105 Just A Traveler Passing By

MEANWHILE

Haelan jolted out of sleep as she suddenly sat upright on the rudimented mattress she's laid on. She was dreaming of a snake which seemed to be very aggressive, and then, suddenly, it bit her finger that eventually awakened her. With her head throbbing, she squinced at the imminent pain that seemed to have sharpen. As she look around, she found herself inside a spacious round white bell tent made of canvass. Across from her, she saw Priest Elijah still unconscious after being recovered in the woods. Since there is still light rains, she couldn't use her powers to heal the ailing priest even if she wanted to. Haelan clicked her tongue with an another fact that she couldn't force Yereah's potion to the sleeping priest, for he might choke on the medicine. Checking on Elijah closely, he seemed to have broken bones on his arm, and a mild concussion on his head.

Haelan planned of getting herbs to at least alleviate the priest's pain. However when she realized the time of the night, it's far more impossible to single out which soothing plant that would aid the priest. And so, she have decided to wait a little longer before she could help Priest Elijah with a hope it won't be too late by then. She sunk in her feelings of empathy where she put herself the responsibility of healing the physical weakness of others.

Haelan scratched the back of her head and felt her wound haven't quite healed yet. She removed her thick coat and loosened a few buttons of her gambeson. Then, she grabbed her scepter placed beside her mattress and cracked her neck a few times.

From inside the saxon tent, she could faintly hear voices of men mumbling words. Haelan tried to listen, but it's hard to hear clearly. She walked to the slit opening and peeked out. As she look, Stellan's face was the first thing she saw. She gasped and flinched back when their eyes met. She hoped she wasn't seen.

Then, she stealthily approached the rear end of the tent with a decision to find the traveler's stone back in the holy land. She lifted the canvass wall and found her way to the walled land of the priests quietly. Still a little dizzy, Haelan used her sceptre to lend her an extra leg to walk on. She knew that if she gets her hands on the traveler's stone, she'll be able to soul travel back to her body.

It was completely dark.

All along, she thought she have slept too long. Haelan stood for a while before she decided where to go. She trusted her instincts with her eyes wide open trying to see in the darkness. Limply, Haelan followed the scent of soot. When she finally reached the walls of the holy land, she could only heave a loud sigh. Then, Haelan stepped into the land of the priests and went straight away to the only standing and lit shelter there is.

The relic hall was in a shambles.

Haelan looked around for both the High Priest and Bertram, which she was certain chose to stay in the relic hall when the basilisk attacked. She found pieces of broken glasses, fragmented artifacts and ripped paintings scattered everywhere. The relic hall that was once a display of several beautiful things of her people, is now a hall in disarray of junk.

When she looked on one corner of the relic hall, she found smudges of blood all over. She slowly draw nearer with that coppery smell becoming stronger, and pools of blood running on the floor. And finally, she found High Priest Onias that left out a sigh between her lips, dropping her shoulders in sorrow.

"He's dead", a voice blurted out which she heard nearby. "The high priest is dead", he repeated. Haelan followed where the voice came from. Then, she saw Bertram sitting on the floor in the corner of the room with his back against the wall.

"Father Bertram", she called as she approach the tearful priest with his legs straightened out. "Are you hurt?", she asked as she endure the electrocuting discomfort in her leg as she step closer.

"I am unhurt, but inside… I am foolishly torn.", Bertram said after being in the presence of the horrible death of the high priest. He stayed hidden doing nothing hearing Onias' loudest screams when the basilisk sunk its fangs on the high priest's leg, shaking him violently, before tearing his body limb to limb. Moments later, the relic room was left to Bertram in complete thrilling silence. When he finally earned an ounce of bravery, he stood up in his trembling knees and found the high priest's mutilated body.

With his head resting back, Bertram gazed at Haelan walking limply nearing him. "You don't look good yourself too. Where's the basilisk now?", he worriedly asked.

"It's dead. Sir Stellan saved us. We're safe now", Haelan said as she stood in front of the priest.

In all of a sudden, Bertram took a load off his mind hearing a single name that gave him a reposing feeling that he prayed for. Despite Haelan showed in her eyes the kind of glistening comfort for the frightened priest, only one word made him feel true bliss. "He have arrived!? Oh…", Bertram gasped in unexplained relief hearing the great paladin's name. He wiped his face with sweat mixed with tears using his cassock. He clasped his hands in joy as if it was the best news he received in a while. Then, he stood up and erased the smile on his face as he stare at Haelan with a slight confusion. "Then why are you here?", he asked. "Are you looking for the traveler's stone? Because if you are, it's not here", he shook his head lightly.

"No, I uhh… ", Haelan denied but she couldn't fill in her words to explain.

"You don't need to pretend. Every traveler have all the reasons to seek after your kind's greatest ancestral possession", Bertram explained that gave Haelan a sudden thought.

"If it is ours… then why does the church own our precious relic? Wouldn't it be rightful to return the stone to the travelers, where it truly belong?", Haelan asked.

"You have no idea", Bertram was astounded at Haelan's unawareness. "You have no idea at all. You are indeed just a traveler passing by, with no idea where you're passing through.", he said it like a riddle that's hard to decipher. However, he appreciated Haelan's nonpersistence despite her tenacity to get the stone swirling along with her tongue.

Haelan clasp on her scepter. She feels like the traveler's stone isn't something that she could easily use for a simple purpose. And now, once again, she is at a deadend on finding what she need. She stared at Bertram's eyes and saw nothing but deep pessimism extinguishing the light of her desire to come home.

"Who could help me, Father Bertram? I am stuck here and I can't go back to where I belong", Haelan nonhesitantly said. "I just wanted to use the stone for a bit, and not have it like my own", she said with her high hopes that Bertram would at least consider helping her.

"Sir Stellan", Bertram called as he smiled with his thin lips. Haelan flinched at the name as she feel the presence of someone standing behind her.

"This is such a pleasant surprise", Stellan blurted out from behind as he stand close by Haelan. He smiled at the priest who he never expected to survive the attack in the Holy Land.

"Sir Stellan!! I never thought I'd see you again!", Bertram ran towards the paladin as he grab his hands bursting in tears. Ever since, Bertram and the other priests surrendered their trust to the paladins for their fair justice and reliability. Way back when the priests had their holy walk to the land of the priests to the imperial palace, he was snatched by a humongous long horned bull-headed monster with a body of a man and skin thick like iron. Only Stellan bravely faced the savage beast with nothing but a tree branch, emanating his power to become a sword as he save one priest. Bertram was so thankful, that even a worthless priest like him was given an honor to be saved by a paladin.

"Same here, Bertram", Stellan patted the shoulder of the weeping priest. "We have built a camp outside the walls. I suggest you join us", he said after taking a glimpse of Onias' bloody body surrounded by the large mess left about by the basilisk.

Bertram nodded as his tears run down his cheeks. "Anywhere with the paladin knight", he gasped as he struggle to hold his tears back.