[https://i.imgur.com/VGCFMQy.png]

Ilanit nursed his beer at his table, trying not to let the maudlin mood in the air of the establishment drag down his drinking time.

As a titled, even a relatively unsuccessful one, he could have drunk at any establishment in the city. But he liked this one, with its rough regulars, beer-scarred tables, and dirty walls. At least he usually liked it.

After the attack on the city, fended off by the legendary Morning Sun, the atmosphere had gone to shit.

He glanced over at a regular known as Rakum. The man had apparently been already at the doors of the tavern when it opened at dawn and had been in the bar all day. He'd shrugged off all questions from the other patrons, only speaking to order more drinks. The amount the man was spending on the alcohol meant the labourer was digging deep into whatever meagre savings he must have scraped up.

He looked away, his eyes falling on another table. This one had been habitually occupied by the same drunk for years, a cheerful man known and loved by all. No one had seen him since the attack.

He sighed. He was here for a good time, not a wake.

The sound of the door squeaking on its hinges made him look over to a sight he had always hated.

A young man stood at the door, a messenger's sack slung around his narrow shoulders.

"I'm looking for the Titled, Ilanit?" The man called out a little uncertainly, clearly unnerved by the clientele.

Ilanit rested his arm on the table, his hand raised, the fingers half uncurled, signalling the man.

The young man hurried over, stopping before the table before pulling out a small envelope. "I have a letter for you, Sir. From Order keeper Tain. Do you want me to read it for you, Sir?"

Ilanit shook his head, he had no love of reading, but he could read well enough. He'd hated the academy, with its constant politicking, but it had at least seen to that.

The boy handed over the letter and left.

Ilanit turned the letter over a few times, wanting to put off reading its contents for as long as possible.

He sighed and opened the letter.

Titled Ilanit Deranter,

You are hereby summoned to attend the Systemic Order. You are to report to the Gold Hall in the city of Stonehaven by no later than sundown. Failure to attend will result in the church considering you a rogue titled.

Order Keeper Turnly

He put the letter back onto the table and nursed his drink slowly. There was no hurry. Let the old man wait. He slowly drank up, trying to enjoy the moment, but today had been a shit day so far.

All too soon, he was in front of the tall grey block walls of the temple. People were coming and going. He saw a man with greasy brown hair leaving the bronze hall, giving him a disgusted look as he passed.

He saw another group just leaving the bronze hall. A half dozen men, dressed in dark clothes and weighed down with gear and weapons, were walking, led by a short, dark-haired woman carrying a heavy crossbow that looked almost comically oversized in her calloused child-sized hands.

"Ilanit," the leader of the group, a diminutive woman known around the city as 'the Nutcracker', but to her face as Hilina said with the closest thing she ever approached to a smile.

"They got you off on another errand?" Ilanit asked, curious, knowing Hilina wasn't a pious woman.

"Yeah, apparently, some filthy ghoul was trying to turn the attack into a chance to have a meal. We're going to track it down, make sure it doesn't get a chance to eat anyone else." She said with a look of hopeful malice.

Ilanit almost felt sorry for the doomed ghoul. Hilina had carved a fearsome reputation out for herself as a formidable mercenary despite her lack of a title and her small size.

She showed an eager willingness and viciousness when it came to inflicting violence that made even the most experienced mercenaries uneasy around her. That, combined with a calm and cunning mind and the whispered stories of what she'd done to enemies she'd caught alive, had locked her into his mind as the worst enemy to make in Stonehaven.

"Yeah, Old Turnly called me in too. Probably something to do with the attack like yours."

Hilina nodded. "Later." She said and began walking away, her group following behind, like lumbering chicks behind a tiny mother duck.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

He walked into the Gold Hall, his footsteps echoing through the almost empty space.

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

The hall was severe and almost completely undecorated save for functional candle holders and the altar at the far end, over which a huge golden circle hung, held in place by ropes attached to the ceiling and upper walls.

A volunteer bowed deeply to him and guided him over to Order Keeper Turnly, though this felt superfluous to Ilanit since he could clearly see the old Order Keeper kneeling in prayer in front of the altar.

Once there, the volunteer walked away back to the door, guarding it against those not welcome in the gold hall.

Ilanit cleared his throat loudly and persistently until the old man hung his head low and spoke, "Ilanit, even the worshipers in the iron hall usually have enough sense of decency to let me finish a prayer before seeking my attention."

"You wanted me to come here, so I came."

The elderly man carefully stood and then turned. "We've received some reports that the attacker may have had an accomplice, A boy going by the name Refenial Crowchild, who claims to be the child of the crimson queen.

Ilanit found his eyebrows raising in surprise, "That's a bold claim."

The old Order Keeper nodded. "And a dangerous one, the Order has worked hard to tamper down the outrageous claims made about her. So many people still believe the lies about her being centuries old. A few even believe she is somehow still alive. If someone is trying to spread lies like this, it is likely an attempt to undermine the Order in our attempts to spread historical truth."

"So you want me to go find the kid?"

"Yes, I've been in contact with my superiors, but honestly, what we know is changing so fast, and they're... contemplative. I'd rather take the initiative and make sure the boy is detained before my superiors get fully acquainted with the facts."

"It's a big world. Do you have anything I can go on for finding him?" Ilanit said. Just because his title gave him an edge in tracking didn't mean he wanted to spend the next six months wandering around with no clue of where to go or who to ask.

"The boy is about ten, with dark hair. He was seen yesterday heading along the road east away from the city. Reports also say there might have been a man with him, a bodyguard maybe, but I've been told conflicting stories about who he was with."

Well, it was better than the time he'd been sent to hunt down that dog monster. At least he had a time and a direction.

"I'll get my retainers," Ilanit said, turning to go.

"You should come to the temple more often, Ilanit. You test my patience, but as a titled, the Order is always here for you, just as you are always here for the Order."

"Yeah," Ilanit said in false agreement. He wanted to sit and drink, not kneel in a temple listening to old men blather on about how close he was to divinity and all the things they expected of him as a result.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

It took him a couple of hours to track down his three retainers, but he knew their usual watering holes, and before long, he was standing at the threshold of the city gates. The three men behind him.

He gave a whistle of awe at the sight in front of him. He'd heard it was bad out here, but the ruined wagons and other debris that littered the shattered ground were beyond his expectations.

It seemed inconceivable the amount of power needed to create such devastation. Even if they were both titled, he couldn't even begin to imagine how the Morning Sun had fought with such power. He was sure that either of the combatants could have squashed him like a bug.

He started walking, carefully watching his step as he walked so as not to trip over the blasted ground.

There were tents set up on one of the relatively undamaged strips of land, people walking amongst them, many volunteers from the Systemic Order.

He noticed something that made him stare. Among them was a Darkling girl with tired eyes. He'd seen foreigners with darker skin occasionally in the capital but almost never in Stonehaven and never as dark-skinned as her.

He almost gave the pretty girl a whistle of appreciation as she passed him but stopped himself, glancing self-consciously at his retainers. Rumours spread fast in the city. He was powerful enough that people wouldn't be rude about it to his face, but like with Hilina's nickname; it was all too easy for ugly words to spread.

He didn't want to know what people might say if they thought he was attracted to a foreign girl.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

He got onto the road, and with a moment of focus, he activated his tracking power. He couldn't tell much from the stone road, but as he began walking forwards, he hunted for signs of a man and a child stepping off the road.

Two people travelling alone was very unusual, with the dangers of the road people usually travelled in larger groups. They'd turn off eventually, even if only to camp, and then he'd find their trail and the boy.

It took several hours, Ilanit concentrating the entire time as his retainers guarded him against the risk of a monster attack. He spotted it, though. The signs of broken grass were too slight to be seen without his tracking power, but with it, the evidence was clear. Two people had stepped off the road towards a nearby hill. One the steps of a child, stumbling slightly, perhaps from injury or exhaustion, the other the steps of a man.

He began walking faster now the path was clear. The springy grass of the rolling hills leaving obvious marks.

"Ho, the group!" He heard a voice call out from behind him. Startled by being snuck up on, he whirled, hand to his sword. His retainers did the same.

The handsome figure standing there was dressed in white and gold, with curly blonde hair and smiling lips.

The fear of being attacked gave way to the anxiety of standing before a living legend. Only one person he'd ever heard of dressed like that.

"Elagabalus..." He whispered to himself.

He quickly gestured his retainers to stand down, not wanting to offend this paragon. Despite the grand reputation, the damage wreaked in the battle still hung in the back of his mind.

Elagabalus walked unhurriedly towards the group stopping only a few feet away.

"Uh, how can I help, uh, Sir?" Ilanit said, feeling uncomfortable with talking to the Morning Sun.

Elagabalus smiled, giving an appreciative nod. "Relax, friend."

Ilanit nodded, still feeling star-struck.

"I saw your group heading out on such an unusual path as I was passing, and I couldn't help but wonder what you might be doing out here."

"Uhh, we're on a mission for the Systemic Order. After a suspected accomplice of the man who attacked the city, the one you fought with."

Elagabalus frowned slightly. "Oh, do you have any more details on who that might be?"

"A boy called Refenial Crowchild, claiming to be the son of the Crimson Queen," Ilanit said, feeling like he was on safer ground now he was just repeating facts.

Elagabalus's frown grew slightly deeper. "I spoke to the Order already and explained that this was a misunderstanding. Who told you to find Refenial?"

"Order Keeper Turnly, head of the temple in Stonehaven."

Elagabalus shook his head, the frown replaced by a smile. "Ah, a simple misunderstanding then. You can turn around and let the good Order Keeper know that there is no need for you to pursue Refenial."

Ilanit scratched his face as he thought about how to respond. "With all due respect, Sir, I think it would be better if we bring the boy back with us. If it's a misunderstanding like that, then he can be released quickly enough."

Elagabalus frowned again, "I see. That will, however, not do. I told Refenial that he would be unbothered by the Order. If you were to do that, it would undermine what I told him."

Ilanit licked his lips nervously before responding, "I'm sorry, Sir, bu-

Ilanit never saw the blow that killed him, nor did he see the rapid death of his three retainers.

He never saw their bodies lying on the ground, a man dressed in white and gold standing above them, and he never saw the hideous, demented look of fear on the man's face as he looked down at their eyes that would never see again.

[https://i.imgur.com/3vZaHAB.png]