Chapter Two

Shuka looked up at woman in shock. But that shock soon turned to anger as she stood up herself and shouted at the angry librarian.

“WHAT!? I’ve done nothing and your accusing me of theft? All I did was ask about a book and now you’re trying to get me arrested.”

The librarian was taken aback, not expecting her to give a rebuttal, she just assumed she would run the moment her ploy was seen through. Despite the initial surprise she wasn’t about to be talked back to by some upstart thief and quickly gave her reply.

“it’s obvious you’re the one who did it, why else would you be asking about it right before it got stolen? Now hand over my books you wretch.”

A crowd was starting to gather as the shouting match continued. Luckily, there weren’t any town guards in the crowd, but it was only a matter of time before they showed up. There was, however, a man wearing a full set of plate armour minus the helmet and armed with a sword and shield. On his tabard was the symbol of Quansonax, a straight path down a barren plain, and on his shield was the symbol of Humanus, a bleeding hand grasping a four-pointed star. He was walking very intently towards where Shuka and the librarian were still arguing. Xorvos saw this man approaching and decided that considering the current situation a follower of the gods of honor and ambition probably wasn’t going to help.

“Shuka I think we have a problem.”

“What? Oh, that’s not good.”

Shuka finally saw the approaching man and realized what had made Xorvos so worried. She leaned and started whispering to him.

“Can you convince him I didn’t steal the books?”

“Convince him? How?”

“I don’t know talk but it looks like he is a follower of Quansonax so maybe try telling him I’m an honorable person. You’re a Quanso so he will probably believe you, more than me at least.”

“But I don’t even follow Quansonax.”

“Well he doesn’t know that does he? And even without following the God of Honor you are still more honorable than any other person I know.”

Before Xorvos could reply the man had gotten close enough to speak with them and interrupted their whispered conversation.

“Excuse me but what seems to be the problem here?”

The librarian, who had not stopped shouting the entire time and was growing increasingly annoyed at being ignored instantly focused her attentions on him.

“This thief stole some books from the forbidden section of the library and is now trying to pretend she is innocent.”

Knowing how badly this could end Xorvos put on his most polite smile and desperately tried to de-escalate the situation.

“I am terribly sorry but there has been a misunderstanding. My friend did not steal any books and means no harm. I’m sure if we can just politely talk this out this situation can be resolved peacefully.”

The man seemed pleased at the civility at which Xorvos spoke and replied in kind.

“Don’t worry I am sure there is no need for you to worry although I would like to hear your friends’ side of the story.”

Shuka froze up.

Shit. He’s not going to believe me and I’m just going to make things worse. But if I stay silent that is just going to make things worse. Maybe if Xorvos backs me up it will be enough.

She gathered up her resolve and spoke in her least hostile tone, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

“I inquired about a book in the forbidden section and when I was denied access to it, I left the library and waited for my friend. Shortly afterwards the real thief came running out of the library and the librarian mistook them for me.”

Even as she was talking Shuka could see the man’s eyes narrow with suspicion. When he responded his voice was a lot less friendly than it was with Xorvos.

“I’m sorry but I am going to have to take you into custody until you are proven innocent.”

“Wait, she is not lying, I was with her the entire time she didn’t steal the book.”

Xorvos’ pleas were ignored, and the man stepped towards Shuka as she backed away from him. Desperate to find some way out of this she franticly called out to him.

“W-wait, do you have the authority to arrest me? Adventurers can’t arrest people.”

“I am Validus, the Grand Paladin of the Celestial Empire. I have the authority granted to me by both the Emperor and the Grand Priest to detain or kill any evil doers I encounter. Be glad your crime is not harsh enough for me to draw my blade on you thief.”

He is that important!? What is a person like that doing all the way down here in the middle of nowhere? I could try running but he is right next to me and I doubt I can move faster than him, even with all of his armor. If I can at least get to the forest I think I can lose him though. But what if I can’t? what if he just kills me before I even make it out of his range, or have no trouble tracking me in the forest?

The more she thought about it the more she started to panic until it seemed like there was no escape from the man in front of her. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, the slight tingle of magic across her body, and Ralisdor’s voice in her ear.

“Run.”

Shuka certainly didn’t need to be told twice and simply trusted Ralisdor to make sure that paladin wouldn’t kill her the moment she turned her back. Once she started sprinting away Shuka noticed that she couldn’t see her hands and on a closer inspection, found that her whole body was invisible. Looking back the only people she could see were the paladin, the librarian, and the crowd.

Ralisdor must have made me and Xorvos invisible. I don’t see him anywhere either so he must be invisible too. How he can maintain such a complex spell on three different people at once is beyond me but I guess that’s why he is the teacher. He bought me some time but I’m still in a bad position, after all it’s not like invisibility spells can’t be seen through. Actually I don’t even know how long the spell is going to last for, it could disappear at any moment. I need to leave town before the spell wears off, but I am not prepared to go traveling right now. My house is the first place they are going to look but maybe if I get there first I can get all of my stuff and sneak out while I am still invisible. Or maybe if I am fast enough I can be in and out before they even arrive and I wont even need the invisibility. Or maybe they will get there before me and I will be walking into an ambush not even invisibility can get me out of.

Eventually the young hunter reached the small hut she had been living in for the last four years. It was given to her by the Vondoom Orphanage when she turned eighteen and left to become independent. It wasn’t a very impressive house but considering she got it for free Shuka wasn’t complaining, not that she cared for fancy houses in the first place. One of the perks of growing up an orphan is the orphanages tend to be very generous to those who aren’t adopted. In fact, they are so generous that there are all sort of nasty rumors about where they get all of that money from, but Shuka didn’t pay any mind to them. When you’re a global organization founded and ran by a demi-god you tend to have spare gold to throw around. Regardless the hut was only big enough for one or two people to live in and didn’t allow for much storage of personal items, so it didn’t take long for Shuka to pack everything she needed. she ended up packing enough dried meat to last her a week on the road, her bow, quiver and two bundles of arrows, a hunting knife, a bedroll she normally used for her longer hunting trips, and some flint and tinder. Right around when she was prepared to leave she heard a knock on the door and a familiar voice.

“Shuka it is me Ralisdor, let me in.”

Shuka opened the door and saw nothing but heard the sound of footsteps enter her home. She was a little relieved that Ralisdor had arrived but was more worried about the guards or that paladin showing up and didn’t have time for pleasentries.

“We can’t stay and chat, this is probably the first place their going to look for me, I need to leave Rainsburg now.”

“Don’t worry I distracted the paladin and I’m going to help you get out of Rainsburg.”

Shuka was relieved to hear that at least, but she wasn’t out of problems that need solving just yet. She didn’t like asking so much of Ralisdor, but she would make it up to him in less dire circumstances.

“Thank you for your help but I need to get to Lancrin, do you have a map of the empire I could borrow? I will pay you back as soon as I am able to.”

“There is no need for that, I will be coming with you.”

That took Shuka by surprise, she didn’t think he would agree so easily if at all. Still she needed all the help she could get if she was going to have more encounters like the one at the library, so she didn’t question it.

“Thanks. Do you know where Xorvos is? I want to meet up with him before I leave.”

“I believe he went to his house. I will send him a message and tell him to meet us at the north gate.”

Well that was one problem solved, all that was left now was evading capture from a paladin, travel halfway across the empire as a wanted criminal and remove a curse that was put on her by what must have been a very powerful witch. She got the feeling none of those would be nearly as easy.

*

Xorvos was having the biggest crisis of his life. His father had always told him how important following the law was and now he was a criminal being hunted down by a paladin of Quansonax. He knew he had to do something, but he didn’t know what, so he just ran back to his house and started looking for his armour. Finding all of the pieces took longer than he would have liked, other than his gauntlets he didn’t wear his armour much and wasn’t nearly as organised as his job at the library would imply. After a very tense twenty minutes spent searching for and then putting on his various pieces of armour Xorvos inspected himself one last time making sure everything was put on properly. On his hands, as always were his black gauntlets, but now he also had a matching pair of greaves on his feet. His torso was covered by a basic breastplate and his tail was protected by a set of interlocking metal plates but there was still plenty of areas left unprotected.

What am I going to do if I get into a fight? I’m not even wearing chainmail or a gambeson underneath my armour and that paladin was in a full suit of plate. Not to mention the fact that I haven’t worn this in years.

Quanso armour is rare and expensive in the mainly human populated lands of the Celestial Empire so Xorvos’ father couldn’t afford to by him a full set on his eighteenth birthday. It didn’t even fit him properly, he was too small for most sets fitted for adult Quanso who tended to be even bigger than the seven foot Xorvos and he was far too big for human armour who rarely even came close to his size. Instead of spending even more gold getting the armour custom fit for Xorvos, his father just get a set for Quanso adolescents which ended up being close enough. He had put it on hoping it would give him a feeling of security but instead he found himself comparing his gear to the paladins and found it was his own set that was lacking.

What am I going to do if I get into a fight? I’m not even wearing chainmail or a gambeson underneath my armour and that paladin was in a full suit of plate. Not to mention the fact that I haven’t worn this in years. But what else am I supposed to do? I have to protect Shuka and I at least stand a better chance than her. I had been so eager to finally be doing something important but now it just feels like I just messed everything up.

Xorvos was interrupted from his anxious thoughts by a strange voice speaking directly into his head.

“Xorvos, I am with Shuka at her house. Meet us at the north gate and be prepared to leave. We will be travelling to Lancrin and I suggest you come with us.”

That sounded like Ralisdor.

Xorvos didn’t know him very well but he had met him a few times before, so his voice was easily recognisable. He was also one of the few magic casters in the village and possibly the only one capable of casting a spell like that so it wasn’t hard for Xorvos to figure out who it was on the other end. The identity of the voice in his head aside, Xorvos was delighted at the news. Shuka would surely be safe with a mage of his caliber at her side and he also had a goal to work towards that’s a little less vague than ‘protect Shuka’ and ‘don’t get arrested.’ With newfound motivation Xorvos started packing some traveling supplies and prepared for a journey. It didn’t take long seeing as his father took most of his traveling supplies when he left for Draconia two years ago so all he really had to do was find the spare bedroll and pack some food. After that was done, he put on a heavy cloak in an attempt to hide his identity and made his way towards the north gate.

*

Shuka and Ralisdor made their way around the village and towards the north gate. As they approached the gate Shuka noticed Xorvos was already there, which made sense considering Shuka and Ralisdor had to take the long way to avoid getting caught and Xorvos lived close to the north gate anyway. He was wearing a heavy cloak which obscured most of his features except for his height and tail. Considering he was the only seven foot tall person with a tail in Rainsburg it didn’t do much to hide his identity. He was probably also the only person in the town even wearing a cloak that heavy with how sunny and warn it was.

It’s a miracle he wasn’t caught already, although with how small the town watch is, I suppose it’s possible. Still though, he is practically screaming ‘I am a suspicious person’ with that cloak on him. I will have to let him know how he looks from other peoples perspective but I don’t want to be too mean about it. Ralisdor doesn’t look very impressed either but at least he will be polite about it, if he even says anything at all.

“By the gods do you want to be caught? That is by far the worst disguise I have ever seen. You might as well be walking through town waving a flag with your name on it and yelling ‘I am up to no good please arrest me’ to everyone in sight.”

Well apparently, I was wrong about Ralisdor being polite. Even if he is right, he could at least be nicer about it.

“Give him a break Ral, it’s not the best disguise ever but there isn’t really much he can do about his appearance.”

Ralisdor looked disgruntled but did seem to concede.

“I suppose you are right. If I had known how bad you were at subterfuge, I would have gone to you instead of Shuka.”

It’s…. not the best apology I’ve heard. And not even an apology at all now that I think about it but it is the best I am going to get from him. Xorvos certainly doesn’t look happy with it though.

The Quanso in question definitely didn’t enjoy Ralisdor’s comments but he was too worried about other things to care too much.

“If you are done insulting me, I believe we have more important things to be worrying about right now.”

“Fine. Since you two are being searched for I will go rent a few horses for us to use. Stay here and don’t get caught.”

Ralisdor directed the last part at Xorvos with a look that said he didn’t trust him to do either of those things. He then promptly turned towards the village and left. Xorvos took of his cloak and sat up against the short wall surrounding Rainsburg. The wall was mostly useless nowadays, this part of the wilderness was a lot more dangerous back when the village was built. Any monsters or bandits who once roamed the area have long since been dealt with and the Celestial Empire hasn’t been at war with anyone in decades. It wasn’t even patrolled anymore so there was little chance of being spotted from above. Shuka sat down next to him, she didn’t know how long Ralisdor was going to take but she was hardly going to wait for him standing around like a lost child. After a few moment She broke the silence.

“Do you know who that paladin was? He mentioned he was a Grand Paladin but does that really give him the authority to do whatever he wants without evidence?”

Xorvos looked over to her, broken out of whatever train of thought he was in.

“Oh… well he can’t get away with everything but a Grand Paladin can bypass most laws if it is for a sufficiently good reason. They are nominated by the Grand Priest and the Emperor, but they only become Grand Paladins when they are personally blessed by a god, so they are a pretty big deal.”

“So he can just kill me without a shred of evidence and not even get in trouble? That doesn’t seem very just to me.”

“He would need a good reason to believe you have committed crimes worthy of death but in theory yes. Admittedly I believe he was only going to arrest you at the library but if he truly believed you had done it then there wouldn’t even be a trial. It’s not a system I particularly like either but there isn’t really much I can do about it.”

Well, that is certainly worrying. At least with most people they will still need evidence before I get into too much trouble, but he can do whatever he wants based on a gut feeling. I better avoid Grand Paladins as much as possible with this curse on me. Maybe if they are rare enough, I can avoid them all together.

“How many Grand Paladins are there?”

“Only one. It is a very prestigious position that is only given to the strongest paladin in the Empire.”

“What is someone so important doing in Rainsburg then? The evillest person here is a cranky librarian.”

“perhaps he is hunting the witch that cursed you.”

“well then let’s hope he decides to go after her instead of me.”

Xorvos was about to respond but their conversation was interrupted by the sound of quickly approaching hoofbeats. Moments later a mounted horse sped through the open gates at a gallop. The horse and it’s rider quickly slowed their pace and turned to glance at the two friends sitting against the wall. Grand Paladin Validus looked down at them and spoke with authority.

“Flee all you want villain, justice will find you all the same.”