The Cainite Order

CHAPTER 10

MIEUX VAUT UN BON DINER A UNE FINE COUCHE

CHAPTER 10

"Better a good dinner than a fine coat."

The following few days were the most agonizing for Beathen. Edgar seemed completely fine with the situation. He had even gone so far as to say "It could take years to get an answer back, Odin is a busy God." That was when he demanded that they continue his training so he could someday make it to his post, wherever that was going to be. He felt very far from home and without a guiding light to steer by. He hadn't felt this lost in his whole life. A few weeks later he had given up on ever getting an answer and just buried himself in training; physical, mental, and magikal. Pouring over every text he could get his hands on, and a few he wasn't supposed to. Trying to find some kind of answer, any answer. He just wished he knew the right question.

He was finally cleared to use a few more charms and to continue combat training. At first he didn't understand the uses of the new charms, until he got to the hand-to-hand section of combat training. One charm was called Bast's Grace; it gave the user the dexterity of a feline. He was fairly certain that it did more than just make him more nimble, but he hadn't had much time to use it. The second one; The Endurance of Atlas, allowed him to keep practicing as long as he wanted to, and it also allowed him to take a hell of a beating before it started to hurt.

The last one he had been cleared to use was Regeneration of Prometheus. This one he could think of many uses for, the only problem was that you couldn't use Atlas and Prometheus at the same time. He wasn't sure if it was because of the history between them that wouldn't allow their use at the same time, or if it was having two types of body enhancement on at once. Either way they were both extremely useful. He spent a few weeks on firearms marksmanship until he was consistently making all the shots in a two -inch group. Melee combat was not his forte, so he decided to use a hand axe until he had more time to train in close quarters, either that or something blunt like a war hammer.

On the eve of the Autumn Equinox Beathen was digging into a late night feast and reading an old tome on the origin of tattooing when a booming voice almost made him choke on a piece of turkey. He spun around, hand on his sidearm, to see an older man standing there with a smile on his face, a patch on his left eye and a large floppy hat. Beathen had never seen the man at this chapter house before. He was dressed similar to what a lumberjack would wear in colder climates. Thick heavy coat, a hat with floppy covers for the ears, and heavy coveralls that looked like they needed a good three washes.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Do you mind if I sit here?" the man asked.

Beathen looked around the empty dining hall and finally motioned for the man to sit down.

"Thank you. So what are you doing up on this fine Høst Equinox? You aren't dressed like a Magus, and I probably know all of them. That and you're eating and not doing a ceremony" said the man. He had a commanding quality to his voice, similar to the first time you heard James Earl Jones's voice. It had the feature of garnering attention no matter what was going on around him.

"I'm sorry do I know you? I'm Beathen and you are?" he asked.

"Sorry where are my manners, I'm Aldaföðr." he said, holding out his hand.

"I didn't quite get that. How do you say that again?" Beathen said, instinctually clasping the man's forearm as he did the same.

"Don't forget to use you're charms regularly, they could just save your life. Let's try an easier one, Wotan" he said, with a mischievous smile.