“You, Lizzandra, my child, will join and guide my Champion on his journey in my name, so that he may live life, in a manner befitting his position.” Thus the goddess spoke to me and my heart was filled with joy even as my consciousness fled me due to the sheer power of the goddess’s words.

“HUU!!” I shout out of my breath with a sharp intake of breath. I looked around my dark room and couldn’t help but feel my face relaxing into a silly grin. “The goddess chose me!” I shouted in glee and jumped out of the bed. I almost ran out of my small room as I was. Only the tiny silver mirror on my wardrobe stopped me from making an utter fool of myself.

I quickly dressed in my official robes and strode out of my room in the pre-dawn gloom of the church. I had to really focus to keep my face straight as I walked over to the High Priest’s room. I knocked on the door and waited for a good while, I was almost unable to contain my excitement. I was about to knock a third time when the tired face of the High Priest poked out of the room. He squinted and looked out into the hallway with an unhappy expression.

“Ehem.” I cleared my throat and the High Priest finally looked down and noticed me.

“Priestess?” He said in an annoyed tone.

“I received an oracle from the goddess.” I said cutting straight to the chase.

“Is that so?” He asked skeptically and I could not help but to pout as I nodded. “I see… is that why I have not seen you these last few days?” The High Priest asked tiredly and opened the door revealing that he was still in his nightwear.

“Whatever do you mean?” I asked, confused. “I saw you yesterday for evening prayers.”

“Lizzandra, I haven’t seen you in over two days, I thought you had taken ill.” I froze at the priest’s words. “What kind of oracle did you receive?” He asked, rubbing his eyes and pulling out a pair of small round glasses.

“Two days…” I was shocked, but I somehow managed to recover and spoke. “I was told to join the Amoria’s Champion and guide him.” I was not completely able to suppress the excitement in my voice.

“Her Champion?” The High Priest said suddenly fully awake. “So they were summoned!” He sounded both excited and angry. “That damned girl, how dare she hide this from us!” He growled. “Priestess, get dressed and… Ah, I see that you already are.” He coughed awkwardly. “Get the senior Priestess. We are going to have an early visit at the castle today.”

“Yes High Priest!” I answered and ran off to wake Maria, the senior Priestess of the church or Amoria. This would mean that the two top figures of the church in Elianor would be paying the Duchess a surprise visit.

Unfortunately, besides a lot of scolding and apologizing from the Chancellor, we were unable to meet the Champion and were directed to The Guild instead. This became even more of a headache as we were eventually, after going first to the Guild Master and then the head of the Explorers guild, informed that the Champion had already left Elianor. I have never heard the High Priest swear like that and I felt a strong sense of nostalgia as I was reminded of my late father.

We ended up having to charter a wagon and a contingent of guards so that I could chase after the Champion that had left the city the day before. This all was very expensive and the High Priest sent the hefty bill straight to the castle without even a second thought. And with all the hasty preparations finished, I was sent on my first trip outside the walls of Elianor.

The endless fields stretched out around me and I would have liked to take in the beautiful view. However, with the two hard looking mercenaries joining me in my wagon I had to project dignity befitting a Priestess of Amoria. So I had to clamp down on my excitement and keep the neutral smile that had been drilling into me over the years firmly plastered on my face.

I had four bronze ranked mercenaries from The Guild as guards, the best team that could be arranged for with such short notice. Two of my guards were scanning the field for potential dangers as they rode on newly purchased horses. The last two were the reason for my foul mood, as they sat stone-faced and silent in my wagon.

“Damn it! Why could I not have taken paladins with me instead?!” I growled at the High Priest internally as the wagon gently rocked and rolled on the road. “How could he say that: ‘Simple guard duty is a task unbefitting of Amoria’s great paladins’?! I was sent on an oracle from the goddess herself! How could guarding me on such a journey be anything but worthy damn it!”

“Are you alright Priestess?” The female mercenary asked.

“Why yes.” I said with a dignified smile, I must have let my mask slip for a moment. “I am simply a bit nervous about leaving the city for the first time.” I lied.

“I see.” The mercenary nodded her head. “I was rather nervous when I first left my hometown as well.” She added gently.

“Fear not Priestess!” The until now silent man shouted and banged his fist on his chest. “With us here, even Alphas will stay clear!”

“Too damn loud!” I shouted at the man internally but with effort I managed to smile at the man. “That is reassuring, thank you.” At my words the damn brute of a man had the temerity to blush! I had to fight not to show my disgust externally. Luckily it was soon time for lunch and the mercenaries rotated guard duty. “Hope these two don’t speak to me… I’m missing even the blabbermouth Liara from the church already.” I could not help but let out a lonely sigh. Luckily my two guards either ignored my sigh or missed it. Since one of them was cleaning his teeth with a dagger I’m going to go with the latter. “I really hope that the Champion and his companions are cut from a different cloth from these people.”

As the sun began to fall in the horizon we arrived at the Town of Embry and never have I ever been so tired from sitting still and practically not talking for an entire day. “That was the worst…” I thought as I made my way into the room in some inn that had been arranged for me. “I do hope that they managed to find the Champion tonight… I’m not sure I can stand another day in this company.”

The room was larger, more well-appointed and larger than my own back at the church, but it was also far less clean. I was glad that no one saw me scrunch up my face in disgust as I entered my sleeping quarters for the night. Taking a deep breath and fighting the ingrained urge to clean the room from top to bottom I knelt by the window and prayed to the goddess.

“Hurry.” In the darkness of sleep a single word was spoken to me and I bolted upright in my bed.

I was out of my bed in record time and for once, I was happy to have short hair as it did not need much attention to be presentable. Or well, somewhat presentable. I ran down the still dark stairs and found not a single soul in the common room.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Internally I was screaming and cursing like my old father. Externally, I am sure that I perfectly fit the image of a Priestess, probably, mostly. Then I slammed (gently rang) the call bell on the bar and waited until a tired looking woman appeared from the kitchen with a floury apron.

“Priestess?” The woman spoke with surprise and curtsied. “How may I help you?” She asked, a bit nervous.

“Good morning.” I gave the woman my most reassuring smile. “I’m afraid that I must get on the road sooner than I would’ve liked.” I did my best regretful shake of the head. “However, I’m embarrassed to say that I do not know which rooms my guards and driver are using.” I could see a rather troubled expression appear on the woman’s face along with a slight blush. “What?”

“Um, I could go and get your driver…” She trailed off awkwardly and looked everywhere but at me.

“What about the guards?” I asked, fighting my own expression from turning into a less than priestly scowl.

“Well…” The woman’s blush deepened. “Your guards have ehm… elected to stay at another umm… establishment for the night.” She was looking at a particularly dirty window with a deep blush.

I understood her implication, I am not a child after all, I did however blushed deeply. At the same time, I also wanted to scream and rip the heads of my guards but I have a feeling that the goddess would frown upon such an action. So instead I asked the woman for a piece of paper and a pen and then asked her to go get my driver post haste.

As the woman ran off up the sitars with more vigour than I had expected from her frame I wrote a very measured letter to the local Guild hall. I wrote slowly, not because I was bad at writing, on the contrary even the High Priest had begrudgingly praised my penmanship, but because if I had not controlled myself thoroughly, I would have written words, most unbefitting of my station. I was almost finished when my bleary-eye driver came stumbling down the stairs while still trying to get his belt on.

“Get the horses and wagon ready immediately.” I spoke in a stern voice that I know was at odds with my short and slim build but the driver did not argue and bolted out of the door to the stables. I finished the letter and used a trick the High Priest had taught me by accident to dry the letter. “Could you have this taken to the guild?” I looked up and saw a thoroughly awe expression on the lady’s face. She was staring wide-eyed at the folded letter. “Oh right, the High Priest told me not to use Divine power on such things in public. Oops…”

After the woman calmed down she sent one of her sons running with my letter to the local guild hall. The letter that expressed my less than stellar impression of the guards that had been hired through The Guild.

The guards that had not only left their charge (me)undefended at night, but they had even gone so far as to seek out the pleasures of the flesh while under contract! I had to fight a blush just thinking about it. “That is downright indecent!”

I walked outside and the Inn and found the driver almost done harnessing the animals, so I climbed into the back of the wagon and waited. After some time the driver timidly spoke to me.

“Um… Priestess, where are the Guards?” He asked, looking around nervously.

“Not here.” I felt that saying anything else would smear my own dignity. “Why could I not have taken a Paladin or two instead?” I lamented but made sure to keep a straight face. “We cannot wait for them.” I said in a stern voice.

“I-I, umm… won’t that be dangerous?” The driver asked, afraid either of traveling without a guard or afraid of angering me(or both).

“I’m more than enough to repel any beast or monster we might face on our journey I assure you.” I said a bit more haughtily than I had intended. But in my defence the sceptical look I got from the driver had made me a bit annoyed, or rather, even very annoyed.

“I see.” The driver said nervously but still climbed on and got ready to drive the wagon. But then he just looked back at me and the wagon remained stationary. The two of us just looked at one another awkwardly. “Um… where to?” The driver asked and I blushed furiously despite my best effort.

To cover up for my extremely embarrassing mistake I channelled a bit more Divine power than necessary into Guidance making the silvery green power of Amoria swirl around me. “Please o’ compassionate Amoria help me cover up my mistake, no I mean… uh please guide me!” I must be tired as I let my true emotions flow into my prayer. “Yes I must be tired, that was surely the reason for my mental slipup.”

However, my Goddess truly the greatest mistress in this wide world not only gave me direction, but also sent the surplus power out around me into a wondrous cascade of silver and green. “Oh great Amoria I once again swear my life to you!” I thanked my divine mistress and glanced at the awestruck driver and pointed to the north east. “That way.” I said gracefully, trying to keep my smugness to myself. The driver bobbed his head and the wagon rolled off towards the eastern gate.

It was a bit strange that the Champion was to the north east. From what I had been told by the head of the Explorers guild the Champion had gotten a job to deliver a package to Umpari. That would mean that with the current heading he would have to travel past the border forts of both Gal’an, and Kulagan. “Even for guild members, that path should be all but inaccessible. Do they intend to sneak over the border with the cover of night?” The head of the Explorers guild had said that they would likely head to the Greenriver in the free states first and cross into Kulagan from there. “That sounds like a far sounder plan… but then, they would be traveling due north.” I was beginning to get more than a little worried. “Combined with the warning from my goddess…” I had a very, very bad feeling about this.

“Driver, proceed with utmost haste as soon as we are through the gate.”

“Priestess?” He asked, concerned.

“We must hurry, don’t kill the horses but make sure we reach Yallow as soon as possible.” The driver looked at me with more than a little scepticism, but he nodded and had the horses pick up the pace as soon as we were out in the light of dawn.

“If those Guildies that went with the Champion are foolish, or too new, they might not know of the true dangers of night.” I might have never left Elianor before, but I knew well of the things that appeared in the darkness of night. “Those twisted constructs of chaos… I must not let the Champion face such an abomination!”

***

As Priestess Lizzandra, one of the chosen of Amoria was shaking around in a wagon to Yallow, four friends swaggered happily towards an inn.

“Who would have thought that you’d be able to find such quality company in a tiny town like Embry?” Said a bearded man as he slapped one of his companions on the butt.

“Hey, stop that…” The large man whined and rubbed his behind. The sole woman spoke next.

“Just you lot be happy we were paid so well to escort the Priestess, there is no way we would have afforded the high end establishment if it hadn't been…” The woman was interrupted by a thin balding man with crescent glasses.

“And never again will you be able to afford such luxury.” The man said in a voice that lacked emotion to a scary degree.

“What?..” The woman and the de facto leader of the merry adventurers asked as she took in the sight before her. When she did so, she froze in place as did her friends.

“Just to make sure we aren’t making a mistake here. You four are the Grave Few party, correct?” Asked the thin Guild official.

“Um… y-y-yes?” The woman almost bit her tongue and stammered out her response as she nervously eyed the two bored looking guild enforcers that were flanking the official.

“Wonderful.” The official said, it did not sound at all like he found anything very wonderful at all. “Then might I ask where the Priestess you were tasked and paid to guard is?” The official did not show a single emotion on his face.

“Umm…” the woman swallowed hard and pointed at the inn behind the official. “I-in there.” She did her best to sound confident.

“Oh.” The official raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” He asked with a smile that did not reach his eyes. In fact it barely reached his lips.

“Uh…” the woman looked around at her now very pale companions. “I, um think so?”

“You think so…” The official removed his glasses and sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose. After a few moments he looked up and for the first time it was easy to read his expression, he was not happy, not happy at all. “She is not, she woke up early today, when she did…” the official paused and the four from Grave Few found it hard to breathe. “She found her guards missing, not only that, she was told that you were not even in the same building as her.”

“I-I… I umm…” the woman stammered and the group's archer bolted.

“What a fool.” The official said and shook his head as the enforcer closest to the bolting man took a single, fluid step towards the fleeing man. The enforcer then unsheathed his sword, and in a motion so smooth that it could only be described as beautiful he hit the feeling archer on the head with the flat end of his sword. The archer collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes, the other three had barely even seen the enforcer move. “Now take your friend and come with us to the Guild hall. We will have to decide on a proper punishment for you.”

“Wait?!” The bearded man and the group's senior shouted. “Is it not better that we rush after and make sure the Priestess is safe?” He asked desperately. The official had been walking away but stopped and turned back with a sneer.

“And where did the Priestess go? As her ‘guards’ you should know right?”

“She went towards Greenriver, if we hurry…” He did not get to finish his plea.

“She did not.” The official said coldly. “Now unless you want to be dragged to the Guild hall I suggest you do not try my patients further.

Guild punishment was always harsh, but running away was not an option so the now very gloom Grave Few party meekly followed the official towards the proverbial gallows.

***

By the time the Priestess Lizzandra reached the town of Yallow after having the horses run ragged, Victor Lynth, Champion of Amoria was being swarmed by a horde of otters/monkeys called Gruvers.