A Quest for the Stars

16th of Cobre, 12:21 pm (169 days before Starflower’s trial)

The sun had always been a wonderful sight. It nourished the plants, provided much needed warmth, and energized all living things.

For Lenoria, the midday sun warming her face was an annoyance best resolved by closing the curtain. Her hair an unkempt mess, she groggily got up from her bed and dragged her feet to the window only to find Clara already there.

“Oh, morning.” Lenoria yawned. “What are you doing up so early?”

“It’s past noon, Lenoria,” her elven friend answered.

Now awake, Lenoria winced from a headache. Clara was quick to offer a tankard of water, and one swig of the drink was a welcome feeling for the girl’s dried lips.

“What happened last night?”

“You got drunk and passed out. Alistair had to carry you up the stairs before he went to bed.”

What a shame. Lenoria only remembered drinking half a bottle; what followed next was a total blank.

With a slight sense of embarrassment, Lenoria pressed for more info. “Oh, man. Was I a happy drunk or the obnoxious kind?”

“Little bit of both, but Alistair didn’t mind. He could see how much of a danger you were to yourself, and he suggested escorting you back to the room.”

“Did you walk back with us?”

"Nope. I thought you were just pretending as an excuse to get Alistair alone with you, but he returned to me like five minutes after to hand over the key because he locked the door behind him."

"Stupid alcohol brain..." Lenoria's hangover mocked her inability to remember the night before. She tried to piece everything together, but all she could remember was herself handing over the key to help Alistair open the door. "Pearl, did you see anything?"

"No," the woman in black said. "I had no desire to see you act the fool, so I made preparations to introduce you to Fornax around that time."

"Figures." Lenoria patted herself up and down. "At least I don't feel itchy, and I don't see any bruises. He's a bigger gentleman than I thought." Lenoria returned to the bed and sulked. "Then why do I feel so disappointed?"

"He's not Thomas, you know," Clara said. "Alistair should know what consent is. I'm sure he wanted to, but you must have said no or something." She shrugged. "Or he's just not the kind of guy to make a move on anyone who's drunk. You've seen how he is."

"That could be it. I hope he didn't take things the wrong way."

Clara had an idea. "Well, we don't have to leave until nightfall. Why don't the two of you take Chestnut out for a stroll? I can stay here and see if I can raise some money with my singing."

It was a wonderful idea, but Lenoria quickly thought back on her dream the night before. They had only been traveling for a day, but they were in a completely different area. Hammer's Reach was drastically different than Helix City, and who knows when the girls will get another chance to explore the area together.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe the two of us should hang out today. Alistair wants to take things slow, anyway, and he's welcome to join if he wants to. But I'd like to explore this village with my best friend at least once."

"That does sound like fun. You really don't mind?"

"Not at all! What about you?"

"I can always practice some more once we head north."

"Then it's settled!" Lenoria grinned. "Let's give Alistair a chance to sleep in. You and I have got a date with the local sights!"

Clara's smile broke when she looked out the window. “Do you hear that?” Clara’s ears twitched, holding her index finger to keep Lenoria from speaking. The girls focused on their hearing, and soon enough they heard it.

Continuous rumbling.

"No, no, no, no!" Lenoria glued her face to the window, her eyes scanning the nearby buildings. A blue blur rushed through the trash cans outside of the inn, all which exploded with colors before she had a chance to gaze at the subject's face.

***

16th of Cobre, 1659, 11:51 am (30 minutes ago)

After some needed rest, Alistair rose from his bed and offered a prayer to the Hammer. When he was done, a single ray from the sun shone on him, forming a circle of light beneath him. Divine power coursed through his body, and for a brief moment his irises disappeared. When the ray disappeared, his body went back to normal.

His divine powers had been restored, allowing him to continue with his fight against evil.

He walked to the door of the neighboring room, but the memories of the night before returned just as he was about to knock. Not ready to face Lenoria just yet, he decided against waking the girls and instead made his way downstairs. Even from the second floor, the smell of eggs and pork sausage did not escape him, and he followed the steam to the tavern’s main room and got in the breakfast line.

The tavern was livelier than the night before. A young blue-haired girl sat on a stool on the tiny stage, practicing with a withered mandolin while a seahorse in a bowl next to her had its own stool to be on. Travelers would come in while others would leave, ready to continue with their business in town. The rest were workers, drinking their problems away before going back to work.

Once it was Alistair’s turn, he ordered his breakfast. It took about half an hour before he could smell his order, and once the plate was placed on the table, the lad poked the innkeeper with a question.

“Do you need help in the kitchen, sir? I see that you’re busy and orders have been slow in getting out.”

The orcish male waved his hand dismissively. “You already paid for your stay, son. I’m not going to make you work for your own meal.”

“I understand how you feel, sir, but I’m afraid not everyone would be as patient as I am. Surely we can come to an agreement.”

The old orc could see the wisdom in Alistair’s reasoning. Angry customers meant no money. “Alright. If you can fetch my little girl and get firewood in her place, I’ll write off your breakfast from your tab.”

Alistair scratched the back of his neck. Dismissing it as a mild rash, he held the urge to scratch further. “The girls’, too?”

With a scowl, the old orc nodded begrudgingly. “I expect you to work hard for that firewood, so eat up and go. You’ll need the energy.”

Alistair nodded in agreement and began to chow down. The pork patties were a little spicy for his taste, but he welcomed the challenge. He ate as fast as he could, pausing only to take a gulp of water to wash down his food.

Not long after he was done, he caught something with his peripheral vision. He looked around the tavern and realized the guests noticed it, too. Then he observed his tankard of water. It was vibrating every couple of seconds.

Then he heard footsteps. The same footsteps he heard the night before.

“Innkeep!” Once the old orc’s eyes were on Alistair, the lad said something that shook everyone to the core. “I don’t mean to alarm you, but I believe we have a giant problem.”

The guests murmured amongst themselves. The orc’s fatherly instinct took over, and without a word he grabbed a musket from under the counter, along with a pack of ammunition, and made his way to the door.

Alistair blocked the man’s path to the main entrance. “Sir, please stay here!”

“My daughter is out there. Move before I force you!”

He’d waste time arguing with a father on a mission. Alistair was quick to comply and opened the door for him, and once the man went through, the lad grabbed his mace from the weapon rack and followed him outside.

"Everyone, stay here!" He warned the tavern patrons only once before slamming the door shut behind him.

“I ain’t fighting no giant, but I will if it means my daughter can get to safety.”

Alistair caught up to the innkeep. “It’s likely a cave giant, sir. A gang of them attacked us on the way here last night.”

“Last night? You led them here?!”

“We made sure to get rid of the gang! It was an elderly giant and three younger ones.”

“You took care of dad and the kids. What about mom?”

Alistair nearly stumbled on the unpaved road after the revelation. He stopped for a moment to look behind him; he could see a spectacle of bright lights in multiple colors happening behind the tavern building. Sensing an ill omen, Alistair had half a mind to return and get Lenoria and Clara to safety.

But if he turned back, an innocent family would surely die.

“If it is my fault the giant is here,” the lad said as he firmly gripped his mace, “then it is my responsibility. I’ll make sure your daughter is safe, sir, even if I have to lay down my life.”

Lenoria would be fine, and Clara had Tsukuyomi. His mind was at ease knowing the girls could handle themselves if anything happened at the tavern.

“You have guts, kid. But you should leave the dying to the grown-ups.”

“I have no intention of dying, though.” Alistair grinned. “If mom giant is only as strong as dad giant, then I alone shall suffice. With that said, how do you know them?”

“Them cave giants have been a nuisance for a while. The guards have been able to keep them away, but if momma giant made it inside, then there’s got to be trouble.”

Alistair and the old orc followed the road to the main gate of the village. Surely enough, they spotted a cave giant right by the entrance. Her protruding tusks did not hide her ugly appearance, and neither did her long nose and stringy black hair. Red, pristine scales decorated her skin. The pink mumu she wore would have persuaded some laughs if it were not for the corpses of a couple of guards at her feet.

Barring her path was a man in plate mail, just like the one Alistair wore. The knightly human male wielded a partisan and the musculature to hold it, and an azure cape with the symbol of a bird emblazoned on it clung to his shoulders and down his back.

“Whoa,” the old orc exclaimed. “That’s a member of the Blue Jay!”

“The Blue Jay?” Alistair heard about them during his time in Helix. It was a non-religious order dedicated to punishing criminals and other miscreants they deemed dangerous. Anyone could join as long as they believed in the Blue Jay’s cause.

Still wishing to own up to his perceived responsibility, Alistair calmly approached the knightly figure and stood by his side. His eyes focused on a symbol of the man’s left pauldron: an iron cross decorated by aquamarine gems. “A servant of the Hammer?”

The bearded, graying figure looked at the new arrival. The giant before them tried to step closer, but she stopped when both men looked back at her.

“You’re not the backup I called for,” said the older male.

Clutching his own holy symbol, Alistair shot him a cocky smile. “Full-fledged paladin, Alistair Adams, sir. I have been initiated only three days ago, but I can fight with the best of them.” Pocketing away his symbol, Alistair set his sights on the giant in front of him. “I have sworn to join any battle brother in need of help, if their cause is just!”

Despite the danger, Alistair was more than ready to prove himself to the other paladins of the Hammer. Any chance to bring honor to the Hammer was not exactly mandatory to follow up on, but those who did were rumored to gain special favor from the Hammer.

“I don’t need a rookie watching my back. Go home,” the older man ordered.

Alistair’s pride left just as quickly as it had arrived.

“But, sir-”

“No buts. I’m not going to watch myself and keep some greenhorn from getting gobbled up.”

“Forgive my stubbornness, but this giant is my responsibility. A group of giants just like her stopped my group on our way here.”

The giantess finally spoke to interrupt them. “It was you! You’re the reason my husband is dead and my children are missing!”

The mother giant’s mouth - revealing teeth sharper than her husband’s - lit on fire. An orb of flames formed inside, growing bigger and bigger. Alistair and the knightly figure braced themselves.

"Sea God's Breath," shouted a mysterious maiden.

Who knew all it would take to stop the flames was a watery orb to the face?

A splash interrupted the giantess, forcing her to withhold her attack. Her hair and face drenched in water, she looked around for the person responsible. “Who’s got a death wish? Show yourself!”

Down the road into the village stood a smaller figure. Alistair expected Lenoria but this person appeared to be shorter. She wore a suit made of a white blouse, navy-blue skirt, a red strand on her chest tied into a bow, white tights, and a pair of black heeled boots. Her head was decorated with blue hair and a pair of dolphin-shaped hairpins, with two long strands of hair dangling off to the sides. She posed bravely with a scepter, which had an aquamarine encrusted in it.

“Tch,” the knightly man scoffed, “about time.”

“Evildoer!” The young girl pointed at the giant. “Don’t you know fire is dangerous?! Apologize to Mr. Spark right now, or you'll answer to Melodious Aquamarine!”