Eliona's War 1: Hesitant Healer

Chapter 38

It took him forty-three minutes to find the Fifth Monument.

As it turned out, Xiomara was right. It wasn't far. It just took a few twists and turns to get there. The route Severance was supposed to take had four sets of stairs and two sky bridges, but he ended up taking fourteen sets of stairs and several sky bridges.

He wandered from one side of Two Bridges to the other, trying to follow the cryptic directions given to him by the Valkyrie he ran into along the way. Eventually he found the Monument, though it was more by fluke rather than the successful following-of-directions.

This Fifth Monument turned out to be a giant bird statue sitting in a wide, shallow pond. The bird had its wings half-spread, casting long shadows over the courtyard. Its metallic body gleamed a rich copper in the sunlight. Crystal clear pond water lapped at its splayed talons, while a stream of water poured from its opened beak.

Severance eyed the spectacle, wondering if the artist who created it knew that the water coming from the bird's mouth made it look like it was perpetually puking. Other than that small detail, the statue appeared quite majestic.

Shaking his head in bemusement, he walked around the statue. There was an old man tending to several small garden beds along the courtyard's perimeter. He did good work, evident by the multitude of colorful flowers filling the beds. Severance even spotted a patch of pale pink flowers that looked similar to the one Xiomara had tucked into her hair. Between the garden beds were stone benches, with small trees strategically planted behind them to provide shade from the heat of the day.

Severance walked slowly about, enjoying the calm beauty. The soft breeze carried a hint of sweetness, and he inhaled deeply, taking in the floral fragrance that no doubt came from the flowers.

He soon found another man at the edge of the courtyard, facing a tree covered in rich green foliage and blooming white flowers. The man didn't seem to be doing anything other than staring up at the tree, as if fascinated by its very existence. He wore a plain blue tunic that looked like it had been hand sewn out of someone's old quilt.

Since this was the only other person in the area, Severance assumed this had to be Augustine. He approached, and the sound of his boots scuffing the stone walkway was enough to catch the man's attention. He immediately turned, his gaze finding Severance.

"What is it?"

Augustine had a lean, wolfish build with aristocratic features and hair that gone prematurely gray. There was a tension about his shoulders, a weariness about his eyes, and Severance thought that Augustine had the look of a man who had suffered much in life. Even then, he carried himself firmly as if refusing to bend the knee no matter what.

Unconsciously, Severance straightened his back. "My clan told me to look for you."

"You are...?"

"I'm Severance. A cleric."

Augustine simply regarded him for a moment, revealing nothing of his thoughts. "I see. You're an Outsider. Come, then."

He didn't offer any further explanation. Instead, he strolled along the outer edge of the courtyard, passing by several patches of brilliant flowers. Severance hurried to follow, wondering where Augustine was going to take him.

Then he wondered what would happen if another player showed up for the healer quest. If Augustine was gone, what was that player supposed to do? Wait around until he got back?

"Tell me," Augustine said abruptly. He didn't even glance back to see if Severance was still following. "As a cleric, what do you think a healer is?"

Someone who heals, was the immediate thought Severance had, but he figured that probably wasn't what Augustine was looking for. He tried not to sigh too loudly, because he hated questions like this. There was always some secret, some trick answer and he never could get them right.