“They could’ve at least let us stay the night,” Reggie grumbled as we exited the city. “It is probably for best,” Gus replied, “It was pretty clear that we weren’t welcome there,” The sun had already begun to rise as we headed East to Vertsbridge. We were all exhausted, but I was just happy to be out of that city. If I had to stay up another three days, I would if it meant getting as far from here as possible.
We walked in silence for a couple of hours. I could tell there was something on Katherine’s mind, but I didn’t want to ask in front of Reggie and Gus. Mostly Reggie. I wasn’t in any better shape; it took all my mental energy to not think about burning corpses and sick people and have that turn to memories of my own past.
“There is an Abbey not too far from here,” Gus said. “The Abbot is a close family friend.”
“Aren’t you from the other side of Regemendax?” Reggie asked as he turned to face Gus.
“Yes, but my grandmother saved the Abbey many years ago when she was an adventurer,” he replied, “The Abbot is very friendly, I’m sure he’ll let us stay the night,” he said with a nostalgic smile.
“Anything to get off my feet!” Reggie whined.
Katherine nodded in agreement but remained silent. Hopefully, we’d get a chance to talk when we reached the Abbey.
Not too long after that, I saw a large red stone building in the distance. Surrounded by old but sturdy-looking walls, more likely used to keep wildlife out than invaders.
“There she is!” Gus proclaimed, “The Abbey of Saint Maria!” he gestured towards the structure. “Older than the Kingdom of Regmendax, the Abbey was founded by Saint Maria herself after bringing peace to-” Gus paused and blushed a bit.
“Go on,” I said. Gus cracked a smile and looked to Reggie and Katherine. Reggie sighed, “It doesn’t bother me,” and Katherine gave a gentle nod.
For the remainder of our journey to the Abbey, Gus regaled us with the history of the building. No detail was spared, the name of the architect, the kind of stone used, and everything in between.
By the mid-afternoon, we reached the Abbey. For an entrance, it had a large wooden drawbridge that lay wide open. A sleepy-looking monk was casually reading a book on top of the walls above the bridge. As we approached, he turned his gaze towards us, “Hmm, travellers?” he yawned as he slowly got up.
“Greetings!” Gus shouted in a tone that so drastically contrasted that of the monk that the poor fellow nearly fell off the wall. Undeterred, Gus continued, “We are members of the Adventurer’s Guild in Exordium, and I am the grandson of Marygold the Giantess which saved this Abbey many years ago. We have just finished a quest, so I humbly ask tha- Ouch!” Gus yelped as Reggie nudged him. The monk chuckled, “Of course young ones, go right ahead to the main building, you will be well taken care of,” We all made our way in as the monk went back to his reading. He gave me an odd look for a moment but seemed to be more interested in getting back to what he was doing.
After going along the well-kept path into the main building we were met by two more monks. One of them was stout and had a very friendly face while the other was tall, lean, and had a contemplative expression. “Well met, travellers!” the stout one said, “I am Brother Trent, and this is Brother Lyon,” The tall monk gave a short, slow bow at the mention of his name. “Welcome to the Abbey,” he said quietly but clearly.
“Thank you for your hospitality!” Gus smiles at the monks, “Is Abbot Nycen around?” Brother Trent nods, “He is indeed; however, he is currently making preparations to receive the Archbishop who will be arriving tomorrow,” Gus’ eyes widened, and the rest of us turned to each other in surprise.
The Archbishop of Regemendax, not only one of the most influential men in the kingdom but known to be a potent magic user. “What’s the occasion?” Reggie asked with a raised eyebrow. “The Abbey is due for a visit, as it has been a few years. Nothing serious, we plan on holding a feast tomorrow!” Brother Lyon replied with a smile.
“You’re more than welcome to stay for it,” Brother Trent added, “However…” he looked us up and down, “You look like you could use a bath and some rest before you do anything.”
We all nodded in agreement, “That would be fantastic, thank you,” Gus said gratefully.
After a quick dinner, we all got cleaned up and headed directly to bed. I was so tired that I fell asleep immediately. But we were up for a rather rude awakening.
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