The Battle for Leyta

The journey to Ytrea - 4

"Well, since you already know my name, I won't introduce myself to you a second time. Anyways, let's make camp."

When midnight fell, they were already settled in, and a barrier, not as powerful as previously, was around the campsite.

"Your name was Nerfald, you said?" Dromer asked, to break the silence that had fallen upon them.

Nerfald nodded and replied:

"Yes. That is what I said. Now then. Tell me something, Dorian. How come you don't tell anyone about the heroic deeds that you've done while venturing to Ytrea?"

Dromer paused for a moment to figure out the best answer to that question.

"Well, I guess it's because I don't care about fame, power, recognition, popularity and so on. Those are meaningless things in my opinion. Why? Because what I see truly valuable are trustworthy companions. You can find companions to fight alongside you, but you never know when they'll turn on you and kill you for your money. That's also one of the reasons I prefer to work alone, and not in a group."

Nerfald was stunned by the honesty in that answer.

"Wow, didn't think that anyone this honest still existed... Well, you can trust me. I'm as trustworthy as they come, ha ha ha!" he laughed heartily.

Dromer looked at Nerfald with a serious gaze and asked:

"You don't think I'm that gullible, do you? Even though you SAY, that I can trust you, I believe that that's for me to decide, whether to trust you or not. I do not care if you're loyal to me after I saved your life, I do not care if you had saved my life. All I care is that I don't get betrayed..." then, Dromer changed his gaze from serious, to merciless, and continued: "And if you even THINK about betraying me, I won't hesitate to kill you as painfully as possible. Understood?"

Nerfald gulped and said: "Yes, I understand."

"Alright, now that that's settled, I'm gonna make something to eat, otherwise we might starve to death."

In about 2 hours, a stew with vegetables and meat was ready to eat.

After the two of them ate, they went inside their tents to rest up. The night was a bit stormy, but the barrier protected the campsite from rain and strong winds. With the campfire crackling throughout the night, they didn't wake up even once.

The next morning, Dromer left his tent and saw that Nerfald was already up and was heating yesterday's stew.

"Huh, smart idea. At least I won't have to make breakfast too, haha!" Dromer chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, it's better to do this, than to throw the rest of it away," Nerfald remarked.

After breakfast was done, and the pot of stew was empty, Dromer continued to travel to Uirga with Nerfald close by.

In another half a day, the two of them arrived at Uirga and were about to enter the village, when a guard in light armour stopped them.

"Halt, travellers! I need to know your names and reason for wanting to enter Uirga - The Sacred Land." The guard didn't sound very enthusiastic, but Dromer brushed that aside.

"I am Nerfold. The one sent out by the church to try and put the man to the west, on the right path of faith."

The guard looked at Dromer and asked:

"Is this him?"

Nerfald nervously replied:

"Goodness, no! This man helped me out when I was attacked by that demon!"

The guard nodded and then asked Dromer:

"Now you. Name, and reason for wanting to enter Uirga."

"My name is Dorian of the Sacred Sword. I've come to ask forgiveness for my sins to the Gods themselves. And, if possible, meet with archbishop Mieft. I need some advice to get me through the rest of my journey." Dromer calmly replied.

The guard nodded and let Nerfald and Dromer inside.

"See that huge tower? That's the church. Go there, and you'll find him at the altar." Nerfald said while pointing to the tallest building in the village, which was at the centre of it.

"Thanks, Nerfald. I won't forget you. Be safe." Dromer said his goodbyes to Nerfald and headed for the church.

In five minutes, Dromer was inside the church, and he was greeted by Mieft himself.

"Greetings, my child! I am the archbishop - Mieft. What can I do for you today?"

Dromer got angry but managed to hide it, and in a calm voice, replied:

"Greetings, Father Mieft. I've come to ask forgiveness for the sins, that I've committed over these past three or four months. Also, I'd like to ask for guidance from you."

Mieft looked at Dromer and asked:

"And what should I call you, my child?"

"Dorian, Father. Call me Dorian."

"Very well, Dorian. Please, come to the altar and pray to the Gods. You'll know if they have responded right away."

Dromer quietly went up to the altar, kneeled and started praying. Immediately after he had begun, Dromer started to shine with a bright, gold colour.

Mieft's eyes widened and he spoke to Dromer:

"Oh, Exalted One! You've been blessed by the Gods themselves! No need for you to ask for forgiveness because you've been marked by the holy sigil!"

Dromer stopped praying, got up, drew his sword and turned around, all in a single motion.

"Archbishop Mieft! You must repent for your sins! This is NOT what faith in US is about! Believing in us means helping the poor while leaving NOTHING for yourself! These, are the true divine words of the God of Creation - Verdactius! ALL WHO SHALL LEAD WITHOUT PAYING ATTENTION TO THEIR SUBJECTS SHALL MEET THE DEVIL HIMSELF!!!"

With that, Dromer stabbed Mieft in the heart with his sword slightly tilted towards Mieft's head. As soon as Dromer had stabbed through to the other side, Mieft spoke:

"So you're Dromer of the Council of Ten? Well, I don't know why you're hiding, nor do I know what has happened in the heavenly realm, but I do know that it isn't pretty... Thank you, Dromer, for saving me from this Hell..."

As Mieft said his last words, Dromer pushed his sword towards Mieft's head and split it in two. Blood poured all over the cobblestone ground and altar. The church's cross, on the top of the tower, started to glow very brightly in a golden light.

Then, a bunch of priests appeared in the main room and looked upon the scene before them.

There was an angel, with its sword pointed upwards, covered in blood. Mieft's body was on the ground in front of the angel, and the floor was now a red sea of blood. Dromer went outside, still in his angel form and spoke, his voice boomed throughout the village, and into the plains surrounding it.

"I am Dromer. The leader of the Council of Ten! Our home, the heavenly realm, has been attacked by Perfentius and Revirius! The archbishop went down the path Perfentius set for him and so, he has now been cleansed of his sins and can rest easy! ALL WHO RESIDE IN UIRGA, I GRANT UPON THEE THE BLESSINGS OF THINE GODS!!!"

With that, the whole village got enveloped in bright light and lit up the plains.

The village was blessed, and the lives of the villagers went uphill from there.

In three days, Dromer left Uirga to continue on his journey to Ytrea which would span over a week.