The hubbub still echoed in the cathedral's great hall when a priest in a gray robe appeared discreetly, carrying a heavy scroll sealed with red wax. The paladins, still murmuring among themselves after the departure of High Cleric Stelios, turned toward him.
"You have been assigned specific routes," he announced without preamble. "By order of the Church, each of you will act alone to cover as much ground as possible."
The last word hung heavy in the air. The priest unrolled the scroll with steady hands and began to read aloud each person's destination. One by one, the names were called, and each paladin received their personal scroll with the location marked.
When he reached Krau, the priest handed him his without looking him in the eye.
"You too," he said curtly. "No delays are allowed."
Krau took the scroll without haste, as if it weighed nothing. Beside him, Sinphony caught hers on the fly, lazily.
When the priest left, Sinphony glanced at him sideways.
"It looks like they're really going to separate us all. What a surprise... And I thought I'd at least have good company on the trip. Too bad for you, Krau. You'll have to endure the silence or your thoughts."
Krau snorted softly.
"Silence is better than your complaints."
They left the hall together, descending the wide stone steps to the bastion courtyard. The sky was still clear, the morning warm. A cruel contrast to the grim mission they had been entrusted with.
Sinphony muttered as they walked:
"Hey... Why did you stop being a real paladin? What happened to your armor, your coat of arms, all that?"
Krau showed no expression.
"Because I stopped being a paladin... Well, it's a long story. No, actually, it's short. I left my armor behind at the bastion. I don't know where it is now."
"And what are you wearing now...?" Sinphony raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're going to ask your master for new armor?"
"No, nothing like that. I have some armor I took from the duke's armory. Among rusty swords and old horseshoes."
She let out a short laugh.
"You're a disgrace to the title of paladin."
"That's why I don't use it anymore."
A young cleric came running up, agitated.
"Miss, the High Cleric needs to speak with you immediately... you must come with me."
Sinphony nodded lazily and looked at Krau.
"Perfect. Duty calls. We'll meet again... if I remember." Sinphony walked away.
Krau watched Synphony leave and then glanced at her scroll.
"I thought at least I wouldn't have to travel far."
Krau walked away in the opposite direction, heading for an abandoned house behind the city, where he could rest until the next day. Then he would go find his old sword and the armor he had stolen from the duke.
---
That same afternoon, at the entrance to the city...
A young novice walked nervously among the merchants, asking about a tall, young man with a tired expression... The answers were confusing. No one knew a paladin with that description.
Near a blacksmith's shop, she saw a man who fit the description: tall, dark hair, somber gaze.
She approached hesitantly.
"Hello... Are you Krau, the paladin?" she asked timidly.
The man smiled. Too quickly.
"Of course I am, sweetheart. You're lucky to have found me so quickly."
Liria sighed, relieved.
"My master sent me to find Krau..."
"That's me," insisted the man. "Come on, let's go somewhere quiet. We can't talk here. What's your name, sweetheart?"
"L-Liria..." she said nervously.
She let him and his shorter sidekick with the crooked smile lead her away. They entered a tavern. They offered her cheap liquor. She firmly refused.
"Come on, pretty girl... adventurers and novices drink. Why don't you want to try it?"
Liria continued to reject the insistence of the supposed Krau.
The tavern smelled of stale beer and damp wood. Liria stood her ground, uncomfortable between the impostor and his companion, whose crooked eyes measured her boldly.
"Come on, pretty lady," said the impostor, his voice honeyed. "There's nothing wrong with a toast."
Liria pushed the glass away without looking at him.
"I don't drink."
"Cowards don't drink. You want to be strong, don't you?"
His sidekick laughed softly.
"Just a sip, novice. To show that you can trust us."
Liria clenched her jaw. The merchants chatted a few feet away, oblivious to the silent game being played at their table.
The impostor leaned in.
"Come on."
He didn't say it with the mocking voice he had used before. It was an order.
Liria stood up abruptly.
"I'm tired," she lied. "I need to rest."
The man clicked his tongue.
"As you wish. But you're coming with us. It's not safe to walk alone at night."
Later that night, after drinking and making advances toward Liria—now annoyed and very drunk—they decided to take her to an abandoned house, secluded, near the old warehouses... Not knowing that there were no vacancies in that house anymore.
The wood creaked under their boots. Liria kept her arms close to her body, alert to her surroundings.
When the door closed behind her, she knew. There was no way out.
"You're more stubborn than I thought," murmured the impostor. "But that's okay. We like disobedient girls."
Liria backed away.
"I don't want any trouble."
"Trouble has already found you."
The accomplice moved quickly, grabbing her wrists.
She fought. Everything came crashing down on her. The smell of sweat and alcohol. The sound of fabric tearing. She fought with every fiber of her being.
Until the impostor stopped moving.
A small whimper escaped the impostor before he fell on top of Liria. Quick, dry, clean.
Liria let out a scream of terror as the impostor fell on top of her, dead.
The accomplice watched the figure in the darkness pull out a dagger, stunned. Before he could try anything, the blade was already in his chest. The person plunged the sword deeper, killing him before Liria's eyes.
The body fell with a thud.
The mysterious figure lowered the bloody blade, his expression impassive.
"Stop looking at me like that," he said coldly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."
He threw her his worn cloak.
"Cover yourself. And get out of here. Unless you want to stay and stare at the corpses of those two."
"Who are you?" Liria asked.
"First, say 'thank you.' And second... who wants to know?"
"I'm looking for a paladin named Krau... and I was deceived by these two," Liria said.
"Well, I'm Krau. I used to be a paladin, but now I'm just an ordinary man. Who are you, and why are you looking for me?"
"The great Corvus sent me... but I don't know if you're him."
"Yes, I am. Why did he send you?"
"He didn't give me any details. He just said to give you a letter."
"Another letter... I'll read it tomorrow. If you can, get some rest."
"I can't sleep with those corpses."
"Welcome to the real world, girl. If they bother you, sleep outside."
Krau turned to the dark corner. The bodies were still warm. Liria finally understood the brutality of the real world. Her journey had just begun... in the worst possible way.