Having Rijana and the elves volunteer for my next quest was a time saver because now I didn't need to schlep over to the cemetery to ask the Treant to convince the trio to join me.

While we were still in town, I decided to complete another task. I turned toward Kalistra and handed her the sack of gold I had received from the archbishop this morning. "The archbishop rewarded me 400 gold for completing the Undead Hunt. Please distribute the reward evenly to everyone," I requested.

Van interrupted. "I don't need a share," he said. As a paladin, his financial needs were met entirely by the Church. Besides, he never felt compelled to make money for the sake of making money. He saw that this compulsion led to greed and then to the commission of evil acts against one another. No, he was better off not being tempted by accepting a financial reward for following the path of Law and Order.

The greedy cat girl immediately snatched the sack from my hands and began splitting the gold into 80 coins per share. She distributed four shares to Rijana, Bjoukia, Bjoukin, and herself. Then she took 8 gold from my share to pay my fee to the dojo and set aside another 8 gold for my tithe to the Church. The remaining 64 gold coins were returned to my sack and then Kalistra handed it back to me.

I tied the sack to my belt and held the 8 gold coins in my hand. "I'll go and make the tithe now," I said and quickly returned to the Church building. I saw a fellow clergyman at the entrance and I said, "Pardon me, Brother. Can I ask you to give this tithe to the church coffer for me?" I made sure my Truth Stone was visible around my neck when I made the request.

The cleric turned around with a surprised expression. He saw the Truth Stone and bowed deeply. "Yes, Brother, I can pass your tithe along." He held out his hand and accepted my gold coins.

"I'm leaving Bristol for a mission and time is of the essence," I explained. "Thank you for your assistance. May the Gods of the Law and Order watch over you." I turned around and returned to my companions across the street.

I had no doubt that the cleric will pass the tithe to the Church rather than keep it for himself. The reason for such confidence was that I could return in the future and use the truth oath to compel the man to answer--one way or the other. And he knew it. Thus, it wasn't worth risking his life over a mere 8 gold coins.

When I arrived on the other side of the street, my party members were anxious to hear what we will be doing next. I suspected that Kalistra did not fill them in and I was certain that they had asked her already. Good for her. "Before we arrived here in Bristol, Kalistra and I explored the ruins under a mountain near the Balmore Farms. It turned out there were a total of four such ruins and my quest is to 'unlock' them by personally visiting all four sites," I explained.

"What do you mean by 'unlock'?" Rijana asked. While she was not a ruin explorer, the enchanter realized that she could write notes to document her travels to these sites and then trade this valuable information for materials and ingredients for her trade.

"There was a map on the wall in the ruins. The place we were at was marked on the map with a green dot. The other three sites were marked with red dots," the cat girl answered for me.

"What happens when you 'unlock' all four ruins?" Bjoukin asked.

I exchanged a look with the cat girl and then shrugged. "No clue," I admitted sheepishly.

Van became alarmed. "Brother Mulligan, is it wise to tamper with ruins of unknown origins? For all we know, it could have been some great evil banished from our world. If we unlock the ruins, this evil could be unleashed on our lands," he warned.

I thought back to my fight inside a UFO to protect Planet Earth from alien invaders. How was I going to explain this to them? The ruins were outposts which belonged to an alien race seeking to protect us.

Thankfully, Kalistra noticed my difficulty in refuting this unfounded speculation and came to my rescue. "There was nothing in the ruins to suggest this," she spoke up. "In fact, let's say there were relics in the ruins which appeared to originate from beyond our world. On my Honor, I vouch that there is no evil buried in the ruins," she proclaimed.

Van looked at the cat girl for a moment and finally nodded. He knew Kalistra was the Heir to the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship back in Tregome and her personal Honor was regarded as the equivalent of her life. This was the sort of assurance that the paladin needed to ensure that he was not being used as a pawn to further an evil plan. Van understood that most people, even within the Church itself, couldn't understand his viewpoint. But this was a necessary precaution for the paladin to ensure that he was following the path of the righteous. It was a heavy burden that few will voluntarily accept. Thus, the lack of paladins in Britannia.

"Thank you, Kalistra," I said and nodded. I decided not to mention Alsaj, the human avatar of Jasla, even though she had originally asked me to accompany her to the first Ph'laen ruins and thus, helped me to unlock this quest. After all, she WAS evil and if Van ever learned of Jasla's personal involvement, then he would try to prevent us from continuing this mission. Just to spite her if nothing else.

"So where are we going?" Bjoukin asked. The ranger was curious to know if we will be away from the forests and nature for a long period of time. If this was the case, he may ask to spend some time walking in the woods outside Bristol before leaving.

I thought for a moment before I answered him. The map had shown the locations of the four ruins at Bristol, Oxford, London, and Southampton, with Southampton being the closest ruins to us currently. And that was where I wanted to go next because if we went someplace further, then Kalistra would not be able to return to Tregome in time. While it was possible that I could find a guildmate in the Magic Guild to cast Gate and return Kalistra back to the dojo, the spell was Ninth-Tier and it was equally possible that I wouldn't be able to find another mage whose level was high enough to cast it. Thus, it would be more prudent if we visited a site that was closer to Bristol. "Southampton," I announced.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Wonderful," Bjoukia said with a smile. Southampton was a seaport and it had been ages since she last visited the scenic city.

Kalistra's tail dangled happily, too, because she anticipated eating plenty of fish at Southampton. Fish and other seafood were a major part of the Southamptonian diet because there were few farmlands to grow crops and thus, the residents relied on what they caught from the sea to feed themselves. As a cat girl, she enjoyed eating fish. Obviously.

Rijana was equally pleased. While the Magic Guild in Southampton was relatively small compared to the branch in Bristol, the guildmates in Southampton were heavily focused on Water and Air magic. Additionally, there were unique Water and Air spells created and found only in Southampton. If Rijana could learn even one or two such spells and incorporate their effects into her magic items, she would be able to sell such creations for a nice premium.

I was surprised by the reactions to my announcement. I saw that everyone aside from Van seemed to be pleased by our next destination. Nonetheless, I took it in stride and tried to act as a proper leader for the party. "Okay, does anyone need to buy supplies before we head over to the Magic Guild?" Seeing everyone shake their heads in unison, I nodded. "Let's go!"

Van took the lead while Kalistra walked to my right. Rijana walked behind me and the two elves walked behind her.

Since it was already late morning and the streets were truly crowded, it took a lot longer for us to reach the Magic Guild. I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally stepped through the automatic doors and entered the corridor inside the guild building. I turned around and looked at my party. "I need to replenish my Mana Potions. And the shopkeeper will make the arrangement for us to go to Southampton," I explained.

My companions quickly joined hands with one another.

I used the power word, "Apotheca!"

The world turned into a kaleidoscope as we teleported. A moment later, the world stopped spinning and we stood in front of the Magic Shop.

When I entered the store, I saw that it was already packed with customers. I started walking around browsing the wares.

A few minutes later, Voum' Tro the gnomish shopkeeper and alter ego of the guildmaster slowly approached. "Good morning! May I be of assistance?" he inquired politely with a nod.

"Good morning!" I reciprocated. "I need to replenish my supply of mana potions. Also, yesterday we discussed arranging for travel by magic to another guild branch?" I reminded him.

Voum' Tro nodded. "How many potions do you need?" he asked.

"Whatever I can get with one gold coin," I replied.

"I can give you a half-dozen Minor Mana Potions," he replied.

I shook my head. "I can get a better deal from the general goods store around the corner," I replied. I turned and started to leave when the gnome grabbed my arm.

"I'll give you eight," the shopkeeper said through gritted teeth.

"Deal," I smiled. "Now what about transport?" I inquired.

"Where to?" he asked.

"Southampton," I revealed.

Voum 'Tro's brows rose. "What for?"

"A secret mission," I teased him.

The gnome scowled at me. "I want details."

"What's in it for me?" I asked innocently.

"A scroll of Mass Recall to return your party back to Bristol," Voum 'Tro offered.

I hesitated. "If the spell is beyond Fourth-Tier, then I can't use it," I rebuffed him.

The shopkeeper pointed his thick finger at Rijana. "The spell is Seventh-Tier but your magic instructor can use it," he pointed out.

I turned around and saw Rijana nodded in confirmation. I turned back to face the gnome again. "Fine, we have a deal." I ignored the pop-up message for the moment.

Grinning now, Voum 'Tro pulled on my shirt sleeve and pointed toward his office.

I followed him inside and we sat down after the guildmaster closed the door for privacy. "I came across some old ruins in the mountains near the Balmore Farms. While inside, we discovered a map listing four ruins with three red dots and one green dot. My location at the time was depicted as the green dot. Also, I received a game message confirming that I had received this map. So, I need to personally visit the ruins in order to unlock them. I don't know what will happen afterward, though," I explained.

The shopkeeper opened his drawer and pulled out a scroll. He rolled it up and placed it inside a tube. He placed the tube on the table and pushed it toward me. "This is the Mass Recall scroll I promised. I would like either you or Rijana to describe what you find inside the ruins whenever you return."

"That's fine," I nodded in agreement and took the scroll.

"Now give me your gold coin and I'll give you your potions," he reminded me.

Sheepishly, I opened my sack and took out a gold coin. I placed it on the table.

Voum 'Tro took the coin and walked over to a cabinet. He opened it with a key and took out 8 glass vials containing green liquid. "Here you go," he said.

I opened my potions bag and carefully placed the glass vials into my bag. I placed the Mass Recall scroll inside my sack.

Once, I was done with my mini-housekeeping, the shopkeeper said, "Please ask your party to assemble in the corridor. I will personally create your Gate to Southampton."

I followed him out of his office and my companions were waiting outside the door. "We're leaving now," I said. I walked out of the Magic Shop with my companions and we watched as Voum 'Tro created the Gate to Southampton. A shimmering portal slowly formed in the corridor. It had the width of a door.

Before we entered the portal Voum 'Tro said, "Please ask for Delkon on the other side."

I nodded. I entered the portal and nausea washed over me. I forced myself to walk a few steps further in order to avoid blocking the portal for those entering behind me. With my eyes closes, I reached out with my hands for something to lean against. I felt a hard surface and quickly leaned my back against it. I took a few deep breaths until my nausea finally left. I felt a gentle pat on my left arm and someone asked, "Are you okay?" I opened my eyes and raised my head--it was Rijana.

"The Magic Guild is protected against teleportation into the building. The effect will disorient invaders to give enough time for defenders to arrive," she explained.

"Correct," a male voice interrupted us.

I around and saw a group of mages standing between us and the end of the corridor. There were four mages and each wore a different colored robe--white, green, red, and blue. I could easily guess what their specialties were. The mages held wands and staves and they were ready to rain deadly spells on us.

"I am Iunicus of the Enforcement Division. Why did you teleport into our guild?" he asked with an irritated tone of voice.

I saw that the speaker was the white mage. "Greetings. I am Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, a member of the Magic Guild. I came from the branch in Bristol," I introduced myself and nodded politely.

Iunicus closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. "I detected no lie," he confirmed with a sharp nod.

The rest of the Enforcers lowered their weapons and canceled their spells.

I noticed the tension on their faces and asked. "Did we come at a bad time?"

The white mage stared at me with his light green eyes. He rubbed his right hand over his wavy light brown hair. "We've had some hostilities," Iunicus finally admitted as he eyed my companions. This time there was hope in his eyes when he realized that they were well-equipped and appeared to be fairly strong. In particular, he was taken aback by the presence of a paladin in my party! He knew instantly that Van was a paladin because no other class could continuously radiate the Protection from Evil aura that Iunicus could detect.

"Is there anything we could do to help?" I offered.

"Perhaps," the middle-aged man admitted. "Please join hands. I will take you to the Leadership Council."

We quickly obeyed.

Iunicus said, "Concilium!" The world turned into a kaleidoscope and we were whisked out of the corridor.