Fetch Quest

Combat the Evil at the Temple

"Hero! Hero! We are in dire need of your assistance!" a priestess ran up to the two adventurers as they left the threshold of the forest. The young woman stopped in front of them and bent over to catch her breath. Clearly she was not used to running great distances.

"You should never forget to level your stamina," Lang advised, "Other aspects might be more flashy, but there's nothing better than good old fashioned endurance."

"Can we leave that discussion for another time?" the woman panted, "There is something far more urgent which needs addressing!"

"Yes, yes. Sorry. What is the matter fair priestess?" Lang asked, "Did someone fall in the well?"

"Worse my hero!" the woman replied, "An evil presence was detected at the funeral currently taking place!"

"Aren't you holy people supposed to be able to take care of those things?" Azazel asked.

"It is too strong for us! We-" the priestess stopped mid-sentence and stared at Azazel for a moment, "You're a... okay then. Ahem. Uh, we can contain it for the time being, but we really need help!"

"You recovered pretty fast," Lang noted, "Is it just because time is of the essence?"

"I believe that everyone can earn their forgiveness," the priestess glanced at Azazel who in turn crossed her arms, "No one should be turned away from the church because they made some past mistakes. My name is Helga."

"It's nice to meet you," the man smiled politely, "I'm sure my companion can appreciate your more liberal, if a bit condescending, approach to forgiveness."

"Thank you. It is nice to meet you two as well," the woman bobbed her head, "Now about the evil back in the town..."

"Ah yes, lead the way," Lang said as he flipped open his journal. Helga nodded and looked back to the town with a pained expression. She inhaled deeply and began to jog once more. Azazel and Lang followed after her.

"Why did she tell us her name?" the raven haired woman asked in a low voice, "People don't normally do that unless they're high up in society."

"She wanted to separate herself from the common rabble," Lang explained, "Now we will remember her as Helga instead of priestess."

"It's an assertion of dominance?"

"Not a conscious one. Dear Helga is simply showing that she will likely be important in the future. Thus, we should know her name because we'll be speaking to her more than just this instance."

"Wait, does that mean you just called me fallen angel until I told you my name?"

"Yes."

"Huh. I guess I never realized it was that important," Azazel furrowed her brow, "Wow, I actually don't know many peoples' names at all! I just call them by whatever their occupation is."

"Having a name is important."

"Well yeah, but it's not like people don't have names just because they never say them," the woman countered.

"Right... of course," Lang replied, not meeting her gaze. Before Azazel could decipher whatever that meant, the trio arrived in front of the temple. Several guards were standing near the walls, protecting a small crowd of people. It would seem that the funeral goers had been removed from the building for safety. Helga led them through the white pillars to a long hall. At the end of it was a raised platform where a body lay covered in a shroud. Two priests stood nearby with their hands up. An unearthly white glow shimmered around the dead body.

"Helga thank the gods you have returned!" one man said, "Hero you are just in time! Our control is almost gone!" The very next instant, the white light disappeared and the priests were knocked backward. The corpse sat up and removed the cloth covering it. A well-dressed old man got to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. The man was pale and his eyes empty.