Chapter Twenty Seven

Validus was training. He tried to train for at least two hours every day unless he had a good reason not to. Normally that reason was he was hunting down a villain, but he was currently a bit stuck on that front. He was no tracker, so if his quarry escaped from him, he couldn’t do much about it unless he knew where they were going. Of course, normally he would employ the use of those who could track, through both magical and mundane means. Those were resources that had to be allocated to him though, and this time they… weren’t. Not for a book thief and especially not if they have ties to the thieves guild. So here he was, practically alone looking for what might be a threat to the entire empire.

Why don’t they see her for the threat that she very obviously is? She may not have done much yet, but who knows what she will do if left alone.

It frustrated the paladin how powerless he was to stop her. He had been searching all over the countryside, but was no closer to finding her than he was a week ago. So he trained. The door to the room Validus was training in opened and a man he recognised walked in. Validus frowned, not because the man who entered was unpleasant, but because he already knew what he was here for. He was a bald man, human but youthful despite his age. He looked thirty, but Validus knew he was at least twice as old. He had a serene expression on his face that never quite left, even in combat. And you could tell he knew combat, even if it wasn’t obvious to those who didn’t fight themselves. Validus saw it as plain as day though. A strong body hidden by loose fitting clothing that took care not to restrict his movements, and a certain grace to the way he walked. There was a sense of perfection to it, and to everything he did for that matter. He carried no weapon, but only because he didn’t need one.

“Here to tell me to go back to Sidus, Arlom?”

“That is what they sent me here for yes. I know better than to think it will work though. Let us talk for a moment.”

Validus sighed, but stopped his training. There was only so much swinging a sword at a training dummy did for people at his level anyway. Arlom strode over to a bench and sat down in it, and Validus soon followed.

“So, what’s this about? You’re not the type of guy to do pointless things, so you must have your own reason for coming here.”

“True. I must admit, I am curious about this girl you are chasing and her companion.”

“You are?”

This surprised Validus more than anything else. He had already talked to many of his peers about the threat she possessed, but none of them saw her as anything more than a common book thief. Nothing the Grand Paladin should be wasting his time on. And yet that was what he was doing.

“What do you want to know?”

“Could you tell me what has piqued your interest about her? She does not seem to be that dangerous, and yet you hunt her. It is clear that there seems to be more going on here than one would think.”

“There’s just something about her I don’t like. I know her abilities may be… paltry. But she obviously has evil intentions.”

“And what are these evil intentions of hers?”

“I don’t know, but it’s not petty thievery that’s for sure. There is some bigger plan going on, I just can’t figure out what it is.”

Arlom was nodding along. Everyone else had either dismissed Validus’ worries or argued against them, but he was listening. Even then though, he had his own points to make.

“Her crimes so far have been theft, correct? What exactly has she stolen.”

“A few forbidden books from the library in Rainsburg. She also robbed the bank in Rockmarsh, but I don’t think I ever found out what she stole.”

“What were the specific books that she stole from Rainsburg?”

“I-… I don’t know.”

How did I not think to check? And in Rockmarsh too. No wonder no one thinks I should be the Grand Paladin. Whats the point of being the strongest paladin in the empire if I’m not smart enough to catch anyone.

“Do you think your decisiveness to be a flaw?”

“Huh?”

The question surprised Validus. Arlom had this uncanny ability to always know what you were thinking that he could never get used to. It wasn’t mind reading, just a near superhuman ability to read people.

“It’s not my decisiveness that’s the problem. I’m just… not smart enough.”

“I disagree. You are a smart man, no genius I will admit, but smart. You simply act before you think and never look back. That is not a flaw, it is a character trait.”

“No one else in the holy order seems to think so. Even when I get a job done, all they tell me is how I could have done it better.”

“And yet if you spent the time to think of the perfect way to do it, the job wouldn’t have been done at all. They compare you to your predecessor and his sharp mind, but they forget that he too had flaws. Flaws you don’t have.”

“What do you mean?”

Validus had good memories of Alexander, the previous Grand Paladin. He always had the perfect solution to any problem and never made any mistakes. Even after his body was wracked with age and he could no longer fight he still advised the rest of the order with his brilliant plans. It had only been a few years since he finally died, but already his loss was felt everywhere.

“Do you remember what the Thieves guild was like twenty years ago? You might have been a bit too young to know the specifics, but it was far more brutal than it is now. Murders, rapists, and serial killers were all allowed to roam free in those guild halls, and if the law tried to interfere, they were murdered. There was no bribes or threats, just death.”

I knew things were bad back then, but that bad? Why didn’t he stop it?

“So what happened?”

“He did what he did best of course. He planned. He sent in spies and gathered intel and did all of the things a smart man does for two years. For two whole years he did nothing to help those who were being hurt by the guild because that would expend the resources that he needed for his plan. But before he could execute his perfect plan the leader of the Thieves Guild was overthrown by a person who had only joined a few months earlier. All of that planning was wasted because someone more decisive than him had acted first.”

“But wouldn’t the guild be weakened by the infighting? Why didn’t he just use the plan on the new leader?”

“Because then it wouldn’t have been perfect. It had been built to capture the old leader not the new one, and while I’m sure it would have probably still worked, it would have been sloppy. To Alexander, that was as bad as it not working at all, so he did nothing. If it was you in his position I’m sure you would have gathered every guard in the city and gotten the entire holy order to back you on a raid against the Thieves Guild the moment they went too far. The problem would have either become solved or unsolvable in a day. Or, if you didn’t want to risk that you would have helped everyone you could while waiting for an opportunity to take them out, like for example, a bit of infighting. More people would have died, but the problem would have been solved a lot sooner.”

“Is that even better than? What point are you trying to make?”

“The point I’m trying to make is that everyone is telling you to be Alexander, but that is not who you are. You have great talents that should be praised, not shunned, but they are all blinded by a false perception of what you should be like.”

Huh, I never thought about it that way. I guess I always assumed I should be exactly like Alexander too, even if I wasn’t very good at it. And I never knew the stuff about the Thieves Guild.

“So then what am I supposed to do about the witch? Just continue chasing her blindly?”

“Perhaps, but I don’t think that is the most effective way to go about it. This is one of those situations where a thinker would go a long way.”

“But… didn’t you just tell me that I didn’t need to think?”

“Think of it more like there are situations where you need to carefully consider what to do, and some situations where you need to act immediately. When you first encountered this witch, acting could very well have been the correct decision. Now that the situation can no longer be resolved quickly though, perhaps it would be better to take another method.”

“Do you want me to leave this job to someone else then? Even though I’m the only one who actually cares about it?”

“I want you to ask for help. Find someone to negate your weaknesses with their strengths. And you can do the same for them. It’s why adventurers never go into dungeons alone, and its why the twin queens of the sea were unbeatable. One thought and the other acted. The one thing you did inherit from your predecessor is the stubborn refusal to ask others for help.”

“I ask for help! I’ve been asking for help but the holy order won’t send me any.”

“You have been asking for resources from an organisation. Find a person who can help you and ask them directly as an equal. It may not work every time, but keep trying and you will find the help you desire.”

“Well, what about you then? Did you come here to offer me your help?”

“No. Or at least not yet. I want to meet this witch of yours and her companions before I make judgments on them. And besides, I don’t believe I can provide you with the help you need. I’m not good for much other than giving advice I’m afraid.”

“That’s not true! You’re one of the best fighters I know, even I can only beat you on a good day, and that’s with magic.”

“True. But it is not combat ability that you need, is it? Don’t worry, you can do much better than me, I even have a recommendation.”

“You do?”

If Arlom is recommending someone they must be very good at what they do. Would they really help me though? I can’t think of anyone who would want to work with me

“You might know her actually” Arlom stated. “She’s the High Priestess of Lancrin. Aurulin I believe her name was. I admit I have only met her a handful of times, but I have heard much of what she has done.”

Validus did actually know her, although not well. As a High Priestess she attended many of the meetings and holy rituals he did but she never stood out to him.

“Really? I can’t think of anything that she did. I’m sure she has helped the people of Lancrin, but she sort of fades into the background a bit doesn’t she?”

“Perhaps she does, but that just means you have to look a bit closer. I can’t guarantee she would help you, but I do think she has exactly what you need.”

“You mean a brain?”

“I mean a plan. One that requires someone competent like you to work.”

“Alright fine, I get it. What are you going to do then? Go back to your monastery?”

“Actually I think I may head to Lancrin as well. I am still curious about this girl you are hunting and I would like to meet her, even if just once.”

This got the paladins attention and he stood up immediately upon hearing it.

“She’s in Lancrin!? Then I must go find her.”

“Calm down, Validus. It is simply a guess.”

“A guess? What led you to it?”

“Well simply put, the fact that you found her in Rockmarsh. If she only wanted to hide from you after Rainsburg then she would have avoided big cities and stayed in the wilderness or small towns. I don’t know why she didn’t, but there might be something she wants that she can only find in a city. If she is leaving Rockmarsh then her two closest options are Star Harbour and Lancrin. I don’t have any reason to pick one city over another, but I though it might be nice to at least travel with you instead of alone, and so I have chosen Lancrin. Of course I might be wrong, and she might’ve ignored both and gone straight to Sidus, or not gone to a city at all, but I’m in no rush.”

“I see. Well in that case I suppose I can travel with you. If we are going to go then we should go now though. Now that I have something to work towards, there’s no reason to be idle.”

*

It had taken a few days, but Validus had finally arrived in Lancrin. It was rather late by the time he reached the city gates, but he knew the clergy practically lived in their temples so he was sure he could find Aurulin in the Lancrin temple. He was on his way there when he noticed someone suspicious lurking in the streets. At first he thought they must have been the witch he had been hunting, but this person was obviously male and had a scaled tail trailing out behind them. They were also obviously up to no good. They wore a dark cloak obscuring most of their features and had a nefarious presence to them. They looked around as if watching out for witnesses, and then upon seeing Validus, cursed under their breath and ran around a corner.

Who was that and what are they up to? Aurulin can wait, this requires investigating.

Validus chased the shady figure around the corner just in time to see them go through a door. It led into a surprisingly nice building, not some shack or run down bar like Validus expected. Still, all that meant was they were successful enough at their misdeeds to afford such a building, which was all the more reason to investigate.

This looks serious, with a building that big who knows how many people might be in there. Should I go get Arlom? He could at least help me prevent anyone from escaping. No, I’ve been seen already, if I go back to get him they might be gone by the time I get back. I just have to be careful not to kill them until I know how serious what they are doing is.

Taking out his sword and shield Validus strode up to the door. On the way he started filling his body with the holy strength of Humanus. It wasn’t any specific spell necessarily, but it did enhance his body to an almost superhuman level. He didn’t want to free up his hands to turn the door knob, it was probably locked anyway, so instead he rammed his shoulder into it smashing the door open in an instant. Expecting an ambush, he immediately raised his shield to protect his face, but found no attacks arrived. In fact there was no one at all in the foyer. He did hear quick footsteps from another room though. A door opened and a red scaled Drakkin in aristocratic cloths stepped through. He held a simple wand in one hand, but was otherwise unarmed.

“What in the world is going on!? Who are you and why have you broken down my door? I will have you know I am an ambassador on official business, so if you are some common thief you will have the wrath of two kingdoms on you if you do me any harm.”

Did I get the wrong building? No I’m sure this was the right one. And besides, there aren’t many Drakkin in Lancrin, so this can’t be a coincidence. He must be confident in his ability to hide his misdeeds if he is lying like this. Besides, if I’m wrong and he is innocent, then I can just apologize.

“I need to investigate for illegal activities or possessions. I am here in an official capacity, so do not resist.”

“You can’t do that; we have committed no crimes! This must be illegal; I will have you reported.”

We? So there are more in the building. He looks scared too. It might just be because I broke down his door though, but I can’t take any chances.

“Complain all you want; it will fall on deaf ears if you do it from jail.”

Validus pushed past the ambassador, ignoring his complaints, and found the rest of his companions. All Drakkin, with a variety of colours among their scales. They were also all very well dressed and very nervous. Nothing out of place if they really were ambassadors, but that wasn’t enough for the paladin so he kept searching. Eventually he found a locked trap door hidden under a rug.

“Where does this lead?”

The Drakkin from the foyer was watching him. Either to make sure he doesn’t break anything or to stab him in the back when he saw the opportunity, Validus wasn’t sure which. He kept his guard up just in case it was the latter.

“Just into the basement. It came with the house and we decided to store some stuff from home there.”

“Open it.”

The Drakkin hesitated for a moment, but then replied almost dejected.

“Fine, you would probably just break the lock if I refused anyway.”

He took out a key and unlocked the door before stepping away from Validus. Opening it the paladin found wooden steps leading into a dark room below. He couldn’t see much from where he was, so he entered as cautiously as he could. Halfway down the steps the trap door above him closed and he could hear it being locked again. Then he sensed the use of a spell as he saw a magical shimmer cover it.

Looks like I found what they were hiding and now they are trying to keep me trapped here. Let’s hope whatever spell they put on the door is weak enough for me to break.

He was about to walk back up the stair when he heard something behind him. His eyes were still not used to the darkness, so Validus lit up his shield with a spell and looked around for the source. It only took him a moment to find it. On the far side of the room was a large cage with several humans inside it. Each one had a steel collar around their necks. There must have been a silence spell on their collars because despite the fact that their mouths were moving, not a sound could be heard. Validus didn’t need to hear a thing though, their faces said everything he needed to hear. Desperation, fear, and just a little bit of hope.

Did they throw a rock to get my attention because they couldn’t speak? How cruel to rob them of their voice. Don’t worry, I will let your feelings ring loud and clear, for everyone to hear.

Validus’ heart roared with a righteous fury that had no end. Humanus roared with him and the paladin’s prayer was answered with power. His sword glowed white hot, but not with flame, like it so often did. That was used to punish, but not kill. What filled his sword now could only destroy. He swung, and a moment later a poorly enchanted trap door was nothing but splinters. The sound of its destruction was deafening. It was still quieter than the words Validus shouted next.

“YOUR EVIL HAS COME TO AN END, NO MORE SHALL YOU HARM ANOTHER!”