CHAPTER 16: Assignment

"Men flee before a knight of the Eiridan Army. Demons shed skin before an Eiridan Paladin. Corrupt Noblemen are bent before an Eiridan Crescent. But the bane of them all is an Eiridan Acherane."

-An Eiridan private school nursery rhyme

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Tapswines Tavern, Kingdom of Galiron, Eiridan Empire

Ezakem 10 AE

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Tapswines does live up to its name as the most raucous tavern in all of Galiron. This little pub in the back alleys of the big city has witnessed everything. Brawls. Orgies. Murders. Nash wondered why someone like Eckard would random a place like this.

He, however, felt just right at home. Nash welcomed the familiar stink of sweat and souring ale on wood countered by the hunger-inducing smoke from the various cookfires in the kitchen. The loud guffaws of men and women finally having a break from the day's work almost drowned the equally rowdy music played by some band in the background. The place was primarily lit by a common fireplace but the several lanterns that hung on the oaken posts and walls also balanced the illumination.

He hasn't been here for quite a while now. But he could vividly remember the table just next to where they now sat. The table where Eckard first took him to eat. He had just cut the old man's purse back then. He thought he was the quickest urchin in all of Galiron. But the old man's hand was quicker. Nash immediately pulled his hand back but the man's grip was iron. Instead, the action pulled his small body closer to the steady old man. Out of reflex, he landed a foot directly on the man's face. Only then did Eckard let go.

It was a short cat-and-mouse chase across the streets. Nash knew the streets. He was small and light. More importantly, he was experienced in running from the guards. He practically did it for a living. Stealing. Getting chased. Surviving. Then sharing his quarry with his little merry band of street urchins.

But Eckard caught him easily. To his surprise, delight, and bewilderment, however, Eckard brought him to this tavern and fed him. Then to his further surprise and bewilderment, the man asked Nash if he's amenable to being adopted. To be Eckard's son. A Noble.

Nash hated Nobles. But he was also a pragmatic person. His only dilemma was his urchin gang. He could never leave them alone while he lived the pampered life.

Unexpectedly, Eckard invited them too. It was all too good to be true. When Nash asked for the catch, Eckard's only response was that they must live separately from each other and not as a group. The gang accepted the terms easily. So they lived separately in Eckard's many estates across the empire. And only Nash got to live with the man in his house.

Had Nash known who the man was, maybe he'd have thought twice about trying to steal from him. Then again, had he known who the man 'actually' was, he would do it all over again to end up where he is right now. A Paladin First-Class. Seated awkwardly on a lowly tavern in the back alleys of the city. Dressed as a peasant.

Across him sat Eckard, drinking from his mug boisterously. If not for their signature belts that doubled as holsters, and the signature Paladin blades that hung from them, Nash and Eckard would never be mistaken as soldiers nor Nobles. They wore identical workmen clothes – gray linen tunic and brown wool breeches over leather boots. The only difference was Nash had his favorite brown vest over his tunic.

Eckard slammed the almost empty mug on the table with a big sigh, sloshing the remaining ale to the air and the table.

"Ahhhhh! That was better than sex!" the man remarked loudly, an exaggerated grimace splattered all over his face. "Another one!"

Neri, the voluptuous barmaid came over and winked at the reddening Eckard. The man cringingly winked back.

Nash just shook his head in amusement as the barmaid filled Eckard's drink.

He has yet to touch his. Nash was not particularly fond of the food or the drink here. He's here for the atmosphere. Raw. Chaotic. Natural. It is also the reason why he took a particular liking to Eckard. Despite the man's wealth, power, and prestige, Eckard still likes to hang out in a place like this.

"You still owe me answers, Teck," he said just as Neri turned to leave.

Eckard regarded him and shook his head then leaned on the table, resting on folded forearms. "I'm waiting for the questions."

Nash initially thought of just repeating his original query but a better question came to mind.

"What was I supposed to do? Other than study to be a Torren all over again."

"Hmm," Eckard somehow did not expect that. "I never bothered to ask. Maybe he sincerely just wanted you to retrain. He did want you to personally tutor young Raynor after all."

"Granted, I safely make it back," Nash said. The Academy over at Maceria was the most shrouded in mystery among all the Torren Academies in that empire. And their Academies are rather dubious, so that's saying something.

"Aye, you have a point there. But hear this, you're a capable lad. And in my opinion, you still need more lessons. If you want to disagree, we can brawl here." Eckard winked mischievously.

At this, Nash resigned to just concur. Looking back, he did skimp on Torrenting. Regardless of what others say about it being a science, the practice – to him – was still magic. And it was magic that killed his sister. So he never wanted anything to do with it. He only wanted to learn how to counter it without using it. And the convenient answer was Paladin specialization. He had to learn the basics to pass the general curriculum, but he avoided actually using it whenever he can.

"Hey," Eckard continued. "I know you don't want anything to do with the art. But if Semiramis is indeed coming back, you will need to learn it nonetheless. Master it even. I have a feeling we will need more people of your caliber in the upcoming days."

That sounded ominous. "You really think this Semiramis is coming back?"

"Semiramis was a god," Eckard replied. "A bad one. The Church of Eidos says he was just another powerful Akharim but he's actually more than that. He was their progenitor.

"So," Eckard leaned back and took a long draught from his mug. He brought it down gently this time, but the discernible grimace in his face was still there. "Having created an entire race, that makes him a god. A powerful one too."

It was so like Eckard to talk of something this heretical. But Nash would believe his raw and real mentor over pretentious celibate priests. He was never religious in the first place. It seems he will have to learn more magic after all.

"And you defeated him," he remarked. "That's why you need to do it again."

"No, I didn't. He almost killed me. I barely managed to trap him.

"Listen," Eckard leaned in again, voice low. "Reinhard never wanted me to go to Mashashen. Probably because I'm too important to risk. It's not called the 'dark continent' for nothing. But, he does want me over at Maceria for another mission."

Nash remained silent, absorbing this new information.

"Didn't it seem odd to you that he would send a Paladin to do spying work instead of the Red Crescent?"

Eiridan's spy network.

"Or that he would send me to Mashashen all alone?"

"It did," Nash said.

"Because it is."

"So if being bait so you could enter Obsidian territory and just learning is mine, what's your actual mission?"

"Go to Mashashen."

"But I thought you just said…"

"I cannot shake the feeling that the threat of Semiramis is real," Eckard explained, leaning back. "If it is, then at least I did something about it, whether I succeed or not. If it's not, I can always come back and assist you."

"So I'm doing your actual mission?" Nash clarified.

"Yes."

"And what's that?"

"Kill a girl."

Nash bit his cheek at the thought.

"Still doesn't answer why a Paladin needs to do it," he countered. A Crescent Assassin could do a better job.

"I've been told it's a 'demon' girl."