Book 3 Ch 23: On to the Next

With the last two rifts closed they made their way back to the village. It was late afternoon when they started walking, and they were a good distance away, but the militia was eager to be home and wanted to push their way there rather than camp for another night. Michael felt at ease for the first time in a while without any rifts spilling out dread. He’d gotten used to a low-level anxiety that had permeated him for the last week and it being gone made him feel as if fifty pounds had been lifted from his shoulders.

They arrived at the village in the middle of the evening and the guards were quick to open the gates for them, Kris coming out to meet them.

“Did you do it? Did you close all the rifts?” she asked.

Laird smiled, surprising everyone. “They did the realm proud.”

She smiled and moved to speak to the other villagers, helping them to draw their supplies from the wagon and get everyone behind the safety of the makeshift walls.

Michael and Ollie exchanged a number of arm clasps and even a few embraces from the villagers they’d fought with over the last several days.

“Be dead if not for you,” said one of them as Michael clasped his hand.

“It was thanks to the gods,” said Michael.

“Well, I’ll thank them then. What was the protector one? Seran?”

“Seras.”

“Well, I’ll thank her then.”

“Please do.”

Once everyone was behind the walls they all went to settle into their homes. Families that had been divided by patrolling and guarding duties for months were able to sit at a table together for the first time in a long time, or share a bed. Michael had expected a party or a celebration of some sort, but that didn’t seem to be the kind of people the citizens of Old Hume were. Instead a kind of comfortable peace settled over everything. They just wanted to focus on the people that they had been missing and keep them to themselves, not share them in a celebration.

Michael and Ollie made their way to the infirmary that was still empty from Michael’s efforts and set themselves up on their pallets. With the pleasant calm that had settled over the village, the lack of dread from nearby rifts, and the satisfaction of a job well done Michael drifted off the sleep within moments.

…

Michael awoke before dawn as always and slipped out of the infirmary to the training yard. This time he wasn’t joined by any of the knights or their squires that they’d sent ahead to Creekbend. Once he was done with his morning prayers and training, he found the village well and drew some water to bathe himself with the soap he kept squirrelled away in his pack. With that done he went back to the infirmary and put on fresh, or at least fresher, clothes. Then he drew his small hand mirror from his pack to divine himself. He focused first on his Champion of the Gods title and found that his Minor Strength boost had changed to Middling Strength. He couldn’t say that he was too surprised by that. He also noticed that a Very Minor Speed had been added to the list. He felt that was from Estaid, Goddess of Judgement. It seemed she was pleased with him. Aside from that he found a new deed on the list.

Realm Firmer

When acting to bring order to an area Grants:

Minor Durability

Minor Concentration

Minor Strength

That was vague and useful. He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times. He was much stronger than he used to be. Walking the path of the gods and fighting as often as he had was adding up more and more quickly. Comparing himself to the other warriors he’d seen in the past he guessed that he was stronger than Bayle at this point, definitely stronger than Lance when he’d been fully titled. All of that was without considering the additional power his blessings granted him. From what he’d seen of Laird and Hu he was much stronger than the average knight as well. Was he approaching the strength of Kings? He thought of his vision of the old Emperor of Hume. He was nowhere near that level of power, but none of the kings who ruled over his fragmented empire would be at that level either. He could do so much good with the kind of strength he was growing. When the threat of the rifts was ended he’d be able to turn his attention to using it to help people. He smiled at the thought.

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He considered waking Ollie, but decided to leave him snoring in his pallet and find himself something hot to eat. He left the infirmary to see Kris, Hu, and Laird talking and approached them.

“Hail,” said Laird in a monotone.

“Mornin’ ,” replied Michael. “Heading for breakfast?” he asked.

“Yes, breakfast and a brief,” said Hu. “I wanted to let Kris know what our plans are now that the nearby rifts have been sealed.”

“Can I join you?” he asked.

“Please,” said Hu.

Laird kept his expression neutral, but didn’t seem thrilled by the idea.

They went to a small part of the town where an elderly woman was preparing what seemed to be oatmeal with small bits of meat mixed with honey. Michael took a bowl and started eating as Laird began to speak.

“We will be leaving for Creekbend today,” he said.