The Guardian
Chapter 6: Shift
The newly-priest and archer was eventually saved by passing adventurers. The Archer decided to retire the adventuring life as she could never hold a bow again. The priest retired as well but for different reasons. The former scout was my first champion. I could now whisper to him, and he could hear my voice when he was praying. This was the first time someone could hear my voice, but it wasn't perfect. It was hard to speak low enough without damaging him as my whole being was to large for him to handle.
The archer retired to her home town at Sunchaser, and she eventually married another former adventurer and had children of her own. The priest settled down at Coldwind and started a new service for injured adventurers and villagers. This changed the world as I knew it. Massive amount of people hailed him as a new saviour for his magically powers and many villages wanted him for his services, but he stayed in Coldwind and taught many new priests his skills and trade. The priest started calling themselves the 'Union in the Rain' in honour of their master who taught them the skills and prayers of their new occupation. Eventually my champion succumbed to old age as everyone did in the Humes territory. He never married and didn't have any children, but he had many disciples who loved him, and as well as his many worshippers and those who revered him. The adventuring parties started inviting priests to join their adventures as well, this sharply reduced the death rate mortality.
Coldwind eventually become a harbour town due to its close proximity to the ocean, and they started building small galleys and fishing boats. With more ships in the waters, the oceans that became impassable became new territories to explore and many became captains to find new lands and possibilities down south.
Eventually a large change occurred in Sunchaser. Due their massive population and control over the lands the government changed to that of a monarchy. The self-proclaimed king was a noble who craved more power. The noble convinced other nobles and started an uprising to uproot the former Reverent system. Many people lost their lives during this upheaval.
Through all this changes within the Humes a thought occurred to me. A thought that wouldn't leave me no matter how much I ignored it. The question first formed at the back of my mind when I observed the farmer, and became more prominent during my champion's life time. What exactly am I? Why am I guiding these people? What was exactly my purpose to this whole scenario.
In the beginning I remembered my first people. The ones I let down. I had watched them for thousands of years as they lived in stagnancy, while the Humes people only had hundreds of years in their history. I remembered the creatures they encountered and wondered why I haven't discovered them yet. Maybe this was a different world, and this wasn't the same as my previous world. I only knew one thing, and that was to keep guiding my Humes into their future.
- -
“Did you hear what happened in Sunchaser?”
“You mean the rebellion? And the self-proclaimed king?”
“Yes that one, I hear our Reverent has form an army to fight the king and return control over to Sunchaser's Reverent.”
Goodwyn sighed, and he leaned against the wall. For months now the people only been talking about the rebellion in Sunchaser. He didn't needed to be reminded about the conscription he was forced to be under. Why did he had to join the patrol group in the first place anyways. It was suppose to be an easy job, just guard the gate at WhiteCurrent, and drink meads at the pub at night. He was the first ones to join the Reverent's army because he had military experiences within the patrol group.
Goodwyn sighed again and let the gossiping men through the gate. All day Goodwyn stood at the gate, and almost all the people he let in was talking about the events within Sunchaser. Well it was the biggest town with the highest population in the known world. He couldn't even imagine all those people, so many people more than the tiny WhiteCurrent he had grown up in. At the end of the day he switched with another guard and he signed out for the day.
“Hey Trisdan, Michael!” Goodwyn entered the tavern. At the corner of the room Goodwyn could see two of his patrol member buddies. He sat next to them and ordered his alcohol.
Trisdan was ordinary looking, but he was good friend to Goodwyn, he had known him since childhood and they had joined the patrol group at the same time.
Michael was more gruff, and he kept wearing the armour worn by the patrol group. Goodwyn couldn't remember a single time when he had seen Michael without it.
Goodwyn sighed and took a chug out of his mead.
“Hey Goodwyn, still upset over the conscription? Why you even sad about it? Its an honour to fight for the Reverent and restore peace to Sunchaser,” Michael laughed and slapped Goodwyn's back.
“I just can't imagine it. In a few days time we're expected to march to Sunchaser and do battle. What if we die right away you know?”
“I'm sure we'll do fine,” Trisdan replied. “After all, we'll be fighting with the Reverent's Guard at Sunchaser.”
“That doesn't make me feel any better, but its no use complaining. We'll be treated as criminals if we don't go,” Goodwyn stated.
Michael laughed. “That's the spirit, let's drink!”
A man burst into the tavern covered in blood.
“The town's under attack!” He collapsed. Everybody in the tavern froze. A million thoughts ran through Goodwyn's head. Who could be attacking WhiteCurrent? This town was the furthest from any civilization. Sunchaser and Cradle being the most heavily trafficked.
Michael, Trisdan, and Goodwyn sobered up. Goodwyn pulled out his short sword, and left the tavern, he left the man to Trisdan to tend. In the streets the world was pandemonium, men and women screaming and running for their lives, and buildings were starting to catch on fire. Thankfully the tavern was close to the gate, and he could see fighting happening within the destroyed gate.
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A large troll roared into a group of his fellow patrol members. Goodwyn immediately noticed something different about this troll from previous trolls he had encountered in the past. This troll was covered in armour he hadn't seen in his entire lifetime. The armour looked crude, and didn't fully covered its body. It didn't wear a helmet, and carried a large mace. A single swing was enough to pasteurize a man into paste. How did the troll reach the gates without alarming the patrol group that patrolled the plains?
More armoured trolls entered the gates from the outside. Goodwyn paled.
“Michael, we need to inform the Reverent, and mobilize the army!”
Michael nodded. “We'll send Trisdan! Let's go help!”
Goodwyn paled even further. He was hoping he was the one to inform the Reverent but Michael had sent Trisdan on his way. He was dragged by Michael to the gates.
No no no no, Goodwyn's thought were in turmoil. It was suppose to be an easy job! Nothing ever happened in WhiteCurrent!
The armoured troll looked even scarier up close than afar. He could see Micheal's charge into the group. Micheal's strength sure was crazy that he could cut into the flesh of the troll. Most members of the patrol group couldn't even do that. Goodwyn then noticed something about the trolls. It seems they were wearing choke collars. A thought entered Goodwyn's mind that moment.
Were they captured monsters?
- -
Trisdan ran. Every second wasted meant another members of the patrol member was going to die. It didn't take long for him to reach the town hall in the center of town. He forced open the doors and entered, since it was night, there wasn't much people inside the building. Just people that did paper work with candle light.
“The town's under attack! We need to ring the bell and mobilize the army!”
This set off a chain of events and the building became busier. The Reverent himself came down after he had ordered the ring of the bell.
“Whose attacking us? Is it Sunchaser?” The Reverent questioned.
“Your graciousness, trolls broke through the east gate and are currently attacking the patrol members there, we must send backup at once!”
At this moment, more members of the patrol unit entered the town hall,
“South gate is under attack by armour trolls!”
“North gate is also under attack!”
“West gate as well!”
The Reverent paled, this seemed like an invasion but when did Troll ever seem intelligent enough to do something like this?
- -
Goodwyn watched Michael's body get pasteurized. Immediately he vomited the contents of his stomach. Three trolls and the patrol members laid around him dead. A single troll remained upright. This troll walked up to Goodwyn. He could see its yellow eyes watching him. He couldn't move, he knew he needed to run but he couldn't move his body. His body wouldn't listen to him. A warm liquid stained his pant ignorant to him.
The troll lifted its massive club over its head.
This is it, he thought.
A series of grunts stopped the troll from swinging its mace. From beyond the destroyed gate, man-sized creatures walked in. This creature made the troll step back, and the troll lowered its eyes.
Massive amount of the creatures rushed in, breaking anything in their way. Goodwyn sat in front watching it all. The creature walked up to him and lifted him up to his feet by his neck. Goodwyn noticed the man-size creatures were taller than him, most of them about six feet tall.
“Humes weak! Orc strong!” It yelled into its face. Goodwyn paled, this thing could speak the Humes Language!
- -
Amelia closed her eyes and offered up a prayer. Men and women sat in various places within the building. A large window was on the roof that let sun light inside. In the center of the floor was a pictogram that depicted the first priest's journey. It showed a man, dressed in robes, and two others beside him, and a large bear in front of them.
Amelia was a priest from Union in the Rain, the first religion formed after the first one passed away. The Union's goal was spreading the teachings of the Priest Rain, who taught healing magic, and various other light magic to benefit Humes.
Amelia crunched her eyebrows. She was never proficient in prayers like some of her peers, and she was constantly scolded for it. They were taught most of their magic came from the source, and prayer and the teaching was the only way to increase their powers. It was even said once you were powerful enough you could even hear the whispers of the source.
Of course Amelia wasn't powerful enough to hear the whispers, and the most she could do was minor heal and minor shield, two of the lowest level light magic there was.
Most of the time, or almost all the time there wasn't a feedback whenever shes prayed. She would pray and then she wouldn't feel anything, but today was different. When shes prayed today, there was a sense of urgency, almost like it was a warning. Several of the younger members could also feel it too and wondered what was happening. This had never happened before. The older priest with higher powers were different, they experienced fear, even the head priest had to leave the room immediately.
“What happened?” Someone said out loud.
Throughout the day this urgency never left their minds, the head priest went to go see the Reverent and explained the situation. The Reverent only prepared his army but didn't mobilize them, as he was unsure what this meant, but he too had felt the urgency.
Amelia spent her day praying. The elder priests was to distracted by today's events to have classes. During that entire time not once had that sense of urgency left her. It stayed constant and grew stronger when the day's end was nearing. It was night when they found out what was causing this urgency.
Amelia was ushered out and was informed she was assigned to the accompany the soldiers that was heading to the east gate with another priest a level above her. The priest's name was Furer and was her priest commander.
“Are you nervous?” Furer said.
Amelia watched the soldiers running by, and civilians being order to retreat to the town hall.
Amelia nodded.
“I never been in a fight before, I haven't even tried joining an adventure party too.”
“Don't worry, just stand back and use your heals when you need them, and don't get in the way of the soldiers. Our job to heal any that's injured and cast whatever magic that needed. What magic can you do?”
“Minor Heal and Minor Shield,” Amelia whispered, her face slightly red. She had been a priest for over a year now, and she still have beginner level magics under her name. Most priest had at least Heal or Boost by now.
Furer sighed, “OK, just use only Minor Heal for now, as Minor shield won't do anything to stop the Troll's attack.”
Amelia nodded, and Furer gestured for her to follow him. He led her to the military's commander in charge of the eastern gate. As they neared the eastern gate, they could hear the intense fighting on the streets. The soldiers had made makeshift barriers in haste, but what surprised Amelia was they were told they were under attack by trolls, but clearly they were being attacked by a different race, one with the technology to make swords and arrows.