A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands

Book 2: Chapter 29: Faith's Reward

It is only through a greater enmity that enmity is overcome.

- The Traveling Scourge.

Weariness hung heavily upon my bones, and my muscles were aching from the weight of the day's burdens. I collapsed onto the carpeted floor of the wagon, the stress and strain of my exertions draining away, leaving only a liquid relief in their wake. Cordelia regarded me with concern, a desperate hungry hope in her eyes.

"Are you well, my lord?" she asked, her voice filled with worry and compassion.

"I am well enough, Cordelia," I replied wearily, my energy nearly spent. It took great effort to meet her gaze, but I needed answers to satisfy my curiosity. "You are Cordelia de Aserac, yes? I want you to know that the title of 'lord' is of little importance to me. Gilgamesh or Gil will suffice."

"Yes, my lord… I mean, Gilgamesh. Cordelia de Aserac. Apologies, again, my lord, for being so presumptuous. To be in the company of those who would do you harm! Truly, I was an ignorant fool. For declaring myself to be your servant before… I only wish to serve, yet I fear I am not worthy," she replied, her eyes downcast and voice stricken.

Though being called a lord did tickle my pride, I decided that, for the sake of expediency, such a fancy title would only be an impediment to further conversation. This Herald business was also a little distracting.

"Please, Cordelia. Again, Gilgamesh, or even Gil, will suffice. And rather than words, I would have you show your loyalty through action. However, for the moment, I accept your declaration of fealty," I stated magnanimously and with as much confidence as I could muster in my exhausted state. Inside, I was all but cooing with pleasure at being given another character to command as I saw fit.

Perhaps it was the lingering effects of having imbibed several Mana potions in such a short time, but I had regained another point of Mana. Just enough to cast an Identify on the latest addition to my entourage.

Cordelia de Aserac - Temple Knight (Human lvl.18) Health 213/247 Stamina 23/37

Mana 1/10

As I was busy being awed by her impressive attributes, I was surprised by a sudden lurch, as our wagon began to move. I had to give Laes credit; he ran a very tight ship, for we had set off far sooner than I had thought possible.

"I feel your regard upon me. I pray you do not find me wanting. Truly, you are too forgiving," Cordelia rejoiced, her face growing flush with religious ecstasy.

"Quite. Enlighten me, please—how were you able to find me? And do you know a man named Amon Vanes?" I inquired flatly, pausing to take a swig of water from the flask at my hip. This discussion was probably going to be a long one. Game characters did, after all, enjoy their exposition.

Did I still regard these people as simply characters within the confines of a game? Such a notion caused me the tiniest twinge of guilt before my thoughts moved on to the next question. Did it matter if I saw these individuals as nothing more than a collection of data and algorithms? Yet, before I could continue down this line of idle contemplation, Cordelia's words cut through to me. "Our penance was to scour the lands for you. However, there were those who sought to expedite the process. The leaders of the Church petitioned the seers of the River God for news of you, Herald. Venal fools, all of them seeking a shortcut through the offering of gold, for the Goddess's trials are sacred," she intoned, her voice as smooth as silk, but with a passion and fervor in her eyes that spoke of a deep-seated belief in her cause. Me.

I chose not to dwell on the hypocrisy inherent in her words, for without those same venal fools, they might never have found me at all.

Lulled by the timbre of her melodic voice, I found myself drifting, feeling safe. There was a sensation of falling, followed by a glimpse of Cordelia rushing to my side.

*

Opening my eyes slowly, I was greeted by the sight of the warrior woman looking down at me, my head on her armored lap. Smiling, she continued to dab a piece of cloth across my brow.

"You are awake, Your Holiness," she greeted me with a soft, contented smile. In this world, there were worse ways to be awoken.

"How long?" I croaked, eyes darting around the interior of the wagon.

"No more than a few minutes. You must rest. Be at ease, for your servant is with you. All is well now," Cordelia replied, her beauty magnified tenfold by her angelic smile, and her words almost hypnotic.

With little reason to resist sleep's call, I relaxed and surrendered myself to her care.

*

This time, I was awakened from a sleep free of pleasant dreams and nightmares by a sudden lurching motion. Scrambling to my feet, I took in the scene before me.

Kidu, like me, had been roused by the abrupt stop and had leaped up. Mere moments after waking, the Hunter had already assumed a wary stance. After taking half a second to orient myself, I noticed Larynda groggily rising and rubbing her eyes. Cordelia was sitting on her knees on the carpet beside me.

"Who is this... you invite our enemies...?" Kidu began, his face a confused mixture of concentration.

"Peace, Kidu. Peace. This is Cordelia, and we are no longer enemies. She has sworn herself to my service," I replied, attempting to defuse the situation.

"It is as Gilgamesh the Herald says," the Temple Knight added in her soft voice.

The Hunter looked at me questioningly. I simply nodded to him and gradually, after a span of a few seconds, I could see the tense muscles of his body begin to loosen and some of the strain leaving him. Larynda had moved closer to him, using him as a shield while peeking at us from behind one of his sturdy legs.

“I think it is best that I speak to you about what happened while you were both convalescing. And you Larynda, though our successful defense owes a great part to your contribution, your little stunt almost cost the life of one of my companions,” I stated, looking at all of the wagon’s occupants in turn before sitting down.

Following my example, and with a few more glances shot in Cordelia’s direction, both Kidu and Larynda sat down.

And so I told them about what had transpired.

*

I instructed the devoted Temple Knight Cordelia de Aserac to follow and obey me in all things, to demonstrate her worthiness to be by my side. To her, this was another test of faith, and nothing seemed to bring her greater joy. Cordelia revealed that, like Amon, she had received dreams from the goddess Avaria in the nights before our meeting, urging her to bring me back to the Church's fold. But why would the Goddess command her to capture her chosen, the most perfect vessel of her holy will? It was too contrary. To the female warrior-knight, the answer was simple: these visitations were mere temptations sent by the demons of the abyss to appeal to human hubris. She believed that the chosen of the Goddess—me—was not someone who’s purpose could be chained to mortal authority, and hers was only to obey. I was pleased to hear that she viewed Amon Vanes' actions as a grave sin. I could almost taste Avaria's tears.

I urged Larynda to gain greater control of her remarkable powers. Although her spell had been effective, it had been a rather risky and impulsive thing, indeed, that had nearly cost both her life and the Northman's. Better that a few guards and other nameless NPCs had met their end, rather than me losing a friend. More worryingly, the crystal spears she had summoned from her Seal had injured me amidst the chaos. Aware of children's fragile and easily-wounded psyche, I made sure to balance my criticism with ample praise.

I inquired if Cordelia had any knowledge of magic, and whether she could teach Larynda. Regrettably, she knew only a few simple prayers, bestowed upon her by the Goddess - feeble incantations that could only heal minor wounds. When I further questioned her about magic, I was surprised by how readily she accepted my limited knowledge of the arcane.

"And lo, there shall come my Herald, as if an innocent child, knowing little of this world. It shall fall upon you, my beloved children, to shelter him and show him of mortal foibles - even as he instructs you in the deeper mysteries. For this will temper Justice with Mercy, and he shall bring forth the light unto those who have long dwelt in darkness," she explained to me, quoting from a religious text and smiling, as if caught in rapture.

The sword, the magical blade 'Weight of Justice,' also piqued my interest. Another smile illuminated the beautiful woman's face as she told us about the sacred and storied blade she wielded.

In her own words, the blade was a gift from Avaria herself, forged with metal extracted from the fallen star. Blinded by her religious devotion, she explained with a knowing smile that the sword had the power to be as light as a feather in the hands of its wielder, yet have the weight and force of a mountain when striking downwards to smite an enemy.

Based on her description, and the name of the blade itself, I hypothesized that the star-metal, if indeed it was made from the heart of one of the celestial bodies, was able to manipulate one of the fundamental forces of the universe, gravity. In essence, it had the limited ability to control this universal constant. According to Cordelia, only the downward strokes of the blade were so empowered. If it was a ‘simple’ matter of changing the sword’s mass, then upwards and vertical strokes would have also benefited from the magic of the blade. Or perhaps it functioned as it did because the gods deigned it to be so.

Religion, the delusion, was as prevalent in this world as it was in my old one. Even when faced with stark evidence to the contrary, I refused to accept that such beings were truly gods, let alone beings worthy of worship. However, there was one being who was worthy of fear… I set aside those thoughts for the moment and, as a distraction, made a mental note to prioritize visiting the water witch of the caravan.

Now came the daunting task of persuading the stubborn Kidu to accept our new reality. Though he was quick to accept Cordelia's oath of fealty to me, due in no small part to her skill and strength, when it came to the thorny topic of Elwin’s return, things were of a different cut of cloth altogether.

Kidu was quivering with rage, while Larynda merely looked confused. The newest member of my entourage, the flame-haired Cordelia, remained sitting on her knees, calm and regal.

“I understand that in the face of a great storm, former enemies must become allies. But that honorless son of a…” sputtered Kidu, his rage and confusion forming a volatile mix of emotions, “And you! You people did that to him!?”

“No… I can’t say that I was there for his inquisition. But I know the Seekers are not always kind,” replied the woman, avoiding his gaze before continuing, “But I believe that the need was great, no matter how misguided their methods may have seemed.”

Bristling inwardly, having perhaps received a similar 'misguided' method of discipline, I was careful not to let my emotions show on my face. I had to be the calm one here, the cool and collected leader.

"Best you direct your anger on the correct course, Northman, for I heard that the one you call Elwin did not break easily. Though I do not claim myself to be truly free from blame, I was not directly responsible for the pain or injuries he suffered. And you people of the North, though I can profess no deep knowledge, it is said that the ways of your people are no less cruel," added Cordelia calmly, braving Kidu's wrath.

"Don't know much about yer friend, that Elwin person, but he din't seem so bad," commented Larynda, straining her neck to look up at Kidu's face.

Finally, some support! I thought to myself before delivering my final decision to the Hunter, "I believe that despite the manner of the reunion, we have come through this trial together. Elwin is deserving of forgiveness, as is Cordelia. I find myself in need of more friends and allies than enemies. If I can find it in myself to forgive the Ro… the man, then surely you can forgive him, too? At the very least, promise no violence against the man for the time being," I asked of the fearsome man, looking him firmly in the eyes to show the conviction behind my words.

"Very well, I will stay my anger. But I will seek him out and learn the truth of this from his own traitorous mouth," he replied grudgingly, like a child forced to swallow a bitter pill.

There was a respectful knocking at the door of the caravan, three evenly-spaced beats that punctuated the end of the discussion.