Champion

Chapter 43

Cassius was suddenly glad he was in the privy, for after hearing the Night Lord's final command he suddenly needed to use it.

*** Investigations ***

240800MAR13 DW

Exitibus, Erosius

Laurena spoke with Sapphire the previous evening, and she agreed to help get David to attend the next Erosian worship service. It was actually fairly easy for the acolyte to get her to agree, and if she had thought to ask why she would not have been happy with the answer.

The next morning Laurena chose to stay at the temple with Phoebe, and help her prepare for the evening services. Sapphire wanted to visit some of the craftsmen and shop owners she knew, to track down Galen. David chose to accompany her, leaving most of his gear in his room. He did choose to put his ceramic plates back into his IOTV and wear it. He also took his three pistols (one in each of his drop-leg holsters and the last in the IWB holster on his right hip), extra pistol magazines, his two fighting knives, three throwing knives, and two folding knives. His iron-mongery was a bit excessive, but after his fight in Wolfsvale he figured it was better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.

The new fighting knife he had crafted was impressive. He had etched the words for the enchantments into the blade with magic. It was a painstaking process, and he decided that when he conjured the swords he would do so with the words already etched on them. He had also spent as much time on the road as he could feeding his magic into it, and he had begun to get a feeling of fullness from the blade, as though it could not hold much more of his magic. This had surprised him, since Zaffre had told him the enchantments would take nearly a year, and he had only been working on the knife for a few days. He decided to test it this morning.

Walking from the temple with Sapphire, they went to a pile of fire wood near the stables. Selecting a decent sized log, he drew the knife and tried to carve a chunk off. The knife slid across the log smoothly, as though he was cutting paper, and a piece of wood the size of his hand fell off. Impressed he tried slashing the log, and again the blade cut through effortlessly. Finally, he thrust the blade, point first, into the thick log, and it buried to the hilt as though he were striking a Jell-O mold.

Impressed with his creation, he drew the knife out and inspected the blade, seeing no blemishes on its surface. As he went to sheath it he noticed a large stone nearby, and had a crazy idea. Deciding it wasn't really a test until he knew the knife's limits; he walked over and slashed the stone. The knife passed cleanly across the stone, with no more resistance than slicing a watermelon. Amazed, he decided to risk it and stabbed the rock point first. It sank cleanly in. There was a little more resistance than with the log, but again it he was able to bury it to the hilt.

Looking back at Sapphire, her stunned face was mirrored by his own. "I've never seen a blade do that before, and you've only been working on it for four days. That's not possible!" she protested.

"Apparently...it is," he replied shrugging. He pulled the knife from the stone and checked the blade again, seeing a small blemish on the point. Apparently it wasn't indestructible, but then it wasn't completely full of his magic yet, and he doubted he would end up fighting many boulders.

"How?" She asked him in amazement.

"No clue, I just did what your mom told me to and put in as much of my magic as I could as often as I could. Technically it isn't even finished," he told her, "it can still hold a bit more."

"No, you don't understand. No blade I know of could handle absorbing that much magic that quickly. They would be destroyed," she explained.

"Hmm...what do you normally make your blades out of?" he asked the sorceress.

"Iron if we want it strong, bronze if we want it light," she answered.

"This is neither," he told her. "This is steel, quite a bit stronger than both of the metals you just described. Would that make a difference?"

"Sometimes. But usually the power of the conjurer determines the properties of the item."

"So maybe because I have a butt load of power, the stuff I conjure is more resilient, and better able to accept magic?" he mused aloud.

"That seems possible, we may need to test your theory," she said, now excited at the prospect.

"Sounds like fun. We'll put it on our to-do list for this evening," he said jokingly.

As he went to sheath the knife Sapphire surprised him with the announcement, "Actually tonight I was hoping you would join me for the worship service."

He couldn't help it. Yeah, he was trying to put a knife that could cut through solid stone with ease back on his vest, but her words distracted him. All he could think about was the idea of her in naked, sweaty ecstasy beneath him. After the idea of her bare form pressed against him finally quieted in his mind, he looked back to see the knife still in his hand and the sheath sliced cleanly through its side.

"s**t," he swore.

"Something wrong David?" Sapphire teased him. She had seen his eyes glaze over at her announcement, and she suspected he was imagining lying with her. The thought that she could so distract the Champion made her very happy.

"It's nothing. I just gotta make a stronger sheath now, that's all," he bitched. Turning to look at her, he asked, "What did you mean by 'join you for the worship service'."

"I mean, Laurena asked me to convince you to go to the Erosian worship service tonight. She thinks it will help with your education. Since I'm also tasked with teaching you, I'll go as well."

Needing a moment to think, he began to conjure another sheath, but this time weaving the enchantments for strength and durability into the material. Attaching it to his vest, he pushed as much magic into it as he could, but was only able to partially fill it before he felt it start to become unstable. Sheathing the new knife with great care, he decided to push as much of his power into the sheath as he could today. He really didn't want that knife poking him...ever.

"Have you ever been to one before," he asked.

"No, this will be my first," she replied with a knowing smile.

"And you want to go...with me...to tonight's service, knowing what happens there."

"Of course I want to go there with you. I've never gone to one because I have no desire to lay with random men. But with you there, I'll be safe from them," she said with a smirk. "What could go wrong?"

***

Shadowmaster Blade was intrigued. He had been contacted before dark yesterday and tasked with keeping watch on a group of three that had entered the city. He would normally just assign a few men to watch them, but this was a request that came directly from the Night Lord. He intended to oversee it personally.

He had assumed that they would stay together, but they had not. The acolyte was staying at the temple, while the trader and the man looked to be going into town.

He decided to put a four-man team on the two that were leaving and keep an eye on the acolyte himself. She was a member of the clergy, and they were the biggest threat to the Night Lord's operation. Turning to his best team leader, Quintus, he gave the man his instructions.

***

David had to fight to settle himself after their talk. The images that flashed through his head were keeping his manhood rock hard, and it was becoming uncomfortable. Eventually he distracted himself by thinking about octogenarians in bikinis. It was revolting but it worked.

Once that issue was resolved, David observed the locals, and noticed an interesting assortment of clothing and wares. It seemed a mixture of ancient Greek and Roman culture, with some early Middle-Ages influences. The clothing included togas and robes, with breeches, tunics, bodices and skirts mixed in. He noticed many wore either leather sandals or simple ankle high boots, but a few had riding boots like Laurena's, while the poorest went barefoot. He also saw two different men that just didn't seem to fit. Their clothing was simple, non-descript, and fit well with those of lesser means around them; but their boots were of fine quality. David checked again, and saw that everyone else similarly dressed wore sandals or were barefoot. He made a note of their faces and clothing.

Part of what he had learned from Mr. West was counter surveillance. The key was to notice things that most people didn't, and spot the things that didn't belong. If you saw them often enough, it usually meant someone might be watching you. Two men dressed like everyone else didn't stand out to him, but two men wearing boots that didn't match their clothing did. The first things he was taught to pay attention to were pants and footwear. It is easy to change a jacket, hat, or even shirt to confuse someone observing you. Bystanders don't pay too much attention to you if you do that. Removing your pants or shoes takes time, and in a crowd it gets you noticed.

Sapphire led him to a shop nearby, and he browsed the merchandise while she talked with the owner. At least he pretended to browse. What he actually did was watch the crowd through the opening of the shop while she had the first of many conversations that day.

"Hello Faris," Sapphire greeted the shop owner.

"Hello Sapphire, I haven't seen you around much lately. What brings you to town?" he asked.

"I'm looking for someone, his name is Galen," she began. "He's tall, slight of build, short brown hair, and has two scars, one on his right temple and another on his neck," telling him the description she had been given.

"I don't recognize the name, and he doesn't sound familiar. Do you want me to ask around?"

"Yes please," she requested. "It is very important."

"What, does he owe you money?" Faris joked.

"No, he knew the men that killed my father," she replied. "I just want to ask him a few questions," she added.

"For Marcus, anything," he replied, solemnly.

She thanked him, gathered David, and they made their way to the next stop. For the next two hours they traveled between merchants' shops and crafters' workshops. The message was always the same, I don't know the guy, but I'll spread the word. Sapphire explained to David that they would stop for lunch at her favorite tavern, and then start talking to the tavern and inn owners next. As they made their way towards her destination, David spotted something familiar. It was a pair of boots he knew to watch for, and while the pants matched, the tunic didn't, the jacket and hat were new additions. The facial hair was also different.

This guy is definitely up to something, David thought.

Pulling Sapphire to a nearby trader's stall, he pointed out a scarf on display and whispered into her ear, "I think we're being followed. That is the second time I've seen the same guy, but he's wearing different clothes and has a fake beard now."

Sapphire immediately started to turn her head to look for the man he described, so thinking quickly David grabbed her face, leaned down, and kissed her. Sometimes he hated working with amateurs, but this wasn't one of those times. Her lips were amazing, and he eagerly tasted them. She initially resisted him, surprised by his actions, but quickly melted into his kiss. As her hands drifted to his waist, their lips caressed one another's, and he snuck his tongue into the mix. She was inexperienced, but a quick learner, and soon they were checking each other's tonsils.