“I think you should leave Ms. Prairie Dog,” I said, feeding the small creature a handful of oats. “It's getting dark and we're a bit far from your home.”

Ms. Prairie Dog chittered in my ear bit I just petted her head and lifted her down to the ground from my shoulder. “I know, but your family needs you, you should take good care of them.” I waved gently walking away. “Bye now.”

“Man, you really are right out of a painting huh. You going to come through riding a unicorn next?”

I raised my staff and the light atop it, giving us something to march by in the twilight. “No, the unicorn on the mountain was always too shy to let me ride on her, plus she was very sheepish around other animals. She would let me pet her mane if I gave her carrots though.”

“Wait, you mean… you're freaky, Father.”

I ignored the comment, opting to change the topic of conversation. “So, we'll be able to make it there by nightfall huh?” I questioned the rather incontrite spearman.

“I didn't account for your short little legs Father, sorry. I could carry you if you want.” the teen chuckled happily as he continued at a leisurely pace beside my powerwalk. “Besides it's not like we're worried about food, what with your magic basket there. I haven't eaten so well in a year and a half.”

“I was worried the magic wouldn't keep up with that stomach of yours, how many apples was that?”

“Six, hey could you pass me another one?”

As I reached into the Cornucopia and tossed another fruit to the ravenous teen I smiled, at the very least I appreciated the company traveling, and it was easy to fall into a rhythm with the young man. Despite his insistence on stopping every thirty minutes to do pushups and other exercises with his newly-cured arm. I understood the sentiment sure, but couldn't he just do it before and after sleeping like a normal person.

As the sounds of him gnawing through the apple like an extremely hungry rat sounded out to my side, however, I caught a whiff of something that endangered my good mood.

“Smoke.”

“Huh?” Karsten asked, already tossing the apple core to the roadside. “Oh yeah you're right that's woodsmoke.”

I glanced around at the sky, and saw a pillar of the stuff silhouetted against the stars, it seemed to come from just over the next ridge.

“One of the outlying homesteads must be on fire.” Karsten glanced at me for orders, and I nodded.

“We should move to help them if we can.” I grabbed the glass bottle at my side. preparing to uncorked it as the two of us broke out into a run over the ridge.

Karsten reached the crest first, and put a hand against my chest, stopping me from running down into the farmstead “Orcs”.

Down below us was a farmhouse and a couple outbuildings, one of which was on fire. Several large figures were trying to batter down the door to the farmhouse with a ladder that they must have stolen from the barn. I could already see a body on the ground nearby, so they must have raided the farm with surprise on their side.

I glared at the situation.

“I'm going to cast at them, they should be vulnerable to the purifying light. You just keep them back, I'll heal you if you stay close.” I didn't have any experience with proper combat, but we had range and surprise on our side.

That in mind, I prepared the magic in my heart before uttering the word of power, placing a great deal of will into it. Orcs were vulnerable to light magic since they were nocturnal creatures, but even so, the purifying light was not that offensively powerful, so it needed a great deal of effort to seriously harm them.

“Flirm.” I incanted strongly and a searing bolt of radiant light tore forth from the tip of my staff down into one of the orcs. The orc in question fell screaming to the ground, probably because the spell would inflict painful second and third-degree burns over most of his body if I had cast it properly.

By the time the rest of them had recovered from a short bout of temporary blindness I was already recovered and casting again, but this time they were smarter, scattering and ducking away from the oncoming beam of light.

“I don't think they'll be hit by that again easily,” I grumbled as the orcs ran to find cover behind fences and farm equipment.

“I can take them then, I've fought Orcs before,” Karsten said, brandishing his spear.

“Alone against four?”

“Not quite at those numbers, but you'll heal me right?”

I rolled my eyes at the daredevil teen, before chanting once again. This time for a spell of protection on the young man. “Wolno” the spell hit him dead on and covered him in a glistening golden sheen of light. Not only did it make his movements harder to see as he was difficult to look at straight on, but it also softened incoming blows. As long as he took it on his armor he would be fine.

“Go then, if you can get them in the open I'll support.”

“Sure thing boss.” the teen broke into a jog towards the Orcs below us, letting out a shout as he rushed the first Orc hunkered behind a wagon. The Orc barely had time to rise before he was on top of him, his golden spear blurring in the darkness as he stabbed at the surprised Orc, quickly ending him and continuing his charge on towards the next one.

It was about then that an arrow buried itself into and through my right leg, sending me yelping to the ground clutching it.

‘Fuck, one of them’s an archer.’ I rolled away from my staff, the light at its head must have been giving me away, and I didn't need it to cast. I ripped the arrow out before healing my own flesh with a spell and clamoring to my feet again even as my leg repaired itself with the magic. The next arrow missed, and I decided that this was now unacceptable.

“Xirvan Moxa Polnavan.” the chant was longer than most, a fairly complex spell of the merciful light. It erected a 10-foot square prism of transparent white light in front of me, it would block incoming fire and more importantly, my own ‘Flirms’ could go through it. I picked my staff up as an arrow clattered against it, noting that Karsten had dealt with another Orc. The two remaining capable Orcs decided now was another good time to make a break for it, and I saw the archers silhouette as he ran by the burning barn.

The word of power came easily as I put yet another beam of light downrange. He must have seen me though, as he dived into the dirt and let it pass over him.

This turned out to be a mistake on the brute's part as the delay in his running let Karsten catch up to him, and I grimaced slightly as my bodyguard of sorts ran the prone orc’s heart through with his spear. Pinning him to the ground before withdrawing it.

It wasn't that I was opposed to killing exactly, but seeing it so casually done reminded me how cheap life was in this world that was still rooted in the medieval period. I knew academically of course, but seeing slaughter done so casually…

Fortunately, I had other things to distract me from any impending moral crisis. ‘Best see if I can do anything for that guy.’ I rushed down the hill to the body of a man, probably in his mid 40’s, who had suffered a considerable stomach wound from the sword of one of the orcs. I quickly placed my hand over his mouth and found he was luckily still breathing, but his intestines were visible, though fortunately not severed. As I pressed my hand against his stomach with a “Hasha” I turned to shout at Karsten who was standing watch for more Orcs. “Get then to open the door and see if they have water inside, I'm going to want to purify his wound once it's done healing to stop infection.”

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Karsten moved up to the door, noting that it was already partially knocked in where the Orcs had been battering it.

When his shadow passed over the hole he felt a blow to his gut and glanced down to see a crossbow bolt fall away from his chainmail. ‘Thank God for armor.’ he thought for a moment before deciding the best answer was probably to just shout at whoever was inside.

“Hey, I'm not an Orc, you don't have to shoot me. They're gone.”He shouted and was answered with a terrified “AH!” from inside, followed by the sound of the deadbolt being hurriedly lifted.

Soon the door swung open to reveal a pair of peasant women, one was middle-aged, though she had aged well, both had similar thin features and they looked very similar. The younger of the two was perhaps a few years older than him, and very pretty.

"uh…” he felt his breath catch in his throat for a moment looking at the girl, before shaking his head. Remembering the captain's lessons. ‘Battle first, then girls.’ “Ah, the Father was asking if you have water to clean the guys wound.”

The woman's eyes widened at that, and the younger one cried out “Daddy” before turning back into the house with speed.

He gestured the elder woman, who was likely the man's wife, exited the door with a questioning look, and turned the corner towards the man while her daughter ran out after her with a bucket of water. Karsten noted her shapely rear and shook his head as she ran over towards where Abbot was greeting them even as he wove his healing magic over the man's belly.

‘Man what I wouldn't do to…’ Karsten broke the chain of thought there. ‘She’s a farm-girl I can't settle down, I got an oath to consider.’

Karsten felt a strange pride at that. He had a reason he couldn't lay with women now, far better than simply not being able to get under their dresses because of a cursed arm that had them screaming “demon” and getting the pitchforks out faster’n you could blink.

Karsten smiled at the thought of it.

‘Doesn't stop me from checking the goods out from afar though.’

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The younger women brought the water out fairly hastily, splashing it everywhere. Thankfully there was still enough to purify the wound.

“Daddynononononono,youcantdothisno.”

Her babbling was distinctly less helpful, and her mother shoved an elbow into her side soon enough, which shut her up as she realized she was screwing with my focus.

I held my hands above the bucket, channeling the light of purity into it.

“Pallan”

It wouldn't hold as well in holy water, not to mention unconsecrated well water, as it did in oil, but then that wasn't as great a concern as one might expect when it was merely natural diseases and not a magical ailment that I was trying to expunge. I splashed the softly glowing liquid over the man's wound and prayed over it quietly.

Having done that, I looked at the women.

“You should get him inside and onto a bed, he will most likely live.”

The weight looked like it had come off of both of their shoulders at that. Though the younger one started sobbing and I had to call Karsten over to lift the guy.

“Man you really torched that Orc by the door Father.” the man shucked as he hoisted the middle-aged man. “And that's what ye did to my arm? Yikes.”

“Eh, it only works on then so well because they're creatures aligned to darkness. I could barely give an elf a sunburn, and even then the spell doesn't work much on armored people unless the armor is magical.” I rubbed my hand over the head of my staff, blocking the small Light at its tip. “At the end of the day, it's only light, albeit sacred.”

“Yeah, only light” I had the feeling from his tone that he would be making quotation marks in the air if not for the man he was carrying. We soon got him onto a bed inside the house, where my staff was the only remaining light save for the still lightly burning barn.

“Thank you for saving us, and especially my husband. Young Priest” the older woman nodded to me. “We should deft be dead were it not for your intervention, we have little here, but if you see anything you like you may have it.”

She glanced harshly at her still mute and sobbing daughter, who then burst out in thanks. “Ohthanksthanksthanks.” she literally threw herself to the floor. “ThankyouimsorryIthoughtandthenItookitanddaddyalmostdiedthankyou.”

There was something in the middle there, but I would rather she just stop talking to be honest, I was well tired at this point. “Alright, it's ok.” with her this low I could actually put my hand on her shoulder. “You're safe now.”

“s'myfault though.” the young woman sighed heaving a breath. “Damn Orcs.”

“It's your fault?” Karsten asked, “what did you do, steal from them?”

“Yes.” she let loose another sob at that but seemed to be calming down a bit, no longer speaking at a million miles an hour.

Before Karsten could go after her for her stupidity, I glared him down. He deflated a bit but nodded.

“What did you steal and why?”

“This…” the woman reached into her dress and pulled out a red shining gemstone that was larger than my hand.

“Damn, now that's something worth stealing,” Karsten mumbled from my side and I had the urge to kick him.

“No, it isn't, it's cursed. I stole it so Garfuk couldn't use it.” the woman admitted, getting a bit more control over herself. “I'm an adventurer, a burglar. It's for a bounty. This is the right eye of the Ape-King. Some great demon statue from the southern continent of Lonnan. Garfuk, that's the Orc leader, had it, the legend says that a dark mage like him who used it was able to bind armies of animals to his will.”

The woman sighed dramatically. “Garfuk is already infamous for taming great beasts with his power, so there was a call from the church in Brindon for adventurers to deal with it before he raised an army of monsters.” the girl choked back her next sentence before raising it up towards me. “You can take it if you want. The church in Brindon will pay you for it. But Garfuk probably has some method of tracking it, else I don't know how his orcs followed me here. I only came home because it was a few days away and I needed to catch a boat south.”

“hmm, so it's a cursed treasure huh?” Karsten questioned, rubbing his chin. “I don't think it's something we want to carry.”

I glanced up at him before looking back to her. “God teaches us to be humble, I can hardly take something that isn't rightfully mine from you. Why not take it there yourself. We would be willing to travel with you, and you certainly cannot keep it here.”

Her mother looked at her before shaking her head, grumbling under her breath about this being why she didn't want her daughter to be a thief, but she gave the younger woman a nod nonetheless.

“I will go with you, just give me a moment to pack my things. If Garfuk already has scouts this close we need to leave quickly. His main horde is likely beyond any small party’s abilities, especially with his war-beasts..”

I nodded at that, smiling to her as she picked herself off of the floor and ran into one of the other rooms. I stepped over to her mother who seemed mostly concerned with keeping an eye on her injured husband. “He should wake before the end of the night, I cannot guarantee you both will be able to recover anything from your barn since it has burned down, but I will bless your fields before we leave. You will likely want to flee into the town before the rest of the orcs see their dead comrades here.”

“Thank you, uh, Father.” the woman quickly pulled me into a tight hug, before letting me out just as quickly. “Make sure my Mary gets that trinket to Brindon safely.” She rustled my hair fondly, which made me want to pout, but I put on my best beatific face instead.

One needed to play to their strengths after all.

“Alright, I'm ready.”

The daughter, Mary, stepped out into the communal living space again, but her entire demeanor had now changed, from the peasant farm-girl she was before into someone who just screamed “thief”. It was a likely testament to her skills with disguises that she could so readily change. Her long red hair was tied in a ponytail behind her head, and her farmhand's dress and apron had been replaced with a form-fitting suit of leather armor that left little to the imagination. Had I been physically a few years older it likely would have been extremely attractive, and I jabbed an elbow into Karsten’s side to get him mobile as he was obviously appreciating the much-improved view. “We need to move.”

“Oww, fine fine, I'm going. I'm going."

With that said the five of us soon left the farmstead behind, Karsten carrying the man, who I was informed was named Harry, and the wife was named Margaret.

There was little time for talk past that as we all hurried for the gates of Riverbelly, I barely had time to sprinkle some of the seeds and kernels in the Cornucopia across their fields, and the accompanying prayer was made at full pace marching down the road, jogging for me.

Soon we came up to the great wooden gate in the stone walls of Riverbelly and were met with a stern. “Who goes there?” as was appropriate from the night watchmen.

“The Sallow Family sir, our homestead was attacked by Orcs, we seek shelter.”

“So that's what the smoke was then? Open the gate a quarter!”

As we walked through the man clamored down from his tower, and he was there to meet us as the gate was closed behind us. “I recognize you Sallow folk, but who are these two, a small priest and a spearman?”

“I'm a traveling priest in the light of God, Abbot, and this is my sworn-spear, Karsten, we found the Sallow farmstead under attack by the Orcs.”

“He saved us, and my husband's life too I'll say.” Margaret Backed up my case. “We’d all likely be dead cept for them.”

“Mhm. Can't say I've seen a priest as young as you, but the Sallows are good people. I'll let you slide without a fee tonight, but I still need to take yet destination down in me logbook.”

This was the first time I had encountered a town of this size, but I supposed that sort of thing was common sense. Riverbelly was, after all, a fairly major city, being the largest in the central plains even if it's population was barely eight-thousand.

“We're here to get passage on a boat to Brindon,” I said trying my best to look dignified, it was hard when you were two and a half feet shorter than the man you were talking too, but the vestments really helped pull it off, I found.

Well, that's how I like to think of it anyway, it's entirely possible that people let me past because I was cute. I just prefer an alternate explanation.

“Alright, little priest. In that case, you'll want to head to the Fisherman's Rest. It's a taphouse down by the docks that the riverboat captain’s frequent, there should be one headed downstream within the week. Head down the main street until you reach the docks then turn right, it should have a lantern up outside.”

“Thank you.” I smiled up at the man and gestured that the group should follow me as I made my way down the avenue, soon we reached a small inn which Margaret knew the owner of, and we dropped her and Harry off there before continuing on to the Fisherman's Rest. Mary said a rather emotional goodbye, but I stood outside with a distressed looking Karsten since that wasn't my business.

The bar was small, and a bit off the docks, but it was well booming at this time of night. Smoke drifted from its chimney, and the whole place had ad sort of rough and tumble but cozy feel to it, not that I ever wanted to get in a bar-fight at my current size.

“Let me handle this Father,” Karsten spoke as we approached the bar. “Not to insult you, but these men aren't going to have much respect for a child, priest or not, and I've bartered passage from their like before.”

I thought for a moment before nodding my head gently. “That doesn't sound too bad. Just make sure we're moving quickly. We may have to work. Also, don't lie about anything, we don't need trouble.”

He grimaced for a moment at that but nodded nonetheless, and I was left sitting by the docks with Mary.

I was about bit curious about the girl who had basically just joined our party. Albeit potentially only for a short while. My estimate of her was a bit wonky between her breakdown compared to her confident strutting around in leather armor.

“So…”

“Yeah..?”

The young woman seemed to be a little new to moving with a group, so I decided to break the ice. “How did you end up becoming an adventurer, much less a burglar?”

The woman seemed torn for a second before smiling with a hint of bitterness and beginning to explain. “There used to be an old mercenary who hung around here in Riverbelly, big old friendly fella. Not like most of their lot. He was the one who convinced me to be an adventurer after I saw him tame an Auroch. So I went to Brindon to the league there to learn the trade from the monster hunting experts there.” The woman twirled her hair around her thumb as she spoke, looking more annoyed than anything. “It became clear pretty quick I had no talent in magic, and I'm a woman so I wasn't going to be able to be a real warrior, can't fight well in heavy armor and all that. So I became a thief, and eventually, I specialized in burglary. Not much more to it, I was probably about your friend's age when I started.”

The woman then turned her eyes towards me for the first time in the conversation. “How about you? You must be some sort of prodigy to be a priest so young.”

I had to admit to that at least being accurate. Though I had cheated somewhat getting here, being reincarnated. “Yeah, I'm a prodigy of sorts, but most of my growth can be attributed to my father. He was a very powerful and very old priest himself. His tutelage let me learn much faster than most people.” I gestured at myself sarcastically. “I know I don't look it at all, but I'm 15 since a week ago. My body just ages far slower than most people's due to the saturation with light magic.”

She raised an eyebrow at that. “So you're like an elf then?”

“Yeah, sorta, the slow aging comes from the same source, but elves are creatures of light far more so than humans by default, they're born with long lifespans and their light-shapers essentially stop aging entirely even over millennia. A human would need an incalculable amount of power in the light in order to achieve that degree of near-immortality.”

Elves were one of the races I had studied intensely during my research. Their magic was different than humans, being another species. But that didn't mean you couldn't learn from them. Someday I hoped to meet some of them, though they were normally very reclusive. Father had told me of several he had met in his time, though he had always had the impression that they mostly just liked being alone.

“So it's like someone born with great talent by nature for the elves then?”

“In light magic yeah. Though humans can become warlocks or necromancer much easier than elves can. Since we're a slightly darker race.” caused a lot of problems too, Necromancy had been a large part of what brought down the old empire. Once its practice had begun widespread under the cult of the God of Death Schun there had simply been too many wizards with private armies, all ready to make their own plays at power.

Well, that was before Dad and the Other saints put them down.

“Hey, Father. I found somebody to take us down the river.”

I turned to look up towards Karsten, who was coming down the hill beside an old man with a thick white beard.

“Hoho an interesting group yer travelin with nowadays young Karsten.” The old man seemed the type of an experienced riverboat captain well enough. To me at least. “Ye all want te gae te Brinton right? Well me ship is leaving on the morrow, so you'd best prepare yer'selves. Every hand works on me boot.”

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