When I stepped out of the church building, I immediately heard dice rolling in my head. "Dexterity check SUCCESSFUL. +25 XP." *FOOF* Something flew past my face and struck the unfortunate person behind me. I turned around and saw an arrow plunged into a man's eye!

Van ran after the assassin, who was dressed in black like a ninja and running on a rooftop across the street.

Grimacing, I pulled out the arrow and tried in vain to save the victim's life by using my Minor Heal ability. I soon poured 40 mana into the healing.

However, the man, who was dressed as a commoner, was bleeding his Health faster than I could replenish it. And soon, the inevitable occurred and the commoner drew his last breath.

During my attempt to save the man's life, guards and clergymen surrounded me, hoping to witness a miracle. They saw that I was wearing a truth stone and thus, they were hopeful that I could save him.

With a heavy heart, I looked up at the expectant crowd and slowly shook my head.

The onlookers cried out in disbelief. "Why?" "Who was the target?" "Right outside the church!" The people started muttering these questions.

Even though I knew the truth, I kept silent. I rationalized it by telling myself that I didn't want to start a riot amongst the commoners. But deep down, I knew that it was because I didn't want to be blamed for the man's death. In other words, I was being a coward.

One of the guards mercifully took the body from me and entered the building.

The crowd soon disbursed, leaving me behind.

As I rose to my feet, I remembered that Van was still chasing the assassin. Remembering that my detection had vastly increased in range recently, I tried to use my Spirit Sense to locate him. I closed my eyes and concentrated on his aura. At first, it was difficult to find him because there were so many people here in the city of London. However, I persisted and soon I was able to distinguish his brilliant white aura from the rest.

I activated Navigation Sense and superimposed a map of the city over his location. I learned that the paladin was five blocks away. I sensed the evil aura near him and knew that it was the assassin. I observed the chase until the assassin left the city.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright, Brother?" someone asked. It was a delicate, female voice.

I opened my eyes. I saw a beautiful young woman dressed in a black robe. She had a matching black veil covering her hair and I couldn't see its color. However, her eyes were light green and they shone with great concern for me. I glanced at the caption above her name and saw that her name was "Sister Waverly." I gave her a warm smile and nodded. "I'm fine."

The nun glanced sideways to confirm that no one was paying attention to us. She drew her face closer and asked quietly, "Why were you targeted by an assassin?"

I posted my poker face. "Why do you think I was the target?"

Waverly gave me a disapproving look and tilted her head. "The victim was standing directly behind you. He was also a commoner and there was no reason for anyone to go after his life," she pointed out.

I flinched at her words and the sound logic behind them.

She saw that I was concerned by her words and said, "Brother Mulligan, I'm not blaming you. Evil has its own reasons and oftentimes, they are unfathomable to the creatures of Light, such as ourselves."

I wanted to point out the contrariness in her statement. After a moment of thought, I decided to remain silent instead.

Seeing my distrust of her, the nun gave me a disarming smile. She pulled on my arm and led me to a relatively vacant area in front of the church building. Furthermore, we were still within eyesight of the guards patrolling the street.

"I am Sister Waverly. And you are the famous Brother Lawrence Eugene Mulligan. The clergy has heard so much about you and your inspiring service to the Law and Order." The nun bowed deeply to me.

I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. "No, I'm just a faithful servant of the Gods," I replied modestly.

Before we could continue the conversation, Van had returned. He saw that I was speaking to a lovely nun and he slapped me on the back. Hard. He was annoyed at having to run through many city blocks chasing down the assassin while I was happily flirting with a beautiful woman. Even if she WAS a nun.

I scowled at Van. I understood why he was upset with me. If the situation was reversed, I would probably act the same, too. I decided to change the topic. "The assassin has left the city." It was framed as a statement.

The paladin nodded. He remembered how I was able to locate the wolves in the vast field yesterday. Thus, he was not surprised to learn that I was able to keep track of the assassin from several city blocks away. "What happened to the commoner behind you?" he asked.

"Dead," the sister spoke up. "Brother Mulligan tried his best to revive the man but the Gods had a different plan for him." She made a sign of the cross in front of her. "I am Sister Waverly," she introduced herself and bowed deeply to the paladin.

"I am Van, a paladin in the service of Lady Musa and currently in penance as a bodyguard of Brother Mulligan," he replied.

"In penance?" the beautiful woman's brows rose.

Van looked away with embarrassment. "It's a long story."

I turned back to her. "Sister, is there a place where we could sit and talk in private?" I requested. I was not comfortable standing in front of the church.

"You want to take me out on a date?" Sister Waverly teased lightly. Seeing my exasperation, she held up her hand. "Oh, fine," she pouted. "Please follow me, gentlemen." The nun led us past several blocks toward the west. Eventually, she stopped in front of a convent.

As we walked on the streets, I took the time to clear up my outstanding notifications. I received a combined total of 75 XP for my long-distance observation Van's chase of the assassin. Once the messages disappeared, I activated Navigation Sense and marked the location of the convent on my mental map. "Navigation sense SUCCESSFUL. +25 XP."

A big wooden sign in front of the three-floor building named it as the "Saint Mary's Convent." The exterior was made of bricks and stones. There were many windows. A life-sized, marble statue of the Virgin Mary stood on each side of the main entrance, which was a set of double doors made of oak.

Sister Waverly turned around and invited us to enter. "Please come inside." She opened the right door, which was unlocked, and we entered the building jointly.

The area behind the door turned out to be a spacious lobby. Circular, marble columns extended from the ground floor through the second floor to reach the top floor. There was an open, wide staircase to my left and right leading to the next floor. Across the lobby was an open garden with a large tree at the very center. In other words, it was a cloister.

The nun took us to the garden and then she sat on the grass.

We quickly joined her on the ground.

The sister turned her head back and forth. She saw no other nun nearby. "Now, let's talk." Waverly offered a warm smile to put us at ease. The beautiful nun stared at my face. "I have heard so much gossip about you, Brother Mulligan. And many of them are so outlandish that I think they were exaggerated."

"Like what?" Van asked out of curiosity.

"He slew an evil dragon single-handedly."

The paladin laughed. "THAT is an exaggeration."

"Which part?" she pressed him.

"The claim that Brother Mulligan killed it by himself."

The nun was taken aback by his answer. "You mean there WAS an evil dragon? Where?" She quickly made the sign of the cross over her heart.

"A red dragon named Hleandros appeared in Tregome. It challenged the dojo where I was training at. I helped the school defeat the dragon," I explained.

Waverly looked at me with confusion. "What kind of school was it? Aren't you a cleric?" she asked while glancing at the truth stone hanging around my neck.

I shook my head. "I was attending the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship. I began my profession as a Swordsman and then switched my profession to a Mage. I am now a Swordmage," I explained.

Her eyes bulged. She pointed at the truth stone around my neck. "How did you receive this holy relic if you aren't a cleric?" she asked. Waverly was astounded at the fact that a non-cleric was granted permission to hold this precious item. It was unheard of! Especially in light of the fact that there weren't enough truth stones for every deserving member of the clergy.

I looked down at the dark, swirling stone; I saw it as nothing more than a burden and a magnet for trouble. But I understood why the sister was awed and even jealous that I possessed one. "The previous holder of this item was a town judge in Tregome named Wachtel. He was slain during the public trial of a bandit who turned out to be a wererat. I avenged the judge's death and Bishop Canterbury granted me permission to wear it in his honor. As a result, I inherited his position of Town Judge of Tregome. Since the Church provided governance to Tregome, I also became a member of the Church. I will admit, though, that the bishop had to cajole me into joining the clergy," I added.

"Why?" Van asked. He had never heard this story before.

I looked at the two of them. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I was originally against joining the Church of Britannia. For me, membership in this organization meant that I had certain responsibilities to the Church which curtailed my personal freedom. For example, I've been assigned to several church missions already even though I joined a little over 3 weeks ago."

"It's an honor to be assigned to a church mission!" Van declared. As a paladin, he took pride in his service to the Church and he was miffed that I felt differently.

Sister Waverly nodded her head in agreement with his sentiment.

I shook my head. "I respectfully disagree. I prefer to have the freedom to do whatever I want."

"Are you an atheist?" she asked suddenly. It was the only logical explanation in her mind for my disconcerting attitude toward the church.

"No," I chuckled. I rolled up my sleeves. "I have met a number of Gods and Goddesses already. They are definitely real."

Sister Waverly leaned forward and drew her head closer. The nun stared at the divine marks on my forearms but declined to touch them. She had read about them in some old books in the convent's library but she had never expected to meet a real-life holder of a divine mark, and certainly not a holder of six such marks!

I started feeling tingling sensations from one of my brands. But the sensation disappeared before I could track down the source.

Van misunderstood her silence because he spoke up. "No, I don't believe that Brother Mulligan was targeted by a faction of the Church out of jealousy. If I have to make a bet, I would gamble on the fact that he is a candidate for the crown and some noble families are opposed to his candidacy."

Sister Waverly shook her head in disbelief. "You're also pursuing the crown? No wonder you've been targeted for assassination."

"You didn't know?" I asked hesitantly. I was wondering if Van had made a big mistake in revealing this information to her.

The nun shook her head. "The men enjoy keeping affairs of governance close to their hearts. But who will end up suffering for their collective foolishness? Women!" she snorted in derision.

"I'm sorry."

Waverly looked me in the eye. "What for? YOU did nothing wrong. As far as I can tell, you are merely a pawn in a dangerous game among the nobility for power and control over the kingdom. Granted, you are a very important game piece on the chessboard. But you're still a game piece," she noted.

"What about you?" Van interrupted. "Where do you fit into this game?"

The nun directed her attention to the paladin. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she grinned. Sister Waverly put a hand over her heart. "I apologize. There are certain matters that are kept in strict confidence and I cannot disclose them." She bowed deeply to us.

"Are you my enemy?" I asked her calmly.

Her head rose, along with her brows. "No. You fought and bled for the kingdom. You are a true hero in the eyes of the people, myself included. At the same time, you lack the ambition of a typical nobleman. If you are indeed seeking the crown, you are doing so with great reluctance," she said. "You have a great admirer in me and I am not your enemy," she reassured me.

Before I could respond, the church bell tolled 11 times.

Sister Waverly held out her hand.

I immediately returned to my feet and helped her get up.

"Thank you, Brother Mulligan," she gave me a radiant smile. "I have to prepare for the noon prayer service. I will escort you to the door. Can you find your way back? I'm confident that the assassins are gone by now."

Ah! I had a sudden insight. "You took us here to the convent to give us shelter from other would-be assassins," I said.

Sister Waverly smiled. "Think what you will." The nun led us through the cloister and across the front lobby. She opened the door for us to leave. "May the Gods of the Law and Order continue to watch over you."

We both bowed deeply to her and then left the convent. Once we stepped into the street, Van grabbed my arm to draw my attention. "Where to?" he asked.

I pondered his question for a moment. "If there are assassins still after me, then they will probably be waiting at the Big Oak Tree. So it's better if I do something unexpected . . . like visiting the Mage Guild again."

"You want to press Mordekai for a guide to take you out of London?" the paladin guessed my intention.

I smiled.

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll lead the way." Van began to walk toward the east and I followed him.

As we walked, I started thinking about the beautiful nun that I just met. There was a strong possibility that Sister Waverly was the human avatar of Lady Musa. After all, the Gods seemed to enjoy interacting with the mortals of this world. In fact, I had met three such avatars already: Enab, a church assistant who was the human form of Lord Bane; Alsaj, a wandering monk who was the human form of Jasla, Bane's daughter; and Sister Selune, an attendant at a gambling parlor who was the human form of Lady Luck.

When I unveiled my divine brands on my forearms, I felt a tingling sensation from one of the marks. Even if Lady Musa had disguised herself with a magical illusion, my divine mark from her will react in her presence.

Of course, there was also a possibility that she was the human avatar--of a different goddess. Regardless of her true identity, I firmly believed that Sister Waverly was not human

There was a second reason why I arrived at this conclusion: the three of us were alone the entire time at the convent. Even though it was my first time visiting this convent, I was certain that there were many nuns who lived and served in this building. How likely was it that I saw no other sister during my visit to the convent? Very unlikely--unless they were kept away by magic. Thus, the absence of other sisters convinced me that Sister Waverly wasn't human.