Eodem: A Rifle and Sword Adventure (Complete)

Chapter 28: Vines Full of Debt

It was a bright and youthful morning for the novice adventurer Faithleann Garmhaic. He combed off his hair as he walked out of the Inn that he stayed in Haringpoint. After leaving his village which was a good 2-Weeks journey to the imperial capital of Haringpoint to look for opportunity, adventure, gold and glory. He was an only child of two impoverished landowners. However, before his parents died as he reached the cusps of adulthood for Humans in Ysanigrad at 15, they thought him swordsmanship and moral upbringings of good versus evil actions from his father and mother respectively. He had experience in real world professions when he was given the job in his village to be a Deputy for the Local Prefect. Enforcing the virtues of every lawful good ruling and social expectations with the best of his ability (or the worst a small riverside fishing village can offer as a threat to it) he was commended by the Prefect for being 'an Exemplar' to all aspiring youths who want to get out of their shells and do good in this fantastical world.

This 'Exemplar' that is named Faithleann read and heard all of the legends, stories, fables and ballads that he could lay his ears on since he was still illiterate at the present. They were his greatest delights to see heroes like the Empire's founder Caldell Slaegiac slaying the evil Demon Lord Alboen, the tales of the Plucky Rogue who stole from disgustingly greedy nobles and give there ill-gotten gains back to the people, or even the story of the 4th Avatar of Thidar, the God of Virtue, Gerard 'Who is as wise as the River'. Whenever he heard the story of a new hero, he would ask the storyteller what became of him but to his disappointment, these heroes' times were such a long time ago that they were obviously long dead. Faithleann was discouraged, he wanted to gaze upon such heroes and to firsthand examine their example, for he had always wanted to be immortalize into memory and record as an Exemplar of all that is good, virtuous and lawful in this world. Stained glass, Ballads and books depicting him saving the innocent from monsters, winning the hand of beautiful maidens and being a good example of bravery and tenacity to future generations who would look at his histories with awe. That was what Faithleann aspires, to attain the noble recognition denied for him at birth after his father made several mistakes in running his farm unto the proverbial financial ground.

With only a few gold coins as his inheritance from his parents, his father's sword and a singular leather chest armor as his only means of protection. He set off to Haringpoint to join the Grey Order. There were many opportunities for him to earn a living as an Adventurer. Monster Slaying, Escorts, Artifact/Relic retrievals, the possibilities were endless. New Friends, new horizons, and all the financial, socio-economic securities satisfied for a boy who has so much to give to this world. After getting initiated into the Adventurer's Guild he was already immediately given his assignment, help out the reconstruction, debris removal and rescue effort that were resultant of the recent attack by the Demons.

Faithleann wanted to personally curse the name of whomever dared strike at the very heart of Humanities' achievement in this world. He was both enraged and horrified by the devastation brought on the Slaegian Empire's ports for Haringpoint was the heart of humanities development in Ysanigrad. If it stops bleeding, the other cities and towns would wither. He tirelessly, selflessly and consistently pulled out the debris of off all the rubble on the Demon Attack's wake and if he ever heard a cry for help, he would without any hesitation drop what he was doing and rush to whomever needed his aid. Sometimes, he would need to help assist a doctor amputate the legs of an injured person or apply bandages all over an extensively maimed individual. Other times, he would be tasked to help some of the Legionnaires pullout a family or a trapped citizen from the rubble. There were concerns from his Grey Order superiors who oversaw the new youths that he might have been pushing himself too hard but Faithleann paid no heed. Doing the right thing was to him like eating a banquet of his favorite meal of Spiced, Pit-Roasted Chicken.

But today is different. He was told that there will be an important announcement happening in the Great Cathedral, one of the holiest sites in all of Gliesia and a popular place where Imperial Decrees are said out to the public due to the Cathedral being open to all walks of life. Faithleann did heard from his fellow adventurers that the Emperor after sometime from the attack didn't make any immediate action but fled underground for his own and his own court's safety and he only now is he making any statements. All of the Empire would be holding their breath as Uldin will be there address his people yet curiously, for such a public event, that a large portion of all the pews on the front half facing the altar in the Great Cathedral were reserved for Knights, Legionnaires and Gray Order Guildsmen such as himself. The wings were reserved on one side, the Holy Men of the Clergy and another wing, which is normally where the choir would be stationed is instead occupied by the College of Magi. He could see among his Grey Order colleagues a whole diverse cast of adventurers such as fellow fighters, independent clerics, a few bards and rangers over there. Some of notable repute others he has just seen with his eyes for the first time.