Another Temple Hit

     Esvor, Roderick, Gale, and her daughters sat around the circular table in one of the Icy Hearts' rooms. The morning light, streaming through the window, was the only source of illumination. They were all sleepy and lacking energy.

While Roderick enthusiastically devoured his breakfast, chewing with audible gusto, the others merely picked at their food, their appetites subdued by the weight of the day ahead. They had to find the dragon egg without a single clue.

"I wish…" Yuki broke the silence. "I wish the blood mage just… killed the dragon and be done with it."

"The beast was innocent." Esvor disagreed. "If someone were to steal my child, I wouldn't stop until I found the culprit."

Yuki played with her bow made out of Lindworm scales. Tamiko, watching her little sister, took a small bite from her bread and shifted uncomfortably.

"Gotta start from somewhere," the Rebel-King declared. "We have to split up. I'll take this district. You guys talk to Roderick and divide evenly. My men will also assist us."

"You don't think we should find the blood mage?" Gale suggested. "Maybe he can help us?"

"He already did. He bought us time," Esvor replied.

The door creaked open, and two of the Rebel-King's soldiers entered the room with a man in chains. The prisoner had a long face and long brown hair, looking severely beaten, with a purple left eye and a face full of cuts and bruises.

The soldier on the left bowed, displayed the blue-hilted knife he was holding, and then forced the chained prisoner to his knees.

"King," the soldier on the left whispered. "We got the egg thief."

"Indeed," added the other. "Long face. Long hair. Blue knife."

"Wow," Esvor said, standing up from his chair. "Good job, men. You saved us from a lot of trouble."

"We had to do something," the soldier on the left replied. "You saved my life when those trolls attacked the camp, King. I had to repay the debt."

"So that young man was you." Roderick sneered. "I should personally train you."

"Leave him alone, Roderick." The Rebel-King pulled the prisoner closer by the collar of his coat. "Where's the egg, thief?"

"I swear I don't know. I sold it to some bandits," he said, his voice trembling. "Please let me go. Who are you? You guys aren't soldiers! Are you vigilantes?"

"Who are these bandits?" Esvor demanded.

"Ur's fanatics," the prisoner answered, his voice shaking. "One of them even told me he was the new champion of Ur, which is ridiculous. But I played along anyway."

"So that weirdo told you to steal the egg?" Yuki asked, leaning in closer.

"Yes. Yes, he was the one," the thief confirmed, glancing nervously between them.

"Where is he now?" The Rebel-King released his collar, letting him slump back down.

"Here, in Ur's temple," the man said, desperation creeping into his voice. "Now let me go!"

Esvor turned to Roderick. "Keep him as our guest."

Roderick grinned, hauling the prisoner to his feet. "With pleasure."

"Yuki, Tamiko," Esvor continued, "go to Arcane Grovel. Find Yuu and tell him about the situation. He should protect the students."

They both nodded, rising from their seats.

"Gale, you're with me. We'll scout out the temple, see if there's any unusual movement inside or outside."

"Yes, King," Gale replied, already preparing her gear.

"Chop chop, men. We got an egg to find."

     Soul teleported to his room and threw himself onto his bed. Closing his eyes, he quickly fell asleep, despite the chatter of students outside gossiping about the dragon and how the blood mage had defended the city alongside Esvor and his companions.

He had no intention of moving a muscle to find that dragon's egg; he was leaving that task to Esvor. If they failed and couldn't bring back the egg in time, he would simply kill the dragon and be done with it.

     After about four hours, Lilith stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind her. She hadn't expected to see Soul sleeping soundly on the bed.

The Demon Queen removed her shoes, placed the new clothes she had bought from the market into the wardrobe, and then sat down in a chair. Morning light seeped through the curtains, casting a soft glow on her face. She directed her gaze at the small gap in the curtain, lost in thoughts of her time with Take and the other gods, recalling torturous nights.

A knock on the door broke the silence, and Lilith used a basic air spell to turn the doorknob, allowing Hyun-Ki to enter.

"Oh," he said, surprised. "Hey, Demon Queen... is Soul really sleeping at this hour?"

"Yep," she replied. "Why are you here?"

"We were discussing attacking Ur's temple and freeing the prisoners," he explained. "I came to see if he was still planning to follow through." He put four pouches to the table. "I also brought the rest of his reward. 300 golds."

"I told you I didn't need you," Soul said, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. "Or your sister."

"More the merrier, right?" Hyun-Ki forced a smile that faded instantly. "My, uh, my sister… is really acting weird. Like she's not herself. I mean, she prayed to Ur her entire life… and now she just found out he's a monster with no remorse. She needs this."

"Sure, they can come along," Lilith said, crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair. "More the merrier. He is right."

"Hmm," Soul murmured, pushing himself to his feet. "Whatever you say."

"Nia wants in too… and – for some reason so does Ayame. Did she – does she know you are a… blood mage?" Hyun-Ki asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Yes. Nia ratted me out," Soul admitted.

"Okay… but she was like totally okay with taking down a god," Hyun-Ki continued, scratching his head in confusion. "Like, Nia told her about the whole thing that went down in that temple. Then she was instantly down with killing Ur. She didn't even second-guess Nia. She was like 'Oh, wow. Ur sucks. When do we kill him and when do I get to meet the Demon Queen?'"

"Yes, she is a weird one," Soul agreed, pacing back and forth.

"Wait, she knows me?" Lilith asked, raising an eyebrow. "Soon, every person in Redhaven will know us!"

"Yeah – I just hope she sticks to her promise and keeps her mouth shut, man," Hyun-Ki said, shaking his head.

"Okay, focus, guys," Lilith said, leaning forward and clasping her hands together. "We need to plan our attack. The temple is in the center of Redhaven. It's bound to have more guards."

"Hmm…" Soul nodded. "We should scout out the place. Gather some information."

"You're right." Hyun-Ki said, opening the door. "Though, the temple is quite far away. How about renting a carriage?"