Staring up at the red tint in the sky, I sighed in relief. Those stupid Goblins had continued attacking throughout the night. From what I could tell, they hadn't made it far into Sart, or at least not very far.

I heard them run back into the forest far to the left and got up. Grabbing the large, stinking Wirg corpse, I put it over my shoulders. My legs cramped and groaning, I moved towards the wall. The dead Goblins still lay where I'd left them, and the archer stood at the same spot.

"Hello!" I said, keeping my voice low. It was quiet now, and any loud shouting might get me into trouble.

The archer waved and disappeared. A few minutes later, the small door in the gate opened. As I moved inside, the door slammed shut behind me as the archer looked at me, his eyes on the Wirg.

"Glad you survived. Many can't say the same," the archer said dully.

I didn't feel like chatting, more interested in seeing if Agga was unharmed, but I did want to know what had happened at the other gate.

"Est, "I said, nodding at him as was common as a greeting I had found.

"Balasi," the archer replied.

"Did they break through at the west gate?"

"No, they only broke one of the doors, and a few managed to worm their way in, "Balasi said.

"Thanks for letting me in. I need to see if my friend is alright," I said as I walked away.

"Good luck, "Balasi said, and I heard him climb back up the ladder to resume his guard.

Sart seemed the same as before I left it, and when I crossed it to the small alley of Agga's shop, it was easy to imagine nothing had happened. Opening the door, I found Agga pacing through the room, her hair a mess of tangled grey strains.

"Est!" She exclaimed, moving a step closer before stopping. "Did you bring something to smell up this place again?"

I grinned, easy now that I saw she was alright and put the large body on the ground. Rigor mortis had long since set in, and the blood either bled out or dried.

"That's a Worg…. Where did you find that?" she said after inspecting the body for just a moment.

"I think it was the last of the Wirgs if that's possible?"

"It is rare, but it happens. If they kill enough, they will evolve into stronger versions of themselves. That might explain why you managed to kill it. Worgs are notoriously dangerous."

I barely listened to the rest of her story about Worgs. Seeing her safe, I knew it was time to leave. I had delayed it for too long already, which I only realized while sitting outside the gate. I had been in this world for over ten days now, while that AI had been doing god knows what with my body and that of Sandra. I had learned enough to keep myself alive, could increase both my ax mastery and my wood crafting and had a goal. It was time.

"Agga…" I said, interrupting her, mid-story.

"What? Was it too fast? I can start again…. no. What is wrong?" Seeing the worry on her face, I wondered if I should explain to her that I hadn't lost my memory. Thinking of how I would even begin, I discarded the idea. But I needed a good reason, a viable reason. After a moment, my mind concocted something that I thought was plausible.

"I've been having dreams for a while now… "I lied. "In it there is a young woman, and she is in trouble. She needs my help. The only thing I can make out from the dreams is that she is wearing full plate armor, a shield, and a sword. I also know a word. Paladin."

Agga stared at me for a long time, and then she sighed. Her shoulders sagged, and she sat down on the chair beside the dining table. "You are leaving," she stated.

"Yes, "I said with a nod.

"When?"

I hesitated before replying. "Tomorrow morning."

I had thought about leaving now but decided it would be too risky. I was tired, hungry, and my ax wasn't ready yet.

"Do you know the name of this mysterious woman?" Agga finally said.

Sandra used the same name in nearly every fantasy game, and I was pretty sure she wouldn't deviate from that this time. "Eliandra of the Shield, "I said, wondering if she had managed the second part. Not every game allowed more than one name. Then my mood sank. This wasn't a game… How did I keep forgetting that?

"And what deity is she a paladin of?" Agga asked again.

Uncertain, I shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but I got the feeling it was a protector of the weak and a persecutor of evil."

"A feeling…" Agga muttered. Then she pointed at the stool at the other side of the table. When I sat, she scowled.

"I knew there was something odd about you the moment you came into my shop. And now this. If you had truly died and reset, it would be impossible for you to have memories or dreams."

I wanted to say I didn't know anything about that, but Agga cut me off with a raised hand.

"I understand you don't know what is going on, but I also know you aren't telling me everything. I am not stupid, Est." This time she waited for me to reply, but I just looked at her. I was stunned that she had realized something was up and still not said anything.

"Good. Silence is better than lies, "she said with a sniff. "If you hadn't saved my life and proved you were trustworthy, I would never have let you stay here or teach you. "

Staring at her, I sighed. "So, now what?"

"Either you can tell me what is going on, and I can help, or you keep it to yourself. Either way, as you are leaving tomorrow, I will get the payment you earned for bringing me wood."

Looking at the small stack beside the table and remembering how she said it should have been to the ceiling, I frowned. Agga laughed softly, and I looked at her in confusion.

"I needed wood to the ceiling if it was normal wood. What is lying there is Winding Weed wood. It will be enough to last me for three winters. "She sighed and got up.

"You won't tell me then. That is fine, sometimes the best way to keep a secret is to keep it close to one's heart. Go and finish that ax you were making. I don't understand why you are wasting that magnificent piece of wood on it, but leaving it half-finished is a worse waste. "

Agga moved to her leatherworking table and began working on something while I moved to my own table. A massive ax lay on it, far too big and unwieldy for anybody. Three times too big, to be precise. Picking it up, I could barely lift it with four arms. It would be a while before I could use it properly. Looking at the two blades, each from the same massive log of Winding Weed I had found after searching for almost a day, I felt a sense of pride. I had cut, ground, and sanded them myself. I'd connected them to another part of the same wood, and both blades were wide enough to hide behind. All that was really left was the handle.

With a knife, I began cutting away, creating a grip pattern. Long winding circles, and then small crosshatches as I remembered from the metal army knife my father had given me ages ago. When I was finished, it was late in the morning, and I was starting to feel the lack of a good night of sleep. Looking up, I found Agga standing beside me, staring at the handle.

"That's an interesting design. It is hard to believe you came up with that yourself."

I didn't reply, just grinned foolishly. What could I say? That I'd based it on an image, I'd seen on an old fantasy book?

"Give it to me. You have done with it what you are capable of. I will finish it and have it ready for you by tomorrow. You go washup and buy us some more fresh bread. Take your time. I need to think."

Nodding, I moved away, leaving the ax on the table. Although Agga was strong, I wasn't sure she could lift it. Turning to the door, I heard a whooshing sound and looked behind. Agga stood in the room, moving the ax with large swings, seeming unencumbered by the heavy and unwieldy thing. Swallowing, I wondered how strong she must have been before old age got the better of her.

I watched her for a few moments before heading out.

--

Washed and with an armful of bread, I made my way back to Agga. I had already eaten two large slices, and with my slightly wet skin and a full belly, I felt drowsy.

Stepping inside the now so familiar shop, the sharp pungent scent of burning Winding Weed wood wafted into my face. Looking at the fireplace, I saw it was stoked up so hot I felt it at the door. My ax lay inside, and Agga sat in the chair in front of the fire. How she could stand the blazing heat was a miracle to me.

"Draw up a chair. I need to speak with you, " Agga said.

Groaning at the prospect of setting even closer to the blazing fire, I brought my chair beside hers and handed the package with fresh bread to her. She left it on her lap, staring into the fire.

Looking at my ax, I could see it had shrunk a bit already, and there was something on the blade's edge. Squinting, I realized it looked like the drawing of a vine with thorns.

"Your ax will be done by evening, which will give you enough time to find Haltir. He is proficient with it, having fought with axes during the last war with Raltch. I spoke with him, and he has promised to teach you what he can. You should heed what he says, for he used to be a sergeant in Hars royal platoon."

I wondered when she had even managed to do that while also finishing the ax and putting it in the fire. Still, I felt a warmth inside, and not just from the heat of the fire that was threatening to pull blisters on my skin.

"Thank you. I will listen well," I said, wondering if we could move our conversation outside. Her next words stopped any such notion.

"I think I know where that woman you are looking might be."

She did? That was more than I did! Looking at her, I just wished she would speak a bit faster.

"There are many guardian deities and many that are persecutors of evil, but not many that are both. Actually, there are only two that I can think of that qualify and would allow a woman to join their ranks."

Sweat dripped from my head and oozed from my torso. God, of all the times, did she have to be long-winded now?

"There is Flowheart, goddess of water, honesty, and vengeance. Most of her clergy are always looking to weed out injustice while guarding the weak. Most of her paladins are women, although not all."

Hearing the name, a ping came from my status while I nodded. That sounded like something Sandra would be drawn to. Besides the fact that she loved being the hero, she also enjoyed beating up evil.

"The other options would be Percussion, the god of music, strong emotion, and sanity."

Ignoring the other ping, I frowned and looked at Agga. Wouldn't that be more suited for Bards? If they even had those?

Agga looked at my face and snorted. "You doubt me? Percussion's followers are always found near conflict and know as no other how to defend themselves. Although they don't wear the heaviest of armor, they are nimble shield wielders. Their sword dancing skills have no equal anywhere on Kernstalion."

That didn't sound too bad, but my gut told me Sandra would have chosen Flowheart if she could.

"Never mind, you've made up your mind, I see. Fine. Flowheart has only two temples where novices are trained. Lucky for you, one is in Har. It is a ten-day journey by horseback in the city of Dursic, in the middle of the Harrowing Hils."

Wiping sweat from my brow, I tried to wave cool air to myself with the other three. It didn't help one bit, and I groaned. "Horse?" I groaned. How was I going to get a horse? Did they even have horses here? A sudden realization, one I probably should have had days ago, hit me. Was I even speaking English?

"There are no horses in Sart or anywhere in the vicinity. You will have to go on foot or find a caravan."

Why name horses if I had to do it without? Staring into the blazing embers, an idea popped in my head. Weren't those Doom Daggers going away again in a few days? Perhaps they would travel in the same direction, and they might have some type of transport!

Sitting with Agga for another while and figuring out she wasn't going to speak again, I rose. "I need to go clean up again. This heat is killing me."

Agga just laughed and shook her head. I noticed she barely had any sweat on her brow.

As soon as I got outside, the cool air felt like bliss. Looking back, I decided to go for a long swim this time and hope the fire was out when I came back.