He wasn't exactly sure what he expected, but it certainly wasn't the situation he now found himself in. He sighed. Sure, after all the action and danger he had already been through, some part of him was glad that in a way their walk to the Pool of Cain was so... mundane. Still, he was a noble of the Empire, so he couldn't say he was entirely comfortable with the amount of people he was surrounded by and the way everything was so packed didn't really help.

The Pool of Cain was surrounded by a thick forest, making access on foot not exactly the easiest thing. However, eight man-made trails let people access it. As a way of keeping things organized, walking outside any of the trails was completely forbidden and the Keepers of the Pool, all of them quite powerful individuals, were authorized to kill anyone on breaking that rule. When Layla commented on how she found it to be a bit excessive, Benjamin did not lie when he shrugged and said that it did not feel out-of-place at all for him: The possibility of being killed for being at the wrong place was actually quite common in the Empire, much more than he would care to admit.

“Considering just the amount of people I'm seeing, at the entrance of just one of these trails, I can see that this is an extremely important place. As chaotic as it already seems, I can only imagine how bad it would be if there wasn't any kind of organization here.”

The reason for such strict control of access wasn't just a matter of organization, it was also a matter of comfort and enabling proper use of the Pool as a place of worship: Any big group of people that wished to make use of the Pool for a ceremony needed to go through proper procedures with city officials responsible for the Pool's administration. While some might find it slightly disconcerting that such matters of religious devotion should fall under government purview, the fact was that it was a much better situation than a few decades back.

“Back when the Lion Dynasty ruled this country, it seems that all access to this place was prohibited, except for officials charged with taking in newly-ascended Mutants, as well as a caste of priests of the religion favored by the royal family. It really must have been bad for many people... Seeing the fountain of our wisdom only once, when we are ascended and then never again. If I remember correctly, this was one of the reasons why the Duke first started his rebellion. I have to say it seems like a good justification, as everyone should have the chance to worship at the Pools in the way they feel proper.”

Benjamin could only answer to that with a bitter smile. Such a thing would never be allowed or accepted in the Empire. Whatever any one person should say or do in the Empire must be approved by the Imperial Family. If tomorrow someone won the Great Race, then decided to abolish the Flame as a religion, it would be done. It might not ultimately be easy, but it didn't matter the hundreds of years of cultivation and institution. Nothing was more inculcated or forced upon the population of the Empire than obedience towards the Emperor, it could not be compared to the devotion that might be given to a deity that, as far as Benjamin was concerned, always felt more like a secondary and subordinate part of the Imperial Family's power. Not that he would ever say that out loud.

Eventually, as the crowd moved forward, slowly and in small spurts, the two of them finally reached the Pool of Cain. Despite the amount of people moving in, it had a much wider space and breathing room. There was quite some distance between the Pool itself and the trees that surrounded it, leaving a very wide area for people to stand, kneel, sit or lie down. Looking around, Benjamin saw many people doing different things, but always with the feeling of someone that was devoted to something. Alone or in groups, people paid their respects to what is the foundation of the Mutants that populated so much of the Wildlands.

“It is beautiful, isn't it?” Benjamin was so busy looking at the other people around them, that he didn't see Layla kneel down on both her knees, showing a face of gratitude and fervor that he had not seen her make before. “It is not the Pool that gave me my soul, and yet I can feel that it is essentially the same thing. They might be separate, but the Pools are one.”

If he was honest, Benjamin would say that he didn't really see the Pool very well from that place. There were quite a few people after all. He would really prefer if they could approach a little more so he could take a better look... But at that point, Layla had her eyes closed and started murmuring something, probably some kind of prayer. So he sat on the grass beside her. Holy place or not, he wasn't going to leave her alone. A few minutes passed with him silently looking over her, who now looked like she was meditating.

“Hey, you are Benjamin, aren't you?”

It felt like his heart skipped a beat as Benjamin looked around for the person that had just talked to him. At first what he found was a pair of legs next to him. Then, after scrambling to stand up, he saw the most impressively built chest he had seen in his life. Then, looking up, he saw the face of the man who had just called him. It was hard not to wonder at how tall he was.

“Hmm, yes, that's my name, what business do you have with me?”

Only after saying it, did Benjamin realize that maybe confirming his name wasn't a great idea. He could think of a few reasons that someone who he didn't know knew his name and was looking for him. Quite a few of those reasons involved that someone not being all that friendly. Now that he took a good look at it, was that some kind of weapon on that man's back? It didn't look like the kind of thing that Knights of the Empire carried around.

“Oh, thank goodness. Now, about business... I wouldn't say I have business with you per se, although I suppose I had to find you in order to follow the wish of my Goddess.”

Goddess? That confused Benjamin for a moment. What was that man talking about? Then he looked at the man's shoulder and saw it. That tattoo. He was a Tal. But wait. That didn't mean anything by itself. Follow the wish of his goddess? Why? What did Benjamin have anything to do with that. He started nervously looking around, wondering if there was a way if he could run away with Layla through the crowd, then he looked at the person in front of him again and realized that it probably wouldn't be possible.

“Uh... And what would your Goddess' wish be? I couldn't possibly imagine why I might be worth her attention in any way...”

He discreetly tapped Layla's shoulder. Sure, the huge guy in ront of him was wearing a jovial expression and all. But really, one couldn't be too sure, he had heard some lurid tales about the Inquisition that included Inquisitors having the most pleasant conversation with their victims before taking them away.

“My goddess' wish? Well, of course it is to protect someone as interesting as you are.” Did that have anything to do with the Duke? “You have no idea how worried she was after she learned about you and how you were planning to travel all over the Wildlands without anything resembling security.”

There were a thousand different questions he could think of at that very moment, raging from the mundane. Such as how this man actually found him, to more out there such as how exactly he ended up on the Goddess' list of people who should be protected. But before he could ask any of them, Layla seemed to have finally ben done with her meditation and prayer.

“Well, that was quite good. Whoa!” She looked just as surprised as Benjamin felt when seeing the huge man. “You're... pretty tall. Who are you and what do you want with us?”

Upon hearing Layla's question, the man's eyes went wide with surprise, as if just realizing something extremely important.

“Oh, right. I am Samson, one of the Berserkers who directly serve the Goddess of Tal. Following her wishes, I have come here to make sure that the two of will be safe, at least until the Grand Hunt is over.”

Grand Hunt, it was something that he had already heard about, but didn't know many details...

“A Grand Hunt... Is this about the rumored Dragon that has showed up? What's the difference between a regular hunt for a Dragon and a Grand Hunt anyway?”

Benjamin turned to Layla for an answer.

“Well, as far as I know, a Grand Hunt can be called by any of the great nobles and usually involves at least three of them, in most cases, it includes all but the Marquis who is fairly isolated from the rest.”

At least it was a relief that the giant that was Samson wasn't their enemy. But unfortunately that didn't mean that their problems were over.