Sarbie

Home was a small multi-family house a few streets away from the temple. She had her own small room, barely much larger than the single bed she occupied. A single bookshelf wobbling under the weight of too many books was one of the only two features in the room. The second was a light source made of crystal that glowed a soft, silvery light during the night. The bed was too warm, and it took a lot of urging to get herself up and moving. Dawn's golden rays were only so convincing.

She joined her family at the kitchen table. Her father was a simple man, strong and good with his hands. They could afford this small luxury here in Sha-Laial because her father worked so hard. He was a handyman by trade. A carpenter, and there was no shortage of work for someone with his skills and talents. Her mother, however, only assisted at the church from time to time. Earning a few coins here and there. Sarbie, for her efforts, earned tutoring in divine magic and more than enough coin to spread around the town. Clerics and Paladins of Kushang were known for being extremely generous with their coin. Sarbie spent most of hers on books. They were a great way to learn of the world far beyond the gates of Sha-Laial. While the notion of adventure held zero appeal to her, she'd heard rumors about other great cities in the world, some with libraries so large even the church of Kushang's failed to live up to the reputation.

"So what's this father Sorvec told me about you shirking your duties yesterday to run around with some Tiefling boy?" Her mother asked while setting a plate of eggs, fruits, and veggies in front of her.

"I wasn't aware I had shirked my duties," Sarbie stated firmly.

"So, who's this boy?" Her father asked with a bit more concern.

"His name is Alvec," she said, very focused on her meal. "He owns the compound the Six Strengths built. Claims he was gifted it by none other than Cellocht. Emperor's favorite bard."

"That sounds like a pretty fanciful story," Sorvec said. "Did he give you a last name?"

"No, he used a nickname in place of one. Snaptail. His friend called him the hero of Rust Hill, but I'm not exactly sure what that was about," she shrugged. "An inside joke, maybe?"

Her father pursed his lips together. "It's where we get a lot of the iron to make our nails and tools. A tiefling saved a miner's family, the rumors go. They said he was some barbarian with huge ram's horns and a great giant ax he used to cleave them in twain." Sarbie laughed.

"Alvec doesn't match that description... except the ram's horns."

"So what is this Alvec like?" asked Sorvec

"Physically?"

"It's a good way to compare vs the rumors," her father said.

"Uhm," Sarbie said, thinking back. "Curly dark hair, rams horns, active build, his skin tones slightly bronzed, green eyes, average height, his tail seemed more flexible than most of the tieflings in our congregation. I saw him pluck things out of pouches he was carrying with it."

"Well, two more points in favor of it," Sorvec said. "The stories said the hero of Rust Hill was bronzed and had emerald eyes. A fancier way of saying green. Maybe he is the genuine article. If so, tell him I said thanks. Our livelihood depends on iron, and had we lost miners... or their children, the mines probably wouldn't have gotten up and running again so fast."

"Not sure when I'll see him again, Dad," said Sarbie. "His traveling companion mentioned something about heading out this morning. He's probably already on the road again. Hoc told me the tower they got is haunted by Nath, the former head of the Six Strengths. He won't shut up about it. I get it; our new neighbors are exciting, but it doesn't need to be EVERYTHING we talk about, right? Especially with how often Hoc comes up to talk to me."

"So," said her mother. "What exactly did you and this Alvec do all day?"

"Honestly, I showed him around the church... might have even brought him some places he shouldn't have gone... but it was for a good cause," she glared at the breakfast in front of her. "He volunteered his magical services... and so many things were broken... so I had him mend them for most of the day."

"Why was there so much broken stuff?"

Sarbie laughed nervously. "Promise not to tell anyone else?" Her parents nodded in agreement. "Hoc broke like six brooms in a week. Two of which were because he was shadowboxing with them and whacked them into the pews. He lost one to an accident, one he leaned on too hard, and the last two he simply swept too hard... Then there were plates and doorknobs... the guy is a klutz who does not know how strong he is. Now, at least, he won't get scolded by our elders. If he'd been denied training again, I think he'd have had a stroke."

"You do a lot to look out for that Hoc," said her mother. "He's lucky to have a friend like you."

"If I don't help, I'll never hear the end of it," Sarbie confirmed. Hoc and her had been friends for a very long time. Since they were just small kids. Hoc had always been her social crutch, a role he filled expertly. Hoc wanted to be the center of the stage, and she'd rather be in the audience. She was happy with a quiet, cozy life. Doing good was an enjoyable part of being in the church of Kushang. Still, she was thankful for most of the good she did through acts of communal service. She enjoyed being able to heal people, but she'd never felt the call to be on the battlefield. Nor to do anything else others might describe as brave. Honestly, she couldn't understand most of what made her friend do such crazy things. He volunteered for combat and flaunted in front of everyone, making friends as effortlessly as he breathed.

"I think the boy is sweet on you, too," her mom informed her. Sarbie nearly choked down her food at the thought.

"Mom, please don't say things like that," she coughed. "I don't need that sort of curse on my life."

"Oh, what," answered her mother. "Is Hoc not good enough for you?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying," Sarbie said, trying to backtrack. She meant no offense to the boy.

"Our daughter means to say that Hoc has envisioned a very LARGE life for himself, and she'd rather be stacking books in the church library," her father said with a chuckle.

"What dad said," Sarbie admitted. She'd support Hoc's goals as much as possible and give him all the push he needed to make those dreams a reality. Still, she didn't intend to stand next to him while he won all the glory he could and had bards sing his name throughout the empire. If Alvec was this hero of Rust Hill, perhaps she could talk Hoc into training sessions with him. His magic was powerful; she could almost feel a slight tingle on her hands where it had touched her fist.

"Shouldn't you be getting a move on and not staring at your hand?" Her mother asked.

Sarbie shook her head. "Alright, I'll be on my way then. I wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting." The walk to the church was uneventful. She'd barely set foot in the building before Hoc was there smiling widely.

"Have we gotten any new information on the ghost situation?" he asked, towering over her. "I heard that a Tiefling and an Aasimar were here yesterday while I was out training. That was Alvec and Illaria, right? They figure out where Vato went?"

His questions, nay his presence, were almost enough to bowl the poor girl over. She took a half step back. "Yes, Alvec and Illaria stopped by while you were gone."

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"Damn it, I'm mad I missed it, so what was the consensus?" he asked. "They know where that grave-robbing wizard ran off to?"

Sarbie shook her head. "I think they have a guess now, but they didn't seem confident that he'd actually be there."

Hoc nodded along, following her words. "Do you know when they're leaving? Maybe I can go with them?"

"I think you're out of luck. They left earlier this morning," said Sarbie

"Damn it, too late again. How cool would that have been? Imagine it, Sarbie; I could have been out there swinging a sword against real monsters," he said, miming swinging a blade. "Protecting people in need. Spreading the word of our god Kushang wherever it needs to go. How great would that be?"

"I'm sure it would be fantastic for you," Sarbie smiled. "If you see them before, I do remember to ask if you can tag along next time."

"Oh, I will," said Hoc, bouncing on his heels. "I've got to see how this whole ghostly Paladin thing works out. What a horrid fate. To have your ashes and those of your family and friends stolen and used by some nefarious wizard for gods knows what sort of spell casting. It just makes me so righteously angry."

"Maybe we can have a re-interning ceremony when they recover it," Sarbie mused. "Give them a new set of last rites. That would be the right thing to do, right?"

"Other than killing the bastard who did this, yeah," Hoc frowned. "I hope they do get him. What would even drive someone into desecrating a person's final resting place."

A voice called out from across the room. "Hoc, enough chit-chat; we need you both getting to work. Higher-ups want every church in the city scrubbed till it shines. We need you to head to the chapel on the north side. Some hooligans vandalized it. They broke a window or two; you'll be helping with the repairs. Sarbie, you've been assigned to cleaning duty. I've been nice enough to ignore that you didn't clean yesterday because I noticed many broken things are now fixed. Not sure how you did that, but I don't have time to find out. We will close service early today, so start sanding down the pews and apply a new stain. When I said they want it immaculate, I wasn't kidding; get to it, we only have a few weeks to prepare."

"By Kushang, what do you think is happening?" Hoc asked.

"No idea. Is Ageneon making a tour of the church, perhaps?" Sarbie mused.

"No way," Hoc said, shaking his head. "We're the Emperor's favorite; there's no reason he'd need to come in and inspect us, right?"

"We were the first to support his efforts to end the war," Sarbie said. "What else could it be?"

"Oh, what if he's finally getting married?! Think about it; a royal wedding here would be huge."

"Wouldn't he just get married in the Imperial City's church?" Sarbie asked

"Good point, good point," Hoc nodded. "Could someone else famous be visiting? Our new friends met Cellocht; it could be someone of his caliber making rounds."

"That actually sounds pretty reasonable," said Sarbie. "The only question, I guess, is who?"

"No time to waste then; we've got a lot of little tasks to get done. I'll catch you later. Thanks for covering for me again," he stated before heading towards the door. Sarbie smiled and headed towards the library.

It wasn't nearly as large as the one in the Imperial City. It likely paled in comparison to the academy's library, but it was so quiet and peaceful in the walls. The tables here didn't need to be sanded or anything. Just a little bit of cleaning and polishing would do the trick. However, There was a lot of dust, which made her nose itch, and she sneezed a few times as she did her best to clean it all up. Hopefully, all this commotion meant that good things were in progress. Maybe they will be holding a festival soon? Oh no, if it's the Festival of Blades, Hoc would never shut up about it. They weren't an annual occurrence, as lords had to decide to host the rather expensive tournament; some years passed over due to other significant costs the cities needed to take care of. Life had been good around Sha-Laial lately.

Sarbi groaned.

It really could be the Festival of Blades.

The party: The Road to Auraman Manor

The group wound their way through Archer's Market and back through the farmlands where they had encountered Mel. The map the lawyers had provided indicated they should be coming up on the road that led towards the manor any time now. However, twenty years of unrestrained growth over an abandoned footpath presented a challenge. A map like this wasn't precise enough to get them exactly where they needed to be. After walking further than they had expected, the party had to find a new method.

"Look, the map says there's a river; we find that river and follow it towards the manor. Might suck trudging through the overgrowth, but hey, beats being lost," Mavec said.

"If we don't mind taking a small break, I can swap some spells around. I could ask the birds where the house or road is." Naya suggested.

"How long would that take?" Alvec asked.

"I don't know, ten minutes to a half hour?" Naya shrugged. "I don't do this bit very often."

"We could easily spend that much time getting lost, fuck it, let's ask the squirrels," Mavec said before he stepped away from the group and lit a cigarette.

"Bait find way?"

"Not sure what you'd even try to track Bait," said Illaria. "Perhaps we are letting our friends sort this out, and we simply remain vigilant. We've already encountered some strange things on our way through this area. You see any giant flatworms with human teeth, just start blasting."

Naya took a seat on the ground, Echo coiled around her. The rest of the party spread out, keeping a general eye on their surroundings. There were too many known threats to really relax this far out. It felt strange for Naya to sit alone with her friends surrounding her in a rough circle. She didn't really understand this magic. It was new to her and strange. Having observed her castings, Alvec had told her it was clearly divine. She didn't pray to any gods, though. Nor did what she believed in have a proper name. She placed a hand on the ground before her and leaned forward. It felt like she was calling up powers from the earth, extracted from the stone and dirt. As if she were a tree, spreading her roots deep and drawing in all the strength and nutrients she needed. She couldn't describe how she knew when it was done, but she knew all the same.

"Alright, guys, give me a minute." Naya wandered into the woods alone. Echo growled a bit but stayed put. It took only a moment for her to find a few crows watching her from the treetops. She smiled. Crows were brilliant birds indeed and probably the best candidates for this spell. She cast it, feeling the magic ripple over her tongue.

"Hello, friend birds. May I ask you some questions?"

"You already are," the one on the lowest branch replied.

"That's fair. There was a road here that people used to travel," said Naya. "Now only metal monsters walk it. Do you know where it might be? The vegetation has grown over the entrance."

"We know the road you speak of," the bird croaked. "Our grandparents watched your kind travel over it for many long years. Give us some tasty food, and I'll gladly show you."

Naya searched through her pack, pulling out some lightly salted meat. "Will this do?" she asked, before she placed it att he base of the tree.

The crow swept down and snatched it in its beak before retreating to the tree branches, where it and its silent friend shared the meal. A moment later, it cleared its throat and replied. It cawed and took off into the woods. The spell was wearing off, but Naya could tell the animal was clearly leading her toward a destination. It was only a few minutes before she found her way, following the bird through the thick foliage into a long, overgrown pathway.

The dirt road was riddled with bumps and holes; the frost heaves had not been kind to it, nor had the roots of the trees surrounding the pathway. It was clearly going to be challenging to travel, as new trees were growing over portions of the road, creating a near-total canopy over it. Using the sun's position in the sky, she traced her way back to the road. She took out her swords and hacked away a bit of the brush, revealing slivers of the worn pathway. Fearing it still might not be enough, she left an empty potion bottle lying on the ground just in case.

She walked the road for about twenty minutes before finally finding her party where she had left them. Echo, still glaring at the woods, only breaking his concentration to check on the rest of the party. "Echo, this way, boy." He bolted over to her and nearly plowed her over with his excitement. He gave her several kisses and nuzzled his head against her chest.

"Did you find it?" Illaria asked, stepping forward.

"Yes, we overshot it a little bit," said Naya.

"Figures, working with a property map rather than a local map was always going to make this rough," Alvec stated.

The party departed again, and before long, they were walking the pathway. Naya took the lead; plenty of times, the road threatened to disappear from them as if the slightest shift would make it indistinguishable from the forest around them. It was hours more of walking before they came upon the now wildly overgrown manor. The cast iron fence around it stood firm, but tall grass three or four feet in height spilled out between its gaps. The villa looked in poor repair on the surface as well. It was a double-story building with a red terracotta roof; it was every bit as large as some of the government buildings she'd seen back in Sha-Laial. The second story on the left-hand side had a sizable hole in it as if perhaps someone had fired a cannon into it. Nature was quickly reclaiming that section; the veneer of white plaster on the outside of the house near the wound had fallen away, revealing rotting wood. Moss and vines crept in through the cannon hole.