Along the snow covered road rode a small group of men on horseback. There were five of them in total, all dressed in warm winter clothing and adorned in metal armor that brightly glinted in the midday sun. In the front of formation was a particularly well dressed man. He was the leader of this outfit: a man by the name of Quintrell Rabben. His hair was short and black, his skin crème, and strangely his eyes were black as well. Not that he was somehow cursed or evil at heart, but it often brought others to feel intimidated by his gaze alone.

They had been traveling for many days from the capital itself, on a mission laid out by the king himself. The rumors of goddess worship in Voorhaul had reached even the capital, the taint of its evil now too large to ignore. If preliminary reports were to be believed almost the entire province was caught up in this madness. The speed of this cult's spread was shocking to say the least and some sort of magic user was ultimately behind it. While extremely rare it was possible for a woman mage to pose as some sort of divine.

These knights were here to speak to the lord of the province Quarely Metlelin and they were almost there. The City of Vinedenne stood in the midst of a wintry landscape, a bastion of civilization in the bare bleakness of the cold season. As the capital of the province of Voorhaul it was the seat of power and the ultimate source of the corruption this man was here to uproot.

In just ten minutes they would be there. Quintrell took a deep breath as he prepared himself for this. He had no idea what to expect inside the city gates. It seemed normal enough from the outside and none of the peasants coming or going seemed strange to him, but looks could be deceiving.

Once they were at the gates he and his men came to a stop and one of the guards on duty walked up to them. They had chain-mail and a simple but effective metal spear.

"State your business in the city sir" he said.

Quintrell pulled a parchment out of his saddlebag and presented it to the man.

"My name is Quintrell Rabben and I'm here at the direct order of the king his majesty Alphonse Ferenik. Stand aside and let us in."

The guard took another good look at the parchment and his eyes went wide in shock. This sort of paperwork was only given out if the matter was serious and the seal was most definitely the king's. Without hesitation he stepped back and away with a salute.

"As you will Sir Quintrell!"

Quintrell nodded in approval and turned on his horse to look over his shoulder at his men.

"Follow me men! Don't let down your guard."

"Yes sir!" they all responded.

With entry into the city secured all the mounted men trotted their horses through the main gates. The castle wasn't that far away as the crow flies and because of their obvious high status the people in the streets made way for them to pass. They were be at the castle faster than perhaps even they wanted to be.

As they rode over the cobblestone streets Quintrell looked down and around at the cityfolk. They all seemed normal enough to him, and the fact they lowered their gaze was explained by the simple fact he was a knight of the king. The poor and underclass were always fearful of their betters. It was true that there were some that abused their power over the plebeians, though he personally believed such occurrences were rare at best.

If there was goddess worship going on there was very scant evidence of it. Through what parts of the city they could see from horseback on the way to the castle there were no obvious signs. No banners hung from the buildings, there was no statutory or idols, and no one dressed in any particular way. The reports couldn't be ignored however, and the evidence of public prayers being witnessed were abundant. Even the upper rankings of government like the local lord were implicated after all.

The ride to the castle seemed to pass in an instant as Quintrell was lost in his thoughts, the bodies of his men and himself tense as they weren't sure to expect attacks or not. If they were to be assailed it would be at the castle itself. Their horses now standing at the bottom of the large staircase leading up to the main doors. This castle truly was beautiful and was likely a hundred years old or more.

Quintrell dismounted and his men followed suit. They then walked up the steps to the towering castle entryway and were preparing to approach the guards posted there. Suddenly an old man appeared and approached them instead, as if he had been aware of their arrival beforehand. Quintrell and his men turned to face this new arrival.

"You there" the knight said. "State your name and your business."

The man was tall and thin, with long auburn hair and a flowing beard. He simply bowed and then looked them over with glinting green eyes.

"Greetings sir! My name is Ferherlyn and I am the lead mage of the court mages. I welcome you to Vinedenne and hope your travels were safe."

Quintrell looked at him suspiciously. "You seem to have been expecting our arrival."

The old mage nodded. "Indeed. I must admit I'm a bit of a dabbler in divination magic. Who you are and what your purpose is here I don't know, but your arrival itself I did forsee."

After hearing this Quintrell once again produced the parchment orders and glared menacingly at the old man.

"I'm a knight of the king's court. Quintrell Rabben. I'm here to investigate this goddess cult that operates in this province." His eyes narrowed. "As the lead mage in the acting lord's court I'm sure you're well aware of its existence."

Matters of delicate political nature were no strange thing to a mage of Ferherlyn's stature and he took this accusation in stride. Without even a hint on his inner fear on his face he smiled warmly to the knight and beckoned him with a gesture.

"Oh of course Sir Rabben! If you'll come with me I'll take you straight to Lord Quarely. I'm sure you're here to speak to him directly yes?"

Quintrell's eyes remained narrowed as he looked the mage over. Such a response was typical of schemers like him. He and his men had gemstones fashioned into their armor to help negate magic. They wouldn't hold up to more than one spell of course, but that alone could buy enough time for a man to close in on the mage and dispatch them. Such rare benefits were only possible due to his high class and he was thankful for them here especially.

"Lead he way" he said gruffly.

Ferherlyn simply nodded and began walking. "Please follow me."

They walked for several minutes through the castle, the many torches and braziers keeping the stone walls lit and warm from the freezing conditions outside. The huge tapestries over the windows keeping the biting winter winds from infiltrating the castle like a chilling thief. None of the people they walked by seemed all to happy to see them. Guards, staff, and visitors alike took their appearance to mean some sort of political drama was about to unfold. Each party was avoiding eye contact with each other as much as possible.

Finally they reached the main audience chamber and the mage showed the armored inside. The chamber itself was typical for castles: a massive arched room made of stone with plentiful windows with a view of the garden. There was space for enough tables to facilitate a grand feast, or perhaps floor room for a ball. There were pillars adorned with sconces and tapestries of all kinds. Far to the other side was a small podium with the lord's throne sitting on it. It wasn't anything fancy of course, but its intricate wood carving did befit a lord.

In front of this very podium stood the man himself: Quarely Mettlelin. He was entertaining a few nobles of some description when the sound of metallic boots on stone caused their attention to shift onto the incoming knight's entourage. There was both fear and confusion on the face of the lord while the others had looks of curiosity.

With the wave of his hand and a few choice words Quarely dismissed the group and turned to face the newcomers. Now the chamber had only himself, a few guards, and the small group apporaching.

"Greetings Ferherlyn" he said. "I see you've brought guests with you. Who may they be?"

Quintrell walked out ahead of the rest and put his right hand on his sword, his other bringing the parchment out for a final time and presenting it to the lord. He stopped mere steps away so it could be more easily read.

"By order of king Alphonse Ferenik, I Sir Quintrell Rabben, have come to investigate and interrogate you Lord Mettlelin for your suspected involvement in a goddess cult! And if such association be proven moot, for your continued allowance for it to exist in your territory."

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This caused both lord and mage to show visible signs of shock. There was clear fear in their eyes, though strangely the fear in Mettlelin's eyes quickly faded.

"I can assure you no such cult exists" Quarely said confidently. "There is an actual goddess living in this province now however."

That was enough for the knight. He drew his sword and approached this insane lord with violent intent.

"Curse your madness!" Quintrell shouted angrily. "Do you have any idea what hell you've unleashed!"

While the glinting sword viciously offended him Quarely staggered backwards in shock and terror. Though form the look in his eyes his attention was not focused on the threat in front of him fully. For his part the mage Ferherlyn simply stepped back as if to stay out of something's way, bizzarely making no move to defend his lord.

The confusion Quintrell was grappling with was suddenly and startlingly puzzled out for him as wriggling and thick green vines burst from between the stones at his feet. They seemed like living serpents as they quickly wrapped themselves around every limb and pulled taught like a hunter's snare. Neither of the heretics seemed more than slightly caught off guard by their appearance.

"Sir Rabben!"

While he struggled in vain his men were coming swiftly to his rescue. Without a second thought they cut through the vines with their swords, freeing their leader in a matter of seconds.

The castle guards had made their own moves, coming in from all sides to prepare to defend their lord. This was soon stopped as Quintrell sputtered at them enraged, ripping himself free from the last of the vines.

"I order you to- urh- stand down! To defend this heretic lord is an act of treason against the throne and you'll be executed just the same!"

This was more than enough to make them stand down and in fact flee the scene as fast as they could, their weapons thrown down on the floor as they sped away. The mage had his hands up and the lord accused was showing some real fear once again.

With his men at his back Quintrell advanced and whipped the tip of his sword to the throat of Quarely. To his surprise there was no begging to be spared, at least not directed at the knight.

"Great Goddess!" Quarely cried. "Please have mercy on your servant and spare my life!"

It was the knight and his men's turn to be flabbergasted in fear next. From the floor grasping vines once again erupted, this time beneath all five men. Within seconds they were all bound tightly in the twisting things, the force greater than it had been before. Then in an instant a glowing orb of yellow light appeared between both groups of people, slightly to the side as well. It had a warm light to it and seemed to pulse with energy. At the size of a man's head it was an otherworldly thing floating there about five feet off the floor.

A childlike voice emanated from the orb, the light flashing out with each word spoken. It was a little girl's voice, no more than a child, and it was filled with fury.

"What the hell is going on over there?" the voice demanded.

Quarely collapsed to the floor before the orb in terror. "Great Goddess! Please forgive me for this interruption! I meant no offense!"

A low hiss emitted from the orb, as if someone was pushing air through their teeth in anger.

"What manner of magic is this?" Quintrell asked in bewilderment.

The lord continued speaking to the orb while ignoring his attacker entirely. He remained quite afraid of the little orb, or at least the anger of whomever was behind it.

"Goddess these men are here to put an end to my life you see. Surely to torture me greatly before hand I might add." he gulped. "You see their here at behest of the king. It seems he doesn't approve the worshipping of a goddess."

There was a moment's pause from the orb before the angry little girl's voice emanated again.

"I don't even give half a shit if he approves of it or not! Who do you work for?"

There was another moment of silence as everyone waited for Quintrell's response. It took a few moments more for the knight to realize the orb was addressing him. His voice was a bit shaky from confusion.

"I'm a knight in the service of the king Al-"

The orb cut him off. "Silence!"

The sheer fury of the voice stunned even the battle hardened knight into silence for several seconds. During this time there was angry muttering coming from the orb as if someone was mumbling under their breath. It was only several seconds of course, as the surprise Quintrell was feeling was quickly replaced by his own anger.

"Just who do you think you are?" he demanded.

Quarely and Ferherlyn were both kneeling before the orb now. They turned their heads and gave the man a look of pity.

There was another pause from the orb as if it was thinking. It then spoke again, this time in a much calmer and even, though the white hot anger was still there dripping like molten iron.

"Why I'm Jenna. The goddess of knowledge and light. You may have heard of me."

"Absurd!" Quintrell cried, struggling once again in the vines. "These tricks are all reproducible with a mage's magic! You're nothing but a well versed mage hiding behind parlor tricks! Prove you're a goddess you bitch!"

There were audible swallows from the lord and mage across from him. Even his men tied up behind him had looks on their faces that betrayed they felt something was very wrong here. There was nothing but silence from the orb, a silence that this time lasted more than ten seconds. Each heartbeat that passed seemed to stretch on for an eternity.

Eventually Quarely spoke up timidly, his voice cracking. "Per-Perhaps goddess... You should make an appearance to convince him?"

Finally the orb spoke again. This time the voice lacked the hot anger from before, its rage cool and collected.

"Make an appearance you say? Do you think I'm some sort of pet you can just summon?"

Quintrell was having enough of this charade and had managed to wriggle his way down to the knife on his belt. With it he was able to cut one of the vines holding him and began to cut himself free. He was in a rage himself and was shouting.

"I'll put every heretic in this city to the sword! This blasted bastard lord and his council of traitorous mages! The king's army will burn this entire shitty province to the ground for your blasphemous goddess worship!"

After he had finished speaking the light in the room began to dim, as if the light itself was being sucked into the floating orb. Its coloration shifted into a deep crimson. The unbridled cold fury palpable.

"I don't care who you are or who you're with. You came into my city and threatened a friend of mine, not to mention all of my worshipers."

In the low light the vines began twisting and contorting all about the knight and his men, the effect of the darkness making them appear as green snakes. It was what happened next that made them into actual living monsters. At least two dozen vines appeared from the floor and rose up around the trapped men, the ends growing into bulging bulbs. These lumps were the size of a man's torso and peeled apart with the sound of ripping fabric. Now each was revealed to be the mouth of a venus fly trap, a bizarre maw of razor sharp fangs and dripping some type of fluid. They all loomed over the helpless invaders with menacing intent.

"If you don't leave this city immediately" the voice continued. "I will personally rip you into tiny fucking pieces." It then addressed the kneeling lord. "Quarely! Have these men escorted from Vinedenne and see to it they're aware to never return. And make sure they're gone. Comprende?"

The smell of urine and feces wafted from the men tied up in the vines. It was understandable and the two worshiper onlookers could only feel pity for these unenlightened soldiers.

Quarely stammered as he stood up from the floor. "Un-Understood Goddess Jenna."

"Looks like we're done here" the voice said.

Just as quickly as it had happened everything in the room returned to normal. The light returned to its normal brightness and the plant monsters withdrew into the cracked floor. All of the vines holding the knight and his men released and vanished into the floor as well. Then without another word the orb of light blinked out of existence. It was like nothing had ever happened.

Those gathered in the room stood there in stunned silence for almost a full minute as the weight of what had transpired sunk in. No matter how you viewed it Quintrell and his men had just narrowly escaped death. If this mysterious girl was mage or goddess it mattered not, her power was real enough to gain control over an entire province. As for Quarely and their mage they were thankful that the anger of their goddess fell not on them in those terrifying moments.

Finally Quarely cleared his throat and stood up straight. "Ferherlyn. Please see these men to their horses and out of the city."

There was no resistance from the king's men despite the fact they were still armed. The trauma of what they had just experienced tempering their previous bravado. They were in enemy territory now and any false move could end their lives.

"This isn't the end" Quintrell said threateningly "Once the king hears of this."

The lord didn't seem fazed at all and simply ignored the threat. He dismissed them with a wave of his hand. His confidence now ironclad.

"Have a good day gentlemen. Safe travels."

The knight and his embarrassed men trudged their way back through the castle with the mage following behind. Some of them waddling awkwardly due to soiling their breeches. The people they passed gave them glances of both disgust and disdain. That entire fiasco was sure to have been witnessed or at least heard by others. What a disgrace to the king's knights.

Once they were outside the castle and at their horses again the mage stopped following them, allowing them to descend the steps by themselves. There was no further conversation needed and both sides knew it. The old man simply stood there and watched, only giving a single order to some men standing near by to follow them out of the city.

Quintrell glared back up at the mage before turning to his men. "Mount up. I'll hear no complaints."

His men obeyed wordlessly. Once they were all on their horses he hefted himself up onto his own steed. With heads hung low they all spurned their horses and made for the gates they entered from. Behind them four of the castle's knights appeared on their own horses to escort them.

None of these knights knew what Quintrell and his men had just been subjected too. It made anger burn furiously in his heart, the sheer absurdity and indecency of it all making his blood boil. Whatever mage or group of mages was behind this absurd stunt would be executed for their blasphemy. There wasn't even a point to it! Why would they even let him and his men go besides? They would surely not be so shortsighted or stupid? None of it made any damn sense. He was tired. The adrenaline was wearing off now.

After another ten or so minutes of riding in silence they had arrived at the city gates. One of the lord's knights waved to the gate guards.

"Let them through."

The men at the gate nodded and made way for the disgraced riders, not that any of these people actually knew about that disgrace. They were sure to find out eventually however. Such a act of rebellion would surely be spread around like wildfire to inflame resistance against the king.

Quintrell led his men out of the city and onto the main road, the snow melted by the constant traffic. The world beyond was still one of winter bliss however, and they would have to now make the long journey home to the capital.

"We'll discuss this on the road" he said in the form of an order. "And decide how to best report this. For we must report this to the king immediately."