion.”

My gaze casts a questionable look upon Faust, “Suspicion for what-” And then it hit me. I dug into my backpack and pulled out one of the fliers I took earlier that day to double check. I was right! I knew his name sounded familiar! “Wait a second… You’re a wanted man!”

“Am I wanted in this region?” Faust takes a few seconds to rub his chin in deep thought, “Well I did level that one- no no no, that was the other kingdom… Was it though? Hmm, I can’t remember…” He gives a shrug while chuckling to himself, as if he’s proud of his crimes.

“What do you mean you can’t remember!?” I yell, disgusted at the fact a wanted criminal is in front of me, practically boasting about his deeds.

“Look,” He says, tilting his head down and to his left and raising his left eye brow considerably, “My experiments go awry all the time… I’ve lost count of how many of them have exploded in my face, or the number of times some idiot touched something they weren’t supposed to.” His glare shifts towards Jerry, who stopped licking his paw mid-lick before darting underneath one of the bunk beds. “Now, I haven’t actively harmed any innocent people on purpose, nor have I destroyed anything that didn’t deserve it. Now if we’re talking about those who are evil or things that were built with the intention of committing evil or heinous acts, then yes. Yes I have destroyed in many ways those things, people, or creatures; but if you were to ask me, I think I’d say that should more than cover the moral dilemma of my ‘wanted status’.”

Confused and dumb-struck by the situation, I turn to Oakenson and Bry for their input before remembering that Bry has long-since passed out on his bunk. Oakenson shrugs sluggishly before carefully stomping towards his bunk; plucking Jerry by the scruff, while he was in the middle of cleaning himself, off his bed and setting him on the top bunk where he supposedly belonged.

“The choice is yours,” Faust says putting his hands in the air mockingly as if to surrender, “But I need to get my rest, and you need to get yours. If you don’t wish to be apart of our party, that’s fine. But do know that we’re not evil... Some of us may be stupid,” He berates, turning towards the bunk beds, “But not evil.”

“I’ll think on it,” I finally spit out, as I exit the enchanted door, “May I still use the room, as offered, for the night?” I motion to the door outside of the dimension.

“Yes.” Faust confirms pleasantly, “Have a good night.” With that he closed the enchanted door and the light from underneath vanished, as if it were never there. I quickly open up the door to double check, and much to my surprise, it was just the small dark room before me.

Clicking my lantern to life, I set it onto the nightstand beside the bed after I lock the door and drop my backpack to the floor, still clutching the wanted flier. “He’s a criminal.” I mutter to myself, as I sit on the rickety bed. Can he be trusted?... Can any of them be trusted!? Pausing to relieve the weight of my weapons and armour off my body before laying down. Curse this situation I’ve been thrown into… I know I have to fulfill my oaths and duties, ‘to spread the good name of Idor’ and ‘bring balance to the world’... But if he’s truly a good person fighting evil, but with some bad accidents slandering his name, who am I to decide if he should go to jail or not?

Sitting up in my bed, I reach into my backpack for my notebook and scratch my day’s thoughts, ideas, events, and adventure into the yellow parchment pages. I say my nightly prayers and lay down, covering myself with my old blanket, its scent is that of the temple still. Even though I’ve only been gone for a day, I really miss that place; it didn’t have these sorts of problems, it had a ‘is this child the next Champion’ problem. Then the thought hit me like a carriage full of ale. I’m a Champion. I’m supposed to make these kinds of decisions! As my thoughts race and blur together, I feel my eye lids growing heavier as I slip into unconsciousness.

My dreams are that of a performer, not a dancer or a singer, but an actor. My, what a life that would be; telling tales in front of an audience, watching them get consumed and immersed into the narrative and the actors. One dream in particular has been a recurring dream for several years now. In it I’m not even performing, nor an audience member; I’m merely an observer, outside of the dream itself! I’ve seen the play in my dreams countless times: A damsel in distress is locked away in a tower by some mad villain- though the villain has never been quite consistent, just what ever I’ve been fearful of at that point in time- and just as it gets to the climax… The stage catches fire and within seconds the entire building collapses in on itself. The dream has never strayed from that narrative, nor have I seen before or after those events. Instead I always wake up just as the building comes crumbling down on countless people.

Tonight was no exception.

As the usual when this dream happens, I wake up in a panic, sweat still dripping from my face. That dream again… I pray it’s just some whimsical dream and not something prophetic. Slipping out of bed, I say my morning prayers, fold my blanket back into my backpack, and otherwise tidy the room before slipping back into my armour and grabbing my other personal items. I make my way down the stairs to the Inn’s common room and consult the hanging clock for the time. Looks like I woke up just before those hooligans did… Just as I sit at one of the tables I hear the door in the attic open and down comes trotting Bry followed swiftly by Jerry with Oakenson inching his way shortly thereafter. Just as I’m about to comment on their missing bandit member Doctor Faust Strangelove comes sneaking down the stairs.

When he notices that the coast is clear he steps up to my table where the other three have already made themselves comfy and sits down, “Have you thought it over?” His tone was condescending and his face wore a smug smirk, “Will you look over my flaws and join our little party?”

I take once more glance over the rest of the members; Oakenson looking about as ‘pleading’ as his bark can convey, Jerry holding his cheeks with excitement as if he can’t bare the anticipation anymore, and Bry leaning back in his chair trying to hide his hangover with a fake smile. Finally I turn towards Faust, he didn’t look like a burnt piece of leather, but like that of a man of intellect and skill.

“Yes.” I confirm, “I’ll join your party.” The group cheers at my decision and Jerry immediately goes to the counter and orders some breakfast for everyone, “So long as there’s no funny business and we keep the property damage to a minimum, alright?” I look pointed at Faust.

“No promises,” He shrugs, but upon seeing my glare he quickly rephrases, “I will do my utmost best!”

End of Part 1.