Heading into the hallway once again, I wasn't met with any sleeping beauty or standoffish orc. Just more tapestries like the ones in the room. The lack of windows threw me off, as the only lighting was the same candles that had been present before. Each rested a few feet above me, though likely rested just above the average weary adventurer's head. They cast the hallway in a dim but ever present light.

I heard footsteps and voices from one direction, so I decided that would be my best bet for a way out. I quickly made my way down the hall, bright natural light filled my eyes as I rounded a corner and peered down a staircase to a large gathering room. It was decorated similar to the only tavern I'd ever been in. A large counter was against the wall under the stairs and extended far to the wall opposite the stairs. There were booths lining the two side walls, and despite the jumble of tables and chairs in the center of the room, there was a clear path towards the only exit in sight. I decided to start wading through instead of continuing to look around, the sooner I could escape this place the sooner I could start thinking of what to do next.

As soon as I was out of the door, I was caught by the orc. He stood up from the ground just in time for me to stop and start turning around. He was clearly faster than me though, as I had a green hand on my shoulder before I could start walking again. "I hope Maud didn't upset you too much for you to go stomping off like this." His voice was still the same as before, completely calm with zero indication with how he felt about the matter.

"You can just go ask them yourself, you know." I spoke without turning around, hoping he understood what I meant and would let me go. The less time around these liars the better.

"Well I figured since you're here I could just ask you." His hand didn't leave my shoulder, and despite the fact that he wasn't gripping very hard, I still felt totally stuck because of its presence.

"They just showed me your group's true motives. I don't really want to get involved with the clergy."

Another voice spoke up from behind the orc, this one not as gruff as his, but still more than Angie's or the merrow's was. "That's funny and all hun, but I can assure you we aren't part of the practice. Though I'm not surprised you're worried about that, they do have a very aggressive recruitment method." It seemed everything he said was accentuated with little chuckles and laughs, which might have been a bit infectious if I wasn't so annoyed right now.

"Oh great, at least you know how you guys come off to other people." He finally peered around the orc, his head at an angle with his short black hair hanging loosely around his face. The curls made me think back to how the merrow’s tentacles were, though this time he had a face that it worked well with. Accentuating his slightly rounded chin and ill defined cheekbones. I could already think of various people who would be instantly smitten.

"Ok well if you want to believe something,check this out." Now he was fully exposed, and I could see how lavish of attire he wore, much more befitting of a diplomat. The vibrant colors of his garb instantly gave away his expensive tastes. And again, like Angie before, he dug around until he pulled out a large disc, though this one I recognized the symbol. A coin engulfed in flames was a dead give away for a local merchant family. The same ones my family had a deal with to sell potions to the capital through.

"The Matrin don't have sons. So should I just assume you stole both this emblem and the other one?"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Didn't think of that one, did you Q?" The orc spoke up again. I didn't expect him to be the type to mock others, he had a slight smirk, one of the few times his face was anything but cold..

"Ok, firstly that's just a myth about us only having girls in the family. Secondly, it is impossible to have one of these unless you're a blood relative, they're all enchanted and would explode if they were actually stolen."

"Countering my 'made up' point with something that sounds entirely too convenient for you does wonders for your argument." Without saying a word, the man looked towards the sky and threw the disc. After a few moments in the air it burst into a wonderful display of varying shades of red, with a few motes of silver in the center.

"Ok but how do I know you didn't time that after stealing it?"

"Now you're just being difficult." I had to admit he was right there. I just didn't want to believe one of the Matrin was working with the church. "Can you please just admit that I'm right, so we can move on? I assure you we aren't part of the clergy and have nothing to do with them. Angie is just a diplomat and the rest of us are here for support purposes."

"Ok then why did the merrow from before ask me to use my blessing?"

"Ok hold on, did Maud ask you to demonstrate magic that she couldn't have known you had beforehand? Because if so, she does that to everyone. That's pretty much how she first greets people. And I assure you, she wouldn't ask you a second time if you said no the first. Now, instead of getting all antsy, how about we go back and talk this out?"

I took a moment to think over my choices. I could either walk away, and have nowhere to go and nothing to do. No direction. Or I could go back, and give them a third chance. I hated to admit it, but I was being a bit harsh. Assuming their intentions, and for what? These people have been nice to me, which is more than most from the church at least. “Alright, I shall give you lot one more chance.”

Walking back into the inn felt a bit shameful, like I had been caught trying to break curfew and was being dragged back to bed. It didn’t help that the orc had decided on walking behind me, and the Matrin had insisted on leading the way back. Now that I wasn't in such a rush,I could look around the dining hall as we passed through. There was exposed beams in the ceiling, and more of the ornate tapestries, along with some mounted animal heads on the walls. Various lanterns hung above the beams, none of which were on as the natural sunlight still illuminated the room from the large windows set in every wall.

It felt weird going back up the stairs I had stormed down earlier, entering an area that felt all too small and dim than the expansive first floor. When we made it back to the room the two I had left behind were still there, patiently waiting, as if they expected me back.

“Hey Angie, look what I found trying to escape!” The man indicated to me, and his word choice was clearly intentional, as his near constant grin was even wider. If it had been from anyone else I might have suspected this was intended to be the big reveal of them tricking me once again, but his delivery and the softness of his eyes told me he meant it in jest.

“Glad to have you back. Thanks for convincing her to return." Angie spoke more carefully this time, each word had a soft air to it. Like she was talking to a scared animal, or someone who's just had enough with being tricked. "Now, if you don't mind. Could you please tell us more about yourself Ginger?"

"What exactly did you want to know?" There was still a bit of poison in my voice, and I didn't care enough to try to work it out before speaking.

"How about starting with your relationship to the church?" Being here, almost surrounded by everyone, it made me more defensive, not less. If Maud had been the one to pry about that, I might have left. But since I knew there was little chance the Matrin was associated with the church, I felt less put off by it. Where else could I really go?