Chapter 11: Lodge

The two Hunters led Naomi out of the dungeons of the church and into a courtyard. The trio walked along the border of the courtyard, making their way down a corridor towards an unknown destination. Naomi looked through the stone pillars that separated the white brick floor of the corridor with the grassy field of the open-air square in the middle of the courtyard that appeared to be used as a makeshift hospital. Rows of wooden cots filled the grassy field filled with patients in various stages of discomfort and pain.

Most of the patients were bandaged across their unarmored chests or heads, but still wore plate grieves and boots that Naomi recognized as the same color of the soldiers who fought the trolls when she was found. Aside from the matching black armor, each of the warriors showed stark differences from each other. A variety of skin types, builds, and facial features painted a diverse picture of the level of cooperation that the Church of Celestials had brought together for a common cause.

Various robed nurses waved their hands over supine soldiers in their cots, green nimbuses of energy emanating from their hands as they worked their magic. The nurses were all elves from Naomi could tell, each wearing the matching color robes that the bishop she had met wore, with the symbol of the church sewn into the chest of the robe. Naomi watched as one of the healers went to a dwarf who was groaning in pain on his back, blood seeping through his bandaged abdomen. She quietly chanted, bringing her green healing magic into her palm and waved it over his wound. The red stain on his bandages stopped spreading and his breathing became more stable.

Reaching the end of the corridor, they approached a set of imposing double doors. Baas, the Dragonborn, pushed them open with a gentle strength that belied his formidable appearance. Naomi stepped into a vast chamber; her gaze drawn upward to the soaring white stone pillars that framed the room. The high vaulted ceiling gave the space an airy, almost sacred quality. The chamber was filled with the soft rustling of robes and the muted clatter of armor as soldiers and clerics moved with purpose. The large circular window at the far end, its stained glass depicting four white stars, cast a kaleidoscope of light across the pews and the simple stone dais.

Naomi was led to a staircase that was on the far-left side of the dais. The stairs led up and around the interior of the layout of the building, revealing several floors to the tower. As they climbed the first flight of stairs, soldiers in full regalia of armor rushed down the stairs carrying a variety of supplies. Linens, baskets of rolled bandages, and glass containers of unknown viscous liquids were some of the items that Naomi spotted being carried by the soldiers, most likely to be distributed to the staff in the courtyard to aid the injured.

They continued their climb for another few flights of stairs, passing numerous wooden doors along the way that most likely served as living quarters for the soldiers of the Church. After a few minutes of walking in silence, they came across another such door that stood identical to the rest that they had passed. Ambrosia looked to Baas and nodded a silent acknowledgement, to which Baas returned the gesture before turning and left back the way they came.

Ambrosia reached under her green cloak and pulled out a ring of metal keys, immediately finding the correct key and opening the room door. The inside of the room was small but accommodating to someone of Naomi’s stature. A twin-sized bed took up most of the back of the room, white sheets and a single pillow rested neatly folded on top for the next person to use. A small window let what little light remained of the evening into the room.

A simple wooden dresser was at the far end of the room. On top were four folded sets of clothes: two were leather cuirasses and breeches and the other two were thin white linen blouses.

Ambrosia pointed at the leather sets of clothes first. “These are for daytime work during training and classes. Any time you are outside of this tower, you are to wear these to show that you are an initiate to the Lodge. If they are not a good fit, notify a guard and they will see to getting a new set for you.” She moved her finger towards the white clothes. “These are for nighttime; you are to wear these before going to sleep. You can wear these to the latrines at night if the urge comes, but nowhere else.”

She stepped away from the dresser and turned to face Naomi. “There are going to be a few differences between you and the rest of the recruits. The rest earned their second class through training and study with their assigned birth classes and came to the Lodge at a much higher level than you. Most should be at the required level twenty that is mandatory to try out for the Hunter’s Lodge, but some are even higher than that. Since you are level two, you are going to need supplemental training on top of the classes that the Lodge offers.”

Level twenty already? I don’t even know how long that would take to reach…

Ambrosia read Naomi’s concerned expression and relaxed her posture. “Don’t worry. The cadre will be informed of your situation and accommodate you as much as they can. You won’t be expected to produce the same results as the rest of the recruits. We understand you are going to be adjusting over the next few weeks, so we will do whatever we can to help acclimate you to the changes.”

A jolt of anxiety went through Naomi as she realized how behind she would be going into training with the other recruits. Despite the attempt to dissuade any worry she might have over being a much lower level than the other recruits, she still knew that the disparity between her abilities and theirs would be obvious.

She never liked standing out before. Even in school she would hide the fact that she would get good grades from her fellow students. The idea of standing out now as the weak link among a group of experienced recruits made her even more anxious than being a natural talent at something.

“Where are the rest of my people?” Naomi asked, trying to get her mind off her training.

Ambrosia crossed her arms as she answered. “Most have been recovering from the night we found them. Our healers have been handling the physical ailments they came in with, but the mental scarring has been significant from what I’ve been told. Unlike you, they had almost accepted their fate as troll playthings since they didn’t have the means to defend themselves. Some are still in a semi-catatonic state and are under observation with our staff. The few that were somewhat responsive were given rooms like this and will be able to wonder the grounds of Mar Shota under escort. Over time, they will be given options on jobs if they want to continue to live in Church grounds, otherwise they will have to fend for themselves in the city-proper of Mar Shota.”

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“You’d just kick them out into the world like that? I thought the Church was all about helping gate species, not kicking them to the curb as soon as they get here.” Naomi asked, worry clear in her voice.

Ambrosia shrugged. “It’s true, we do what we can to help acclimate new gate species into the world, but we also can’t spare all our resources to those who cannot or will not help in our mission. Helping gate species is only one of our several responsibilities. If they don’t want to work, then we can’t spare the rooms and food to take care of them. We won’t completely cut them off though. We would provide provisions and silver to support them for a period. Plus, they would always be welcome to return to the Church if they decide they cannot survive on their own.”

The reasoning of what Ambrosia described made sense in the grand scheme of things. After everything that had happened with the gate and subsequent rescue, Naomi just assumed that her fellow captives would have been taken care of for the rest of their lives but knew that would be an impossible ask to even the kindest of hosts.

“Your training—” Ambrosia started, cutting Naomi’s train of thought off. “--will begin tomorrow. First meal is at sunrise in the courtyard we passed on our way here. You may join the other recruits in line to get a bowl. You’ll recognize them, trust me.” She nodded towards the leather uniform on the dresser. “Once your first lesson is over at midday, you will meet me inside this building at the first level. There we will start our supplementary lesson. We will repeat this schedule most days, unless an emergency happens that calls me and the rest of the team away.”

Ambrosia started walking towards the door and stopped once her hand was on the door handle. She looked over her shoulder at Naomi. “I suggest you rest now; tomorrow is going to be a rough day.”

With that, she opened the door and left. The hinges on the wooden frame squeaked as the door shut behind her.

Naomi turned to face the sparse furnishings of her room. She went to work immediately to make her bed and lay in it when she finished. She ignored the white blouses on her dresser and opted to stay in her Earth clothes to keep at least some reminder of her home.

She turned to lie on her side and hugged herself tightly, fighting back tears as she started to accept that this was her new reality. Sleep eventually came to relieve her of the day’s stresses.

A banging on the door in Naomi’s room woke her up. It was still dark outside from what she could see through her window. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and swung her legs over the bed.

“Let’s go, recruits!” an unfamiliar voice boomed outside of her door. “Fifteen minutes left before training! Get your grub before we start!” The voice was slowly receding away from her door as he spoke, distant banging on other doors marking how far he had progressed down the stairs.

She jumped from her bed and scrambled to put on the leather training outfit on the dresser. The complicated mess of straps and buckles on the backside of the chest piece proved more difficult than she imagined. She eventually was able to secure herself in the cuirass and slid on the matching breeches. She looked around the room for any type of shoes or footwear, not finding any as she scanned the area. She hissed a curse and ran out of the door.

She was immediately greeted by others running past the door to her room on their way down the stairs. She spotted several elves, feline creatures, and short-bearded dwarves wearing the same leather uniform as her.

They moved with purpose, shouldering each other out of the way as they moved. A few dozen at least moved passed her room’s threshold before she had a chance to step out. She came out of the room and began chasing after the surge of recruits that had already made their way down the stairs.

She eventually reached the courtyard where the recruits were running into the field at the center. She jogged her way to the grass and watched as they fell into ordered lines before a large wooden platform that she didn’t recall being there the day prior. On top of the platform stood four figures in different colored armor. A dwarven woman in red armor, a yellow-scaled dragonborn in blue, an elven male in silver, and elf woman in green armor. Each armor set had yellow trim on their edges, giving off some feeling of significance and rank among the group. At their feet on the platform were banners that had the Crest of the Celestials on at their center. Each person stood above their matching colors, except one. The fifth and final flag was black and also showed the same crest, but no one stood above it.

The recruits slowly finished organizing into several ordered lines before the resplendently armored characters before them. After the shuffling of feet on grass had come to an end, the dwarven woman stepped forward. “Welcome, recruits. Each of you has applied to the Hunter’s Lodge and have been accepted to the selection process. To make it this far is a good sign of your commitment to the Church’s mission, and the desire to be a part of the bulwark against monsters and threats on Lias.”

She placed her hand on her chest over the crest that was embedded in her breast plate. “I am Nora Brightstar. I am the leader of the Red Cloaks of the Lodge. Our branch of the Lodge hunts drakes, wyverns, and mountainous monsters.” She gestured to the dragonborn in blue and took a step back.

“My name is Garmond. I lead the Blue Cloaks of the Lodge. We hunt sirens and patrol oceans for aquatic threats.” His voice boomed despite his calm tone and relaxed posture. He stepped back, gesturing to the elf in silver.

“I am Inan Bonna. I lead the Silver Cloaks of the Lodge. My hunters target Lycans and other nocturnal threats.” He smiled as he spoke, giving off confidence or arrogance. The difference was hard to tell. He stepped back as the final member stepped forward.

“I am Kyri Annarite. I lead the Green Cloaks of the Lodge. We hunt trolls and other forest threats across Lias.” The elven woman scanned the crowd and found Naomi. She stared at her for a few heartbeats before moving back in line with the other three leaders.

The dwarven woman stepped back to the front of the others. “Each of these leaders will observe your final assessments in the final stages of the selection process. They will then determine where your abilities would best serve the Lodge. That is, if you make it that far.” A sly smile came across her face as she finished speaking.

“You will undergo a variety of tests that will determine your compatibility with the Lodge. Remember this, recruits: strength alone will not be a guarantee to acceptance into the Lodge. We don’t care if you can smash an ogre to death with one hand tied behind your back, if you can’t be a part of a team then we do not want you. If all you want to do is smash things at the bark of an order, then go join the army. Here, we work as a unit to accomplish our mission. Is that understood?”

The recruits all brought their legs together and placed their right hand over their chests in unison. Naomi stood out as the only recruit that didn’t move. She looked around befuddled at the group’s movement, a wave of embarrassment growing in her stomach as she tried to mimic the others in their salute.

Nora Brightstar gave a predatory smile towards the group of recruits before her. “Let’s get started.”