Chapter two

I start to walk out from town after resupply with the bag on my back and three credits lighter they ripped me off but I don't have time to barter. The surfer raised some eyebrows but most assumed I am a mage. The black raven my ever president company and friend flies and lands on my shoulder once we are a decent length away from town.

"So Solomon why do you hide your faith?"

"Because followers of the goddess of death are not vary well reserved."

"But you keep already are standoffish and a assassin why would this make it any worse?"

"it would only make this worse than ever besides I am no clergyman so it is not necessary for me to declare my faith."

"you pray to her every night and you clam not to be a member of her faithful."

"I never claimed that, merely that I am no priest of her's as she did not accept my offer of such. You know this you damed bird so why ask?"

"you answered knowing this so why did you answer." He is insurability but if I answer he might.

"it was a reaction as I hide nothing from you." I say as we wander down the road. This fermiliur is such a pain.

"because I love to keep you occupied when traveling and she did tell me to watch over you."

"dear lady of death please grant me the strength to keep your charge and keep your server humble but not by this month price." I pray looking at the bird on my shoulder pecking at my ear, the scars from over a decade of living with Brutus are both deep and a mark of the queens blessing.

"don't think I can't hear you," Brutus says as he starts to pick at his father's.

"I know also you are a fucking telepathic so I can't hide shit from you." I responded as I start to stroke his head

"nice kill by the why. vary dramatic, but why not slit his throat and avoid the guard?"

"the monster deserved to die, and be afraid of death not a peaceful death. As to why I used swiftshot it was part of the oath I swear to the raven queen before every kill of one on my list."

"the same oath that means you can't have your arm regrown or do you just hate yourself?"

"hell fire wound holy magic can't effect it, and I refuse to use infernal healing."

"right I forgot that's how you lost it." Then Brutus grabbed some crackers and dropped one in my had. We walk in silence for a while after. Then a night falls and the hunger fills my stomach. Brutus started to squawk "north by north east a large elk."

"Thanks Brutus" I start to fallow his directions and start to draw my bow and true enough the elk is there. His large form and matted pelt told me it was older and I was in the right. The eye was glossy and would be the perfect aiming point. The whistle of the fletching and point after I lose the arrow means the elks death was immediate and hopefully painless. It rush forward as soon as the beast falls and start to skin the things. I leave only the offerings both to my patron and one to bignia the lord of the hunt. For it would be in bad taste to kill an animal without making the sacrifice. I eat all that is food and start to make arrow heads from the antlers.

Then sleep, I am still a half elf and need sleep. I put my sword next to me as I must be ready if someone attempts to attack me. I wake to find a goblin digging though my stuff.

"who the bloody hell are you!" I yell drawing my blade from its sheath. The thing attempts to run but I am faster and keep my blade drawn and aimed for the thing.

"wrogt new heris ta ting oh wash orly investigating." He over emphasises that last word unfortunately I don't understand that dialect.

"in the king's if you will," I say, just as I apply a little presser drawing blood.

"alright, alright I was just investigating you bag." He says this slowly and with grate effort. I am share they will as well as purposefully showing his steel arm and letting the thing fear my blade. He attempts to push off my blade as well as slinking down.

"you have made a mistake, you just asked for me to cut you down goblin. But I will not." He ran then after only a few seconds a dire wolf jumped upon him but left me alone. After that a pack up and walk off with only a mild wandering of what the goblin had wanted. I check my bag the gold was there so was swiftshot and the steel balls and powder so what then.

I continue on with nary a over the shoulder glance. Through the tick woods and forwards towards the pale keep as well as towards that most important of reunions a little before the thirteen years but only my about three moths once the quest is started.

A powerful sense of wrongness flares from the bag hitting me in waves in a rhythm like a war March. I open it only then realize it the stick snuck in the sack. How stupid must I have been to not realise a tracking curse. I throw it to the ground and snap it. The power is released and falling to find a why in dissipates. That little shit I should have just cut him down.

two moths pass as I trek on in silence attempting stealth until a clearing lit only by the moon dime and holy. For what is a assassins friend if not the moon. The clearing was empty besides a small campsite with only one bag and a tent. What kind of person need a tent. If there is one thing my ranger father drilled in to my sister and I it was survival skills one of which is shelter construction.

But it is warm and harvest is such a beautiful time so I sleep under the stars. Seeing the depth of eternity in the sky glowing as pinpricks make it a puzzle of forms and time. I start the work of deciphering the past and looking infinity forward and the form of a elfin woman in a black cloak of feathers and with her face covered by a porcelain mask. Then she fades and I am laying on my pack and a red skinned man with a goatee and ram horns coming from his forehead is before me. Probably

I jump up and look him in the eye. Goddess he's tall. With only an inch over me he and that is excluding the horns. He must be a half devil.

"sir, might Aah be of assistance?" He asks he must be from axelvale luminos area from the drawl.

"why would a want help from a fiend like you!" I say anger perforating my voice as if I had my way devils and demons would be eradicated. I extend my claws as they are the closest weapons.

"aah im sorry sir but there seems to be a mixup I am not a fiend. I am a paladin and a member of the axelvale legion. so I ask you do, you need help?" What does he think he is and why does he keep calling me sir

"Forgive me, I am a survivor of Remigor so devils and their spawn are not my friendliest sight." Why am I giving him such personal information, then it hits me. I am in a zone of truth I literally can't lie or so he will think magic resistance is the only good part of being what I am.

"that explains the arm my name is Athi'arthia Steel at your service. Just out of curiosity how did you get out."

"I fought a devil and lived."

"how the fuck did you survive a fight with a devil?"

"I didn't," I confess rubbing the arm and preparing to leave

" Aah speaking to a ghost then?"

"in a sense, but I am quite alive as you can clearly see."

"Aah I don't understand."

"I was reborn."

"ah, you never introduced yourself so?"

" don't try to use magic on me. But it is Solomon cor, my name that is." I let the name sit in the air setting in his mind then I pull my pendent showing the ravens blessing. He put the piece together and starts to pack up.

"just out of curiosity are you going to the pale hold?" He asks as I pack up with him. I see his shield and noticed his order the impaled dragon.

"yes," I answer curtly

"Aah am glad Aah am the company of another adventures and a ranger gathering from your light pack and shortsword." He says this as I hide the small smirk on my face. He is right on the money except I am also an assassin but that is not his problem yet…

"quite insightful and you are a paladin in the worship of Caxena of the order dracna. Your sword is quality but needing an apartment with a wet stone. Witch make my informant wrong as he claimed you were Order damnant. Interesting, I wander where that info came from." I stop paying attention to him and as i reach in to my pack in pull the notebook I keep on me for just such notes. Bookmarks jutting out at random angles and making it look like it was unorganised and random but it is not, just the only magic item I own the unseeing book each bookmark acting as a gateway between parts I go to the sixth tab and start to write notes on this arthritis.

"how do you know that?" He asks as I start to record the details of his shield and sword they are truly works of art probably passed down as the blade is stained and the shield is filled with scars of battle won and survived.

"the crest on your breastplate and the fact you are a paladin with the signal of a squared dragon. As for the sword, it is from the notches in the cross-guard. So since you call yourself Arthus, you are either a lier, an anomaly, or a mistake from my informant." I say this as a hand him a knife and start to help him pack up. He is so sloppy he is carrying two more bags than he needs

"how do ya..."

"I am a trained as ranger and you are wondering why I am perceptive?"

"if ya put it that why I must be foolish as hell."

"you are a overpacked, if you want to get there on time cut half of the shit you brought."

"what if I axed you to help each of use is slowed a little and work as a team?" He asks, his accent is truly thick and hard to understand. But I don't think he gets what a ranger does.

"I get what out of this arrangement?" I ask because really it seams like he gets all the benefits from this deal.

"a traveling companion and a ally for the time being, and you still did not tell me why you have information on me?"

"I am an adventure and mercenary so it would be foolhardy to be ill informed," I say keeping my gun in my coat and try to hide the tell tale sign of my less then legal training. Especially sense paladins are lawful as all hell and hell knights have that to the nth degree.

"your right." He admitted bringing a small bit of joy to me

"as for your offer I have a companion." I motion towards the raven that has followed me for my entire life after the incident.

"This is Brutus my familiar," I say rubbing the bird after he lands and starts to stare down the half devil with loathing.

"That is a strange name for a bird Solomon, why is the bird named after an assassin?" Arthus asks but how does he know that he is not even well known and is hidden by the order.

"I am surprised you knew that and I liked the name." I lie as the raven is in fact named after the first speaker of the lady queen, keeper of the dead, and last of the new old gods. Well named after is wrong, he is a massager of her greatness so he already had a name.

"and how did you know it was an assassins true name?"

"how did you?" Arthus shrugs as well and answers my question

"he killed the second grad master of the order dracna…"

"and was never caught as he left not even a faint mana trace. So..." I interrupt him immediately wishing I hadn't as he was probably catch the abundance of info.

"the same way you did, we read his latter interview in a zone of truth. Paladins are principled not stupid. So will you join me or not." I don't think Arthus has put it together I still don't like him or he is incredibly good at hiding it.

"I will see you at pale hold." And with that I walk off with my bag and bird. Why did I give him my real name magic is weaker on me so why did I let it happen as a walk the stretched skin leading to the cap where the arm connect to the bones making it part of the body. The slight pain constant but not anything compared to not fighting and being just a brain in a jar with rents and assassination knowledge.

Next time I work with heriou I will try to have it adjusted to be less itchy at less it still works and is waterproof unlike the last one and with claw I wander why no one other then Markolf has commented upon it. I know it would probably have cost a lot for an non detection enchantment upon it. So why is it not been commented upon. It must have been just curtesy.

The days fly by as I rush forward towards the city of pale hold. The beckons of light piercing the dark heavens call to me with a dangerous and sickle felling with only the vaguest notion of safety in the rush to she her again.