The noise of fifty or so mail clad soldiers surrounding you, even if they ’re not deliberately trying to make noise, is loud and distinctive. First there’s the breathing. Then there’s the rustle of mail and the clanking of shield against shield. Sometimes it’s sword against shield. Or a sigh or deep breath of a solider. There were also murmurs of prayers—even non-temple soldiers prayed—or simple curses uttered towards me.

Then there ’s also the moaning of the wounded soldiers, which have been diminishing in time.

Beyond the soldiers, there was the drone of crowds watching what was going on. A few hawkers and shop owners were doing their best to grab the attention of the crowds in buying their goods. Rattles of wheels and squeals of axles as carts moved over the cobblestone roads just added more noise to the chaos.

But I dared not take my attention off the purple helmeted solider in front of me. They wore a full-face helmet which covered their entire face, but I could just make out the eyes behind the helmet. The solider was still in combat pose, though I could see it being not as sharp as it had been when they first confronted me. This was why I didn ’t believe in needing a certain pose in which to stand when entering combat.

Not only would it mean I could easily slack off the position, but if I ever was involved in an ambush, I would need one less step before I was ready to fight back.

But maybe I was special because of who I was and what my powers were. And because of that, I could have that freedom which was denied to others. Personally, I didn ’t care.

What I did know was the leader of the troops which were surrounding me still had it in her head I was the person they were hunting.

I had told them of my latest identity, yet they didn ’t believe it.

But I was also thankful if it wasn ’t for them, who knew how long would it would’ve been before I accepted the role as Guild Master.

As I was watching them, I saw their troubled eyes harden and fill with certainty.

‘Lundein Temple does not recognise the guild Saint Evaine’s Defiance. Furthermore, the saint known as Evaine is deemed troublesome. All current and future temple namings are to avoid mentioning her. All previously named places which use the name of troublesome saints should be renamed as soon as possible.’

Deep within, there was a strange tingling sensation. It reminded me of a similar feeling when I was part of the forest. I allowed the tingling sensation to reach my fingers.

They felt odd, a painful numbness, as if I was recovering from frozen fingers.

I saw them start to change into a rough greyish-brown bark.

That wasn ’t good. I started to try and revert the changes. Through my connection with the forest, I felt a connection with the distant ancient forest with its collection of birches.

The rough greyish-brown bark turned golden brown as it spread up my arm. Then from my torso, reaching downwards towards my fingers, the golden brown bark smoothed itself out, turning silvery as it did. Small black elongated patches dotted my the silvery smooth bark.

As I allowed the transformation to take over the rest of my body, I focused on how my fingers and hand felt as I ran my hand through a range of motions. It at once felt comfortable and normal, yet also slightly restrictive.

The light silvery smooth bark darkened as more and more of the small, black elongated patches grew on my body.

After the transformation was complete, I felt small branches grow out from my the back of my head. More started growing out on the back of my neck. Even more grew from the upper back of my torso. These branches were small and thin, yet I could feel each of them.

‘I am Bercilan of the Temple Authorised guild Saint Evaine ’s Defiance.’ I stubbornly kept on proclaiming.

‘There is no such guild.’ They were just as stubborn as I was. ‘If you deny you are Berwyn of Crossroad Island one final time, I have permission to bring you in forcibly.’

Deliberately turning my back on her, I looked around at the well-trained soldiers which were surrounding me. I heard my small branches rustle as I turned my head.

When I finally completed a circle, I looked at her. ‘I am not Berwyn of the Isle of Trees.’

There was a slight pause as she took in what I said, then tensed, and then she lunged at me with her sword. It was a perfect lunge, one which could be used as an example of how to perfectly perform a lunge.

Other than tearing a slice in my tunic, and juttering over my not-so-smooth bark armour, there was no real affect to their lunge.

‘I am late.’ I said in a polite tone. ‘Excuse me.’

I walked past the purple helmeted soldier and headed towards the shield wall which was blocking me in. The force of the downward slash against my small branches on the back of my neck cut a couple of them off.

It was a strange feeling them part from my body. There wasn ’t any pain. I did feel like I was missing something. But other than the loss of the branches, I really didn’t feel the pain or pressure as the blade of the sword hit my body.

I took a deep breath, the small branches on the back of my torso rustling as I did so. With deliberate slowness, I turned around to look at the purple helmeted soldier. ‘Do you have enough troops to stop me?’

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Down by my feet was a sword, which had a wounded soldier dropped. I knelt down and picked it up by the blade. Looking in the eyes of the purple helmeted soldier, I put my other hand on the hilt. With ease, I snapped the sword and dropped each part of the ground.

‘Can you truly stop me?’

‘We will come for you. You are an infidel who is making a mockery of the Holy Institution of the Temple.’

I was thinking about telling the fool about the three blessings I ’d received not long ago. But I decided against it. Saint Evaine and the Divine Twins were not the most well-liked holy figures.

Deliberately turning my back on the purple helmeted leader, I walked towards the shield barrier. The faces of the troops I was facing were troubled as they kept looking between me and their leader behind me.

‘Let him go. We will get the infidel later. ’

With relief, they quickly broke apart the shield barrier in a somewhat chaotic manner. I strode through the broken barrier.

Further down the street was another knot of figures. I counted seven heroes, all of which I recognised with being from Castor ’s Defiance. In front of them was the short and muscular form Castor herself. Standing next to Castor, towering over her, but not overshadowing her, was the tall and slender Gomes. His immaculate clothes were not the kind of clothes you normally would see in this area, with their bright vivid colouring and gold and pristine white decorations. Unless I was deceived, they were even better quality than what I was used to him wearing.

He was leaning on a black cane, which was so stark it seemed to suck in the brightness of the summer ’s day. Behind him were five armed guards, all wearing the same crimson outfit, and another hero who I recognised from the Lundein Pool Guardians.

‘You there, Castor,’ I heard the purple helmeted guard shout from behind me, ‘this infidel here is a fugitive from the temple. Arrest him.’

I stopped walking down the street when Castor and the other seven heroes from Castor ’s Defiance walked towards me. Gomes and his guards followed afterwards. I could see him limping, his face occasionally flashing in pain.

The purple helmeted temple soldier walked next to me. ‘You infidel shall be allowed to walk free no longer after all the damage you done to the temple’s holdings, operations, and personnel on Crossroad Island.’

The damage I done?

All I did was fight back against invaders who dared to take what was not theirs by overwhelming force. A heavy darkness started filling my heart. I saw those so-called holy people trick innocents and then trap them in cages not fit for humans. Their only care was that—

The darkness started overspilling my heart and entered my body. Beneath my tunic I felt the smooth birch bark break out into that of the rough greyish-brown bark of those trees which dominated the forest. I could feel their sadness over the loss of their siblings and of the sadness of loss of those who used to live in peace with them under the canopy.

‘Stop right there.’ A firm voice spoke loud in the streets. It was a loud voice which carried far and clear, even if it wasn’t a shout. Just a loud voice, which projected clearly. ‘That man is not a wanted criminal. They are part of my guild. And I would have you remember that when speaking claims which you cannot back up. I did not come here to listen to you, but to free one of our guild from an illegal arrest. ’

‘That man hiding behind that armour of bark is Berwyn of Crossroad Island.’

‘I am Bercilan, the Guild Master of the temple authorised guild Saint Evaine’s Defiance.’

‘I am arresting you for unauthorised disclosure of a hero’s identity. Stalwart Eclipse, if you will.’

The impressively tall, yet gangly man, wearing the loose fitting black and dark blue outfit, strode past Castor with a strong and determined stride. I couldn ’t see his full expression as the mask cut off the lower part of his shaved brown head, but his beadly eyes shone brightly with anger.

‘You dare arrest me, a Devotee, third only to the Head of Temple. You shall not—’ The purple helmeted soldier’s complaints shut off as a number of tentacles sprouted from one of Stalwart Eclipse’s arms and reached under the helmet’s closed-face.

‘Remember we are of Castor’s Defiance.’ Stalwart Eclipse said in a quiet tone which carried through the now quiet streets. ‘We are named after the first hero killed for being a hero: Castor. Our leader, Castor, bears the name to remind us and the other heroes of the importance of keeping our identities a secret. Yet you dare sprout out the identity of one of our members in public with a large crowd watching.

‘Now be quiet and we shall present you to the Hero Tribunal for punishment. And not even a devotee such as yourself can escape punishment for you broke temple law and secular law as Bercilan is a temple authorised hero who has multiple holy blessings.’

From out of his other sleeve, more tentacles erupted. These new ones wrapped the purple helmeted soldier up in a mass of darkness. It was the first time I ’d seen his powers. I would love to go up against him and see if he could enwrap and entrap me like that.

Castor walked up next to me and touched my bark encrusted hand. ‘So you were keeping something back then.’

The angry darkness in my chest started to slink back into my dark and heavy heart. She looked up at me with what I guessed to be eager childlike eyes beneath that stark black funeral shroud. The heaviness in my heart faded away, leaving just a stirring in my groin. Yeah, I think the two of us would have to go to the forest later to fight and fuck.

‘Were they the ones,’ Castor said, nodding to the building which had the Three Jobs at the front door, ‘who illegally arrested you.’

I nodded. ‘They also take illegal protection payments.’

‘Go with Gomes, I’ll catch up up when we’re done here.’ Castor and the six remaining heroes, along with Stalwart Eclipse who tagged along after them with his large bundle of tentacles imprisoning the purple helmeted soldier.

Leaving them to deal with the annoyance of evidence collection and arrest procedures, I turned towards my friend Gomes. His butterscotch coloured skin was paler than I remembered. And the knuckles which held onto the staff were almost white. I had heard he had been seriously hurt, but I wasn ’t expecting it to be this bad. It wasn’t just his leg, which was in pain. I could also tell that from his stiffness, his back hurt, and I was sure that he hurt in other places, too.

Still, despite the wincing in pain, he gave me his usual bright smile which made me feel even more guilty.