RED HANDED

The sun shined down on Thadius as he walked back to The Needle and Thread with Yuna and Christina following behind. Both Thadius and Yuna walked quietly, enjoying the fresh air and the sunlight. Christina, on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves as she wrestled with her thoughts.

She knew what she felt when she looked into Thadius’ eyes for the first time, and now that her sight had returned, she planned to use it to the fullest of her ability. No matter where it would lead her.

“Thadius?” she called out to him. Her hand had reached out for his sleeve, but she withdrew it. Touching him as he glowed with purity seemed somewhat inappropriate. Hopefully, there would be another time for touching.

“Yes?” he replied.

“Are you staying in Yune? I mean, now that you’ve returned, what are you going to do?” She looked into his eyes once more as she asked. She’d planned to be by his side wherever he went, so if she needed to make travel preparations, she wanted to know in advance.

Thadius slowed down a bit to match her pace. He hadn’t missed the flush of red in her cheeks as their eyes met, but her gaze was what drew his attention. When Christina’s sight returned, her eyes had been touched with divinity. Now her baby-blue eyes had a mysterious light that would capture anyone who looked upon them. “I visited your father earlier and made some plans with him. He’s going on an expedition for me, and when he returns, I’ll move on to the capital.”

Christina just nodded in response. It seemed she would have plenty of time to prepare. With that settled, she watched as Yuna tugged on Thadius’ sleeve . She was dumbfounded at how the girl could touch him so carelessly, and watched in silent protest.

“Are we going to see the blacksmith yet?” Yuna asked impatiently. If possible, she wanted to make some suggestions about her long-sword. Corban had talked her out of using a greatsword, saying it was ‘a useless lump of steel’, yet she still wanted her sword to be as large as possible. She’d learned from Thadius’ bedtime stories that most heros had big swords. So if she wanted to be one, her sword would need more sword.

“We can stop by after we drop off Christina. It’s right next door anyway. The thing is, I don’t know if he’ll have what we want available. So if he actually starts forging, it could take all day. I could rent a room at the inn if that’s the case, and we could stay there until he’s finished.”

“Oh, okay.” So long as Yuna got her hero sword, she didn’t care.

“You can stay at our house!” Christina suggested quickly. All she knew about Yuna was that she was a Fallen Goddess. Now that she had eyes on Thadius, leaving him alone in a room with another woman was out of the question.

“Really? Would your father be okay with that?” Thadius asked hopefully.

“If it’s Thadius, I’m sure he won’t mind. E-especially not after what you did today.” Restoring the sight of his one and only daughter was bound to earn Thadius a favor or five.

“That may be so, but will you have room for us? I don’t want to impose if we’ll just be a nuisance.”

“We have plenty of room! I can cook as well! So if you get hungry-” Christina’s sentence was cut short as an inexplicable fear gripped her. Her eyes went wide as she glanced over at Yuna, who was glaring at her furiously. She was released from the pressure soon after, leaving her to wonder what exactly had she said to anger the Goddess. Was she just seen as a threat?

They reached The Needle and Thread shortly after their conversation. Thadius opened the door for the young ladies as they all walked inside. Marshal was in the process of gathering supplies, moving from one place to another with random items in his hand. He had an excited look on his face as he looked up.

“So you’ve returned Thadius, and you brought my daughter with you. Good. Christina, papa can’t find his whetstone. Do you remember coming across it?”

Yuna and Thadius remained by the door as Christina confidently walked behind the counter and took out a grey rock from behind it. Marshal took it from gladly, only to double take as he looked at her face. In the dim light of the shop, the glow in Christina’s eyes was plain to see. Marshal looked into the eyes of his child and saw the same eyes looking into his.

“What…” his whispered, his voice thick with emotion. He looked over to Thadius, who had his arms crossed with a huge grin on his face. Then he looked back at Christina, and immediately choked on a sob when he saw her dazzling smile. It was a sight he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“You look just like your mother.” he cried as he pulled her into a fierce hug.

It was a beautiful moment. Even Thadius had to look away to stop himself from shedding a tear. His heart was too big for moments like this.

Marshal stepped back and looked his daughter over with a smile. “I’d never thought I’d see the day. Thank you Thadius.” he said as he looked toward the door.

“If anyone is to be thanked, it should be Tegaia. It was by her will that Christina’s sight was restored.”

“Then I’ll be sure to give her my thanks as well.”

“Then that’s good enough for me. How are the preparations going?”

“Ah, yes.” Marshal quickly wiped his eyes. “I’ve managed quite a bit in the last hour. I used the extra coin you gave me to get you a spinning wheel, and after pulling a few strings, I even got you a warp-weighted loom at a discount. It’ll let you weave wider cloth while keeping the threads nice and taunt.”

Christina looked between the two with curiosity,”I thought Thadius was a novice?”

“Thadius has improved a great deal since you last saw him. He even has plans to start his own brand.” Marshal replied as he shook his head in disbelief. He still couldn’t believe what Thadius had planned.

“It’s not as grand as it sounds. Now Marshal, could you give me a quick demonstration before you head out? I want to practice while you’re away.” Thadius said as he approached the counter.

When Marshal ushered Thadius into his workshop, Christina walked over to Yuna. She was still wary of her after what happened before, but her curiosity won out.

“Do you know what Thadius is working on?” she asked hesitantly.

“He wants to make undergarments for adventurers.” Yuna replied, without any hint of the hostility she displayed before.

“Undergarments!?” Christina cried out in surprise.

“Shh! It a secret! Look.” Yuna removed one of her hands that had flown to Christina’s mouth to flash her Wolf Gear prototype sports bra. After her breasts had shown signs of growth, Thadius set out to make her a prototype immediately. Just below the strap on the left side was a wolf head woven into the fabric: the signature of the brand.

As shocked as she was, Christina was interested in the functionality of the strange undergarment. She moved the hand that covered her mouth. “Does it work?”

“They don’t move as much when I fight. It’s kinda itchy though.” Yuna replied as she reached a hand beneath her robe to scratch the underside of her modest bosom.

Christina took a good look at Yuna now that she had satisfied her curiosity. She thought that Yuna was quite pretty. Her long white hair matched her robe, which accentuated her feline figure. Coupled with the fact that she was a Goddess, it wouldn’t be odd if Thadius found her attractive. He had complimented her when she was younger, and Yuna appeared to be a little older than she had been at the time.Yet, Christina could tell she was just as strong as Thadius. She felt just as intimidating.

Christina didn’t want such woman as a rival, but she really didn’t want her as an enemy. “Yuna, b-before we came to the shop you-” Yuna’s hand interrupted her again as she pressed a finger to her own lips, signaling for silence. After looking towards the workshop, she quickly pulled Christina outside. She waited until the door was closed before she spoke. She had a serious expression on her face. “I’m sorry if I scared you, but you almost ruined the plan.”

“What plan?”

“Did you know that Thadius can cook?”

Christina rocked on her heels. “What does that have to do with-”

“It has everything to do with it. You suddenly suggesting to cook nearly jeopardized the entire operation.”

“It was about food!?”

Yuna placed a hand on Christina’s shoulder. She had to reach up since she was a little shorter. “I know this is hard for you to understand, but the taste of that man’s cooking cannot be fathomed.”

“B-but I can cook too! If you-” Yuna’s grip on her shoulder tightened.

“Christina, you’re not listening. It doesn’t matter how well you cook because Thadius takes it to another level. He dedicates time everyday to prepare, cook, and serve. He’s probably thinking about what he wants to cook right now, even though he’s doing something completely different!” Yuna took a deep breath to reign in her excitement before she continued. “How about this? You let Thadius cook tonight if we go to your place. Then if you still want to cook, I won’t stop you.”

“Alright…”

“Good.” Yuna said as she stepped back into the shop. Christina still had a confused face as she followed. The conversation had been very different from the one she’d imagined. Not only had she failed to determine Yuna’s relationship with Thadius, she’d been deterred from cooking for him.

As they walked in, Thadius was walking out of the workshop. “Alright then. It’s time to go see the blacksmith. Yuna, if you tell me what you want, I can tell the blacksmith while you two explore the city. Christina hasn’t seen the sights in years, and you haven’t seen them at all. So let me pick up our gear while you have some fun. Marshal’s going to let us stay over his place while he’s out, so I’ll meet you two there afterwards. From my understanding, it shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

Yuna was psyched about hitting the town, and Christina wanted another opportunity to talk with her. So they left while Thadius headed next door to ‘Ironclad’.

When Thadius walked into the shop, the first thing he noticed was the heat of the forge. The shop was one huge room with a counter and dozens of weapons hanging off the wall. In the back of the dimly lit space was a thin old man. He was hammering away with only the light of the forge and white-hot sword to guide him.

Thadius walked up to the single counter to call out to him. “Excuse me sir!” he yelled over the ringing of the metal.

“What is it!?” the old man rasped as he walked up to the counter.

Thadius caught his breath. Had he not killed the man himself, he would have thought his master rose from the grave.

“From the look on your face and that silly ass robe, you must be one of my brother’s students.”

“Y-yes sir.”

“And how is my little brother faring these days? Last I heard, he couldn’t get any students that could endure his ridiculous training.”

“...he’s dead.” Thadius replied solemnly as he pulled out Corban’s note. An uncomfortable silence fill the room as the smithy read. It felt like minutes before the old man spoke again.

“How did he die?” he whispered.

“He died by my hand. He was weakened by a curse, so-”

“So instead of leaving him to rot, you killed him..” the blacksmith finished.

“I did.”

“I figured as much. You don’t seem like the type of man who’d kill his master in cold blood.”

The old man leaned on the counter and sighed heavily. “The last time I saw him was when he told me about Morticul’s curse. He’d finished his training compound a few months before, and told me he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to teaching.” The old man closed his eyes, drawing up a painful memory. “We fought that day. He didn’t have a single student left and came to me to cry about it, so I told him to find a cure instead of sitting on his ass waiting to babysit strangers. But he was stubborn, never taking no for an answer. I'm just glad he was able to find some peace."

The blacksmith looked at Thadius then, appraising him. It wasn't long before a small smile appeared on his face. "He talks about you in great detail in this letter. He named you as his heir and asked me to make you a soulbound weapon."

"Soulbound?"

"It’s a weapon that can only be used by you. It grows with you, evolving into something truly extraordinary. Corban wanted to give you his sword, but he lost it to the dragon."

"That sounds too good to be true."

"Smart lad. There is a catch to a weapon that shares your soul. Care to take a guess?"

"It can hurt you.”

“It can kill you.” the old man replied. “Soulbound weapons are quite strong if you can survive long enough. A soulbound weapon is only as strong as its wielder, and when the wielder dies it stops growing. On the other hand, if the weapon breaks, half of the wielder’s soul is destroyed. Not many survive that.”

“Is that why people choose regular weapons, or go out to find better ones?”

“What could be better than a weapon with no limit?”

“A legendary weapon possibly.”

“Most legendary weapons are soulbound weapons.”

“What?”

“Most ‘legendary’ weapon’s have someone’s name or title attached to them. Did you notice?”

Thadius quickly thought of all the legendary weapons he’d ever come across in his gaming career. Weapons like Thor’s Hammer or Areil’s Bow quickly came to mind. Many powerful weapons had been named after the people that wielded them, but were the weapons always that powerful? According to this man, legendary weapons weren’t just found, they were born and raised.

“Can such a weapon be repaired?” Thadius asked hopefully. He was a Traveler, so death wasn’t the end for him. However, he didn’t want a weapon that couldn’t be repaired.

“Why would- oh. That’s right. As a Traveler, the penalty for a soulbound weapons doesn’t mean much to you. They can be repaired like any other weapon to restore durability, but if it breaks you’ll have to come back here or find another smith that can soul forge.”

“Sign me up.”

“Ha! He said you caught on quick. Come, let me take your measurements.”

“Excuse me mister?”

“Call me Carson.”

“Mr.Carson, I have a friend who also finished your brother’s training. Could she possibly…” As soon as Thadius formed the question, he threw it away. He didn’t mind having a soulbound weapon. Yet, he didn’t feel comfortable with Yuna swinging a sword that could take her life if it broke.

“You mean the Fallen Goddess? Even if she’s fallen, forging the soul of a God is beyond my expertise. Their blood is too strong to be handled by mortal hands.” Carson replied as he measured Thadius’ fingers.

“That’s fine. As long as she gets her long-sword, I’m sure she won’t care.”

“A long-sword? How tall is she?”

“About this high.” Thadius raised a hand to his chest.

“Alright. I’ll throw that in with your weapon as a favor to my brother. Now, what weapon did you want?”

“A shield.”

“Good. I don’t get many shield requests. Its nice to mix it up every now and then. Sit tight. It won’t take long.” Carson said as he went back to his forge.

Thadius sat down in the corner as he listened to the bellows and the roaring fire. He drowned out the hammering of the metal as he thought about his future plans. Only a couple of hours had passed when Carson called out to him. “Thadius, it’s time.”

Thadius walked up to the old man and admired his work. It was a plain iron shield. There was no design engraved on the front, which would make it easier for swords to glide across the surface, but the material was lacking.

“Why iron?” Thadius asked. He at least thought it was going to be steel or mythril.

“Metals with high defense or special properties don’t evolve as well as simple metals. As you learn and grow, so does the weapon. You’d think that using a good metal as a base would be an advantage, but it’s like putting the soul of a child into an adult body. The weapon loses its personality to the metal since it’ll only grow to fit the metal.”

“Then how can it become stronger if it’s only iron?”

“When your shield clashes with other metals, it’ll remember their properties. Then as it evolves, it’ll intergrate some of the metals its come across into its design, resulting in a weapon that fits you perfectly.”

“I understand. What do I need to do?”

“I need some of your blood.” Carson said as he handed Thadius a knife.

Thadius grunted in pain as he sliced open his hand, instantly coloring his palm a dark crimson. He didn’t know how much blood was needed, but he hoped it would be enough.

Carson took his hand and smeared the blood on the shield’s surface. Then he looked at Thadius. “You might want to bite down on something.”

Thadius obeyed, taking a cut of leather from his inventory and shoving it in his mouth. He watched as Carson raised his hammer that now had a pale white glow. With a nod from Thadius, who had braced himself against the counter, Carson struck the first blow.

Ting!

-4125hp

“.......!” Thadius’ bloodcurdling scream had been muffled by the leather. He didn’t think that having his soul forged would feel like his heart was being hammered into an anvil.

“Sorry about that kid. It’s been a while.”

Ting!

-2654hp

“.....!”

“There we go!”

Ting!

-1236hp

It was less than ten strikes, but Thadius was curled up into a ball on the floor by time Carson was finished. Carson had neglected to mention that he could die before the weapon could be completed, resulting in his health falling below 7%.

“Here. I do believe this is yours now. Take care of it, and it’ll take care of you.”

Thadius spit out the tattered remains of the leather from his mouth as he slowly raised himself to take the shield.

The Shield of Thadius Type: Shield Durability: 1275/1275 Quality: Mid Defense: 980 The shield of the Iron Dragon Thadius. Like a newborn babe, it cries for action and adventure. It’s ready to leave its mark on history at its wielder’s side.

+Always infused with Holy Fighting Aura

Thadius was extremely excited by the bonus of his shield. Since it shared his soul, he could increase the defense of his shield by 50% without actually transferring his Aura to the shield. He looked up in joy, only to find Carson collapsed beside the anvil.

“Mr. Carson!” he screamed as he rushed to his side.

“I can hear you just fine, so stop screaming. Soul forging just takes a lot out of me, and I’m not as young as I use to be. Help me up would you?”

Thadius helped the old man to his feet and received a hearty pat on the back.

“I’m think I’m done for today,” he breathed heavily, “Bring the young woman tomorrow and I’ll make her something nice.”

“Yes sir.”

Thadius watched the old man close up shop just in case he collapsed again, but when Carson made his way home on steady legs, he set off for Marshal’s. It was only a couple of streets down from The Needle and Thread, so it didn’t take him long to find it.

It was a lovely two story house. The design reminded him of modern homes but the materials were medieval. The entire house looked to be built from stone, but mud and straw could be seen between the rocks. It was much nicer than the homes beside it, which made it stand out even more. Marshal’s home had an air of nobility to match the man himself.

Thadius shook his head as he knocked on the door. Yuna opened it after the first knock.

“Hey Thadius…” she said as she walked away toward the makeshift sofa.

“Everything okay?” he asked her as she plopped down.

Thadius rested his shield by the door.The living room was the first room upon entering. There was an open doorway leading into the kitchen and a staircase on the opposite side leading to the second floor. Everywhere you looked was mahogany and scarlet. The rugs, curtains, and sofa cushions were all a deep red.

“Yep.” she replied lifelessly. Christina was sitting in the chair by the fireplace that was in the center of the back wall. She was anxiously looking between Yuna and Thadius.

Thadius looked at them silently. He couldn’t explain Christina’s behavior, but knew what he could do for Yuna.

“Hmm, I do believe I hear the sound of rumbling tummies. Must be bed time.”

“NO!” Yuna jumped up from the sofa. Christina nearly jumped out of her skin.

“No? Then what time is it?”

“Cooking time!” she yelled, throwing her head back and raising her arms in victory.

“How could I have forgotten!” Thadius brought his hand to his face in mock anguish.

He recovered quickly. The host was always prepared for Cookin’ Time. Without skipping a beat, Thadius waltzed into the kitchen. Yuna pulled the weary Christina along with her.

Christina had given up on talking to a hungry Yuna since all she would talk about was food. Their trip through the city had actually been a torturous tour of restaurants without ever stopping to enjoy a meal.

Thadius quickly set to work preparing his Shepard’s Pie: consisting of meat, cheese, and mash potatoes. As a new addition to the audience, Christina got to do the taste testing.

“Here, try the mash potatoes.” Thadius said as he held out the spoon. He’d held it so she could take the spoon if she so desired, but close enough so that she could eat it from his hand. It was a subtle technique formed from hours of watching his favorite show on t.v.

Christina blushed as she ate the mash Thadius held out. It was surprisingly tasty. But she was even more surprised when Thadius quickly finished off the rest of the mash she’d left on spoon. She nearly screamed like a fangirl as she hid her face behind her hands.

+6 Charm

“Hey! What about me!?” Yuna protested as she slammed a fist on the table. The table groaned in protest with her.

“New members get to taste test.” Thadius replied calmly.

“But I gotta eat! How am I going to grow if I don’t eat!”

The three continued their fun until the food was ready. Christina said that Marshal had left earlier, so Thadius set the table for 3. Needless to say, the meal was spectacular. Yuna ate to her hearts content while Christina savored every bite. She was glad she had left the cooking to Thadius, and made a mental note to let him continue to do so.

After the meal, it really was bed time. Thadius opted to take the sofa while Yuna claimed the spare bed in Christina’s room. Before long, a silence had fallen on the house.

Christina rolled over in her bed towards Yuna. “Yuna? Yuna, you awake?”

“Hmm?” Yuna responded groggily. She was in a lethargic state after the feast.

“How do you feel about Thadius?”

“Thadius is Thadius.”

“Of course he is, but how do you feel about him...as a woman?”

Yuna sighed heavily, she’d never get to sleep with Christina whispering all night. “I don’t care about that ‘stuff’.”

“What stuff?”

“You know, ‘stuff’. The naked ‘stuff’.”

“Oh, okay.” Christina couldn’t help but smile. The first goal had been cleared. Now she just needed to find out if Thadius felt the same way, and she had the perfect plan for it.

She slipped out of bed into the brisk night air, carrying a blanket. She'd hoped to catch Thadius awake so she could talk to him. Unfortunately, when she got downstairs, Thadius was laying still on the sofa. Just like Yuna, he didn't seem to be bothered by the cold. Would he get too hot with the blanket? She hoped not.

She shuffled across the hardwood floor with her feet carefully navigating the dark floor. The only light in the room came from the dying embers in the fireplace. Her one piece night gown fluttered softly as she walked to the sofa. Thadius was fast asleep, breathing peacefully.

’Do I appear in his dreams?’ she wondered as she spread the blanket over him. Even if it was only a small part, she wanted to be there when he closed his eyes.

She made a move as to walk away, but she was drawn in by his sleeping face. He was so still. It contradicted her heart that drummed an erratic beat. She sat down on the floor beside him, accepting the cold of the floor as her warming blood spread through her body.

She’d only allow herself to stay for a minute. One minute, then she’d go back upstairs. No one liked a peeper. So she watched him for a minute, which turned into two, then into three. Then an idea popped into her head, holding her in place as her glowing eyes traced his thick lips. Christina brought her hands together and narrowed her eyes in thought. No one would know besides her, and if Thadius found out, he wouldn’t be to angry right? Of course not.

With unsteady breaths, she leaned over Thadius. Once she heard herself, she held her breath so as not to give herself away. She was so close.

“We talked about this Christina.” Thadius whispered softly.

Christina froze in place, but she didn’t retreat. She was too close to the goal to back down now, so she gazed shamelessly into the eyes of the man beneath her. “I remember…”

“Yet you’d still tempt a man beyond his limits.”

“I tempt a man who’s known for his self-control. I know he won’t hurt me.”

Thadius narrowed his eyes. “There are other men out there. Why not give them a chance to win your affections?”

“There are other women for those men…”

Thadius sighed heavily. It was hard to deny the beauty that look down on him. Her eyes were as blue as the sky in midday, when the sun shined down and shared its warm with the world.

“My heart is full Christina. It’s filled with the love of those that once loved me. I won’t tell you we will never be, and I won’t lie and say that I don’t have feelings for you. But you must understand that even though I see you as a woman, it may be quite some time before I see you as ’my’ woman. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”

“Yes.” The only thing that mattered to her was that no one was in her way. Everything else could be settled with time. She reached down to lay claim to her prize, but Thadius beat her to it.

He held her head in his hands as she latched on to any part of him she could grasp. But It was over all too soon as Thadius parted to gaze into her eyes. “I won’t run from your feelings Christina. I’ve broken one heart too many by doing so. I may not be able to give you all that you desire right now, but you can depend on me to support and protect you.” Thadius said as he lay back down and smiled. “Thank you for the blanket.”

Christina just nodded as she hurried back up the stairs, touching her lips as she burned the memory of her first kiss into her mind.

Thadius sighed as looked at the corner of the room. “You know Marshal, I probably would have been sleep if you hadn’t been standing there watching me.”

“So you knew...Well, I can’t say I’m surprised.” the man said as he walked over to sit in the chair by the fireplace.

“I’m surprised you didn’t step in sooner. If you were that worried, we could have stayed at an inn. No need to watch all night.”

“It’s not you Thadius. It’s old age. Christina’s grown now, but she’ll always be my little ball of sunshine.” Marshal said as he searched through his memories in the dying light of the fireplace.

“She wants to go with you to Todos, you know.”

“Is that so?”

“I trust you Thadius, but I don’t trust the kingdom. That city will tear you to pieces if you let it. I’m sure you’ll be fine, yet I can only see her getting into some sort of trouble or dying from some unfortunate happenstance. I’d try to stop her, but she’s too much like her mother. She’ll follow you to the ends of the earth and then jump off with you if you hold her hand. She looks at you the same way Natalia looked at me, so it’s true. Neither of us will have a say in it.”

Thadius was silent. He truly didn’t know what to say.

“Just keep an eye on her for me Thadius. Can you do that?”

“Yes sir.”

“...good. Then I best be off. Those pelts aren’t going to collect themselves.” Marshal declared as he rose up from his chair. He left just as silently as he appeared.

Now in the pitch black, Thadius pulled out a book from his inventory and started reading. The pages glowed softly into the night, highlighting the words written in blood.

---

Hammerrun, Sigurd Kingdom

A player was being stalked in broad daylight. As he kept to the shadows, trying to avoid detection, he completely missed the huntress that watched him from above.

The huntress was wearing leather armor underneath a glowing white robe, or what was left of it. The robe had been cut to waist length with the removed cloth being used as wrapping for her hands. The sleeves had been removed and discarded since they hindered her in a fight. Only the hood had been saved from the scissors, for it highlighted the glow of the menacing mark that arced over her left eye.

The walls of Hammerrun were high. They served as a perfect perch to watch the city. In his haste, the player had forgotten such a simple fact, and it would lead to his death.

He turned into an alleyway that led further into the city, further solidifying his end as the buildings around him increased in height.

The huntress leaped from rooftop to rooftop with practiced ease. She was looking for a sign, some clue as to whether her prey was worthy of the end she planned for him. Then the player looked back, momentarily revealing a neon red iris.

The huntress jumped down from the rooftop, using her weight and Barrier to crush the player into the ground. Then before he could recover and retaliate, she cradled his head. The resounding snap that followed marked the end of his life, a killing blow.

Chaotic player killed.

+100 Alignment

Rosemary searched the body and found what she was looking for hanging around his broken neck; a necklace with a ring of mythril hanging from it.

She walked out from the dark alley into the crowded city streets. In the morning, the markets were busy, so it was quite easy for her to slip into the populace unnoticed. Even if it was only temporary. NPCs that recognized her called out their greetings.

"Momma look! The Red Hand!"

"Joshua don't point! Forgive him priestess, he's quite energetic in the morning."

Rosemary smiled at the boy, and his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "It quite alright. If anything, he gets all that energy from you Mrs.Roundtree."

The woman laughed, "I suppose he does! Come now, Joshua. The priestess has more important things to do!"

The boy and his mother walked away as she continued down the street.

"Ah! Sister Rosemary! Might I offer you an apple? This one is as red as your hair!"

"Red Hand, thank you for helping my brother. He was truly crushed when the Paladins turned him down."

"Well if it isn't the next High Priestess! Come inside and grab a bite to eat! It's on the house."

Rosemary smiled and waved as she turned down the offers. She was in no mood for pleasantries. She had quickly rose to become a full fledge Priestess. In the ceremony, Priestesses chose their primary God of worship and received a skill specific to that deity. Rosemary had shocked the congregation by choosing Tegaia and obtaining the unheard of Barrier skill. During the same ceremony, Priestesses could also take a vow of chastity, and anyone who made the vow received a Ring of Purity that boosted stats and helped to level skills and abilities of their holy class.

Everything had been fine at first. Rosemary did her duties diligently. When she'd finished her chores, she'd go to the training hall to work on her boxing. Then at night, when everyone else was asleep, she'd go to the library to read. She'd read nearly every book, burning through the lore and history of the world. She read books on etiquette and government that helped her improve her relations with her fellow priestesses in the temple and propelled her up the social ladder. It wasn't until she found one book in particular that the other priestesses and priest in the temple began to fear her.

In forgotten corner of the library, tucked away between a bookshelf and a wall, was 'The Art of Deduction'. Rosemary had read the book out of curiosity, but what she gained in return had shocked her.

Perception (Static)

Using the senses of the mind to recognize and understand the psychological and aesthetic cues of the environment. Effectiveness increases with Intellect.

It was an extremely rare static skill. It didn't have any levels or ranks, which meant that it was only limited by her Intellect. Coupled with the fact that her Intellect had risen considerably from reading, it was something she had used immediately.

*FLASHBACK*

Rosemary was walking back to the priestesses dormitories after learning the Perception skill. As she walked the corridors, prompts were scattered all over the place. Each prompt was a sharp line with a short description at the end of it. She found it very disorienting, but she focused on what the prompts were trying to tell her.

One prompt focused her thoughts on an unnatural crack in the wall. When she focused on it, it described the measurements of the fractures and objects she knew of that could possibly created such an indentation. Another prompt pulled her attention to the floor, and upon closer inspection, the prompt described the color and materials used to create the substance.

The more she looked, the more information she obtained. After about a minute, she knew that someone had taken some stew from the dining hall, spilling some as they hurried along.

“Is there something wrong sister Rosemary?”

Rosemary looked up from her contemplation to find two of her fellow priestesses walking toward her. She recognized their faces, but she had completely forgotten their names. Or so she thought. As soon as she looked at their concerned faces, prompts immediately displayed their names.

“Good evening Tonya, Michelle. You’ve come at a good time. I’m wondering who could have possibly caused this stain. Didn’t we have a stew recently?” Just as she asked the question, a prompt told her exactly when the church last served stew. Rosemary had selective memory, especially when it came to trivial things like what she ate the day before. Yet, her Perception had pulled the information for her. Was the information based on her memory, or was it from her high intelligence?

The two priestesses looked at each other. Everyone knew that having food outside the dining hall wasn’t permitted, so the fact that there was a stain on the floor leading to the girls dorm was a sign for trouble.

“Maybe one of the priests did it? You know what they say about men’s appetites.” Michelle replied nervously. She was the shorter of the two.

Rosemary watched both of them carefully, using the prompts triggered by their body language to guide her. “That’s a possibility, but it would be odd. The splash indicates that the culprit was walking towards the girls dormitories. Have either of you noticed a sister coming in with food?”

Michelle and Tonya looked at each other and hesitated. They suddenly felt exposed under her gaze, as if she was seeing right through them.

“We don’t know! We’ve never seen anyone come in with food.” Tonya protested.

“You’re lying.” Rosemary declared with narrowed eyes. Her mark made her even more intimidating.

“I wouldn’t-”

“I have no intention of pursuing the matter. I was just curious. But the fact that you would lie to me hurts sister. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you know exactly who it was that did this.” Rosemary retorted with disappointment overlaying her every word.

The priestess shrank back in fear. It was as if Rosemary was reading her mind.

“Now we may not agree on all the rules placed upon us, but that doesn’t mean we should go around breaking them. It’s not a good look, and it reflects on our integrity as priests and priestesses of Hammerrun. So I strongly suggest whoever it is to either stop or work harder at covering their tracks.” Without another word, Rosemary walked passed them to continue down the hall.

“Was she always that scary?” Tonya whispered to her friend.

“I don’t think so.”

Rosemary only smiled as she turned the corner.

*FLASHBACK END*

Though she wasn’t smiling now as she walked up the steps to the temple. She had found more evidence of the menace that plagued her sisters. Multiple priestesses had woken up in their beds with no memory of how they got there, and when they tried to put on their Ring of Purity, it shocked them. So whatever they did the day before, involved sexual activity. But the priestesses ,for the life of them, can’t remember what happened.

As the favorite for the next High Priestesses, Rosemary was expected to resolve the situation as a test of her abilities. Despite the fact that the High Priest didn’t even bother to investigate.

’That’s not suspicious at all.’ Rosemary thought to herself as she headed for her chambers. As a High Priestesses candidate, she was allowed her own room and office. It was a large step up from the dormitories.

She turned a familiar corner, bumping into the one person she didn’t want to see.

“Ah, Devout Rosemary, how nice to see you.” greeted the High Priest. His smile was over the top, and his wandering eyes told her where his mind was without the prompts. If this man wasn’t somehow involved in the plight of the priestesses, she would be truly surprised.

“High Priest.” she nodded in return. The less she spoke to him the better her day would turn out.

“Have you found any leads on the disappearing priestesses?”

“Not yet, your worship. I actually plan on talking to the Paladin Commander today.”

“As if he’ll help you. You know how the Commander is.” the priest grinned knowingly.

Rosemary already knew that the Paladin Commander was in on it too, but she already had a plan in motion for that. "I think I might actually persuade him this time..."

The High Priest made a concerned face. "How?"

"It's a secret, but I promise I'll tell you after we catch the culprits." Rosemary said as she walked away. She wanted him to sweat over the possibility of losing an inside man.

Moments later, she walked into her office. It was a small room with one desk in the middle. The stone walls had small windows near the ceiling, leaving her office in darkness the majority of the day. The room was bare of any personal possessions, and the only ‘decoration’ she had was a giant slab of iron that leaned against the wall. The center of it was slightly dented.

Rosemary moved to stand in front of the slab and took up her boxing stance. She whispered a spell to cast Silence and launched a full powered punch. There was a dull thud as her Barrier connected to the metal, but she was far from through. She pushed harder, rushing through her combinations until the barriers broke and stamina reached the limit. Even after her mana ran dry, she still kept at it.

She felt a bone snap in her right hand and collapsed to the ground, succumbing to the vicious cycle she’d created to raise her skills.

+2 Endurance

She’d withstand the pain until her Silence wore out and her mana regenerated. Then she’d cast Healing to mend her broken hand. The longer she could go without breaking her fist, the more experience she gained for her Barrier, Orthodox Boxing, and Hand to Hand. It had been rocky at first since most priestesses could hear her screaming as they walked by. She couldn’t count how many times someone walked in to ask if she was okay.

Rosemary got up and wiped the sweat from her brow. She hadn’t been able to train like she wanted to lately with all that’s happened. Today would have to be a turning point in her investigation.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in.”

A dark skinned man walked in. His dreads fell over his shoulders and his dark robe hid his face and armor. Anyone would think he was a mage of some sort, but they would be dead wrong.

“I’ve been expecting you J-Money. I’d offer you a chair, but as you can see…”

“It’s all good. I only came to see you boo.”

Rosemary just shook her head as she looked down at her soiled bandages. They started calling her Red-Hand because she never changed them.

’Who knew that being lazy could get you a badass title?’ Rosemary thought as she scratched her left ring finger. Her mythril Ring of Purity seemed to glow in the dim light of her office.

“Well I’m glad you came as quickly as you did. I need a favor.”

“Lay it on me.”

“I need you to ‘persuade’ the Paladin Commander to help me uncover the culprits of the recent incidents.”

“Cool. Where he at?”

“You’ll find him in the training facility behind the compound.”

“Word. When do I stop?”

“They’ll stop you. Now go, I don’t want them to see me asking for help. I have a reputation for being unfriendly.” she smiled.

J-Money pulled up his hood and walked out, quickly closing the door behind him.

Rosemary sat at her desk with the glow of her mark lighting her hood. She’d made her preparations, now all she had to do was wait.