Glissandi slowly opened her eyes. She felt weird. Not precisely ill, but strange. The last that she remembered was that the twins had jumped up and let go of her. She had been too exhausted to move her arms to catch herself, but that was where her memory ended. She tried to make sense of things. Had exhaustion claimed her? She knew that completely opening the sluices to your magic reserves was not the most healthy thing to do. Fully emptying those had even greater consequences on your physical body and doing so on top of her already tired state that had not been a good idea, in hindsight. Strangely enough, she felt refreshed for some reason. 'Just how long had she been out for?' she wondered.

As she tried to blink the darkness from her eyes, she noticed a face floating nearby. She made out a vague, sour smell as well, one that somehow seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it. It barely managed to penetrate the thick scent of earth and nature that hung around the tree like a blanket. Her mental capacities slowly kicked themselves in gear as her vision started to gain focus. All of a sudden she found herself staring into the massive face of something. She blinked. Once. Twice. And she still failed to recognise it. Was she looking at a tree with a face carved into its bark? Was it — the tree blinked! She pulled herself back in surprise.

"What —" she stuttered as her brain desperately tried to figure out what was happening.

"Good," rumbled the face. "It would seem that you are back to your senses. I would advice you to take plenty of rest afterwards, and not eat any heavy meals for the first day. You exhausted too much of your body's energy reserves, so if you eat anything that is too troublesome to digest, you may end up with cramps."

"I... what?"

"If I may..." interrupted a voice that she recognised. The large tree-face pulled back and Lissa appeared into view.

"Lissa?" she asked, feeling her skin pull taut in a deep frown.

"Yes Priestess. We are back in the inn. Your last attack managed to..." there was a moment of hesitation in Lissa's voice before she continued, "to vaporise the witch. Damage to the surroundings was minimal. The..." another pause, "being that is here in the room with us, has healed Trista. She was in a bad state —"

"She was clinically dead," the being interrupted with a humph.

Lissa threw him a semi-annoyed glare before continuing. "But she is fine now." Her head turned towards the Knight, who was using one of the blankets to wipe vomit of her bare body. "Well, reasonably fine," the Paladin amended.

Glissandi nodded, slowly starting to make sense of the situation. Then she connected the sour smell to the sight of vomit and her frown somehow deepend. "Why is there so much vomit in the room?"

Lissa looked slightly uneasy as she looked at the Knight and the Squires, all of them doing their best to clean the mess as quickly as possible, then turned back to the Priestess to respond, but the being beat her to it.

"You had a concussion, and I have magic at my disposal that can deal with that quite efficiently. However, the procedure is, if your fellow humans reaction is anything to go by, not a pretty sight."

A squeamish Mira protested from the back. "You put roots in her head and made her skull glow like a damned frog that swallowed a nest of fireflies!" the girl croaked.

For a minute, Lissa feared she would regret her decision to not bring buckets in once more as Glissandi turned remarkably pale.

"I see..." the Priestess commented. Then, deciding to steer the conversation to less disturbing topics, she faced the strange tree-like creature again. "It seems I must thank you then. For saving the life of one of those who faithfully serves the Light, as well as providing healing to myself. If there is something I can do to repay you, then please, name it."

"Humph. I care not for your rewards, Human. I came here because I had things to discuss with you, and the other human" — he gestured to Lissa — "told me that you were the one to speak to."

Glissandi nodded. "May I suggest we move to a more comfortable room then?" She turned to Lissa with an unvoiced question in her eyes. Lissa nodded. She understood that the Priestess asked if the others should tag along with them, or have a chance to freshen up. The girl had picked up some things about safety that the Paladin had tried to teach her.

"Trista, Squires, go freshen up, make yourselves presentable, then rejoin us in the common room."

"I suggest we move to another room similar to this instead," the being interrupted. "It would be for the best if these two," he continued, gesturing to the Priestess and the Knight, "remained within the confines of a bed."

"As you wish," Lissa replied. "We shall be in the room opposite of this one then."

The Priestess slowly slid her legs out of bed and tested their strength. Moving gingerly, she stood up, slightly unstable, when the being simply wrapped one of his massive hands around her waist and plucked her up as if she were no heavier than a feather. Feeling his hand cover half of her back, and his fingers extend halfway down her legs, the sheer size of him finally hit her. He was basically folded in half trying to fit in the room without hitting his head on the ceiling! Without giving her a chance to protest, he carried her out, with Lissa close behind on his heels. The Paladin seemed to be calm despite the being's strange behaviour, and that reassured her. She reckoned that if this creature had intended her harm, he would have done so a long time ago.

Lissa reached for a chair and sat down in it, looking alert and fresh, while Glissandi gratefully sank down into the bed. While she didn't feel as exhausted as before, she was still tired. The being simply remained standing. She had the sneaking suspicion that this was because any chair he would sit on would shatter immediately, if the way the floor groaned as he walked was any indication.

"What was it you wished to speak to me about..." she trailed off, realising that she didn't know the beings name. "Although before we begin, may I ask for your name? And what you are, precisely, if you do not take offense to that. I have never heard of beings like you before, even though the archive at the Monastery is quite vast."

"Humph. I do not expect your kind to know of mine. We tend to not mingle with Humans. Your kind, as are so many others, is too short lived and violent for our tastes. We prefer to remain hidden within deep forests far from here. The name of what we are is one that you can neither speak nor hear. My kind communicates differently. However, if I were to translate it into a name fitting for your tongues, we would be named the Silent Keepers. The name that I was presented with when I left the one who taught me was Salixor."

"Does your kind believe in the Lord?" Lissa interjected, earning her a sharp glare from the Priestess.

The sound Salixor's skin made when he turned towards the Paladin and narrowed his eyes was foreboding. "My kind does not believe in your gods. We were here before them. We shall be here after them. We have seen kingdoms rise and crumble into dust. Civilisations encroach on our forest, grow to tremendous heights before falling down, their cities abandoned as the forest reclaimed them and still we remain."

He pricked Lissa's chest with a thick, hard finger. "Your gods are the same. Religions come and go. They are temporary. We remain. We tend to our duty. Your Lord is something you humans believe in. It matters not to us. Only our duty matters."

Lissa grimaced, unnerved by the answer. Usually others were either fellow believers, heretics, or people who hadn't yet heard of the Lord. This uncaring attitude towards it was new and most unwelcome. "Pray tell then, what is your duty?" she countered, her eyes narrowing in turn.

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"We tend the forests," came the immediate reply. Salixor sounded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We Keep the balance between all things living, and heal those that were injured through means not belonging to nature's course." His eyes glanced over the Paladin's weapons and armour. "I assume you are wise enough to figure out what I mean with that," he said, his eyes throwing the accusation her way.

Lissa didn't flinch. "Evil has to be fought, or it shall triumph. Just like you must uproot a snakevine, lest it strangles the tree, so we must prune the Dark from the Light, lest it extinguish it."

"Harumph. You claim of uprooting it, but your methods usually result in burning down both vine and tree alike. More often than not starting a wildfire in the process."

"That is because Evil, unlike a snakevine, does not allow us to uproot it peacefully."

"You claim to serve this 'Good', yet —"

Glissandi coughed, interfering in the argument. She raised a hand, smiling, her priestly demeanour having returned to her face and she radiated calmness. "May I suggest we move on from the theological debate and remain focused on the subject at hand?" she asked innocently, abusing her young age to further that image.

Salixor harumped again. "Fair enough. You need your rest as well. To resume the topic I had wished to start earlier, I have come with you to talk about Cassandra. The woman you murdered."

Glissandi frowned in confusion. "The woman I murdered?"

"He refers to the witch, Priestess." Lissa clarified.

The Priestess' eyes narrowed as she gave Salixor a careful look. "Are you saying murdered because she was your friend, or because your kind dislikes violence?"

The Keeper nodded appreciatively at the perceptive question. "It is the latter. She was my companion, in some ways. Or rather, it was her travelling the world while I followed her from a distance. She was a bad creature. She revelled in causing hurt and pain. She and I studied at the same place, but she left early on. She ran into too many arguments with others who studied and even more so with the one who taught us. When she tried to hurt one of the others, the one who taught us intervened. She left after that, stealing some things in the process, in a final act of defiance and vengeance. The one who taught us ordered me to give chase. He believed that the task provide me with valuable experience. Given how much harm she has caused while travelling, I was glad he did, for it allowed me to alleviate much of it. Not all, not nearly enough, but much. Besides that, I was to keep track of her, until others could arrive to deal with her."

He paused and seemed to consider his next words carefully.

"Firstly, before all else, I must thank you. You ended her rampage and kept her from causing more sorrow. Even though I am not glad about her demise, I understand that it was only within your ability to end it on that note. A skilled gardener might be able to carefully uproot a snakevine and plant it near a tree that can withstand it, but a young one can only remove it for the betterment of the forest.

Glissandi felt her cheeks heat up, but narrowly kept the anger from showing on her face.

"Yet, I must also warn you."

A sharp crack shot through the room as Lissa grabbed hold of her mace, the leather creaking in protest to the strength she exerted on the handle. "Explain yourself," she demanded, her eyes glaring at him, her muscles tense, ready to leap into action should the need arise.

"Humph. Impatient sapling. I was about to. The one I learned from teaches many. He cares not for beliefs or morals. The only condition required to study with him is to be invited by the older students, who travel. He cares for talent, or lacking that, for an interesting character. There are many who study with him, and many more who are travelling for him. Not everyone holds the same opinion of him, however. There are those who are jealous of what he possess. His home, his wealth, his library, the knowledge he refuses to share. There are those who only care for what he teaches, and take what they get. There are those who see them as a mentor. The three factions tend to be at odds with one another when travelling."

He tilted his head, as if he heard something. "Ah, your companions are returning."

Lissa frowned. "I haven't heard any —"

"Listen to the wood then", he interrupted, raising his hand and gently stroking the wall. "Feel it vibrate, hear how it creaks as they walk over it."

True to his word, a gentle knock on the door announced the arrival of the Knight and the Squires. Trista, lacking her gambeson, was wearing comfortable, civilian clothes for a change, meaning they lacked any armour components. She obviously regretted the lack of defensive equipment and still had kept her sword with her. The Squires had removed their chainmail and were only wearing their gambeson. Their short swords dangled from their hips, but they were significantly more at ease than the wary Knight was, whose eyes were flashing all across the room in their ever-lasting search for danger.

"I shall not start over," Salixor stated. "I expect you can brief your companions afterwards, without my help. To resume where I left off: the members of the factions are often at odds, when they are not at his home. None of them are stupid enough to cause a ruckus where he can see it, especially not since the ones who adore him always make sure they thoroughly outnumber those who wish to do him harm. He himself does not quite care. The further you go from his home, the more of the latter faction that roam the lands. I fear that they will not take kindly to you killing one of their own, especially not since she had whatever it was that she stole from his home."

"What was it that she stole?" Glissandi asked.

"I was not told. I trust him enough to believe he had valid reasons for not telling me."

"So you are telling us that there are others, akin to the witch's in ability, to be coming after us? Either out of vengeance for a fallen comrade, or because they believe we have their items?

Trista's eyes focused sharply on Glissandi for a moment before flashing over to Salixor at the mention of the threat, before resuming their route across all corners of the room at an even more frantic pace.

"Yes. That is what I believe. Except that they will be wary this time, and not act as openly as Cassandra did. The only information I can share with you about them is that their talents vary wildly, they are nearly all Human and they usually prefer to travel on their own. A single one of them could wipe out all of you, however, if you are not very careful. Personally I would suggest leaving human-held territory behind, or at least that which your kind calls civilisation. If you keep heading south, you will start entering the lands that are more often visited by the faction that is in league with him."

"I shall keep your advice in consideration. Tell me Salixor, are you part of the faction that protects him? It seems, given your dislike for violence, that it would be ill suited for you."

"Humph. You are sharp, for a human. Yes, you are correct. I belong to the middle faction. I am a Keeper first and foremost. My duties lies there. While I get along with the one who taught me quite well, there are things he does I disagree with as well. I obey him, to an extent, as he has proven to be someone worth obeying, but I do not blindly cling to him."

"There is another thing I do not understand. If he knows that there are those who wish to see him brought low and desire his possessions, why does he not eliminate them? Does he lack the power to do so?"

Salixor stood up slowly and walked towards the sole window. The floorboards creaked at his every step as a thoughtful look settled on his face. "You are smart, little one. Your questions are sharp, your insight clear, and you have not asked many questions you knew I would not answer. Then heed me when I say this: do not cross his path. He is strange beyond measure. He is not akin to you or I. He answers to none save himself, and why he does the things he does, none can fathom. And all I know for sure is that he has no love lost for those who follow your Lord. He does not push his views on us, but neither does he hides his distaste. I have warned you once. I have warned you twice. Now I shall warn you thrice. Stay clear of him, at all costs."

He slowly reached for his hood and slid it back over his face and began walking towards the door. "I have spent too much time here as it is. I must depart now. What she stole must be found or confirmed destroyed. You still have time, Humans, for it will take a while before word of what transpired here will reach the others. I shall do what I can to delay them as well. I owe you that much, for stopping Cassandra's rampage."

"Salixor, please, one more question if I may," the Priestess begged.

The Keeper slowly retracted his hand from the doorknob and turned to the much smaller Priestess, who stood defiantly in front of him, her golden eyes looking up at the peaceful giant in front of her.

"What is this being's name?"

Salixor's green eyes took on a strange expression as they seemed to stare deep into Glissandi's blue ones. They pierced her, dug deeper than the surface and seemed to connect with her mind.

"He is called Gaelus. Pray you never meet him."

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