Ke’an is led further into the town by Manny and three other men that he remembers being a part of the town defenders. What Ke’an thought was a relatively small village turned out to be a town. The outskirts were rural but going further inside there is a small but dense community. Unlike the minimalist buildings used by the stravani near the orchards, the buildings here are brick and well constructed. The road is even well maintained cobblestone with empty street markets lining up and down the main road.

The most extravagant building is the Temple of Batri which is a massive edifice of white marble and gold. The structure hummed with divine power which is an indication of a building created by a God. This is the first time Ke’an has seen a building created by the Goddess and he is left speechless. As he approached it, his war machete started to radiate with the power of the Goddess. He looks down at the weapon at his side as it resonates, then back up at the temple.

“Batri made this place?” Ke’an asks as he stops mouth agape.

“The temple, yes.” Manny says with a smile as he pats Ke’an on the back. “That is where the townspeople have gone. The elder is there as well.”

While holy buildings were typically safe places against human attackers, as no one wanted to incur the wrath of a God, monsters did not have such reservations. They would blatantly attack with no thought of the building's owner. This is especially true for demonic entities like the greater snow wraiths that have a known penchant for sacrilege. However, even if the wraiths attacked the building it looks to be fortified to hold them at bay long enough for a defense to be mounted against them.

Outside of the temple more men armed and ready to defend have congregated. The group is much larger than the one that fought earlier with the majority of them being normal humans and the God Changed stravani being the minority. As it turned out the initial attack happened so quickly that the majority of the towns actual defenders weren’t able to respond in time. The civilian farmers that lived in the outskirts were able to mount a defense but at a cost.

As soon as the crowd sees them, many people rush over to Ke’an. They praise him as a hero having already heard of his exploits in going head to head against the wraiths alone. The survivors from the first wave thank him for alerting the village and staying to fight. Manny has to push their way into the temple where Ke’an is taken to a private meeting room.

The room follows the motif of gold and white marble with intricate murals carved into the walls. The furniture all appeared to be hand carved and finely polished wood. Its deep rich brown contrasts the white tiles. The cushions of the chairs is a material Ke’an has never felt and are far more comfortable than they appear. There are only two loveseats with a small coffee table between them in the room.

The rooms are illuminated by magilamps which burn vextor oil and are in holders on the walls in the room and throughout the temple. Vextor oil is a refined form of liquid magic which is pumped directly from the ground in large fields around the world. It is more commonly known as vex and is the primary source of fuel used in arcane machinery. Vex is also refined in a multitude of ways in various industries and in public use. It is widely considered the greatest discovery in human history. Vex is even used to make arcane gunpowder which is what Ke’an uses in his revolver.

Shortly after taking a seat the door opens again and Manny assists an older stravani man enter the room. The man has the same colorful lightweight clothing as the other stravani which looks out of place given the fact it is the middle of winter. His long braided beard looks more like an ice sculpture of a beard than actual hair. His tired eyes skim the room as he shuffles in.

A second and third man enter the room; they are not as old as the first man. Both of them are clean shaven and appear to be in their mid fifties. They are in the warrior monk robes with one wearing all white and the other fuchsia. They both have their eyes covered with a black cloth tied firmly so they can not see. Even with their eyes covered they move quietly and decisively as if they were one with the temple itself. Although Ke’an did not know how, he could sense them analyzing him as soon as they walked in the room.

The older man is guided to the seat opposite Ke’an. His frail form has to be assisted even to sit down. The two warrior monks take a seat to his right and left as Manny stands quietly to the left of the chair. As they sit a young server girl brings in tea and pours everyone a cup. When she is done Manny and the server both excuse themselves and leave the room.

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“Thank you for coming young man. My name is Darly and I am the elder of this temple.” The older man says with a shaky smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “These two are Benny and Casidy.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Elder. My name is Ke’an.” He says with a slight bow. “The Goddess truly loves this place to have given you all such a splendid structure as this. I have never seen a temple of Batri this grand.”

“We are truly blessed, but unfortunately we don't have time to dally.” Darly says as he leans forward taking his cup of tea. “Our people owe you a great debt and it would seem that there is still something we must ask of you. Manny told me that several more of these creatures are on their way here along with some powerful monster that summoned them. Is that true?”

“Yes.” Ke’an admits.

“And how do you know this?” Benny the man in the fuchsia robes asks.

Ke’an looks down at his cup of tea grabbing the fragile looking tea cup. He thinks for a second on how to explain as he sips the flavorful brew. He can’t tell them that he has the power of an administrator and he wouldn’t anyway. He barely understood what it really meant, not to mention how crazy it would make him sound.

Ke’an lowers the cup from his mouth nodding his head. “I have a special type of magic that allows me to detect powerful monsters. It also allows me to detect some of their intentions. That is how I know they are coming here as well.”

The elder looks over at Benny then to Casidy as they both nod. In the long silence left behind by Ke’an’s words, Darly gives Ke’an another assessing look. He then takes another sip of his tea savoring the flavor which prompts Ke’an to sample his cup again. The flavor is stronger than he would normally like but is pleasant all the same.

“You have helped us already and we do not expect you to do so again with no compensation. We would like to hire you and your companion for your monster hunting services.” Darly says as he sets the tea cup down.

Ke’an knows he is going to have to stay and fight regardless of coming to an agreement with the elder. Normally he would not have ever gotten involved with a monster attacking a town or village outside of Fleysil, his home territory, as his people aren’t heroes and this isn’t his land to fight for. The idea never once crossed his mind and if it hadn’t been for the quest he would have left the town to defend itself. He already has everything he needs to return home with open arms so there isn’t much the town can offer but a plan comes to mind anyway.

“I am not a monster hunter, just a traveler on his pilgrimage back home. However, I know something that can help out both of our communities after the wraiths are dead.” Ke’an says.

“And what is that?” Casidy asks.

“A trade agreement. I have never seen anyone farm sevfal berries nor have I heard of this town or temple.” Ke’an responds.

“It is my understanding you are a follower of the Goddess are you not?” Darly asks with an eyebrow raised.

“Yes, and have been all my life.” Ke’an responds.

“This town is less than five years old. The Goddess herself built this temple and gave her most devoted visions of its location.” Benny says as he sits up a bit straighter. “If you did not get the vision this means you are not truly devoted.”

“What did you say!” Ke’an says as he quickly stands up with his fist balled.

“Taped eebsihoolarsed neengs! Sho tir lou sow drisly tiirst!” Benny says with disdain permeating his voice.

“You son of a…” Ke’an says.

“That is enough!” Darly says with a wheeze and a bow. “I apologize on behalf of my son here. What he says is not the sentiment of my people or of me. The temple was built to hold a wedding. The Goddess means to mend her bond with her son by forming a covenant bound by a wedding between mortals. This location is to be their venue. We were tasked with it’s protection and to maintain the land she has given us.”

“Oh… no.” Ke’an says as he sits back down while covering his face with his palm. “I think we just ruined my wedding surprise.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Casidy asks.

“I am the one getting married for the covenant. Batri told me the location would be a surprise.”

“You insolent brat how dare you claim to…” Benny yells.

Ke’an takes out his war machete in a swift well practiced motion. Startled, Benny and Casidy both stand up pushing the chair and the elder back as they get in a fighting stance. Ke’an turns the blade so that the trio can see the flat. While in the temple the blade glowed with a soft holy light indicating its maker was indeed the Goddess herself. Golden lines engraved themselves across the blade creating a mural showing the joining of snow and wind. The mural danced beautifully across the blade as if it were a moving picture.