17 Lord Fendian's Work Part 3

He sat in the inn room that Lady Diane had given him. He sat on the bed and yawned, "One step closer, but she is actually pretty nice, I think I could actually take a break from my quest, maybe here, less pressure from the gods and time I think, I am so tired, I don't know how I have made it this far, my legs are so heavy, damn," He lay back, "Goodnight myself, another fun day tomorrow, Lord Dratkin's work might turn out to be more fun than I thought," He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

He woke up the next morning, the sun was still down. He got out of bed and stretched. He closed his room as he left it, locking the door and walking down the stairs. The inn was quiet, except for a bartender cleaning the counter. He sat down at the counter and yawned, covering his mouth.

"Good morning, Sir Vidian, breakfast?"

"I'd like that, thank you."

"A breakfast meal, will you?" She turned back to him, "How did you sleep?"

"Fine, fine, haven't really had time to sleep like that, too much travelling."

"Where are you from?"

"Town on the other side of the Great Desert, quite far from here, but I have been doing a few stops, Luminosada, Bloodwater, and here now, so yeah, but I think I might stick around for a little bit, I need to rest."

"Well, with Lady Diane's present, you might as well," She joked as she put a plate of food in front of him, "Fresh scrambled Jinyoio eggs with Veltil peppers, mooshrooms, with some Calmanto bacon and some Kilto bells, hope you enjoy it."

"It certainly looks good."

"Do you want something to drink with that?"

"Something light, maybe a little sweet."

"Okay, let me get you something."

"Thank you," He said as he began eating, "When does the temple open?"

"Whenever Justia wakes up."

"Ah, what time is it right now?"

"Dawn, in a couple dozen minutes it should be day."

"Thanks, this is pretty good, tastes like what we used to cook for meals in festivals in my hometown, but not as tasteful like this, most was dried."

"Well, here they come from the farms that profit from the river, so all of it is fresh apart from the bacon, salted, so stored, it taste better than when it is fresh."

"It is pretty good, that is for sure."

He climbed up onto the roof of the temple, Lord Dratkin had shown him a small way in through the roof. He slid in and hopped down into the main entrance of the temple. He looked around in the dark temple, no one was around. He smiled and slowly walked up to Justia's room, the only 'real' room in the temple. He slowly opened the door to her room and creeped in, trying not to wake her. The sun was only starting to break the line of the valley, giving light to the town. He smiled as he watched her sleep, he noticed the necklace around her neck, but couldn't try to take it, it would wake her. He left the room and went down to the entrance once more, he had seen what she did in the morning and how she prepared the temple before opening the temple. He decided to do it for him.

She walked down, yawning from her room and saw Vidian sitting on one of the benches of the temple, "Um, what?"

"Good morning, Justia, did you sleep well?"

"How did you, I didn't open the, what? Why is everything, what?"

"I did your work for you, to make it less for you, I think I did it well, did I?"

"Um, yes you did, well thank you, I slept well, did you?"

"I did," She said as she unlocked the temple doors, "How did you get in?"

"Um, can I skip that?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter, no one has done it before, so I think it's fine."

"I thought it would be nice to help you a little, give you a little break from doing this every day, so I did it."

"You did pretty well actually," She said looking around the room, "Are you praying?"

"I was, why?"

"To whom, may I ask?"

"Lord Eternum, I have killed a few men, and I don't like that, but it was necessary, I asked him if I am reasonable to do that, if it will be held against me after I perish here."

"I am sure he will see your reasons, you protected me with three of those, and you probably had reasons for the others, you aren't a cold blood killer, I can't imagine you as one."

"I know, but us humans are very connected to the guidance of the gods, Lord Eternum is the one I pray to, for my quest," As he finished, a ghostly figure appeared in the room, "Lord Eternum," Vidian knelt in front of him, Justia had no idea what was happening, "I assume you heard my prayer."

"I can to answer you personally, you remember the last part of your quest, Vidian, you can't be held to any of your actions here, as a supreme god," His phrasing was unclear but he understood it, Justia clearly didn't, "I will be leaving now, the others will begin to wonder where I am if I am not in."

"Thank you, Lord Eternum," He vanished from the room. He sighed and turned to Justia, "Today is Sunday, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"Do people come more on Sundays?"

"N-No, less people do, so I often make sure the temple is spotless," She said sitting down next to Vidian, "They rest on Sundays, that is the main rest day, most people don't work on these days and spend time in family or with friends, Belanos and Sionar enjoy Sunday nights," She laughed, "They love the booze and the drunks."

"I guess so," He looked around at the stone foundation, wooden walled temple, "Does it get lonely or boring here?"

"Yes, sometimes, even if the people who come to see me for advice and to pray, make me happy, it makes me feel important."

"Did you enjoy yourself yesterday?"

"I did, very much, thank you."

"It's nothing."

"Vidian, do you, like, do you, love me?"

"Oh, um, I guess I do," He was actually nervous, "I think that I do, I mean, how could I not?" The comment made her blush, "You are pretty, and like, you are nice, kind, I like that."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I think I do."

"You really do?"

"I think I do."

"Or are you just trying to get to my body?"

"No, hell no, I would never do that, I would never do that."

"Okay, I think you are honest, but do you, want to see me, later, today?"

"Sure, I'll come see you after your work?"

"Yes, that will be fine, have a good day."

He was walking in the forest, whistling, until he saw massive footprints on the floor, he couldn't recognize them, "Looks like a big beast walked around here, huh, maybe I could go see what it is," Something slammed into his back and sent him sprawling to the floor, "What the hell? Holy shit," A massive, snarling beast stood a little bit away from him. It had broken arrows in its hide and one of its eyes was cut across the middle. It was a large furred beast with spikes on its forearms and legs. It moved to a four legged stance and roared at him, "Looks like I found you," He lifted his arms and gestured for the beast to come at him. The beast roared and charged, it looked like a bear with a tough scalp on its head. Markings lit up all over his body as the beast hit him. He grab the beast around the neck and twisted his body and caused it to crash to the floor, "You are really strong, what the hell are you?" The beast charged again and Vidian's body lit up with markings again as he grabbed it, but instead of taking it down, lifted it and brought it down behind him, to the floor. He rolled back to his feet and saw the beast snarl at him. He looked around and realized that it was defending its territory. A small beast came out of the forest, a similar one to the larger creature in front of him, with the leather like scalp, the spikes on its forearms and legs. He put his hands out and knelt down trying to show the creature that he wasn't an enemy. A large figure appear as roots and leaves formed its body, it was some sort of god.

"Belti, what did I tell you? I told you that you had to NOT fight, you aren't here to kill humans, you are here to defend them, please, you'll be coming back with me, you and Bell, I have to heal you again," She noticed Vidian, "You, human, how did you face Belti without dying?"

"You are Naturania, Lady Naturania?"

"Yes, I am, but answer my question."

"I am Vidian, I roam the lands gathering the blessings of the gods on this earth, Lord Eternum told me so, so I do."

"So you are the human who has to save this world, huh, I expected more," She knelt down to be at his height, "You already have 4 of them, well, that is good for you, hopefully you aren't going to be a failure, like most humans," She rolled her eyes, "But, you did face Belti and don't seem to be injured, huh, maybe you could be that savior of these people, maybe you could."

"Lady Naturania, why do you doubt me? Why do you doubt humans? Is it because of what my ancestors did to your closest children? Because if it is, I am not like that, I want to move away from that and that type of thinking, judging because of how you were born, I want to judge based on character, or not judge at all."

"You still think like that."

"I fell in love with a Natura, not because of her body, not because of her power, because of her, everything."

"I know, she asked for forgiveness, from falling in love with a human, yet, I told her not to, that it was normal, that she fall in love with someone, no matter what race they were," She smiled at Vidian, "I trust you, I trust you to save the world and to make sure that the Death of the World will disappear."

"Um, thank you, Lady Naturania, I will try to do that."

"Don't try, succeed," She vanished with Belti and Bel in her arms, leaving Vidian alone. He sighed and looked around, before deciding to return to the town. Justia would probably still be working and he could rest some more, maybe with a drink or two. He yawned and realized how much the blessings and the morphing affected his body, he hadn't noticed it when his life was more active and fast-paced, but now that he had this work, Draktin's work, his body's messages were finally reaching his brain, aching in his body, pain in his muscles and the weight his body seemed to have doubled overnight. He slowly walked back to town, feeling the aftermath of his powers. He realized that what Lord Eternum said when he gave him the amulet was very true, and that the Blessing of the Conqueror actually had to drain energy to help him, he realize that he couldn't just use it as much as he wanted.

He sat down at the bar, sighing from his exhaustion, "You don't look well, Vidian, what's up?"

"I am tired, real tired, can I have a drink, anything."

"Yeah, are you sure you are fine?"

"Yeah, yeah, I really need to rest, I am tired as hell," He said as she placed a cup in front of him, "Thanks," He downed the drink then yawned, "I have some much ahead of me."

"I don't get you."

"You don't have to."

"Okay then."

He sat next to Justia. She leaned her head on him, "You are pretty," She said nothing and smiled, "I had a question, does being a priestess give you the Blessing of Lord Fendian?" She shook her head, "Okay, are you tired?" She nodded, "Well, so am I," He looked outside of her window, "I should get going," He got up and she grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"Stay here," She pulled him back and made him fall onto the bed, "With me."

"Um, Justia?"

"I love you, Vidian, I love you a lot."

"Justia, are you sure you are okay?"

"Do you love me?"

"I think I do," She undid her robes and stood in front of him, nearly nude, "Are you sure about this?"

"I am."

He held her necklace in her hand. She was still sleeping. Lord Dratkin rose from the water in his chamber, greeting him with a smile, "Good, you stole it from her, I want you to hide it, anywhere, somewhere that would be hidden in plain sight, fore a thief has to know how to trick as well as steal."

"In the temple?"

"But put this on it," He handed Vidian a small note, "She will understand it."

"What is the note?"

"Don't worry about it, just do as I say, and you will have completed my work," Lord Dratkin laughed maniacally, "I wish you good luck in Sionar's work," He vanished, leaving Vidian alone with the note, he placed it in a small gap of the necklace and walked to the entrance of the temple. He exhaled with relief as Justia was still asleep, he hid it in plain sight, like Lord Dratkin had told him to. He sat down in the temple, at the front, with the necklace above him. He saw Justia leave her room, worried, clearly worried. He sighed as she looked around hastily, looking for her necklace. She saw him and walked towards him.

"Did you see my necklace, Vidian? I swore I put it next to the bed yesterday."

"Good morning Justia, no, I haven't, I woke up a little earlier and didn't see it," He lied, "I'll help you look for it," He got up and then she looked up.

"How did it get there?"

"What got where?" He looked up and saw the necklace that he had hung, "What in the world?" She jumped to try and get it but couldn't, "I'll get it," His arm morphed as a small tentacle spike wrapped around the chain of the necklace and brought it down to her, it still had the note. She grabbed the necklace and attached it around her neck, and removed the small rolled message. As she held it in her hand, she placed her necklace under her robe once more. She slowly unrolled the message and began reading it. She dropped the note and was frozen, she slowly lifted her head to look at Vidian, her head was twitching and she slowly moved closer to Vidian. He hadn't read the note that Lord Dratkin had given him, and so had no idea for what to anticipate.

"Vidian," Her voice was shaky, "Did you, did you just do this for a work?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you just charm me to complete a work, the one of stealing my necklace that I keep safe against me?"

"No, it was only part of it."

"Part? What, is, the, next, part?" She took a step forward with each word, "You defiled me for a work? You stole from me for a work? You don't love me do you? You just used me?"

"N-No, I would never, can I explain myself before you get mad like this?"

"Go ahead, you have a lot to explain."

"When I met you, there was something about you, but I didn't have time to talk to you, or really spend much time with you, I should've, it would've made this conversation less heavy," He sighed, "Lord Dratkin told me my work, I had to do it, but while I was with you, I didn't think of my work, I thought of you, I couldn't stop thinking of you, even if I tried, I couldn't just force you into doing anything, whether or not it was for a god."

"Mhm, continue."

"Justia, I have something to tell you, do you want to hear it?"

"Speak."

"I love you," He said under his breath, "I love you," She lost her anger and instantly began blushing, "I felt terrible when I took the necklace, I know it was dumb to not just tell you, but, I love you, I really do."

"H-H-How, what, why, huh, I don't, I don't, know, what, to, to, to, think," She stammered and began pacing around, still blushing, "I told you that, but, but, but, you said nothing, I just wanted to spend a night with you, next to me, holding me, to show that, that, that, I loved you, but, but, but, I didn't think you would, you would, I am embarrassing myself."

"Can you forgive me?"

"I d-d-don't know, I think I can, but, but, but, but, I don't know."

"I am sorry, Justia," Lord Sionar appeared and snarled, not seeming pleased at all.

"You passed that work so easily, maybe rage isn't something hard for you to get through," Lord Sionar sighed, "You passed it so quickly, that was my work, the last work of Lord Fendian's work," He vanished once more, leaving Vidian and Justia confused.

"Did you do that on purpose? Was this planned?" He grabbed the note and saw written words and the words that she had read, fitting her reaction, "So it wasn't planned, Justia, it wasn't planned right?"

"N-No, I didn't do anything, I think it was planned by the gods not by me."

"If you say so, but well, I have to claim my blessing, then we can spend some more time together, what do you think?"

"Oh, um, sure, Vidian."

He stood in front of Lord Fendian, Lady Diabellariana, Lord Belanos, Lord Sionar, Lord Dratkin and Lord Malvenon. They were outside of the city, in a small clearing of the forest, "Vidian, Vidian of the Great Desert, you have completed the Work of the Night, and done the works of my gods, you can now claim your blessing, but I must warn you, this blessing affects you, physically and will alter you during the night, do you accept to take it?"

"I must take it, Lord Eternum will care for me when my time has come, right now, I must follow his quest and gather the blessings, therefore, I accept," Lord Fendian held out a small gem, a crescent shaped blessing, "Before I take this, what will it do?"

"You will be a Child of the Night, with half of your body taking that form, you will have one horn, on your left side, and the skin on your face might shift a little, changing how you look, but at night, you will be empowered, gaining strength, speed and resistance, you will be much stronger at night than in the day, all this without using the blessing and putting additional effort on your body."

"I will take it," He placed it by the amulet and it locked into the 5th spot. Nothing happened for a second, until pain shot through his body, a horn emerged from his head, a horn similar to Lord Fendian's and his right eye closed itself. When he opened it, it felt different, it had gone from brown to red. The skin on the left side of his face began changing, his cheek seemed to rip and reveal his jaw, holding at two points, leaving holes in the side of his face. He felt his face and sighed, "How am I going to do anything?"

"That is just the effect of the blessing, during the day you can call it back, you still can eat normally, and drink normally, but you are now a Child of the Night, Vidian of the Great Desert, when Lady Diana shines upon you, you will be stronger in many ways, and when Lord Zenith shines upon you, you be just a regular human," He snapped his fingers and the changes disappeared, regaining his regular form, "You see?"

"Thank you, Lord Fendian, and your lesser gods, for the tasks that you have given me, I hope they will help me throughout my journey, thank-"

"They will," Lord Sionar interrupted him, "The Death of the World is a dangerous foe, you will need all the might you can muster, and maybe all the rage that can consume you."

"I wanted to ask about it, how is it?"

"It has to die 11 times."

"What?!"

"Every time it dies, it becomes immune to dying a certain way," Lady Diabellariana added, "But the fact that you are human makes it easier for you."

"You have to kill it 11 times, with its size decreasing each time, until reaching human levels, it goes from mountain to man."

"You will have to fight hard, but don't think about that yet, think about Lady Dorana's work, you will have to head to Solarianus, if you want leave soon, ask the town's people where to go, it isn't very far, as Night and Day are only separated by Dawn and Dusk, brief separations."

"Thank you again, Lord Fendian, I hope I will be able to survive my journey."

"Who said you wouldn't?"