Eli’s expression grew more and more dark. His face turned serious and his eyebrows furrowed deeply.
The story continued to be told. But only significant details were brought up. Siderius hid away every piece of sensitive information about him and the people he had fought with.
He found the monastery.
He met some survivors inside.
They eradicated the ghouls and killed the witch.
It was as simple as that.
Siderius knew that Eli was concerned about the state of the monastery so he focused on that. The abandoned church. The rotten foot storage and dusty refectory. The mass suicides by hanging.
He did leave out the details about Mother Reverend being turned into a hideous monster. No one should need to know about that unless they were in the same profession as Siderius.
He also told Eli about Nora Blackcrow. The witch of the Starcrow clan that had started it all.
Eli held a fist in front of him and touched his forehead.
"The Outsider above as my witness. What a gruesome tragedy that befell upon them. They shouldn’t endure such a horrendous fate..." Eli seemed to be praying for them.
Siderius sat silently. He did not believe in any god so he did not join Eli’s prayer.
The stranger finished talking to his god quickly. He then turned to Siderius once more.
"Have you seen the Mother Reverend of that convent, Master Siderius?"
Siderius nodded. "Unfortunately, I did. She had also become one of those monsters. I had to burn her body to ash."
Eli sighed. Sorrow filled his face as he looked down on the ground aimlessly. "So Lisa is dead. I was hoping to see her again."
"You knew her?" Siderius asked.
Eli nodded. "We... were friends. It’s a damn shame to know that she died such a violent death. I wish that witch would burn in hell."
"She probably is." Siderius said.
"The rain is stopping. I need to go to Santa Roberto quickly. There are very precious records and research about the Outsider that need to be preserved."
Eli stood up and gathered his belongings. "I apologize for ending our encounter too short. Any wasted second is a chance for the monastery to be looted. Then, there will be nothing left."
"No apology is needed. You are a man of faith and your faith requires you to act. I respect that." Siderius reached into his pocket and threw a silver key to Eli. "There is a hidden chest inside the church, right beside the statue of the Outsider. There are quite a few documents and notes inside. You may find them useful."
Eli’s eyes lit up with glee. "I cannot show you my gratitude enough, Master Siderius. I don’t have anything of value to me. But please, take this."
Eli took out a ring from his pack and gave it to Siderius. It was a unique ring in dark grey with the emblem of the Outsider.
It was cold to touch and seemed to be made out of stone, an abnormal material for a ring. The ring was intricately carved to look like weaved straw instead of stone.
Whoever made this was a master craftsman. The ring might not have a high value in terms of material, but the artistic and craftsmanship alone were one of a kind.
"As the legends say, this is a unique ring that was once worn by the Numbers, those who were favored by the Outsider and were granted godlike power. There are only twelve of these items in this world. This is the Vagrant Ring."
"Oh? I can’t accept such a valuable item." Siderius said.
Eli chuckled gently. "Please do not worry, Master Siderius. This is a completely normal ring with very fine craftsmanship. Other than that, it holds no power nor political influence. So other than being a souvenir, it serves no purpose."
"I see. Well then, it would be impolite for me to refuse your kindness. I gladly accept it."
"I bid you farewell, Master Siderius. May the Outsider watch over you on your journey. He is the friend we all need on the barren travelling road."
"May God be with you as well, Eli."
The stranger nodded to Siderius one last time before hopping back on his horse and went away.
Siderius was wary about this stranger at first. But after many tests, Eli did not seem to have any hidden agendas toward him and simply a follower of the Outsider.
It was purely a coincidence that they met each other. Or is it.
"I would rather not have any god look over me, Eli." Siderius mumbled.
Coincidence. Fate. Destiny. The webs that the gods liked to play with the most.
Eli might’ve not wanted to meet Siderius himself. But Fate might have arranged this meeting in time. Just right after a monastery of the Outsider was cleansed, a devoted follower immediately showed up to deal with the consequences.
Siderius examined the stone Vagrant Ring. It seemed to be ordinary. But ordinary items were the ones you needed to be extra careful about, as it could very well be infused by the touches of god.
If it was any normal person, Siderius would advise them to not get involved with any god. They wouldn’t know what they were dealing with. But Siderius was no ordinary man. He could see and decipher the influence of the gods to an extent. After all, it is all coming from Light Aether.
"Getting rid of this ring might upset that god." Siderius pocketed the Vagrant Ring. "I’ll keep it but I will keep a close eye on it."
After the short lunch with the stranger, the rain seemed to be lighter and the wind became slower.
Dark clouds moved away and returned the sky to its rightful master, the shining sun.
Siderius hopped on to Red’s back and rode to Scalize.
Quinlan did invite him to visit the Crossroads Inn to celebrate. Siderius was in no rush and established a connection with a wealthy merchant is never a bad idea. So he spent a bit of time stopping at the Crossroads Inn. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
The inn was a humble structure in the middle of a six-way crossroads, with a large wooden board showing where a traveler could go from there.
"Scalize... An hour walking distance away." Siderius read the wooden board. He had come to the destination of this journey.
Siderius stopped in front of the Inn and let Red rest at the iron trough, a long and low water container that the owner of the inn had put so the horses could replenish themselves.
Alongside Red were many other horses. If Quinlan and Bas were still here, two must belong to them.
Siderius entered the Inn. He still had the obsidian glass on, shielding himself from the sunlight above.
His appearance attracted attention. The weird device on his eyes. The covered scarf around his face and hair. And his hunter uniform, it might look simple, but any close examination of a good pair of eyes could see that it was a flawless piece of clothing.
The patrons of the inn looked at him. Siderius was indifferent and approached the bar counter.
"What do you have?" Siderius said.
The man behind the bar glanced at him. "Another one? We have just one before you that covered their face entirely with bandages."
"Same question. What do you have?"
The bartender shrugged. "The usual. Cheap ale and dark beer. We also sell some foods and drinks too, to bring on the road if you need."
As Siderius was browsing the bartender’s items, a hand reached down to touch his shoulder.
Siderius drew the assassin’s knife.