Sera Argent.
She was paladin Ray had watched die in a public execution three years in the future.
And right now, she was out there killing anyone who ca after her.
Ray didn’t encounter any of these news in his past life.
In his first life, Ray had been in the capital when Sera’s execution was announced.
He’d been running errands for Aldric at the ti, carrying supplies through the market district when the town crier read the proclamation aloud.
"Sera Argent, forr paladin of the Holy Order, has been found guilty of heresy and cris against the Goddess herself. She will be executed at dawn in the Cathedral Square. Let this serve as a reminder that none are above divine law."
Ray rembered stopping to watch the crowd’s reaction.
Most people had cheered because they wanted to see a heretic being punished.
They wanted to see Justice being served.
At the ti, Ray hadn’t cared one way or another.
He’d been too focused on getting Aldric’s supplies back on ti to avoid another beating.
So, the next morning, he’d passed through Cathedral Square on his way to the training grounds.
He recalled seeing the execution platform was still there.
He recalled seeing the blood stained on the wood and a woman’s head sitting in a basket.
Back then, Ray had glanced at it once and kept walking.
He didn’t even rember her face.
But he definitely rembered her na.
Sera Argent
And he rembered overhearing Elise laughing about it later that night.
"Father finally got rid of that ddling bitch. Took him long enough."
At the ti, Ray hadn’t understood what Elise ant but now he did.
Sera had discovered sothing about the forbidden spell.
It must have been sothing Henrik and Elise didn’t want anyone to know about.
So they killed her.
Just like they’d killed him.
Ray’s jaw tightened as he tried his best to focus on what the hunters in the tavern were saying.
"Church should just leave her alone," another hunter grumbled. "What’s one heretic worth compared to our livelihoods?"
"I agree but I heard rumors of her knowing sothing about the church. That’s why they want her so bad."
"She knows sothing?"
"Yep."
"Like what?"
"Don’t know. Don’t care. I just want them to let hunt in my forest again or else, I’m heading out to a different town."
The conversation slowly drifted into complaints about taxes and bad weather.
And just when Ray was about to stand and leave the tavern, a slurred voice from the far corner of the tavern suddenly caught his attention.
"Did you guys heard about that slave too."
"Which one?"
"The one who escaped from Arena City."
Ray froze and sat back down to listen if it had any connection to Sera.
"What slave?" soone asked feeling half interested about the topic.
"I heard she was a fighter. A really good one at that and I heard she killed three guards during a riot and just... vanished. It’s been weeks now and Veylan’s got bounty hunters all over looking for her."
"Her?"
"Yeah. She seed to be a beastkin. Probably a wolfkin, I think because right now, Veylan is pissed because she was one of his best earners."
"True, I heard she brought in over a thousand gold in bets last year alone." A man hiccuped and took another drink.
"What? A Thousand gold for one fighter?"
"Yeah. She had never lost an underground fight before. Not once in six years."
"I heard them nobles loved her, so they bet fortunes on her matches."
"So why’d she run?" A female hunter asked.
"Who knows? Maybe she got tired of killing for soone else’s profit."
"Gagagagaga!!!!" The drunk man laughed bitterly. "Can’t bla her for that."
The tavern suddenly turned silent and no one else seed interested in talking about the slave of a slaveowner who was notorious for hosting underground battle brawls.
The conversation continued once again and slowly drifted into a different topic but Ray and Mira exchanged a glance before standing up and leaving the tavern.
*******
Few hours later, the sky had turned dark and was now filled with stars.
The forest was now dark and dangerous monsters had begun making their hunt for dinner.
Unlike most other forests, Blackwood Forest stretched for miles in every direction.
The trees here were massive and their trunks were wider than houses, with their branches blocking out most of the moonlight.
The night wind was cold and chilly, and the undergrowth was thick as well.
Right now, Ray and Mira moved silently through the underbrush.
Their cloaks were pulled tight against the chill of the night while Ri sat perched on Ray’s shoulder.
The young wyvern ice-blue eyes scanned the darkness in search of any intruder.
Ri had grown noticeably over the past few weeks.
He was now the size of a large cat, and his wings folded neatly against his back.
He chirped softly.
Then Ray reached up and scratched under his chin.
"You really think she’s here?" Mira whispered as she trailed behind him.
"If the rumors about the pile bodies are real, then she’s definitely here," Ray replied quietly. "And if she’s killing inquisitors, then she’s exactly who we’re looking for."
They moved deeper into the forest and now, the sounds of the town faded behind them.
Now there was only the wind in the trees and the occasional crack of a branch filling up their ears.
Ray activated his ability periodically, as he checked for threats.
But he couldn’t find anything.
However, after an hour of walking, Ray finally spotted movent ahead.
He raised his hand and Mira stopped imdiately.
Ray activated his ability again and he could finally see eight figures moving in coordinated formation through the trees.
They seed like experienced trackers who were definitely ard.
"Bounty hunters." Ray gestured for Mira to follow behind him and they moved silently to the left, keeping a low profile.
They circled around the group and found a position behind a fallen tree.
From here, Ray could see them clearly without the bounty hunters noticing their presence.
Reviews
All reviews (0)