Divine Sigil [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczPI0-d04wLHm0UBND2A9rC7gCgDfYgLtHkdH9oiQHDWhryfCx_dduZnqBLqZsswLomG67GrL76OFo7AeJBatwVZTyY8GJbpgF9S5zulT0keAYLdrxVKMxIkgNwwuf8Or0LNj7WVzhXQG9AsZb4zyLLJ=w639-h958-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
Rayna and Dazien stared up at the highrise for the apartment listed under Ramir Miramel’s home address. It was a decent location on one of the main streets of the western Logistics District, about halfway between the AOA’s building and the Scarlet Banquet’s hidden lair, which was suspicious on its own, in her opinion.
“So, do you think he’s actually home still?” she asked her party leader.
He gave a sigh and shrugged, “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
“So the plan is just to punch and silence, right?”
“Questions first,” he clarified, and she was hoping he had forgotten that part, “I know that as soon as he has those chains on, he’s not going to talk to us, and then we’ll have to hope the duke’s people will let us know what happens.”
“Are you sure they’ll even punish him?” a deep, raspy voice asked from the other side of Dazien, accompanied by a divine aura that felt like retribution incarnate. Rayna didn’t even need to ask to recognize the god from that alone.
The Defender turned slightly to look up at the large god of vengeance and replied, “They should. He’s guilty.”
Avenger laughed, “My dear boy, I don’t believe you’re really that naive to think that just because someone is guilty means that the Adjudicator will dole out punishment. Your mentor clearly understood that. I’m sure you’ve realized the same by now.”
She looked around briefly, but nobody passing in the streets seemed to notice the sudden appearance of a god. Then she wondered how often she might have completely missed the presence of a deity that didn’t want her to notice them.
“Are you here ‘cause you want to give a quest? Or are you hoping to give Dazien a Soul Mark, too, or something? Take advantage of his connection to Phoenix and Uriel?” she ended up asking the god with narrowed eyes. She had come to realize by now that gods only showed up in person when they wanted something.
The deity laughed again, “So suspicious of my good intentions…”
“What exactly are your intentions, Lord Avenger?” Dazien clarified, crossing his arms over his chest in a show of defiance that she totally approved of.
“I’m merely here to help you with your own goals. To help you make sure the evil guy doesn’t get away this time.”
Both she and the Defender frowned at his words, and she asked, “What do you mean by ‘help’?”
The Avenger wrapped an overly large arm around Dazien’s shoulder and leaned in almost conspiratorially, “Listen kid, I’ll give you one of these,” the god said quietly and lifted his other hand to show a gleaming gold medallion with the emblem of a crow emblazoned upon it. Rayna hadn’t seen one in person before, but she easily recognized it as the god’s Divine Sigil. A token of his power made manifest as proof of his will.
Then the god surprised her by saying, “The quest is simple: You have your fabulous Familiar eat Ramir Miramel the way that man ate so many others, like your poor mother.”
Rayna wanted to punch the god for trying to use her friend’s mum like that, but he kept talking.
“Then when you realize that you like seeing evil get its comeuppance, like knowing you stopped a monster that the law couldn’t, come see me, and we can negotiate a more permanent arrangement like your new father has.”
Dazien frowned, and Rayna started worrying when her party leader didn’t instantly refuse the deity’s offer. While she was all for laying the smack down on this prick, she did see a difference between defending themselves and fighting on a battlefield versus walking into a weaker guy’s home and just murdering him in cold blood.
As if reading her mind, the god said, “I knew a Wayfarer once. A long time ago, back before I became the god Avenger, who told me a quote from their world that I absolutely adore. She said, ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold.’ She said it meant to wait and bide one’s time instead of acting rashly to enact instant retribution.
“For me, the meaning is two-fold, though. See, I’ve been hoping for this day for a very long time now. The dish is extremely cold at this point. However, I thought Paul Wayland would have been the one to serve it.”
“You sound disappointed that you seem to be settling for me,” Dazien retorted but Rayna was having trouble getting a reading on her friend’s thoughts at the moment, especially with how tense and distant he seemed.
“I was worried, but then I saw that wonderful little Talent you managed to cultivate.”
“What? Why? What was it?” Rayna asked. She had been there when it happened but hadn’t learned yet what it had turned into. Dazien didn’t want to talk about what happened with his mum while they were being held captive, and she hadn’t had a chance to bug Phoenix for a peek into her book.
The Defender frowned as he answered, “[Wrath of the King]? What about it?”
“Well, see, that’s the second part I love about the phrase. See, I don’t want my Anointed Disciples to be those hot-headed folk with burning rage bent on lashing out at anyone and anything they see as a potential enemy. No, what I need is cold, focused wrath.”
Rayna’s frown deepened as she looked from her leader to the god, “You think Dazien has that? Like Paul?”
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Avenger smiled, “If he can fulfill my quest, then I believe he does. If he can fulfill my will and wishes for it, I can make him a Paladin, just like his father. It would be fitting, wouldn’t it?”
Then Rayna gave a low animalistic growl as the god added in a tantalizing whisper to her friend, “Besides, it really is the best way to protect your lover and sister’s secrets, you know.”
She didn’t like that kind of manipulation, having seen it before when she and Saiya were struggling on their own. Watching others prey on the emotions of others left a bad taste in her mouth when she was often reminded of just how overwhelming those emotions could be for her twin.
Before now, Rayna had been starting to think that if Dazien really did become a king, then she might just take a page out of Uriel’s book and swear fealty to him, too. Settling down in his kingdom with a wife to maybe start her own family sounded like a good goal for her to work towards alongside her party leader.
She liked their playful poking and fighting side by side. More than that, though, she trusted him to put his people before himself. She had seen firsthand how much he cared about others. Saw how steadfast he was with the more passive members of their party, not trying to force any of them to bow to his whims.
Rayna thought perhaps trusting him to lead them forever wouldn’t be terrible at all.
Now, though, the Avenger was threatening to ruin all of that.
“All you want me to do in exchange for the Divine Sigil is have Rex eat Ramir Mirimel?” Dazien seemed to clarify with a raised brow at the god.
“That’s the quest I’m offering,” the deity confirmed, “It’s a bit more expensive for me than normal since you’re not one of my clergy, but I think you’ll feel so much better after completing this quest that you’ll come to me and help pay back the difference.”
“He’s not going to be a mere Paladin,” Rayna said, her fur bristling in her growing anger at the god, “He’s going to become a king and make a nation that actually cares about all of its citizens. Not just the nobles or the Casters but everyone who wants to join.”
Dazien stared at her like she was insane, and she crossed her arms indignantly, “What? I’m not wrong!”
The Defender chuckled and shook his head, “No, I just never thought I’d ever hear you, of all people, say that.”
Before she could retort, he surprised her by reaching out and taking the sigil from the deity. She wanted to yell at Dazien some more, but he stated simply, “I accept your quest, but I won’t promise to visit later. As Rayna said, I have other plans for my future.”
Avenger grinned, and she wanted to punch that smirk off his face. “You can be both,” the god said, and she could have sworn that sounded familiar, but he continued saying, “A Paladin King that will deliver retribution upon those who oppose him sounds like a wonderful future for us to aim towards. It will be one of the most peaceful nations in the world with that kind of protection.”
She wanted to growl at the god again, but his next words caught her by surprise since she found herself finally agreeing with the god of vengeance, “Remember, young Dazien, ruthlessness towards your enemies can be a mercy upon your people who would suffer from their wicked actions. No remorse should be had for those who commit atrocities against the innocent for their own greed. I only seek vengeance upon those vile villains who deserve retribution.”
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Dazien nodded at the Avenger’s advice but didn’t reply as he pondered the words while looking over the glowing sigil in his hand. The gold medallion was slightly larger than his palm and engraved with the symbol of a crow on its front. When he flipped it over, he found the god’s will inscribed.
> Ramir Mirimel has eaten the innocent and been eaten in return.
The street darkened a moment later as the deity vanished, and the oppressive aura went with it.
He glanced at Rayna, who looked extremely annoyed and on edge. Her fur was standing on end, and her ears lay flat in aggression. He thought it was adorable, but there wasn’t a chance in the abyss that he would tell her that. She’d probably punch him for even suggesting such a thing.
She seemed conflicted at the moment as she stared at the spot Avenger had just vacated. Dazien decided to tentatively ask, “So, are you going to agree with him or tell him to piss off for trying to manipulate us?”
Rayna looked at him in surprise as though she hadn’t expected him to realize that part, and he gave her a flat look, “You don’t think I’ve had to deal with people trying to convince me to do something they want before?”
“Well, not like that,” she admitted, “I know people don’t always think clearly when they’re upset and grieving. I know that Saiya and I both did stupid crap to cope…” She glanced up at the building in front of them again before adding, “I didn’t like how he talked to you. Didn’t like how he tried to use the people you care about most for his own agenda.”
He nodded in agreement but pointed out, “All gods are like that, though. They have one primary goal, and that’s to expand and spread their purpose. Even the ones we label as ‘good’ do this. A more neutral god like the Avenger gives a bit more of a mixed feeling, though.”
“You accepted the quest,” she muttered, and he nodded again.
“I did,” he confirmed but tried to help reassure her that he wasn’t planning to run off to join the clergy any time soon as he added, “A Divine Sigil will help with the paperwork that’s about to be incurred.”
Rayna snorted a laugh but returned to that serious expression as her fur slowly returned to normal, “Are we really going to go in there and just kill the guy now?”
“You don’t have to come with me,” he softly replied, “I know this wasn’t really the plan.”
She gave a small shrug and repeated his words with a smirk, “Plans change all the time.”
His smile was sad as he nodded at her and looked down at the sigil once more. It seemed like he and Rayna were in a rare agreement for once when she managed to voice the thoughts swirling in his own mind, “Even though I didn’t like how he said what he did… I think I agree with his point. I didn’t like the idea of just walking into someone’s home and murdering them, but he’s right that if we don’t stop him, then he’s just going to hurt even more people. This guy is an evil monster…”
“And stopping monsters from hurting others is what an Adventurer does.”
Rayna’s amber eyes met his as she pointed out, “So does a good king.”
Dazien nodded and slipped the sigil into his belt pouch, “Let’s go protect our people then.”
She paused and gave him a curious look as she asked, “Our people?”
He smiled at her, grateful for her presence to help ground him and not let his anger take control as he said, “I might already have a Princess and Seneschal, but I could always use a good Knight to help defend my kingdom.”
Rayna’s grin made his heart feel lighter as she replied, “I’m still gonna tell you off when you’re being an arse.”
He laughed at that, “Please do. I need more people to help keep me on the right path I think. Otherwise, I probably would have just walked in and killed this guy in cold blood. Probably monologue during it, too.”
“Oh, you should totally still do that,” she replied as she started walking towards the front doors, “All the best stories have the epic heroes and villains monologuing at each other. Gotta make sure the other person knows why they’re about to be killed after all.”
“I guess that is the polite thing to do,” he said, joining in her joking as he followed her into the building.