Leonardo guided everyone to the far back of the church to a large meeting room. I half expected to see dozens of people waiting for us, but the table set for over twenty people had only a single man sitting in a chair. He was an older-looking human man wearing robes in the same style as Leonardo's and Azrael's, albeit slightly fancier, with red trim along the edges, and a small cloth hat of the same color.
He stood up upon our entrance and made his wave over, giving a short bow and smiling as he said, "It is an honor to host such esteemed guests. Thank you for making such a dangerous journey just to speak with us today."
He extended a hand, and I shook it. "And thank you for seeing us on such short notice…Sir?" I said.
"Cardinal Louise Ather of the Thalorien Vigil, Lord Shadowheart, and Lady Cerila," he answered politely.
"Thalorien Vigil, is that the name of your religion?" I asked.
The man nodded, and I quickly went through my memory but came up short. I've never heard of this Thalorien Vigil in either lives, nor do I understand their roots, at least completely. Leonardo and his group were…cagey about releasing such information, but it seemed whatever ban on information they had before seems to be lifted, somewhat.
"I see, then, Cardinal Ather. I imagine Leonardo has informed you of our reason for our visit today?" I questioned.
The cardinal nodded. "He has indeed. And there will be much to converse about. However, I do wonder why it was that Her Majesty was the one to reach out to us?" he asked.
His words clearly hid a question, one that was rather obvious. "I assume you are wondering why it wasn't His Majesty, King Maxwell, who did. While I can not say much, he is recovering from an unforeseen injury inflicted by a certain individual of radical religious zealots who attacked the kingdom," I answered.
"Impossible…" Azreal muttered.
I raised an eyebrow at the Dragonkin, and even Leonardo and the Cardinal had a conflicted look. "Do you perhaps know, His Majesty?" I asked.
Leonardo chuckled to himself as he said, "Hard to forget the man. I was just a boy, but he made quite the impression even then."
"Indeed, His Majesty is…quite the character," the cardinal agreed with a gentle smile.
"Did he perhaps do something? I was under the impression we were on good terms?" I asked.
The cardinal put his hands up in defense. "Oh, no, please do not misunderstand. We are, in fact, on good terms with one another. His Majesty has been nothing but benevolent toward us, and we owe him a great debt, one we fully plan on repaying. It's just that our… initial meeting was rather special," he said.
Leonardo elbowed Azreal, and the Dragonkin let out a low rumble that was perhaps a chuckle. "I was far younger, the Stone had yet to set in so much back then. I fancied myself to be the strongest around, folly of the youth, if you will. His Majesty very quickly enlightened me that I still had much to learn about the world."
All I could do was smile and nod. "So you fought?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"A fight…yes, one may call it such. We crossed paths in the forest. A shirtless man, drenched in monster blood, with purple crystals surrounding a devastated area. He had slain an entire horde by himself. He asked if I was strong, and I told him I was. The following 'fight' was nothing more than a lesson of total domination. One that was beaten into me and my men until we understood just how naive we were. A lesson I have not forgotten," Azreal said with a tinge of nostalgia.
Well, at least it was a positive interaction…
"King Maxwell does indeed have that effect on people," I agreed.
"But to hear he has been injured by those heretics…we shall see that we can be of assistance; that much requires no other agreements," Cardinal Aether said firmly.
"Your words are kind, and I'm sure Her Majesty would agree. Speaking of these heretics, I lack the history behind the Thalorien Vigil and your connection with the Church of Amon-Ra. But I take it you are no ally," I said.
Cardial Ather slowly nodded. "Yes, we are no ally of those heretics. To make a very long and painful history short, we were the origin. The first. Our vigil is ancient, one spanning an era even before the Bloody Emperor. Our followers were numerous and spread across the entire continent. But our records show things began to change. A schism occurred; the cultists of Amon-Ra took power and, with it, spent generations eradicating us. Sparing not even women or children," he answered.
"Please do not take offense to this, but I find it rather difficult to imagine that your group was so thoroughly eradicated that not even a mention of your name can be found," I said.
The Cardinal didn't appear offended at all as he gladly answered, "It is understandable that you would think that. I'm sure many of my ancestors believed our total annihilation was impossible at one point. But the circumstances are, in fact, incredibly odd, even from our records. The heretics of Amon-Ra were capable of things beyond mortal means. There are mentions of monster hordes swarming over cities, killing every single soul that called those places home. But those hordes never came to those who converted, who betrayed their origins. There are even whispers that the Dragons were involved at one point or another, but that is truly hearsay."
"Monster hordes…you mean to say you have records that these incidents were controlled?" I asked.
"We do. Nothing more than words, naturally, oral history, and what was written, and that we managed to salvage. But our ancestors do agree that things were not as they seemed. The death of our people, the annihilation, eradication, and assimilation of our faith, was no accident. And it was accomplished by means that we mortals could not comprehend," the cardinal said gravely.
The cardinal's words had much to consider. But was it truly that impossible? Hardly, at least from my experience. There seemed to be some odd, stranglehold on historical information on this planet. And his words did ring true, considering…
"You mean to say that what is happening outside Haven is the work of Amon-Ra?" I questioned.
The old man smiled. "The precedent is there. I expect a full-blown attack from the monsters that are being gathered in the coming days, and it is no coincidence that this coincides with the arrival of these heretics in these woods, who will undoubtedly arrive after. They see us as a threat. And they have finally come to finish what they started so long ago," he said.
"You appear rather calm about all of this. Are you truly prepared for what is about to happen?" I asked.
"We are. We have no choice but to be prepared, for failure will lead to the deaths of everyone here," the cardinal said gravely.
"Then Cerila and I will join you in the defense of Haven," I said.
Cardinal Ather nodded with a smile. "We would be more than happy to be graced by the presence of you two in the coming battle. And it shall be a start to a wonderful friendship. However, it is not necessarily my opinion alone," he trailed off.
I heard the heavy footsteps from the hallway as the door opened. A singular, large bald head peered in before a massive figure narrowed its shoulders and ducked through the doorway, practically squeezing himself into the room. I've seen many figures that could be considered giants, Agnar and King Maxwell chief amongst them. But whoever this was was simply beyond reason.
After standing upright, the large man still had to keep his head slightly ducked lest he hit the ceiling of the meeting room. He was, without a doubt, the largest Human I had ever seen in my life. He was easily over seven feet tall, and his sheer bulk must have made him nearly half a ton. Sure, he had some fat, but it was not the kind born of laziness, but of pure size.
If someone told me he was not a human but rather a race of giants, I would believe them, but only at first. The odd facial features and the shape of his massive fingers and hands made it clear to me that he was most likely suffering from gigantism. But where one would find it difficult to move, with a mana-enhanced body…he was perhaps capable of crushing foes with little effort.
"Thank you for coming, Greg," Cardinal Aether said with a smile.
"Yes…thank you, Cardinal," he said in a slow, deep voice and with a short, awkward bow.
From behind the man came another green-robed figure, and an even more unique person. An older High Elf woman, one even older than both my grandfathers, perhaps. She appeared middle-aged, nearly to the point of being considered elderly. Her frame was small, her hair was a dull gray, and a red cloth wrapped around her eyes. But despite her appearance, she had a certain aura around her. One that made her seem too familiar and made me question this entire group's origins.
Azreal and Leonardo both stood and bowed deeply. "We greet the Watchmaster," they said in unison.
"I apologize for being tardy, as I had personal matters to attend to," she said politely before turning to Cerila and me. She bowed slightly as she said, "It's an honor to meet the Dragonslayer and his companion. I hope I did not keep you two waiting, but let us discuss what's to come."
"Yes, let's."
—
Leonardo's POV.
The following conversation was honestly a bit boring. Kaladin had already agreed to take part in the defense, so I felt that there really wasn't much to consider. After all, a furture alliance only mattered if we contiuned to exist. Not that I thought we would lose, even if we had to fight tooth and nail for weeks, even months on end.
Well, either way, I guess it was at least good enough to lay down what would come, even if we had much to get through first. I honestly didn't know what to think of the Dragonslayer and his companion; well, she never spoke, for obvious reasons. It was hard to tell if she had any real political sway or was simply here as a bodyguard of sorts. Not that it mattered too much, she was a nice enough person, and I didn't really foresee either of them causing problems.
The large sword on her back was sure interesting, but she didn't seem keen on taking it out, which was perhaps a good thing, as there was no doubt in my mind these two were, in fact, very powerful individuals. Which made me all the more satisfied to know they wanted to be allies.
I was curious to see if the Cardinal and the Watchmaster were interested in finally expanding out from our little Haven, and it did appear they were. Perhaps our external threats were the impetus for it, but I, for one, approved of us finally moving out into the broader world. Something I wished for a long time ago. Regardless, what better way to do that than with a sword in hand, fighting our arch-nemesis? A nemesis these two and Luminar seemed very keen on handling.
I'm sure this meeting would be one of many to come, but agreements were made and a promise to continue once the threat that lay outside was handled. I was truly surprised the Watchmaster seemed so…talkative. She rarely did so, maybe outside of myself and Tuvani. There was much of her past I didn't know, despite basically being my godmother in all but name.
Eh, it's just how it is. No point in prying.
"It appears things are in order. I have much to do in the coming hours. It has been an honor to meet you two," Cardinal Aether said with a bow.
"Indeed, I also have matters to see handled. My order needs to be prepared, so I shall take my leave alongside the Cardinal," Azreal said.
The two of them took their leave, but not before taking ol'Greg with them. I'm sure there was much to do, and I would be joining them shortly. But with this being a military matter, I couldn't exactly get up and leave. Unless the Watchermaster excused me, which I was sincerely hoping she would. I desperately needed a good meal, a bath, and some sleep before I even considered handling matters. It was probably going to be my last good days' worth for the foreseeable furture.
With it just being the four of us, Aleen smiled as she said, "There is indeed much to do and even more to talk about. I will recognize both of you as official guests, so once we assign you some rooms, please do not hesitate to move about Haven freely. Nothing but the most inner parts of the sanctum will be off limits to you, and everyone will be told in an announcement that they should be forthright with any questions you may have."
"We appreciate that and will be more than happy to accept your generosity. If you would, please extend that to the people who guided us here. Durak and his group are more than trustworthy," Kaladin said.
"Naturally, they too will be offered the same amenities, regardless of whether they decide to take up arms in the coming battle," she said.
With those words, we all finally stood up as we gathered for what should have been a quick handshake to solidify things and move on. I was barely keeping it together and was about ready to skip out on eating altogether just to lie down for the day. Kaladin exchanged what I had learned was an entire language based on hand signs with Cerila, who just nodded at him with a smile.
Cerila approached me with a handshake at the same time Kaladin did to Aleen. "Watchmaster, I never did catch your full name?" he questioned politely.
"Ah, my manners, sorry. Please, you may call me Aleen if you so desire," she said as she accepted the handshake, despite not being able to see.
Kaladin smiled, and at the same time, as I shook Cerila's hand, I felt something a bit odd. "Aleen. It's a familiar name. I believe you know my Grandfather," Kaladin said.
The watchmaster tilted her head to the side in confusion. "I…don't believe I have met any Shadowhearts before. Nor have I met Chief Shadowstorm," she said.
"Oh, I'm aware. But you still do know him. I knew him as Doctor Jacobs, but perhaps you know the name Rorken Bloodfallen?" Kaladin said in a low voice.
I tried to let go of Cerila's hand, but she suddenly increased her grip on mine as she stared directly into my eyes. It all happened far too fast, and I could only blame my fatigue and lax attitude as I was stunned for a moment. A bloodlust so visceral stunned me, blanketing the room. It felt like someone was pressing down on my shoulders and gripping my heart in fear.
And before I could even think of summoning my magic, a blade was already at my throat as something sharp and cold pressed down on the back of my head, courtesy of the woman gripping my hand. I barely managed to look over as a spear tip pressed against the Watchmaster's throat.
"Do explain to me, Watchmaster, or should I say, Exarch, how exactly you found yourself with Thalorien Vigil?"