The priest, Morstien, sat alone. There were three silver coins in front of him, a payment to the innkeeper who had just come out of the kitchen to bring him a bowl of soup. Keirlan watched him close, eyeing the priest and the shovel by his side. It was the most intricate shovel he had ever seen, with its silver and gold ornamentation. He wondered if the priest would use it today.

"Good morning, Keirlan." Morstien greeted. "I hope you had a good rest."

"As good as most days."

His reply was dry, like his throat. He had trouble sleeping most nights, and last night was not an exception.

"Oh! Miss Ars, this is the payment for a month of lodging for the both of us." Morstien slid the three silver coins toward the innkeeper.

They were different from the silver coins he gave old Gil. Each of them had a crown engraved on one side, and Keirlan knew that these were from Nodmoruk and were far more valuable than any silver coin in this town. Keirlan stayed quiet, watching the oblivious innkeeper take the coins. She was more than happy with the payment, not knowing the real value of the silver crowns. She stashed them in her pocket, away from sight.

"Thank you, Morstien. I'll be sure to return the deposit on the last day."

Morstien smiled at her before taking a spoonful of the soup close to his mouth and blowing on it.

Keirlan sat down in front of him. A few moments later, Ars brought him a bowl of soup and a whole loaf of bread. Strange, she usually wasn't this nice. His eyes looked at the happy innkeeper, her attention focused on the priest. Curiosity pulled at her, the glimmer and dazzle of it clear in her eyes. He was the same, it had been gnawing on him since yesterday that foul thing.

Who is he? What are those symbols? Why does he have so much money? Where did he come from? And...

"Hey, Morstien. Why do you have a shovel?" Ars reached for the shovel's wooden handle, only for Morstien to snatch it away from her.

"This is a sacred tool! It is not to be taken lightly."

"Do you use it to dig holes?" He asked.

"That's one of its uses, but—"

"So it's a shovel."

Ars smacked him on the arm, shooting him a glare and pout of disapproval.

"It is... Well, to the untrained eye, it is a shovel." Morstien sighed. "But in my eyes, it is a sacred instrument that connects me to this world."

Morstien smiled proudly, running a finger along the symbols of the shovel. Gold and silver, precious metals that do not belong on such an object. Keirlan thought it was a waste. With the shovel, he could buy himself gear and a horse and ride west to become some wandering knight. But he also noticed the shovel's pristine condition. The blade had chips and wear, but it was clear that Morstien cared and tended to it. Perhaps it really was some 'divine instrument' as Morstien said. He continued to look at the shovel while Morstien finished his soup.

It was a shovel, he thought. A shovel with strange designs and more valuable than most of the tools or weapons in this town.

But it was still a shovel.

"Keirlan, you barely touched your soup." Ars pointed out. "If you don't like it, I can put it back in the pot."

"Hey! I'm gonna eat it."

Keirlan dipped a piece of the stale bread into the hot soup. It absorbed the slightly salty sauce, and it made the week-old bread taste better.

"Yes, I advise you to eat. It would be a tiring day." Morstien said while he wiped the last drop of the sauce in his bowl with a small piece of bread.

"Oh? You two going out?"

Morstien nodded. "I must take a look at the woodlands south of here. I believe there is something of interest there."

That... That silenced both him and Ars. Keirlan dropped the piece of bread he was holding into his bowl of soup, splashing his shirt with it.

Rumors surrounded that place. From forgotten dungeons to wild magic, people weaved all kinds of stories about that old place. He remembered the magical creatures that came out of there in the bedtime stories his father used to tell him to scare him. He didn't believe them, but he believed the reports of the dangerous wildlife in that place. And the mist was thicker there. Not to mention the eerieness that hung over the area, with its crooked and twisted trees. He looked at Morstien, unsure of how this kid knew something was there or if he was following his whims.

Keirlan didn't want to go with Morstien.

But the pay was good, and part of him wanted to know what lay hidden in the woods...

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Keirlan took a step, finding himself across the threshold and outside of the southern gate. The gate was nothing more but a pair of giant doors made of logs and metal, manned by underpaid guards on top of the crumbling walls that measured 15 feet high. Seeing the light of the torches obscured by the mist gave the walls the feeling that it loomed over you, watching you. Unnerving. But something he had already grown accustomed to over the years.

He turned, seeing Morstien already walking down the meandering road that led them close to the woods. To call it a 'road' was generous. It was a dirt path, just wide enough for a wagon to use and overgrown or flooded in some spots. There were areas paved with stone, but they were rare. Keirlan caught up to Morstien, who was looking at the farms and ranches that lay sparsely scattered around the town and the road.

"Not a lot of people here, you know?" Keirlan said, his eyes fixed on an abandoned farm in the distance. "Hopefully it's not like this where you came from."

"My home is similar to this town. Except, it's much larger. Larger yet even more silent than this place. And sparsely populated."

Morstien said, his eyes and voice distant. He was from a city, Keirlan thought to himself. An empty city...

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I am more interested in talking about this town, actually. I wish to learn more about Huesenmyth." Morstien said, shifting the subject away from himself. "Have you lived here long?"

"Me? No. Well, maybe... I think so? I left when I was uhh... When I was young. And I didn't live in the town itself, but in one of the smaller hamlets north of here. With Ars and her family, actually."

Keirlan scratched his head, trying to claw up the foggy memories of his youth. He remembered the old farm, his father and mother, Ars and her grandparents. He remembered leaving for Wasseloft, coming back after his parents passed... He remembered coming back after a few years of being...

Stagnant.

Keirlan shook his head. "You should ask Ars about the town. She's lived here longer than me."

The conversation died after that, with the two of them walking in uncomfortable silence. Keirlan didn't want to talk about Huesenmyth with Morstien, the few happy memories he had of this place are overshadowed by the ones he'd rather not think about. And despite living here for most of his life, he had barely explored the town and the villages that surround it. In fact, the only reason he knew the way towards the woods was from rumours he heard from travellers and locals who spent time in the tavern he frequented. The southern road is unfamiliar to him.

It had been a half-hour's walk from the town when Keirlan noticed the mist. It was growing thicker, obscuring everything around them. Earlier, he could see the silhouette of trees in the distance. Now he could barely see further than ten feet in front of him. He cursed himself for not bringing a torch or a lantern. He followed Morstien's shape closely, walking behind the priest through the thick mist. No wonder people hated going south, the fog here could easily hide bandits or wild animals.

He could hear Morstien muttering and whispering. The grey fog muffled his words, but he could feel the annoyance his words carried. Then, with a swing of his arm, his shovel parted the fog around him. Slowly, it crept back towards him yet the priest remained unmoving.

"Part the darkness from my path, Illuminate."

The gold and silver that decorated his shovel erupted in a brilliant burst of bright light. Even the symbols on his clothes glowed with a soft glow that pushed away the mist around them. Keirlan stood in silence and awe.

"Magic... You just cast a spell." He said in a disbelieving voice.

He thought he would go a lifetime without seeing someone cast magic spells again. The last time he saw a mage was in Wasseloft, who shot a fireball at a target in front of him. The spell Morstien performed was not as flashy or destructive as that fireball, but it was an impressive feat for someone with no talent for magic.

"It's a simple spell, actually." Morstien said. "But it helps confirm my theory. Also helps with seeing clearly."

Morstien swung his shovel around, the mist parting and recoiling from the light with each swing.

"It's magical. And it's powerful magic."

"Yeah, the town already knows that." Keirlan waved his hand to wave away the mist around him. "It's caused by the wild magic from a hundred years ago. After the Final Calamity."

Morstien shook his head, his eyes peering deep into the magical fog.

"Wild magic? You are mistaken."

The priest tapped his shovel, the glow dimming and brightening every few seconds.

"This fog is meant to hide things. If it's wild magic, it would conduct mana much more efficiently or do something else..." Morstien looked around, pinching himself on the shoulder. "Thankfully, whoever made this mist did not make it so it disorientates or poisons people."

"Wait, you can do that?" Keirlan said before holding his breath.

"Of course. Sometimes, wild magic can do it as well. I've encountered similar things before... But nothing I couldn't handle."

He was impressed. To be fair, anyone would be impressed by a child casting magic, but Keirlan's amazement was clear in his expression. They were walking again, and his thoughts drowned Morstien's words. He stared at the back of Morstien, his thoughts racing to piece together how a young child had ventured into dangerous areas in the past.

Soon, they reached the part where the road forked. The wider and used path was clear and obvious, and an old stone pile and broken sign pointed the right way towards the town to any travellers using the road. Which meant the overgrown and uneven path was the one that led them close to the woods. Keirlan was already walking down the broken path when he noticed the priest placing a small stone on top of the pile. He took out a small bottle of water and splashed a few drops of it on the pile, praying while he performed his strange ceremony. With a final flick, he finished his prayer as he hid the bottle under his clothes.

He made no comment, his eyes following Morstien as he caught up and passed him. He found his strange practices interesting. But Keirlan was not being paid to ask about it nor did he want to join something he did not understand. He was content with watching, and he would probably just distract Morstien. He was fine believing that no one would hear him when he prayed. He had grown used to it.

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The fog, the damned fog. If not for the glow of Morstien's shovel and his clothes, Keirlan was sure that he would've gotten lost within the blasted mist that hung over them. From what he remembered, they just needed to follow the path for a while and it would bend around the edge of the woods. But they noticed neither trees nor any large bends on their walk. Keirlan feared they might've missed it, but he was also sure that it was up ahead.

They barely talked during their walk, which was nice in its own way but also made Keirlan bored out of his mind. Usually, he enjoyed silence whenever he did odd jobs with Lancell. The damned fool would always rattle off stories about how he won big or share his plans of leaving the town once he had enough money. But Keirlan found the thick fog and how it muffled the noise of the surroundings unnerving once he had fully basked in its silence. So, he decided to ask Morstien a question.

"So... What do you do as a priest?" Morstien tilted his head at his question. "I've never seen a priest before. Do they just do... weird things like pour water on rocks and whisper all the time?"

"You've never— But you have temples in your town? You've never seen a priest before?" Morstien exclaimed in disbelief.

"The temple? Well, people pray there but my father said there hasn't been a priest since his father's time." Keirlan scratched the back of his head, trying to remember anything about priests.

"Hmm... Well, you're not the only town or city without priests. Quite a few didn't have any, and what few that had were of the..." Morstien paused, carefully choosing his next words. "They were of the dubious type. Strange indeed..."

Morstien walked in silence for a moment, a finger on his chin while he busied himself with thinking. Then, a sigh.

"The world is strange, indeed. Whenever I pass through an area, I leave thinking I truly am the last priest in the world."

"You know, in my eyes, you're the strange one." Keirlan said.

"Agree to disagree, but before we continue..." Morstien whirled, a smile on his face. "You asked about what I do, well... Let me show you one of my duties."

The priest clasped both his hands together, eyes closed as his mouth moved to say a prayer. Keirlan wanted to stop him, but curiosity stopped him from walking away from the boy. Around him, faint letters of light traced a circle on the ground, enclosing them while burning away the mist. For a moment, he thought the golden light would blind him. Instead, the light shifted, turning into green and violets, mixed with streaks of dark blue and midnight black that screamed at his eyes and forced him to avert his gaze. Morstien finished his prayer, and the mist around them recoiled away about a good distance around them.

"It's a blessing. You'll be protected from the mist, and hopefully magic." Morstien smiled and turned his attention back to the woods.

Keirlan could finally see the grass, the large trees, and the sparse undergrowth of the woods. Though only a small part of the edge of the woods was free from the pervasive fog, Keirlan still felt as if it loomed over him. The trees he could see were large, their barks ancient and covered with moss. He could not see the top of the trees, but their leaves were a darker shade of green. Not normal trees, Keirlan thought. Of course they were not normal! Sunlight barely penetrated the fog, and magic or whatever must've changed them.

"Ah... I see."

Morstien nodded his head a few times.

"See what? Monsters?" Keirlan's hand was already on his sword, ready to swing it.

"Nope. No monsters, no enemies." Morstien sighed. "It's a seal. Maybe a failed type of barrier? It's meant to protect this area and the town."

Morstien waved his hand around.

"But clearly, it went out of control." Keirlan said, looking around at the mist that had plagued this town for decades.

"Yes. And the two of us will fix it, today."

Morstien took a step forward, and he entered the woods. Keirlan took a deep breath...

And followed Morstien into the woods.