Champions Vol. 02

* * *

"David, might I speak with you for a bit?" Philotheos asked the soldier.

David looked up to see the old priest smiling affably at him. He and Sapphire had been sitting in the temple kitchens talking about the similarity between magical theory and science. They had just finished lunch, and neither of them had plans to do anything else for the day. After all the stress and excitement they had been through since Exitibus, it was nice to just sit and relax with one another.

Turning back to Sapphire, he gave her a questioning look.

"By all means, don't let me keep you," Sapphire replied with a smile. "We are about to spend a few months on a ship together. We will have plenty of time to continue this discussion then."

David tried to smile at his lovely companion, but internally he groaned at the realization of just how long they would be aboard ship. He struggled with getting carsick when he wasn't driving. How the hell was he going to survive being on a ship for months? There was a damn good reason he had joined the Army and not the Navy.

Mistaking his expression, Sapphire leaned in and kissed him consolingly. "Go talk with our host, I'll still be here when you return."

Returning the pleasant kiss from his love, David rose and followed Philotheos back to his office.

Motioning for David to sit in a plush armchair in front of his desk, Philotheos walked to a shelf against the wall nearby and drew forth a large roll of parchment. Returning to the desk he unrolled it. Motioning for David to move forward, he sat back in his own chair and the pair looked at the large map.

"David, I wanted to talk with you about your home. I have always enjoyed the study of geography, for it is vital for discussion of the past Champions. The first Champion of Eros was Amyntas, who led the faithful with Eros from the land before to this world. He was a priest of Eros in the last world, and he helped to guide our people in this new land, which we named Erosius after our god. After nearly five centuries he turned over the mantle of Champion to a traveler from a distant land, Nefertari. She was fleeing a major conflict in her own lands, between those faithful to the God of Love, whom they called Min, and a rival nation that wished for no god to influence them. She returned to her land, and fought for our god, ending the conflict and bringing peace once more.

"After serving Eros for almost six centuries, another conflict between the faithful and the faithless occurred, and Nefertari was lost. For nearly a century it was believed that our god had not chosen another Champion, until Eros himself visited our shores and explained that he had chosen another Champion from an even more distant land, whose need was greater than our own. That Champion served Eros for centuries as well, before traveling to our shores to retire. He passed the mantle to Ophelia at that time, whom you know retained it until her death twenty winters ago.

"So, as you can see, the story of the Champions is a story of both history and geography, and I was wondering if you are from the land that the third Champion, Tlacelel, came from?"

David considered the priests request. He had already decided that trying to explain where he was from was not an option. It would raise more questions than it would answer, and some of those questions could only be resolved by revealing his role as The Creator's Champion. That was something that he did not want to share just yet. However, if he pretended to be from this other land and Philotheos actually knew more about it than he was letting on, then he could easily get caught in a lie. At the moment the priest was not using magic to verify the truth of his statements, and the last thing he wanted was to give the old man a reason to start.

"Actually, I am not from there, or this other land of the previous Champion," David began. He had an idea that actually might work. "Where I am from we have no Champions, and it is not even on the map you showed us yesterday."

"Oh, you come from an undiscovered country?" Philotheos asked excitedly. "Please, tell me where it is, and do you perhaps have a map so I can add a copy to my collection?"

"I am actually not sure where it is in reference to your map," David explained politely, trying to stick to half-truths just in case. "I was actually brought here by magic, and I am hoping to find a way to get back home."

"Really?!" Philotheos exclaimed. "But you have met with Eros himself, surely he could return you. After all, he must have been the one to bring you here."

"I asked him, but it appears I have to find my own way home," David replied.

"But why? Surely once you have done what he brought you here to do, he would return you if he wished," remaining polite but starting to get suspicious of the soldier's explanation.

David simply shrugged in reply. "Gods are powerful beings, who do not always choose to answer the questions of men."

"Gods?" Philotheos replied, suspicion increasing. "Surely you can only mean Eros. There are no other gods with power on this world. And I truly hope there never will be."

"So far Eros is the only one I have met, and he seemed nice enough," David replied politely, "but if his warning is to be believed then there are other gods out there with less altruistic natures. And even Eros was long on demands and short on answers," he continue, some of his frustration with the God of Love coming out.

"Hmm..." Philotheos replied, now wishing he had cast a truth-scrying spell. "Perhaps you are right, but in any case, it does not seem as though you can help me with my questions about geography. Perhaps if you ever find your way home, you can return and tell me about it, or send a message." He had no desire to continue the discussion. He suspected that there was much David was not telling him, but he did not wish to offend a companion of Eros' Champion, a man who had spoken directly to his god, on nothing but suspicion.

Seeing the dismissal for what it was, David nodded and bade the old priest a good day. As he walked from the office he thought, that could have gone better.

* * *

Later that day Philotheos was still in his office, preparing a note with a series of instructions to help Captain Epaphras. As he jotted the last few lines on the parchment his concentration was disturbed by a knock at the door. The priest was surprised at the sound, having left word with his juniors that he was to remain undisturbed for another hour. Moving to conceal the sensitive information on the parchment, he stuffed it hastily in a desk drawer.

"Who is it?" he called out in a polite but firm voice.

"Inquisitor Themistokles, Priest Philotheos," replied the voice of the visiting clergyman from the other side of the locked door. "I have some questions that I was told only you could answer."

"One moment Inquisitor," responded the old priest. Clearing a few more pieces of sensitive research from his desk and returning them to their secure resting places, Philotheos moved to the door and unlocked it, inviting Themistokles inside.

"Thank you for meeting with me Philotheos," the inquisitor greeted him informally.

"I cannot say that I am surprised by your visit," the priest responded, motioning for his guest to a chair in the sitting area of his office. "Given the news from Exitibus I suspected that I would hear from you today."

"Then you are aware of the disturbing events there?" Themistokles inquired as he settled himself before the fireplace.

"I am," Philotheos replied tersely, sitting opposite the inquisitor.

"And how much do you know of what happened after Exitibus?" Themistokles continued.

Sighing, Philotheos considered how much to share with the inquisitor. He had already introduced Laurena as the next Champion of Eros, but exact details of sacred communication between their god and his Champion was not always meant to be common knowledge.

"Have you heard of the announcement I made at worship last night?" the old priest began.

"Yes, I did. I assume that since nothing of this was told to me by Sapphire and her companion, Eros' selection of his next Champion was part of what had occurred," the Inquisitor replied.

"Indeed," Philotheos responded.

"However, the weeks that those three spent getting here was far longer than it would take for them to simply travel to the Field of Woe and then come here," Themistokles continued. "Did they share with you what happened during that time?"

"They did not," the Senior Priest admitted grudgingly.

After thinking this answer over for a few moments, the Inquisitor finally stated aloud, "What secrets could be so important that the Champion of our god chose not to share them with even the clergy?"

"Are you certain that the Champion is the one choosing?" Philotheos responded, ominously.

"David?" Themistokles asked carefully, thinking of how secretive the man was.

Philotheos did not reply verbally, but his expression left no doubt about his suspicions.

* * *

The next morning the trio gathered their belongings, and met with Philotheos one final time.

"Laurena, I want you to take this to Captain Epaphras," the priest bade the Champion, handing her an ornate map case. "It is a map that shows the location of the Isle of Eirini. There are only a few such maps in the world, and all are in the care of the Erosian clergy. He will need it to get you to your destination."

Laurena nodded, and accepted the weighty case.

"When you arrive at the isle, you will be greeted by the Keeper of the Tomb of the Fallen. Not much is known about him, but according to legend his family is responsible for guarding and maintaining that resting place of Champions. He will recognize you as a Champion, as I did, by the necklace that you wear. However, you are the only one allowed to enter the Tomb. For their own safety I suggest that no one else attempt to do so," he explained, giving an admonishing look to Sapphire and David.

"We understand Philotheos," Sapphire replied quickly, before David could counter with a smart-ass comment. "We will accompany Laurena as far as this Keeper allows us, and no farther."

David chose to keep silent, deciding that he didn't give a fuck about entering some moldy tomb, nor did he care if he offended the groundskeeper. As long as he wasn't needed, he would just hang out on the beach with Sapphire. Hopefully, this place was tropical. Maybe he could get Sapphire to wear a bikini.

Wishing them fair winds and following seas, Philotheos handed them off to Charis, who would escort them to the Sophia. Sapphire insisted on stopping by the stables, where they would be leaving their mounts, so she could check in on Moonbeam one last time before they left.

Walking into the stable, they saw Paramonos filling Meadowgrass's feed trough. The group greeted him politely, although Laurena noticed that Charis seemed to have a hint of nervousness to her normally unflappable mien. Charis had made no mention of the young man in their day together, and Laurena had begun to wonder about Philotheos' assessment of the dynamic between the pair. Now she wondered if there may actually be something to the old priest's theory.

For his part Paramonos was polite but shy; however he took every opportunity to watch Charis when he thought no one was looking. As Sapphire moved to say goodbye to her faithful mount, promising to return, Laurena decided to help her friend in an unconventional way.

"Can you look after Meadowgrass for me?" Laurena inquired of Charis. "He has been a very good horse, and I would really feel better if I knew you were keeping an eye on him."

"Certainly," Charis replied with a smile. "I would be happy to."

"You do not need to spend much time with him," Laurena continued, thinking of a way to get Charis around Paramonos more often, "but he likes a woman's touch, preferably every day."

Overhearing the conversation, David snorted in barely restrained mirth. That sounds like every male... ever, he thought.

Moving to check on his own horse, he noticed the massive size of his mount's feed trough. He had named the horse "Bud" (short for Budweiser), because the large plow horse reminded him of a Clydesdale. Bud was a gentle, and not particularly excitable, horse. After the fight near the Field of Woe, when both Meadowgrass and Moonbeam were so skittish as to be nearly unrideable, Bud had only been mildly annoyed. It seemed like he was just irritated that all the noise had disturbed his sleep.

Patting the big guy on his neck, David picked up a nearby brush and spent a few minutes of attention on his four-legged friend. He wasn't a particularly sentimental person -- he had experienced far too much loss in his life to grow too attached to anything -- but he would secretly miss Bud until he returned. Finishing up, David returned the brush to its home, and stopped to talk to Paramonos on his way out of the stables.

"Bud's a big boy, and he eats a ton, but he's a good horse," David explained. "Please take good care of him, and make sure he's here when I get back."

The young man nodded in affirmation, fully understanding the affection that David would have for his mount. "I'll treat him like he's family," the normally quiet young man pledged solemnly.

Thanking him, David linked up with Sapphire and moved to leave the stable, only to encounter Themistokles on their way out. He was dressed in his Inquisitorial armor, and appeared to be preparing to leave.

Seeing them, the inquisitor greeted the pair and approached.

"I am on my way to Exitibus to investigate the issues that you mentioned," he explained. "What you experienced there disturbs me greatly, and the young priestess Phoebe certainly sounds as though she could use my help."

"I am certain that your skills will be invaluable in Exitibus," Sapphire replied politely, setting aside her personal feelings towards the Inquisitor.

"If what we suspect is true, I will ensure that Galen is punished for his crimes," Themistokles promised her. "All of his crimes," he added solemnly.

Nodding in understanding of the priest's meaning, Sapphire appreciated the gesture. She may have disagreed with much of what Inquisitor Themistokles had done in the search for her father's murderers, but his mission was still to see justice done. If he got to Galen before she did, that was fine with her. If she got to him first, that was fine too.

*** Chapter 13: Anchors Away ***

211000APR13 DW

The Great Sea, Northwest of the Continent of Erosius

It was an interesting first week aboard the Sophia for David, Sapphire, and Laurena. As David expected, he spent most of the first day with his head over the railing, "calling fish" as the sailors joked. The surprise was that Laurena fared little better. There were many times that first day that the two could be seen side-by-side at the rail, heaving into the sea, and healing magic did little to alleviate the symptoms.

The trio was also introduced to the rest of the Sophia's crew. They were an interesting group that actually surprised David. The First Mate, Lysandros, was the adopted son of Epaphras and his wife, Myrrine --the ship's cook. Lysandros' wife, Phile, was also aboard as the ship's doctor; and as a former priestess she had the additional task of leading the shipboard worship services.

There were two sisters, Kallisto and Korrina, and their father, Phaidros, the ship's Navigator. A sharp-tongued and sharp-witted woman in her forties named Hagne was the Sophia's Quartermaster, and she ran the ship's supplies with an iron fist.

Leontios was the ship's Master-at-Arms. A polite man in his early thirties, he possessed a wiry frame and the calm assurance someone who had lived through battle, and come out victorious. Homeros, the Boatswain, was the largest Erosian David had seen so far. At six feet three inches tall, and easily two hundred and thirty pounds, he was nearly as large as David. He was in charge of the remaining eight crew members, whose names David still had trouble remembering.

All told the Sophia boasted a crew of eighteen, and each of them greeted their passengers happily. They were all aware of how great an honor it was to be the ship that transported the next Champion of Eros, and they were eager to get Laurena swiftly and safely to her destination and back.

By the second day Laurena seemed to find her sea legs, although she preferred to joke that it was actually a sea stomach she discovered, and was no longer vomiting from the ship's motion. Unfortunately, David's inner ear continued to rebel against it, much to his stomach's dismay. That day he visited the rails even more frequently than the first; and many of the crewmembers were amused by his misfortune, and teased him good naturedly.

"The mighty warrior is defeated by a bowl of soup."

"You shouldn't call the fish so much, they'll think you needy."

"Have a care warrior; someone may mistake you for an artist if you continue to decorate the sides of our ship."

David could only muster up a disheartened "Shut up Carl" in reply to their ribbing.

After lunch the third day, Captain Epaphras pulled him aside and handed him a foul smelling root. "Chew a bit of this," the man told him jovially, "and stop feeding the fish my wife's best cooking."

Doing as he was told, David took a small bite of the root, and discovered two important things. One, the root tasted as bad as it smelled. Two, it almost immediately settled his stomach. David looked at the captain in surprise.

"It's a little something I keep on board for passengers that cannot shake the sickness," the captain explained. "I discovered it years ago when a medicine woman on the Isle of Garfan suggested it for Myrrine's morning sickness. She had it terrible with our first child, Hesperos, and refused to stay home so the motion of the ship made it that much worse. I know it tastes horrible, but just a bit of it a few times a day will make all the difference. You keep that one, and come see me when you need more."

David thanked him profusely, and sighed in relief as the first meal he had eaten in two days remained firmly where it was supposed to. As the captain walked away David had a thought.

"Captain Epaphras!" he called out, causing the captain to turn back. "Why did you wait until today to give me this?"

The captain smiled and replied, "Considering the taste, would you have been willing to risk it before now?"

David was forced to nod in return. Even after all of the weird shit that he had eaten in Afghanistan, he doubted he would have been willing to bite into the foul root without a damn compelling reason.

The rest of the week Laurena chose to spend with Phile discussing healing and magic, while David asked Sapphire to help him with his magical experiments. She worked with him on how to train his magic to perform the complex instructions of a spell chant in response to a single word of power. It was an extremely difficult task, and Sapphire warned him that it could take weeks or even months. Thankfully he had a beautiful teacher so the task was less onerous than it could have been. She also helped him enchant his body armor, adding the enchantments for strength and durability that he had used on her outfit.

They also helped with the day to day tasks of the ship where they could. With the amount of magical power the three possessed many of the mundane chores aboard ship could be completed with ease. By the end of the week every leak in the hull had been patched, the sails and rigging were in perfect condition, and the decking gleamed spotless in the sunlight.

It was a very productive voyage.

* * *

Aeschylus, Diocles, and Photios followed Shadowmaster Whisper through the tunnels beneath Exitibus. Their leader had informed them earlier that they had been selected for a special assignment that was vital for the entire Shadow Guild. Their reactions had varied at this information.