The Priest of Justice

Left cut, step, parry, sweep, spin…

Cal’edor stopped mid strike, was Eruleon giving another of his sermons? The old priest was way inside the temple but he must be talking to the woman who went in earlier. He sheathed his blade and tied up his long golden hair and quietly moved to the entrance to the shrine from his hidden practice area to better hear the priest speak. The temple was only small but beautifully ornate, the arches and detail all carved by Eruleon himself, the old man had poured so much of himself into the shrine and given most of his life tending to it and the needs of the town. Inside on one of the simple wooden pews Eruleon sat with the woman Cal had seen enter earlier, she was weeping and visibly shaken.

“Father, they have taken my daughter, as payment for failure to pay so called protection taxes, these brigands and murderers have taken my daughter. What can we do against trained and armed men? Have we done something to anger the gods?

When Eruleon spoke it was always with a measured calm, comforting and strong, he had seen people through the darkest of their lives times and been an unshakable font of strength to them in those times.

“My child, there is nothing that you can do, chasing these men would simply lead to pain and suffering for you and your husband. Return to your home, stay safe pray to the Goddess Dol Arrah”

The priest spared a look, catching sight of Cal peeking around the frame of the door, how did he always know he was there? And he smiled.

“I have a feeling her agents are already moving regarding the matter”

“But Father Eruleon, surely the gods themselves do not interfere in the matters of simple folk, I had hoped… hoped you might be able to gather the villagers, perhaps we could muster enough of us to drive them off?”

Eruleon gripped the hands of the woman tightly and looked into her eyes.

“Normally I would agree child, the gods must work on a grander stage but in this particular case I feel a greater power at work much closer to our hearts”

The priest and woman exchanged a few more hushed words before he took her leave and Cal made sure to allow her to be clear away before he slipped into the temple where he found the old priest waiting.

“You were listening I take it?”

“Perhaps I can do something to help her, the town has no real guards to speak of, no-one who could stand up to these men but she is in desperate need and you always say it is the responsibility to those with power to defend those without and I have trained myself in the art of the blade longer than most in town have been alive, I can at least try”

The old man smiled “It pleases me to know it was not just this morning you were listening, the Goddess truly blessed this town the day you strolled into it. I was worried the day you arrived and cut down those troublemakers that you would be just another sellsword, a man who would kill whomever for the right price, but you keep surprising me boy. What I said about the gods was true, Dol Arrah herself can’t swoop down on every crook and brigand and cut them down like Arawai can’t bless every child, so they each have their priests, those of us who give our lives to the cause.”

“Now a wise man knows that not every problem can be resolved with talking and the gods know this too. Look at me, people like having a kindly old man giving their services, blessing their children, they see age as a source of wisdom, but whats gonna happen you think if I go out and find these bandits and try to given them a lecture in sacrifice and justice?”

The old priest ran his thumb across his neck making a cutting noise.

“Schuckt, that’s right, so sometimes the gods look to warriors, now it’s rarer to find because those that wield the blade often see might is right and they have the might, but now and again someone comes along who truly believes in the principles of the gods and who has the will and the skill to fight for em, and that’s where you come in lad. You need to watch yourself out there the gods don’t have time to reach down and pluck away every little arrow some idiot aims at you, but your faith is your shield, if you do right by the Gods they they’ll do right by you where they can”

“I won’t fail you Father, I will bring the girl home” And he ran toward the door drawing his cloak about his body as he ran.

“It’s just Eruleon lad, your one of us now…”

*****

It had taken over 2 hours to track them, he only hoped that had not been too long, he’d seen another man hunting the woods following the tracks with much less success, the woman’s husband perhaps? Had he chosen to come looking even knowing he had no chance? Cal knew he couldn’t afford to let the man find these brigands first, they’d slaughter him and that little club of his.

These men in the clearing were far more than even Cal had expected, 10 possibly 11, night had fallen and lit only by the fire it was impossible to be sure. The group were all human and half elves, men and women, they drank and rolled around with each other in plain sight of they comrades, even cheered on by them, Cal had stalked the bushes trying to evaluate the situation makes sure he knew where the girl was before he struck, they were being so loud though if the husband was still looking he would surely find them and that couldn’t be allowed to happen.

Then he saw her, bound and gagged at the base of a tree, she seemed otherwise unhurt. She was in her early teens perhaps and so had escaped the groups predations so far but he could tell a few of the group eyed her hungrily, time was of the essence, he had to act now.

Cal burst from the bush drawing his blade “Relinquish your weapons, release the girl and submit to the authorities now and you have my word you will live”

The bandits looked alarmed at first stopping whatever they were doing then they caught a glimpse of him, at 46 he must look like a mere slip of a man to them and they laughed, several getting to their feet collecting weapons

“What are you, her brother? Think you’re a bit handy with a blade? Let’s kill this dumb little kid and then get acquainted with his sister!” He grinned at Cal.

Your first then he thought, and in the blink of an eye Cal was amongst them.

Left cut, step, parry, sweep, spin…

*****

The man broke into the clearing, drawn by the earlier sounds of violence and nearly dropped his club. Men and women were strewn around the clearing, each slain by a single slash or swipe then he nearly lost his balance as something slammed into his side and arms latched around him.

“Father!”

Cal watched from the treeline, the bloody wounds in his shoulder and thigh burned fiercely but he watched the father and daughter hurry away in one another’s arms from the site of his carnage and he smiled…