We reached the town after about eight hours of riding. Abbeyton was exactly as the mayor had described it. There was a large monk temple in the middle of the town about three to four times taller than the other buildings surrounding the abbey. The wall that was around the settlement was really hard to classify as a wall. It was about mid-thigh height and would only require a slight exertion to jump over it at a full run, not slowing someone down in the least. It was actually a little lower than a standard hurdle in the Olympics. The only people it was going to give trouble to was goblins and gnomes if they invaded. It was, however, made of brick, so it was sturdier than some other town walls.

We came up to the outskirts and we dismounted. Aeolith landed behind us and we walked to the entrance. There were no guards, as had been the case in the past, but there were people in the town that were looking at us skeptically. We walked into the town until we found a place to tie up the horses. We, of course, kept Zephyr with us, but we didn't want the horses to get in the way. Everywhere we went people would dart into buildings as soon as they saw us coming that way. We couldn't really blame them, we did have a dragon and a giant predatory cat with us, and were out in full armor and practically bristling with weapons.

"We need to find somewhere we can get info from people who aren't going to run from us," I said. "Maybe an inn or a tavern?"

"If we go to the market, there should be someone that can tell us where the tavern is," Randal offered.

So, we made our way around the town looking for the market. When we finally got to the market district we were very disappointed to see that the whole thing was deserted. Stalls stood still, but they were empty. What was obviously fruit and vegetable stands had empty boxes that were displayed at an angle to show off their wares, and other stands with large flat tables with nothing on them but dust and cobwebs.

"This isn't a good sign. In other towns, this meant they have been taking their goods and selling them off to start to bring down their morale," I said. "We need to hurry."

We picked up the pace and began checking more and more streets. Finally, Rutherford called out that he had found the tavern from a side street after about an hour more of searching the city on foot. We all converged on the tavern together. It was a place called The Lion's Mane and had a sign over the door that was shaped like a lion's head. The text for the name hung below the lion's head on a second sign. We entered the tavern while Aeolith and Zephyr stood guard outside. Zephyr seemed especially fond of Aeolith and kept rubbing up against her. Maybe they had another kind of bond being able to communicate psychically, or maybe he just loved rubbing up against her scales. I could see Aeolith's ridges, scales, and horns acting as a great scratching post.

The tavern was like most of the others I had seen in the past. Wooden interior, with a large bar to the right, and a stage off to the left side of the room with tables and chairs in between the two. It reminded me a little bit of an old west saloon. The bartender was standing at the bar wiping it down with a cloth when he looked up at us and his eyes went wide. He tried to get around the bar to get away from us, but Randal stepped in the way of the only exit from behind the bar, blocking his escape. The rest of us moved around the bar to keep him from jumping over.

"Please, we just want to talk. We are here to help. We just need to know where to find the person who has been causing the trouble. We've killed them before and we will do it again," I said to him holding my hands out in a placating gesture.

He eyed me suspiciously. We stood there for a long moment, nobody moving.

"We were warned about you Dragonrider. We were told if you came here that anyone that helped you would be killed along with their family and even close friends," The bartender said. "We've seen what he can do. It's horrifying."

"They won't be doing it for long. We will be stopping them."

"You don't understand, the abbey. He took over the abbey. It's a dungeon now. He controls the creatures in the dungeon. I've already said too much. I could be killed now. Oh gods, what have I done? You have to get out of here! Now!"

He was practically in a panic by the end of this and shoved his way past Randal and ran to the back. We heard a door slam as presumably, the bartender ran out of the building.

"A dungeon? In the abbey?" Tristan asked.

"It actually makes sense. Brutus?" I said.

Brutus appeared near me and landed on the bar looking at us.

"Hey, buddy. Remember the last dungeon we went through?"

"Sure. What about it?" Brutus replied.

"Well, Al'Doran had mentioned that we could take the core from a dungeon and move it to a city. But I'm not sure what the implications are of doing that right in the middle of the city."

"That wouldn't be too bad. Some really large cities have done that in the past. It makes it harder for the dungeon to get new monsters by absorbing them, but it allows a city to control who goes in and out."

"Well, apparently the Shadow Beast we are chasing started a dungeon here in the town and has control of it with the creatures it has in it."

"That would be something. Normally a dungeon has control of itself. I guess that since these Shadow Beasts have been able to control people that they could control a dungeon if they were the ones to bring it to the city. That way they could be the ones to influence it from the very beginning. That is a bit of a scary thing to think about, but I think it's nothing we can't handle the way we normally would. The rules that govern dungeons are absolute. If they try to break them they will be punished."

"So likely the town wouldn't be able to handle the dungeon, but we should be able to take it. Right?"

"Right."

"Well guys, I think we get to go dungeon diving today," I said looking up from where Brutus had been. "Thanks, Brutus. As always you are the best."

Brutus flew up and landed on my shoulder.

"I'll be here if you need me." He said before he went invisible again.

"Why doesn't your fairy stay out all the time?" Randal asked. "A guide like that seems really useful."

"He is worried about getting found and stolen. And I agree with him. If someone knew I had him and had the means to take him and remove our bond, they could sell him for a really pretty penny." I replied.

Randal nodded in understanding.

"So let's head over to the dungeon. This should be fun. Hopefully, we can also get back some of the money we have been spending. I'm beginning to feel like I've been hemorrhaging money recently." I said to the party.

We left the tavern and began to move toward the abbey in the center of the town. It was even larger than it looked from the outside of the town. There was another wall inside the city surrounding the abbey, and this wall was about waist high. It seemed to be to separate the town from the grounds of the abbey. The grounds looked to have had a garden at one time. There were fountains that no longer flowed in the gardens, along with flower beds that were totally barren. Some of the bushes that had been in the garden in the past were still there, but they were just the skeleton of the bush, twigs, and branches sticking out like a tree in winter that has lost all its leaves. Paths were created through the garden and were actually paved with bricks. It was a very impressive and beautifully done job that appeared to be done by hand in some intricate patterns.

We continued through the garden towards the abbey in the center. The paths wound through the garden lazily, making me think that they were designed to cause a person to slow down to enjoy nature. They were very wide paths though, wide enough that Aeolith and Zephyr had no issues walking on them as well. We got closer and closer to the tower and I could see that it was about four stories tall.

"Four stories right? This shouldn't be too bad." I said to the team.

"Ye just had to go and jynx it didn't ye?" Vokin said.

We found we came up on a side of the building that was not the entrance so we had to walk around to another side. Once we had found the entrance we stood before it in awe. It was what looked like a large iron-banded wooden gate that had been lowered into place. There appeared to be colored pieces of glass embedded in the gate as well. As we got close the gate lifted so that we could enter. We stared at each other for a moment and then I shrugged and moved to walk inside, everyone else following behind me.

Suddenly there was a bright light in front of me. It was so bright I had to shield my eyes. It was like the sun burst in front of me, causing me to take a step or two backward.

"Dragonrider, it is time that I spoke with you." A female voice said from inside the light.

"Who are you? Are you here to try to stop us?" I said confusedly, but I realized that with this much light, it was not likely a Shadow Beast.

"No, Callan Ryder, I am not here to stop you. But we must meet. Head back to the garden and I will come to meet with you." The voice said again.

"No, I need to know who you are first," I said as the light dissipated.

I got no response.

"Really? Just come in here and tell me to meet and not give me any more info?" I said getting angry. "I guess we should go see what that was about. Better before the dungeon than after just in case."

We walked back to the garden and the gate lowered as we moved away, shutting the dungeon off again. Once we got back out to the garden I saw a light coming from a corner near a statue standing beside a set of benches. The light flashed brighter and then winked out and standing where the light had flashed was a woman. This was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was wearing what looked like a greek woman's toga covering both shoulders, but the neckline plunged deep to reveal her ample chest. She was pale-skinned, with long brown hair put up in a ponytail. Her eyes were what captured my attention though. Where I expected to see normal eyes, I saw what looked like the night sky with stars and galaxies swirling by in them. It was startling to see, and every time she blinked it blocked the view and a new galaxy seemed to be there each she blinked.

"Hello, Callan. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me." She said to us.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Who are you, exactly?" I asked.

"I am Erot, goddess of balance. And I need to speak with you." She replied.

"Erot. I remember seeing a message from you before."

She smiled and looked at me with what looked like fondness.

"Yes. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. You were right to thank me for what you had in that dungeon."

"So it was you giving me those items."

"I had a hand to play in those things. I wanted to give you a chance to ask some questions. I am sorry for what happened to you."

We all moved to the seats nearby. I still stood though wanting to think about what I could ask.

"So I can ask you any question I want? And you'll just, give me the answer?"

"If it is within my power to answer, yes."

"So goddess of balance. Does that mean you are in charge of everything that happens and making sure it keeps the universe in balance?" I asked, probing a little deeper.

"Not exactly. I don't control all that happens, but I do make sure that when one action is taken that it is balanced by other actions."

"So, what was the reason for Al'Doran dying? Was that balance?"

She paused. She looked down at the ground for a moment before answering.

"Yes. It was. I know the pain it has caused you, but it had to happen. I cannot tell you why, but it was necessary for the future, for balance." Erot replied, a sadness filling her face and voice.

"I needed him you know. I needed to have his direction. I'm not ready for any of this crap." I said, with more anger than I meant to put into my voice.

"I know that you think that, but again, it had to happen. The universe needs balance." She said.

"Really? What was balanced by taking him from me? Because if you ask me it feels like it put the balance firmly into the court of the Shadow Beasts."

"I know that is how you see it, but balance needs to be maintained in the entire universe not just your tiny part of it. Balance in ALL things, Callan Ryder, not just balance in the battle you see in front of you."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"The truest answers rarely do." She said staring at me with honest sympathy. "You cannot know all that happens and the reasons behind it. Not only do we have to provide the balance, but we have to in turn balance these things that happen with the ability for all sentient beings to have free will. The depth to which we go to ensure that all things balance out with the ability for a man to do whatever he chooses at any given moment is an unfathomable prospect. You as a good man want everything to go in the way that you see as good, but what you see as good from your moral perspective is not necessarily what is good for the benefit of the entire universe. You are not truly neutral. No matter how much you wish not to be, you are biased. Please understand it is no one's will that people suffer or that you experience sadness and loss as deep as you have, but that it is part of maintaining the complete balance of the existence of all beings, not just you."

"So if my life was required for balance, it would be forfeit?" I asked, starting to sound a little bit petulant even to my own ears.

"Unfortunately, yes. No one being is more important than the balance of all things. Not even the gods." She replied.

I paused. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was wrong. This shouldn't happen this way. At the same time, the logic was completely sound and I couldn't say anything to contradict it.

"What about me being here? Why am I here, on Hogarth?"

"That too was balance. There were no Dragon Riders left. No Dragons save Al'Doran. Both you and Aeolith were brought from other worlds to this one. You were given a choice in who to be since you were not given a choice to come here. Aeolith had to be a dragon though." Erot replied.

"So I was just killed on my planet? Why? Why me?" I asked.

"Because you are a good man. Because you have learned that when decisions need to be made that there is a time to stop and think and a time to act. You were the best choice for this role."

"So if Al'Doran had to die to maintain the balance, and I had to be brought here to maintain the balance, what is the balance that his death and my reincarnation brought?"

"Your reincarnation brought back the balance against the Shadow Beasts. The light must counteract the dark. As for Al'Doran's death...I cannot say what that balance was for. That would cause an imbalance for me to say."

I threw my hands in the air and huffed. "Of course, I can't know the will of the universe. That's always been the cop-out answer hasn't it?"

Erot looked at me sadly. She walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. She was very tall I noticed. Over seven feet tall at least.

"I know, Callan. And I truly am sorry. I have grown fond of you, but I must remain neutral. I cannot take a side, no matter how much I wish to."

"How much you wish to?"

"I chose you, Callan. I pulled you from that world of no magic to this one to be great, to save people. I want everything to work out for you, but I do not get to decide that. I have to make sure that everything balances out. The world being so out of balance was the only reason I could act to bring you here."

"But what if I didn't want to be brought here?"

"Can you honestly say that you were happier there than here?"

I paused. If you had asked me that question a week ago I would have said no, I'm happier here in a heartbeat. But now? Now I was in pain from a loss I had never experienced. Now I wished to have not gone through this and stayed home. Was that really how I felt? So many emotions roiled inside me all at once. So many memories from both worlds.

"I can see the turmoil inside you over this. You had a full life in the other world, but you can be something great, do something great in this world." Erot said, bending to peer into my eyes.

The galaxies I saw in her eyes seemed to grow and shrink, be born and die in seconds in her eyes. There was just so much I couldn't know and understand in her gaze alone that I began to feel so small. I shook myself and turned from her.

"I still wouldn't have felt this pain. I wouldn't have to be in this position." I said as a tear came to my eye.

"You would have faced this pain eventually. No one goes through life with no pain and no loss. Loss and pain are as inevitable as death. It comes to all." Erot said, gently putting a hand on my shoulder. "Now you must do what you can with the path you are on."

"And where is it I am supposed to go from here?"

"That I also cannot tell you. That would be interfering in a way I cannot. I can tell you that if you look inside yourself, past the emotions and pain, you will know what you need to do."

I looked down at the ground, still angry about what had happened.

"And all the items I have been finding? All of that was you?"

"I couldn't just drop you in a world like this and let you die. So yes, some of that was me."

"Is there anything else you can tell me? I know that this war is going to come to a head, and I don't have the tools to handle the Shadow Beasts. Right now even the Shadow Beasts know I can only kill one of them at a time."

"I cannot give you specific answers...I can ask if you have used your ability on a Shadow Beast since Al'Doran's death?"

"I haven't."

The goddess winked at me.

"And what does that mean?"

"Well, since you were here to destroy the Shadow Beast, I'm sure you will figure that out soon enough."

"Always with direct answers. You eternal beings are always just so helpful aren't you?"

"We like to think so," Erot said with a smile and a chuckle.

"Goddess?" Tristan interjected.

Erot looked over to where Tristan sat on a bench.

"Yes, child?"

"What about myself? I don't feel like I have been that helpful to this cause. I'm not as strong as Vokin or heal like Rutherford or have a beast like Randal," He said.

"Oh, dear sweet Tristan. You have a bigger role to play in this than any of the others will. Not to diminish the role they are playing, but yours is different. You will see with time."

She stared directly at Tristan and time almost seemed to stand still. Tristan's eyes went wide and tears started streaming down his face.

"Thank you, goddess," Tristan said and fell to his knees.

"What did you tell him?" I asked Erot.

"That is only for him to know. I cannot share that with you," Erot said. "But it is ok. To know what I told him would change nothing for you."

"If it would change nothing for me, then why not tell me?"

"I said only that it would change nothing for you, not that it would change nothing for him or for someone else," Erot said, a sly smile showing on the corner of her mouth.

"None of this is really helping to endear me to you if that is what you were going for," I said bitterly.

"That matters very little. My being here at all is a kindness that almost no others get. But I will grant you one other kindness. Because of what you have been through, you will have access to me in a way no other mortal has had before. If you call on me and I can answer, I will. If no answer comes, then know that I am otherwise occupied with the balance of the universe or I cannot do what you ask. But I feel that things are coming to a head in which you may need a push in the right direction where balance will be concerned. For now, I will leave you. If you have more questions, you may reach out to me, but know that I cannot answer them all. I also would like to give you one more gift in this fight. May I see your sword?"

I paused for a moment, then tentatively unsheathed the sword and handed it to the goddess.

"A good blade. It has served you well. But we can make it better," She said, and she touched the hilt of the sword.

A brilliant flash of light shone from where she touched the weapon. The blade had changed from what it was. Where it was a duller grey color before and had a black wrapped handle with the red and black gems I had equipped before, now it was a bright polished silver with a red wrapped handle and both of the gems in the hilt were a golden yellow color and shone bright like stars.

"I now give you, The Longsword of Knight's Hope. The blade will have all the same statistics it had before but now has been recreated and equipped to suit your fight against the shadows. I think you will find it much more effective than before." Erot said, winking at me again.

I looked the blade over and inspected it.

Item:

Longsword of Knight's Hope

Item Type: Magical Weapon

Durability: 2000/2000

Attack: 65-95 damage

Item Quality: Master Craft

Item Rarity: Legendary

Slots: 2

Enchantment: Once the Longsword of Knight's Resolve has been attuned to the wielder, it will gain XP for the kills its bearer exacts and will grow with the wielder.

Attuned: Yes

Weapon Level: 25

Weapon XP: 915,000

XP to next level: 122,000

Skill: Dawn's Hope: Because this blade is now equipped with two radiant gems and was reforged with the light of the sun and infused with iron from a dead star, this blade can now use the activated skill Dawn's Hope which will light the blade, dispelling darkness in all directions with the light and power of Dawn.

"Go well, Callan Ryder. And remember not to let this loss consume you, as loss is a natural part of life." Erot said, and with a wink, she disappeared in a flash of light.

I stood there, in shock and awe. Staring from the blade to where Erot had been standing.

"Wonders will never cease with ye will they, Callan?" Vokin said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, still a bit in shock.

"Ye show up here as a Dragonrider for starters, which I know means less to ye personally that it does to us. Then ye have this Fairy guide to tell ye how to navigate the world. An ancient dragon comes with ye to have us swear an oath to ye, and now the goddess of balance herself has chosen ye somehow for something? And gave ye the favor of answering when ye call? And geve you a special weapon on top of all of that? Do ye not know what that means?"

"Not really."

The rest of my party stood there staring slackjawed at me.

"Most of us never even see a god or goddess effect on the world, much less talk with one. I get to see a few things being a Cleric, but that has taken years of devotion and prayer, and I still haven't had my god speak to me personally. Much less walk into my presence and tell me I can ask them anything," Rutherford said.

The others nodded their agreement.

"You are truly special, Callan. Don't forget that. But if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to murder this shadow to pay its kind back for what it did to my village." Randal said.

I shook myself from the moment and nodded firmly.

"Right, let's go kill some shadows."