Shining in the Light – The Forbidden Love Between A Paladin and Demon

>You were a young boy growing up in the Paladin capital, Duskbreach Keep.

>It is a massive city, surrounded by massive walls that seem to reach to the sky, and stretches out wide enough to hold even the serfs and farmers in it's stony embrace. A massive marble castle towered over the city directly in the center of the walls. The clean white bricks adorned with silver trimming and blue banners that fluttered in the breeze.

>Duskbreach is separated into various districts formed in concentric circles that surrounded the castle Duskbreach lie in the center. Directly encircling that was the Silver district, where the homes of the political elite, wealthy merchants, and other well to do people lie. The next was the commercial district, where shops, taverns, and workshops, and traveling merchants peddles their wares day and night. The next district was the common district, where the common man lived, this was one of the largest and densely packed districts, and some small taverns and shops are interspersed here to take advantage of the crowded population. The final and outermost district is the earth district, where the farmers tended their lands and lived in their simple huts, towered over by massive keep's walls.

>You were born to a simple family of farmers, your parents were down to earth, hard working people.

>Wanting more to come out of your life than toiling in fields to the grave, your father, taking advantage of an old friend he had in the military, manages to get you recruited as a squire.

>Since then, your days have been spent studying the word of God, toiling around the barracks for the convenience of your appointed Knight, and spending every moment of free time in between training your body to its limits.

>For one day at the end of the week, Squires are allowed a day of rest.

>Many Squires take advantage of this opportunity to goof off and romp around the town, but your appointed Knight, your dad's friend, Kennith, who had managed to allow you in, spends this time training and teaching you about combating the terrible menace that taints this world.

>Monsters, grotesque beings from the depths of the most terrible nightmares. Those that had long shunned God, and spat in the face of his beloved creation.

>You are now a young man, not quite old enough to see battle, but old enough to be given more serious responsibilities.

>You sat in an unused war room, your master lecturing you as you both sat on some spare stools, "Monsters are vastly different from man, my boy. They have no concept of honor, no mercy, and no remorse." He stated grimly, as he stroked his short neatly trimmed beard. "Not only that, but most all species of monsters boast super human strength, on top of various other abilities that make them extremely dangerous to engage in battle."

>"It isn't uncommon for even our most experienced warriors to face off against a single monster, only to be defeated and dragged off into the shadows, never to be seen again.

>You sit on your stool, intently listening to Kennith. Your mind begins to wander, imagining heart pounding battles between a Paladin clad in glorious silver armor, adorned with a polished silver 8 sided star, the holy symbol of your God. The Paladin is fiercely facing off against a hulking beast of shadows, numerous heads with black teeth like daggers striking at the stalwart holy warrior. The beast is quick, but the Paladin blocks a blow with his hulking tower shield before swiftly dodging another he-.

>"ANONSON!" Kennith snaps in front of your face, snapping you out of your day dreams. Kennith chuckles warmly, "I guess taking in the details of all these monsters at once can get a bit boring sometimes." He sighs, "Go on kid, it'll be a while before you ever see combat, it won't hurt you to take the day off this week." He playfully ruffles your hair and hands you a small satchel of coins before shooing you out of the room.

>You run off, away from the military district that lie on the outer boundaries of the castle.

>While Kennith was like a second father to you, you hadn't seen your blood kin in months, and decide to use your time to reunite with them, maybe even enjoy a hot meal that didn't consist of dried rations.

>After a brisk walk through the various districts, you see the walls looming in the distance as the congestion of buildings clears up into rolling green fields, crops swaying in the gentle spring breeze.

>Spying a a familiar ramshackle home that was built against the wall in the distance, you break out into the run.

>"Father! Mother!" you see your parents lift their heads up from their field work, smiles stretching widely at the sight of their child running towards them.

>"Son! I haven't seen you in ages!" your father muses as your mother tightly embraces you.

>"It feels like I haven't held my baby boy in ages!" she says through tearful eyes.

>"It's only been about 3 months mother." you chide playfully.

>"3 months too long son, but I can see you've grown more into a strong young man." your dad says with a hint of pride, "Kennith has written letters, and has only said good things about your training, I'm so proud of you son." Your face burns red.

>"Please, little Anon, stay awhile, the supper I've prepared should be done by now. A growing boy needs to eat well." mom says as she walks off to the house.

>"I'll join with you in a moment, son, I just gotta finish tending these crops before I head in."

>You enter the humble home as the warmth of the hearth beings easing your body, the smell of a hearty stew gently clings to your nostrils.

>As mother serves you a bowl of stew, she inquires you about your training.

>Between mouthfuls of food, you begin telling her all about your day to day routines, and the small events of interest that happened occasionally.

>You tactfully avoid telling her about the extra lessons Kennith was giving you as not worry her.

>Finishing the bowl, you notice the sun is setting and you bid her farewell, hugging her warmly and walking outside.

>As you do you see your dad still toiling in the fields, "Leaving so soon son? Sorry I didn't come in, I've been trying to get rid of these nasty roots that seem to have grown under part of this field." He grunts the last part as he continues hacking his tool in a hold of dirt.

>You tell him it's getting late and you have to head to the barracks soon so the captain doesn't have your head.

>Your dad chuckles and tells you goodbye, before reminding you to write more.

>You look at the sky and notice that you still have a few hours of sunlight left before you have to go back.

>You decide to walk around the keep's walls, enjoying the clashing duality of a massive artificial construct, and the green countryside.

>Before even walking too far from your home, you notice an old small shack, it's construction so worn that you wonder if it could even stand up if it wasn't leaning up against the stalwart keep wall. It's an old tool shack, it was used by your grandparents, but has since been abandoned when your dad built one as an addition to the home.

>You fondly remembering hiding in here as a small child whenever the local bully's chased after you, or when your child problems seemed like the most intimidating thing in the world and wanted to feel safe.

>Filled with nostalgia, you gently open the door, dust settling off the planks of wood. Apparently no one has touched this in years.

>As you carefully swing the rickety door open, an old musty miasma pervades your senses and you cough slightly before covering your nose and walking inside.

>As you carefully step inside, you see broken and thoroughly rusted farming tools lying on the ground, their racks long since broken from rot.

>You reach the back wall, which consists of the rough hewn stone bricks that make the keep. turning a corner you go into the deepest part of the small tool shed.

>You see the small little compartment you would tuck yourself away in. It's inconspicuous enough that even if someone where to come looking for you in here, they most likely wouldn't see you.

>You attempt to crawl back inside before realizing only half of your body fits now, you guess you aren't a little boy anymore.

>As you struggle to crawl back out of the tight squeeze, your bare knee scrapes something hard under the displaced dirt floor.

>Curious you lean close to see what it is.

>You carefully use your hand to brush away more of the dirt, revealing sturdy treated wood planks that were of a harder wood than the shack.

>Redoubling your efforts, you attempt to uncover more of the enigma, eventually exposing the ends, girded with a simple steel handle on one side and hinges on the other. It's a trap door!

>A sense of discovery speeds your heart beat, how long has this been here!? Surely long since before your childhood, how did I never find it before?

>Truly this shack would remain a wonder even to this day, you experimentally tug on the handle, hearing a slight shift of the earth as the packed dirt that encased the door loosened up.

>After a bit more effort you finally manage to open it revealing a ladder that descended deeper than you thought a simple cellar should be.

>Still high off the sense of discovery, you feel no fear slipping into the compartment legs first, draping them down the hatch before carefully climbing down the into the darkness.

>It was a shockingly long climb, but your feet eventually hit the ground. Your eyes slowly adjust to the darkness as you grope around somewhat blindly to see a long passageway with rough-hewn brick walls that had become smooth with age and exposure to moisture.

>Walking down the passageway, the bricks slowly transition into a hard packed dirt tunnel supported by treated wood beams. After several minutes of walking pass you are about to give up when you see a faint light further down.

>Spurred on, you being to break out into a cautious run, before finding all too soon finding yourself under the reddening sky, a fresh breeze wafting on your face.

>You wonder where you are when you look behind you to see the cave you exited, before noticing just over the hill a large wall in the distance, and a white spire piercing the sky.

>You're outside the castle walls…

>No no no no, you can't be here, this is illegal! In order to keep the Capital safe, the law forbid's it's citizens to be out of the walls unless accompanied by a sufficiently ranked Knight whom is properly trained in holy magicks, or a specially licensed mercenary. Merchants exporting and importing goods must pay exorbitant fines and go through a thorough screening process to keep all manner of demon tainted items and creatures out.

>If someone learned you were out here, you would be executed for treason and heresy. They might even punish your master, Kennith, or even your family!

>Your fears quiet down, as you realize that this passage was obviously long forgotten, at worst, someone would just see you stumble out of an old tool shed and think the heavy dust made you pass out.

>Yes, this will be fine, we can just head back now and no one will know you had gone.

>But your curiosity and justifications had emboldened your adventurous spirit. No one will know I was even gone, I might as well explore a bit. Surely monsters wouldn't be this close to the keep. It should be safe.

>You here a rustling in a nearby bush, freezing you in place, you slowly without moving your head look over to see two small horns sticking out the top of the bush.

>It's a demon! You draw out your dagger, as the steel sings a short verse as it slides out of its sheathe, steeling yourself to fight for your life.

>The small horns duck into the bush as you hear the rustling move away from you. This leaves you wondering what that was all about before you realize it probably saw you come out of the cave!

>CURSES! If that demon went back to its horde and told people about this passage, the city would be overrun! You're about to run back to the capital to warn them about the impending invasion before you realize you would have to tell them about how you left the passage, and would be executed for leaving the walls and revealing a security breach to the monsters!

>You curse yourself under your breath, as you begin to chase off after the monster. You grip onto your small blade tightly as you weave through the woods, closely following the rustling of your interloper.

>You see a black horned blur dashing behind the trees and follow it, noticing that you've backed into the corner of a sheer cliff face. Perfect, there's nowhere it can run now.

>You brandish your blade with grim determination, as you see the demon is a small humanoid form, facing away from you, desperately scanning the rock wall for a way to escape.

>You hear it breath heavily, gasping for breath. It sounds… lighter and higher pitched that you would think for a hellspawn. As you approach, the demon quickly turns around and faces you.

>You stop in shock.

>It's a young girl, no older than you.

>She had long flowing black hair that shone in the setting sun capped by short stubby white horns, a face that was shockingly cute, with soft delicate features. Her pale skin was smooth and flawless, and her eyes though the sclera were pitch and her pupils glowed red, they were wide and glistened moistly, fear apparent in their expression.

>Looking down you notice she's wearing black leather armor, almost similar to what holy knight scouts and rangers wear, but, so revealing it was practically just a couple of belts and bandoliers! Your face glows as you noticed how exposed this surprisingly beautiful demon was. This didn't make any sense, you were always told all demons were grotesque, hideous beasts!

>Noticing your hesitation your quarry musters up a bit of courage, "What are you waiting for?" her voice despite her fearful tone, clear and melodious like wind chimes, "Y-you've caught me, will you not kill me and get it over with? O-or are you going to take me to your dungeons and torture me?!" Her face struggling to keep a brave appearance, only serving to make her look cute.

>Did she think you were a full fledged knight? You were wearing your squire attire after all, which bore the emblem of your God. And this is a demon, surely her strength and razor claws could easily rend me in two. Perhaps this is a trick?

>Your body breaks into a cold sweat as you realize you are not the one who trapped the demon, but she has trapped you! You forgot how monsters were known to almost always kidnap their victims, no doubt to use them in their unholy sacrificial ceremonies to their false pagan gods!

>You turn around and break out into a desperate sprint, almost immediately slamming into something solid and blacking out.

>You regain consciousness, your head pounding and your thoughts blurry, your world a black void.

>Suddenly the void washes with blurs of color, mostly red, splotches of dark green, and black and white blob in the corner of your vision.

>You try to remember what happened, or what was going right now. You try to say something, anything, but all that escapes your lips is a long groan.

>You feel a startlingly cold splash of water against your face, shocking you upright and the world coming into focus.

>You look around and see you're in a small clearing in the woods, a small stream babbling gently. The sky is deep red, the sun is setting and it'll be dark soon.

>It'll be dark soon! I need to get back for head count! It all comes rushing back to you, THE DEMON!

>Wait why aren't you tied up? Last thing you remember, the demon had a friend who apparently knocked you unconscious from behind. Then where did-

>"Oh thank god, you're awake!" You hear a familiar gentle voice chime. "I was worried you had done some permanent damage when you ran into that tree,"

>Your heart races and you see the demon from earlier beside you, hands on her knees as she leans in close to you.

>"S-stay back! Vile demon! You can use charm spells all you want, but you won't fool me! I know your true nature!" You unsheathe your dagger once more and point it at the small girl, who leaps back in in shock. Wait, when did your dagger get back in your sheathe?

>"That's pretty rude to point a knife at a lady who looked after you while you were out cold!" She pouts, holding her hands on her hips indignantly. But then her lips quiver into a small smile as she hides her reddening cheeks in her hands. "Wait, did you just saying I'm charming?"

>"I have studied your kind for years! I know you use dark magicks most foul to don a beautiful appearance, and use your charm to underhandedly fool lesser men to their doom!" Your hands still point the blade towards her, your hands shaking. If her illusion is this powerful, what other powerful spells would she unleash?

>"O-oh gosh…" the horned girl said shyly, hands on her burning cheeks as she swayed innocently. "A cute boy like you has never said I was beautiful before, or thought I was powerful enough to use magic either…"

>"Wait, you can't use magic?" Your grip grew steady, realizing this monster might truly be just a weak and foolish fledgling, how else would it explain that you were still alive and free? But no, she can't be much younger than you, and even the other recruits with an abysmally low aptitude wouldn't be THIS dense. Wait, did she just call you cute?

>"I didn't know humans could be so sweet! And to someone like me…" She says, a genuine smile on her lips and her eyes watering.

>Her words wrench your heart, looking down at the ground you start panicking, what is going on!? This isn't like any monster you had learned about in Kenneth's tutelage!

>You feel a soft hand tenderly grasp your own, you look up and see the girl directly in front of you. Her red eyes are wide, and shine like an intricately cut ruby in the night sky. You feel your heart skip a beat as you feel her look into your eyes with her gentle stare.

>"My name is Magdalene, my friends call me Maggy." She said, her face glowing pink, "…But you can call me anything, if you want." He lips quiver nervously.

>You nervously wrap a hand on top of hers, unsure of how else to react at this point and just let common courtesy take over. "N-nice to meet you Ms. Magdalene, my name is Squire Anonson."

>She lets out a small gasp of surprise, her face now a deep red. "I didn't know humans could be so polite, you must be very special."

>You look up to the sky and see it is growing rapidly darker, you start to get antsy. "I-it was lovely meeting you, Miss, but I really have to go or I'll be executed, or even worse: dishonorably discharged!"

>"Oh goodness! I didn't mean to keep you!" She helps you up and almost seems to struggle to lift you.

>You begin to sprint back to the cave before you hear Magdalene shout, "W-wait! Can I see you again?"

>Manners still taking hold of the wheel, you blurt out, "S-Sure! I'm free the same day next week!" You gain back control, and clasp your mouth shut. What the hell are you DOING!?

>With child like glee, the small demon jumps, "Yay!" before hiding her face in her hands again, "I-I mean, okay… thank you… so much… so I-I'll see you again right?"

>"Y-you too!" you sprint back to the cave, sweating bullets, your mind racing.

>You blindly sprinted through the dark passageway, stumbling on loose cobblestones and glancing off the rough walls.

>Your mind was going even faster, did you succumb to a charm spell so easily? If so why did she just wait for you to wake up instead of dragging you off to the horde's camp?

>Nearly running into the ladder, you scramble back up and out into the musty old tool shed.

>You bolt out the shed and start legging it even faster, your lungs burning with the fury of hellfire, and you rush through the street towards Duskbreach Castle.

GONG

>Oh no! The 8:00 pm bell! I only have about 30 more seconds!!

GONG

>Daggers shoot through your lungs, your legs feel like they're going to snap

GONG

>You can see the barracks in the distance!

GONG

>Almost there…

GONG

>Your legs are starting to give out, you feel like you're going to collapse

GONG

>You speed through the training yard, before bursting through the barracks door and stand by your bed at attention

GONG

>Oh thank God, you made it. You're sweating bullets, each breath sends pins and needles through your abused lungs. Your sides cramp, making it increasingly difficult to stand at attention.

>The Captain enters the barracks, with the same stern expression he always wore, all the time.

>You don't think you've seen him so much as smirk, or even angry come to think of it. But that was probably because his default seemed to be angry.

>The Captain gave the headcount before walking to the end of the room, his posture achingly perfect, down to the tenth of a degree.

>"I hope you have a good rest today, young soldiers, you have another long week of training ahead of you." His voice calm yet still booming. He begins walking down the aisle observing each Squire as he walked towards the exit.

>Oh God, he's stopping right in front of me, God help me, HE KNOWS. His eyes bore into my very soul, he can see the sins that stain it!

>"I like your hustle recruit, Anonson, was it?" He says bluntly

>I swallow the lump in my throat, "Y-yes sir…"

>He firmly slaps my back, nearly throwing me to the ground, "You all could learn from Mr. Anonson here! While you all were goofing off, Mr. Anonson here was still training! The love of God and His sovereign kingdom burns brightly in his heart!" I could feel the other squires burn into me with their glares. "Keep up the good work, soldier, and you might be wearing my badge some day." He gives me a slight smile. Oh God please stop smiling, it's even scarier than he usually is. "GOOOOD NIGHT SOLDIERS, WE WAKE UP AT 4 AM. SHARP!!!

>As soon as the Captain leaves, the other squires mutter curses and my name under their breath for making them look bad.

>I don't even bother taking my sweat drenched uniform off and pass out as soon as my corpse hits the mattress.

>The next week was the same as usual, wake up, warm up exercises, daily church service, breakfast, training, lessons, sparring, prayer, more training, dinner, and waiting on your Knight's hand and foot at every moment of free time.

>Except you could see the shadows of guilt lingering in the corners of your mind, my sins burning at the back of my head.

>The week seems to drag on forever, but it's finally almost over, and you're sparring with Kenneth, he knocks you off your feet a lot more often than usual.

>"Anonson, whats wrong with you today!? The monsters out there will tear you apart if you space out on the battlefield like that!" As if to make his point he makes a swipe at my legs.

>You feel your legs fly sideways, the world flipped, you tasted dirt.

>You absent-mindedly push yourself up off the ground, Kenneth walks over and places the back of his hand over your forehead. "You don't have a fever, but you feel kind of clammy…" He looks at you with concern, before rubbing his beard and humming thoughtfully. "You've been out of sorts for an entire week, is there something wrong you're not telling me son?"

>You keep thinking about the demon girl you met, you can't stop thinking about her. You've been worried all week that she cast SOMETHING on you, have you been enthralled? Will she control your body and make you kill your friends and loved ones!? All because you had to break the law! Why did you have to do something so stupid!?

>"Anonson, don't think of me as your master for now, okay?" Kenneth grins genuinely, "I never told you this, but my wife… is barren. We've tried for years to have child and it's broken our hearts." his face darkens, but he stays strong and still smiles. "What I'm trying to say, Anonson, is that to me, you're like the son I could never have." He tears up a bit but he soldiers on, "You can tell me about anything that's bothering you, I won't judge you harshly. Just think of me like your second father okay?"

>The guilt is too much for you, and your lunch splatters at your feet.

>"…I think I see whats going on, don't worry about it okay son? Head off to the infirmary and get some sleep, we can talk about this later."

>You begin to feel light headed, and move your feet one in front of the other. You're not quite sure how, but you somehow end up in the infirmary before collapsing at the entrance.

>You wake up in a soft bed, the sun shining softly through the stain glass windows.

>As your vision focuses, you can hear Kenneth talking with the physician, you can just barely make out what they're saying. Kenneth is saying… something, and then the physician sounds like he's realizing something, before laughing? What's so funny…

>The physician notices you're awake and walks over to your bedside. She's an older woman, a bit pudgy, but most of it in her hips and thighs. The uniform she wears is modest, as is all Duskbreach regalia, but her obscenely large bosom seems to threaten to split it open at the seams with every motion.

>"Ahh, the little soldier is awake, we were so worried when we saw you collapse in here!" Her voice is jolly and sweet, "My husband was so worried about his little squire, he truly cares about you." She points to Kenneth, who rubs the back of his head nervously. The voluptuous spirited woman lets out a boisterous laugh, causing her chest to bounce about just as boisterously, "Anyways, take this alkaweed tincture, it'll soothe your stomach, and I'll let my hubby give you the diagnosis, since he's more… qualified, to speak about this particular illness with you." She politely excuses herself, leaving you and Kenneth in the room alone.

>You're extremely confused, is this some sort of sick punishment for your crimes?

>"I wasn't sure what was wrong with you, but I think I finally understand now." his tone grows dark and accusatory, "You think I wouldn't find out, didn't you? Well you made it clear as day on your face, and you can't hide the truth from me any longer."

>You think what was left of your lunch just abandoned you out the other end.

>"You're in love!" His tone does a one-eighty and a stupid grin spreads on his face.

>What.

>"I was the EXACT same way when I met my lovely wife." He says wistfully. "I saw you eyeing her breasts, don't think I didn't." He said through a lecherous smile, before laughing heartily.

>Your face burns with embarrassment, you almost wish that the Holy King himself knew of your crimes instead.

>"I KNEW IT, you have a crush on my wife! That's so adorable, wait til' she hears this! HEY HONEY! COME BACK HERE FOR A SECOND!" He yells, much too loudly, does he want to tell the whole kingdom!?

>"What is it sweetie? Is everything alright?!" She walks quickly back into the room.

>"Anonson's has his first crush…" Kenneth says with a huge smile.

>"Well I know that but what does that have to do-"

>"It's YOU!" He blurts out with far too much enthusiasm.

>Her face pinkens, before laughing sweetly, "Awwhawhaawwww, sweetheart! That's so CUTE!" She crushes your face into her immense bosom, the intense pressure making it completely unpleasant. "But sweetie, I'm already married to Kenneth. You know that."

>You finally gasp for breath as the booby trap releases it's grip on your face, "I *cough* know, I'm sorry ma'am you're quite lovely, but I don't have a crush on you, honestly."

>"Oh you little heart breaker." She says teasingly as she flicks her hand, "We know, we're just playing with you."

>"You really need to lighten up a bit." Kenneth interjects, "I talked to the Captain about this, and he said he feels partly responsible for this, which is why he's giving you a few days off to recover."

>"B-but I'm not sick" you retort.

>"You may not be ill, but you're working yourself too hard, I know about your little marathon run, your day of rest is there for a reason. The strongest mace will still shatter if you don't take the time to repair it every now and then." Kenneth says with his arms crossed, "Besides, all that extra training on TOP of your little bout of love sickness? No wonder you've been so out of it." He smiles mischievously.

>Your stomach slowly feels less sour as the tincture starts being digested.

>"You look like you're start to feel better, why don't you take a walk with me down to the marketplace,>>152275

I have to do some shopping so the wife can make dinner tonight."

>"I kind of want to lie down for a b-"

>"I knew you would say yes!" He genuinely sounds like he heard me say that. He excitedly yanks me out of bed and starts walking at a brisk pace, dragging me along.

>We quickly pass the Silver district, and dive into the hustle and bustle of the Commercial district. People from all across the world gathered here to sell their wares. As long as they made it through the checkpoints first.

>Carts and kiosks littered the center of the crowded streets, while local establishments were in permanent buildings along the sides.

>You and Kenneth weaved through the crowds, periodically stopping at the various produce stalls. As your master haggled and purchased, he handed you his purchases to put in a sack he handed you on the way.

>As you both walk down the busy street, Kenneth stops suddenly and starts back tracking, causing you to nearly lose him. You see him conversing with a young woman running a flower stall.

>You see him purchase two large bouquets of flowers before he walks back to you. "Here, these are for you." He hands you one of the bouquets.

>You begin to sweat nervously in front of the imposing man, "U-uh, t-thank you s-sir, but I don't have a crush on you either."

>Kenneth's face goes deadpan as he bops you on the head with the bouquet. "It's not for you, knucklehead, it's for your crush!"

>"I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH!" You yell, forgetting you're in a very public setting, and feel your face start to grow hot. Several people stare at you before resuming about their business.

>"It's fine, you don't have to tell me who she is." But I do want to talk to you a bit about that.

>You both walk down to the Earth district to enjoy the fresh air, but Kenneth is awkwardly silent the entire time.

>When you're finally walking down the trodden path, and no one is around, he breaks the silence.

>"It's time you were told about how babies are made"

>You nearly trip and fall, is he joking!?

>"Don't worry about the details too much, trust me, it ALL comes naturally." He laughs. "But obviously a boy your ages knows a baby is made between a man and a woman."

>Thank you, Sir Obvious.

>His expression turns grim as you both stop in the middle of the road. "But you need to remember something extremely important."

>He grabs you roughly by the shoulders, his grip starts to feel painful. He looks straight into your eyes, and you can see a deep primal fear behind them. "Y-you should have had this drilled into you during church, but NEVER have sex before you're married! AT ALL!"

>You take your sermons seriously but you can't help but feel he's being a bit overly dramatic

>"I'M NOT JOKING ANONSON! GOD IS ALL SEEING AND HE CAN SEE THE SIN IN YOUR HEART, JUST AS HE'S SEEN YOU LAY WITH THAT ABOMINATION, AND HE WILL DRAG YOU DOWN TO HELL AND PUNISH YOU FOR ETERNITY FOR YOUR SINS!" Kenneth's voice becomes manic, as he grits his teeth, spittle flinging from his lips.

>You start to panic and blink, only to find Kenneth is a few feet ahead of you. "Hey Anonson, you okay? You're just blanking out again." You find yourself hyperventilating. "Hahaa, oh I get it, you were thinking dirty thoughts about your crush again, weren't you?"

>You find yourself too terrified to be embarrassed and just mumble, "…uh-huh…" as you stare into space trying to calm down.

>He chuckles warmly, "See? You're getting it, nothing to be embarrassed about, I had those same exact thoughts when I first saw my wife." He calms down from his amusement, "Just wait until marriage before you make those day dreams a reality okay Anonson? It was tough for me, but it was absolutely worth it, our honeymoon night was explosive…" He drifts off into his thoughts.

>For some reason his calm words still make you panic. The other squires had sometimes whispered among each other about young couples deciding not to "wait before marriage" and disappearing that very night, never to be seen again. But those were just silly rumors spread by the church to scare kids into celibacy… right?

>The rest of your walk is uneventful as Kenneth leads you back to his house in the Common district, prompting you to wait outside while he took the sack you were carrying and took it inside, before swiftly returning.

>"You know what, since you have until the start of the next week off, we should celebrate!" Kenneth says excitedly.

>You give him a confused look, "Why?"

>"What do you mean 'Why?'" he imitates your response with a grumpy voice, "For young love of course! Nothing more beautiful and pure!"

>"So are we going to go to the bakery and buy a cake or something."

>He gives you a smug look, "Anonson, you're running yourself in the military to one day fight and die for your God and King, and you want to celebrate like a 5 year old girl?" He chuckles, "No Anonson, you're a red blooded man, and we're going to celebrate like men!"

>What seems faster than physically possible, you find yourself entering a cozy bar, the hearth burning comfortably and an amazingly delicious smell wafts through the tavern, unfortunately spiked with the harsh tang of spirits and beer.

>"What can I get for you and your young friend, Sir Kenneth?" The matronly barmaid behind the counter says with a sweet but somewhat weathered voice.

>"I'll have an ale, and Anonson…" He thinks for a moment, "I don't think you've drank before so lets get you some cider before working you up to the good stuff."

>Wait, more than ONE drink?

>After one drink you already feel far too dizzy to continue, but Kenneth continues to pound them down, occasionally chiding you for being a lightweight.

>He continues drinking far into the evening when you become to get worried at how drunk he's become. His drunken conversations started out cheerful and jolly, but his happy appearance gradually darkened as he plowed through the drinks. You can barely understand a word hes saying, but it doesn't sound happy.

>The barmaid walks up to the bar and leans over to you, "Sir Kenneth has a lot weighing on his soul, he get's this way sometimes. Would you mind helping him get back home, his wife must be worried sick."

>"Of course ma'am, I'm his squire, it's my duty to see him safe."

>"God bless your heart, young man. Here, it's on me." The nice older lady hands you a small confection which take a bite out of before putting the rest in your satchel.

>You sling Kenneth's arm over your shoulders as you grunt from the weight. He's A LOT heavier than her looks, and you wonder if you can walk him home with your spine intact.

>The walk isn't too long, but is made difficult by the knights drunken swaying.

>"…the eyes… sinner befo*URP* ry god… they're everywhere… make it stop…my chi*hic* give him back…" He slurs, you glance over and swear you could see a tear, but it could have easily just been sweat.

>You finally reach his home, his wife waiting in the open door.

>"KENNETH, What have I told you about drinking so much?? I'm so sorry sweetheart, he gets this way some times. I honestly have no idea what goes on in that head of his sometimes. Thank you so much for bringing him home safely sweetie, would you like to come inside, have some of the supper I made?

>"Sure, cider wasn't much of a filling meal." You chuckle, "Thank you for your hospitality ma'am."

>You step inside the humble home and help Kenneth walk to the bedroom before letting go and letting him collapse onto the mattress. You and Kenneth's wife, who's name you learn is Edith, have some casual conversation, mostly involving your roles at the castle.

>"You know, my husband talks about you so much. He always says that you're like a son to him. It's why your dad made Kenneth your Godfather." She says warmly.

>"Yeah, he told me, I'm truly lucky to be his squire." You glance out the window. "It's getting pretty late, I should be heading back home."

>"Thanks again for bringing my husband home, if you ever need anything feel free to come to us for anything, Anonson."

>"I will, goodbye, ma'am."

>You make your way back to the Earth district and enter your home before walking to your old cot and plopping down, falling asleep soon after.

>You wake up feeling a slight headache from the drinking last night, but decide to get up anyways.

>Your heart drops when you realize what day it was, you had promised to meet Magdalene today…

>Did you really need to see her though? She's an evil demon… you glance over at the table next you your bed and see the bouquet Kenneth had bought for you to give to your "crush".

>You would feel bad if your master spent that money for nothing, but since you don't have a crush, much less know any girls, she would be as good as anyone to give it to… right?

>Bouquet in hand, you walk briskly to the commercial district and buy a couple loaves of bread, some dried meat, and stop by the bakery and buy a small cake.

>As you walk along a path back in the earth district, as you see the shack in the distance, you look around to make sure no one sees you before making a beeline to the shack, quickly opening and shutting the rickety door behind you.

>After making your way through the long passageway you find yourself greeted once again my the midday sun as you exit out of the cave.

>You look around before seeing two small white horns sticking out of the bush, your heart leaping into your stomach before remembering who it was.

>Suddenly Magdalene pops out of the shrub holding her hands out menacingly like claws, and in a playfully lackluster voice, says, "Rawr!"

>You give her a concerned look and wonder if all monsters are like this, and if they are why did we need the massive wall around the city.

>"Aw you're no fun." she pouts, puffing out her cheeks.

>Remembering that you came to unload this bouquet off her to avoid saddening your master, you hand the bundle of flowers to the pouting demon girl.

>She nervously grabs the bouquet before holding them fondly to her chest and inhaling deeply, "Ahh, these are beautiful!" She smiles warmly, "I was right, you really are sweet! You must really care about me…" She blushes and smiles coyly.

>Your chest has a slight twinge as you feel guilty for your original intentions.

>"Hey, follow me, I want to show you something!" She says excitedly before running off.

>Your head is screaming that this is an obvious trap, but you're already risking execution being here so what's the worst that can happen?

>Nothing apparently, chasing after Magdalene quickly brings you to a small waterfall, near the flowing water grows a sturdy tree with wide reaching shady branches.

>Magdalene pulls a large silken sheet from her pack and lays it down by the sturdy tree trunk. You both take your packs off and place them against the tree, as the young girl sits down and motions you to sit next to her.

>Still a bit wary and nervous, you hesitantly sit down on the sheet next to Magdalene. Feeling a bit hungry, you pull the food out of your pack and offer some to her.

>"I'm not really hungry right now, but thank you. Also thank you for joining me here. I like to come here a lot when I feel lonely. But being surrounded by nature and listening to the roaring water just seems to wash my troubles away.

>You take her advice and listen intently on the sound of the waterfall. You slowly feel at ease, as if nothing was wrong or could ever go wrong. You feel your eyes begin to grow heavy, but managed to stop them halfway, just enjoying the moment.

>You're suddenly aware of a pressure on your side and glance over to see Magdalene leaning on you gently.

>Oddly enough, you stopped seeing her as a monster or demon, she was just a person to you. A part of you felt stupid for letting your guard down like this, but you're already in deep. Whatever either side does to you at this point doesn't matter because one couldn't possibly be worse than the other. And if Magdalene was going to do something to you, you're pretty sure it would have been done last week.

>As long as you could enjoy this moment, you were okay.

>You become fully relaxed and lean against the tree, adjusting your posture until getting comfortable.

>The girl besides you wraps her arms around your neck and rest her head on your shoulder. You become acutely aware of small adorable snoring sound before you drift off to sleep.

>You wake up, your first thought is that the demon finally got you and that you were going to be captured and killed, but oddly this doesn't make you nervous.

>You open your eyes and find everything is exactly like it was when you fell asleep, except Magdalene has adjusted her position so that her head rest against your chest, her pointed ear directly over your heart.

>Without thinking you sleepily lift your free hand and place it on top of her head, gently stroking her hair. The girl hums contently and relaxes against your body.

>You're not even startled when you see a spaded tail start to lazily wave back and forth. Not sure how you never noticed that before. But is she wagging? Does that mean shes happy?

>You start thinking that treating a girl like a dog might be a bit disrespectful and awkwardly stop.

>Magdalene sleepily stirs and groans, "Aww… why did you stoooop? That felt nice…" Her lips quivering in a small smile as she avoids looking at you, her face pink.

>Feeling a bit flustered at your flip flopping, you place your hands back on her head, earning a contented sigh from the little demon girl.

>"Tell me about yourself, Anonson." She says, her wide eyes staring up at you like you used to when you wanted grandpa to tell you a bedtime story. How could you say no?

>You start telling her about your life, and Magdalene listens intently, looking up at you with her large red eyes, sparkling with wonderment. You tell her how your parents were farmers, how you got into the military, about your day to day training, your master Kenneth, the terrifying Captain, you eventually run out of interesting things to talk about, to see her still staring at you expectantly. So you talk about the boring mundane things, what you eat, interesting bugs you've seen, daily church service-

>"You go to church service every day?." She exclaims almost excitedly, rubbing your chest gently. "That's… surprising to be honest. Grandmother always told me humans were godless heathens…"

>Part of you wants to snap upright and chastise her for even suggesting that, and that she should speak for being a hellspawn. But the relaxing atmosphere and genuinely confused tone in her voice keeps you cool. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I could say the same."

>"N-not at all! We're very religious! Well… we used to be… It used to be that nearly every monster would worship the God of Light." She says in an almost reminiscent tone, as she pulls a small silver pendant out from under her leather armor.

>You shift slightly as you crane your neck to reconfirm you had saw this correctly. The charm on her necklace was a small silver 8 pointed star with a small blue gem in the center. You nervously pull at the chain on your neck, hands shaking as you finally reveal the charm hidden under your shirt. It's the same exact charm, albeit a touch tarnished, but nothing some TLC couldn't fix.

>"Hey that looks just like mine!" Her voice becoming ecstatic, "Where did you find it!?"

>Confused, you state, "It's been handed down my family for generations. My family, just like everyone else in the city, are all, and always have been devout children of the God of Light." You think for a moment, "Though I'm not entirely sure about the gem, many people have similar pendents, but they're all always empty in the center."

>Magdalene jolts up and looks panicked. She starts softly ranting to herself as she stumbles over to the waterfall. "…How long have I been lied to!? …Why would SHE lie to me!? …How could she DO this to me!?!?"

>Concerned you stand up and walk over to her, "M-Miss, are you alright? Is everything okay?"

>"NO… No, Anonson, everything is not okay." Tears are staining her cheeks, "I thought she loved me! I thought she cared about me! WHY WOULD SHE LIE!?" The tears flow faster as she begins to get hysterical, her entire body shaking.

>Before you even realize what you're doing you close the distance between her and warp your arms around her, embracing her gently.

>Magdalene lets out a small gasp and suddenly quiets down.

>Part of you is screaming, 'What are you doing!? Pull away! Its a trap!' You slide your hands to grasp her waist as you distance yourself a bit. You look into her eyes, still welled up with tears, her face is red and her lips are wondering if they should frown or smile. 'Why are you still standing there!? RUN! Do SOMETHING!' the voice in the back of your head screams.

>You take a hand off her waist, and gently stroke her cheek, settling your fingers on the her chin. Her full pink lips settle on a cute little smile. With your other hand still on her waist, you swiftly pull her up against you, tilting her head up to yours before locking your lips in a loving embrace.

>Magdalene's body becomes rigid for but a moment, before melting into you, her arms weakly wrap around you as if she would lose you forever if she let go.

>All the guilt and paranoia from the past week has melted away, the only thought ruining this moment is the fact that you can't stay like this forever.

>Your fears are confirmed when you feel her soft warm lips slide down off of yours, making them feel cold exposed to the air.

>Magdalene slowly slides down to your chest before squeezing tighter, keeping her balance. You look down and see the small girl shivering.

>"M-Magdalene, are you okay?" You say with genuine concern.

>"Y-yeah, I'm just a bit weak, hungry." She gives you a reassuring smile. "I-I haven't eaten in a long time."

>Without skipping a beat, you lift her up into your arms in a wedding carry and gently place her back on the silky sheet.

>As you sit back down next to her, you see her face is a deep crimson with a small smile, as she pressed her fingers together nervously.

>You start digging through your pack and pull out the small cake wrapped in wax paper, that you had purchased earlier that morning. You take her hand in yours and insistently place the cake in it.

>"T-thank you." she gives you a smile, though it's almost halfhearted. She experimentally takes a bite suddenly giving a look of surprise, before scarfing the rest down voraciously.

>"That was one of the best thing's I've ever tasted!" She claps once, looking at you expectantly. "Do you have more?"

>You laugh nervously, and regretfully inform her that you only brought one, "Why are you still hungry? I have more food, and made sure there was plenty for both of us."

>She looks more dejected then you expected a demon to be over cake, "No… I'm fine.. thank you."

>She doesn't look fine, but you decide not to press the issue. You decide to change the subject. "So, Magdalene, I don't think you've told me about yourself."

>She brightens up a bit, "Oh! How rude of me, and after I made you tell me everything about yourself." She clears her throat, "Like you, I come from the capital of my people… well it's the ONLY city where monsters can safely live in civilized society. Well, if you can call it civilized…" Her voice grows slightly venomous.

>"Ebonthorne Crag, it's where M-" she hesitates, "The Monster Queen resides, though she's mostly a hold over from the old days. She mostly serves as an adviser and to break any impasse among the Circle."

>You cock your head.

>"Well instead of a Monarchy appointed by divine mandate like your society, Monsters elect a representative of each member of their individual race to to speak in the Circle. This allows the wide variety of monsters with race specific needs to make sure their concerns are voiced."

>You feel your brain seize up, babbling a bit before saying SOMETHING to her to save face, "…Wow, you really know a lot about politics." You admit that even the simpler style of leadership of your home didn't particularly interest you beyond, 'Do what they say'. Though you feel that being in the military it might be a disservice to be so apathetic about something so important."

>It then suddenly registers that monsters HAVE a complex political system, and a civilized CAPITAL? This… is much different than the roving anarchic hordes you were told of. You keep this to yourself since you don't want to insult her.

>"Well yeah, I… have friends who are involved in the government. Also since I don't have raw strength to serve the people with, I have to use my brains. I find I'm pretty good at using it… most of the time anyways." She rubs the back of her head looking a bit embarrassed.

>All this information starts making your head spin, a question starts burning into your mind. "If what you say is true, and monsters are civilized, and religious. Then why are monsters known to drag innocent humans away never to be seen again? Surely this cannot be a fabrication, there have been too many reports of this to merely be a rumor.

>Her face burns red, in embarrassment? No, almost like rage, but she manages to keep calm. "I… would rather not talk about that right now, it's too much for me to talk about."

>You're not satisfied, "Innocent people are taken from their friends and families! People have presumed them dead or worse! Surely you can give me an explanation!" Your voice shaking with anger.

>She frowns, recoiling from your words, "I-I know, I honestly don't like it… I will tell you another time, I promise."

>You can't calm down. "Why can't you TELL ME!? Are you hiding something from me!? How can I trust your intentions are pure if you're being deceptive! How do I know you're not scouting the area to prepare an ambush or raid!?" You pick up your pack and start storming back to the cave.

>Tears in her eyes she starts running after you, "I promise, I have no ill intentions! I-I'm the only monster agent in the area! I have no ready contact back to the capital! Please believe me!"

>You don't stop trudging through the forest.

>Her voice is breaking up, "P-please, you don't have to stay but… at least promise me you'll come back next week?"

>You eventually come to the cave entrance and stop, keeping your back to the young girl, with a huff you spit, "Sure."

>"O-o-okay…" she whispers in a quavering voice.

>You stomp into the cave and vaguely hear sobbing as you make your way down the passage way.

>You make your way back to the barracks and throw your pack down by your cot before slamming yourself into it. It's not even dark out yet but you don't care. You just want to forget the day happened.

>As you drifted to sleep, your rage slowly cooled into guilt. Why would she be lying now. There's no reason to be suspicious… she's had so many chances to attack you, she's even known about the way into the city for over a week and there hasn't been any raid.

>You start to feel like an ass, feeling your pillow grow wet with tears as you fall asleep.

>You wake up far earlier than you training begins, but you can't fall back asleep. You decide to start your duties, but your mind is foggy with guilt and sorrow. You make your way to the temple within the main castle tower and decide to pray.

>The dimly lit temple is completely empty and so serene it's almost unsettling. It's usually lit up by a system of mirrors that ensure the sun always shines through the massive and ornate stained glass windows, but the sun hasn't even risen yet.

>You approach the steps that lead to the altar and kneel, holding your hands together.

>"Holy protector of light, Divine Father, our God. Your child humbly comes to you in his time of need. The way to me has become foggy and dim. I beg of you, please aid me with your divine light, please shine the way to the truth!" You feel tears down your cheek as you soulfully plead to the heavens.

>You open your eyes, and find the the dim light throughout the temple begins to fade except a single beam shining upon you. Your tears flow faster and you begin to open your mouth into an incredulous smile as you realize you were actually heard!

>The temple around you fades into nothingness, leaving only you and the shaft of light that illuminated you. You feel immense joy in your heart as you felt close to your Creator.

>But suddenly, from within the darkness, massive, menacing, yellow bloodshot eyes with narrow blood red, four pointed star shaped pupils begin to reveal themselves in the void. Soon there were as many eyes as stars, all staring at you. You could feel their gaze burn into you, as you felt a primal fear well up from within you.

>A voice boomed out that seemed to shake all of creation

YOUR VOICE HAS BEEN HEARD, MORTAL. I WILL SHINE MY DIVINE LIGHT UPON YOU AND REVEAL TO YOU THE TRUTH AND THE PATH THAT LIES BEFORE YOU.

>Something feels wrong, this all feels wrong. Something deep and instinctual is telling you this is all wrong! But you can't move, you're literally frozen stiff. GOD HELP ME.

>A beam of light streaks from your feet and stops a short distance in front of you. Where the light stops, visions of you leaving the walls and meeting with Magdalene unfold before you.

I HAVE SEEN YOU BREAK THE LAWS OF THE HOLY CAPITAL BY LEAVING ITS PROTECTIVE BOSOM UN-ESCORTED. I HAVE SEEN YOU FRATERNIZE WITH AN ABOMINATION THAT HAS TURNED ITS BACK ON MY HOLY LIGHT.

>You begin to sweat, you feel the guilt in the back of your mind feel like it's ravenously consuming your soul.

THIS IS THE PATH YOU WALK ON CHILD.

>The vision changes to that of you, surrounded by shadowy flames burning your flesh. Terrifying creatures of blackness tear into and devour your flesh nonstop. As your flesh is burned and stripped away, it immediately grows back. The 'you' in the vision has been letting out a hoarse, blood curdling scream the entire time the vision played before you.

>"PLEASE! FORGIVE ME HEAVENLY FATHER!" You scream desperately.

IT IS TOO LATE FOR YOU. YOU HAVE SHUNNED MY BLESSINGS AND MY LOVE. YOU WILL BE DRAGGED INTO THE PITS TO SUFFER FOR YOUR SINS FOR ALL ETERNITY.

>Pitch black tendrils covered in the same eyes that surround you, shoot out from the darkness and bind you tightly, knocking the wind out of you. You see yourself become swiftly dragged down into a giant dagger-toothed maw in the darkness and feel the vicious fangs pierce all the way through your body. You let out a desperate scream as the mouth snaps shut. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

>"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGH!!!!" You jolt upright in your bed, covered in sweat, hyperventilating.

>You nervously look around and see your squire-mates get up groggily and start complaining.

>You look outside and notice it's still dark out.

>Turning your gaze to the wall, you notice the clock on the wall and see it's about 2 AM.

>There's no way you can go back to sleep at this point. You've slept plenty, but you don't feel rested at all. Regardless, you walk out and begin doing your chores for the morning, thinking about how you can get away with skipping church service today.

>As you went about your daily routine, the forefront of your mind was filled with your outburst to Magdalene, the nightmare… you just wanted to forget it all.

>You put all your focus and energy on your chores and training to keep your mind occupied. While it helped you found yourself get angrier and more frustrated.

>You were at the training grounds, Kenneth was sparring with you, and for once he had trouble blocking your rage fueled blows, and was unable to knock you down.

>You barely hold yourself back as you feel you strikes become more swift and frenzied, putting your entire body into each swing.

>Your anger reaches its climax and swing with all your might.

>Kenneth raises his wooden buckler up to block, which your training club smashes into pieces, following through and cracking him square in the jaw.

>You're instantly sobered from your tantrum and run over to see if your master is okay.

>He quickly comes to and sits up before spitting out a bloody tooth. He quickly grins proudly at you revealing a blood smeared smile, with a hole where the tooth used to be. "That was a damn fine fight, Anonson." He spits some more of the accumulating blood out into the dirt. "Hell, even the other knights haven't given me a duel that exciting."

>Your low mood elevates slightly at your master's praise.

>"But I am a bit concerned, you've seemed pissed off today." He frowns, "I don't mind you channeling that here, because that was fucking fantastic." He laughs heartily. "But being upset all the time isn't good for you or the people around you." As if to make his point, a trickle of blood runs from the corner of his mouth.

>You really start to feel like shit now. Your face darkens, revealing the sorrow you've been feeling.

>"Oooooh, I know that look." His grin stretches wide.

>Kenneth, please, no, stop.

>"You and your little crush had a little lover's quarrel! Oh wait til I tell Edith, she's going to think this is adorable!"

>Dammit Kenneth.

>"It's perfectly natural for a couple to fight, son!" He chuckles, "If you don't fight, you'll never grow as a couple. If you never have little tiffs every now and then, something is seriously wrong with both of you." He grows serious for a moment, "But it should go without saying, never, EVER raise your hand against her, no matter how upset you get."

>You shake your head, "I would never strike a lady! I'm not some kind of monster!" You catch what you just said and feel guilty.

>"I know you won't, your dad raised you better than that." He smirks, "Besides, if your girl is anything like my wife, you wouldn't even be able to get a single hit in. Whoo, she can be pretty scary when she's mad." He chuckles, but then rubs his injured jaw, eyes staring in the distance.

>You glance down and see his tooth, you pick it up to hand it to him when you realize that it's made of silver.

>Kenneth laughs nervously, "Hahaa… yeah…"

>You look at him with a worried expression.

>He looks and starts getting nervous, "No no no! I know what you're thinking, and it isn't like that!" He waves his hands in front of you, "You've met her, you know she wouldn't harm a fly… unless provoked. This happened when I was… inebriated… and apparently I thought I saw something on my wife's face, so I tried to bat it off her and accidentally hit her in the nose pretty hard. She thought that I was becoming a violent drunk and… Needless to say even when I'm totally smashed I know to keep my hands away."

>You smile nervously, making a mental note that if you were to never hit a woman, you should definitely never ever hit Edith the most.

>"Look at us, gossiping like old ladies!" Kenneth laughs, "I'm going to the infirmary, maybe see if I can get this tooth back in me. You carry on with your training."

>You nod and carry about the rest of your duties, feeling just a little bit better than before.

>The rest of your week goes by faster than you would like. The approaching end of the week weighs heavier in your mind as the time approaches.

>You feel guilty for hurting Magadalene, and while you desperately want to apologize, you're also embarrassed to show your face to her after what happened.

>Finally the day has come, you awake in the barracks before sunrise and get up. As you walk through the training grounds to leave into town, you see Kenneth practicing form on a training dummy.

>You see Kenneth unleash a violent flurry of blows and wondering how much he holds back during your spars. He catches his breath and notices you. "Oh hey, Anonson! Up early I see. Just practicing a bit, gotta catch up to you and show that an old man can still take care of business!" He laughs warmly. "Ah, before I forget, here's your weekly allowance."

>He hands you a small satchel, and as you heft it in your hands, it feels much heavier. You open it and find twice as much as you normally get. You look at Kenneth worryingly.

>"Hey, don't worry about it, you earned it." He gets a little too close for comfort and whispers into your ear, "Buy her something nice, okay?" He slaps you on the back before sending you on your way.

>You walk to the Commercial district and begin looking about. It was still early and most of the stall and shop owners could be seen preparing for the day. While the streets were devoid of the hustle and bustle it still brimmed with busy sounds.

>Looking through the windows of the various stores, something catches your eye.

>Inside is a beautiful pure white silken dress. It has a modest cut supported by thin shoulder straps, and it flowed gracefully to the mannequins ankles.

>This was perfect. You quickly enter inside, but your face burns red as you realize the seamstress who owned this store was still getting ready to open.

>"Oh I'm sorry miss, I didn't mean to intrude so early. I'll kindly take me leave.

>A kindly old lady pops up from behind the counter, "Oh no, don't fret deary, you're FINE." She smiles lovingly at you. "How can I help you young man?"

>"Actually I wanted to buy that dress in the window." You state promptly.

>"It's a little small for you, don't you think, deary?" She gives you a suspicious look before breaking into laughter, stopping when it turns into a coughing fit. "I'm just pulling your chain deary! I know why you want to buy it, you want to give it to your mother?"

>"A-actually-"

>"NO, no, don't tell me deary." She grabs your arms with more strength you think a woman her age was capable, and she holds her ear up to your chest.

>"Aaaaah." She exclaims knowingly, "It's for your little girlfriend!" She says with a wistful teasing tone.

>"Actually we're not rea-"

>"Oh, and you just recently had a fight." She pulls her head away and frowns at you, before pressing her head in once more.

>"And you feel guilty and want to give her something so say sorry."

>"H-how can you tell all this!?" You ask nervously.

>She inhales slowly, "Women's intuition is a powerful thing, lets us sense all kinds of things." She smiles mischievously, before standing on her toes to whisper in your ear. "Like how you've fallen head over heels in." She pauses, and whispers in an even lower whisper, "Forbidden Love."

>You start to panic, and recoil to the door.

>"Oh don't worry deary, I won't tell. You think I want to ruin the relationship between a farm boy and a wealthy merchant's daughter?" she smiles warmly again, you could have sworn there was a twinkle in her eye.

>You sigh deeply in relief.

>"Two devout children of Light, should NEVER be separated from each other's love. If there's anything God wanted from us more than anything to hold dearly in our hearts, it's love for ALL of his children." She goes up to the window and pulls the dress off the mannequin. "I'll just be a second…" she goes in the back and you can hear the clack of a sewing machine and the occasional shear of scissors.

>A bit of time passes and she hands you the dress. "Here you are deary, I tailored it precisely to your loves measurements."

>You raise an eye, "Wait how did you-"

>She walks around the counter and politely leads you to the exit, "Trust me deary, a woman my age knows these things." She winks before gently nudging you out the door. "Oh and deary, hold her close wont you? She's going through a lot and needs her love's touch." She shuts the door.

>You begin walking to the Earth district before you realize you didn't pay. You feel a small twinge of guilt for taking advantage of an old woman, but decide to mark it down is an act of kindness.

>You DID however forget to get her something else you meant to get. You run back to the commercial district and go to your favorite bakery.

>You drool at the smell of sugar hanging in the air and look at all the different colorful confections. Feeling the weight of the coins in your pocket, you feel your self restraint slip away and end up buying a large variety of different sweets.

>As you leave the store you realize you MAY have bought a bit too much. and you'll be eating lightly this week. Your stomach rumbles pathetically and you begin to regret this decision.

>You make your way through the passageway with little incident, and find yourself basking in the later morning sun shining through the trees.

>Looking over at the familiar bush, you realize there's a distinct lack of horns growing from it. You immediately hear a rustling and see Magdalene shuffle out from behind the adjacent tree.

>She looks at you pathetically and waves, "Hi…" Her voice is incredibly soft, you can barely hear her.

>Feeling a mix of emotions you run up and hold her so tight you accidentally lift her up off the ground. Tears are streaking down your face and you start to break down from the emotions you had brewing all week, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I hurt you."

>She gently brings a hand up to your face and wipes your tears away, "Hey… it's fine, I understand… you grew up being taught you mistrust monsters, just how I was taught to hate humans."

>Your heart clenches unexpectedly at her words.

>"But I don't hate you, Anonson. I really do care about you. Despite your mistrust, I know your heart is in the right place. You're a sweet person Anonson." she tenderly strokes your cheek.

>"Anonson… it's getting a bit hard to breath…" She smiles at you a bit nervously.

>You grow embarrassed and immediately let go, "S-sorry."

>He face blushes slightly, "It's okay, it was actually kind of nice, but it got a bit uncomfortable when I started sinking into an awkward spot." Her face burns a brighter red as she hides it in her hands, "Y-your pretty strong…"

>You feel your own face burning before asking if you could go to that spot in the woods again.

>"Oh, of course! I would love to!" She grasps your hand firmly and starts dragging through the woods again, before you reach the shaded glen by the waterfall.

>She pulls the same sheet out of her pack and lays it down under the tree.

>Seeing the silky blanket, you remember your gift and pull it out of your own pack before handing it to her.

>She takes the bundle of fabric from you, "Hmm, whats this?" Before unfolding it and holding out in front of her. "I-it's beautiful! I'm going to wear it right away!!"

>Magdalene immediately begins taking off her boots and unbuckling her skimpy black leather armor and throws it off casually as if you weren't even there. Too fast for you to even remember to look away, she quickly slips the dress on over her and pokes her head and arms through.

>She holds her arms out and looks down at her self as she turns back and forth, inspecting and feeling the dress fit her. "H-how did you… it's a perfect fit!."

>She looks over to smile at you before noticing your face's deep shade of red. She looks confused for a second before realizing she had just stripped naked in front of you. She quickly hides her own blushing face in her hands, "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I was just so excited… I haven't worn something this beautiful in months…"

>Feeling yourself cool down, you find you can put words into sentences once more, "It's fine… and you look absolutely beautiful."

>"You're so sweet…" She runs over and sits down next to you before wrapping her arms around you and burying her head in your chest.

>She starts to shift uncomfortably and raises her bottom up, reaching back behind her. After few seconds she seems satisfied, "This dress is great Anonson! It even had a hole for my tail to go through!"

>You start to sweat and wonder briefly who the hell that old woman was before Magdalene kisses you on the cheek.

>You both sit there and enjoy each other's company listening to the waterfall and the sound of the birds singing.

>As you feel yourself drifting off, you feel Magdalene shifting about.

>"Anonson?" Says with in a nervous tone, "..I'll tell you the truth about why monsters kidnap humans."

>You feel your heart race, excited to have your morbid curiosity sated, but temper your enthusiasm. "Are you sure? You seemed pretty emotional over it last time, I don't want to open up any old wounds."

>"No… you deserve to know. Hell, if humans knew, maybe it would actually help us… but I'm getting ahead of myself." Her face grows red, "Also it's a bit embarrassing to explain…" a nervous smile on her lips.

>She regains her composure and speaks in as serious a tone as possible. "You'll be happy to know, that, even though some… most monsters have lost their way spiritually, we don't do something as barbaric as pagan ritualistic sacrifices." She chuckles.

>"That's a relief so far… but what DO you do with them?"

>"We… enslave them?" An embarrassed smile forces itself.

>"THAT'S A 'BIT' EMBARRASSING!? THAT'S DISGUSTING!!!!" Your anger fly's out of control, you feel Magdalene hug you and kiss you gently on the lips, calming you down.

>"N-No, that's not what's embarrassing, though I admit it is disgusting, in fact I've publicly opposed it for the longest time. If I was in any way for enslaving humans, trust me Anonson, you would have been in Ebonthorn weeks ago." She says flustered.

>"That's not really helping…" You cross your arms indignantly.

>"These day's, slaves are extremely valuable in Ebonthorn. But human's have become almost untouchable. Most slave hunters who journey out to seek their fortune are rarely heard from again, and if they are, it's reports of a desecrated corpse."

>You feel a bit proud of the your race's apparent tenacity and strength, but her description of the aftermath ruins the mood. You wonder though, "Why do monsters need humans as slaves? Don't you have higher brute strength, and are able to use magic more naturally than humans? Seems like humans would be just another mouth to feed."

>"Well… you're not wrong." She get's nervous again, "Tell me what you know about monsters"

>You wrack your brain to recall everything you know, "Not much, master Kenneth has only been teaching me about them for a few months now. Knowledge about monsters is highly controlled, apparently so weak will humans are not tempted by their power. All I do know is that monsters are mostly mindless savage beasts that can easily take out an entire squadron of highly trained soldiers by themselves."

>Magdalene smirks, "Anonson, honestly, do I LOOK mindless and savage to you?" You're about to say something but she interrupts you, "…and if anyone is beastly around here, it's you…" She leans close, holding and rubbing your arm reverently, looking at you with a nervous blushing smile. You stammer a bit before choosing to remain silent.

>"A-anyways…" She sits back up, "Monsters do tend to have beastly features yes, but they also look very similar to humans. Many species could even blend in unnoticed among humans, for a short time anyways."

>"Wait, so does that mean monsters could be in Duskbreach!?" You say, shocked.

>"No actually, the checkpoints are impossibly thorough, nothing can slip through. Even if they could…" She lifts her new dress up and motions you to look at her foot. You realize that her very human left foot is missing the ends of a few of her toes, the ends look like they're still healing. "There's an insanely powerful ward over and under the keep's walls. Any monster than runs into it… well it's like it instantly destroys a monster as they pass through it."

>"So you tried going through the passage? I need to ask. Why?"

>"I lost my toes last week actually… After you got upset with me and left so suddenly… I was going to just wait there until today but…" she starts tearing up, "I felt bad for upsetting you, so I went into that cave to follow you and… I felt something off, so I walked cautiously, and as I took a step I felt a terrible pain in my foot, so I ran back outside to see what had happened and found it was difficult to run, finally saw that it was like my toes were cleanly cut off in a straight line."

>You tenderly touch her injured foot, "Magdalene… I'm so sorry… this is my fault."

>"No it's not!" she shouts, "You didn't MAKE me rush into enemy territory blindly, this was entirely my fault!" She pouts. "Anyways, tell me about a monster's diet, Anonson."

>"Apparently sweets." You chuckle, "Speaking of which, I brought you some." You pull out your sack filled to the brim with cakes."

>Magdalene's eyes widen as she beholds the amazing sight, before grabbing one and greedily stuffing it in her maw. She swallows the confection, "They don't have anything this good at home, at least, ones that aren't annoyingly enchanted." She sees your curious look, "I'll tell you later. But from your earlier descriptions, I'll assume you were told human flesh and livestock, or something equally fear mongering."

>Without skipping a beat she grabs another cakes and starts eating it, "Monsters need 3 things to survive, Food, Water, and Life Energy."

>You nearly choke on your own cake, "YOU EAT SOULS!?" Suddenly feeling very afraid of the young girl.

>"NO" She blurts out a little too loudly, "That would mean human women don't have souls." You begin to recall a little girl who bullied you as a small child, but abandon that line of thought.

>"So you can only get this, 'Life Energy' from men? What do men have that women don't?" You wrack your brain but can't for the life of you think of it. "I'm pretty sure I don't have this life energy stuff."

>Magdalene starts nervously twiddling her thumbs, her face becoming increasingly redder, "Life Energy is… it's um…" shes nodding your head somewhere towards your… lower body?

>"I don't get it." You state flatly.

>Her face is practically glowing, her hands covering her face, a quivering nervous smile stretched ear to ear. She takes a finger and points it to your crotch, "It's… there…"

>"I don't follow." You're totally lost.

>She slowly brings her lips close to you ear, the heat radiating from her cheeks can be felt from the distance between you. Her shaky breath begins to feel more tantalizing than you thought it would. She finally brings herself to utter something quietly, "…A man's 'seed'…"

>You stare at her quietly, your face is burning hot as an awkward silence passes. She's doing her best to avoid your eyes.

>She suddenly blurts out, "I MEAN WE FEED OFF CUM-"

>"I KNOW" You cut her off, your voice an octave higher than usual.

>After hyperventilating a bit, you calm down and managed to form coherent sentences. "S-s-so, you need to feed… on s-'seed' to live."

>"W-well, we don't NEED it to live, per se… but it's like if you tried to feed a man nothing but thin broth, they would be weak and sickly." Her face is only slightly pink now, "Without… 'seed'… monsters can't use magic, and are weaker than humans."

>"W-we also need human men to propagate our own species." she smiles nervously.

>"B-but why not breed with monster men? Why human men?" you say some what excitedly.

>She looks down grimly, "…All monsters are female, without human men, we would go extinct."

>You find you're having trouble to believe all of this, but you trust Magdalene enough to know she's not lying. No one could make up something this embarrassingly lewd. You wonder for a moment, "But… you said when we met that you couldn't use magic… does that mean…?"

>"Y-yeah, I haven't had 'seed' in years… not since I was a little girl. It was only bottled mind you, since we typically can't have it from the source unless you own your own human, and only the richest monsters can afford that. Lately there's been a Life Energy shortage."

>"So is that why you're weakened?" You say concerned.

>"No, I just… when I was a young girl, I happened to see one of the Human ranches, and I was sickened by it. Treating intelligent sapient creatures like common livestock. Forcing them to breed, small pens, forced 'milking'. It was terrible. I couldn't stomach it any more." She sighs exasperatedly, "It's been difficult going without it for so long… but I can't in good conscious support that behavior."

>You hesitate, "I-I could… feed you… if you wanted…" you realize what you've just said and nearly faint.

>Magdalene gasps and hyperventilates before calming down, "ANONSON! That's FAR too lewd! I'm… flattered, but… we aren't even married! It would be sinful, you know that! Spirituality has helped me with my vow of chastity and fasting. I couldn't turn back on my vows!"

>You feel a strange mixture of relief and disappointment, but you chalk off the latter to raging hormones. You respect her piety, even through rejecting her own nature.

>"…Even though… ever since I've met you…" She starts crawling on top of you, her face red, eyes lidded and her tongue slightly hanging from her open mouth. Her face is brought closely to yours. You can feel her hot shallow breaths on your face. "…I've REALLY wanted to."

>She presses her lips against yours and starts probing your mouth with her tongue. You can feel her slick velvety appendage slide sensually across your own, inflaming your senses and fogging your thoughts. She lovingly holds your face in her hands, stroking your hair, allowing her fingers to wander about your chest.

>You grab her by the waist and pull her down onto your body making her gasp excitedly. Firmly holding her close, you return the passionate tongue twisting she had started, earning from her an excited squeal into your mouth.

>Magdalene pulls herself off away from your face to breathe, looking into your eyes with a lidded lustful stare. She stares a bit longer than you thought she would, your lips starting to feel empty and cold.

>Suddenly, she begins to tear up, and quickly pulls herself off you. "I-I-I'm sorry, I can't…"

>"Magdalene…" you say, caring in your voice.

>"I'm so sorry, but I just can't! Please forgive me!" She runs off crying into the woods.

>You grab your pack and begin running after her, but she's already lost you…

>Dejected, you begin heading back to the cave.

>Seeing Magdalene has become your weekly routine, nothing else really seems worth doing on your day off, so you simply head straight to your barracks to turn in early for the night.

>You have trouble sleeping, so you simply lie there and and try to process everything Magdalene told you.

>It all seemed so bizarre, why would the Church keep this a secret? How have they kept it a secret?

>Surely survivors of a slave trader attack would debunk these theories, wouldn't it?

>Yet what little public knowledge there is seems to deny this.

>But wait, even if Magdalene WAS married, wouldn't consuming 'life energy' still be a sin? The Holy Tome of Light strictly forbade wasting your seed except for the sole purpose of procreation. You pull your copy out from your footlocker and start thumbing through it.

>Surely there must be an exception if it's the same religion as monsters, it would have been impossible to be religiously moral if there wasn't.

>Reading the dry boring scripture, you realize for the first time in your life, that for a God of mercy and love, he must have thought pretty lowly of his own children.

>So many ways to sin, and living completely within these guidelines would make for an extremely boring life.

>You think of the people of this town, your friends, your family, all of them have sinned… but they're all such good caring people. Do they deserve to be punished? This book seems to think so.

>As your eyes grow heavy and you start to drift off with the book open in your hands, you see a line appear within the pages, which splits open revealing a blood shot yellow eye that stares directly at you.

>In shock you fling the book down onto the floor. You struggle to catch your breath, and realize you shouldn't let your Captain see your Holy book lying on the floor.

>You get up from bed and cautiously approach the discarded tome, hesitantly reaching for it.

>You quickly snatch a corner of the cover and flip it over and see on the open face…

>Nothing… You must just be tired…

>You crawl back into bed and let sleep embrace you.

>You wake up to the sound of the Captain ringing the morning bell.

>"Good MORNING RECRUITS! We're mixing up training today, I want you all to run to the Earth district south end road and give me 2 laps"

>All the recruits groan.

>"A LITTLE BURN IN YOUR LEGS IS A LOT PREFERABLE TO GETTING THEM TORN OFF BY A DEMON! NOW QUIT BITCHING AND START MOVING!"

>The squires begin filing out of the barracks. The Captain stops you, and says in a stern low voice that chills your bones, "Not you, you're coming with me."

>You keep outwardly calm, but you're worried about what the Captain wants with you, typically squires who were called into his office came out with PTSD…

>The Captain leads you to his office, where you see a wide variety of damaged and worn weapons adorn the walls. All of them were mounted on plaques, with small brass plates engraved with names and dates. You assume these belonged to fellow soldiers who fell in battle.

>The Captain sits behind his desk, which had stacks of papers and scrolls littering the surface. On the center lie a blue hard backed book with a silver star emblazoned on the front cover.

>He sits in his chair as rigidly as his personality, he stares at you intensely, one eye brown, the other milky white with a huge scar running through it.

>"You're probably wondering WHY I called you in here today recruit." His face remained as stern and unmoving as stone. "Don't worry, you aren't in trouble, quite the opposite.

>He glances out the window behind him, "I saw you the other day in the fields, sparring with Sir Kenneth." The ends of his mouth turn slightly, you had forgotten how terrifying his smile is, noticing his crooked yellow teeth didn't help, "I saw you give him a good whollop! I was really impressed boy! Not even the other knights can keep up with Kenneth in a sparring match."

>He looks past you, a look of nostalgia in his eyes, "Not many people can fight that well when they're pissed off. Yes I could tell from here boy, you had a real fire in your heart that day. Reminded me of myself when I was a lad, before I mellowed out."

>Is that what you call it? Wait you mean he was scarier before!?

>"I've told Sir Kenneth and I'm telling you now, I'm changing your schedule so you're sparring more instead of chores, the rest of the recruits will pick up that slack, don't worry." He looks at you with a glint in his eyes, "I want you to start training with a weighted quarterstaff in the fields, and…" He turns around and opens a huge chest that lie behind his chair, the hinges creaking from age and rust. With a small grunt of effort, he hefts something from within it before turning around and dropping it on the desk with a thud, knocking most of the paperwork off onto the floor. "…I want you to have this."

>On the desk lie a large warhammer. The shaft was a thick haft of solid treated oak, studded with steel. The head had a eight slanted ridges that converged into nasty point at the end. If you had the time to see it before it crushed your head, the last thing you would see is the eight sided star that symbolized the light of God.

>"Ah, I can tell you've taken a liking to her already, this was the weapon I was given to me by my Captain when I became a knight. That's right Anonson, Kenneth is giving you a week of special training, and then you'll be given a test to become a knight like him.

>You're speechless, this is all happening too fast, you don't deserve this, do you?

>"Now get out of here! Your training starts today! I'll be watching, so don't disappoint me my boy." He relaxes a bit, "Don't forget your hammer!"

>You reach out and grab the oaken shaft with both hands, and struggle to lift the bulky weapon.

>"BAHAHAHA!!!" the Captain guffaws raucously, "Don't worry, boy, you'll grow into it… But I want to see the with you at ALL TIMES, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?" The veins in his neck were throbbing and spittle ran down is chin.

>You freeze in fear, before silently nodding an affirmation.

>The Captain's face far too quickly changes to an uncharacteristically friendly smile that isn't as terrifying as usual. "Good boy, I know you'll make me proud."

>You struggle to carry the hammer with you to the training yard, and end up dragging it through the dirt half way there. You look up at the window where his office is and can swear you hear him laughing again.

>War hammer trailing behind you, you see Kenneth standing in the training field. You notice he looks different than usual.

>Instead of his usual cloth uniform, he's wearing full, thickly padded leather armor , with steel half helmet, pauldrons, sabatons, and gauntlets. In his right hand he's firmly gripping a morning star.

>It's in his shield hand though, that grabs your full attention. A large tower shield, nearly as tall as he is. It's nearly an inch thick of solid steel, gently curved horizontally. The top and bottom sides are crowned with menacing spikes. The front is painted blue with the steel exposed in a eight pointed star.

>How he can lift this behemoth is beyond you, Kenneth must be a lot stronger than you previously thought.

>"Are you ready to start your Knight training, Anonson?" Kenneth hefts up the massive shield and brings it down in front of him, dirt flying up from the powerful impact. "Come at me with that war hammer, don't worry about hurting me…" He grins confidently, "Because you won't."

>"B-but, the Captain said to use a weighted battle staff for training." you stutter nervously.

>"Trust me, the Captain will like this better. Now come on then! ATTACK ME!" Kenneth sounds far too excited about this.

>You grip the shaft of the war hammer as tightly as you can, knuckles paling from the effort. You manage to heft it off the ground, and start "running" at a walking pace. Straining every muscle in your body, you bring the hammerhead up over your own head, and bring it down towards Kenneth's.

>With lightning speed, Kenneth lifts the tower shield between him and your weapon. A loud gong rings out, and your arms go numb, before they begin to burn with unimaginable pain. You drop the massive weapon with a thud

>"GOOD JOB! NOW COME AT ME AGAIN!!" He yells, voice dripping with battle lust.

>Your arms are still in a lot of pain from the shock of the first blow. But you manage to pick it up again and attempt a side swing.

>He easily blocks it with his shield again, but your sloppy exhausted form had the hammer head angled as it struck, sparing your arms from the aftershock.

>"GOOD! AGAIN!!" he shouts.

>You struggle to pick the heavy hammerhead up from the dirt.

>"Giving up already!? I thought you were stronger than that." Kenneth scoffs, his smile growing malicious, "Maybe I should see that girl you like, show her what a real man is capable of…"

>His words send you over the edge, and you feel your anger burn white hot. Your neck muscles tense and you let out a bestial growl through your grit teeth. You find yourself picking the war hammer up with ease, and start running at a full pace to your target.

>You swing the heavy weapon at Kenneth much faster than before, who barely managed to lift his shield up to block it in time. The head hits the shield squarely, bouncing off and vibrations burning your arms.

>The burning in your arms only manages to fuel your rage further, and without thinking you use the momentum of the bounced head to swing it in a circle around your body in the opposite direction, barely keeping it from slipping from your grip as the speed reaches ludicrous levels.

>Kenneth desperately swings his shield to his other side and leans forward, angling the shield downwards. Your hammer hit it and begins to bounce into the ground. You desperately pull up on the wildly bounding war hammer and keep it from plowing into the dirt, again using the momentum to power a swing in the opposite direction.

>You twist the hammer and pull it up as high as you can, the arc changing direction to fly overhead, Kenneth has no time to react to the rapid change in direction in time.

>A much smaller clang rings out through the fields.

>Everything feels still, every second feeling like a minute.

>You manage to focus your vision and see Kenneth's shield lying in the dirt. Your rage subsides and you begin to panic. Did you hurt him!?

>You follow the shaft of your hammer and see it's leading up to Kenneth's head. Looking further, you notice he is holding his morning star in both hands, holding your heavy weapon up just an inch from his crown.

>He swings his mace, flinging the head of your hammer into the dirt unceremoniously, before swinging at your torso and slamming into your side.

>Your world turns sideways and you slam into the dirt, before your stomach lurches and ejects it's contents onto the ground.

>Kenneth roughly grabs your hands and pulls you up to your feet. The sudden motion makes you dizzy and you throw up again.

>Kenneth looks at you, his friendly down to earth smile beaming at you once again. "The Captain was right, the war hammer was made for you. You fight just like he does, albeit a bit unrefined."

>You begin to wonder how wildly flailing a hunk of steel on a stick could ever be called refined, but you're in no position to argue, or say anything really. You feel like shit.

>"You did good today soldier, lets call it a day and go to the bar."

>"But it's only been a couple of minutes, and the Captain said-"

>"The Captain said this, the Captain said that, stop having a stick up your ass!" He slaps your back and laughs heartily. "Besides, I saw your face, those minutes probably felt like hours, didn't it? Oh, fair warning, your arms are going to feel like hell tonight, I'll stop by my wife's work and see if she can give up some herbal salve for that.

>Kenneth starts walking briskly to the Commercial district, and you begin to follow him, before running back and grabbing your war hammer, with your last ounce of strength, hefting it up and leaning it over your shoulder. This feels much better, you imagine you'll have a much easier time carrying it around this way… as long as you don't go in an antique shop.

>Sprinting after Kenneth with hammer in tow, you somehow manage to catch up with him, just as soon as he approaches what you assume is his favorite tavern, seeing as it's the same one as last time.

>As you both enter, the older barmaid greets you both. You're about to sit at the bar when Kenneth pulls at your shoulder and leads you to a booth in the back corner.

>As you sit down the barmaid greets you, "Hello darlings, what can I get you two strapping young lads?"

>"Yes, we'll both have the hunter's roast, and a pint of ale."

>You're about to interject when Kenneth puts a hand on your shoulder. "Don't be a wet blanket son, trust me you'll want something to forget the pain you're going to be feeling later." he lets out a polite laugh.

>"I'll be back with your order soon, excuse me." The barmaid bows and leaves quietly.

>Both of you sit there, still a bit exhausted from the dangerous sparring, and just enjoy sitting down, listening to crackling hearth.

>The tavern is fairly empty, which isn't surprising since it's still fairly early in the day.

>Kenneth breaks the long silence, "So the Captain gave you that hammer huh?"

>You nod

>"Look's like something he would use alright, considering that hammer is a bit too big for even him to use. You surprised me when I saw how quickly you swung that thing around though."

>He shows his right hand to you and slowly turns it back and forth, allowing you to see the deep red blisters that cover it. "I know you probably couldn't tell, but you hit that shield pretty damn hard."

>You look at him with concern, "Will that be okay?"

>Kenneth laughs raucously, "Don't worry about me, son. I've had worst! My wife's cooking is stronger than that!"

>You faintly recall enjoying her cooking, but okay. You chuckle politely at the joke.

>Eventually, the barmaid comes back with two large mugs of ale, "Sorry for the wait, Sir's, the roast will be out in a moment."

>Kenneth starts downing the ale like it was the only thing he's drank in months, before slamming the empty mug down.

>"Keep 'em coming, ma'am!"

>The barmaid gives him a suspect look before nodding and walking off.

>You feel a strong slap on your shoulder, "Come on son! Drink up!"

>You reach for the mug and realize your arms feel like rubber, as if someone strapped sand bags to it and even the smallest effort took amazing strength.

>"I told you your arms were going to feel like hell." He grins smugly as the barmaid places another mug down by him, taking the empty one.

>You manage to lift the mug and take a sip of the foul bitter liquid, but find yourself taking another sip, and eventually start chugging it down, albeit a much slower pace than Kenneth.

>"There we go! Feel's good doesn't it?" Your head feels a bit foggy, not unpleasantly so, no. More like someone has wrapped your head in a nice woolly hug. Your thoughts are mostly clear, but everything outside your head feels a bit insulated.

>Your food finally comes, and the barmaid hands you another mug of ale. You feel a bit exasperated about being plied with more booze, but feeling the pain in your arms quiets your protests.

>You look at the plates before you, and sitting on it is a massive haunch of venison, with a heaping pile of potatoes, you're not sure you could ever eat this much in two sittings!

>"I want to see you eat that whole thing!" Kenneth says between the violent gnawing of his own food, "You're training like a man now, you need to eat like one!"

>You take a bite, and the seasoned meat practically melts in your mouth with a pleasantly gamy flavor. The taste spurs your hunger into overdrive and you begin tearing into the well cooked flesh with vigor.

>As the food slides into your stomach you feel your buzz thin slightly, and become more aware of the pain in your arms. Without skipping a beat you wash down a bite of potatoes with more ale.

>Eventually you both finish and lean back into the seat, enjoying the afterglow of your buzzed food coma, while nursing another mug of ale.

>You both strike up idle conversation about random topics. Though Kenneth keeps egging you on about your crush.

>"So what's her name, you never told me!" He says with a slight slur.

>You don't want to tell him too much, and him find out about your little forbidden dates. But you start to realize that besides a few odd bits and her natural… lewdness, that she was just like a human girl. It's a huge city, he'll never find out who it is. "Her name is… Magdalene."

>"Well go on, tell me more about her you love bird!" He chuckles warmly.

>You tell him about how she has long black hair that shone like silk, her pale skin had an almost otherworldly glow, and how her r- er brown eyes sparkled like gemstones.

>"She sounds beautiful, you might be making me a bit jealous in fact!" He laughs a bit too loudly, "Uh, don't tell my wife I said that. But go on, tell me more!"

>You tell him how despite being a bit ditsy, she was very sweet and even smarter than she first appears. You tell him about how she's a devout worshiper of Light and how she's takes her vow of chastity and fasting very seriously.

>"Ah, it's rare to see young people so truly devout like that. But surely all that fasting must make her frail. Be sure to protect her with your life, son." But then his lips curl into a lecherous smile, "But I would be careful lad, the ones who value their chastity end up being the most wild. If she can keep it in her pants long enough for you to get married, you're going to have one hell of a honeymoon!"

>You nod nervously, before you both continue with idle conversation about other random topics.

>Time slips by quickly and you're both a bit drunk and talking about even weirder random shit, your vision is swimming, and you vaguely see things in the corners of your eyes, but shake it off as being drunk.

>You're laughing at a joke Kenneth had told you, when out of the corner of your eye, you see a yellow eye close itself into the grain of the wood. "I could've sworn *hic* that wall was looking at me." You chuckle groggily.

>"Oh yeh?" Kenneth slurs.

>"Yea, a lil' yellow eye was jus' oer there… I seem to be seein em around a lot lately." You state lazily.

>Kenneth remains silent, you take it as a cue to keep talking.

>"Id's funny… had a dreEem about em'… eyes evry wayre…" You laugh a bit too loudly, "…man, God wush pissed…"

>Kenneth roughly slams a his hand over your lips, causing the back of your head to slam the wall "Shut your fucking mouth." he hisses quietly.

>Your mind slowly registers that somethings wrong, Kenneth seems to have become completely sober instantly. His eyes lucidly dart around the room as you see him pull something from is collar as if to check it's still there before tucking it safely back in.

>He quickly drops several silver onto the table before grabbing your hands and darting out the door. You barely manage to keep a hold of your hammer as you both dart through the streets under the late afternoon sun. You quickly reach his home, and he flings you inside before following, locking the door behind him. "Good, Edith's not home."

>Still dizzy from the booze, Kenneth walks to a section of wall and pushes it in before sliding it to the side. A hidden door?

>"Quickly, in here." He says sharply.

>You go in and he closes the hidden wall behind him, following you down the flight of stairs. In the corner of your eyes you see the walls are almost completely covered in profane runes. Eventually you make it into a small study, the walls are filled to the brim with books, scrolls, and many exotic trinkets and knick-knacks. A desk sits in the center nearly stacked to the ceiling with notes and books crammed with bookmarks.

>"Now, tell me again, what did you see." Kenneth glares at you coldly.

>You stumble to find the words from your intoxication.

>Kenneth rolls his eyes and slaps you hard across the face, this seems to sober you up a bit.

>"Ow… uh… yeah, I had a dream where God condemned me for my sins and threw me into the pit. Ever since then I've occasionally saw-"

>"The Eyes of God." Kenneth interjects.

>"I-I guess so?"

>"What did you do?" Kenneth inquires coldly.

>"W-what, I-I-I haven't done anything… I-"

>Kenneth grips onto your shoulders tightly and shakes you, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, ANONSON!?" A tear runs down his cheek. "YOU NEED TO TELL ME THE TRUTH AND YOU NEED TO TELL ME NOW!!!!"

>Tears begin streaming down Kenneth's face. His grip lightens slightly from your shoulders, before eventually letting go.

>He seems to calm down a bit before inhaling deeply. "Sit down, I just… need to do something real quick." You take a seat on a stool you find, sweat drenching your uniform, your stomach sour. Kenneth pulls a random book off the shelf before flipping through the pages before he comes to the page he must be looking for.

>Open book in hand he begins inspecting the spaces of wall between the shelves. Focusing on them you see countless tiny runes in thin chalk lines covering every flat surface. Kenneth studiously scans all the walls, occasionally rubbing a rune off and redrawing it.

>After a long awkward silence, he slams the book shut and throws it onto the desk. "Okay… we should be safe in here." He exhales sharply, seemingly slightly relieved, but tension was still apparent on his face.

>You begin to lift your finger, "They're runes to ensure no one is 