Champion

Chapter 17

"The humans believed that Eros had brought them to this land, and it was a gift to his faithful. The dragons were their neighbors and guides, chosen by Eros to help them in the new land. They believed that since the land was a gift from their god, it should be cherished. That they should give thanks to Eros for anything they took. But ultimately everything in the land was part of the gift he gave them. So they began to round up livestock and cut down trees to plant fields and build homes. They were changing the land to suit their needs instead of learning to change their needs to suit the land.

"Eventually the dragons moved away from the humans and into the forests and mountains at the center of Erosius. They made an agreement with the humans. The dragons would stay within their new lands, and let the humans do what they needed. But the humans would stay out of Dracian lands, respecting their desire to keep that part of the world untouched.

"Both dragons and humans loved and respected the land in their own way, so they were both willing to agree with the other on this choice. Their differences in beliefs were minor, but significant enough for them to feel separation was a more peaceful solution than disagreement and animosity.

"After the dragons stopped teaching his faithful about magic, Eros began instructing a few of his most devoted in order to finish their education. He explained that their magic was not as strong as the dragons' magic, but there were ways that humans could gain greater magic by accessing some of the power he would grant them. By sharing the love he had for all people, they could share his magic as well.

"He taught them the Blessings of Eros, an act of shared passion that brought them closer together and increased their power. Then he taught them healing magic, explaining that all life is sacred and it would be their responsibility to protect and preserve it whenever possible. This became known as the Healing of Eros, a great responsibility that all members of the clergy must take seriously. Lastly he tasked them with teaching this knowledge of magic to the rest of his faithful, spreading his message of love and compassion to all those who had followed him to this land.

"So his most devoted faithful became the first priests and priestesses, and it has been the clergy's responsibility to spread his teachings to all the humans who live in Erosius. Their actions ensuring both magical knowledge and love continue to prosper throughout the land."

Finishing her tale, Laurena looked to see David's response. He appeared deep in thought, which was understandable. She had just distilled many winters of dogmatic teachings into a brief speech; and had skipped or glossed over many parts that she couldn't fully remember, or never truly understood. It was not surprising to her that he needed some time to think it over.

They continued to travel in silence while he analyzed what he had learned. Everyone had magic? That seemed unusual and a bit over simplified. He wondered if he had magic now that he was in this world. There were dragons, and they used to be friendly with humans, but apparently not friendly enough to put aside their beliefs. Magic had to be convinced to do what you wanted. That made it sound like it was a sentient thing with its own thoughts and desires, and you had to coax it. He wondered if it was a symbiotic, parasitic, or servile relationship. Did the magic even want to be inside you? If it also inhabited the dragons he figured it was probably voluntary, but he couldn't be sure. If it was parasitic then did using a lot of magic reduce its power to feed off your body, allowing you to live longer; or did it make the magic stronger, causing it to feed of your body more, shortening your life? He decided it was time to change the subject, he was starting to worry he might not like the answers to some of those questions.

"If I'm supposed to be the new Champion, what happened to the last one?"

Laurena contemplated her response for a few moments before answering. "I don't know many of the details, but I do know that she died a generation ago in a battle near the coast, northeast of Calavius. It was near a small fishing village that is no longer inhabited. A group of people from across the sea landed in the village, and began slaughtering everyone. Some were able to flee, hiding in the sparse forests and plains that surrounded the area. One of them had a horse and she road for almost a week to Exitibus to request aid from the temple there.

"The priest who ran that temple gathered as many volunteers as he could, but our land knows little of fighting and nothing of warfare. The morning they gathered to leave, the last Champion of Eros arrived with a group of followers, and joined them in facing the invaders. Her group was small, but they had stood at her side and had helped defend the realm for centuries. Their experience made all the difference once the two forces met.

"Even using the Champions' magic to speed their travel it took the group nearly four days to reach the fishing village, and by that time the raiders had already moved on. The Champion's force tracked, and eventually found, the raiders that had begun to make their way toward Calavius. They met in the afternoon, and fought each other until dark. No one knows how or why, but the Champion was slain during the fighting. Her followers and a handful of townspeople returned to Exitibus with news of what happened. The surviving invaders had left in the night, returning to their ships and leaving Erosius. No one who returned was willing to speak of the Champion's fall, and her companions disappeared into the land to fade into obscurity since losing her that day.

"Since then, this event has been called the Great Battle and the ground where the Champion was slain has been known as the Field of Woe. Those who have traveled to the site speak of a great sorrow, and rage seeping from the very ground. Few were able to stand it very long, and I know of no one who visits the Field of Woe now."

As David nodded his understanding, she felt it necessary to add, "That is where Eros commanded me to guide you. He wishes you to meet with him at the site of the Great Battle."

He didn't like the sound of that. He had enough rage and sorrow left over from Mukavia; he damn sure didn't feel like adding any more. Then again, at this point in his life he would probably be immune. If these people weren't fighters and didn't know about war then it was no wonder Eros grabbed someone from his world to defend this little patch of dirt. But why him? There were thousands of Special Operations soldiers roaming the hills of Mukavia that would have been a much better choice. Professional badasses that could use the handful of weapons he had to defeat multiple armies single-handedly. Why was he here, instead of one of them?

Realizing he had been quiet for some time, and that Laurena had not disturbed his thoughts, he turned and thanked her for the information, and the time to process it.

"It is what I am here for Champion. I am your guide to our god. I would be failing him and you if I did not do everything I could to prepare you for the unknown future you will face," she told him with a gentle smile.

Turning his attention back to the road, he thought to himself, she really is beautiful. It's too bad she's such an enormous pain the ass.

Looking ahead, he saw what appeared to be a farm in the distance. He wondered if it would be safe to stop in there for supplies and food. They might even let them spend the night. Looking over at Laurena, he realized she would probably guarantee them an offer to stay the night. If she could keep her mouth shut.

***

The farmer, Timothy, had been more than willing to help them. He was initially leery of David with his strange clothing and weapons; but once the man had seen Laurena and learned of her status as a member of Eros' clergy he practically fell over himself offering them aid. The farmer's wife, Dawn, had been less impressed with the girl, but her mood thawed eventually. The young couple had invited the travelers in for a wonderful dinner, and even offered them their own bed to sleep in that night. David politely declined.

He was perfectly comfortable spending the night in their hay loft, and he would have rather slept in a freezing rainstorm than kick his hosts out of their own bed after all their generosity. Laurena was less pleased with his decision.

"Why do we have to sleep in the barn?" she asked him the minute they had left the house for their chosen accommodations.

"Because it would have been rude to sleep in their bed and force them to sleep on the floor, or in their own barn," he explained, with his patience rapidly dwindling again. Her mood after getting to ride her horse again had been an improvement, and her pleasant interactions with the wonderful couple had been a surprise to him. But she was reverting to behavior that he'd had more than enough of that morning. If she kept it up, she would find herself waking up at the bottom of the farmer's well.

"But they offered. If they did not wish us to use it they would not have mentioned it," she continued, the annoying whine he was all too familiar with began edging back into her voice.

"Then walk back in there and ask if you can join them," he snapped, continuing his walk to the barn. "I'm spending the night out here."

That statement gave her pause. Was he serious? Share a bed with a married couple? They were young, not much older than her, but she was an acolyte. Would they misunderstand her intentions? What would David think of her if she did it?

She had realized that her attitude that morning had undermined her seduction of the Champion, and she had been working to repair the damage since. He seemed to approve of her courtesy toward the farmer and his wife, so she had tried extra hard to ingratiate herself with them. The home and meal were not nearly as grand as she was used to in Sanctuary Port, but both were far better than eating along the road and she was very demonstrative in her gratitude. But she couldn't understand his reticence about accepting a comfortable place to spend the night. She had spent almost two weeks on the road by now, and a warm bed was a luxury only a fool would turn down. But it seemed he was determined to do just that, and her dissatisfaction over his decision was not well received. She realized that his approval of her actions and conduct was far more important than a warm bed at the moment.

"I am sorry Champion," she backpedalled. "I was not questioning your decision, only trying to understand it."

They had reached the barn while she spoke, and as David opened the door he sighed at her words.