Champions Vol. 01

"After those eleven returned they were different. They were angrier, and greedier. I was able to convince three to come to the temple for worship and counseling, but those eight that I mentioned refused. They told me an old fart who hid in his temple knew nothing of their loss and fear," he said sadly.

"Soon I began to hear rumors regarding them. Money and prized possessions going missing, strange accidents happening to people they disagreed with, and travelers being found on the roads outside of town beaten and robbed. This region had been peaceful since the last wolves were driven out many generations ago, and now it was seeing more violence than had happened anywhere in Erosius since the Great Battle. No one had come to me with a direct complaint against them, but I began to investigate anyway. I could not read their auras without a witness or evidence of a crime, and I could not read them when they came to the temple because they no longer attended services. Yet I was soon suspicious.

"Finally, one night in the tavern, they became very drunk and began bragging about finally finding their treasure. We discovered their meaning the next day. They had attacked a wealthy trader and his daughter along the Lexian Road, beating them both and leaving them to die. The trader passed on before they were found, but I was able to heal the daughter's injuries. She managed to describe her attackers in great detail, confirming my suspicions, but by then the eight men I mentioned had already fled the village.

"We never knew where they had gone, but I have recently been hearing stories of travelers getting robbed or going missing in Snow Gap Pass. I had sent a request to the Great Temple for an Inquisitor to look into it, but have heard nothing back yet."

Turning to David he said, "And now it seems I can cancel that request, since you already found the answers that they would seek."

"I wouldn't be in such a hurry to quit just yet," David replied. "It sounds like there may still be three of them out there somewhere, and I doubt they are going to just give up now. They may move on, they may not, but they seem dedicated to taking from others rather than making an honest living. In my experience people generally don't change, and I doubt that those three are going to be the ones to alter that belief."

Astinus ate a few bites of his meal while he considered David's words, finally nodding his reluctant agreement. "I understand you concerns, and I find myself agreeing. Also, knowing now the cause of all the trouble in the mountains, I will insist on accompanying the investigator when he or she arrives. Those men are from this town, and thus my responsibility. Had I acted on my suspicions sooner much pain and loss could have been prevented."

David nodded in agreement with the priest's words. The older man was a little too quick to rush to judgment concerning his actions in the mountains, but Astinus also took his duty seriously. That was something David could easily respect.

David thought of all he had learned lately. He did not fully understand this world, but it seems that Erosius was pretty much a theocracy. The clergy seemed to be responsible for maintaining order and educating the populace, in addition to providing spiritual guidance. He was leery of any one organization having that much power, but then again the supposed checks and balances of the United States government hadn't exactly stopped his country from being run into the ground. He decided to reserve his judgment of them until he knew more.

Besides, he thought to himself, being able to read someone's guilt or innocence using magic probably cuts down on corruption, deception, and false imprisonment.

After discussing such serious topics, each of the trio ate the rest of their meals in silence. Despite the quality of the meal, each barely tasted their food, lost as they were in their own thoughts. Eventually David looked down to notice he had cleaned his plate without even realizing it, and decided that a break from his current thoughts was necessary.

"Astinus, what can you tell me of the last Champion?" he inquired of the priest.

Jolted from his own reflections, Astinus considered David's question for a moment. "Not here young man," he replied eventually. "It is nearly time for us to return to the temple, and that is a long story that will have us here past the Moons' closing. Let us return to the temple, and I shall do my best to answer your questions about the past."

After paying for their meals Astinus led them back to the temple, steeling himself to re-open old wounds in order to help this new Champion.

The three had barely noticed the man that had sat quietly at the next table during their meal. None of them saw the man follow them to the door. Nor did they see him watch them from the front of the tavern as they made their way down the road.

*** Chapter 12: Unexpected Complications ***

122120MAR13 DW

Wolfsvale, Erosius

Broast, Dalmer, and three more of their men were dead. This was unfortunate news to Lucius, for he had been making a steady profit selling their stolen goods throughout the region. Supposedly working as a traveling trader, he was mostly just their fence. He would travel to the mountain pass every two weeks, collecting their latest haul, and then transport it to Lexia to sell or trade. Then he would take his proceeds back home to Wolfsvale, setting aside the cut for Broast and his men, which he took on his next trip to the mountains. He was not sure what the three survivors would do, but he assumed they would want the earnings from the last trip whatever they decided.

Will they risk coming here for it? he thought to himself.

He hoped they would not, but had no way to know. Depending on who had survived, their actions could vary widely.

Lucius thought about what he would do if they came. Should he leave, and try to meet them on the road? He did not want to be seen with them at all, but it was far better than being observed with them in Wolfsvale. What if they were caught? He knew that Astinus was certainly powerful enough to read their auras to verify their guilt. They might expose his participation, and then he would lose everything. He would either join them in servitude for his crimes, or spend his life on the run from the clergy.

He had only escaped notice thus far because he had tried to regain his faith after returning from that Eros cured abandoned village. It hadn't worked; Eros was a blind, sex-crazed fool. But by at least trying he, Galen, and Francos had separated themselves from the other eight. When those fools had gotten drunk he and Francos were already on their way to Lexia with the latest haul. It took them almost a week to find enough buyers for such a large shipment, and the two were away from the town for well over a fortnight. Upon their return Galen had explained what happened.

Galen had always been the planner. It had been his idea to seek fortune and fame in the abandoned village. Extremely intelligent and powerfully magical, he had been able to conceal his own aura from Astinus for the last six winters. Within a month of the eight's flight from justice Galen left for Exitibus, preferring the much larger city to their small town, and seeking distance from Astinus.

Within two months of their departure, Lucius had received word that the eight had set up shop on the trail through Snow Gap Pass. It was far less profitable than Wolfsvale had been, but they were better able to hide their actions from the clergy while in the mountains. They had learned an important lesson about secrecy from their near capture.

With the added necessity of traveling to the mountains to pick up their pilfered goods, Lucius now had to spend two weeks of his time merely traveling the roads. So after a few months of this, he convinced Francos to move to Lexia. It wasn't a difficult discussion. Both men had found it increasingly challenging to come up with excuses of why they were now missing worship services, and claiming that they were attending in Lexia would be more believable if at least one of them lived there. Lucius and Francos combined their money, and had just enough to open a small shop in the port city. This enabled them to dedicate more time to fencing the stolen goods, ensuring significantly better prices.

In the two winters since they started, the enterprise had become more profitable. Lucius and Francos had begun to incorporate greater quantities of honest trade goods into their merchandise. They had talked and decided that in a few more seasons they would stop dealing in the stolen goods all together. Broast and his men would be unhappy, but it was not as if they could complain to the merchant guild over the breach of contract.

Lucius thought about the suppliers of his legitimate merchandise, and how much he could charge for them. It would be expensive to go legitimate now. He and Francos were not ready. Maybe if they could find some new supplier that had something that everyone wanted and no one else could make, but that was unlikely. They were still breaking into the business, and the best selling products were controlled by a group of traders that regulated their traffic with an iron fist.

He remembered what he had heard of the stranger's story. He had killed five men from a great distance with total surprise. If Lucius could figure out what weapons or magic the stranger had that could do this, perhaps he could find a craftsman that could reproduce it. He would have something that no one else did, and he would be able to name his price for it. But how could he get the man's possessions from him?

Lucius thought again about the three wanted men in the mountains. He had an idea...

***

"Any conversation about what a Champion does should first begin with what a Champion is. And that discussion is truly complicated," Astinus began once the trio had returned to the temple.

They were sitting around a small fireplace in what David assumed was Astinus' office. Relaxing in a comfortable chair, David was ready to learn what this whole Champion thing was all about. He had hoped that Astinus would know more than Laurena did about the matter, and it seemed he might.

"Eros is one of many gods and goddesses throughout all of creation," Astinus began. "Nearly two millennia ago, all of the deities shared the same realm, but perhaps the term shared is a poor choice. Many of the gods and goddesses were petty and jealous, squabbling with each other over worshippers and power. Eventually The Creator, the first god and creator of everything - to include the other gods - grew tired of their antics and the damage they were causing to his favorite realm. He separated them, casting them from their former home and sending each of them to a different realm in his creation. This was not done in cruelty, but as a way to create peace between the gods and to protect their former realm from inevitable destruction. Each god and goddess was given their own realm to watch over, and their most devout followers were allowed to accompany them.

"We are the descendants of those who followed our god Eros to this world. He gave this land as a gift to those who had come from a similar place in the last realm, and our ancestors named it Erosius in his honor. There are other lands in this realm, where other followers who lived in different places than our ancestors were taken. Only in the last few centuries have we begun to explore the seas with ships, and so far we have only found one other land of his followers.

"Unfortunately, just because The Creator separated the gods and goddesses, does not mean that he stripped them of their powers. Deities gain their immortal power from the beliefs of their followers, and if enough people in any realm believe in them, they can enter that realm and challenge the god or goddess who resides there. Unfortunately, if two powerful deities were to duel in this, or any other realm, then it could potentially be destroyed in the battle. All the gods and goddesses feared that if any of them destroyed one of The Creator's realms, then he would at a minimum destroy the offenders, and quite possibly destroy them all.

"Because of this, a powerful god of battle created a set of rules that he convinced all the other deities to agree to. No god or goddess would ever directly fight another deity. They would instead choose one mortal amongst their followers that would fight in their stead. This mortal would be given a portion of their deity's divine power, and would protect their realm on the deity's behalf. They would be primarily responsible for stopping another god or goddess from gaining enough worshippers to challenge for control of the realm, but if they failed in that task then they would have to face the mortal Champion of the challenger for control of that realm.

"You may be asking yourself what does it matter who controls which realm? The answer is that it only matters to those who are in that realm, and to any god or goddess who loses their realm. Each deity has their own priorities, and so each realm is a reflection of that. If our realm fell to the god of War - for instance - the peace, prosperity, and love we have known for two millennia would end. I do not wish to imagine what our world would look like then.

"However, for those of us who truly love our deities, their loss would be far worse. If a god or goddess loses enough worshippers, they lose their powers and their immortality. They become mortal, and eventually grow old and die; their presence lost for the rest of eternity."

With these heavy words Astinus paused, to let the significance of what he said sink into the stunned minds of David and Laurena. After a few moments he resumed his story.

"Over twenty winters ago the last Champion felt the presence of another deity encroaching into this realm. So she traveled to where this feeling drew her, and discovered an invading force. She was a very powerful sorceress, but not a very accomplished fighter. For almost five centuries she had defended Eros' realm by promoting his religion of love and compassion throughout the land. She felt that when people realized how much Eros loved them, and how wonderful that love felt, they would have no desire to look elsewhere for divinity.

"Once she realized that this group of invaders had been seduced by a Goddess of War, she threw herself into destroying them utterly. She refused to allow any part of War to gain a foothold into this realm, and would do whatever was necessary to stop them. Unfortunately, in her zeal to defend her god's realm, she forgot that she was no fighter or tactician. The force arrayed against her was so great that even her divinely gifted magic ran out, and she was struck down that night near the end of the Great Battle.

"However, even though she died, the invaders were defeated. She had caused enough destruction to break their will, and they fled the field that night. The fools sailed from our lands in fear of a woman they never discovered they had killed," Astinus said with a pained chuckle.

"So that is what it means to be a Champion and how the last one left us. I ask that neither of you share this story with anyone else. Without a Champion to defend our realm, knowledge of other deities and the powers to be gained from their worship could cost us our world and our god," Astinus requested of them. Then he gave David a wan smile. "At least, until you are ready to defend us young man."

"Now if you two with forgive me, I must ask that we call it a night. It is late, and I have much to do before the service tomorrow evening," Astinus told them.

"May we join you for worship Priest Astinus?" Laurena nearly begged. "I can help you with the preparations and the service, and David has never seen the worship of Eros."

"Certainly my dear," said Astinus. "I would welcome the help, and I am sure many of our young men would welcome it too," he added with a chuckle. "I shall wake both of you in the morning for breakfast, and Laurena you can help with the preparations while our Champion here relaxes until the service begins."

*** Chapter 13: Revelations and Reservations ***

130720MAR13 DW

Wolfsvale, Erosius

Morning came too quickly for the sore soldier; it had been far too long since he had ridden a horse. Groaning as he dragged himself from bed, David stood and tried to stretch the soreness from his abused thighs. He dressed in his uniform and fleece jacket and strapped his M9 to his leg. His gear was stacked neatly in the corner of his room, and he made sure to lock the door and pocket the key on his way out. He trusted Astinus for the most part, but in the wrong hands his weapons could do a lot of damage on this world.

Making his way toward the smell of freshly cooked food, he met Laurena and Astinus in the temple's kitchen.

"Good morning Champion," "Good morning David," they each greeted him.

"Good morning to you both as well," he replied. "Am I in time for breakfast?"

"Certainly. We were going to let you sleep in, but instead you've woken in time to join us," Astinus replied.

Taking a seat at the table with them, Laurena handed him a plate with eggs, toast, and fruit on it.

"Thank you," he said gratefully.

As they ate their breakfasts, they discussed their plans for the day. Astinus and Laurena would be busy for most of the morning, preparing the temple for the children's worship service that afternoon, and the adults' service that evening. While he held services five out of seven nights a week, he only held the children's service two afternoons each week. Those days usually brought in many of the families from the farms outside the town.

"I often have a few of the oldwives in the town help me with the modified service for those that have not yet seen their eighteenth winter," Astinus explained. "But with Laurena here I will have her teach it today. She is much closer to their age than I, and will be able to explain Eros' love to them in a way that they might better understand," he said while smiling at the young woman in gratitude.

"I am honored to help," she said with a smile of her own. "It was only a few winters ago that I was their age, and I recall how difficult it was to imagine the greatness of Eros' love without having experienced his Blessings."

Hearing this David decided it was high time he figure out what the hell was up with this worship service and Eros' Blessings. Laurena had made it sound like it was an emotional sharing event, but after hearing that kids couldn't participate; it was starting to sound like something very different.

"Astinus, could you explain what happens at a worship service and what Eros' Blessings are," David asked.

"Looking at him, and then Laurena in confusion Astinus asked, "Why? Are they different where you are from?"

Laurena answered him quickly before David could respond, "David is not from here. He is from another realm, and knew nothing of our lands or ways before I met him. I have tried to explain as much as I could, but it has only been two days and he has had many questions.

"I have also been hesitant to discuss the details of worship services, since I am an acolyte and could not have given him any manner of demonstration if he requested," she added with embarrassment.

"I understand child, it is fine. I was just surprised. I knew he was not from Erosius given his strange weapons and manner of dress, but I just assumed he was from one of the other lands of the realm," Astinus responded.

Turning to David, Astinus began to explain the details, "Our worship services are an opportunity for the faithful to share the love we feel for Eros, and for each other. Eros commands that we love all things, and his faithful try to do that. But it is difficult for most to accomplish on their own. How can you love a tree, and still cut it down for fire wood? How can you love an animal, and still slaughter it for food? How can you love your neighbor, and still allow him to be punished when he commits a crime? So we clergy ask Eros these questions, and share his answers with the faithful so that they might better follow his commands and still live their lives.