Comrade Goddess

Hermes blinked his eyes and his expression softened. It took time for him to recover his sense of reality from the fight he had dreamed of. I knew what he was doing. He was using his past fights to train. It was a deep meditation technique. He was hypnotizing himself to return to the past.

''Why would someone do such a thing?'' the fox said.

''Because,'' I murmured, ''Just because you can hit the target in training doesn't mean that you can do the same in the real fight, when your opponent has your friends as shields, and have only one arrow left.''

''So it's a mind training?'' the fox said.

''You're right,'' Hermes said. First I thought he was talking to the fox, but then I realized he was answering me. I was sure I was speaking so quietly that he couldn't hear me.

Frowning, ''Does the wind carry whispers to you?'' I asked.

Hermes smiled, ''Sometimes. Do you need something?''

''I was going to ask if they finished fixing the armor, but the blacksmith was closed.''

Hermes nodded, ''Coral delivered the armor and gloves a while ago. Ah, she said they made a pair of gloves from the pieces of armor left over. Wait here and I'll get it.''

He left without waiting for me to answer, again. ''I think we interrupted his training in a bad timing,'' the fox said.

''Everyone has ghosts of the past.'' This time I was careful not to say it out loud. It didn't take long for Hermes to came back with a... shiny mass. ''Oh my, I'll draw as much attention as a lighthouse. Maybe I should get some flares to sign my place to the demonic creatures. Umm... no offense.''

''It's okay. You're a demonic creature too,'' the fox said.

''If there is a problem, find me,'' said Hermes. Was he gently trying to get me out of here? Shaking my head, I decided that I was being touchy.

Taking the armor and chain gloves from him, ''Where did this sudden interest in training come from? This is the second time today I find you on the archery field,'' I said.

''Eh, I want to be at my best if we are going to play puss in the corner with demons.''

I looked at the targets. ''It doesn't seem like you need training. You said what would we do with the demons?''

He, too, looked at the targets and laughed with a pride hidden in his voice. ''Since the humans couldn't conquer the door of the sky dungeon, the Captain decided that a small elite group of people who would open the door would infiltrate the demon territory.''

It was nice that there is someone interested in informing me of the news. ''Wouldn't it be better to join the temple's convoy if you are preparing to face the demons?''

Hermes shrugged and turned his back to me, he took the bow hanging from his back. ''Are you believing in god, Hermes?''

''Well,'' he said and turned to me. ''I believe in something, but definitely not the one the light temple worshipped.''

''So what are you believing in?''

Raising his eyebrows, ''Won't you tell me I'm an infidel and curse me?'' asked Hermes half joking, half serious.

Shaking my head, ''No,'' I said. ''I think you spent a lot, lot of time with the far northerners. If you want to talk, I'd glad to listen.''

He looked at me, then looked at the bow he was holding. Sighing, ''A break wouldn't be bad,'' he said. ''Also, I'm from far, far north compared to this town.'' He headed towards a build still under construction and sat on a high rock. I think the build would be a warehouse for archery supplies.

''You can't be farther north from here.'' I sat beside him.

He laughed but it wasn't a happy laugh. ''You bet. You know Galen, right?'' I thought of the wooden legged old man standing at the reception all the time and nodded. ''He's my little brother,'' Hermes said.

I looked at him in disbelief. He sent me a bitter smile. ''Years ago, we left our small village in the north to be adventurers, and we became adventurers, as you see. For years, everything went well. We were running from an adventure to another adventure. My level was so high that my aging slowed. Then one day,'' he closed his eyes and frowned, ''There has been an accident.''

The fox sighed, ''Can we skip the sad past story and have fun, please?'' I told it to shut its mouth up, and I put my hand on Hermes' shoulder.

Hermes opened his eyes and touched my hand on his shoulder with his fingertips. ''I left him and went on my own. It was too late for everything when I realized that my companions were disappearing one by one. They were getting old, some get wounded and left, some died. I was left all alone already. I took Galen with me and returned to our village.''

He stopped speaking. For some reason, I wasn't thinking it was a 'and they happily lived forever' story. ''What happened then?''

His expression was the same as when he was shooting an arrow. ''The village was destroyed. Demons had taken over the region.'' He rubbed his forehead. ''I know my regret won't do any good, but I can't help thinking maybe everything would have been better if I came back sooner.''

Not knowing what to say, I caressed his shoulder. ''You did your best.''

He looked at me with that bitter smile again. ''No, I didn't. Now I'm boring you with my stories. This wasn't what I had in mind when inviting you to dinner. We don't even have anything to eat.''

The fox giggled, ''Oh, boy. You're so wrong about that.''

''You still haven't told me what you believe in,'' I said.

''Do you know goddess Elysaen?'' he smiled, and this time it was a real smile. I shook my head. ''She accompanies the lone travelers. She doesn't test us, judge us, or protect us. It accompanies us from the first breath we take to the last breath, then takes our soul into her realm to rest.''

''I never heard her,'' I said.

Hermes waved his hand like saying don't worry, ''We are a small community of several travelers and drunkards. We have no temples, no wealth, and we definitely have no political influence, unlike... you know.''

''Why hail a goddess who doesn't promise to protect you?'' I asked.

''Well, I cannot say that I have a philosophical approach to religion. I was eighteen and enthralled by the stories of a gold eyed wind goddess accompanying her believers on cold nights. Especially the stories that the goddess is naked.''

The wind filled my ears like the voice of a giggling young girl, and I wondered if there really was a goddess listening to us right now. ''Has she ever visited you?''

''No, but I never regretted my choice. Also,'' he said looking at my eyes, ''I don't need the companionship of a goddess right now. I got lost in the charm of a mortal woman.''

Accepting the invite, I slid my hand from his shoulder to his arm and approached him until there was no gap between us. Hermes lifted me up and put me on his lap.

''Did you see? I told you he is strong,'' the fox said.