The First Leg of the Race

As of late, Gonyaul had been directly involved in the affairs of the people of Ostiarium, more than ever before since he arrived. It had been a whirlwind of an experience. There were awful moments; an assassination attempt on his life, treated as a felon and put in shackles, ridiculed and jeered at, passed and dragged around into a deepening investigation without any say, thrown into the presence of the Arbiter, luckily avoided a lethal ambush, unwillingly experienced a public execution for the first time, and it all came to a close with the destruction of his place. On the flip side there were moments to be grateful for; the new people he had met, the new things he had learned, and the new positive experiences he probably never would have had if not for getting involved.

Even though he could see the good with the bad, Gonyaul needed a chance to process all the upsetting things. He retreated to his hidden camp to re-center from all the events, rest and think. This was also in part because it was going to take some time to rebuild his farm hut and garden. He figured it would be a better place to begin those mental designs and be exceedingly more comfortable. The night before he had to sleep in the tool shed, it felt like the safest option, and it was very difficult because of the lack of space and cold.

Hidden away in his "rabbit" burrow, which was a camouflaged debris shelter, Gonyaul was enjoying a rather small cooked fish from the handmade oven inside. He was giving thanks that the fish had found its way into his net. In addition, he was so proud of the oven's build: allowing him to cook a meal, keep himself warm and toasty, and keep everything undetectable (save for the venting of smoke out of the ground several yards away from where he actually was). Even though he was enjoying himself, he was still mindful that the woods were harboring potential danger with the members of the Creed still on the loose.

He peeked his head out the front door when an unfamiliar sound caught his ears. Looking through the darkness, especially after his eyes adjusted, he noticed lights and what looked like people making their way through the forest. He had never seen anyone come even remotely close to this place before and was immediately on edge and equally curious.

There was no way he would be detected by how far off they were, but he watched until the last of the lights were no longer visible before getting comfortable again and finishing his meal. He next began to meditate. Suddenly dots began connecting in his head. Bits and pieces of words people said to him, snippets he overheard, or things he experienced began popping into his thoughts and weaving together. He suddenly had an epiphany. There was a very high probability that those people delving deeper into the forest had something to do with the awful cult that kept hurting the innocent and evading the authorities. His heart raced as key decisions began surfacing that he needed to make decisions on. This was important, too important to just stay safe and hidden.

Moments later, with his fire extinguished and any remains from his dinner disposed of properly, Gonyaul emerged from his shelter. He was dressed in his Arisha Ikeburer and warm winter cloak. He had to take this information to someone he could trust. Alexis immediately came to mind.

Gonyaul began to sprint at top speeds towards town. The dark and dull exterior of his cloak easily making him blend into the night. Having stamina and endurance for days, the young man did not have to slow down until he made it to the keep roughly an hour and a half later. He tried to express as well as he could, panting while catching his breath, to the guards the urgency of the matter and whom he was trying to reach.

It took much longer than he thought his gesturing and tone of voice conveyed before they acted upon it and summoned someone of authority to deal with this situation. By the time Sergeant Carver arrived on the scene he had fully recovered.

She looked annoyed to see him again, especially at this hour. It meant something was probably amiss. She told him he had just a second or two to explain the meaning behind dragging her out in the cold of night.

Gonyaul did his best to oblige her request and that he was trying to reach Alexis Greyriver. His news was indeed of value.

Sergeant Carver shook her head, "Why are you always around when there is trouble pretty boy?" She then pointed in the direction of the Drunken Hare. "I believe she went to get a drink from the Drunken Hare. If you are quick enough you may still find her there?"

Gonyaul bowed in thanks and took off running at a full sprint again. Sergeant Carver rolled her eyes and departed from the Keep's gate. She grumbled that her night just got extended, because it would probably be prudent for her to start organizing a few things should this information prove to actually put them on the trail of the Creed's whereabouts.

Upon arriving at the Drunken Hare, Gonyaul stopped short and caught his breath. This was not one of his favorite establishments to be in when it was late and there was a greater chance of drunkards. Composed, he entered and was looking around trying to find her. Not seeing her immediately on his first sweep of the place, Gonyaul called out loudly.

"Alexis Greyriver!"