Earlier that day:
Gridj hopped off the cart and headed towards the riverbank of the Thammus. Tefachi took control and made her way back into town.
The inn was small and empty. The innkeeper, a talkative woman who introduced herself as Apluy, was thrilled to have any customers at all, and offered Tefachi the best room in the establishment for regular prices. Tefachi took the woman up on the offer and stabled the horse outside, taking care to properly tend to it after multiple days on the road.
She got directions to the town apothecary from Apluy and made her way to a small building just down the way, not far from the mayor’s residence. An old sign hung over the door with a faded picture of leaves and the name Jopp’s Remedies painted on it.
Inside, the shop was cluttered with jars, boxes and rows of potted plants. The scent of soil and various flowers, roots and the like was strong. Snoozing on a chair near the back of the place was a middle aged man with unkempt long blonde hair.
Tefachi ducked in and browsed the shop for a while, looking for ingredients with water-breathing properties or anything that might tell her something new about Sherridge.
She found a handful of dried river plant flowers, but Gridj would undoubtedly harvest a fresh batch while he looked for the Shymock nest, so she didn't bother purchasing any.
Two other items caught her eye however, the first was a Siren scale that she strongly suspected was actually just an abnormally large fish scale mislabeled. The second was a Moltooki fang. She examined the fang closely to confirm that it wasn't a fake like the Siren scale, and upon determining its veracity, walked up to the snoozing shop owner.
She cleared her throat loudly, and the man startled awake. She gave him a second to collect himself, and when he did he was appropriately surprised to see a near-seven foot tall, heavily tattooed woman standing over him.
“Uh… can I help you?” He asked, with a slight shake in his voice.
“Yes, actually. Jopp, is it? I want to know where you got this?” She gave him the Moltooki fang. In his hand it looked like a small dagger.
“Ahhh yes. Took me a while to figure out what it was. I thought it was a dragon tooth at first. We don't usually get Moltooki in these parts so I've never seen one before. Crazy old Coulver sold it to me. Says he killed the beast himself, but knowing him, he found it lying in the dirt.”
“Crazy old Coulver?” Tefachi asked.
“Aye, lives in the temple. Well actually he built the temple. Still building it I think, though it looks about done to me.”
Tefachi thanked the herbalist for his time. He asked if she was going to buy anything but she declined and left the man frowning.
The temple was easy enough to find. It was the most beautiful building in Sherridge, hewn from pale grey stone, perfectly symmetrical and adorned with luxurious purple trim. Two figures were lovingly sculpted into the open arch that led into the building. As Tefachi approached, she sighed, recognising the subject of the artwork.
She walked down the central aisle. It wasn't a large temple, no more than a dozen paces across and twice as many deep, but the effort and time that one man would have had to put into its creation was still extremely impressive.
A larger statue of the same figure, a woman dressed in finery and holding a scepter, stood tall at the back of the building. There was nobody else in the temple.
Tefachi sat in one of the wooden pews and closed her eyes. She sat silently, seemingly meditating, for a while. Then she spoke to the empty air.
“I wasn't aware you had a temple this far south, Evessia.”
She opened her eyes. Seated next to her was the very same woman depicted in the statue and the entrance to the temple.
“Verily, one could fill many tomes with what thou art not aware of.” The goddess said flatly.
Tefachi chuckled. “Still holding a grudge I see.”
“What dost thou seeketh here, eleventh bride?”
Tefachi’s eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. “You know my name. Don't antagonize me unless you want a repeat of the last time we met.”
Evessia smiled, though the expression did not reach her eyes. “Thou art as delicate as a flower, to be so vexed by a mere appellation.”
The goddess’ eyes then widened however, as Tefachi’s hands gripped the back of the pew tightly enough to crack the wood and her tattoos began to glow a faint tinge of magenta.
“Peace, peace, Tefachi. I doth not seeketh strife this day.”
Tefachi glared at the goddess for a moment, then relaxed and leaned back.
“Do you know anything about the murders in town?”
Evessia seemed puzzled as she responded. “Murder, in this slumbering hamlet? Verily, thou dost jest. The townsfolk may hath their disputes, but none wouldst lift a finger in violence against another.”
Now Tefachi was the one perplexed. “You mean to say you haven't heard about the deaths? I would have thought you would be intimately familiar with the lives of your devotees in such a small town.”
The goddess stood and walked out of the pew, pausing in the aisle to stare at her statue.
“Mine influence in Sherridge is... lesser than I would desire.” She reluctantly admitted.
“You have few worshippers here? Yet you have a temple?”
“The man Coulver didst construct it.”
Tefachi followed Evessia as she started walking towards the pulpit.
“I came here looking for him, actually. He claims to have killed a Moltooki. I was hoping he might know of other monsters within the town’s vicinity.”
The goddess paused, examining the scepter in her hand before responding. “Thou shalt not find the answers thou seekest with him. I dost counsel thee to search elsewhere.”
Tefachi walked up beside her, her head cocked to one side. “Are you protecting him?”
“Shouldst I not? Coulver is a loyal devotee.”
“How unlike you, goddess of pride, dignity and self reliance.”
The goddess did not respond. Tefachi changed tact.
“You know I will find and investigate him without your assistance. Why hinder me?”
Evessia heaved a sigh. “Coulver is not of sound mind. I dost not lie when I say he shall not bestow upon thee the answers thou seekest. Even I struggle to comprehend him. I shall reveal to thee his whereabouts, if thou dost truly desire it. Yet I forewarn thee, should harm befall the man, I shall be most displeased.”
“Be at ease Evessia, I've no reason to hurt the man.”
The goddess told Tefachi of the quarry where Coulver spent most of his days. Well beyond the outskirts of the town, to the East and about thirty minutes travel by foot into the woods, Tefachi would know it by the large jutting rock formation visible from as far away as the temple doorstep.
With these directions Tefachi set off at a steady jog towards the quarry. She took the opportunity to get some of her regular exercises in, punching the air as she moved, performing occasional mid-run cartwheels and shoulder rolls, and even stopping twice to pump out a series of rapid push ups and sit ups, all while breathing tightly in rhythm with her movements.
She slowed upon entering the woods, taking her time to ensure she didn't lose her way now that the treeline hid the rock formation from her sight. It wasn't long before the clearing around the rock formation came into view.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The clearing was filled with broken stone, and the rock formation itself was missing a large chunk near its base. There was a sizeable hole dug into the ground around the missing rock, somewhere around thirty paces wide and long and as deep as a man’s height. The sides of the hole were sloping and a series of steps appeared to have been purposefully shaped along the far side to allow easy traversal.
Tefachi took this all in from the edge of the clearing, but as she prepared to step forward and examine the area more closely, she sensed something behind her. Trusting her instincts she leaped forward, hitting a tree to stop her momentum and rolling off it to turn and face the man that had swung a huge sledgehammer at the space where her head had been just moments ago.
The man was tall and powerfully built. His skin was leathery and scarred. His grey hair was long in the back and balding up top, and he sported a long scraggly beard. His eyes were wide and he shouted at Tefachi.
“DEMON!”
The woman put her hands up in front of herself in a placating gesture.
“Peace! Be at peace ser! I mean you no harm.”
The words had no effect, and Coulver advanced menacingly, steadying his grip on the sledgehammer and melting effortlessly into a ready stance. Tefachi saw the ease with which the man moved and hefted his weapon and took caution. She continued to speak to her opponent, but also readied herself for combat.
“Coulver! Coulver listen to me. I am human. The goddess Evessia sent me.”
When Evessia’s name escaped Tefachi’s lips, Coulver paused in his advance.
“How do you speak the name of the great goddess without harm, demon?”
Tefachi suppressed the urge to point out that demons have no unusual fear of gods or their names.
“Because I am no demon, Coulver.”
The elderly man stepped forward, his hammer falling to the ground. His expression grew fearful, and he looked around in confusion.
“What is… I-I don’t… my goddess… where is Lord Tonbert?” His eyes settled on Tefachi again “Who are you? Where is Lord Tonbert?”
Tefachi stepped forward in the most non-threatening manner she could manage.
“Lord Tonbert is at the temple, Coulver. He is safe, he asked me to come find you.”
“Tonbert sent you to look for me?”
She was now close enough to gently reach out and take Coulver's hand in her own. He watched her closely with his eyes still wide in near panic.
“Yes, Lord Tonbert sent me at the behest of the goddess to find you and ensure you are safe.”
“Lady Evessia…” Coulver said, his eyes glazing and staring into the distance, before snapping rapidly back into focus. “She tasked me to build her a grand temple. I must continue my work.”
He looked at Tefachi with new eyes.
“Fair lady, I’m afraid I don't know you. Do you require some assistance?”
Tefachi smiled sadly, now beginning to understand the difficulty Coulver was experiencing. She allowed her form to shift, her tattoos slowly fading away, her face softening and her body shortening almost imperceptibly. The change was gradual and subtle enough that it did not alarm the elderly man.
“Please ser, I am afraid. May I walk with you a ways for safety?” Even her voice was altered, now much gentler and higher pitched.
“Of course. No young lady such as yourself should be unchaperoned in these wilds. I will escort you to the town.” The man’s confidence returned and he stooped to fetch his hammer.
He seemed in his element now, more aware of his surroundings than earlier. But it was clear Coulver’s mind was still disconnected from reality. As they walked he spoke of knights and priests as though he were still in the marble city Polel. Tefachi attempted to probe him for information, but it proved difficult when she could hardly tell when his words came from yesterday or twenty years ago.
“Ser… Perhaps you may lay rest a fear of mine.” She began.
“I am at your disposal young lady.”
“Have… have you ever had to fight a Shymock?”
Coulver’s stride faltered.
“A Shymock… I… Why I believe I have had to put down such a creature, many years ago. Or… I’m not…” He stopped and rubbed his forehead in distress. “Forgive me miss. My memories on this fail me, they are a nonsensical jumble.”
Tefachi gently touched his arm. “It is no trouble ser Coulver. Perhaps you may share what your mind’s eye sees and together we may make sense of it.”
Coulver grimaced. “I remember… chasing the beast. Through water. Shallow water. No, through swampland. I see the face, it’s almost human, but not. The thing smiles, but not at me, at a young man. Then I am upon it with my blade, and my first thrust strikes true.”
“Who is the young man the creature smiles at, ser?”
Coulver wrestled with the memory, but it slipped from his grasp. Again he became confused, and Tefachi had to calm him with gentle reassurances.
This cycle repeated itself for the remainder of the walk back to Sherridge. Some bouts of clarity lasted longer than others, but there was always a layer of fog between Coulver and the world around him.
When they made it back, Tefachi escorted Coulver to the temple, and helped him inside, where he fell to his knees before Evessia’s statue. The goddess did not show herself again, and Tefachi left the building, feeling her afternoon to have been largely wasted.
She went back to the inn. The sun was ready to set and she was hungry. Apluy, the innkeeper, poured Tefachi a mug of ale and animatedly chatted as she prepared the meal.
“So you're a monster hunter then?”
Tefachi took a swig from her cup.
“You could say that. We’re partial to the term ‘investigator’ though.”
“Oh, you and that husband of yours? My goodness. I think he's the largest man I've ever seen in my life.”
Tefachi snorted softly. Gridj was so familiar to her that she no longer noticed how intimidating he was. The reminders when speaking to regular folk were a source of amusement.
“He's harmless to all but the worst of people, I assure you.”
The innkeeper was a merry lady. Cherry red cheeks on a round face gave her a motherly appearance. “My husband, his soul rest in peace, was a tub of a man. Just as easily roll as he could walk. Never shied away from rough work though, even when he could barely handle it.”
“What happened to him?”
“Oh he passed in his sleep years ago. Nothing to do with Shiola’s disappearance, if that's what you're asking.”
Tefachi sat up, her interest piqued. “And what do you think happened to her?”
“Oh I don't rightly know if I'm honest. Most everyone thinks she fell in the well, but you know they never found her body.”
The innkeeper likely didn't know anything Forrick hadn't already filled the investigators in on, but Tefachi felt it was a good opportunity to double check Forrick’s story.
“What about the other two recent deaths. What do you know about them?”
“Well, there was Doudry. Nobody knows what happened to him. He just… disappeared one day. Lot of folks think the Thammus swept him away, he often went swimming in the strong currents.” The portly lady’s expression grew solemn. “And there's Tobylla. She was a friend of mine. She disappeared a little while after Doudry. An animal killed her and picked most of her bones clean. Joular found her in the old Musoch house ruins across the river. The critter hadn't finished the job. Joular brought what was left of her back for a burial.”
Apluy went quiet then. Her appetite for conversation apparently lost. But Tefachi pressed with more questions.
“Did Tobylla visit that area frequently?”
“Goodness no, the poor thing couldn't swim.”
“So whatever got her, dragged her across the river?”
“I suppose so. Truly, I don't like to think about it very much. Only a day before she went missing, I was sitting right here,” she gestured to the oak counter where Tefachi sat with her drink, “chatting to Bylla. She helped me get through my husband’s passing, you know. Came to see me every day and made sure I got up out of the bed and did something useful with myself.”
Tefachi reached over and squeezed the woman’s hand. “Good friends are hard to come by, and worth their weight in gold. I'm sorry for your loss.”
Apluy sniffled and wiped her eyes. “Thank you. It's a tough time for the whole town at the moment. Everyone seems to be going through troubles at the moment.”
“Have there been other unusual problems recently?”
“Well, Roufad’s been losing animals from his farm. The mayor sent some men to look into it but they only found a lone wolf. And Beasel’s been sick a while now, and only Thama has seen him. It probably wouldn't be worth mentioning except that it's been so long without news except that he's just bed-ridden.”
At this point, the stew Apluy had been preparing was complete, and she began ladling it into bowls for Tefachi, who had requested an extra serving for Gridj. Tefachi thanked the woman for the food and the information, and took the bowls over to a table near the fireplace. They were still in need of a solid direction to pursue with the investigation, but there were a number of things they could follow up on, and hopefully Gridj would return triumphant in his venture.
This hope was soon dashed when Gridj appeared, soaking wet and with his clothing shredded. He stomped into the establishment. Apluy quickly left to another room.
He sat and Tefachi greeted him by his pet name, which softened his face somewhat. He explained his unfortunate encounter with a bear and showed her his bounty of Mudspuds. Then he asked her what she had uncovered.
“Oh, you're going to love this,” she began, a crooked grin lighting up her face, “I spoke to our old friend Evessia.”
“Evessia’s temple is in Polel, that's a long way for a mid-level goddess to project themselves.”
“She brought an old knight here for a quiet retirement, and he's built her a rather surprisingly nice temple.”
“The townsfolk are devotees? They don't really strike me as the type.”
“No, she apparently does not have a following in Sherridge, according to her she has only her knight. She was not thrilled to see me.”
Gridj smiled and shook his head. “Would you be? You pummeled her best knights and defaced her temple.”
“Eh, she had it coming. Don’t poke a dragon if you can't handle the heat, right?” Tefachi playfully ducked her head and punched the air, then landed a punch on Gridj’s shoulder. The smack was loud, but if Gridj felt anything, he did not show it. Instead she allowed him to take her fist and open it gently. Tefachi’s hand would rival any man’s in size, but held in Gridj’s massive palm it looked dainty. He kissed her atop her knuckles.
“What did she tell you?” He asked.
“Nothing helpful. She wasn't even aware of the deaths, and the best she could do is point me to her man, whose mind is deteriorated with age. He spends his days half lost in memories.”
She continued. “We might try talking to a man named Joular, he found the body of one of the recent victims. She was dragged across the river by whatever killed and seemingly ate her. A farmer has been losing animals to something too. That might also be worth a look.”
Gridj nodded in agreement. “In the morning we’ll have to visit the apothecary again and get those flowers. Tonight I can prepare the Mudspuds. It’ll take about two days to brew.”
He then started eating, quickly devouring the whole bowl. He raised the empty vessel and dipped his head in a gesture of gratitude towards the innkeeper, who was busying herself about the establishment trying not to look like she was watching them. Then he and Tefachi retired to their room for the night.
Outside of town, laying in his own bed in his comfortable home, Forrick pulled his son close to his body in a tight hug. The boy slept peacefully. Forrick kissed him on the top of his head, tears staining the pillow underneath.